Well, I made it.

This post is like a month and half late, but better late than never!

Our family is finally together again! I can't tell you how amazing it was to see that smiling face and have his arms around me. Not to mention, seeing Max and GB together might be the cutest thing in the entire world. To be honest, at this point I do not even remember what it was like when he was gone. We have gotten into a nice routine and our family has made the transition very smoothly, which has made me very thankful.

Some of the preparations! Max is quite the aritist!

This sign was clearly made by a professional.

Waiting so patiently (NOT) for Daddy to come in! It was hard knowing he was so close yet we couldn't see him yet!

And then, life was perfect!

So, like I said, I made it. Or rather we made it. Here is at little list of some of the things that got me through!

• Having something to look forward to! We went to Portland, Disneyland, Kansas City, Reno/San Francisco, Boise x2, Oahu, not to mention living 3+ weeks at the lake. Staying busy made every month go by a little faster.
• Motivation. I had some weight to lose. I gained over 60lbs with Max and lost 35lbs the first couple of weeks after I had him, but then nothing. By the time GB got home, I had lost over 30 more pounds and am really starting to feel more like my old self. I am pretty proud of myself!
• Netflix and FB chat. Night time was the worst. So thanks to Netflix, I found a great way to make the time pass a little quicker. Add in night time FB chats with the other wives and it really made those lonely nights pass a little easier.
• Max. That kid grew and changed and kept me so busy, I honestly do not know if I would be as sane without him. He kinda rocks.

There are many other things like my family, etc but these are just a few of the reasons, I am not completely crazy. It was a very difficult, but great year. I definitely grew as a person and GB and I's relationship definitely got stronger. I cannot even begin to express my thanks to those who helped make it a little easier on our family especially the other wives going through it with me. You are all amazing people and great friends <3

Becoming domestic, and such

Well, GB has been home over a month now, which means we have been busy doing fun family things. Before he left, I never knew what I was going to make for dinner until late in the afternoon. I never tried any new recipes. My cooking was less than great. All in all, I was in a domestic rut. However, I have worked really hard in starting new routines since the big move back to Alaska and I am really proud of how well they have worked for our family!

I have become much more creative with our meals in large part to skinnytaste.com. I have made enchiladas, stuffed peppers, broccoli mac and cheese, Cajun chicken pasta, Shepard's pie several different rice dishes, and some a few others. Every recipe has been a hit with GB and most have been with Max as well. I have been meal planning ever week and doing one big grocery shopping trip and it was worked so well. All in all, I am proud of myself and I am shocked that I have become the kind of person who gets excited to find new recipes on the Internet!