Little Blessings

I was reminded today that our children are such little blessings. Yes, I know this everyday, and there is not one day that goes by that I do not thank the Lord for these wonderful little people (at least once), but I was given another reminder of that today.
Bill dropped some bad news on us today. A couple of weeks ago, he told us that he wouldn't be able to come home in May as we had planned on due to a TDY he was scheduled to go on. Sucky, but whatever, we were coming up with a solution and would work something out, no tears needed. It wasn't in stone anyway, just a great idea that we could probably make work. Today he told us that his one bedroom suite (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, door to separate the kids, etc) was being renovated and he was moving to the small dorm rooms (complete with all the luxuries of a bathroom, bedroom, and kitchenette), making it virtually impossible for us to stay with him. Hard to do crew rest with two kids when you have to go to bed at 5 or 6 in the evening or need to sleep in until 2 pm because you have to go to work to fly at 4 pm. It just isn't going to work.
Now, here I sit in Sumter, on a rainy day, wishing my family were together to enjoy a lazy Saturday when this bomb drops. Panic sets in and I have that suffocating feeling of not being able to breathe. Never had that feeling until right before Bill left for this assignment, just so you know. He told me this on chat and I was crying the silent cry in between messages and while making lunch, when he told me he was heading to bed. So I called him via Skype and he talked to the kids. Kaity now notices that I am crying and asks me why. I tell her I am sad. It is looking pretty dim that we aren't going to be able to go out for the 4-6 weeks we had planned on this fall. I didn't tell her that part. She doesn't need to know right now. Bill told me not to get so worked up, that we would figure out a way to make something work. Easier said than done. The brick wall had already fallen on my chest and I couldn't breathe. Trying to take deep breaths I start to complain (I really don't do this often, he knows it sucks too, and I know it isn't his choice, nor is it his fault).
The conversation starts something like this (said really fast as I am approaching breakdown mode - I know you all know what I am talking about). It's just that we planned for you to come home the first part of May and now that bubble is burst and I really wanted to go to Disney again as a family (AD military get in free and their dependents get a 5 day pass for $99) and now that isn't going to happen, and plane tickets are expensive, and we don't know when we are going to see you now, and you might not see the kids until we come out there as it is and now there is this, and (said with less emotion and speed) our children have the table manners of elephants! Ryan had just dumped his mac n cheese onto his tray from the bowl and is trying to pet the dog from his high chair with his spoon and Kaity is eating hers with her hands, hanging half off her chair so she can see herself in the computer, trying to talk to Bill over me while her mouth is full.
I don't know why I said elephants, but I did and as soon as I said it Ryan starts making elephant noises and then Kaity starts with the noise and her elephant trunk. Then the kids turn into laughing elephants and soon everyone is laughing...at least for a few minutes before Mom (aka Fun Crusher) decided to try to reestablish order at the table.
So, another moment where I am reminded that our children are such a blessing and can make us laugh even during moments when we feel like we don't have a laugh left in us. I know this will all work out and we will figure out a different path when faced with a life filled with roadblocks, but the detours are stressful, and at times depressing, and we are so thankful to have the distractions of our sweet little comedians and our greatest little blessings.