Last Days in China

 Shopping was great on the island.  Some places had cheap stuff but some places had some really nice things. Here are some pictures of some of the shops we visited.

 This is a picture with Jenny in her shop. She was really sweet and we enjoyed talking to her.

 We got to meet up with some friends while we were in GZ.  We met Cheryl after our adoption from Vietnam fell through several years ago.  She adopted a sweet little boy and was there with her mom and niece. We had a great time having dinner with her and I got to go shopping with her.

 One of the few times Jade and Abram played together.  They were brother and sister from the first moments they met.  They care about each other but already have sibling rivalry.

 Elias is a sweet heart like always.  He is great big brother.  He did really good in China.

 Going from GZ to Hong Kong was a little stressful.  The train ride was great but getting to the train was a real test of our patience (and after 3 weeks away from home out patience was wearing pretty thin).  We were let out of the van in the middle of the street with 5 suitcases, 4 backpacks, 3 kids and a stroller.  We had to cross a street, go up two escalators and then wait for our paperwork.  Once we got on the train we were able to relax and enjoy the ride.

When we got off the train in Hong Kong some people from Christian Action found us and wanted to talk about Jade.  They help with the orphans in her province and had some more pictures of her and some additional paperwork.  It was nice talking to them.  We were only there one night and Steve and I did not sleep very well.  On February 16th we finally came home.  With the time change this was a 37 hour day.  Steve was able  to sleep some on our 14 hour plane ride to the States but I did not sleep at all.  Customs and immigration went very fast and smooth (almost too easy).  The last plane ride home was only 34 minutes.  Altogether out trip was 22 days, 8 plane rides, 5 hotels, 1 train ride, and more than a few scary car rides.
IT IS GOOD TO BE HOME!!!!

Parks and Appointments

Even though being away from home was hard, we were able to stay relaxed and got in some good bonding time with our new kids.  I love this picture of Abram and I.  He is so sweet.

 Not far from the hotel was a park.  He kids had a blast and Steve and I had a workout.  We were able to go there a couple of times.

 Just in front of our hotel was a great Thai restaurant. We ate here two or three times and loved the food every time.

 At ever hotel we there was a breakfast buffet,  This was our last one.  The pastries were great and they made eggs to order.

 In Guangzhou the seats were limited so we had to get there early. The first day we were there Steve and I had to stand and eat.  We sat the kids down in some empty chairs that were next to a very stuck up couple.  They were done eating but would not leave until we were done eating.  We just smiled.

 On Tuesday morning, February 14th first thing in the morning we had our American consulate appointment.  It was not as bad as the medical appointment and a little shorter.  The kids did great and we rewarded them by taking them to the park afterwards.

 Our wonderful travel group again.  These people were a gift from God.  There we great and I am sure the friendships that were started there will continue for a lifetime.

Better Late Than Never

The last few days of our venture have been a whirlwind of events. We are now home and doing our best to adjust to the jet-lag and non-hotel living.  However, we don't want to gloss over some very interesting and exciting things that happened during our trip...

Guangzhou was crazy for us.  While walking around the island we noticed that there was a photo shoot going on.  Everywhere we saw models dressed up and getting pictures taken.  

 We were told by our friend about a great deli that was very cheap and only a 5 minute walk from our hotel.  We tried to eat there at least one meal a day.  The food was really good and cost next to nothing.  We would stop at a little convenience store/souvenir shop next to the hotel and get some chips to go with our sandwiches.

 On Monday after the kids got their TB test checked, we went for a walk off the island.  We went with our travel group and another family to go to a DVD shop.  I think Steve liked the DVD shop in Nanning better, it was less commercialized.  Nonetheless, we saw some interesting stuff both there and on the way.  Like seahorses drying in the street and smoked lizards on a stick.

  It took me a couple of days but I finally found the Starbucks.  It was right behind the hotel.  It was also really good coffee.

 I will post more pictures after dinner.

Last Night in Guangzhou

This morning we went to our US Consulate appointment.  It was not fun but tomorrow we get the kids' visas and we can start making our way home.  Our travel group has been wonderful.  God knew that we needed each other and now we have new friends that we greatly cherish.  They make it bitter-sweet to leave China.
This evening we were able to meet up with some other friends that we have not seen for awhile.  We got to have dinner with them and then I got to show them around the island.  It was wonderful seeing them and meeting Mason.
We have pictures but they are in the other room where my kids are supposed to be asleep.
Tomorrow is a big day.  We are going to take a 3 hour train ride to Hong Kong.  We are going to pass out in the hotel for a night, then we are on a plane heading for the good old U S of A.
We might not be on here much after tomorrow morning.  I hope to post new pictures, but if I can't I'll do it after I get home.  It is a stress on the whole family whenever we pack up so I need to be there for the kids.  Steve and I are doing good.  I think our bodies are just holding out till we get home.  I can not imaging being on this trip without him.

Trip to Safari Park

Today we went to Safari Park.  We went with our travel group and had a blast.  We enjoyed looking at all the animals.  Elias enjoyed looking and playing with the girls.  We walked around for four hours.  It was nice to get out and do something fun.
Even the ride there was fun as you can see.

There were many animals there that are not in all the American zoos.  We took a train ride and got to see many cool animals.  After that we walked around and got to get pretty close to some other animals.

 

Tomorrow looks to be a light day.  We go back to the medical clinic for a quick visit to check the kids's TB tests.  Afterwards, Steve and the boys will be going to an electronics store (full of CDs and DVDs and BluRays, oh my!!!) and Angela will be heading to some area shops to look for souvenirs and such.

NOTE:  Snickers bars taste better for us here.  They have been satisfying treats after long days.

Finally in Guangzhou....

We flew into Guangzhou late two nights ago.  We met many other family's during our travel.  It was nice to finally see people like us whose first language is English.  We had a great time talking with other families in the airport while we waited for our plane.  The plane ride was short and sweet.  Aside from Elias getting tired of plane rides, the kids did great with the flight.  We met even more families during baggage claim.  It is nice when you can finally put a face to a blog.
We got to our hotel around 10pm.  They gave us two room with a connecting door.  Two rooms with no room.  Basically you could walk around the beds.  With 3 kids this was not going to work.  We asked if we upgrade.  After our medical appointment we were able to check out some rooms and get a medium price suite.  It is nice to have room for the kids to play.
The medical appointment was not fun.  The kids did great considering the crowded rooms and the prodding.  We are so proud of them.  Jade did not like the doctors in her personal space, but who does.

Tonight we ate at a great Thai restaurant where the food was amazing.  It was so good we forgot to take pictures of the food.  We met up with other Heartsent families there and had fun eating and sharing food.  Afterwards one of the families came to our room and the kids got to play while Steve and I got to have a wonderful talk with their mother.  It was a rowdy but a good time.

Today we went to a Safari park.   More details on that soon.