Shawn has left and yesterday we had to take Dad back to the airport. I can't even convey through words how very much I hate all this. I asked Shawn to just come home but he wouldn't. He said he likes his job there and things are going well  in Baghdad for him so he will stay. He may come home to stay in 4 months though instead of just taking another r&r. Most likely he will remain the full year for if he doesn't we will be eaten up in taxes. I am insecure over the fact that there are many more women (mainly civilian) over there than I thought there would be and the fact that a couple of them have hung out alone in Shawn's container with him. I do not find that appropriate behavior and I have been hurt by things being kept from me. It certainly adds to the stress and sadness I feel back here at home.

The visit with Dad was very nice. He stayed a little over 2 weeks. We had much longer with him than we did Shawn. We visited his mother which was wonderful. She turned 91 this past Jan 16th. The boys and I, with my mother, will be going back to visit with her in a few weeks if possible. I told mom on our way back from dropping dad off that I have come to hate Dulles Airport LOL  It was painful to say goodbye to him and now have my husband, father and brother all back in Iraq.

Dad bought a new Mustang while he was here. He loves it and every where he goes some one has to comment on it and ask him about the custom exhaust he has on it and all this junk LOL  He just eats it all up....men and their toys. haha   Shawn wants us to get a minivan in a few months. I'm not sure what kind of new vehicle we will end up with but he really wants the minivan so it will probably be that.

Things are busy for Shawn right now as he was promoted and has loads of paper work to do. He is going to be on tv again. CBS did a taping of an event in one of his mwr tents last night of a superbowl party they had. Well, he may not be on tv but his event will be on tv again anyway. I haven't heard from him the past 2 days but he told me he may be too busy to email or call. He is working at least 16 hour days right now and he had to pull an all nighter yesterday for the Superbowl party since it did not air until 1am over there. I know he often reads emails I send him but just doesn't have time to really respond (though I try to chide him into at least sending me a one line I am ok, love and miss you email LOL doesn't work usually haha)

Dad's camp is moving when he gets back and he is not looking forward to it. They get mortared on a daily basis and he knows moving will not be exactly safe. I so hate this whole situation. I so wish with all my heart the company had jobs here that they all could take and be safe and closer to  home.

We don't know when Aaron will be able to come home. He finally made them let him take a 5 day break to Jordan (or that was the last place I heard he was going to) as he said 7 months of working 7 days a week/100 hrs a week with no break was just wearing him out too much. Understably!

If Shawn comes home to stay in 4 months, the boys and I will not be traveling much and I'll be saving as much money as I can. If we decide he will stay I will start making arrangements soon on when and where the boys and I will be going. I know Shawn and his parents really want us to head out to California to visit them. We will maybe take one short cruise, and another trip to Florida possibly. Mom and I have already chosen several small weekend trips we will take as well. I may get with some of my friends and see about visiting people as well. Several have already asked us to come visit and I may start taking soem of them up on their offers.

Ezekiel is ready for a nap so I will end this now. Wish me luck on getting him down for his morning nap. hehe

Here are a few pics from our visit with my grandmother:

The first one is Dad, Zebedia, me and Ezekiel with my grandma (Emma Smith). The rest should be self explanatory then

Wow! What a bitter-sweet time this has been. I am so happy to have my baby home but so sad and depressed too. I do not want him to leave again. I try to smile and be only happy but I am really depressed. I know not how I will get through another 4 to 5 months before seeing him again. He wants to wait until end of June near Zebedia's birthday to come home again but that will make it almost another 5 1/2  to 6 months again before we see each other. If he comes beginning of June it will only be about 4 1/2 to 4 and even just a couple weeks of not having to wait will help! hehe

I was so excited and nervous waiting at the airport for him that I was shaking slightly. When he walked out of customs my heart just skipped a beat I swear hehe    He was so tall and so handsome. He saw me and his mouth kind of dropped open (he said he forgot how *hot* I am LOL hmm ok...whatever ) then he smiled and started towards me with his arms opened. I ran into his arms and he hugged me tight and lifted me up off the ground. I started to cry a little and told him I had missed him so much. He walked me back off to the side a bit, still holding me in his arms. He sat me down and kissed me...during all of that it felt like time stood still. I just held on so tight to him. I didnt' hear the noise around us or see anyone or thing but him...time stood still for a bit  

I was shaking and all misty eyed and he just kept staring at me and smiling. People around us were smiling and awww'ing....it was cute. We held on tight to each others hand and started out of the airport but this older man stopped me and smiled and said.... "I sat beside your husband on the plane and I just had to tell you how much he has been talking about you, he has been really looking forward to this, he really missed you and has been excited for this to happen, enjoy your time together".... I got all choked up again and thanked the man for sharing that with me. Shawn looked kind of embarassed and just smiled at me. How sweet is that?

Shawn was so cute too...he was holding my hand and I felt him kind of shaking and then he let go of my hand and looked down at it...he grinned and shook his head and I was like what's wrong. He said "nothing at all, I just forgot how tiny you are. Y ou are so beautiful and so tiny and petite." He grinned real big and took my hand back in his  LOL  that embarassed me then made me laugh. He acted like I was going to break when we kissed too at first hehe 

He bought me back some of the most beautiful jewlrey and keepsakes from Iraq. He had a matching necklace, ear rings and bracelet customed made for me. I normally can not wear bracelets as my wrists are too tiny for any of them to fit properly but this one fits well. He gave me one Italian gold necklace and charm he purchased for me over there when we got in the car at the airport. It was really so sweet and a very beautiful moment.  He had a huge suitcase just full of gifts for every one.

We had our Christmas together Sunday and the boys were spoiled rotten yet again. hehe  Shawn had fun watching them with their toys. He's so on this make a list and go, go, go and get stuff done mode that we haven't really just relaxed and been together.

He rearranged the boys rooms and bought new entertainment center and storage/toy containers for their play room, a new center for down here, a new armoire/dressar/center for our bedroom. Soldiers have given him huge lists of junk to buy and send to them. We have spent hundreds of dollars so far on other people and lots of his time here running around looking for their stuff. No one gave him any money for it either. He says they will pay him back....I don't know.... I'll jsut leave that between him and them as I have enough to worry about as it is.

Ezekiel took right to him so I was happy for that. I know Shawn was nervous about him not knowing him and all but Zeke took right to him. Started calling him Dadda immediately and acts really close to Shawn. He follows Shawn around, wants to be near him doing what daddy is doing. It's really cute! Zeb is loving having his daddy home. He's been wrestling with him and playing video games and all with him. He's been taking it all in stride pretty much that his daddy has to leave again. I wish I could do that!

Shawn and I have had very little time to be really alone with each other. His friend Jon came with us when we Christmas shopped on Sunday and my mom hasn't  been gettign home until around 7:30 so that shawn is pretty exhausted at that point (the time difference and all) and ready for bed. His friend Chris calls a lot and we're going out to see a movie with Chris and Jon on Friday. We did go out to see Return of the King alone which was nice.

This weekend we are suppose to go spend lots of time alone and maybe even get a room and stay the night out. That would be really nice before he has to leave on Tuesday!!!!

Well, I hear the baby crying on shawn so I better end this now.....

I haven't updated in forever!!!!   Shawn will be here tomorrow and I can scarcely believe it! I am so excited and nervous. I still have so much to get done around here but the boys still aren't feeling 100% and neither am I so it's making it difficult. Mom won't be home for probably another 40 mins or so and it's already 6:30...ack!!!! I still have so much straightening up to do and some shopping I need to get done but need her here to help me with the kiddos.

Shawn had some stressful and rough times over the past 3 weeks but things are looking better now. He may be going up into Northern Iraq with my brother when he goes back to Baghdad. I think he is back, for now, just working Camp Biap but he may still be doing some things for Victory. I am a little unclear with all the craziness that has been going on for him exactly what is up.

He is settled nicely in his container now with his friend Richard. He is able to have privacy and often encloses himself in his room with music blaring while he does his paper work. He is excited to be coming home to visit but says he is looking forward to September when he comes home to stay. I think he's a bit nervous about Ezekiel seeing him....worrying that Zeke won't know him and may not take well to him. Ezekiel won't remember him being that he is only now 10 months old and was just turning 5 months when Shawn left.

I pick him up at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon and he leaves on the 13th at 9:30pm. I can't stand to think about saying goodbye again to him. I feel so nervous, kind of like when we first started dating....kind of cute hehe  After Shawn leaves my father will be here then coming in on the 16th and leaving around the 2nd of Feb. We are all so happy to be seeing them both. Aaron does not know when he will get to come home. He is in charge of so many sites and is letting all the married workers and those with children take their r&r before him. I hope that maybe with in the next few months he can come home but we shall see.

That's all for now.....

Dad is doing ok but kind of depressed with the holidays being here. When he called last week you could hear stuff booming in the background. It's just awful they are still being bombed so much. I am beginning to wonder if things will ever get better over there. He is so looking forward to his two weeks he's taking in Jan/Feb to come home.

Aaron is doing well and spent thanksgiving traveling his sites. I have some pics from him I am putting up on the site of a new gym he just got up and going and a castle compound he was staying at. I am really proud of  him...he's making a triple digit per year salary and is only 24.      

Shawn is still staying extremely busy. He is getting ready to move this week into the new containers they had sent in for KBR workers. He is sharing one with his friend Richard...they each will have a private room on opposite ends of the trailers and then have a common shared area in the middle with their bathroom and all. While he's moving he'll be with out internet connection and phone capabilities for a couple days   That always worries me when I can't and don't hear from them over there.

Shawn leaves Dec 23rd to start his travels back to Kuwait so he can fly back home to us!!!!   He has a 5 hour lay over in Frankfurt which will not be much fun but he'll be here at 3:30pm on Jan 3rd (if the flight goes accordingly).Dad hasn't given us his iteniary yet so I'm not sure exactly when he's coming but should be sometime around Jan 15th and staying until around Feb2nd.

Shawn has a ton of pics to share with me but yahoo is acting up on him and isn't allowing him to send them for some reason. He  managed to get three of them to come thru to me..pics of his friends Kim, Richard and the Iraqi day workers that work for him. I'll get them up on the site soon...sometimes today hopefully if tripod will act right LOL

Here's a couple recent pics of the boys...Wolfey eating as usual, haha, and Zebbie from the pics we had done at Sears end of Nov.

Shawn is keeping just too busy! He's running back and forth between both sites still and having meetings with army personnel and meetings with the higher ups in KBR about the MWR stuff. More and more events and special projects are being laid on  him. He's trying to organize all the holiday festivities for both camps and it looks like some WWE/Smackdown wrestling thing will be held there on Dec 20th. It's supposed to air Dec 25th on UPN. haha what a thing to watch on Christmas day eh? hehe     But he will be in charge of it and might be on tv again as he'll be one of the guys in charge of walking around making sure it's all going smoothly.

He's only taking his week to visit us this time   I"m still upset he didn't put in for longer. But I'll be happy I at least get a week I guess.....  he says next time he will take longer maybe. He does get a bit longer than we thought....he gets from like the 4th thru the 13th. So that is nice!

He got the DC I sent him so hopefully soon he'll have some pics to share with me. I'll get them up on his site ASAP once I get them.

Here's a few pics taken recently for Christmas. I think the pics I take look better LOL