In our second book We Serve Too! 2 A Child’s Reunion Book, there is a scene where the family is cutting a Christmas tree , and it isn’t even cold! This came from a real life experience in our family as my son was deployed to Iraq one October and we scurried to make sure that he did not miss the family Christmas. We found that Christmas in October was different but good!

This year we will have a new experience. Justin is leaving for a three year stint in Germany. He has to go in early December. He will actually be home for Thanksgiving! I am planning ( thanks to Paula for the idea) to do a German Christmas for the family before he goes. I am in the mode of researching the traditions German Christmas celebrations.  My partner Paula is of German heritage and my daughters new boyfriend is German, so I have plenty of expert advice. I’ll keep you up on the things we decide to do.

The purpose of this is not only to make sure that the holidays are enjoyed together, but also to help my grandchildren learn something about where their daddy is going. Helping children to learn about the places a parent may be going, opens up new connections. I know that as we work to make these connections,  bonds become stronger and relationships closer.

Gute Nacht
goot-eh nakht
Good Night

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Our newest fun resource for kids is about to be unveiled! We have created a way for kids to learn the Military Phonetic Alphabet… fun for parents and kids to do together!

The We Serve Too characters, help you learn , and have lots of laughs along the way. Include kids in all things Military, as they speak in ways the military does. (I know this is useful as my Army son read to me his recent  flight itinerary that way…good thing I had researched these letters!)

You never know, maybe new recruits would like this easy way to learn it too!

In another blog I’ll share a taste of what is in the coloring book, also , I’ll be letting you know when it is out. As of now, it goes to the printer tomorrow!

Hotel Alpha Victor Echo

Foxtrot Uniform November!

That’s and Order!

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This photo of this sweet child has been making the rounds of the military blogs. I decided to put it up too, because it speaks of the hearts of children who are waiting  for a beloved parent to return. This little one could not bear to part with her Daddy as he left for Iraq,  and would not let go. No one had the heart to lead her away as he lined up in formation. Four-year-old Paige Bennethum stayed by his side.

She is one of many children we love and serve with our books in the We Serve Too! series. It is this picture that tugs at our hearts and why we work to make the best possible resources for Military Families. We feel the pain and the honor, the purpose and the sacrifice of our country’s children.

There area many little ones making this very sacrifice today. We hope that in some small way, we have helped their brave parents comfort and explain deployment and reunion, and that we add to the resiliency of these Families. God Bless them all.

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Well, I just got off the phone with our son who has orders to go to Germany in December. As we are talking about his visit at the end of this week, he mentions that this time is not considered a deployment. He also said that they would give him a chance to come home one more time before he leaves..for three years.

This is very nice of them, of course. We will happily have him home as much as we can get him! During his time in Germany, it is likely he will be deployed for some time  to Afghnistan. But, this is not a deployment. It feels like one. Of course I am happy that he will not be in the line of fire, at least for awhile!

For his children, and for us, who are here at home, the result is a deployment. He is there and we are here, packing boxes and writing e-mails. This is part of the army life, and we are a Military Family.

I am only griping a little. Honest.

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This was posted by blue star families, it is a very moving tribute to the men and women who daily give so much to all of us.

tribute

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Troop tube has a video for everyone in the Military Family. I came upon this one on service dogs for wounded vets. The story of how these dogs can help is a good one for children who may be coping with a wounded parent…of course they will want a dog to join their family, so make that adult decision before showing the video to the kids! This is a program well worth exploring if you or a loved one are in this situation.

Paula and I are in the research and development phase of our third book for children. This book will address the experiences of a parent returning home wounded.

To those Families living this, we just want to say thank you for the sacrifices you have made and are making. We also want to offer our prayers for the recovery of your family.

Therapy Dogs Help Wounded Warriors Heal

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I was thinking that creating and publishing a book , is a little like waiting for a baby . This is an exaggeration of course, because a baby is so much more life changing and precious than a book, but I thought I would share a little of the agony with you. Paula and I have put a years worth of work into this (actually as a good friend said to us, over 50 years of our experiences are being used here, so maybe it has been 50 years in the making!). From the research that makes it relevant to families travelling this road, to the illustrations which we want to capture and draw little eyes and hearts, we have changed, rearranged, prayed and struggled to make the final book something that will be a treasure to Military Families. These books are a reflection of the life of my military grandkids, yet, not totally. It is also a reflection of other Military Families we have been blessed to talk with, things we have read, and of all of you who live deployment and reunion in realtime. Paula and I never knew the in and outs of a children’s book until we began with We Serve Too! A Child’s Deployment Book. Through that we learned about printing, colors, shipping, credit cards, Google checkout and marketing, and the making of a dog tag. Our new book introduced us to more editing, color concerns, paper differences, the endless variations of things that can hold up a printing. We experinced the ordering of a ball that says “You can’t keep us down ,we bounce back!” We also have now experienced a blessing in the form of our book distributor, Complete Book, as they expertly handle our orders and shipping…and are becoming good friends as well. This list is not complete without mentioning the wonderful gift of the families and children we have met along the way, and our deep desire to offer our best for them. As of this moment, a few of the changes that had to be made, have now pushed back our date of having this baby in our hands, but all for the better, each change has improved the book, and now we just wait, and pray it is safely delivered…welcome to the world, We Serve Too!2 A Child’s Reunion Book!

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http://www.buildasign.com/Troops

If you would like a fun gift for your deployed loved one, here’s a great one! We ordered a large greeting card (they are big!) to send to Justin . You can download photos and choose colors and what you would like to say. We had friends sign all over the card (I went with a white background so it was easy to see) . These cards are so well done, in a heavy plastic sign material, so they will last! They are FREE to military families (you pay the shipping). This wonderful company also offers free welcome home banners! Check it out!

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Thanksgiving is a holiday that sometimes loses the limelight . I think we can look at the origins pay tribute to the blessings we are given every day! Here are some facts you may not know (I got them from the wallbuilders website)

In 1789 President George Washington declared Thursday November 26th, 1789, as the first  date for Thanksgiving under the new constitution. Other Presidents issued Proclamations of Thanksgiving , but the dates and even the months varied.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the Thanksgiving would be a regular holiday , on the last Thursday of Novemeber. Changes were still to come when President Roosevelt in 1939, worried that the last Thurday which fell on the last day of Novemeber that year, would shorten the Christmas shopping season (and dampen ecenomic recovery). He declared that Thanksgiving would be the second to last Thursday in Novemeber. This caused a little trouble, 32 states followed the proclamation, while 16 states refused the change, and for two years Americans celebrated on two different days .

Congress stepped in and on October 6, 1941, the House passed a joint resolution which made the official holiday the last Thursday in Novemeber. Think we are done now? No. The Senate amended the resolution and established the holiday as the fourth Thursday (to cover those times when November had five Thursdays…whew!) Surprising with all that goverment intervention that we have it at all!!

Here are some words to ponder from our Founding Fathers:

Congress recommended a day of thanksgiving and praise so the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts….Samuel Adams 1777

I appoint a day of public Thanksgiving to Almighty God….and that He would spread the light of Christian knowledge… Governor Thomas Jefferson 1779

I appoint a day of public Thanksgiving and Praise to render  to God tribute of Praise for His unmerited goodness to us by giving to us the Holy Scriptures which are able to enlighten and make us wise to eternal salvation…

Governoer John Hancock 1790

As you make your list of things you are Thankful for, keep our men  and women in uniform at the top . They are not forgotten, and our Thankful hearts ask God to hold and keep them in safety.

Happy Thanksgiving !

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After the last post I had to share this one!

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