Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Gabby and Sam at the Dance Party.

Sam driving the car at the Tomorrowland Speedway. We rode it the day we were at the Magic Kingdom but I drove and he sat beside me. I tried to do that again and before I could buckle us in, he was climbing over me to the driver's seat. I still had to mash the gas but he took the wheel this go round. He was only upset that we never got a red car.

Buzz Lightyear

Magic Carpets

Magic Carpets again

After spending most of the day at Animal Kingdom, we returned to the hotel and took a nap. Then Robert took the kids swimming while I got things ready for the evening and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We enjoyed riding with no lines, hot chocolate and cookies, a special parade and fireworks show and it snowed on us as we walked back up Main Street to leave. We got our own little special Christmas celebration together.

More Animal Kingdom, Day Two

Playing in the fountain while Gabby and I rode Kali River Rapids.

Gabby and Flik

Jiminy Cricket

Mickey Mouse!

Expedition Everest

Gabby wasn't big enough for Everest when we came in 2007. On that trip she rode everything she was big enough for and left only Everest, Rock N Roller Coaster and Mission:Space undone. This time she could do them all. And she benefitted greatly from the ride swap policy. She got to ride with Daddy and then, because Sam wasn't big enough yet, she and I got to go back through the FastPass line and ride it again. She rode Everest four times in a row, alternating Daddy and Mommy. She'll be sad when Sam is tall enough for all these rides and she doesn't get double duty. Gabby and I are in the third row of this train. She's a bit hidden by the big hair of the lady in front of her.

Santa

After cheerleading today we had breakfast with Santa. It was nice to have a fairly relaxed atmosphere. Both kids went right up to him and told him what I expected. After eating, they had their faces painted.

Gabby Cheerleading

Gabby missed her first two cheerleading games. The first was the day after Daddy got home and she had the fever. The second was while we were at Disney World. So this is last week at her first game. I can say she usually is the loudest one. She wasn't shy to get out there, either.

She was thrilled to get to the game and see her boyfriend from school was on the court. She got to cheer at his game again this weekend. They don't cheer for the same teams every week since there are more basketball teams than cheerleading squads.

Sam on the Wii

After only wanting to watch me play "Queen Racer" while he was sick, Sam recovered enough to try it himself.

My Christmas Lights

I know, they're not very elaborate but I did them myself and am pretty proud of that. We have never hung lights outside our house, even though I love lights. Our house was always not the right house, we're going to be gone, no way to hang them, no where to plug them in, etc. But I got the hankering this year. My neighbor had the lights, I had the ladder and staple gun so we got out there and put lights on our house and on hers. I just wanted my husband to see them :)

Eight Months

Well, really, 8 1/2 months at this point. We crossed over 8 months while Robert was home on R&R. That was a good thing. R&R was. And crossing over 8 months. 2/3 down, 1/3 to go. Twice as much finished as we have left. Lots of ways to hype yourself up over 8 months. Still, there are 4 months to go. And a big four months - Christmas and Gabby's Birthday.

But really, when it comes down to it, I miss him the most in the little things. Sure, we miss him on the big days - birthdays, Christmas, first day of school, T-ball games and Kindergarten graduation. Everyone can name those and know they are missed. But in the end, when I most want him here is for the little stuff. Like when the kids are sick and I'd give just about anything to be able to call and ask him to pick up some more tylenol and juice on the way home from work so I don't have to pack up and take my sick kids out to the commissary to get it. Or getting everyone out the door for church on Sunday. Somehow that is one of the hardest things to do alone. Or when I have a meeting at the same time as Gabby has cheerleading practice and she has to miss it because there is just no one else to take her. Or like tonight, when I was already just worn out by 630 and still had to push on and get everyone in the bed.

I do want to give a huge thank you to my friends and neighbors. Once again, I have been given wonderful friends and neighbors during this time. I don't know how I would make it without all of you! They have brought us medicine and Gatorade when sick, mowed my grass, watched my kids, celebrated our birthdays, provided stand-in families for holidays, picked up things at the store, been our companions to fun things that would have been much harder alone, fed us, taken and picked up Gabby from school, helped me hang Christmas lights and dye Easter eggs and make Halloween houses and go trick-or-treating, taken Gabby to church when Sam was sick and I had to keep him home, made me go out on some girls' nights out, and gotten in their car to drive around and look for my runaway dog when I had extra kids in my house and couldn't do it. Laughed with us and vented with us and cried with us and prayed with us. Each of you is a blessing in our lives.

And also my friends who are far away, thank you for your prayers and checking in with me every now and then. Thanks for listening to me when I needed an ear (Facebook is cheaper than therapy!) Thanks for sending cards and packages to Robert. It all matters to us.