Jet Lag - Are You Kidding Me?

Wow! That about sums up my feelings on jet lag. I think this is what being drunk must feel like. My senses are low, my judgment is impaired, I am moving in slow motion ... blah, blah, blah! I've heard this can last up to a month - yay!

We are home. Hallelujah! We had such an amazing home coming. The kids were all at the airport and both sets of grandparents. They were waiting for us with signs at the bottom of the escalator and Kate broke down sobbing when she saw me. She ran into my arms and has basically stayed there ever since. It was so sweet. Lincoln cried too he was so happy and just kept hugging everyone. The other kids were equally happy just less emotional. I love being home.

John was a little scared about the entire thing as you can imagine. He did not want to leave Rick's arms, freaked out a little in a car seat on the way home, and had a heart attack when greeted by our loving dog. John is loving life now. He LOVES having siblings, and they love having him in our family. It really is a great match. I think it is hardest on me because I have two needy two year olds who want my constant attention. Overall it has been a nice transition.

We got home Saturday night, and unfortunately tragedy hit our family on Sunday. Our beloved dog Aspen, died accidentally.  She was only three, a beautiful golden retriever and so totally lovable. She loved us too, which made it all the sadder. It was one of those situations that while it was happening I kept thinking, how are we going to explain that God loves us when horrible things happen. And guess what, by the end of the day, we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is in our lives.

Rick and the kids took Aspen to our land to bury her. (Our land is 2 hours away and we thought John probably could not handle the four hour roundtrip drive after the 28 hours of travel 12 hours earlier.) It rained the entire drive and when they got to the land, they weren't sure if they were going to be able to dig a hole in the down pour. They said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to please stop the rain so that they could take care of Aspen. The rain immediately stopped. They were able to prepare the grave and make a beautiful wooden head stone, got back in the car and the rain started pouring down again. It meant the world to our family to know that even though tragic things happen, Heavenly Father cares enough about us that he stopped the rain. It felt like an old school pioneer type experience.

John hasn't missed the dog at all if there is a positive note to this experience. It is so fun to watch him run around gut laughing with his siblings. He adores his little sister Kate, who likes him less than that. She is going to have the biggest adjustment. John is constantly looking out for her, already acting like a big brother even though they are only 3 months apart in age. It is really tender to witness. He has adjusted to me beautifully and life in a big family.

Some funny and quirky things about our little boy:

He has a mortal fear of bubbles in a bath tub and any animal. I'm talking birds, squirrels, dogs, cats, rabbits - you name it. The child is terrified. Playing outside is not his favorite activity as you can imagine because if a bird is chirping or a squirrel is out, he goes into full blown melt down. Cute little guy. It is great to be home!