One year Home

Happy Birthday

I am feeling pretty emotional that tomorrow morning I will have a two four year olds and three old.  I have been holding it together pretty well the past few weeks and have not let myself get emotional.  I would secretly cry in my quick showers at the hospital.  Ivy had a rough few weeks and spending eight nights at the hospital was not exactly our plan.  It was terribly hard to be away from the boys that long but I knew I need to be there for Ivy.  That is the thing.  She has never had that.  She has had multiple surgeries before and who was there for her??  These are the questions I asked myself and broke me to my knees.  How scared she must have been with no one to hold her hand or kiss her boo boo's??

We celebrated this weekend Ivy being home from the hospital.  

For the first time we celebrated Ivy's birthday with cake and her family.  Yes! Ivy has a loving family that would walk the world for her.  

  She has endured so much in these three years and still has the sweetest heart.  She is so full of love and everyone that meets her falls in love with her.  She never stops amazing me with how smart she is.  So precious you are to me. 

We had surf and turf for our Little Mermaid.

6 months

Six months ago Ivy Elizabeth was placed into our arms.

My sweet darling daughter..

Your favorite food is tomatoes.

You love to play trains with your brothers.

You could watch the Little Mermaid every day if your mother would let you.

You want to wear the same PJ's every night and can't wait for me to wash them.

You still hate to have dirty hands.

You love to help me do everything.

The only food so far you don't care for is olives.

You sleep in your own bed Most :) nights.
We moved across the country and you took it all in stride.
We have been to see many doctors and they all fall in love with you.

You are a spicy firecracker.

You are the most lovable child I have ever met.

You are starting to talk in sentences in English.

You love watching Mandarin kid shows.

Most importantly you have taught me how much love God has for us.  You are such a precious gift from God.  Sometimes I get frustrated with how strong willed you are.  I am thankful that God reminds me to step back and instead soak you in and celebrate this life we share together.  Never could a mother have dreamed of a more intelligent, beautiful and joyful daughter.

Seeing God's world through your eyes has been nothing short of amazing!

Sailing Away

We are moving!

Are we really Happy?  The answer to that question sadly has been No for awhile now.  Brandon's job has really put a strain on our family life.  So we made the decision to be HAPPY!  Please don't think I wasn't grateful for his job.  I am thankful for that job and how it took care of us in a really hard time but nothing compares to having Brandon home.  No amount of money can replace our time together!  Three kids is a lot of work but also brings so many sweet moments that he didn't want to miss out on.

There were many things that went into this decision
PRAYER. TEARS. GUILT. EXCITEMENT. HAPPINESS
It is going to be extremely hard to say goodbye to our Birmingham and Atlanta friends.  Not to mention I will have to leave my job which I have loved and cherished for the last six years.  

WHERE are you moving?
Brandon's job is just outside of Philly.  We don't actually know where we will be living yet.  He is hopefully going to find us a place very soon. Minor details folks!

WHEN are you moving?
Brandon starts his job the first week of June.  The rest of the clan will be moving the last weekend in June.

DO you know anyone there?
UMM YES!  We have family there.  Not only are they family but awesome family.  They are the people we want to spend lots of time with!  I love traveling there every summer and cherish every  moment we get together.  

WHAT is there to do?
We are hoping to be about 20 minutes from downtown Philadelphia.  This would put us about an hour from Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore.  It is also only about a 2 hr train ride to NYC.

WHAT about Ivy's medical?
CHOPs- Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia is one of the best hospitals and specializes in the care she needs.  Ivy's physicians here will be consulting with her new physicians.  She is expected to have major surgery at the beginning of the Fall, so continue to keep her in your prayers.  Her brother Thomas must have felt left out in all the medical procedures.  We had a scary late night ER visit with him this week and he will also need some surgery this summer.  
There goes the money for my trip to Tahiti!!!!!!!

Things I can't wait for:
The Jersey Shore
Cheese Steaks ( Chopped/With/Whiz)
Italian Ice
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FAMILY TIME!!

You are Loved

THREE WEEKS HOME

FIVE WEEKS IN OUR ARMS

   Ivy you have changed our lives.  You are now a cherished daughter, sister, and granddaughter.  Our lives will never be the same.  In 5 short weeks you have brought your momma such joy.  I am not going to lie and say every step has been a picnic.  You definitely test me every moment but every time I am still there waiting to hug and kiss you.  I can feel you trusting me more and more.  We have been to lots of different doctor appointments and they all are amazed with how smart you are.  You have already had some surgery and it was one of the hardest days of my life.  Being there when you came out of recovery and having you reach for me never felt so sweet.  You have started to repeat English words and still talk your head off to me in Mandarin.  When you get upset and yell at me in Mandarin I can't help but smile.  You love to eat!  Nothing on my plate belongs to me anymore and I have started to put extra on my plate.  This way I know I will at least get half.  You get jealous and throw a fit if I hold your brothers.  You are starting to like riding in the car more each day.  Sunglasses are a must for car rides.  You love your shoes and bows.  At night time you pick out a different bow to match your pajamas. 

 I love you.

The LONG Journey Home

Well we are finally home and all the laundry is done.  Everything in our suitcases smelled like smoke.  It is amazing how many people in China smoke cigarettes.

We left Guangzhou on Wednesday around 4:30 pm China time in the pouring rain.  The drive to Hong Kong takes about 3 hours but took us almost 4.    Thankfully our driver drove pretty safely for China standards.  The other families apparently had a different experience and said their driver drove like Mario Andretti and texted the whole time.  The boarder check in Hong Kong is very intimidating.  There are two different checkpoints to present your passports and entry cards.  At the second point they check your temperature with a laser gun. (The gun looks very real and I swear they turn it like a kill shot to scare the begezzus out of you.  If anyone has a temperature they will send you to be in quarantine and not let you cross.  None of us had a temperature and God got us all safely to the hotel.  We stayed at a hotel that was directly connected to the airport, which made it really nice in the morning being able to just walk to the terminal and not have to get in any more vans!  The hotel was alright but reminded Brandon and I of staying on a cruise ship.

The Longest Flight ever was next.  Somehow we made it through but I do not recommend taking a 15 hour flight with a two year old to anyone.  She slept about 3 hours of the 15 and for some reason decided she didn't like me anymore for half of the flight.  Thankfully she changed her mind when we landed and loves me again.

The Immigration process did not take long but the line to get started felt like forever!  The worst part was having to reclaim your bags and recheck them back in.  Then we had to go through TSA security AGAIN!  Security took forever and Ivy had lost her mind by this point.  Note to Chicago:  Please find a better way to do the security checkpoint.  You by far have the worst set up I have ever seen.  Thanks!

Our flight out of Chicago was delayed 2 hours.  By this point Brandon and I were so exhausted and I think I was ready to meet Jesus.  Ivy fell asleep before take off and I was able to get about a 45 minute nap.  It is amazing what a tiny nap will do for your spirits.

Seeing my boys run towards me at the airport was the best sight ever!  Yes I cried which made them cry.  I wish I could have been stronger and not made them cry. I had been dreaming about that moment for over a year and could not hold it in anymore!

The boys have been so sweet to their sister.  We have had very few fights and those have been over Ivy sneaking their food.  The first night we were home we explored and played in the house for an hour before bed.  Her face lit up when she saw the playroom and our pantry.  She has been sleeping well in her bed with Mommy on a pallet in the floor next to her!  She still needs to hold my hand to sleep.  Brandon is off work until next Friday and I am so grateful to have him here with us.  For now we are just trying to figure out this new normal for us.  So many firsts for sweet Ivy these last two weeks.  She has such a strong spirit that God did not allow to be broken.  We will go to the doctor the following week.  Keep us in your prayers as we figure out what plan of care we need to follow to get Ivy in good health.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed

Airport Homecoming

Thank you so much to my dear friend Kristie P. LaRochelle for taking these photos and making this video.  She is an amazing photographer in the Birmingham Area.  She has captured this special moment so perfectly. http://www.kpstudios.com/

I promise to write an update about our flying experience and our first few days home.  So far Jet Lag has been a little brutal.  Thank you so much to all of the friends that have signed up to bring us meals over the next two weeks.