He's HOME!!!!

Daniel made it home safe and sound from his big adventure. We are all so excited and happy to have him home. He made all of his flights without any issues. In fact, he was 15 minutes early getting into Nashville, so of course I was running late. I got there right after he picked up his bags. I'm sure it was a little disappointing for him, but he hid it well. He had decided to grow out his beard while he was gone, so that took a little getting used to. He also had a bit of an odor....it's hard to explain...he just had an unpleasant aroma...like he had spent too much time in a foreign country. Since I have a heightened sense of smell (one of the lovely side effects of pregnancy), I found myself needing to drive home with the windows open. I also made him put all his clothes in trash bags until I could get around to washing them since they ALL had that unpleasant odor....and then I washed everything twice. He was pretty cute as he got into the car and said, "I'd forgotten how NICE this car is...do you realize how blessed we are??" And then when we got home, "Do you realize how NICE our house is, and how GOOD it smells?" And then after he hugged the kids, "Do you know how NICE it was to hug kids that smell GOOD?" I'm guessing being in a very primitive country for over 4 weeks changed his perspective on a few things. I also had a bit of a "Homecoming Party" in his honor. I didn't tell him about it before he got home, but he became highly suspicious when on the way home I told him we had to stop at a gas station to get 4 bags of ice. It was a bit of a gamble for me to throw a party....either of 2 things would happen...he'd love it, or he'd hate it. There'd be no in between. Lucky for me...he LOVED it! Our friend, Dever actually bought a bus...(yes, a bus) and gave all the kids a ride around the neighborhood. The kids loved it...especially the little ones who don't get to ride on a bus everyday! Anyway....we're just grateful to have our Daniel back!!!

Oliver, Shyla, Addi, and Brynn loving their ride on the bus!

Dever....our faithful bus driver.

The kids riding on the handicap lift.