Over the Hump

We are officially halfway through Brian's rotations. Six weeks down, six to go. This weekend was a wonderful way to celebrate the halfway point, being home together as a family. Elisabeth and I had so much fun getting ready for Brian to come home. We decorated and bought all of his favorite food and drinks. We couldn't wait to spoil him!

I let Elisabeth stay up until Brian got in on Friday night. He made it home around 10:30pm, and she couldn't have been more excited to see her Daddy! She was a little overstimulated and rambunctious, but I just didn't have it in me to make her go to sleep before she got to see Brian. We finally got her settled down and asleep around 11:30pm...three and a half hours after her bedtime!

The decorations didn't last long, as I suspected. The minute I started blowing them up, Elisabeth would take off with them to stash them like a squirrel and her acorns. She kept saying, "My balloons," as she would run off with the next one. So I promised that she could have them after breakfast the next morning...they are still bouncing around our house as I type this.

It was a wonderfully restful, somewhat normal weekend for a change...except that Elisabeth wanted nothing to do with me! She actually told me on Saturday, "Mommy, you can take a nap if you want to." She was all about Daddy, but I didn't mind! I slept a lot better than I have in a long time just having the peace of mind that Brian was home. It was a wonderful blessing and we cannot wait to officially get back to normal. Until then, we continue to make our calendars and mark off the days.

This separation will thankfully be a short one. Elisabeth and I are happy to keep busy in the meantime by continuing to visit family. We head tomorrow to see my Mom and Dad in the beautiful Hill Country for a few days, one of which has already been designated as a Girls' Night with my dear friend and former college roommate, Lauren! Once Elisabeth and I make it back home it will be time to start gearing up for our big trip to California and Oregon! We will be attempting a stunt that most parents dare not attempt...we will be DRIVING the entire trip with a two and a half year old strapped into the backseat! Elisabeth is great in the car, but 10 hours has been our record so far. We'll see how days of travel wears on all of us! Either way, we can't wait...we've already waited for three years for this trip! So much to look forward to on this side of the hump!