The ship finally comes in to view! The white you see around the top edge is all the sailors manning the rails. We were so excited to see the USS Eisenhower come into view.
I am filming mom taking a picture of me with the boat in the background!
Here she comes!
Patiently waiting for the ship to put the brow down so Goldie can get off the ship.
I see Goldie on the flight deck. He is to the right of the guy in red about 3 people talking on his phone.
There is Goldie waving at us. He picked us out of the crowd so he could find us easier when he got off the boat.
Here comes daddy!
Kenan spotted Daddy and took off running to him!
I finally got my welcome home hug and kiss! So wonderful!
Sladen sees Daddy and runs to him arms wide open! This melted my heart!
Mother's welcome home sign for Goldie!
My sign for daddy!
The boys sign for daddy!
Goldie cannot believe how big the boys have gotten while he was gone!
Our whole family together again
Daddy is HOME!
This is one of those times that I wish that I was an eloquent writer. There is just no way I can write to convey all the emotions that I feel whenever we have a deployment homecoming! We started preparing for Goldie to come home days before we knew he was coming. There is so much to do like cleaning house, making signs, getting haircuts, finding outfits, working out the logistics, etc., etc., etc.. Of course there is just trying to fill your time so that you don't go crazy waiting. I had a few appointments in the days before his arrival. I had a massage, a facial, a pedicure, the night before gathering at the zoo, and dinner with a friend.
This was, also, the first time that we had done a ship homecoming since last year Goldie flew home a few days earlier than the ship. There were a lot of factors to consider. Should I take the boys and have to chase them for several hours on a day that was 90 degrees or hotter? Should I leave them with a sitter and just let Daddy see them when we got home? Should I dress up and look fabulous or should I dress practically for the 90 degree weather? Do we take chairs, umbrellas, cameras? Will I be able to find Goldie in the 20,000 plus people that were there? Where should we park? Should we take a car the night before so we don't all have to squeeze into one car?
The emotions run high during this time. It is almost as exciting as your wedding day with much of the same emotions. I was so excited! I was so nervous! I was so excited! There is so much excitement on the pier and everyone waiting anxiously for the boat. Then the boat comes into view and the crowd erupts into a roar of cheers! It is so amazing to see that huge ship pull into view with the sailors in white manning the rails! It is an amazing sight! Then the boat pulls up to the pier and you have to wait for the brow to come down. Surprisingly the hour that passed until the brow was down went by really quickly. Goldie was able to go up on the flight deck and call us so that he could find us in the crowd. It was so hard to be able to see him but not be able to run to him. I tried to convince him to jump and swim over to us but to no avail.
So this is what I finally decided to do. I had Amylynn, one of our babysitters, come and stay the morning with the boys. Once the ship came in to view I called her and she brought the boys up to the pier. So the boys were only there about maybe 30 minutes before Goldie got off the boat. It worked out fabulously and I appreciate Amylynn's willingness to brave the crowds and parking to bring the boys. What a special occasion... I couldn't let the boys miss it completely. I, also, decided to dress practically even though it went against everything I wanted to do. It was 90 degrees and I was a hot sweaty mess. I would have loved to dress up for the occasion but was glad to be comfortable. Maybe if I wasn't lugging chairs and diaper bags and signs I would have dressed up. Anyway...
I got a text from Goldie that he was getting off of the ship so we all got ready. We were waiting when all of the sudden he appears walking toward us out of the crowd. Once Kenan got sight of him he was gone and running full speed to his daddy! He jumped right into his arms and gave him a big ole hug. Looking around there was not a dry eye around. Then I got my humongous hug and kiss from my man. There is nothing better than having Goldie in my arms again. Then Sladen saw his daddy and ran to him with his arms outstretched for daddy to pick him up. Since Goldie has been gone more than 13 months of his 17 month life, I think he was concerned that Sladen wouldn't know him. Well, Sladen definitely knew his Daddy!
It was such a joyous occasion to have our family complete one more time after another successful deployment! Thank you, Lord, for watching over Goldie while he served our country and me and the boys while we supported him stateside! We give you all the glory! Thank you, Lord!
Kenan loves the beach and being covered in sand. He is so cute!!
Our beautiful family
My mom posing with the light house
