Today

This week at home has been very hard on my kids. We spent our Spring Break at my mom's house in Cabot Arkansas. And that was the perfect distraction for my kids to not be focused on their dad leaving. But I think only Elina really understands what Daddy being in Iraq means. Noah is so whiney and prone to crying. This week he has been constantly on the verge on tears. It is really driving me nuts! I try oh so very hard to be patient once I remember that the whininess is because of Jason being deployed. But that is a hard feat at 1am and he is screaming "I need you Mommy or Don't leave me" Noah never tells me "I miss Daddy or I am sad because Daddy is gone". Noah is very confused with the meaning of "Iraq". So a few days ago I switched to saying that daddy is going to be at work for a long time. Well, what is a long time to a three year old? A week...two? And I am sure Lydia doesn't have a clue that she will not see her dad for a year. I would imagine that infants and toddlers do not have time recognitions like a five year old would. She just screams "DAD!" at every picture she sees of him!

On a happier note: I just picked up the new family picture we had made before he left. And I am more than pleased with how good they turned out! Here is a preview:

Noah

I think Noah is having the hardest time so far with this deployment. Today he told me that we lost our first Daddy and now we have to get a new one. Hmm...I told him No, I like the one we have. How about we just wait for him to get home from Iraq? And Noah thought that was "cool" (his new favorite word). So then this morning while I am encouraging Noah to hurry and get dressed for preschool he informs me that he will hurry so he can be dressed before Jason gets home from exercising. And he always says his prayers "thank you that Daddy can be safe if Iraq, and thank you that he can home home soon". I guess the poor kid is going to be waiting for a while!

The Great Wolf Lodge

A few weeks before Jason deployed we made it a priority to visit the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. It is an indoor water park that poses as a hotel and a friend here in Colorado highly recommended it. And let me tell you...it was worth every penny and even the NINE HOUR drive in the car!

Grandma Hiett

I love this woman!

Let me introduce you all to Jason's Grandma or (Omi), Theadora Lydia Hiett. She is the most amazing, caring, beautiful, funny and loving woman I have ever met, and when I grow up I hope to be just like her! And yes, Omi is my little girl's namesake.

Here are a few snapshot of the fun times she had with my children this Christmas while we were home in Etna. There are not many people that my Noah will just latch onto, but Omi is one of them!

Elina + Basketball = ROFLMAO

After Elina's last ballet recital we asked if she wanted to dance again or try something different. And she chose to do basketball with the 5-6 year old group here on Fort Carson. She had her first practice tonight and only cried twice. The first time was when I told her to wait for a drink of water and she could have one after practice. Apparently she was not only taking a water break, but a break to rest her arms. And the second crying episode was when her team came in for a huddle at the end of practice and to say their team name "Forest Fires!" Apparently they yelled to loud and hurt her feelings again! D-R-A-M-A! Wish us luck these next few months!

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas here at the Brown home, and here are just a few pictures to share our joy with you. We are up one family member because Kylee Chandler is staying with us for a few months while she has a school break from BYU Idaho. Of course there are none of the momma, she was to busy being the photographer!

Lydia and the Whoopie Cushion

Noah has had a few whoopie cushions and loved playing with them. Until they popped or until his mommy got tired of blowing them up over and over and over. So Santa brought him a whoopie cushion that is self inflating and will not pop! Yeah! Little did we know how fast his baby sister would pick up on the fun...