The last days

These are some pictures of Grace's next to the last day at school. The top picture is her whole class minus one who was sick today. The picture outside is from their backyard circus today. They had a great time, marching as circus animals, balancing on the balance beam, etc. The bottom picture is Grace and Henrietta, her special toy at Mrs. Peggy's.

We are really going to miss Mrs. Peggy. I've been having a rough time letting go of her! Grace has learned so much and really enjoyed being at Learning Tree. Some of what Mrs. Peggy said in Grace's last progress report: "Grace always comes to school eager and ready to do whatever is planned. She has made excellent progress and is certainly ready for kindergarten. She loves to 'role play'.... She tends to get others in the class 'organized' into her plan (read: bossy!!) and keeps the activity moving along with suggestions of what they are doing, often they are going to a meeting (like her parents??) or a picnic. She has a favorite stuffed dog here that is named 'Henrietta' and it gets well taken care of each day!!"

Anyway, tomorrow, we are supposed to have her school-wide picnic and playday. Then Wednesday will be her last official day of school. I just can't believe it's here! Thankfully, Grace will have a couple of weeks of "summer fun" with Peggy.

We're busy getting ready for our trip to Texas. I've got the house cleaned for the most part and am just finishing up laundry. I can't wait to get there!! And neither can the kids.

Last one

The last catch-up posting...

Another update on the Gadsons,

Today, Greg had a surgery on his left leg. There were complications during the surgery and his left leg had to be amputated from the knee down. I am trying to be thankful he is alive and remember all the amazing things that amputees can do.

Kim arrived with Greg last Friday. Our Walter Reed "mole" Shelly reported that when she went to visit Kim, she was surrounded by family and friends. She sent an email to some of the guys downrange that said something to the affect that, if she would just ask, she felt sure someone would offer to brush her teeth for her. That's Kim-speak for "I have a lot of support!"

The kids, Gabby and Jalen, went to D.C. yesterday, along with CSM Will Huggins, the sergeant major for 2/32FA. From what I understand, Greg smiled when the kids walked in. He's in and out of heavy sedation so I don't think he's talking much. There's just going to be a lot of pain associated with the injuries.

We learned who the new commander will be for 2/32FA, LTC Mike Lawson, whose last duty station was Fort Sill. If any of you FA people know him, let me know! We want to know the scoop. He's stepping into a difficult situation and will have to be so careful and thoughtful during the transition. Please pray for him and his family, who will be staying at Sill.

Jasen seems to be doing better, but I am sure this news is going to hurt. He told me his job has been really rewarding this week, that he's doing something that really makes a difference. I am glad that he's had a good week as far as his job goes.

Sorry I haven't been much on the blog/phone calls/emails these past two weeks. Since Greg's accident, sometimes it's all I can do to get out the emails I have to get out. Please know your thoughts and prayers are so appreciated and comforting. Keep them up! It really does bring us all peace to know there are so many who are lifting us up in their prayers.

The kids and I take off for TX this coming Wednesday for a quick visit. We'll only be there about 10 days. During that time, I'll be taking a much needed trip alone to my grandma's. I'm looking forward to getting out of here for a few days. We need a break from the deployment.

Another old one

Here's another email I sent:

Just a quick update for you all. Greg is currently at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. They are going to fly him back to Walter Reed in the D.C. area on Friday. Kim is still here, waiting to meet him at Walter Reed, because if she had gone to Germany, she would have had to turn right around and come back to the states. So she has waited to go.

As far as I know, Greg still has his legs. I was able to go to Kim's on Tuesday night. More on how she is doing in a second. At that point (Tuesday night), Greg had positive blood flow to both sets of toes. That's good news, but the doctors are still extremely cautious in giving any good news about him keeping his legs. All the bones in his legs were broken in several places and he's lost a lot of the muscle on both legs. Again, pray for those legs!!!

Kim is doing as well as can be expected. She's hanging in there, handling things. She's got so much support here and I think that must be a comfort to her. Tonight, there is a group of us heading back over there, kind of a last chance for us all to be together before she goes to D.C. Gabby and Jalen are doing okay, too. Continue to pray for them all. It's funny, I came away from visiting with her on Tuesday feeling better, knowing she's doing okay and that she knows we're all here for her.

One good thing about Greg coming back to Walter Reed is that at least some of his family is in Virginia, specifically his parents. So Greg, Kim, and the kids will have some support there. That will be so important, especially for the kids.

My communication with Jasen has been sporadic, at best, this week because we have had no home phone or internet since Sunday and won't until at least Saturday. We've been told it's weather related. It's been very hard for me because I can't reach out to Jasen in the best way we've been able to since he left: through the computer. When I talked to Jasen yesterday, he said he's hanging in there. The day after the incident he wasn't able to get much work done, but yesterday was better. He said he had so much leftover from the day before that he's been too busy to think. Thankfully, he has two other officers who are on brigade staff now who started in the battalion with Jasen, LTC Gadson, and 1SG Johnson and the three of them are really leaning on each other.

Continue to pray for the soldiers of 2/32FA and their commanders. They will replace LTC Gadson within 30 days and that will be stressful. Please pray for a humble commander (if there is one!!) who will come in and be respectful of the trauma that this unit has suffered. It's going to be a touchy situation, but I know God will work it out. Also pray for our brigade, 4IBCT, and our commander, COL Gibbs. This has just been so shocking, so devastating to us all.

Thank you all for the prayers that have been lifted up on the Gadson's behalf. They can't comprehend how many people are praying for them, but I know they are being comforted through your prayers. Thank you all for your emails and phone calls to me. Like I said, phone and internet are both out at the house, so I have been coming to my neighbor Katie's to email. Even though you aren't hearing from me much, I so appreciate your prayers, emails and calls. I will try to get in touch with you all soon. If you hear about a woman going postal on an Embarq telephone repairman at Fort Riley, it might be me!!

Playing Catch-up

Okay, I am going to do a few posts here in the next few minutes, which are actually emails I sent some of you. I promise to try better on the blogging in the next few weeks!

From an email:

Jasen's former battalion commander (his last boss), LTC Greg Gadson, was injured today in Iraq. The vehicle he was in was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). Although Greg is still alive, the injuries to his legs are substantial. He does still have both legs, but there is serious concern as to whether they will be able to save them. Greg is somewhere between Iraq and Germany now.

Please pray for Greg's health, specifically that he may keep his legs, and as he travels from Iraq to Germany to the US. Please pray for Greg's wife, Kim, for her peace of mind, for her safe travel, as she will go to be with Greg in the next day or so. Pray for their kids, Gabby, 15, and Jalen, 13.

Also in the vehicle was Jasen's former first sergeant, 1SG Frederick Johnson. He was acting as the battalion sergeant major at the time. He is the one that saved Greg's life, loaded him into the medical Humvee. Jasen was there when they were brought into Falcon. He is concerned for his first sergeant, whom he loves so much, and the 1SG's peace of mind. Please pray for him.

In this kind of thing, when a higher officer is injured, there are so many waves of people affected. Please pray for the soldiers, commanders and staff of Jasen's former battalion, 2/32FA. There is some peace for all of us that commanders aren't affected, but when they are, it is devastating.

For those of you who are civilians, it's hard to explain some of what we feel for these two families. Jasen, Greg, and THE 1SGT (I could never call him anything else) were some of the first people in this battalion. They built that battalion together. They are our family here, we started here together.

I will go over this evening to be with Kim for an hour or so. Please, pray for all these people. And pray for Jasen. He saw a man he loves near death, and another man he loves blaming himself for the situation. Pray that Jasen will be strong and that he'll deal with this. He said the last 24 hours were the worst he's spent in Iraq. That says a lot, coming from someone who has been ambushed more than once.

We are all just numb and hurting and really need your prayers.

Hard Week

Yes, it's been a really hard week. First to hit was the loss of our home telephone and internet, which meant the loss of our most reliable form of communication with Jasen. We've been spoiled this deployment to be able to see Jasen about twice a week and talk to him almost daily via instant messaging. So losing that communication was hard, very hard.

Then Tuesday was the devastating injuries to LTC Greg Gadson, Jasen's previous battalion commander and mentor. Add to our concerns for Greg and his family concern for Jasen's previous first sergeant (who was in the Humvee with LTC Gadson) and for the whole 2/32FA battalion and families. It's been a really hard for Jasen, having seen Greg when he came in with his injuries and not being able to be with the battalion because they are at a different location. I could go on and on, but I won't.

I will say this, Greg is the closest friend that we've had injured downrange. Yes, he was Jasen's boss, but he and his family were much more than that to us. So this has just shaken the Grahams, all of us. Even Grace has prayed for Greg. She knew something was going on, with all the time I was spending in the bathroom on the phone and the nights I went to be with Kim. She asked me what had happened. I told her that friend of ours had been injured and she asked who. When I told her Greg, she said "Well, we need to pray for him." And that's just what our precious girl did.

Greg is doing okay. He's at Walter Reed now and Kim, his wife is with him. They have a lot of family and friends there with them and that gives us all a lot of peace. Also, our friend, Shelly, from Bamberg, is working part-time at Walter Reed and will be checking on them for us personally. It's nice to have a friend to check on your friend! Still no news on Greg's legs and there probably won't be for a few weeks. There are just so many issues there. Just keep praying. I will tell you that the last night Kim was here, I was able to go over and spend some time with her. She said that doctors won't make promises about Greg's legs, but that she promises he WILL walk again. She said she didn't know when and she didn't know how, but Greg would walk again. And I believe her.

Once I get an address for them, I will post it for you guys. You know how long days in the hospital can be.

This week has been so exhausting and emotional for us all. I can't wait for it to be over. I just wish this Iraqi nightmare was over. Only 12 more months to go....

One other thing, Grace had her kindergarten roundup on Friday. I am excited about the school she's going to and either teacher she might have is fine with me. I like one slightly more than the other, but they'll both be fine. But I've been emotional about that, too. I don't like the idea of Grace spending more time with anyone but me. So, who knows, maybe I'll homeschool. Well, I doubt that, but it's entered my mind! No emails, Bob and Polly Pat! :)

Rain, rain and more rain

This is going to be quick. I am at my neighbor's emailing because Katie has a cable modem. Our phone and internet have been down since yesterday afternoon, when it cut out while we were webcaming with Jasen. We've had over 7 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. There's a lot of flooding already and we could get more rain today.

Saturday, we went to Kansas City and barely missed a small tornado that touched down between Wamego and Manhattan. It's been an interesting weekend although soggy. I'll write more when I can.

Growing up!

In the last two days, I've seen some real milestones from our girl. Last night, shortly after I turned off the TV to go to bed, Grace came into our room, complaining of an upset stomach. After a few minutes in the bathroom, she finally threw up. Now, that might not seem like a milestone, but for a mom who has spent some time cleaning vomit off of walls, carpets, floors, etc. it felt like a victory! I was so proud of Grace for coming in as soon as she woke up and felt sick. I think it shows some real maturity on her part!

Grace slept with me the rest of the night. When she was going to sleep, I had my hand on her shoulder. She told me, as she stroked my hand, that she was rubbing on my hand to let me know she felt okay. She's so precious. She woke up this morning, feeling fine and appears to be over whatever made her sick that one time last night.

The other milestone is significant! Yesterday, Grace started reading! We got out the Dr. Seuss "Hop on Pop" book to read before naptime. As I waited for Grace to finish in the bathroom, I decided to let her try to read it by sounding out the words. She read almost ten whole pages!! Now, some of the words she quessed what they were according to the pictures below, but I'd say she sounded out at least two out of every three words. It was so exciting for me and she got more excited as I got more excited. I never considered how thrilling it would be to watch your child learn to read! I've been very careful to limit how much we do it and, if Grace gets frustrated, we quit. She's only four, no need to cause too much stress.

Parenting rocks!!

Someone remind me I said this, because I am sure I'll quit thinking it rocks in a few days!

Davis is doing fine, too. Today after PWOC and lunch, he was running around the kitchen, acting crazy. It was so funny!