LAST post from China!!!

 I can't believe this is our last day.  The two weeks have gone by slow and fast at the same time.  We dreaded being gone from the boys for so long.  We dreaded traveling 3 different places, and flying on 7 different flights.  It is almost behind us!  We our packed up, waiting for Ella's visa, and then we head to the airport for our flight to Beijing.  There, we will be in our hotel room to sleep for about 5 hours before we go to the airport one last time in China.  We found out yesterday our flights were upgraded to business class.  Thank you so much Robb &Lori for helping us book our flights and upgrading us! We were on the wait list for our return trip and Robb checked with AA several times during the last 2 1/2 weeks until we were finally upgraded.  It has taken so much pressure off knowing that we will be more comfortable on the way home with little miss.  It's still 17 hours on airplanes, but at least we will have lots of room!   (and a reclining seat and movies and great meals and so on...)

THANKFUL:

So so many things we are thankful for.  God has answered so many of our prayers regarding our travel, Ella's adjustment and attachment, and for our boys at home.  We are blessed to have a HUGE support group that has made this much easier.  The boys have been spoiled rotten by friends and family and while they have missed us, there time without us was fun and went by faster! I am thankful for everyone making this time better for them.  Also, thanks to my special small group of family and friends that was with me every tiny step of this journey.  From the beginning when we were praying about adoption, and then thru all of the ups and downs. We could not have done this without all of their prayers and support!  I am lucky to have connected with a group of women that did this before me.  They were my rocks and helped me along the way by answering questions and getting excited over details that only they could understand.  These connections led us to our girl and we are forever grateful for their friendships.  I can't wait to get all of our China girls together! 

Our friendships made in China.  We will always share a bond unlike no other.  Especially thankful that Dan & Jodi were with us in Beijing.  We spent every minute we could with them and it made our time here alot of fun.  They left this morning and we've been lost! Good thing we start home tonight!

My sister in law, Peggy.  Oh how I am thankful for her.  She stepped into my life for 2 1/2 weeks and managed our house, pets, boys, and everything that came with it.  Because she was there, I was able to let go and be 100% in China, where I was needed most.  It was not easy I am sure, but she handled it perfectly and she and our boys will have a special bond because of these days together.  Thankful my brother "let her go" and handled their menagerie of animals so she could be on our homefront.  Our kids are lucky to have them.  Pretty sure my friends and their kids have attached themselves to "Aunt Peggy"! I've been told by several of them that "everyone needs an Aunt Peggy!"!!

Eric and I have had a wonderful time in China and bonding with our daughter.  We have enjoyed some much needed down time, we have found adventure in some things that weren't so fun! We have survived the travel and the stress-it has not been easy! However, because we are best friends, we were able to make it fun and there was a lot of laughter along the way.  We made it as easy as possible!

We are most thankful for the blessing of sweet Ella Joy.  She has adjusted beautifully and loves us more than we could have ever expected in such a short time. We are amazed at the spirit of this little girl.  It truly is like she has been with us her entire life.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for her.  I hope that she remains an example of what love and a family can do in the life of a child that just needs a chance. 

Thank you for following our blog and all of our adventures in China getting our girl! I appreciate all of your comments here and on facebook! Thank you for praying for us! I couldn't reply to them but I read them all and we could feel all of your support and your joy in watching our Ella emerge into a happy, secure, little girl.

We are so ready to share this little girl with all of you!

I will leave you with these-our last breakfast in Guangzho and the last post until we hit TEXAS!!!

GOOD BYE CHINA!