Chad's Home!

We had quite the day yesterday, in anticipation of Chad's arrival home.

Got up and got busy with last minute cleaning and getting his room ready. We were expecting to leave the house for the airport by about 4 pm. At 1:30 or so, we got a call from my hubby's brother. He had gotten a call from his son, James, who was traveling back with Chad from Chile. (They were called to the same mission, left the same day, and so were coming home together.)

They said that they had missed their flight.

And the next flight wasn't for 6 and a half more hours.

So, instead of coming in at 6 pm, they would be arriving at 12:30.

Yep, in the middle of the night.

So the rest of the afternoon I fussed and fidgeted around the house, but not getting much of anything done. When the boys got home from school, of course they were completely ready to go, and were soooo bummed that they had to wait. Every 15 minutes or more, and I'm not even kidding, Tanner asked me if it was midnight yet.

Finally I got Tanner amd Isaac to settle down a little bit, and we all tried to take a nap.

At 10:45, with a little detour to the grocery store to get Chad a goodie bag, we were headed off!

We got there about 30 minutes before his flight came in

Kayla, being silly for the camera

This is the moment!  

It was sooo good to give him the biggest hug ever!

(The jiggling at the beginning of the video?  That was me, pushing Noelle, the designated videographer, out of the way so I could get to my boy!!)

Family photo.

First time we've all been together in two years,

and two and a half years since we've had a family photo together.

(the "Uncle" on the poster was there at the insistance of Evalie, Chad's little neice.  But due to the late hour, and the littlest ones were at home tucked in bed, safe in the care of their other parent) 

We checked with Chad, and he said that he was more hungry than tired. So, instead of the awesome array of food at the Old Country Buffet, we all had breakfast at Denneys.
At 2 in the am.

Good times

Chad, his normal, silly, goofy self.

It was so nice to get up this morning and see his stuff here.

(These photos were taken with my camera phone. Sorry. 

The chip for my camera broke, but thankfully AFter I had downloaded all the photos from the homecoming.

That Was a Blessing!)

The biggest blessing is having my son home, now a young man instead of a boy.
We are blessed to have a young man who loves the Gospel, his family, and the people he served.
I love Chad!
His whole family loves him, too.
But I'm the mom, and you know what that kind of bond is like...