Travel, jet lag, and thank you's!

Sleeping on Daddy's lap





Making sure I follow proper plane procedures

Sunrise in Guangzhou

















It's hard to believe our lives were forever changed 2 weeks ago when we met our new daughter! We are so grateful to be home. Jet lag has been a killer! Ali, Erin & Quinn have done so well. They've been waking up around 4am, but have been able to fall back asleep for a little bit. Brian was at the Dr. yesterday and is now on an antibiotic for bronchitis, so added to little sleep, he's been struggling. Gracie has been waking up around 3am hungry and ready to play. We're trying to keep that time as low key as possible to help her go back to sleep, which she does till around 9! We all struggle to not take long naps during the day. I will say it is getting a little easier as the days go by!

Friday was a long day - 26hrs total of travel time. Gracie did great and we were so proud of her. The hardest part of the day for her was when we put her in a car seat for our ride home from the airport. She HATED it! Praying this changes soon!
The 14 hr. international flight seemed like days, but Gracie only cried a little. She was content being passed around and slept quite a bit. Here are some of my survival tactics from the flight:
1. Quoting the same Scripture over and over every time there was turbulence (Sitting in the very back of the plane made for some queasy moments!)
2. Listening to David Walker on the ipod somewhere over Japan.
3. Thinking of ways to distract our three oldest from the at times not-so-kid-friendly in-flight movies.
4. Glaring at the people who consistently did not cover their mouths after incessant coughing - Hello!
5. Going through Bugs Bunny cartoon episodes in my head.
6. Counting the number of bathroom visits Quinn made - He was totally fascinated w/ the airplane restrooms!
7. Drinking water every time it was offered.
8. Telling myself after every movie played -"Two more hours closer to home!"

Finally, there are so many people we want to thank for being a part of this wonderful time in our lives. God has shown Himself over and over through the love and generosity of others and we are so grateful!

To Josh who cared for our family from Greenville to Hong Kong, and to Richard who helped us when we arrived in Hong Kong -Thank you! God definitely placed you both in our path to father us through that time of our travel.
Heather took such wonderful care of our home and pets. It was so awesome to come home to a spotless house! My sister Sue took care of our van repair visits while we were gone, took us home from the airport and brought us groceries and a great dinner - Zaxby's! I also could not have made it without the encouraging, prayer-filled emails from her, Missy and Lori that were faithfully sent while we were away.
Thank you to the wonderful "yard fairy" who took care of our lawn and even put down pinestraw for us while we were gone. What a blessing!
Our CrossRoads family began bringing meals yesterday, and we are so grateful to everyone for caring for our family in this way. I physically at times feel like I did after having a newborn, so the relief of not having to cook is huge!
My dear friend Missy was so wonderful to post my emails as posts while we were gone. I know that was time consuming, and the time spent means so much. It was bizarre to not be able to access blogs while in China. We have enjoyed reading all your comments since our arrival home. How I wish we could have read them while we were there!
Thank you also, Missy, for the beautiful flowers upon our arrival!
Our dear friends, the Pyles, met us at the airport for our late arrival w/ some great signs and an American flag for Gracie. They are one of the most giving, humble families we've ever known.
Our family and friends have all shown so much love and care for us all, and it is so humbling. The consistent prayers of everyone, the loving cards received and words of encouragement spoken are treasured by all of us, and will be for the rest of our lives!

Gracie sees four specialists in one office tomorrow, so your prayers once again would be appreciated! Our new normal is busy, but we wouldn't trade it. Gracie is a joy and we see her personality blossom more every day. We are incredibly blessed!