2 Weeks

We've now hit the half-way point of Joe's deployment. He's been gone 6 months, so that means this month he'll be here for his 2-week R&R.

Oh how I wish his deployment was only 6 months. Because that would mean this was over, we were done, he was coming home ... instead of just visiting with us for 2 weeks.

2 weeks of having my husband here.
2 weeks of the kids having their father.
2 weeks of holding his hand as we're driving somewhere.
2 weeks of Joe making chicken quesadillas or breakfast burritos.
2 weeks of hearing his voice every day, in person and not over the computer.
2 weeks of watching the kids interact with him.
2 weeks of Lucas getting to know his Daddy.
2 weeks of linking my arm through his as we go for a walk with our kids.
2 weeks of Joe dealing with Kayla's attitude and Lucas's tantrums.
2 weeks of not having the bed all to myself.
2 weeks of laughing together.
2 weeks of parenting together.
2 weeks of letting Joe get up during the night to take Kayla back to her bed.
2 weeks of letting Joe do the bath and bedtime routine.
2 weeks of feeling his arms around me whenever I want a hug.
2 weeks of getting back- and foot-rubs.
2 weeks of seeing his toiletries in the bathroom along side of mine.
2 weeks of being able to touch his face instead of looking at it over the computer screen.
2 weeks of waking up to my husband next to me.
2 weeks of falling asleep in his arms.
2 weeks of watching Kayla read her books to her Daddy.
2 weeks of watching Lucas rough-house with his Daddy.
2 weeks of seeing the kids excited about having their Daddy home.
2 weeks of being a family again.

As much as I'm so looking forward to seeing Joe again, I know it'll be bittersweet because we have to say goodbye again.

I've heard that second goodbye is pretty brutal on the kids. They'll just be getting used to having him around again when he'll be gone before they know it. I can only imagine how confused they'll be and how hard it'll be for them adjust when they just don't understand why he left again.

Then I feel like I have this need to make sure we do all these fun things while he's here and go out and do this and that and not just sit at home. But at the same time I know it's perfectly fine to do just that - sit at home and do nothing but enjoy each others company and being a family. I just don't want to have regrets after he's gone again; thinking oh we should have done this and that and made these memories. It's a balance I have to figure out; I put too much pressure on myself to try and make things perfect for when he's here - when realistically I know that's impossible. Especially considering Kayla will be in school the last week he's here, we really only have one week of being able to go out and sight-see, explore, and do fun family things during the week.

2 weeks will go by way too fast, but we're going to soak up all the time we can with him.