"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" 5 year old Lacey yelled bursting out of the school doors.
"Guess what we did today in class!?"
"I don't know sweetie? What?"
"You gotta guess first!" taunted Lacey.
"Umm, had recess all day?"
"No silly, we colored a pumpkin for a coloring contest! And guess who won?"
"Uhm... I'm gonna guess you!"
"Yes!!!"
"Okay honey." Carley, Lacey's mom laughed.
"I also made daddy one." Lacey said a little sad. "If he ever comes back...."
authors note: Jared, Lacey's dad died when Lacey was 3 due to an explosion in war.
"I'm sure he would have loved it sweetie."
when they got home from Lacey's school which is about 5 minutes away, they were greeted by a mess in their living room by their dog Bear.
"BEAR!" Hollered Carley.
"What did you do?"
Bear sat in the corner with his face buried in his paws.
As Carley spent the next few minutes cleaning up the stuffing from the pillows Bear chewed up, Lacey went to her room and played with her Barbie dolls. Carley recently got Lacey the boy doll Ken, but Lacey kept forgetting his name. So Lacey ran out to the living room to ask Carley again what the doll's name was.
"Ken." Carley said with a smile.
"why are you smiling?"
"Ken was your daddy's middle name."
"does his name have to be Ken?" Lacey said pointing to her doll.
"what do you want his name to be?"
"Jared." Lacey said.
Carley was shocked because she didn't think Lacey knew her fathers name.
"oh.. why Jared sweetie?"
"because that was daddy's name" Lacey said while skipping off to her room.
Carley then went into her closet where her safe was. She opened it and picked out the best picture of Jared she had. She then walked across the hall to Lacey's room and sat on her bed.
"Mommy look at this!" Lacey said while pretending Barbie was on a horse.
"What's that mommy?"
Carley then flipped the picture around so Lacey could see the image. It was a picture of Jared wearing his army uniform before going to Afghanistan. Lacey then gave Carley a puzzled look.
"Who is that?" Asked Lacey.
"This is your daddy. Before going to Afghanistan in 2006."
"Af gan like ham?"
"Af•gan•as•tan" Carley pronounced.
"What's that?"
"It's a country."
"Oh."
Lacey still didn't understand but pretended she did.
"Do you like this picture?" Asked Carley.
"Yes. Because daddy is in it."
So Carley walked over to Lacey's nightstand and placed the picture.
