Time is the enemy?

This year has gone by so fast, but yet so slow at the same time. Kyle finished his first contract in Afghanistan, and came home. The job he was hoping to come home to was cancelled and though he has followed several leads, there doesn't seem to be any way around returning overseas until an option becomes available. With this he will miss Kayla's promotion from the 8th grade and another summer with the kids. On a good note this opportunity comes with choosing a different schedule where he will only have to be gone for 3 months at a time. Piece of cake right? I'm not so sure. Obviously I started this blog with the intentions of a small window into the life of a busy mother with her husband working in a war zone. Little tid bits and some pictures to keep family and whomever informed. I can't say life without him here wasn't what I expected, because I'm not sure what I expected. But the words hectic, chaos, and torture come to mind. I did not have spare seconds to update my blog, something I hope to work on this time around now that I DO know what to expect.
The past 5 weeks with Dad home have been just what the doctor ordered. We have gone on a mini vacation to visit family, during which we took time to stop and take the kids to Sea World, see the San Antonio river walk, and basically get used to each other again. I am chop liver when dads around and to be honest I'm dealing quite well with that. Seeing the kids with him again is wonderful. I had forgotten what it was like to not only have the second set of hands, but also for the little things to matter again. Tasks like picking up the house before bed, and making sure finger nails are always trimmed are taken care of. Some may even say I am being incredibly spoiled. He does most of everything, and I appreciate every bit of him even more. This time the twins are also a little older and have a somewhat different personality from the last time dad was home. They now have little inside jokes and keep me laughing pretty much constantly.
We now once again prepare to say goodbye. Spending this week making sure all appointments and items are purchased to send him off with everything he may need while he is away. How do you "prepare" for this? As the parents we toughen up, look strong on the outside, give as many hugs and comfort in every way we can. Pray this will be the last time we have to part, that maybe this time won't be as difficult as the past, and that The Lord will be with him and keep him safe in his arms until he returns to ours.