First Day

When we got into Brunswick late Monday night, Jordan met us at home, bearing essential grocery needs, a Valentines' Day balloon, and hugs and kisses to go around, making the entire 10 hour trip completely worth every minute. We stayed up late, needing to tell just one more story, get one more good night kiss, a last cup of warm milk, one more bed time story and a final squeeze before little sleepy eyes were closed and dreams began. Our Valentine was off early in the morning for training, so the kids and I spent the next day figuring out the house, navigating the surrounding area, braving a foreign super market, unpacking, and waiting anxiously for the call that he would be home soon. As soon as he returned, we all begged for an adventure. Take us to the beach! We want to see the ocean! Off we went. The day was chilly, and we didn't intend to stay, but we just wanted to experience for the first time with our Valentine.

The beach was beautiful. The tide was all the way in, eager waves clashed against the rocks and came all the way to the staircase. The wind blew cold on our ears and cheeks. The sand was powdery white and just beckoning to little hands to come and dig and squeeze and play.
There was no one else there. Just us. Looking up and down the beach and listening to the waves and holding hands.
Seeing the beach was all that we had hoped for it to be. It put excitement into our hearts and anticipation grew for the adventures to come. However, the beach had competition. In this momma's heart, I felt even more overwhelmed by the sight of my husband with my children in his arms. I knew Silas was excited to see him. He had been talking about playing with Daddy, and wrestling Daddy for weeks. But what about this little girl? Six weeks is a long time for an 18 month old baby. Sure, we see him on Skype. We talk about him a lot. But she is a Momma's girl. Even at Christmas, it was such a short time of seeing him, I wondered what would happen when we got there.

The night we arrived, after a long flight and no solid nap, in a strange place, overstimulated and wiped out, she saw him for the first time. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. It was almost as though she couldn't believe she was actually seeing him. For a second she was stuck, her arms outstretched and shaking with excitement. She ran to him and as he scooped her up she wrapped her arms around him and hid her face against his neck. She held tight around him with her legs. After a moment, she picked her head up to see his face again, only to return to his shoulder and begin patting his back while she made her soft humming sound of pure satisfaction. She continued to greet him this way every evening that he returned home, and every morning that she woke and he was there.
The ocean is amazing, the beach was beautiful, my family all together was indescribable.
It was also Silas' birthday, so we ended our night with brownies covered in green sprinkles.
Jordan put Silas to bed every night we were there. Every night. It was never just a quick tuck in, but he often spent upwards of 30 minutes in his room, and even fell asleep next to his precious son more than once. Silas soaked up every second...and so did I ;)