Just a few weeks ago, my husband (who was deployed with the Army overseas) let us know that Flat Myla‘s travels were nearly over, and that he’d be returning home with her at last.

Myla and I decided to do a little decorating.  I picked up some chalk markers at our grocery store, and was excited to fill our entryway with lots of doodles, as advertised on their brightly-colored packaging.  Unfortunately, all we got was a big, drippy MESS!  Myla had fun splashing them around, but as for drawing an actual PICTURE, they were impossible.

Myla also wanted to make a big sign for Daddy so he’d see her in the crowd at the welcoming ceremony, so we got some posterboard and markers.  I wrote the message she wanted, and she drew a stunning little portrait of herself and Daddy.   If you look closely, the line under “Daddy” says “100% love,” which she wrote because I suspect she saw it as a status line, like on a video game. ❤

The actual ceremony was held at night, so clear photos were hard to get.  Plus, trying to keep an eye out on everything while trying to take a picture was tricky.  But when they released us all, we had to spend some time looking around for him.  Finding a particular soldier in a company formation is nearly impossible!

But we found him at last, and she was so excited she could barely contain her smile.

Someone once compared deployments to a boat on the water….when someone jumps ship, the boat rocks a bit, and then eventually gets into a smooth ride.  When the person jumps back on, there’s a rocky moment until the boat adjusts, and sailing’s smooth again.

So far, the ship’s been smooth, and we’ve been so happy to have him back.  Myla’s happy to have someone to wrestle and roughhouse with (I’m not good with all my back trouble), and has loved showing him all her fun games, projects, and favorites now.  She says “I’m not sure if Daddy’s used to me being SEVEN yet,” (because she’s so grown up now and stuff) which may be true, but he’ll get the swing of it.

So, next week I’ll be back to sharing our art projects, but for now, we’re keeping the boat on the water, doing our best to keep it sailing smoothly, and enjoying time together.  Hug the ones you love, and let them know you love them, and take care!