And now I have a daughter

I got Julie's room finished yesterday with just hours to spare for her arrival! Here's the final result! If she's anything like me when I was 15, it will never be half as clean as it is now!

A friend and I painted welcome signs for our students. I picked up a few balloons and we were off to the airport.

Steering a busy almost 2-year-old through a crowded airport was a daunting task at best, but he was having a blast! There were several soldiers scattered throughout the terminal, and Jackson referred to each one as "Dada"... even a tall, buff black man. I assured him that Daddy does indeed have a uniform (I may have called it an outfit) like those men, that Daddy won't be home for awhile. It took most of everything within me not to cry, but I managed to focus on the present excitement to pick up Julie!

We got to her terminal with only minutes to spare as her plane was early (since when does that happen!?!). Some random lady came up to us to tell us she took a picture of us when we met and said she'd email it to me, so I'm hoping she actually gets the chance to send it. I'd love to have it!!

We drove over to my parents house to drop him off so that we could come home and Julie could get settled without his help. We got her all unpacked, she told me all about camp, and showed me pictures of her friends and family from home. She was so excited to see the McDonald's arches from the highway that I took her there for a late lunch before we headed over to indulge ourselves with a pedicure. It was her first one and I am sure it won't be her last! The guy even asked if we were sisters!

We basically just hung out for the rest of the evening. I showed her around the house and how to use the shower, microwave, etc... She asked if I could teach her how to use the washing machine, but since ours is still full of water and will not drain, I told her it'd have to wait. After talking to Derek on the phone (one of the highlights of my day), he said we should just invest in a new set since our dryer is broken too. So, Julie and I headed over to Home Depot to check out what their selection (they offer a 10% military discount) and Julie got to know more about washers and dryers than she probably ever thought possible!

Because I hadn't gotten around to doing it before she came, we had an extra key made for her and she chose this one:

I knew from the moment her mom told me in an email:

"We talk a lot in this family. When nobody's home, we talk to the dog."

that we were going to be a great match.  And even after meeting her and having her here, I am more even convinced that she is the perfect match for us!!! I am so excited and I know that we are going to have a great year!!

(and we did watch two episodes of Veronica Mars)