Swing Daddy!

Daddy's hitch is almost over, and in a couple of days he'll be back up in PA for work for another month. 

My husband works in the oil field, and normally he works 14 and 14 (2 weeks home, 2 weeks work) in the Gulf of Mexico. Since the oil spill and the Gulf being closed he's been working 28 and 28 in Pennsylvania. 

A month on and off is definitely a little more stressful on the family, but those 28 days home are sweet! 

Before this job, Philip was a carpenter. He worked Monday-Friday doing hard labor in the hot sun. 

By the time he was home in the evenings he already gave the best of his day to his job, and Adeline and I were left with the weekends, which were often crammed with either side jobs or fishing trips away, so we were alone anyway.

This career has offered him more money, more advancement opportunities, and more time. I'm not going to lie, that 2 weeks (or now a month) away is hard. We love him, we need him, and it's hard not having him around for everything. 

But when he's home, we get all of him. The best moments of his day are ours, not a slave jobs. We get wake up time, lunch time, nap time, evening time, night time, all of it, and it's really proved to be great for our little growing family.

I love the special little things Adeline's allowed to do just because Daddy's in.

When Daddy fixes her milk-its always chocolate milk.

If Daddy's home, bedtime is no longer 8pm or earlier, she's up until we are! 

Daddy doesn't care if she ate her dinner or not, baby wants a snack? Sure. 

Oh honey, did you want that pair of shoes your practically throwing your body out of the cart for? Sure, Daddy will buy them for you!

She's wrapped around his little finger, and no matter how much it can sometimes undermine me, I will always find these moments so sweet that I just want to tuck them under my chin, and hold them close to my chest before they slip away from my grip.

Yesterday evening it was too chilly to play outside, but daddy said if you wear your boots, Adeline, then he'll bring you to the park.

....

The rusty rays of a winter sunset highlighted Addie's strawberry blonde hair.

Her giggle seemed to echo over Daddy's "Woooooos" and "Weeeeees".

and tears trickled down my hormonal cheeks as I realized these were some moments that I wanted to cradle in the fetal position and hold onto forever and ever.