First days home!

At 3:40 am the girls were up, beds made and they were brushing their teeth! Okay, that's way to early since I didn't fall asleep until after midnight!

Kendall during her first car wash! (Journey's photo was to dark to post)

First, I tried putting them back to bed! They went but were clearly not sleepy! I tried to go back to sleep but then thought of the girls laying there wide awake. I got back up, and the girls made Gavin birthday cards!

The girls loved this! Me too!

They are now eating cherry tomatoes, strawberries and hot dogs, the breakfast of champions! If Jane and Rebecca my guides in China knew this they would most definitely not be happy. I was reminded more than once that these girls have "Chinese stomach's". The rice cooker is coming, I promise!

Chips and Salsa a big hit!

Yesterday, we went to Opelika to celebrate Gavin's birthday with Jordan, Jimmy, Jackson, Matthew and Jordan's dad and his wife, Judy! Jimmy and Matthew grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.  BTW, Journey and Kendall love potato chips.

Puzzle time!

It was wonderful to have all my family together! We took the opportunity to snap a new family photo. Not the greatest of me but a family photo for the first post adoption visit none the less!

Kendall fixed my hair! 

Many first for the girls their first couple days home. A ride through the car wash, they were in awe! Lunch at an American Mexican Restaurant, shopping at Costco, a drive to Auburn, a family birthday party! 

The girls love their Cabbage Patch babies
This morning will be Church and Gavin's Montgomery family celebration! 

A fun time was had by all!

Home at last!

First, let me say that it is absolutely wonderful to be home!

Breakfast in Hong Kong

The girls did beautifully on the fights home. For those of you that met us in Hefei, and Guangzhou, you would not have recognized them as the same girls. They stayed in their seats with the seat belts on! They watched their TV monitors and played Bejeweled2 what seemed like a zillion times and they slept!

Views from the hotel in Hong Kong

Yes, this is one proud mama! Our only mishap was when Kendall spilled her sprite down the front of her outfit on the first leg of the trip. I took her to the bathroom and cleaned the sticky off her and dried her up the best we could. Thankfully, it dried clear and she continued on without further incident!

Views from the hotel in Hong Kong

We were met at the airport by my parents, my across the street neighbors and their friend Sue. Sue was snapping photos left and right. I didn't get the first photo so hopefully I Sue will share some of hers. One of the highlights of the airport greeting was meeting a new FB friend, Jutta and her three children all adopted from China. She had little gifts for the girls and beautiful flowers for me!

Kendall and Journey waiting for their flight. Our plane in the background!

When we arrived home my sister Diana was there with her family. They were holding a beautiful welcome home sign. My mom had a pot roast ready for us to eat along with her much love chocolate sheet cake.

Journey waiting for her first flight!

 The girls loved their room and slept all night in their own beds! Now, we begin the process of adjusting to the new normal! God is greatly to be praised for the answered prayers and our safe journey home!

Our flight attendant gave the girls wings! Delta has the best crews!

The flight from Detroit to Atlanta! (Again, Shery please forgive me for posting this photo!)

Journey on the flight to Atlanta

In Atlanta waiting for the last leg of the trip! We had been up and moving for over 24 hours, and it's beginning to show! The girls went to sleep right away on the flight from Atlanta to Montgomery!

The welcome home sign now in the girls room. The dolls are from Jenny's and they are dressed in the ethnic customs from the girls finding cities. Kendall's on the right and Journey's on the left.

Almost home - Guangzhou to Hong Kong

Finally a full-figured statue! I had to get my photo with her!

Our last day in Guangzhou was rather eventful! My guides were happy to see me go! You see, we had two "emergency" events that caused our guides much stress!

 The first, last Friday (5/18/2012), they (the guides) received a call from the police station that Journey had not signed for her passport. They called at 4:30 pm and we had 30 minutes to get there for her to sign. If we didn't make the deadline we would not have had her passport in time for the Consulate Appointment (CA). Thankfully, we were in the room and we made it in time! 

On Monday (5/21), Journey's passport was ready and given to the Rebecca our guide two minutes prior to closing, leaving her no time to pick up the Medical reports.

My CA was early and things went well despite that the lady helping me put my notarized affidavit back in the paperwork she returned to me. I knew it had been in there and almosthad to go and do another. If I had not pulled out the paperwork to read the instructions from the consulate the affidavit would not have been found.

Then Wednesday (5/23) as Miko was on the way to the US Consulate to pick up the girls passports and immigration paperwork another phone call! It seems one of the forms for Kendall had not been signed by me. Somehow this was not noticed by me, my agency and the consulate the day of my appointment.

School children out for their exercise

As it turned out, I was not in the room when they tried to call, multiple times! Rebecca was in the middle of getting her hair done and Miko was at the Consulate. I was in the hotel business center doing my online check. I did it from there so that I could print out the boarding passes.

Shery returned to the room and I took the girls to pick up a snack for the trip to Hong Kong! Shery met me in the lobby to tell me to call Rebecca that there was an emergency. Of course, Rebecca was not in her room and I didn't have Rebecca's cell number with me. We had to go back to the room for me to get Rebecca's cell number.

Rebecca told me to get down to the lobby NOW! Not knowing exactly what was going on, we all headed to the lobby. Rebecca met us at the elevator, hair still wet, and said no, no, no...no girls! Again, Shery's help was wonderful. Rebecca and I took a taxi to the consulate. I signed the paperwork and minutes later I had both girls paperwork.

In the mean time. The hotel bellman came for our luggage and Shery didn't know what was happening! She was told our room was booked and we couldn't stay another night. Bless her heart, she had been left in the dark and didn't know what was happening.

We finished up, said goodbye to our guides and headed on the van to Hong Kong! The toll booth just before the border was a problem for our driver. They were conversing in Chinese and we don't know what was going on, we sat there at least ten minutes before a supervisor finally came and let us through. The border crossing went well.

It was good to get to Hong Kong where we had a late small dinner before going to the room for the night. Journey slept on the love seat and Kendall slept with me! Needless to say, I didn't get a good nights sleep and both girls did not want to get up early.

Lunch at Lucy's (Shery please forgive me for this photo)!

We had a quick breakfast and checked out just in time to catch the airport shuttle without a wait. The bellman helped load our luggage and the driver helped us once we arrived at the terminal. It was a good experience!