home sweet home

yes, we are.

What a beautiful welcome at the airport.  It was such a blessing to see your faces and have you pour out your love, encouragement and joy over us!  I know we have pictures of the welcome committee- I'll post some later on this morning.

Emma did so well, she just took everyone and everything in.  Surrounded by kids making silly faces (apparently this is the international symbol of welcome...and it worked!) and having her practice saying all their names.  The best was when Josh taught her how to say "Hi, Josh" in Spanish.  Welcome to the melting pot...or the salad bowl...or whatever beautiful name we call this amazing country.  How keenly aware we were of the privilege of being citizens of the United States.

Our friend Barb brought her darling daughter who goes to Chinese Immersion School and you should have seen Emma's face light up when Gabby spoke Mandarin to her.  That is another precious memory for me.

Emma could have just had a Sunday School lesson right there at the airport!  Seeing Jane, Aliya and Katrina was a gift.  It was really special of three middle school girls to come on their Friday might!  Thanks, girls.  Love you all!

I did have a moment when I hugged my parents that I think I might have easily done the bawling wail cry.  There is something about holding your parents that makes home official.  I don't know if we will ever find the right words of thanks for the nineteen days they took care of Luke and Anna here at home. It was so good to hug them.

Steinkes and Lindsays and AMF and Barbi and Andersons and JennJenn and Sally and...oh!  THANK YOU for coming.  I hope the love you showered on us splashed back on you in full measure!  What a blessing.  What a welcome.  How good for travel weary hearts.  And as Jeff said, "Mission complete!"

Our van is full!  Officially.  No more room at the inn.  Emma did great in her carseat, no problems with a seatbelt either.  It helps to have a jie jie Anna right next to her with such sweet joy buckling up and smiling her encouragement.

Chipotle dinner was in the fridge (THANK YOU MOM!) and boy was it tasty.  Emmacakes loved it, which made us smile.  Huge cold glasses of skim milk made home feel like home!

Swede: not a hit.  Swede is our big, gentle, beautiful black lab.  Emma was terrified.  Emma was also very tired.  Swede spent the evening in her kennel.  We'll try that again today.  I did get her up already so she can have some time out before the troops wake up.  Poor sweet Swede!

We doled out all the gifts, everyone arriving home took a long hot shower, Anna and Emma had a bubble bath together that was a huge hit on all fronts, and bedtime was never sweeter.  Anna had a smile a mile wide, and reading to the girls and Luke on Emma's bed was dear.  Prayer time made the journey real: we finally prayed together over each other IN PERSON at bed.  Tucking everyone into their little spots (excepting Cooper and Jeb who I totally forgot to tuck in...their room was black as night with whiffling snore sounds emerging when we were done tucking in the littles...and I never made it in to even kiss them!  Nice mom) was ministry to my heart.  A babe in each spot and for each spot a babe.


It is 3:45am right now, and Emma eventually made it to our bed where she settled in for the night.  She wasn't so sure about sleeping away from us.  Anna wandered in at some point and was worried for Emma so I migrated to the girl's room (ay yi yi that was fun to write!) and took a shift in Emma's bed, only to then have Annabelle ask for me in her bed, not near her bed.  A time with her snuggling and sleeping was sweet...and then Luke made his way to find me.  :)  I snuggled with him for awhile and while he drifted back off I found myself wide awake!


So now I'm doing what any sane Mom of five does in the early morning hours: laundry!  Load three in the washer.  Coffee pot is brewing, my Mom put fresh squeezed juice in the fridge and the eggs are on the counter ready for some breakfast scrambling.  OH, IT IS GOOD TO BE HOME!

Nothing to do but be a family today.  We give the Lord all the glory for bringing our family out safely and journeying each step of the way with us.  And we give him all our praise for drawing us home together.  What wonders His hands have done.  May His presence well up in power and might as we settle in together and practice being His hands and feet here at home to each other.  Loving Him in our sitting down and our rising up, our going out and our coming in.  Obeying Him with all our hearts, minds and strength.  Following Him wherever He leads.

We love you, Lord Jesus.


Psalm 100


A psalm. For giving thanks.


 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 Worship the LORD with gladness; 
       come before him with joyful songs.


 Know that the LORD is God. 
       It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ; 
       we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.


 Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
       and his courts with praise; 
       give thanks to him and praise his name.


 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 
       his faithfulness continues through all generations.