And they say absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Maybe.  If your significant other is gone, sure.  But blog posts?  Probably not.  It has been a while.  A loooong while.  Sorry, I'm not sorry, but life's busy.  And I don't know how many people actually read the blog.  Hopefully, a nice handful.  

Here is a catch up of our life in a nutshell: 

1.  Jack came home in the middle of November and it was so GREAT.  AMAZING.  Perfect.  I was a bundle of nerves on "D-Day."  I remember getting up that day and "OMG, Jack is going to be by 4:00 p.m.  today!!!  Almost a full day of work.  Just like he had never left.  I remember cleaning like crazy (like nesting crazy), making sure I had cupcakes bought (I'm a slacker), Sweet Salsa chicken in the crockpot and the rice in the rice cooker and "Welcome Home" sign in the front yard.  Kimvy came over early (at 12-ish) to help me find something to wear.  NOTHING seemed right.  I felt like I was meeting Jack for the first time all over again.  Butterflies, sweaty palms and mind racing.   Lincoln on the other hand was an angel.  Just sat and played with Kimvy, his toys and the dogs.  It seemed like forever but I finally got the text message saying he was 15 minutes away from Altus.  LONGEST 15 minutes of my life.  I literally dragged Kimvy and Lincoln out the door to drive to the the deployment building and we sat waiting with all the other Lts.  Finally, we see a taxi van driving up, Travis (maybe?) takes Lincoln and holds him up--Lion King style--and everyone is cheering.  All of us (Kimvy, JanRay, Aisha, Odie, Kyle and Travis) were happy to see Jack.   Kimvy took pictures, Jack and I hugged, everyone gave him high fives and hugs. Perfection.   Luckily, integration back into our home life didn't take too long.   Our problem was Jack was getting used to the time change.  

2.  Thanksgiving/Calpito Wedding: 

It was good food/good family and friend time.  We drove to Dallas for Thanksgiving and then Jack and I left for San Antonio 2 days later.  Oh, and my adorable niece and nephews put on a play AND Lincoln turned 7 months old.  I love the holidays.  

such a happy baby....

3.  Christmas:
Jack was home for 2 weeks and then 3.5 weeks and we got spoiled having him home.   It was actually hard having him go back to work.  But it was a good thing because I got back on my schedule (wake up a 5, pin, be lazy, put up dishes in dishwasher, make Jack breakfast, work out/get ready and finally 2.5 hours later get the baby and play).   For Christmas we were in Ohio and, again, it was good to see friends and family.  Jack's family was especially happy to see him.  And Lincoln turned 8 months on our trip, cut 2 top teeth, got a tummy virus and yeah...good to see family but not cool to have cranky/sick child.

And the defiance begins...

4.  New Years:
It was a quiet evening.  NOT.  We had about 15-17 people over, tons of food, and alcohol.  I didn't drink much that night, and made sure everyone had a ride home (via the drunk bus or AADD) or had extra blankets and pillows to stay the night.   Lincoln slept beautifully for 12 hours (through the noise, insane!) and woke up at 7:45 am.  Giving me 4 hours of sleep and Jack 2.  Sweet baby : )  Needless to say we went to sleep right after Lincoln that night.   Also, Lincoln turned 9 months.  But that's a whole other post for another day.  

And that folks, is what has been going on in the Rufus Household.