We're back!

Well, we've actually been back in Thailand for a little over a month now and I'm just catching up with all our pictures and events.  Opps!

Obvioulsy we all made it back in one piece and we were thankful for a relatively smooth trip back.  William continues to prove himself to be the best kid ever, always adjusting with our crazy schedules and demands!

Before we left, we had a quick breakfast with Auntie Kara, Uncle Josh & Grandma/Grandpa Sauder

William sure does miss them!

Testing out the carrier for the plane ride.  I always think William and Steven look so ridiculous in it!  Turns out, we never used it.  Steven just carried William around in his arms until he fell asleep.

Some last giggles with Ama

 Not the greatest picture quality (I gotta stop taking pictures with my iPad!), but I love everyone in this pic too much not to include it.  On our last night, Mom cooked an amazing meal for everyone and we just enjoyed our cherished time together.  I miss them all so much.

Bye bye, Uncles and Aunties!

This was a big "God help" moment for me.  The morning of our flight, packing our things, getting William ready, saying goodbye to my parents... my heart was heavy and quite fearful.  It has been no secret that this past year in Thailand has been very hard on us and I was really anxious about returning, especially after such a great summer with loved ones.  This moment was a very tangible step of faith for me as I boarded the plane once again for Thailand.

God was gracious though and we ended up having bulkhead seats for both flights.  It gave us a little more leg room and some more space for William to "play".  Unfortunately, William didn't sleep much on the first flight (14 hours).  I did manage to get him to fall asleep on me a few times, but it was never for too long.  Let's just say we were all pretty tired by the time we made it to Korea!

In Korea waiting for our flight to Chiang Mai.  Mommy looks awfully tired, but I think William was so out of it that he was almost giddy!  Just another 6 hour flight to go...

 

WE MADE IT.  Oh my goodness, praise the Lord, we made it!!!  William slept a lot more on the flight to Chiang Mai (on mommy... which meant that mommy didn't sleep at all!), but I was thankful that at least William could get some rest.  All in all, it was an emotionally and physically draining trip but it went the best it could.  All of our flights were on time, William only had a couple of breakdowns, I actually got on the plane and all our bags arrived.  A successful trip indeed.

The above pic is at 2 in the morning on the night we landed.  William's schedule, of course, was completely messed up and he had no intentions of going to sleep!

He did, however, fall asleep in our bed with us the following morning.  That's some serious jet-lag bed head!

Just bein' cute.

Reunited with Pawn and pretty happy about it!

Just a few days after being back, William turned 9 months.

This is his 9 month selfie.

The great thing about living in Thailand?  Fresh fruit for this kid year round!

So thank you (a very belated THANK YOU), to all those who prayed for us and our trip back.  I, especially, felt the peace of God transcend all understanding.  Even though leaving was incredibly hard, I wasn't nearly as emotional and upset as I thought I was going to be.  I take that as a great gift of grace God was extending me... and I have no doubt that it was through the prayers of our loved ones.  So thank you.