Final Prep: Lily, Lydia and Mary came home today! I had a busy day at work, and did some final prep for their homecoming afterwards (like dumping off the Christmas tree, getting more packing supplies, dropping off the broken vacuum at the shop, making dinner and getting the kids clean) and then it was off to the airport for Lily, Lydia and Mary! I told Ammon and Clarissa I would do “bubble machine” for them, and when they didn’t know what I was talking about, I realized that I must have mostly done that for Lydia and Mary when they were younger. Bubble machine is when I use my hands and arms to vigorously swish the bubble bath in the water to create lots of bubbles for them.
So much travel: By my calculations, Lily, Lydia and Mary had almost two full days of travel coming home. I’m sure they were excited to be home and have a bed. Lily said she had hardly slept (maybe none at all??) for two days straight!
Opening Gifts: It was so fun to pick up Lily, Lydia and Mary from the airport! I can’t believe they were gone for so long, but we immediately connected over their trip and the excitement of having them home. Also, they got tons of gifts for the family from Asia. At home, we all sat down and opened some of their yummy treats from Japan. They also got me amazing tea and some T-shirts which I love. Lydia and Mary also opened their Christmas stocking and gift, and Ammon and Clarissa opened their gifts from Georgia (which I finally found in the garage). Lily also opened a cashmere hoodie and Kizik shoes which I got her. It was such a wonderful evening filled with gifts, togetherness, and sharing. I got to hear everyone’s top three favorite things from the trip on the car ride home. It was such a fun evening! Some things I remember from people’s top 3 are the Peak, Snorkling, I think in Palawan, Team Labs (Lydia?), Tea, and the tram ride to the big Buddha.
Lydia’s sweater from her stocking 
Mary loved organizing her stocking candy in the lock box I got her. 
