Our Hazel-Eyed Girl......

Do you think these two have bonded yet?

Well, we have been home for two full days now, and things have pretty much gotten back to normal already. We returned home Tuesday afternoon, and Jeff was back at work on Wednesday morning. I spent that day doing more laundry than I ever care to do in my life and trying to get the house back in order after unpacking - still not there yet! I went back to work yesterday and had a ton of things waiting for me. We are still not used to the time change, so we have been waking up very early (3 am for me today) and falling asleep very early - I am pretty much comatose by 8 pm. I know that part will get better in a few days. For now, it gives me some extra time in the mornings to do the little things, like make a good hot breakfast for my kids before school and still have time to do Amber's hair in curls.

The moment I saw Amber and Mitchell at the airport when we exited the terminal will forever be one of my favorite moments in my life. Even Mitchell, my 10 year old who is usually too embarrassed to have me even kiss him good night when no one is watching came running to me and gave ME a kiss! I must have hugged and kissed Amber and Mitchell a hundred times. I could not stop getting tears of joy in my eyes. Jacob was ecstatic to finally be home with his siblings. During the ride home from the airport, Jacob and Mitchell shared the very back third row seat, and I heard laughter like I have not heard since we left. Jacob thinks Mitchell is a super hero, so he was in heaven!

When we got home, my mom and Amber showed us that they had completely stocked our refridgerator, and Jeff's mom had made a huge spread of fantastic food. I don't think we realized how hungry we were, because we devoured every last bite of it!

We got an e-mail from our coordinator who told us that she was going to see Dasha at the orphanage yesterday, and she was going to bring a letter that I had e-mailed. It is so nice that she will be visiting for us so often. Hopefully, it will help Dasha to know that we are waiting for her and are spending this time getting our house ready for her. Dasha will most likely be coming home around the 1st of November. Hopefully the time will pass quickly so we can get on with this great new chapter of our lives. If I have learned anything through this process, it is that God is totally in control, and things are going to happen as they are supposed to happen. I had thought during other times in my life that I knew how to trust God completely, but I don't think I ever really knew what that meant until this experience. I am not worried about the future. I know that we are going to have a rough go of it for a while, but that is okay. It is all part of becoming a family and working through all that God has planned for us.

We will continue to update occasionally with more pictures until Dasha comes home, and we will definitely update when we know exactly when that will be. Please pray that the time passes quickly, but that more importantly, that Dasha would be encouraged and know that she is coming home to us soon. Thank you so much for all of your support. You have no idea how much it has meant to us throughout this process!