Planes, Praise, and Prayers

It has been sort of a rough week since we returned from China. This will tell the story:



On Nov. 29, 2007, we made a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Guangzhou, China, to get the visa for Melissa that permits her to enter the United Sates as a U.S. citizen. She didn't sleep through the whole thing, but woke up when we went through security.












We had one last Chinese dinner with our whole group of eleven families. Lots of live food was displayed for people to choose from as we entered the door of the restaurant. These were silkworms, but there were also snakes and many other selections. We felt ready to go back home and have some American food.

Nov. 30, Kristina's birthday, which seemed to last forever, but didn't include cake and ice cream. She was a good sport about it.
The 12 hour plane ride back across the ocean was not as bad as you would think it might be with all those babies along. They slept better than the adults did. This picture was on the short ride to Denver from Los Angeles on Dec. 1st. Melissa was actually not feeling too well.

Meeting Grandma finally! A small group of friends met us at the airport. Praise God for a safe trip and for bringing our family together at last.

"Brother Daniel feels strong and seems like a pretty cool, fun guy."

"Brother Timothy is closer to my size and he is a very entertaining person."

Back at home, Melissa becomes the little princess and gets lots of attention. Problem is that she has a cold and is not sleeping well at night.

So many new experiences. Our dog, Chester is not sure what to do with this new little creature and she is not sure Chester is safe to be around. The snow is kind of fun.

On Dec. 4th, we attempted to celebrate Melissa and Kristina's birthdays, since John had to leave on a business trip on the 5th. Even Grandpa could not console Melissa, however, who had been throwing up with the flu.

Please keep us in your prayers, as this stomach flu has been going throuth the whole family, and Melissa is also now on antibiotics for ear infections. She has lost some weight and we are trying very hard just to keep her hydrated. We have been very blessed with help and meals from friends, and people here have been eager to welcome Melissa. We will try to post more of our adjustment when we are able to, during this busy holiday season. Thanks for coming along for the ride.