A Happy Homecoming...

For the last 7 months our neighbor has been in Afghanistan, and while we've enjoyed our friendship with his family, we are happy to report that he is HOME!  Yay!

The preparations!  Lexi and Alyssa painting!

Tristin and Ella... also painting??  ;o)

The final products!

My friend, Tammy, and I painted this last week!  We have made it quite a habit to paint one of these for as many as we know that are coming home!

And... Theresa had forgotten her camera on her counter at home, so didn't have a lot of pictures of them.  So... I offered to take a few!  Hope they enjoy them!  She has to sift through 92 of them!  ;o)  But these are just a few of my favorites!

Hmmm... I didn't actually think he would do it when I told him to lick his dad!  Oops!  Sorry, Alvin!

The look of RELIEF! 

Alyssa was, thankfully, holding Lexi BACK!  She wanted to take come pictures, too, and had started grabbing at me and the camera while I was shooting just Alvin and Theresa... so Alyssa was asked to keep her at bay!  Cute girls!  This is what I caught!

And... just like every other family... they were getting sick of pictures... especially Tristin (who, coincidentally was the reason we kept shooting... he gave me a very hard time!)  And it started to get a little more than silly... so... we quit!

Well, I guess I should say we quit taking pictures.  Then we got pizza and let the kids all eat together and run out some energy!  Welome Home, Alvin!
And... BY THE WAY... This actually happened TODAY!!  Hooray for timely blogging, eh??  And this after early piano lessons (we're on Spring Break), a 3 hr. trip to the pool (it was 86 degrees today!!), and Lexi's soccer practice!!!  Whew...  I need a NAP!!  {Though I do still have a few to put in the in-betweens... just stay posted!!}