We are home safe and sound!

Hello from home! We arrived last Friday at 2am and went straight to bed! The next days were a blur as we tried to shift our schedules. Our days were our nights and nights were our days. Until two nights ago Lilly and I were going to bed at 3 or 4 in the afternoon and sleeping until 7 or 8 the next morning. She would wake for a bottle but that was it. I have never been so tired in my entire life. It was so easy to shift into the change when we got to China and not easy at all when coming home. I have heard many people say that it is harder when you gain time flying "backwards" through time. It was very surreal to leave Beijing at 7pm and arrive in Washington DC at 7 pm. How is that possible? A total mind boggle. We are finally feeling human. It is hard to believe Christmas is tomorrow. We are keeping it very simple this year and I am glad. After you visit an orphanage and you see true needs for just the basics in life it seems so crazy that Christmas has turned into a buying frenzy instead of a time to connect with people and keep the old fashioned traditions alive. Heidi's friend Alexa has been here for the last couple of days. She is a wise one for someone so young and I always enjoy having her here. Last night as we were all snuggled up in my room and Alexa was laying next to me as I fed Lilly her bedtime bottle she made the most simple yet profound statement. She was watching Lilly cuddle up to me and wrap her tiny fingers around mine and she said "Lilly just loves being loved." So simple yet so profound. And don't we all love being loved??? It was such a beautiful thing to say. Lilly does love being loved and we love loving her. I sometimes wonder if our need for love surpasses our need for food or sleep. If we did not give or recieve love I think the world would come to a screaching halt. Loving Lilly is so easy and she is such a sponge for all the affection that is offered to her. I cannot even describe the powerful spirit that this child has and how she is touching hearts wherever we go. I will keep this blog up until people stop reading it or I get sick of doing it - whichever comes first. I have a feeling it will be a long while before I get tired of taking pictures of Lilly or talking about how fascinated I am with every little thing she does. It has really shown me how much I love to write and take photos and document experiences. I just love to tell a story. I have really enjoyed hearing that people have followed this blog and have looked forward to reading it everyday. One of my mother-in-laws friend's even called it her "Lilly fix". A pretty healthy addiction I would say!! Lilly is doing great and there is no doubt that we are deeply bonded. Everyone is so in love with her. These photos are of Dennis and Lilly. We are really missing him and wish he could be here with us. He really feels like family. I am missing China and all the other families. They are so deeply in my heart forever. The bonding that took place is beyond anything that I could have imagined. What a blessing. I feel like my already big family just got bigger. I am looking forward to a car trip and the opportunity to see everyone again. I want to wish each of you a peaceful holiday and I will try to post every few days and let everyone know what Lilly is doing and share photos of her as well.
Merry Christmas and God Bless,
Kimberly


We LOVE our Uncle Dennis the Menace!!!!!