Kelly's Home!

Shelby and I wanted to do things up right for Kelly's return home. We had waited a very LONG year to have him back. We started inside and decorated with flags and balloons. Now Shelby loves balloons, but the car ride back from the party store with 4 dozen balloons in the car really wasn't her favorite thing. We were both feeling better once we got them inside the house. I hung up our hand crafted flags (one of the few projects I have completed lately) and our house was looking pretty festive.
Next, we had to work outside. We put up our flower garden flags and the flag signs that the youth group gave us. Plus Jill, the YW Pres from the youth group, came back and put up red, white, blue and yellow ribbons all over our trees, our house and our flagpole. Our house now looked good inside and out.
Shelby spent some time enjoying the live band at the air base. The flight kept getting delayed, so it was nice to have something to keep her busy. She walked around and explored and had a great time playing with all the kids. There were also plenty of people to tell her how cute she was, which she always enjoys.
These are the bikers that always send off and welcome home troops. These people are amazing and you can feel how truly grateful they are for the service the troops provide. They don't personally know the service members, but they donate their time and energy to provide them a safe and secure environment at all military gatherings.
Here is the plane driving towards the hangar and getting sprayed by the firetrucks. I got really emotional when the plane landed and had tears rolling down my cheeks. It seemed like it took forever for Kelly to get off the plane. It was so great to get to see him in person.
Our little family reunion at the air base. Shelby was not too sure about Kelly for the first few minutes, but she quickly put 2 and 2 together and didn't want to let him out of her sight. This included her not wanting to take naps or go to sleep for a few days. Once she realized that he would still be there when she woke up, she has gotten back to normal.
Here is the best picture - my 2 sweethearts at home with me. I am so grateful to my husband and all the service that he provides for our country and our freedom. I have worked hard to teach Shelby about the importance of our flag and our nation. I just hope that one day she will understand all that her Dad did for her. I am grateful that he is home safe and sound after spending a year in Iraq!