Merry Christmas

Zachary, 11; Edward, 7, and Michael, 4 weeks, in front of the Christmas tree in the home we just moved into five weeks ago. Although JG and I have skyped since he deployed about three weeks ago the connection has been unreliable. Imagine my joy when skyped was crystal clear as JG was able to join us Christmas morning when the boys opened their presents! Even better, that night (the following day for JG) he received his first care package from home.

JG is very sneaky. On Christmas Eve he sent Zachary to the basement to bring up the gifts he bought and hid. I know that made him feel good and it made me feel special. :)

For Christmas dinner we hosted folks from the office. We hardly made a dent in the rib eye roast (the boys and I had steak and eggs for breakfast this morning). It was nice to have company - it made the day pass by quicker and I always love to feed people. There was one big lesson learned: a 16 pound roast does NOT take 4.5 hours to cook. Only about half the time! Although it was yummy and juicy I would have liked it more rare.

The boys have another week of winter vacation. They've been really helpful with Michael. Zachary is getting really good at giving him a bottle. Edward is able to feed Michael if the baby is sitting in his car seat or vibrating chair. Michael is already trying to launch himself forward with his feet and he's doing a great job holding his head up. His abs are also becoming more stable. I predict he'll be crawling before JG gets home.

I keep thinking about JG's homecoming. I know it's early for this but I just can't help myself. I miss him so badly.

Milestones Begin

JG has been gone for 18 days, but it feels like months. Maybe it's because Michael is changing so much it makes the time seem like it's passing faster than it actually is. The boys and I got the Christmas tree up today - but now that they're older they put many of the ornaments on the tree before I have the chance to remissness. It did warm my heart to unwrap and display our bride and groom ornament.

Michael has arrived

This is Michael Luke Buzanowski. He was born on JG's birthday. This is the camera JG was packing for his deployment. He left yesterday. By the time JG returns home, Baby Michael will be six months old and will no longer fit in a camera bag.

I can't tell you how busy and stressful the last few weeks have been for us. JG was TDY for combat skills training in Wyoming and the day he got back we had new keys for our new home on base. We spend that next week moving and the Saturday following Thanksgiving Michael was induced. A week and three days later I dropped JG off at the airport. His mom, Martha, arrived Thursday and she's staying through the weekend to help out as we get the rest of the house settled.

I'm convinced I can "do this" if I can just get more than an hour of sleep at a time. :)