We have been anxiously waiting for this week to arrive. (Little) Uncle Ben returned this past Wednesday from serving a mission in Chile. In some ways it seems like he has been gone for years and in other ways, it seems like he just left. We have been so excited to have him home again and are so proud of him for serving so faithfully for 2 years!
Tuesday night, the kids all made posters to hold up at the airport.
They were proud of their signs. Especially Gwen. Adam's sign says, "You missed my first game!!" (His first soccer game was the evening before Ben got home.)
Some of the Welcoming Committee.
We waited for what seemed like forever to see Ben. There were like 15 missionaries coming home, so the airport was busy!
Such a happy site! She was a happy Mama to have her boy back!!
Gwennie was just a baby when Ben left. She wasn't too sure about him at first, but now she loves him!
Ben says Mattman has changed the most since he has been gone. He isn't used to seeing Matt with hair.
Adam was so excited to see Ben again! He is excited to have another sports buddy around. Adam is our sensitive boy and cried when he hugged Uncle Ben. These 2 boys look so much alike!
Meeting Caleb.
Caleb just wanted to grab Ben's mission tag.
Tessa was shy, but happy to see Ben.
Gwen was tired of being at the airport and not in the mood for pictures.
Sometimes I feel like these brothers of mine are my own children. I am a protective big sissy and am so grateful they have all returned home to us safely.
He came home all grown up! He's a good looking Elder!
We had to stop at In-n-Out for lunch on the way home. No one complained about that!
They wasted no time we got back to Ma and Pa's house. Adam is so happy to have uncles to play with!
Mommy got to go with some of the family to meet with the Stake President and participate in Ben being released from his mission. It was emotional as always, but I loved hearing his testimony and seeing the growth in him. I am so glad he was able to serve the whole 2 years, despite a lot of health problems. It was a hard 2 years for Ben, but they are 2 years he will never forget or regret!
The boys never like this part. They take their picture off the missionary wall and Mom gets to remove their tag.
Dad got to remove the tag off of Ben's shirt.
It was an emotional day for all of us and totally overwhelming and exhausting for Ben. But, we are so proud of him for serving so faithfully and we are so grateful to have him home with us again. We have a few years to gear up for our next missionary, which will be Adam. But this Mommy can't handle thinking about that yet. I know it will go by so fast!
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