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Homecoming

Just a quick post...we are very exhausted and the jet lag is much worse than going over! I will post soon with lots of coming home pictures...

Thank you to all our friends and family who greeted us at the airport. We were shocked and overwhelmed! But, most of all, we were humbled at the love you have shown to us and our family. It made us feel very special to see all your faces there! Thank you.

Lily is doing good. She was wide-eyed last night when she saw her home for the first time and even more so when her big sister took her to see her new room complete with a closet full of clothes and tons of dolls! She seemed very happy, but I really feel like she will start grieving again hard very soon. Its just all a little too much for her to handle right now. Can you even imagine? She has spent the first 3 years of her life in one building...now, she has flown across the world and has new parents and a new family. We are going to lay low and love her through this difficult time.

Before I go, I wanted to share the link to the news cast from last night. I was really happy with the report except for one small comment at the end. The death of Sophie Ann did not lead us to adopt....we had already begun the adoption process before God gave us Sophie. But, its OK! I hope that our story inspires lots of people to open their hearts to these precious children all over the world. Thank you Fox News for wanting to feature us, we were so surprised!!!

Lots of love,
Aimee



NEWS STORY LINK:
CLICK HERE

THEY'RE HOME!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the Weather's Family is all together at home!
Everyone is great and Lily is completely in love with her big brother and sister (and they are with her as well!)
The Weather's had a great welcoming at the airport complete with lots of family, friends, and even a TV crew. For those of you in the area be sure to watch Fox 6 news at 10 pm for coverage!
I am sure that once Aimee has a chance to recover she will post an update complete with pictures.

Jessica

UPDATE

Just wanted to let everyone know that Carlton, Aimee, and Lily have safely arrived in Detriot. All flights have been on time and smooth.

Can not wait to see them in Birmingham in a couple hours!

Jessica

Last post from China.....

We want to invite all of our friends and family to meet us at the airport. We will be flying into Birmingham. Please...before you leave....check the status of the flights to make sure that they have all been on time...

We plan to call someone if we miss a flight...(Jess?)...and then she can post it on the blog. We don't want you to drive so far and not actually get to see us!!!

Here is our flight info:

February 20th, 2009

Guangzhou to Tokyo- Northwest NW28 Depart: 8:30 Arrive 1:40- 4 hour flight

Tokyo to Detroit- Northwest NW12 Depart: 2:30 Arrive 12:10-12 hour flight

Detroit to Birmingham- Northwest NW3637 Depart: 3:35pm- Arrive: 4:35pm-2 hour flight

One other note:

Many of you have emailed me and asked to have access to our private blog. We would love for you to continue on with us on our journey!!! Because of Blogger's rules...we can only have 100 registered viewers. I am well over that limit. SO, what I have done is created a "generic" log-in that many people can use. Its fairly easy to remember and you will need to use it each time you visit our blog. When you comment on the blog (and please do, I like to know who I am sharing my heart with...), you will need to just type your name because you will be logged in as "friends and family". My email inbox is out of control right now...so I am going to ask you to do me a favor. Please email me again and type "BLOG ACCESS" in the subject and just let me know who you are. I will then send you the sign-in info. I know this sounds confusing, but its actually quite simple. Email me here:

carlton1wea@yahoo.com
thanks!!

Today, we woke up really late! We all slept for 10 hours. Can you believe it? Right when I get adjusted to China time, its time to do a big switch-a-roo! I no longer have jet lag over here and I feel normal. Oh....I am soooooo dreading the flight and getting adjusted to the new time zone. Honestly, I am a little worried about it. Anybody got any tips for jet-lag and quick adjustment? Jet lag is the worst feeling...its like you are walking in some kind of fog....like a zombie! I hope the weather is nice at home..I have heard that getting outside in the sun is the best thing for jet-lag.

Ok, enough about that! This morning, we went to the Chen Temple. It was nice, but I will just be honest here...when you have done Beijing and seen the things that we have seen, well, it just wasn't that impressive. We saw lots of carvings out of wood, jade, bone....I bought several things from the gift shop. I was happy to get a beautiful tea set that was of good quality and did not contain lead. There are lots of tea sets on the island for much cheaper..but I want my kids to play and drink from them..and I cannot be worried that they are gobbling up lead. I also got some more ornaments for our China tree and a few other knick-knacks (is that how you spell that?) Lily played hide and seek and screamed "BABA" so loud. It was cute. She passed out on the way home and took a little nap. I remember our pediatrician back home telling me that when a child (or baby) is growing a lot, they will sleep a lot. Well, Lily is growing. Her hair has already grown nearly an inch or so in just a week! I know her little body is in shock and is starting to grow. She is still eating non-stop. I mean non-stop. She eats anything and everything. The only thing we have found that she does not like is carrots and spaghetti sauce. She loves warm milk, so I am going to have to start purchasing whole milk again. (we are a skim milk family). But, I think she needs the fat. She also loves Wahaha and drinks it all the time...boy, are we in trouble....I don't think they sell that at Wal-mart??? Carlton said he would drive to Atlanta to buy it if he needed to. (he is so smitten!) Wahaha is some kind of milk drink with a cocanut smell. All the kids drink it here.

This afternoon was our "swearing in" ceremony. We were not allowed to take any pictures due to security reasons...but we made a lot of mental pictures today. All of the families (13) all held up their right hand and said the oath. I made Lily hold up her hand that was holding the American flag and Chinese flag. I thought the little dress I made for her was perfect for this occasion. Originally, I had planned on her wearing it for her homecoming...but I have something else in mind for that! I looked at Lily today and thought about how much this is changing her life. She doesent understand right now....but her life is totally changed. Today, was a big day for my little one.

Tonight, we will eat our last dinner together in China. Of course, we chose to eat traditional Chinese food.

It will be hard to say goodbye to this amazing country. I will be leaving a good portion of my heart here in China. I am sad in a lot of ways....but my heart does flip flops when I think of seeing my children. Its been a long time and I cannot wait to give them a million kisses. I also cannot wait for them to meet Lily. Its going to be a great reunion. We know the road ahead holds many bumps and curves, but we also know the One who ordained all of this. We are fully trusting in Him to help us along this journey.

Thank you for loving us and "being there" for us. You have made us feel at home at a time when we are so far away! Thank you for your prayers and the precious comments and emails you have sent.

This has been one amazing journey....one we will never forget...

Love,
Aimee, Carlton and Lily