The farther in November it got the more excited we all got to have Nick home. The second week is when they were scheduled to arrive, so we waited (not very patiently) for the phone call telling us that they had left Europe and were headed back to the states. I can tell you, my phone rang more in that week that it does in a normal month. Finally we got the call (after a few "test" calls, talk about teasing). Within 72 hours, I would have my husband back, and our children would have their father. I eagerly began preparing everything, thinking I still had a couple of days. The next afternoon however, I got a call saying that they would be home the next morning, at 4 am. Having lost an entire day I quickly cleaned the house, bathed the children, made signs and got everything ready. I got a babysitter for William and packed up everything to take Kaelyn with me. We got there 2 hours before the ceremony started, luckily I had a good friend with me to keep me entertained. There was a screen separating where the families were, and where the soldiers would be forming up, with a gap big enough to see their boots as they entered. As soon as the first row got lined up, the tears started rolling. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself! They were smart and kept the ceremony short, and within five minutes of it starting, the soldiers were released. We had a planned meeting place, but he was on the other side of the formation so he fought (what he said felt like every other soldier) to get to the side I was on, but we finally found each other.
It was such a sweet reunion, and the media quickly caught wind of the fact that he had never met Kaelyn before and came over to interview him.
It was heart warming to see him meeting Kaelyn for the first time, and although he will never admit it, I could see immediately that she had him hooked.
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