Elora Is Home!!! - Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26, 2013

Our bags were ready for us at baggage claim in pretty short order.  Knowing the long journey they went on to get there, it is quite a feeling when you see them start coming out onto the carousel.  Such a relief!  We then waited for Tori to get off work and take us home.  That all worked out great.

We got home around 7:30 p.m. and the kids and a bunch of their neighbor friends were in the yard waiting for our arrival.  The kids stormed the car and it was really something to see.  I was able to video the first few minutes of them taking Elora into the house and touring her around and loving on her.  It was a great moment to have captured on video.  I haven't converted it for upload it just yet, but hope to at some point.  

It is hard to really know what is going on in Elora's mind with all of the changes in her life right now, but she genuinely seemed to enjoy meeting everyone and being in her new home.  I think the Skype sessions with the family back home while we were in China really prepared her for meeting everyone.  The kids really were on her the whole night, though.  No one can get over her cuteness.  We had a lot of fun giving the family souvenirs we brought back for them from China.  There were so many neat things a person could buy there.  

Even though at times the 11 months seemed like a long time, it actually went pretty fast and we are thankful we didn't have a wait of years and years like some people do.  It is still crazy to see her actually home with us.  It is also crazy to see our 4 kids playing and carrying on in the house.  Maybe it is the jet lag or the sheer overwhelming nature of everything, but every now and then Heidi and I are shocked at just how seeing 4 kids in the house seems like so many more than just 3.  It is a good thing, but it is just funny...we just keep saying, look at all our kids...we have all of these kids...LOL.  

It makes me think of a conversation I had with a store employee in China.  She was one that actually spoke some English, which I was quite thankful for.  I told her Elora is our 4th child.  She was shocked to learn we had 3 already.  In China, there is a one-child limit.  You can actually have more, but you pay a hefty fine/tax for each one beyond that.  She couldn't get over the idea of us being able to have 4 children, and said our house must be very happy and that all of those children must bring a lot of joy.  I love my children very much, but my wordy nature would cause me to describe it in other ways.  But her limited English vocabulary helped her to say something really simple yet profound...joy!  She was absolutely right.  Since being home and seeing these kids learn about one another and laugh, that is what I see...a lot of joy!

Madeline made a great Welcome Home sign!

What a crew!!!

This could all get very interesting...LOL!

Elora helped Asher with his job of putting away the silverware.

Group hug!

Kiddos reading the family board book we made for Elora!

Madeline in her traditional Chinese outfit.

Mr. Lane and some new chopsticks!

Hand carved stamps with the kids' names in English and Chinese.

I sense a new FB cover photo coming soon...

Sisters!

Mr. Lane loves, loves, loves her!

Grandpa!

Throwing the stuffed white tiger from the Safari Park around...

The bunk beds now have a bottom bunk resident :)

Looking at the woods in the back yard.

The van is seeming more full now :)

Eating some of Tori's birthday cake!

Heidi's daughter...checking out the calendar already, and she can't even read it.

Sno Biz opened today...what timing!

She likes the Sno Biz!!!