aaron.anica.emily.isabel.claire

Aaron arrived at the airport around noon the day he returned home and after his big welcome home we loaded him and his years worth of belongings in the car to go to lunch. As we were pulling out of the airport parking lot, Em says to me rather loudly, "Mom is he going to shower before we eat?" To which Aaron responded, "What, do I stink?" I informed him that he had a slight BO smell and his response was, "Dangit, I tried really hard not to sweat on the plane!" While driving home late one Saturday night, I was trying to go over getting up for early church the next morning and said to Aaron, "Izzy's probably too big to put in the shower with you now, huh?" He looked at me with a half crazed look and said, "Um, yeah. I don't want her standing there looking up at me saying, 'Daddy what are those?'" Before I could respond, I heard giggling coming from the back seat and asked Emily what she was laughing at. "You m...

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I may be in huge trouble for posting this story one day, but it is a classic and must go down in our family history. Emily has a lot of strengths, but when it comes to her bladder it is perhaps her greatest weakness. Shortly after Izzy was born we went on a trip to the sand dunes with my family and after driving down the road a few hours, we realized we had forgotten to pack something important - Em's pull-ups. So we stopped at the last convenience store before our destination and bought the only size diapers they had available, which happened to be about three sizes too small. For the entire weekend, I had her lay down at night so I could put the diapers on her, thinking perhaps that having her wear actual diapers would encourage her to stop wetting the bed. They served their purpose and I had her use the last few when we got home. I always chuckled to myself when I would see her laying on the floor putting her own diaper on. One day she approached me and said, "Mom, I t...

WARNING: This post is not suitable for children under the age of 13 and is rated PG-13 for language. Emily is new to Girl Scout's this year, and so it is understandable that she is also new and inexperienced in the art of selling. Unfortunately her salesman of a dad isn't here to teach her his technique so she had to set out on her own. We went to the meeting, learned ALL of the rules, signed my life away on all the forms and now she's ready to begin. So rather than send her door to door, I hand over my phone with an overview of the phone book and the family members she should call to "practice" her little schpill. Most of the conversations went something like this: Family member: "Hello?" Emily: "Hi" Family member: "Oh hi Emily, what are you doing?" Emily: "Uh just selling Girl Scout Cookies." Awkward pause . . . Family member: "Well what kinds do you have?" Emily: "I don't know. Mom what kinds are t...

Updates to come . . . maybe in January I'll find time :). Anyway I'm attempting to send Christmas cards out. Leave me a message with your address if you'd like one. Also I'm sure Aaron would love to receive mail from any of you. His address is: Aaron J DeHart 971st Camp Marmal APO AE 09368 It goes through the Army postal system so don't write "Afghanistan" on it or he may never get it. I sent him a package and it took about a week to get there, so not too bad. He's doing well. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Happy Holidays!!

Other than missing Aaron everyday, things are well. We've got our routine and despite each day's challenges, I continue to feel quite blessed. I'm lucky to have such sweet little girls and feel it's a blessing that I get to focus entirely on them and their needs in a way that I otherwise wouldn't get to experience if I shared the parental responsibilities with Aaron for this year. Emily is an awesome big sister. I am amazed at the compassion that she has not only for her little sister, but for those around her. I couldn't do it without her. Sometimes the things she says are quick reminders of how much responsibility she has taken upon herself in caring for Isabel. And Isabel, well she's just full of it. She becomes more and more spunky each day, not to mention the temper she's developing. But man is she fun! I've been blessed to have such wonderful friends, family, and ward members check in on me which helps me not feel so alone at times. ...