Spencer's Homecoming

Spencer was supposed to arrive home on July 10th, then it was the 15th, then maybe the 12th, then back to the 15th but possibly the 14th, then all of a sudden it was the 13th @ 9PM..... until he called about a plane delay.....so the 13th @ 11PM.....until he called about another delay......Midnight. When we arrived at the airport to pick Spencer up it was deserted! The kids were so excited about their dad coming home that they stayed up to wait.
When a family member is coming home from deployment, the airline usually lets the family get a "gate pass" allowing the family to wait a the gate. Because of the late hour, all the ticket counters were closed, including inbound security. So we waited in the welcome lounge on the main floor by the baggage claim. They have a really fun GPS tracking system where you can view the plane's location in relation to the airport so we knew when his plane had landed.
Tucson International's welcome lounge has a video monitor that shows the hallway before the stairs to the main floor. It was fun to watch for movement on the screen and then about 30 seconds later have Spencer come down the stairs. Spencer was one of the first ones down the stairs.... you think he was in a hurry to see us?
This is the sign that Aidan and Abby helped paint/decorate for Spencer. We also had flags to wave.
My heart still skips a beat just looking at the picture. When the kids saw Spencer they ran to him and gave him a great big hug! Aidan had no reservation about running to see Spencer. Thanks to the miracle of the web cam Aidan saw his face too often to forget what his dad looks like. Right when he stood up with the kids is when I gave him my welcome hug....
What a long awaited reunion!! We are so glad to have Spencer home!!! Spencer held the kids for most of the time before his bags came through the baggage chute.

Daddy's Little girl.

Spencer is constantly amazed at how big Aidan is and how much he talks. Aidan is excited to tell his dad about EVERYTHING. "Dad! LOOK!"
The Complete Crandall Family.
Can you believe how awake my kids are when it is past midnight?
Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley? He is a paper man that is mailed across the country. People take pictures of him then send the picture to the kid who sent them Flat Stanley. Well.... Abby has a Deployment Monkey. This little white monkey has gone with Spencer on all 3 Deployments. I will attach more pictures at a later date of all the places the monkey went. There is even a picture of the monkey sitting on one of Saddam Hussein's Thrones!
Both of the Kids were asleep when we got home. They were exhausted.

When we woke up Monday morning, a member from the church (Bart-- thank you, thank you thank you) had put up flags in the front yard welcoming Spencer home. The kids and I had also put a sign in the window letting everyone know what all the fuss was about.

I love the American Flag and all that it stands for!

Welcome Home Spencer!!! We are all excited to have him around again. I hope you enjoy the pictures of our glorious reunion.