Just a few more days

We're counting down the final days before Will leaves and I'm starting to slowly explain to Alison what's getting ready to happen.  I'm still having trouble finding the words to express exactly what this means.  I think for Alison, the easiest way to help her understand is that Daddy is going to be gone until after her birthday next year.  We'll have a big birthday party and then it'll be time to start getting ready for Daddy to come home.  I am starting to work that explanation into our conversations and hopefully it'll start catching on.

Today is Will's birthday and even though he had to work, I think we had a good evening.  I grilled steaks for dinner and he got to have some time with Alison and I got to eat in peace without little fingers grabbing pieces of steak off of my plate (Alison can eat A LOT of steak!).  Alison and I went to Build A Bear today and made a stuffed puppy (Alison's choice, of course) for Will to take with him.  We both put a heart in the puppy and I said a little prayer for his safety as I did.  I also got a cool digital picture frame for him.  I can actually send pictures to it through email and it will show up in the frame all the way in Afghanistan.  I thought that would be a much easier way for him to take lots and lots of picture of Alison with him and so far.

Uggg.  Only a few more days and then it's just Peanut and me. 

It begins...

We're less than a week until Will leaves for his third deployment and it's finally starting to sink in that this is really happening.  Again.  The thing with this deployment is that nothing is the same as his other two.  He's going to Afghanistan instead of Iraq.  We're an hour away from family instead of a 10 hour plane ride away.  Oh, and the biggie- Alison.  She makes this a whole new ballgame that scares the hell out of me.  It's one thing for me to miss Will and know that he'll be back.  But she's only 3 years old.  How on Earth do you explain to your preschooler that the most important man in her life is going to be gone for a whole year?  I have no idea but I'm going to make this year fun and exciting for her and this blog is going to be my way of keeping track of it for Will. 

I've decided to set some goals for this year.  Here they are (at least the ones I've already come up with!)
1. Do one BIG fun thing a month (not including holidays).
2. Take at least one picture of Alison every day.
3. Blog here at least 2-3 times a week.

So this is just the beginning.  I'm looking forward to a year from now when I post a picture of my 4 year old little girl hugging her Daddy.