Two years, I  can  not believe it's been 2 years since BCT graduation happened at Fort Leonard Wood - how proud we as parents were of the man he had become during the months preceding graduation, and that's something that hasn't changed, we are still extremely proud of our son.
During those 2 years so many things happened to him and to us that it would be to much writing  it all down again. I say again because I had actually blogged about it all,  the relationship he had  with his girlfriend, the small wedding we were  only able to  attend  via  skype, the father he was to her child, the  Grandparents we became through her and the way we embraced them both and took them into our lives.  I've deleted  all those blogs  again, because what I didn't blog about was the  way she decided after barely a year that she didn't want to be  married to my son  anymore, that she didn't want  to live where he lives and that he wasn't the man for  her after  all, but his best  friend is.  You can  all imagine the end of that sad story and I won't bore you with all the ugly details and all the pain  that  came with the situation.
All of  this proved  once again that our little family  is intact, that we  can count on each other when truly needed and that you can come out of  a  dark time a stronger man.  And he's just that, a strong man. One that is still close to  his parents and still knows he can come home any time  he needs to or we go and see him if  we need to or want to and I hope that no  matter  what,  that won't ever change.  
We've been lucky in that  we  haven't had to see him off  to a  deployment yet and that he's been Stateside during the entire last 2 years. Of course nobody knows where the next  3 years will lead him but for now he's a safe  1000 miles away from home and so being an  Army mom, although not always easy isn't horribly tough  right now either since I  can  call him most anytime and  email him and keep  up with  him on social networks, unlike  many of my  Army mom  friends  whose  children are in some  godforsaken sandboxes.
I will continue  dealing with my only child no longer being a  child  and being far away from  home, and will continue to be supportive in most all of his decisions and trying to be there for him whenever he needs me  to be. I will  enjoy each leave he gets to come  home on and will make a few more trips around the world, stalking  him whenever possible  :)).

                                                 Hugs at a very difficult "see  ya later".

A boy and his  dog

                                                   Loving on his dogs