Tragedy Strikes Again

Two nights ago, the Lancers experienced another casualty.  Only this time it was self-inflicted.  We are still within the window where further information cannot be shared.  Please pray for Nick and his soldiers, as they struggle with their latest loss and the plethora of emotions that come with the circumstances.

11 months old, 8 months down and R&R is imminent!!!!!!!!

How is it possible that our baby is almost ONE?!?  Emmy is rapidly morphing from a little baby to a big girl!  Her crawls are fast and furious and she regularly finds herself stuck in tight places.  She prefers to stand over sit and is keenly aware of her surroundings from this new vertical vantage point.  She scales the furniture to intercept whatever "toy" catches her eye.  Emmy is becoming a more proficient wave-r and clap-per by the day, and a smile is almost always plastered on her little face.  She is her most happy when we are grocery shopping at Walmart (unlike myself).  She burns a whole through even the steeliest of Walmart shoppers with her giant 6-tooth grin and hearty squeals.  It doesn't take long until they have softened and are talking baby talk to her, which, of course, only encourages her further.  Kris officially declared Emmy's first words to be "Hi Dada!" which sounds like "Aye-Dada."  Mom and Kris also worked with her to say Mama, which, I am proud to say is also a staple in her vocabulary!  It is an absolute chore to change her diaper, let alone her outfit, because she refuses to be pinned down.  Singing songs will usually buy me a few seconds.  She has single-handedly fine-tuned my reflexes.  Interestingly, she will cuddle with me while we watch Daddy's stories and her Sesame Street music videos each  morning.  It's my favorite part of every day.

As for this past month, Nick has been chipping away at the pile of work on his desk and filling the pages in his flight log book.  Fortunately, they have come up with a workable solution to cover LTC Baldwin's job, which has freed Nick (somewhat) to resume his command responsibilities.  Nick has been crossing names off his list to ensure that he has flown with each and every one of his soldiers, and so far he has made a sizable dent.  Otherwise, he continues to trudge along in his "Groundhog's Day" routine, and welcomes any opportunity he gets in the gym and on the computer with us girls. :)

On the homefront, it seems like each week has been busier than the one before it.  We have had an FRG meeting, an FRG play group, two Eagle Remembrance Ceremonies, a viewing of the Memorial Service held down range and lunch reception for Lancer families and alumni Lancers, a Steering Committee meeting with the chain of command and an FRG field trip to the zoo within the past 30 days.  Our Team Lancer successfully completed the local half marathon and we welcomed 50 family members of two of our fallen with welcome bags and breakfast for the their Eagle Remembrance Ceremony.  Additionally, deployment blankets, t-shirts and memory bracelets have all gone on sale in time for Christmas.  The planning and preparations for the functions and fundraisers has been all-consuming.  I've logged numerous hours on the phone and computer with disgruntled, burned out and fearful spouses. (Also some women who prefer to call me over the local establishment they wish to visit for directions. I am a pseudo google maps, which perplexes me greatly considering how inept I am at geography.) Emmy and I needed to make a home call for one spouse experiencing a nervous breakdown and to provide meals for her family in the days following.  It was a very real reminder of the pain many women cope with while their husbands are deployed. Emmy and I have been blessed with an incredible church family and have had the great pleasure of meeting with our small group each Sunday night. We've made two trips to the vet; one for Molly and Darla's routine inoculations and one to learn that Darla cannot tolerate the standard vaccination schedule (finally an explanation for her hemorrhagic gastoenteritis bout last fall).  :( It's not all been work this past month, we've had opportunities to celebrate to: Greyson Slattery made his grand debut and I enjoyed a fab night out with the girls to celebrate Marin's dirty 30 and Sara's bachelorette-hood!  All of this, on top of keeping Emmy cared for and our home in order, has made the days go by very quickly.

Onto the best news of all...MY NICK IS LEAVING KANDAHAR IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS to make his way home to us!!! (As of Wednesday night!!)  We are over the moon!  Emmy has been practicing her "airport smile" for Dada in her bedroom mirror and I have been in OCD cleaning mode!  My hair is shorn, the cars are detailed, the dogs are bathed and the yard is mowed, edged, weeded and pruned! Tomorrow the house is getting sterilized and the fridge will be stocked! Counting down the minutes until we are in each other's arms!!  Hurry home safely, my love!!!!!!!!

Welcome bags for the Wagstaff and McClellan families

So excited for the show at the Nashville Zoo--it was exclusive to our Lancer families!

The best of 4 pictures--which doesn't say much. :-P 

First taste of grandma's pasta sauce recipe...

...she's a fan!

Emmy regularly rests her head on her tray and smiles at me while I am cooking, I'm so happy to have it documented. I love it when she does that. :)

Veteran's Day

Yesterday was the second of three Eagle Remembrance Ceremony events in which our fallen soldiers will be honored.  I spent the day with the Wagstaff and McClellan families for a luncheon, the ceremony and a dinner reception following.  Between the two families, there were over 50 people who traveled to Fort Campbell to place their loved one's name plate on the wall of fallen soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters building.  It was incredible.

I was so privileged to speak with so many of the family members and friends of our fallen.  Despite how very different these two men were, the same message was conveyed to me by Matt Wagstaff's dad, Ron, and Jonah McClellan's father-in-law, Dean.  They both said that their soldiers loved our country and they loved what they did; and even if they had known that that flight would have been their last, neither would have hesitated when climbing behind the controls.  That's the heart of an American soldier.

Happy Veteran's Day to all of the veterans who have made sacrifices for my freedom, I am far from worthy.  Thank you.

Emmy the Sneak

Technologically Advanced

Emmy's most preferred "toys":

She's a sneaky little thing...I find her standing at my laptop on a very regular basis.  

She knows that she's not supposed to play with it so she giggles and frantically "types" on it until I pull her away.

Cell phone. (Although any of her toys can serve as her "phone," she holds them up to her ear and chats away.  My favorite of her alternative "phones" is her rubber duck during bath time.)

The clicker...God help the person who tries to take it away from her.

Just Three Words...

STANDING UP TALL

Job...

...As in the Book of Job in the Bible. It's the focus of our study in church group right now and has felt rather applicable during this chapter in our lives.  While I am far from a Bible scholar, I understand that God allows a pious man named Job's faith to be tested through a series of horrific tragedies imposed on him by Satan.

Last Sunday, our pastor was discussing that, unlike Job, we must have supportive relationships in place for when tragedy strikes.  He said that there is a difference between the relationships that will survive crisis and those that will not.  I believe that, through all the tests that Nick and I have been given lately, I have a great deal more clarity on that point.

We agree that God has blessed us richly with close relationships, and, through the many obstacles that we have endured, it is even more apparent with whom those relationships exist.  We have been so moved by the outpouring of prayer, love, support, empathy, encouraging words, thoughtful text messages, heartfelt facebook messages, empowering e-mails, gentle phone calls, beautiful flowers, physically nourishing meals, meaningful cards and packages.  We have been graced with acts of kindness and words of affirmation that were free of strings and expectations, that came from the most pure and compassionate of places.

In light of the crash, and now it's aftermath, it has been made clear that trivial drama is merely a distraction in this purpose driven life.  I understand and embrace that God teaches us to love the unloveable and to forgive, even when it is not sought after.  I also understand that those experiences help us to better distinguish those relationships that God has strategically armed us with to fulfill what He has called us to do.

Sometimes it's easy to get disillusioned and to think that God has asked too much of us; this task He has placed in our way is too heavy a burden for us to carry.  But then I receive yet another gentle reminder, as with the Book of Job, that I am not in control, He is, and He has blessed me with what I need to persevere: compassionate friendships, a trustworthy and selfless family, a happy and healthy baby girl and an inspirational leader for a husband.  Who can fail with that dream team like that?  Not me.