Welcome Home | the AKs
December 29, 2011
Cristina’s husband, Georgia’s daddy. We call him AK (his name is John, but to us it’s always been AK). They’re “the AKs.” And they’re all at home, together again. We love this family, with a love that comes from deep down in our hearts. They’re the most kind, generous, sweet, hilarious people we know. Seriously, we don’t just go around saying things to make people’s heads all big and bloated. Really, they’re the best. And they’re all home. I’ll say it again - HOME!! After being away for a great portion of this year, AK made it home just in time to celebrate Christmas with his beautiful family. And we were lucky enough to be there when his boots hit the ground.
We stayed with Cristina & Georgia the night before AK came in. They had the house all decked out for daddy.

Complete with a note on the chalkboard fridge, planned dinner, and a smiley face on the calendar. :)

Georgia’s nails were painted so pretty for the big day.

Jordan downloaded the iSupr8 app so he could video (end product coming soon!) while I took photos. :)

We watched Georgia play and make phone calls to “boys” (Ha! Watch out, AK!), and then watched a bit of tv before turning in early. Wake-up call was 5am.

A bit of chatting & tv

Georgia (and Cristina) were up around 3am, and decided to play in her playroom before we had to head out. Love that she’s looking so ready to go with a bag on each arm.

Sleepyhead snoozed on the way - check out that adorable sleepy face. “What? Paparazzi again?” Sorry Georgia, it’s cold and it’s early, but we’re still gonna snap away.

Heading inside with Kassie, who was also here to pick up her man.

With everyone inside, we warmed up quick. Jackets off!

Georgia made this sign for her daddy. AK requested the big red one in the background - Cristina didn’t know what it meant but happily made it for her hubby anyway. :)

She sat with mom for a little while, then roamed around the bench nearby.

Goodness we love little curious Georgia!

Sleepy eye rub. It was inevitable.

Mommy to the rescue - there’s that cute grin!

Before we knew it, it was time to come outside and wait for the plane to land!

Let’s make sure the sign’s ready…

Yep, looks good to us!

Waiting really is the hardest part of this day.

Georgia played in the rocks and on Mommy. Cristina swore she wasn’t going to cry. Okay, sure, we said. ;)

The planes, the planes!!

Look, in the sky! It’s a daddy plane!

Those are happy tears from Cristina, and a wonderous stare from Georgia. Kassie had one of the ladies on her phone on facetime, so she could see the homecoming too. These women are amazing.

Georgia decided to do a little dance while we waited.

We were trying so hard to see when Daddy came out of the plane. With 200 guys coming home, we had a bit more waiting to do!

But, if that means we get to see Daddy, we’ll wait happily for just a little longer.

Mommy snuggles helped the wait.

What’s that we see? This is what we’ve been waiting for!

This is one of the most emotional moments I’ve experienced. To see these men walk by, made my heart swell with pride, love, and such great relief. The only moment that rivaled this one is when Cristina actually spotted AK inside. She didn’t catch him here since she stayed further back in the crowd…

but, (unknowingly) I did! I snapped away like crazy with the camera over my head.

Or maybe I’m wrong, maybe she did spot him. :)

We rushed back inside to hold up signs for him to see.

Okay ladies, you’ve got to get up there!

Sure, Cristina will climb up there in a dress, holding her signs and Georgia Faye.

Plenty of helping hands are here.

Looking for daddies…

Before I (or my camera) knew it, Cristina said, “There’s my baby!” Then she was off - so quickly that she seemed to float right to him.

Alright kids, no more talkie talkie (yes that’s an Adam Sandler quote, but not inappropriate here) - feel the love.








Cristina brought AK some sweet tea and chocolates - he drank the tea as soon as he heard! And shared some chocolates with Georgia. :)





This photo stole my heart immediately. As soon as we were in the car, I snapped a pic of it (with my iphone) on my camera screen so the AKs could see it. There’s really nothing better than this - pure love.

Here’s the Instagram shot that went mini viral (well, in my own facebook & Instagram world) - what a moment!

Love it just as much in black & white!

Thank you guys for allowing us to be a part of this day. We love you!







































































