The Army decided to let me leave Afghanistan and come back to the states for 2 weeks of rest and relaxation, and believe me I got the most out of both (well, as much as our 18month old daughter would allow us).
The trip took about 4 days with 7 separate flights, but finally, I arrived at Colorado Springs Airport late on the 19th. When I finally saw my beautiful wife and daughter, they were standing at the end of a hallway about 15 yards away. As of out of a movie, my little Penelope starting running towards me; her special camouflage dress and little brown curls were bouncing in sync as she was trotting as fast and as coordinated as she could down the hall. She filled the terminal with the beautiful sound that only a little girl’s laughter can produce and her smile was lighting up the airport for everyone to see. It was indeed a magical moment. And then, when she got about 5 feet from me, she stopped dead in her tracks her exciting smile turned into an inquisitive stare. She seemed filled with uncertainty. I’m convinced it was because she wasn’t quite sure who she was running towards. With the security of her momma being a tremendous 10 yards away, she did what most 18 month old toddlers would do; run screaming and crying in the opposite direction back to momma. I couldn’t help but smile.
Later that evening, Penelope warmed up to me. We played in her bedroom before bed, where she showed off her latest and greatest tricks. They included her ability to sign and say a multitude of different words, pull out every book she had in her book basket, as well as her dancing skills of pushing her buns out and shaking it on command.
We didn’t have much on our plates for the two weeks. We wanted to keep as low key as possible. I did make sure to get my American vises out of the way, we went to Wendy’s and had a triple-classic-combo, went to a cinema for a movie night filled with an excess amount of indulgences, and had a steak or burger at least every day (if not twice a day).
One evening Aunt Lorri and Uncle Alex watched Penelope while Erica and I had dinner with my cousin, Kaylee and her new husband, Reid which was very enjoyable since I haven’t seen her in a couple of years. We went to Red Lobster where I again spoiled myself and had way too many crab legs.
My parents came up for a weekend as well which was very enjoyable, which we coupled their visit with visiting the remainder of the Colorado Stanforths. These visitations included hours of great conversation, meals, and a lot of awing over Ms. Penelope.
Another great event which occurred on R&R was a gift from the Clarks, a romantic night at The Broadmoor; a VERY NICE hotel located in Colorado Springs at the base of the mountains. The Clarks again took Penelope for the evening in order for momma and papa the ability to enjoy some grown up time.
With the exception of the events already mentioned, not much occurred. I tried to catch up with as much as I could with all of the ‘Penelope-events’ I could; playing, feeding, changing diapers, etc. Penelope was also kind enough to again poop in the bath tub while I was here (which now brings up her running total to 3).
I am blessed to have had the opportunity to spend these 2 weeks with such a loving and beautiful wife and daughter.
 |
| Waiting for Papa |
 |
| Signing "Papa" |
 |
| Playing the Elmo app |
 |
| Finally home |
 |
| Bedtime stories |
 |
| Add caption |
