Let the Countdown Begin!

We are getting so close now!!!! I had stopped counting the days when we were somewhere around the 30 mark because it was just dragging. This is by far is the worst part of the whole year. (Can you believe it's already been a year??!!!) Well, almost...we are SO fortunate that Leevi was able to leave right after Christmas last year and will be home before Christmas this year! It's exhausting to look back at everything that has gone on this year while he was away...the big things are obvious: birthdays, vacations, baby milestones, but it's the everyday things of errands, working full time, walking the dog, caring for the girls, trying to have some sort of a social life (even if it is just walking the hill with the ladies) that is the part that's really mentally, emotionally, physically waring. I'm beat. I can't wait for help. I can't wait to not be alone at night after the girls go to bed. I can't wait to have my husband back on American soil. I can't wait for him to be safe. I can't wait for his next duty to be to protect his girls here at home. I can't wait for our girls to have their Daddy tuck them in bed. I can't wait. I started tearing up at Walmart last week when I was buying 'Welcome Home' decorations. I was only able to stop myself because I started laughing at the fact that I was by myself in Walmart about to cry. :)

I know everytime I write about how strong our Hawaiian Ohana is I always feel the need to explain what a tight knit family we are because nobody has any extended family out here, so we've made our own. But I know for a fact we couldn't have survived this deployment without them. Everybody has played a part from babysitting to today Mike fixing the heating element on my dryer (I almost made it through the year without a major thing breaking). I'm sure Leevi also took comfort in knowing how looked after we were and that he knew that I could always pick up the phone if I needed something. The book Hailey picked for bed tonight was about the Aloha Spirit, so I'll end this post with a quote from the book.
"But the greatest Aloha
You'll ever find
Is around your house
The Ohana Kind.

With family and friends
You're never alone
Surrounded with love
In an Aloha home."