Coming Home!

We left Miami this morning, and after a mostly uneventful flight, we arrived in Philadelphia.  Debarking the plane, we made our way from the plane to pick up our baggage.  Ashton and Alia were anxious to meet their sisters, and as we turned each corner of the airport, they would ask where they were.  We crossed the bridge that went over the road at the airport, turned the corner and began to descend the escalator.  The girls were at the bottom with my mother and her husband...About half way down, we the kids realized who was at the bottom.  When we got to the bottom, they ran to their sisters and gave them huge hugs.  We gathered our luggage and loaded everything in the cars.  After a quick lunch, we headed home.  It was great to drive a car again.  We arrived home to be greeted by a number of our friends.  Alia seemed to be comforted by the fact that there were other children at the house, and she quickly went to play.  Ashton was very shy, but after the initial greetings and introductions, we saw that someone purchased new bikes for the kids.  Ashton and I went to his new bike, and he jumped on and took off.  Family and friends visited with us for a good part of the afternoon, and then a friend from church dropped off dinner, and we were able to enjoy our first meal together as our whole family.  What a joy to see all four of our children around the table.  As we prepare for our first night at home, I am struck by the fact that being home is a great comfort for us, yet for Ashton and Alia being here is mixed with a new joy and bit of anxiety and grief.  We continue to pray for God, our great Healer to care for the hearts of our children and bring them healing.  Here are some pictures from our homecoming...