Daddy's home (hence the hiatus in posting!). J flew into Frankfurt on the morning of the 11th. The kiddos pleaded to be allowed to miss the morning's activities at school so that they could ride with me to the airport; however, I was unmoved, so I hastily plunked the older two on the bus, dropped Littlest off at her school and set out with Matty (who doesn't have school on Thursdays).
Once at the airport, I parked and repeatedly glanced at my phone's LED waiting for "J's cell" to appear. Thirty-Five minutes after his arrival time, the phone rang, and I anxiously waited for J to collect all of his luggage (golf clubs included). Soon after, I looked up to see J walking toward the car; our separation was over!
There was no time for sentimentalities as we were due to attend a conference at school concerning Matty. So, hugs and kisses aside, we drove home to pick up Littlest and set out for the school. Once at school, J peeped his head into Log's and Bop's classrooms and was met with squeals and hugs (as well as, 'Can we come home with you now?").
After Matty's conference was complete. the four of us grabbed a quick bite for lunch and returned home where J was given a down and dirty reintegration brief: here's how you turn on the oven, watch as I demonstrate how to use the washer/dryer, look over the printed iCal with me, let's review the kiddos' schedule, and so on.
The older two came home on the bus and we all sat down to dinner together that night. The mood in the house was excited and thankful. Having J home makes all of the difference to us all!
Here's J's separation by the numbers:
*1000s upon 1000s - number of times I was asked by the kiddos, "When is Daddy coming home?" and now that he's home, the number of times he's been kissed and hugged!
*108 - number of days J was in the States (not SO many considering the hefty rotations, but enough for me!)
*88 - number of days the kiddos and I roughed it without a phone or internet connection at home; I now have a disdain for the post library and DT.
*62 - number of days the kiddos and I were without our living room furniture; all of our camping chairs got quite the workout as we waited for our delivery from Belgium!
*50 - number of times J claimed he played golf while in VA
*22 - number of books I read in J's absence; I don't sleep well at night when he's not here, so I ran through all of Austen, two James', and a slew of books ordered from Amazon and Barnes and Noble
*10 - number of days that we hosted company; thanks for coming Nana and Daddy
*9 - number of visits made to the auto garage (another visit is pending!)
*6 - number of holidays, birthdays and anniversaries we celebrated sans J
*5 - number of trips that the kiddos and I took to pass the time
*4 - number of trips to the German hospital
*3 - on average, number of times the kiddos and I spoke to J per day
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