Welcome home!

First of all, before I get into the Spanos family news for the week, let me say WELCOME HOME JOEY!!! He's officially home from Iraq as of 3:00 am Sunday morning. We are so proud of him and are so glad he's back home safe and sound. He'll be taking a month off to hang out with Caroline and the kids before going back to work. He'll still have to commute weekly back up to Port Hueneme until September, then he's getting stationed in Coronado so he'll be back at home with the family!

Along with that great news, this was a big week in the Spanos household! The biggest news of all....Alex got her braces off! She was so excited because it had been pushed back a couple of times. Last Thursday was the big day. She came home and went to get ready for bed and then ran to the top of the stairs, toothbrush in hand to announce that she had forgotten what it felt like to brush her teeth!! I can only hope she meant without braces on. I think she'd have less friends if she really wasn't brushing her teeth all this time. Now, one hurdle over, and the next to come. Maddie gets hers ON in March. Here's to hoping Joe has naturally straight teeth like his namesake!

This was Day 1 without braces! Look at those pefectly straight teeth!

Next on the big news front....Paul got a new car! He's been waiting and waiting and then waiting some more. Incredibly patient, that man. He's been driving a 9 year old car around and we finally decided to bite the bullet and get him a new car.....last October. It only took him three months to pick out the one he wanted and get it done. Yeah! And he got to enjoy the perfection of his new car for all of 3 days before someone poked a hole in the bumper. I kid you not. He was so upset. Now, when he told me about it, he said its a really small blemish and most people wouldn't even see it. He only noticed it because he does a walkaround inspection of the car each time he gets in. (um...ok) He knows it didn't happen at the bank because he parked in an empty parking lot and watched the car the whole time he was in the bank. (um....ok) I knew I should have gone with my gut an dinged the door the first day just to get it over with. Just like ripping off a band-aid. Oh well, the deed is done (and it wasn't me) so maybe now he can relax and stop worrying.

Joe is starting to mimic a lot lately. Especially with sounds. The other day I was feeding him some veggies and cereal for dinner and I started going "Mmmmmm" after giving him a spoonful. Then he started doing it after I did it. We thought it was too funny so we took a little video to show you.

On Saturday my friend Rebecca came to visit and brought her two kiddos Hunter and Ann Elizabeth. Joe is just enamored with older kids so he couldn't get enough of them. Here's a cute picture of the three of them at lunch. We went to Johnny Rockets and when the waiters started dancing, Joe just stared at them. He didn't smile. Just stared. I tend to agree that they weren't very good dancers.

Here are a few pictures of the kids playing. Joe is never as happy as when his sisters are here. They just love all over him and he can't get enough.