One last goodbye

This past week, Abe had a training in Alabama for a week. So, the girls and I headed to Dothan Alabama to spend one last week with Abe before he left for Iraq. Our week in Dothan was Heaven. I am sooooooo grateful for the time we were able to spend with Abe. And when time is so limited with your loved one, you really appreciate every second you have with them.

The girls and I got there Monday night. The anticipation of seeing Abe made me feel like I was in high school again. I had butterflies in my stomach and couldn't drive fast enough-thankfully- no ticket:) When we got to the hotel- Comfort Suites- Abe came out to the car. He looked so cute as he was walking to our car, I felt like my stomach was doing flip flops. I ran and hugged and kissed him and just wanted to stand there holding him....then I realized the girls were screaming to see their dad and they were still locked in the car. The girls were so excited to see their daddy! They of course were screaming and were soooooo hyper when they saw him. The moment seemed surreal, to actually be in his arms again. We were all in heaven being together again.

The hotel where we stayed was literally brand new, so it was nice.....and you could literally see the mall from our window. Nice. During the day, the girls and I would go to the playground, go to the mall(that had a carousel), go to lunch with other army wives, etc. The days went by fast. And thankfully, Abe got home around 4 every afternoon- sometimes earlier:)

One night, we took the girls to Chuckecheese(or however you spell it) to celebrate Elle's birthday. Thankfully, it was a Wednesday night and the place was empty. So no screaming snotty nosed kids running around, just us and our beautiful perfect little girls:) It was surprisingly relaxing and fun.
Our little genius discovered a good strategy for pin ball. No need to throw it when you can just place it in any hole you want.









Every time Abe and I would kiss, Lily Kate would come running, get in between us and push us apart and scream, "Don't kiss my Daddy!" She would give me this stern look. It was so cute. So we of course would keep kissing just to watch her do that. She knows she's funny- so its fun to watch her doing it trying not to smile.

We took the girls to see Yogi Bear, to eat at a Hibachi restaurant, and to get ice cream. The most fun we had was just hanging out in our hotel room watching the girls jump on the beds and wrestle with Abe.





Abe tucked the girls into bed every night and read them princess books. He is seriously a really good girl dad. Our girls are very lucky.



The week went by WAY TOO FAST!!!!!!! We were loving and appreciating each and every moment we got to be together. I have to say, I feel like I've fell in love all over again with Abe this week. He makes me feel so loved and beautiful when I'm with him. He is so kind and patient with me and the girls.

Abe gave the girls a Father's blessing Saturday night. They were both so excited to get a blessing from their Daddy and they sat so reverently and listened to every word. That was a very sweet moment. Saying goodbye was not fun. We woke up Sunday morning and got ready to go. The girls of course were fine and Abe and I did all the crying. Elle told me she was going to draw me a picture of Daddy holding a flag so I would be happy. Lily Kate asked me if I was sad, I told her yes, because I miss Daddy. Then she said, "alright then, well- I'm sorry(all while swinging her arms)" and she walked off. That made me laugh. My girls definitely make me smile and happy when I'm feeling sad. I love them more than anything in this world.



Abe leaves this week to go overseas. He will go to a mobilization base(in a very secretive disclosed location-not really) for about two weeks before he's actually in Iraq. Once he's in Iraq, he will not be able to use his phone because the calls are so expensive. We will communicate mainly through email and Skype. While he's on his way overseas, we probably will be out of contact for a couple days. This will be sad for me- the realization that he's officially in a war zone and not being able to just call him when I need him. Right now I can talk to him on the phone throughout the day, but that will change in Iraq and our communication will be limited.

The next time I see Abe, we will be having a baby! He will be able to come home in July for the birth. I think he will be able to stay for 2 weeks before he'll have to go back. The baby will be 4 months old when Abe's deployment is over. Abe kind of likes the idea of coming home after the baby is sleeping through the night. Nice timing for Abe:)

We had a perfect week in Dothan Alabama. I got to know some of the other army wives and they are really fun to be around. We are very grateful for this extra visit we were blessed with. It has really helped us to transition into this deployment without only a limited number of breakdowns. And I blame them all on my pregnancy hormones:)