I'm Speechless

Well, almost speechless.

My brain is still tired, and right now I'm typing to avoid sleeping in hopes that I will sleep more soundly tonight.  There is still a bit of our trip to document, and that will be coming, more for my  personal memory than for any other reason. 

But the focus today is to share publicaly how abundantly blessed our little family of five is by extended family and friends.

We were met by a small army of folks (from memory I think it was 24, but I'll have to look at pictures to make sure I didn't miss anyone) bearing welcome signs and balloons at the end of our 29 hours of motion.  This group of consisted of both our moms, my sister and her husband (who we'll be returning the favor for on the 29th of this month!!!), my college roomie who drove a 360 mile round trip to see us at the airport for just under an hour, members of our church life group, most of the members of our adoption fellowship bible study, and a dear friend who left her babies sleeping at home with their daddy to welcome us home.

And then we got home and discovered that our house had been professionally cleaned while we were gone.  You know that "wow, my house smells so clean" smell after a spring cleaning kind of clean?  Yeah, I hardly know it myself, but it was here when we walked in just after midnight.

Then we opened the fridge.  After two weeks of noshing on noodles and chips, even Caleb ~ my chip eater ~ was ready for fresh fruit and veggies.  And let me just say that our produce drawers "runneth over."  I'm not ashamed to say that I had carrots and home-made ranch dip for breakfast yesterday...

Oh, and meals?  Yeah, we're set in that department too.  Between the freezer stocking that happened before we left, a few meals for the fridge that my college roomie brought with her, and the wonderful coordination efforts of yet another dear friend who organized two weeks with every other night a meal being delivered, I won't have to really think through the dreaded "What's for dinner?" question for a while.

Not to mention that there were beautiful flowers with a gift card to Carrabba's for Ian and I to have a date night when Darcy is up to being with a sitter for a few hours, AND several rounds of gifts for all three kids, including toys, coordinating outfits, and hand knit rabbits.

And then there's the fact that between my mom and his mom, all our dirty laundry is now washed, folded, and sitting in a basket awaiting being put away.  (Of course I'm having thoughts of simply getting each family member a clean basket and letting them fend for themselves ~ I don't much care if it gets put away...)

And all that is a good thing.  For many reasons.  Three of which are the jet lagged babies all napping in Kylie's room right now.  Then there's the jet lagged mommy who didn't get to sleep much last night due to a grieving baby ~ not complaining, just stating facts.  Oh, and there's also the fact that my "ick" was more like one slight step away from walking pneumonia.  Or as my "punny" husband likes to say, "Wok-ing pneumonia."

(And including that information wasn't to garner sympathy points, just more of a "man I'm glad that it isn't just my age that kicked my tail on this trip home" ~ cause I was so bad when we arrived in Shanghai that Ian actually considered changing our flights, despite the cost, for me to be able to sleep in a bed for a night or two before we got on a 14 hour plane ride.  I ended up sleeping as we waited to be able to check in for our international flight as my amazing husband kept three kids quiet and when I woke up I felt "good enough" to try to push through.  About 8 hours into the flight I wished I had decided differently, but friends and family here were praying me home and I made it.  Mercifully, today, after 24 hours of a combo of Prednisone and a Z-pac I'm feeling much better!)

And another reason is that it never hurts to be reminded how much we are loved by others.  Because as one of my very favorite bible verses says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."  ~ 1 John 4:7

So wow, Ian and I have been saying all day how blessed we are to have the friends and family that we do.  Thank you to all of you for letting God's abundant love shine through you! 

I promise I'll pick up the camera again soon, really, I do...