Year-in-Photos 2009: April

April:

I celebrated my 27th birthday this month. My first gift was a phone call from Troy at about 3 in the morning. He told me that my gift would be arriving shortly. I asked for a hint, and he said, "Okay, I'll give you a one word hint: dinosaur." Haha. A gorgeous boquet flowers arrived later that day.

This month we also found out that our first child would be a boy! Our original plan was to have the nurse put the sex in an envelope and not tell me. I was then going to wait for Troy to call and then open the envelope so that we could find out together. About two minutes into the ultrasound, I turned to look at the screen and squeeled, "Is that a penis?!" Haha. The nurse affirmed what I saw, so as soon as I was dressed, I texted Troy (we had discovered that I could text his email and it gave us a quicker communication method) and said, "Call me! Call me! Call me!" He called about five minutes later, and got to hear the exciting news. We both were hoping for a boy, so we were absolutely thrilled!

Six months pregnant, I took the kids to the Exchange Club Fair in town. I typically LOVE carnival rides, but made it through one farris wheel ride and a ride on the swings before I was so sick that I could barely move. We all had a great time, though.

Troy working with structural carpenters outside of his normal bug guy career field - building an expeditionary fire station in Iraq.

When they deploy, they are told that all snakes are venemous in Iraq. This one was not. Basically, they tell people to consider all snakes deadly because of people being sent home from bites in the past.

My 27th birthday - 6 months pregnant - with a dress from Becca, and flowers from Troy. The day was spent going to Chloe and Jacob's spring band concert, and dinner out with the whole family at Cracker Barrell. Troy being there is the only thing that could have made it more awesome.

Year-in-Photos 2009: March

March:

This month I finally began adjusting to missing Troy and tried to find ways in Mississippi to stay busy and enjoy my family. This month was the kid's Spring Break, so we went to the Jackson Zoo and the Natural Science Museum. I also convinced my dad to teach me how to garden. He was hesitant because he said that harvest and upkeep time would be around the time I was eight months pregnant, and I wouldn't do the work. I told him I would, so we planted a cute little veggie garden. He was right - we got one harvest before the drought killed it.

Troy continued finding moments of joy in desolate Iraq. He befriended a man named Davis Frank McClain, who soon became one of his best friends. I was so grateful that they found one another. Troy began teaching Frank the gospel, and Frank attended almost every meeting with Troy. They still keep in touch, and Troy and I both were so grateful to this man, that he is one of the two men we named Zeke after: Ezekiel Davis Morgan. The other man is Eric Davis, who baptized Troy in October of 2005.

Riding around base with Frank - still "rocking it out." (That sounds so awkward coming from my dorky vocabulary. haha.)

Some free child labor on my 5 month pregnant gardening efforts.

A fox that Troy trapped in Iraq. Scary.

The kids and I at the Natural Science Museum - they were having a Renewable Resources exhibit.

Year-in-Photos 2009: February

February:

This month was fairly uneventful on my end in Mississippi. I did miss Troy an exceptional amount on Valentine's Day. I sent him a package full of candy, towels, a card and some other things that he asked for. He sent me a DVD set of Oprah and an adorable card that makes me cry to this day!

He was able to visit a ziggurat ruin near Talil that is believed to be the home of Abraham, the ancient Biblical city of Ur. He continued to find enriching moments in what others would believe to be bleak conditions, and I continued to try to better my disposition while incubating our baby!

In front of one of the entrances of the ziggurat.

A bird near the shore of his "favorite place."

A hedgehog that his shop kept as a pet for a little while.

Troy making friends with the locals.

Year-in-Photos 2009: January

JANUARY:

This was a very difficult month for both of us. On January 1st, Kim and her Daddy took Troy to the airport at around 7 p.m. to board his flight bound for Iraq. I held it together up until the moment he got on his knees to kiss my 6 week pregnant belly.

Six months might as well had been 6 years at that moment. I couldn't bear the thought of sleeping without him, of going more than a day without his amazing affection, and most importantly of experiencing this pregnancy alone.

The next morning, Daddy and I headed southeast for Mississippi, which is where I would live for the next seven months, where I would be close to family to support me during my pregnancy, and where our first son would be born.

Troy on the flight from Maine to Iraq. Smiling in his perpetual optimistic way!

One of Troy's favorite spots at Talil Air Base, Iraq. He emailed me a week or so after he arrived to let me know he had found a place that reminded him a little of Destin, FL, which is where we met.

No Kim pics this month. I was too down and out.