Two weeks ago, Jason had his senior review board and branching ceremony. It wasn't kid-friendly, but I got to meet some of the other spouses (several flew or drove in with their children for the weekend) and we got to see him, so it was worth it.
The kids were so excited to see Daddy again!
The kids were so excited to see Daddy again! 
Jason is now a senior officer candidate and is officially branched Armor!
After all the hooplah was over with, we got to take him home for the weekend! It was mellow for the most part, but we had a small birthday celebration for James complete with a big, fried chicken supper, chocolate-coca cola cake, and presents.
We had to relight the birthday candles about 5 times because Riley kept blowing them out as soon as they were lit.
Sunday, he had to report back in, early afternoon, since he was still in 1sgt position. We managed to squeeze in one last meal together, an early lunch at Carrabbas before he left. 
Riley had the hardest time with the good-byes. James was okay after I told him we'd get to go to the Infantry Museum again when Jason got an on-post pass. Riley saw Jason pull out of the driveway and started crying. He ran over to the garage door and banged on it, trying to open it and go after him. For the past couple weeks since then, he asks about "Daggy" all the time. One of the neighbors' cars looked like Jason's and he nearly ripped the blinds off the window. He saw the bathroom light on the other morning and asked if daddy was in there. He saw one of Jason's shirts on the bed and that got him started. He points out every picture of Jason in the house or on the computer. This was about the age James was when Jason deployed two years ago, and I remember it being harder than it had been before. Now James is old enough to understand how it works and where Daddy's going, but it's hard and frustrating for Riley. In two years we'll be doing this again. It'll be nice after graduation and around the holidays when things settle down military-wise, to just have him home for a little while.
We had to relight the birthday candles about 5 times because Riley kept blowing them out as soon as they were lit.Sunday, he had to report back in, early afternoon, since he was still in 1sgt position. We managed to squeeze in one last meal together, an early lunch at Carrabbas before he left. Riley had the hardest time with the good-byes. James was okay after I told him we'd get to go to the Infantry Museum again when Jason got an on-post pass. Riley saw Jason pull out of the driveway and started crying. He ran over to the garage door and banged on it, trying to open it and go after him. For the past couple weeks since then, he asks about "Daggy" all the time. One of the neighbors' cars looked like Jason's and he nearly ripped the blinds off the window. He saw the bathroom light on the other morning and asked if daddy was in there. He saw one of Jason's shirts on the bed and that got him started. He points out every picture of Jason in the house or on the computer. This was about the age James was when Jason deployed two years ago, and I remember it being harder than it had been before. Now James is old enough to understand how it works and where Daddy's going, but it's hard and frustrating for Riley. In two years we'll be doing this again. It'll be nice after graduation and around the holidays when things settle down military-wise, to just have him home for a little while.
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