It is hard to believe we have been back a week!  It seems to have gone so fast and yet China is becoming more of a memory everyday!

The trip back home was fairly uneventful.  The night before we left China, Madison received a lovely flower from one of the families that we met at the reception The Garden Hotel had for adoptive families.

Thursday morning it was up at 4:30am so that we could make our first flight out to Beijing!  Everyone seemed pretty awake by the time we left Beijing for New York City.

Sadly, all the issues we had on the way home were in Newark!  It took FOREVER to clear immigration.  Then, after rechecking our bags, we had to go back through security.  During that process they pulled Madison off to the side because she had a wheelchair.  She had a United representative pushing her and as the rest of us cleared security we waited to see where they had taken her!  After awhile I went back up to see where she was and they were holding her behind the security gate and had not cleared her yet.  I felt awful that she had been sitting there by herself wondering where we were!  A “Home Alone” moment, but not as funny.  I was pretty irritated with the security staff who refused to take any responsibility for the situation and instead chose to make us feel like bad parents because we had left her there.

But, we got home late Thursday night and spent the first night in our own beds!

Several of the girls set up a nice “welcome home” presentation on our bed utilizing origami and Hershey’s Kisses.  That is not a bad gift!

The morning after coming home is always a special time.  I continue to be amazed at how the kids here at the house rally behind the new additions and make them feel right at home.  They love on them and bring out games and books in an effort to make them feel a part of the family right away.

EVERYONE has to help out for things to work smoothly.

And there is an opportunity to show those that were on the trip how much they were missed.

Since then it has been a whirlwind getting things back to normal and preparing for Thanksgiving!  The required puzzle was started …

.. and the food has been eaten.

The girls had the opportunity to spend some time with MOST of their cousins on Thanksgiving night …

… playing cards …

… and schooling their Aunt’s in Memory!

Ok … maybe not “schooling” them, but their time is coming.

There truly is so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is having this adoption completed in time to spend time with family on this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend!  Soon enough the doctors and dentists appointments will begin, the physical therapists will start developing a plan, and our medical deductible will again be eaten into.  But for now, we get to enjoy each other and get to know each other a little bit better.  We are blessed.

Cameron