Hey there Monday.
It’s good to be back.
We’ve survived our first few days as a family of six. We’ve overcome our jet lag (sort of), we’ve celebrated Oktoberfest, we’ve cheered Smith on at his first flag football game and we’ve loved and loved on our newest little Shull. So far, we’re doing pretty good (tired still but good).
I wasn’t sure what I was going to post today until sweet Narci sent me the pictures she took of our homecoming at the airport and then my decision was easy. I mean, Narci has taken my family’s pictures for years and years, but this by far was her VERY BEST batch. They are fantastic! Thank you Narci for capturing so many sweet moments. Here’s a little look at our homecoming from Wednesday night at the airport…
I always knew I had the best friends and family a girl could ask for…but Wednesday night took the cake. We were so blessed by them all. This journey was long and exhausting but man oh man did our friends and family stand by us along the way. We love them so very much.
So, a little homecoming for your Monday. Tomorrow, I’m sharing more about our journey to get Madeley (including why we had to switch adoption agencies). See you then :).
xo
Erika Slaughter says
Eek!!!! Such a fun Homecoming! We are so happy you six are back! We missed you guys! XOXO
Regine Karpel says
God Bless.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com
Sheaffer says
We needed a video of all of us waiting for ya’ll to get there. At one point your dad raised his sign (about 15 minutes before you actually got there), and we all almost lost our minds with excitement!!!! I loved the kids running up one by one and then getting to see sweet Madeley! These homecomings are some of my favorite moments ever!!! p.s. I CANNOT get over how fresh and rested ya’ll look in these pictures!
Liz says
Amazing!!! God is so good!! Xoxo
Susan Williams says
I love the looks on your mom and dad’s faces in every photo! So full of love and joy :). Praying for you all.
Diana says
Congratulations!!! Can ashby and bowen be any cuter??! ❤️????????
Elizabeth Feldpausch says
These are amazing!! There is nothing greater than seeing God through friends and family!
Angela Pino says
Crying tears of joy for you as I look at these beautiful pictures. Congratulations on your newest addition! Also, you need to do a post on how you look so fresh and amazing after so many hours of travel!! 😉
Michelle says
Oh my goodness! I have tears rolling into my coffee right now. You can just feel the love in these pictures. The grandparents look so proud! And the genuine happiness your friends have for you guys…..it’s awesome. I’m just a blog follower and am so happy for your family, so I can’t even imagine how this group must be bursting for you. Incredible!
Narci says
Oh friend! I love your family so much! What an honor to be on the other side of the lens to capture such a precious moment!! Love you!! Xo
Hilda says
In my Uber this morning sobbing like a baby. That’s what the love in these pictures does to you. Shay, you, your family and friends are beyond life goals. So inspiring. It’s a pleasure reading your blogs always. Enjoy the new bundle of joy that’s Madeley James. I have a recommendation of a family I feel like you’ll have a blast following. They adopted from my home country Uganda and I’ve followed them for a while. Her name on instagram is: letlovegrow check her out to kill the jet lag. You won’t regret it.
Aubrey says
That’s a LOT of people welcoming Miss Madeley to Texas! Such a joyful homecoming!
Dana Powell says
These pictures give me chills and bring tears to my eyes! It’s so neat that she captured the first time Madeley met eyes with her grandparents. So neat!
And I forgot to tell you- melantonin completely eliminated jet lag in us and our 6 kiddos when we moved back to France! I talked about it extensively with our pediatrician before we left and she said it was perfectly fine to use for a month or so, and even long-term if we had to (we have a 4 year-old who fights sleep big time, but still needs a lot of sleep at night). Anyway, we get the meltaway kind from Sprouts and gave our youngest 1 mg, our middle girls (age 4 and 6) up to 3 mg, our big kids up to 5 mg and my husband and I could have up to 10 mg if necessary. It was incredible, I kept waiting for them to get up early or in the middle of the night like they have in the past, but we never had a single issue! I think part of it was making sure to give them enough, which I’m not sure others that haven’t had success with it had done. Oh, and we got the melatonin blend from Trader Joe’s for my husband and myself. If you’re still having problems, I’d totally give it a try!
Jess Deisher says
This is beautiful! Congratulations again to your little family 🙂
xo Jess
Whitney Pegram says
These pictures are just the sweetest! The one of your parents seeing her for the first time!! All the puffy red hearts!
Valerie Cox says
Love how proud Ashby is of her sign! You have such a precious family, Shay! Praying for a smooth transition!
Angie Sharp says
So glad ya’ll are home! The pics are wonderful. Can’t wait to hear more. 🙂
Megan says
She captured your homecoming beautifully. Welcome home Shull Party of Six!
Victoria says
I read your blog every day, and never really comment, but today I have to! 🙂 Congratulations on the homecoming of your sweet girl. I teared up at these beautiful images, especially the one of the new Shull six! My favorite image has to be the one where your dad and Kensington are resting their hands on Madeley behind your back. In May, my sweet son Beau was born, with a few complications but what ended up being an actual issue for him is that both of his thumbs are slightly deformed. Adoption has always been on our radar, but when we realized his issue would perhaps cause him to be abandoned in many other parts of the world, that reality pierced our hearts and made us confident that the Lord is calling us to an International adoption one day. My husband and I have loved reading all of your adoption posts and have prayed for your family and for ours.. thank you so much for sharing. God is using you, and all your precious babes!!!
Angela says
Oh these pictures are so sweet and tell the story of her homecoming! Such joy!!! I’m so happy for you, Shay. You are an amazing mother with a heart of gold. Praying that these days of transition go smoothly for y’all!
Cynthia says
You have such a heart of gold. So much love to give you have changed the lives of not only one but two little girls. That’s huge! God is great and loving. And He shines through your family with such radiance. May your beautiful family of six continue to grow in love, joy, and happiness????????
Paula says
Oh Narci captured such a precious moment! I love how each child was embraced by their friends! And Ashby. …goodness! Her confidence here. It shows such grow! Madeley will be there soon. Excited to watch it unfold!
Laura says
How Exciting! I am also crying at my desk this morning! I love how Lovie is waiting so patiently and Papa Jay is bursting with pride as he waited for you all. The excitement is palpable in these pictures!
Michelle says
These pictures are just so precious! They brought me to tears. I just love how 18 months ago Ashby was the timid, reserved one being held in your arms, but seeing the pictures of her running up to Bowen with a giant smile on her face knowing that these are her people. This is her home- that just completely melts my heart. Soon Madeley will know the same thing!! Praying for that transition for all of you!!
Kristen says
These pictures are so sweet! Welcome home!
Emily says
Wonderful photos to have and for Madeley to be able to look back on when she is older and see how much she was loved before she even knew them all. My heart literally skipped a beat when the first picture was of your parents in the crowd and then the next was a picture of your mom suddenly being at the very front of the crowd , knowing her daughter was so close to arriving. Now that I have kids…..o man, I just can imagine how emotional your mother was to see you. Wishing your family all the best!
Angela Ellingson says
Such precious pictures! How priceless to have those moments captured! Thanks for sharing!!!
Mindy says
All the feels this morning! What a wonderful group of friends! Congrats to your family on the addition of sweet Madeley. God is SO good!!!
Yvonne H. says
Oh, the tears are flowing freely here on this Monday morning! What a beautiful homecoming and what a beautiful family! Sending prayers as you transition to life as a family of 6!!!
Kristn Tate says
I wasn’t prepared to cry but the one of your dad on Madely’s back shook the tear out! Welcome home.
cassie {hi sugarplum} says
Ok, my thoughts in the order they came 😉
1) How in the world did they arrive home from China at Love Field? #travelernerd
2) How in the world are they all looking so fresh and darling after flying home from China?!
3) Love how your mom is standing out front…she can hardly wait to see her daughter & meet her new granddaughter!
4) The kids sprinting into the arms of their friends! #gulp
5) How incredibly happy I am for all the joy and love you have for and with that precious family! xoxoxox
I’m blessed to call you friend!!
Natalie Clark says
Oh goodness! I’m trying to hold back tears while I work at a coffee shop. My goodness, these pictures are so awesome and man, how blessed are you to have such sweet friends who have taken them! So glad y’all are home and are adjusting well! Can’t wait to see Madeley more!
Megan says
Yay Shull family of 6!!!!! These pictures at best and I’m over here sobbing like a baby. Congrats!!!!
Kristen says
What a special moment and to have these great pictures to treasure forever…..amazing!! The joy on everyone’s faces, I can’t help but smile and tear up along with them. God is so so good!
Carole Van Nostrand says
Such wonderful photos! Stay blessed, Shay! You and your family are just so adorable! Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
Nilda says
Shay, I used to read your posts once in a while but since the adoption process started with Madeley, I cannot stop reading every single post! What you are doing is amazing! Thank you for sharing your story. You should definitely write a book about adoption. Great leaders lead by example and this is exactly what you are doing 🙂
God bless you and your family!
Shannon Carrillo says
I definitely started to tear up seeing the reuniting of Ashby and Bowen. 🙂
Lindsay D. says
Congratulations of the addition of your sweet daughter!!! You have a beautiful family!!! Thank you for sharing them with us!!!
Mel @ The Larson Lingo says
What beautiful photos! Welcome Home Shull Family of 6!!!!!
Jackie says
Welcome back, Shay! Every time I see these pics on your pages or your friend’s pages, I tear up!! Such great pictures and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s update!
Sarah says
Oh Shay, these photos are invaluable! How kind of your friend to capture such moments. My favorite is the one of your Dad looking deeply into Madeley’s eyes and his gentle touch on her arm. You can just tell he is the absolutely BEST father and grandfather!
Kelly says
What I love about these pics is the relationship aspect. Relationships are everything. Our relationship with God, first and foremost, and our relationship with others. The Shull family knows how to do relationships and it shows. Welcome home!
Lindsay @ Lindsay's Sweet World says
First of all, may I say that you all look INCREDIBLE for having just been on a jet for who knows how many hours! Second of all, WELCOME HOME, SWEET MADELEY!!!! You are so loved already!
Elise Welch says
Love this! God is amazing! Welcome home:)
Johanna says
Beautiful pictures and happy to see the joy of family and friends! p.s what did you get at Louis V? 🙂
Shelly says
So much to love about this picture! I love all the joy and I love that your parents are matching. 🙂 The reunion between Ashby and Bowen…all the hearts! And I know this sounds just so dumb but I swear every time I see pictures of Madeley I feel like she resembles Andrew!!
Kerri says
Ok I’m over here with HUGE tears of joy just streaming down my face. I read your blog and follow you on all your social media accounts. I talk about your precious family all the time to my friends and family like we are friends or something HA! You bring such joy to my daily life. #shullpartyofsix
Jeanie says
Great pictures, and Madeley doesn’t look bothered by all the people at all.
Sarah S says
I’ve recently come across your blog and am so so grateful for you writing about your adoption journey with both girls! Love your heart. Love your blog. My husband and I are currently in the beginning stages of adoption and these pictures and entries are beautiful. Praying for you during the beginning stages with Madeley!
Kathy says
I have no words…your tribe, your people… all there for you…it’s such a beautiful thing…the tears were rolling down my face.
Carrie says
These pictures make me tear up and my heart so happy! The pure joy on your parents faces as they wait is just amazing. God bless you all.
Caroline says
So so exciting! Congrats again
Ashley G says
Love reading all of this! We are in Flower Mound and leave in less then 3 weeks to get our daughter in GZ! Congrats!
Mary says
You are so blessed by your wonderful family!
Completely off topic but ~ you mom’s backpack! I love it!
Can you tell me who makes it and where she got it?
Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
I know she bought it at Nordstrom and I think it’s Michael Kors :).
Ann Marie Tennison says
Shay- this is the sweetest!!!! Hey… if your arms open up for another baby, I’m booking it to the airport! This just looked like the sweetest experience. Congrats, again and again!