kinda scary...

So, as many of you know, there have been 2 Cobra helicopter crashes lately, which have killed 3 of our Marines, all of which Brad had some sort of contact with over the past year. One of them was an instructor at the last squadron we were at, with whom Brad flew with multiple times.(who also had a baby about the same time Caroline was born.) The others were at the last squadron at some time during our time there, but they were both students there with Brad, so he never flew with them. One crash was at Camp Pendleton and the other was in Afghanistan, at the FOB Brad is scheduled to go to.
Any way you look at it, it's scary. This is what my husband does. There is a wife without her husband, a child without their father, a mother without her son, etc. I try not to think about this too often, as it just makes me too sad. I do pray for the families of these Marines daily. I pray for God to give Brad guidance as he flies. I pray that this coming deployment will go by quickly.
Brad's squardon is sending two Marines on WEDNESDAY of this week to Afghanistan, which they found out about on FRIDAY. Thankful that Brad was not one of the ones chosen to go early.

That's not to say that I'm sitting around sulking. This is what we signed up for. (And I do mean "we," as Brad and I made this decision together.) Sulking won't make it any better, but with these latest incidents, it does make me think about it more often.
Sorry for the sad post...Brad is flying for the first time in 2 weeks tonight, so I couldn't help but think about it.

On a lighter note, my angel is getting more and more fun each day. She has such a little personality and I absolutely ADORE her! :) She is eating very well. I have been making all her food and I have yet to find anything she isn't too crazy about. She is still nursing, although not near as much. Big girl food is so much more fun, mom! Geez!
She will be 6 months old tomorrow...time has gone by so quickly. Although, it seems like it was FOREVER ago that we were at the hospital with her. I guess that's just because we have been so busy since she was born. She isn't crawling yet, but maneuvers around pretty well on her belly and forearms. She LOVES our dogs, and we are pretty sure that she has started saying her first word...BUBBA! (a nickname for Duke.) He is her favorite, although she LOOOOVES her daddy! :)
Brad is taking 10 days of leave starting on Friday, which cannot come soon enough. We are going down to Brad's parents, which is about a 5 hour drive. Brad's grandma and uncle will be there visiting as well, which we are excited about. We will stay there through the weekend and then the two of us are going to Gatlinburg on Monday. Caroline is going to be left with Grandma until Thursday. I hope she does ok. She can sure be a momma's girl. Brad and I rented a cabin up in the Smoky Mountains. I am so excited for quality time with my husband! This will be the first time we've ever left Caroline for more than a few hours. I'll let you know how it goes.
 A friend invited me to take Caroline to a MOPS meeting tomorrow, which I am looking forward to. Hopefully I'll be able to meet more mommies so that I'll be able to keep busy while Brad is gone. :)

Lastly, please take a moment to pray for the Marines killed recently.
God Bless you all!