HE'S BACK...WE ARE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN :)

Ethan came home from his deployment last Friday. It has been amazing. We all love having him home and spending a lot of family time together. It has been six and a half months. It feels like forever. Madison was just barely walking when Ethan left, and she wasn't talking at all. It was a shock for him to come home to her telling him what she needs. It is good though. We are all adjusting to being a family again. It has been interesting. At first, Chase was breaking down over everything. Sunday he had a breakdown over getting ready to go to church. It was difficult to watch because Chase loves church. It is getting better though. We are getting used to having him home all the time. Ethan has the rest of the month off, so we are going to take some trips together. We are hoping to have our first camping trip as a family. We will have to see how everything goes.

Due to his original plane breaking down, Ethan flew into a base about two hours from here called Spangdahlem. This all changed around 11pm Thursday night. He was scheduled to come home around 7am Friday. I didn't want to take the kids on a four hour drive, so I started calling everyone I knew trying to find someone who could take my kids on short notice. I felt horrible calling so late at night, but I finally found someone. I left the house at 7 am so I could be there by 9. I had no idea where I was going, but I had a GPS, and some rough directions. I made it by 9, and then I was put through the cruelest and unusual punishment ever invented. I had to sit there about 10 feet from Ethan and stare at him while he waited for his bags. Nope, we are not allowed in the baggage claim area. There isn't a wall or anything, just one of those rope things that direct where lines are supposed to be at the bank. I hope you get what I am talking about. It was awful. He isn't allowed to come out until he gets his bags either. I think we stood like that for a half hour just looking at each other. UNBEARABLE. After the misery, we finally got to be together. His commander wanted to say welcome back, so we had to drive to Ramstein passenger terminal for a 5 minute hello before we finally got to go home. There you have it; Ethan is now home with us for a while. I am so happy words cannot even describe.


Ethan knocked on the door and Chase opened it to find Ethan standing there. He was so happy. I think he cried a little. I missed the pictures of them hugging due to my own emotional response.

Chase just stared at Ethan. He was so happy to have him home.

Maddison didn't really know what to make of the whole thing. She didn't want anything to do with him at first. She didn't really understand how Ethan was there instead of on the computer. It was a little much to take in.

Our family together again.

Chase, Ethan and Madison at a BBQ for a friend that was deployed with Ethan.

Ethan was the hit of the BBQ. Our friend's daughter, Natalie, loved Ethan and was trying to hold his hand.

Madison loves soda pop. She will drink as much as she can whenever she can. I don't let her have it often, so here she is drinking as much as she can before I can "catch" her.

Chase is loving having daddy home. He loves having a boy around to wrestle with. It is nice that he has stopped asking me to have a baby in my tummy so he can have a boy to play with.

as you can see, it didn't take long for Madison to adjust to having daddy home. She loves playing with him.

This is the swing that they had. They would put the kids in it and spin them around. Madison and Chase loved it. I never got to be around with my camera when Chase was in it, bummer.