Farewell . . .

We had a really nice last day (Monday) with Fernanda and Wendy. After spending some time at Christine's house with her and Jack, we went over to Sengstack to say goodbye to Gigi and Grandad. Then we came back to the city to pack their bags and get ready. Thankfully, everything fit in their suitcases! I had been thinking it might be hard to have to decide what to leave behind, but no need.

We let the girls stay up late so they would go to sleep more easily, which meant we had time for some ESL videos (they really got interested in learning more English in the last week of their visit), tacos for dinner, a walk to the library, and a drive over to the other side of the parkway to pick up the last set of photos and to get some groceries. Chris asked me to wait outside and the girls helped him pick out some flowers as a surprise. They were so excited to give them to me! When we got back we went for a swim and then watched Kitty as we finished their photo albums.

Then yesterday, though it was 4:45 in the morning, they got up immediately and got ready and we made it out to the airport on time. We were able to go through the first set of gates with them right up the security gate, and then we had to say good-bye. It was very hard to see them go . . .

It has been a little more than a day now since they left, and the house is so different without them. We have a lot of thinking to do, and we ask your patience for a little while longer as we take some time to reflect and sort out our next steps. We will definitely let you all know when we have anything to announce.

We had a wonderful time and we feel so lucky that we got to be with the girls for the 5 weeks. We also are so grateful for the support of all of our family and friends as we went through this incredible experience. Thank you all!