M.L.
My daughter was 5 when I decided to join the Air Force. It was very tough on her, being that I had mostly been a stay at home mom since birth. While in basic training I just wrote letters to her every chance I got. Once in tech school I called every night...no matter what and we would sing "You are my Sunshine" to eachother before bed even with the two hour time difference. While being away I also bought her cute lttle nick nacks and sent them to her on a weekly basis. She would be so excited to get the gifts that it really helped take her mind off the hard times. I still wrote letters for fun and we also started a count down of when we'd be together again in our new home and a new city.
All in all, I was gone for 6 months with the occasional visit. It was tough, but managble. Good luck to you and your family.