Homecoming... A Few More Pictures

I'm back with a few more pictures...  Because Joel had such a long delay in getting home and was exhausted from traveling, I just took my girls with me to pick him up from the airport.  He asked that family and friends wait to see him after he had a chance to shower, sleep and get re-acquainted with his girls.  So, my plan to have a dozen people with their cameras taking pictures of our homecoming didn't happen.  It was just me and my camera, which I pretty much forgot I had after I got two shots.  So here they are...

Grace - 4 1/2

Autumn - 9 months

For those of you who have gone through a deployment homecoming, you know that there is a lot of build up and anticipation and then it all just happens too fast.  The week before Joel came home, I was nervous, restless, had a hard time sleeping and could hardly eat.  Grace knew that he was coming home shortly, and asked me a hundred times a day how many days and hours were left until Daddy came home.  And then we had the dreaded delays.  Lots of delays.  Lots of questions.  Some major heartbreak when we knew that he wouldn't come home on the scheduled day. 

I stalked Facebook for days, hoping that one of the other wives would have some big news about the exact time the guys were coming back.  I don't know how many times I check Facebook last weekend, but I know that Grace would just sigh when she saw me back on the computer.

And then there was news that Joel's unit had seats on a couple flights and would be home that day.  My anxiety amplified and I was on-edge all day.  The hours couldn't have gone by any slower.

Finally, we were at the airport, surrounded by the excitement and anticipation of other wives and kids from the unit.  Joel was one of the first guys out of the terminal and it was surreal to see him in the flesh.  As much as I wanted to run and grab him, I really wanted to see Grace and Autumn's reaction to Daddy.  It was amazing to see him with his girls again and finally, after all these months, I felt content, knowing that our family was together.

We had a party with family and a few close friends...  the last several days have been quiet days at home as a family.  We're getting back into our groove.  There's still an adjustment ahead, but I'm optimistic right now.  So, far it's been pretty easy...  I just have to try and stop asking Joel what he's doing every 5 minutes.  If you've been where I am, you know what I mean.

For now, I'm back to cuddling with my husband while our girls are in bed....  will be back soon.