the reunion.

Yesterday was one of those days that you could re-live over and over.  The excitement of welcoming your service member home from a deployment is one of the greatest surges of emotion I think you can have.  There isn't much better than the anticipation of the first embrace, actually feeling their skin again, seeing their face live and in-person, and knowing that it is your husband's strong arms that are hugging you. We've done several deployments (four, I think, but it may be five....how does one lose track of that sort of thing?!  hmmm, maybe I need to be more vigilant with the details of our life! ha) and the reunions are always so amazing that they make the separation almost worth it!  I say that with the meaning that if you must endure one, then you may as well have the exciting reunion at the end! I, however, would never recommend a deployment just so you can experience what we did yesterday. You get me?!....;)  Keep your loved ones right there with you on the same continent; life is just better that way!


Dada is coming home! from Stephanie Allen on Vimeo.

we left the house at 6am for the return! wow, that's early!

I worked hard to prep Baby Girl for Dada's homecoming.  She is a bit  a lot unsure of strangers, and despite frequent Skype and phone calls I was worried of her reaction to Andy.  She was so excited to see the airplane and understood that Daddy was on it.  When he made his way to us she wasn't ready for him to hold her or to give him kisses, but she kept pointing at him and saying 'dada' over and over.  She finally warmed up to him when we were about to drive home and then when we got home, she wanted nothing but 'dada!'.  Praise God!  I had been praying and praying that she would respond well to him and it seems that my prayers were answered. 

the initial moment...please disregard my double, err triple chin!
and who is Andy looking at, anyhow?!!



ahhh, finally she was ready to welcome him home!



So, our family is back as it should be!  Hooray for that and for all of the other families that were reunited yesterday.  Our prayers remain with those who are still separated.  That never changes.