I Will Hold Him Closer at Night and Take More Pictures...

Jimmy came home with this yesterday.  It is his deployment bag - filled with uniforms, boots, and various other supplies. 

Yes, I know he is deploying.  I've known this for a while.  I should have been prepared for this, right? 

We've been going down the required "Check List."  Squaring away finances, updating wills, getting a Power of Attorney.  All the required busy work has been done or is in the process of being completed.  I am as prepared as I can be. 

Or, at least I thought I was. 

Then he walked through the door carrying this camoflagued duffle bag.  And, all the "preparedness" walked right out behind him.  I will admit it - I had a little breakdown.  It wasn't a full blown, ugly-cry, breakdown.  Just the silent, kept-to-myself, kind.  How can I prepare enough for my husband, the father of my son, to be gone for six months?

Yes, I know this is what I "signed up for" when I married him.  I know it could be "a lot" worse.  I know that he could be leaving for a year instead of six months.  I know that he is not the first or last soldier to deploy somewhere.  I am aware of all this.  But, I have to say, knowing all that stuff does not make it easier. 

What does make it easier is the fact that I love Jimmy more than life itself and I am so proud of him and the work that he does.  He is an amazing husband, loving father, and devoted soldier.  And, even though he has not left yet, I already cannot wait to celebrate his return! 

So, as we make our final preperations and count down the next few weeks, I will hold him closer at night, take more pictures of him and Evan together, and enjoy our time together a little more.  To me, that sounds like the best preparing we can do.   

There is a First Time For Everything...

Jimmy, Evan, and I have had a fun and interesting past weekend!  Jimmy's cousin Pam was in San Antonio for a business meeting and we were able to spend Friday night with her.  We had a delicious dinner at an amazing sushi restaurant downtown called Sushi Zushi.  If you are a fan of sushi and live in the San Antonio area, I HIGHLY recomend this restaurant.  What an amazing selection of sushi!  They had sushi rolls I had never heard of.  Lets put it this way - I had a strawberry roll for the first time.  It was our first time going there but definitely will not be our last.  It was delicious!! 

After enjoying all of our sushi, we enjoyed a walk through downtown San Antonio.  We made a stop by one of my favorite San Antonio landmarks, the Alamo.  I love going by there at night.  There is something really special about seeing it light up at night.  It was even more beautiful with the "Perigee Moon" or "Super Moon" shining down on it.  I couldn't think of a better way for Pam to see the Alamo for the first time. 

  Jimmy, Evan and the Alamo on a Beautiful Evening in San Antonio

After walking to the Alamo, the four of us then got in the car and took a trip to a restaurant here that has become quiet famous because of the show Man vs Food.  Lulu's Cafe and Bakery is home to the "Three Pound Cinnamon Roll."  Yep, you read that right...3 pounds!!  Jimmy and I have heard people talk about their cinnamon rolls and we've had many people who have come to visit ask about them.  But, until now, we had never tried one.  Pam had wanted to stop by and pick one up for her daughters, so we figured it would be a great time to try out these world famous cinnamon rolls and see what all the fuss was about.  They are HUGE and delicious!  I know what you are thinking.  NO, we did not eat it in one sitting!  It lasted a while.  Here are Jimmy and I with our Lulu's Cinnamon Roll.

 

And now for the biggest "First" of the weekend...Evan ate cereal for the first time!!  He did really good.  Most of it ended up on him.  But he really seemed to enjoy it.  I took a ton of pictures and he just looked at me like, "Mom, what is the big deal!"

 "What is that!"

 Trying to decide if he likes it...

"Yummy"

 Towards the end he was more interested in playing with the bowl and spoon.

   "All Done!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This year was a quiet St. Patrick's Day in the Bowers' House.  I made Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner and for dessert we had my Great-Grandmother Nennie's (whom I am named after) Irish Soda Bread.  Everything was delicious and I probably ate way too much!  St. Patrick's Day is and always has been a big deal in my family.  With a large Irish-Catholic family and names like Connolly and McEnery, how could we not celebrate?!?  It is definitely one of my favorite days of the year! 

 

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

~an Irish Blessing

All Dressed Up for St Patrick's Day

Who needs Corned Beef and Cabbage when you can just suck on your fingers!

 My Little Leprechaun

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What a Weekend!

It has been a crazy few days here in the Bower's house!  Saturday afternoon Jimmy came down with some sort of evil stomach virus that landed us in the emergency room at 2:00 Sunday morning.  I felt so bad for him.  He was so sick and weak.  It got to the point where he was just laying on the bathroom floor, unable to walk.  That's when I knew we would be making a trip to the ER.  The last thing I wanted was a weak husband that I could not lift off the floor!  (I had visions of having to call friends to help me pick him up)  He got doses of pain and nausea medications, fluids, and then the doctors observed him for a while to make sure he wasn't getting any worse. 

My poor hubby recovering in the ER

I have to say, Jimmy and I have become very efficient and good at living the "Air Force Life."  In fact, we love being a military family and I am so proud of my husband and his career.  We have adapted to living far from our families.  Now, don't get me wrong.  We miss our families so much and wish we could see them more often.  But, out of necessity, we have built our lives around being able to take care of things that others might rely on family members for.  But, all that went out the window at 2:00 Sunday morning.  As I was bundling up my 4 month old and loading him and a very sick husband into the car all I wanted was for a family member to live close by.  I would have given anything to have been able to just call a family member to come over and stay with Evan while I took Jimmy to the ER.  It would have been so much easier!  But, we got through it and were back home and in bed by 6:00am.

Jimmy is now feeling much better.  After a few days of clear liquids, Matzo Ball Soup and lots of TLC he seems to be getting back to his old self!

Four Months and Counting!

Dear Evan,

You celebrated your 4 month birthday on February 23.  Yes, I realize I'm a little late on this post.  But, as you will come to learn, your Mommy is one of the world's best procrastinators.  You have made the past four months the best 4 months of my life.  You are the most wonderful addition to our little family.  It is amazing how much Daddy and I love you and how our love for you grows more and more each day.  Here are some things you can do now that you are four months old:

• You can roll over from your back to your belly very well.  As soon as we lay you down on your back, you roll right over.  However, you still have not mastered rolling from your belly to your back and get frustrated very easily by this.
• You smile at just about everything and everybody.  You are such a happy baby!
• Your are laughing!  Your laugh is my favorite sound in the whole world.  It doesn't come with every smile and you really only laugh in reaction to something Daddy and I have done but, it is the most adorable little sound.
• You are still fascinated by your hands and fists.  They are always in your mouth.  I love driving down the road and hearing slurping sounds from the back seat because you are busy sucking on your hands!
• You discovered your feet a few weeks ago.  You love to kick them around (you have a very strong little kick!).  Especially when you are on your play mat.  You like to kick the hanging toys and watch them move around.  It is like you are trying to tell me, "Look what I can do!"
• You "talk" all the time now.  It seems like every day you have a new sound you are making. 
• You are your happiest when you first wake up for the day.  You are so talkative and expressive at that time.  Usually when I go into your room first thing in the morning I am greeted with a huge smile.  It is the best way for Mommy to start her day!
• You love bath time!  You love to splash around in your little tub and you get the biggest smile on your face when Daddy washes your hair and dribbles water down your face.
• You are so good at holding up your head now.  You are tired of laying down all the time and I can tell that you want to sit up on your own so bad.  You are so close!  Because of that, one of your favorite toys is your exersaucer.  I can put you in it and you spend all your time looking around at everything - you are so observant and try to take everything in!

4 Month Statistics

Weight:  14 pounds 5 ounces

Length:  25 inches

Head Circumference:  41 cm

Daddy gives you a bath at 8:30 and then you go to bed.  You usually sleep until 5:00am (which I love!) and I feed you and then you sleep until 8:00am.  

You eat about every 2-3 hours.  You get very distracted when you eat so I usually have to come up with clever ways to keep you feeding. 

You have grown up so much in the past 4 months and I cannot wait to find out and see everything else you are going to do!  You are an amazing little boy and Mommy and Daddy love you so much!  Here's a look at how much you have grown!

Love You With All My Heart,

Mommy