Sian Is Home!

Sian arrived safely after a very long trip from Ukraine via Paris. Our family stood in the small International Terminal at the airport, waiting anxiously for her to get through Customs and come out the doors. Only one other family was there waiting for a returned missionary, and from the sign they were holding, we knew he was coming from Russia.

We waited and waited. Airline personnel (flight attendants and pilots) would occasionally walk through the doors, see our signs, and assure us that "they're coming!" Even after the returning elder and his family left, people would come through and say, "She's coming! I saw her in there!"

Only in Utah.

Sophia had created two signs. One was a welcome. The other said "We Missed You!" in big letters. Underneath, in smaller letters, she wrote, "Kinda." Our family's brand of subtle, understated dry humor.

When Sian came through the door, I couldn't help myself: I was right there hugging her and shedding a few tears. You'd expect that, me being her mother and all.

From left to right: Gabrielle, Little Gary, me, Husband, my brother Aaron, Sophia, Sian, and Elannah. You can see the top of my mother's head behind Sophia, and Joseph must have been hiding somewhere off-camera. My dad's health prevented him coming to the airport.

Sian's been home for over a week now, and she's slowly adjusting to the time change (nine hours' difference), the altitude, the dry heat, and the lack of a structured schedule. When I got home from my mission, one of the first things I did was go to the library and catch up on all the news I missed. I enjoyed going places alone for the first time in 18 months, and I reveled in the lack of a structured schedule. Sian has been stressing a little. She's not terribly interested in music or movies she's missed. She likes going with me whenever I run errands, has been eager to go out with our local missionaries, and hates being alone in her room way down in the basement, even if it's nice and cool down there. She's also been sorting out her next steps of getting a job and preparing to go back to BYU. I did have the advantage of knowing exactly what I was going to do after I got home (get married to Husband!), so I can understand her feeling a bit at odds and ends.

Also, she still has to occasionally stop and remember the English word for some things. She'll start muttering to herself in Russian to define the concept she wants to convey and then furrow her brow while she furiously tries to remember her mother tongue.

Gabrielle drove up and stayed the night on Sian's trundle bed Saturday, so on Sunday, we had all of our kids in the van on the way to church. It's been a very long time since that happened. I think I may have mentioned it several times on the way to church while my kids rolled their eyes. What? So I'm happy to have all my kids in one place! Is that so wrong??