These last two weeks of deployment are already a whirlwind of crazy busy days. Even when I think I'm not being productive enough, I find myself utterly exhausted afterward, realizing I've been more non-stop than I realized. It's been great though. Anything to get through the rest the last weeks of Jeremy being gone. I can't believe it. It's so surreal to me, and well, I'll believe it when I see him :).

My sister has come to stay with us for a bit. Hoping to give her the motivation to get on her feet, as an independent adult is the goal. It has it challenging times, but Alyx and Kate love having family and friends around. They light up, and you can quickly tell the relief we all feel when someone else steps in to lend a loving hand.

So here are the past few days for us. Play time for Alyx as we near the end of the school year. Which means a lot of additional activities for school. 

Bear gets a bath. I had to carry him to the bathroom to get him in, but he's good once he's in there. Hahaa. I love when he's all fluffy!

And then, we went to visit our new puppy yesterday. That's right, we're getting a new puppy. An AKC pointer lab to accompany Jeremy while hunting and fishing. They're two weeks old in these photos, and sweet as can be. They come from a great blood line and are also exceptional family pets. We don't know which specific pup we'll be getting just yet, but they are all precious.

Shown here is Mom, Dakota.

For the first time since last year, I got a chance to take night photos. My friend Chris became interested in photography while traveling the world, so when he's home, I teach him what I know. During one of his last visits, I taught him about long exposures at night. It's awesome having a friend who is interested as I am, and goes out with me. Too many areas out here aren't safe to visit at night, alone, and with expensive gear. But they are SO BEAUTIFUL! So I always wait until I have company. I was out until 2 am, and up with my babes before 6 am. Yikes! So worth it :).