The trip home.

The trip home was really good.  Apart from a few unbelievable fits from each child, the flight was simple.  Joey often wanted to be held by Arielle, not a good thing when they have to have their seatbelts fastened.  Melody wanted to not sit next to me, not a good idea when we are not in the same rows.  Overall, it was much easier than we expected--apart from the stewardess making us move the kids around the plane on the first flight so they would stop screaming for the other passengers.

It was nice to be in England for a break.  Both flights were about 10 hours apiece and one long day with a shorter layover would not have been as good.  The break was nice.  The kids loved playing with the kids in England.  And customs was easy in England.  

It is one of the greatest feelings in the world to come back into the United States after being in undeveloped countries.  The US is a wonderful country full of opportunity and hope.  Uganda is a country that is truly at odds with the corruption that underlies so much of its political and governmental system.  Sadly, this inevitably leads to the opportunity for licentiousness in all aspects of those systems.

Customs was easy in the US and we are now going to proceed forward with the final adoption of the little ones.  Wonderful to have them as part of our family.

Thank you to everyone that prayed for us, encouraged us with your words and phone calls, told us you would be thinking of us as we went through this, interested in the process and wanted to talk with us about it, supported and made the mama's lives a little easier at the orphanage, and generally loved us through the process.  I am sure we will call on many of you for babysitting support.