The "One Parent Thing"

Well here I am. Day 6 of doing the "one parent thing," as Tonya, my friend and military wife calls it. It only takes one trip to Matt's facebook page to see how much we miss our man. What's pretty awesome though is, we're doing great, much better then I thought we would! Kids have been fabulous and excluding night 1... they've been sleeping amazing! The support and prayers are being felt around here and we are so thankful for the people in our lives who have been loving on us in so many ways.

We've been keeping pretty busy but we've also been spending a lot of time at home. What's really weird is that the house is actually clean! Well, "I have two kids 2 and under" clean. We won't attest that to the absence of Daddy, but it sure makes me wonder... j/k honey! :)

I kind of made a decision at the beginning of this journey into the "one parent thing," that I would more than just survive these 10 days. I wanted to be able to look back and say, "you know what, I did it and I enjoyed it, and I could do it again." Now, it's only day 6, but I am feeling that way thus far. I'm not going to lie, this has not been easy! There have been moments when I just need a minute! And there have been a few car rides, because honestly, sometimes you just gatta strap em' in their car seats and drive straight to Starbucks!! I'll admit to doing that 3 times so far, but I still have at least 2 more cups of coffee waiting for me on a gift card so we'll see what my totals look like at the end of this journey.

I will confess, I miss my husband and I miss him for more than just the help he is to me around this place. I miss his company and his silly-ness, his warmth and his touch, and I totally miss seeing him in his Daddy role.

It's only 10 days and I know there are so many wives around the world that have to say goodbye for weeks, months, and years at a time, and those woman have been added to my prayers!!! The sacrifices that families in the military make amaze me, and to all of those families I am grateful.

This time for me has opened my eyes to how much God can make up for all we are lacking especially as parents (even if it is your other half) if we rely on Him to do it. I'm also a lot more aware of just how strong I am and that with prayer, patience, coffee, and more prayer, I can just about do anything (even be alone for 10 days with a sassy, determined, nutty "just like her mama" almost 1 year old and a 2 year old who is starting to enter the, "I know better than mommy" stage).

Part of it for me too is knowing that Matt is somewhere with purpose. He's not just on vacation or something. He's part of a team who is working hard to help change lives. I'm so proud of him for the work he is doing and the sacrifices that he has made to be where he is now. He's an amazing man and we will support him in every way we can. I feel like one of the best ways for me to show him that support is by making sure he knows his family is safe, happy, and taken care of. And we truly are thanks to good family, friends, and a body of believers who loves us like their own. When I married Matt, I was all in and when you marry a pastor, this is the kind of thing you are signing up for (and many other things too)!!!

All in all, like the famous quote says, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" has held true to me, but I will have to give the glory to God on this one. He has seen me through and I'm confident that we're going to make it another 4 days! His power is unending and He is faithful.

Can't wait to see you honey! We love and miss you!!