Traveling Home

Let me tell you traveling to China on a rediculously long flight with very little sleep was impossibly hard. But flying back was just torture. 

13 bags to juggle between 4 adults with 

3 toddlers to carry 

30 hours of traveling with no sleep 

Not our best day.

We had a 4 hour layover in LA and even though it was airport food, this was the kids first meal in America. All three of them in their pajamas, ate their breakfast at dinnertime. 

Ian is easy to get to sleep - he just needs his thumb and his daddy. He still isn't at all interested in loving on me and would prefer anyone else to his momma.

Jovie is very hard to get to sleep - she is a belly sleeper and it was just so hard for her to get comfortable on the flights. She cried a lot until she wore herself out... Luckily she has a weak little cry. 

Mae has been asleep or watching a movie the whole time - she's going to need a detox from TV when we get home.

Cody and I were both on the isle the whole time and found it impossible for us to get comfortable enough to fall asleep too. So there just isn't a word to describe our exhaustion and I'm feeling so sick with bad sore throat and cough.

When we landed in Atlanta we found out how bad the ice storm was and that my sister and Jon could not get down to the airport to pick us up. We are standing at the carrousel getting our luggage and we are the only ones there in the airport. We have to figure out how to connect bags to bags to bags so that we can carry them and figure out where we are carrying them to. We found Marta and bought our tickets and went to stand outside and wait for the train. It is 17 degrees and brutally cold as we waited. A train came but we didn't think it was the one we needed to take but at the last minute someone working for Marta tells us not all the trains are running and to take that train - we moved us and all of our bags on as fast as we could. To see us running with all of our 13 bags and kids, just trying to make it before the doors close was quite a sight. We got on the train and after 20 minutes of jolting stops Ian throws up all over Cody. No warning, he just opens his mouth and vomited all over and over and over. Cody just looked and me and shook his head and laughed. Ian did this right as we had to get off to switch trains. In the freezing cold Cody peels off his and Ian's soaked cloths as I hurry to find something else in a suitcase for them to wear. They get dressed in under a minute and our train arrives as we rushed to stuff puke clothes in suit cases and take a mad dash to the train. 

Ian's coat was soaked so Cody wrapped him up in a blanket and put his hat on him. Such a miserable welcome home. ): 

My sister and Jon met us at the Sandy Springs train station and we quickly got everyone out of the cold and buckled in to start traveling toward home. There was ice and snow on the roads and everywhere lining the road were abandoned cars, it looked something from a movie. We missed the worst of the ice/snow storm thankfully or we wouldn't even have been able to get home at all. 

Home. 

After 2 weeks in China it was amazing to walk through the door but it felt like a dream to finally be here with these two. It's like we've crossed a finish line. There's still many other races to run but this one has been won! We have our babies home! 

We ate something and all took long naps. We all could have slept the whole day but made ourselves get up so we could sleep at night and try to get back on schedule. It was nearly impossible to wake these two. 

I didn't want to overwhelm the kids with too much but we got out a few toys and watched them as they played. This sweet pumpkin is as happy as can be to sit in one place and play... Ian on the other hand is already opening my kitchen cabinets, climbing up the stool to the counter, opening the container to the fish food... I will be ordering about 5 baby gates today! 

Baths were how we kept them awake until dinner. I am so thankful to my sister who made us enchiladas. We all badly needed a home cooked meal. 

Jovie loved hers and got a second helping but Ian wouldn't even try his. They are so opposite, Jovie eats most things and Ian is very picky. 

Holly is home now too! I was so happy to see our big bear! When she came in Ian was afraid at first and Jovie was the one I was worried about being afraid. Jovie laughed at her and reached out to feel her and got a big kiss in the face - she shook her head no because she didn't like that but she still was a big fan of Holly. Ian started warming up to her and now seems to be fine with her. Holly is so calm and sweet with them. 

We made it to 8:00! Bedtime stories and off to bed!! How I love my family of 5 all snuggly and ready to spend their first night home.