Redeployment (AKA Homecoming)

Daniel's homecoming was wonderful! David and I went to the squadron to wait with the other families for our loved ones. It was fun because all the wives looked extra pretty (I'll admit I went out and bought a new outfit just for the occasion) and there was a table set up with posters and markers for the kids to make welcome home posters. They made sure all the kids had a flag or a bell or both. There were drinks and snacks and movies for everyone while we waited. Finally we were told that our airmen were just 10 minutes away and we could make our way outside to greet them. Hooray!!

Patriotic David. I tried to get him to hold the flag for the picture but he wouldn't so I stuck it in his carseat. He thinks it's a pretty flag though. :-) He liked watching me wave it.

Waiting outside the squadron for Daniel.

We all gathered outside excitedly chatting to pass the time, everyone keeping an eye on the sky for the most beautiful C-17 in the inventory - the one bringing our boys home. I saw it first and pointed it out to the people around me just before it was too low to see. We could hear the engines get louder as the jet slowed and taxied to near where we were standing. Everyone cheered. Some people (ehem, me and my pregnant friend) cried a little bit. The squadron commander told us that the tradition is that the returning airmen had to walk through the corridor of squadron-mates who did not deploy before we could rush to them. We saw the first tan flight-suited people get off the plane and start heading over to where we were. No one was moving so my friend and I decided that we were just going to go ahead and go there so we could grab our husbands as soon as they stepped out of the squadron line-up. Her husband was the first one off the plane and mine wasn't very far behind him!

Daniel is riding in this plane. It was a GORGEOUS day! Mt. Rainier is definitely majestic!

They're so close! Their plane was just taxiing to a stop here.

My first glimpse of Daniel (carrying the green bag). I pressed the button on the camera and put the camera down faster than it could take the photo, that's why his head is kind of cut off. I ran straight to him after I snapped this.

  I ran up to him and hugged and kissed him, handed him his son and hugged and kissed him some more. :-) It was a very memorable moment for me. That whole evening was wonderful! David smiled the biggest smiles and was so excited to see his daddy. His daddy is most certainly his favorite person in the world! I will say that I wish I had more and better photos. Next time I'll see if I can bring a friend just to take pictures for us. It was such a great day! Welcome home Daniel!

David kept touching Daniel's face. I think he liked feeling his whiskers. They had such a sweet reunion.

Family back together! :-)