It seems it never really stopped but we are happily back in it and having a hard time catching up after our time in China. It has been a fast ride these last few days and Hai Ping is hanging on! Brian and I are still a bit dazed and confused with our jet lag .The girls have us beat hands down and have made the transition into life here just fine while we continue to struggle with being so tired-
Hai Ping is doing amazingly well.
We were greeted Friday afternoon with huge hugs from our boys, parents and great friends Mark, Jenni and their girls. It was so wonderful have my boys in my arms again and I cannot believe we were away so long......... The hour ride back to Howell was fun. Hai Ping and Ethan got along immediately .
They have similar humor and he was cracking her up!
Zach is a different story.......she looks at him with disgust.I know it is a cultural and orphanage behavior. Even some adults in China Wondered why we would want a "damaged boy". There is no way to explain of course the love we have for him or how little his handicap means to us. In our eyes he is the perfect little Chinese boy and having one leg makes him all the better.
Hai Ping clearly does not share the same view as us and I can see this will take some time. My heart hurts for our little Chinese boy who is so excited to have a China sister home. His first words were "see you have black hair like me and brown eyes....." She said "NO " and gave him a mean look and walked away.....
Once home we had an awesome dinner, cake, decorations and all in all the greatest family night ! We have been dreaming of this night for so long!!! Thank you Ellen, Andy and Wendy for making our first night at home more than we had hoped it would be!!!!! Hai ping was the star and once she recovered from all of the smiling faces staring at her including Ethan'
s friends who popped in for a quick visit she warmed up and found she really liked the attention .
She had gifts to open. Which she had no idea what to do with. She would take the box and say Thank you and she thought the box was the gift! She soon learned there was more inside and now has an American girl doll, a beautiful bracelet and a trip to Claire's to get her ears pierced to prove it!
By the end of the night she was sitting on Uncle Andy's lap to pose for pictures and had Grandpa wrapped around her finger!
She hopped on Ethan's bike showing us she can ride a two wheeler and was so proud when we all clapped and encouraged her! She loved her room she shares with her sister.
Bedtime brought cuddles and big smiles. She happily picked new jammies out of her drawer and took her new doll to bed with her .
Saturday we let the kids play and hang out. Hai Ping soon met all of the neighborhood kids who had been patiently waiting for her to arrive home.By Saturday afternoon we had ten kids in the yard playing and she was loving it! Abbie, Hai Ping and I left to get her a new bike and some roller blades. She is in heaven with her own bike and can really ride fast. By this time she is pretty pumped up and acting really crazy.We had to stop at the outlet mall to look for a dress or skirt that would fit her for church On Sunday- She was so wired and had been continually pulling on me, bending my hand back, climbing on me and in general acting like a two year old. Now I am adding this because I want to remember all of this and our whole purpose of this blog is to have it as a journal to look back on. I am not adding the negative because we want to scare anyone away form older adoption . Although I admit at this point I was having one of those - Oh my! what have I gotten myself into moments.......I have a ten year old kid literally acting like a two year old. I can not communicate with her and she is a wild child in the store. I admit, vainly I hoped no one would think I was a rotten parent and prayed that people would realize our situation. Had one of my other children been acting this way I would have left the store, swatted their behind and taken a privilege away.....Hurdle One- I can't swat her bum, She does not understand my language, reasoning is tough at this stage.... and she just got here I want her to trust me, enjoy her freedoms here and feel like she can be herself with us...........
Parenting ruled over the soft feelings, I could only take my arm being bent back for so long, When she started to try to pull my pants down in the middle of the Kids Gap and laughing so loud while running away and knocking small children down all of my senses came back to me and one quick "grab" of her wrist and my oh your in deep -----------look came out she "knew " where I was coming from! We had a little talk about behavior in the store which I am sure was great entertainment for all watching as I hand motioned pulling pants down-not ok, running in store , not ok- using a loud voice inside, not ok.................We went home and I napped.......
I feel like I am slightly post partum...I know it's only jet lag but yikes!
Sunday was great and our only hurdle was getting through a quiet sermon with a loud girl speaking Cantonese....She does not care to sit "quietly" and will let me know when she is bored with notes written in Chinese (I really need to have this one translated because I'm sure it is nothing nice the way it was handed over with her tongue sticking out as it was passed to me!)
I was ready for our service to be over when she started to smoke her bulletin. Yes she was pretending her Sunday bulletin was a cigarette and wow did she think that was funny! Tom our pastor talked on about GRACE and I realized this service was marked for me as I knew only with the GRACE of GOD would WE have the patience to parent our five children.
And yes , Although I give the real story here I have to tell you it's all with the a good heart. All of these things were to be expected adopting and older child. We knew what we were getting into -
So as that service ended and I looked at my daughter who seems to blending very nice with our kids and our life. No doubt she will make me CRAZY at some point. They all do but I felt overjoyed with love for her. Thankful still she was our daughter and grateful for the opportunity to have her safely home with us. Our first weekend home a success!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Hong Kong and I wanna GO HOME- or do I?
It appears I may need to eat my previous post about NOT wanting to be a city girl…….It may be after all I like the hustle and bustle of city life. First let me explain the difference of city life in Guangzhou and city life in Hong Kong. It is something like an overrun MCDonalds at lunch time and dining in Chicago with your cutest, trendiest outfit and heels on!
Hong Kong offers it all- Lights, camera action baby! This is where it happens – Louie Vuitton , Parada, Jimmy Choo and every runway designer you can image. O.k. Well truth be told, I have been sucked in by the fashion and lights and the attractive people………….There must be a part of me that can pass on the country life and look the other way at the marvels of fine wine and dining. Oh I am a fickle girl ………loving the good life tonight- Don’t get me wrong the history of mainland China draws me in like a hungry fish in Victoria Harbor but the style and action here is fun, glamorous, like nothing we have in Howell- I love a bit of the good life once in awhile.
Hong Kong if done right is well worth the stop and should not be by passed up when so close to China-
But the real story begins last night with our train ride in.
Lin our guide snuck us out of our swearing in ceremony at the consulate early after the “I do” it was just mumble and jumble and well worth the rush out. We hurried to the train station to catch the 5
pm train to Hong Kong. Our original plan was to catch the 7p.m. so leaving two hours early and not having to wait in the unairconditoned Guangzhou train station seemed like a gift- We ran with it and with Lin our guide who booked through the mass of people and lines of people to get our tickets changed.
We said our goodbyes- and as Lin hugged me and said “I love you”- I really felt the LOVE she has for us.
Lin our guide has a book and she asked us to write in it to tell of our thoughts and feelings of her and our process. I could only write of how I had prayed that the we would touch the people of China……….How naive of me to assume we would touch others when we were the ones being touched………Lin, like so many others in our China story has touched our lives with her kindness and warmth. Her Christian heart. Her beautiful face and her love of adoption, and the families involved. Leaving Lin at the train station was like saying goodbye to a favorite Aunt who you know you will not see for a very long time but you know has impacted your life greatly and you really just want to know more of……
Getting past the tears and navigating our way onto the train, down escalators with huge pieces of luggage, masses of hurried travelers and one other adopting family, we finally made it to train car 3. We found four seats close together and heaved our heavy luggage into the overhead racks. Ten minutes later we found that we had become too comfortable in the train and we were NOT in our correct seats. Not realizing we had numbered seats we had to move to the back of the train and get comfortable once again. Two hours later we arrived in Hong Kong.
Hi Ping was angry……..yes, Angry. The whole day actually brought the first of the sad , angry emotions we had seen yet. WE felt for her…..Can you imagine all that this child of ten with little experience has gone through? Now we are rushing her, having her carry luggage, missing a meal, not being able to communicate, removing her from her people, her culture and all that she knows…………
Her mood justified-
We arrived at the train station in Hong Kong and walked to our hotel just minutes away. Checked into the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in………..Our room, a suite with a private bed room, kitchen and pull out couch in the living room for the girls. A palace after our stay in Guangzhou. Shortly after arriving -a knock at the door and a plate of fresh fruit arrives ………….A look down from the 15th floor and the girls spy the pool. We cannot deny them a swim, even with a hungry belly the pool calls to us all.
As I sit on the lounge chair watching my girls swim listening to the relaxing music, watching the clouds overhead. I think God has given Brian and I a glimpse of heaven before we return to our life of chaos…………….
Today a mere 24 hours later, a rainy morning. Boring really, an afternoon of tired girls. So back to the hotel and I let them swim. WE leave Brian to tour on his own…..I miss him. It’s true even after three whole weeks of being very together – when he leaves I feel empty. But a mothers duty is never done and the girls need to rest and not be run down more with walking another city…….So I pass on pictures and Hong Kong Tours to hear my girls play in a pool with kids from India, New Zeeland , China and Hong Kong. Who could ask for more?
Tonight after dinner- A Hard Rock Café Delight of Chicken fingers and fajitas! If it were Brain and I alone -a different story- Hong Kong life would call…….But no, this trip is about our girls and here we end it at the pool. I am enjoying a nice glass of chardonnay . Brian is swimming with the girls- All I hear is BA- Short for BABA(daddy ) as HAi Ping calls for her favorite ride across the pool. The neon lights from the city stare down on us and the warm of the night and the wine makes me more relaxed than I have been before………..this is the prayer I SCREAMED before I left….Calgon take me away-
We have been gifted the most trying times in our lives these last few weeks - too much time away from our boys . Gifted the most memorable times, a new daughter and three weeks of quiet time……
Life-long friends have been made. Our daughter in our arms………………
Our journey leads us away from China but never the people to A place we always want to be- the place that is everything to Brian and I – Our home. Our simple life of Johnson chaos……………
Thank you Lord for all you provide- For my husband my children and my forever faith in you-
Humble goodbyes from China-
S
Hong Kong offers it all- Lights, camera action baby! This is where it happens – Louie Vuitton , Parada, Jimmy Choo and every runway designer you can image. O.k. Well truth be told, I have been sucked in by the fashion and lights and the attractive people………….There must be a part of me that can pass on the country life and look the other way at the marvels of fine wine and dining. Oh I am a fickle girl ………loving the good life tonight- Don’t get me wrong the history of mainland China draws me in like a hungry fish in Victoria Harbor but the style and action here is fun, glamorous, like nothing we have in Howell- I love a bit of the good life once in awhile.
Hong Kong if done right is well worth the stop and should not be by passed up when so close to China-
But the real story begins last night with our train ride in.
Lin our guide snuck us out of our swearing in ceremony at the consulate early after the “I do” it was just mumble and jumble and well worth the rush out. We hurried to the train station to catch the 5
pm train to Hong Kong. Our original plan was to catch the 7p.m. so leaving two hours early and not having to wait in the unairconditoned Guangzhou train station seemed like a gift- We ran with it and with Lin our guide who booked through the mass of people and lines of people to get our tickets changed.
We said our goodbyes- and as Lin hugged me and said “I love you”- I really felt the LOVE she has for us.
Lin our guide has a book and she asked us to write in it to tell of our thoughts and feelings of her and our process. I could only write of how I had prayed that the we would touch the people of China……….How naive of me to assume we would touch others when we were the ones being touched………Lin, like so many others in our China story has touched our lives with her kindness and warmth. Her Christian heart. Her beautiful face and her love of adoption, and the families involved. Leaving Lin at the train station was like saying goodbye to a favorite Aunt who you know you will not see for a very long time but you know has impacted your life greatly and you really just want to know more of……
Getting past the tears and navigating our way onto the train, down escalators with huge pieces of luggage, masses of hurried travelers and one other adopting family, we finally made it to train car 3. We found four seats close together and heaved our heavy luggage into the overhead racks. Ten minutes later we found that we had become too comfortable in the train and we were NOT in our correct seats. Not realizing we had numbered seats we had to move to the back of the train and get comfortable once again. Two hours later we arrived in Hong Kong.
Hi Ping was angry……..yes, Angry. The whole day actually brought the first of the sad , angry emotions we had seen yet. WE felt for her…..Can you imagine all that this child of ten with little experience has gone through? Now we are rushing her, having her carry luggage, missing a meal, not being able to communicate, removing her from her people, her culture and all that she knows…………
Her mood justified-
We arrived at the train station in Hong Kong and walked to our hotel just minutes away. Checked into the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in………..Our room, a suite with a private bed room, kitchen and pull out couch in the living room for the girls. A palace after our stay in Guangzhou. Shortly after arriving -a knock at the door and a plate of fresh fruit arrives ………….A look down from the 15th floor and the girls spy the pool. We cannot deny them a swim, even with a hungry belly the pool calls to us all.
As I sit on the lounge chair watching my girls swim listening to the relaxing music, watching the clouds overhead. I think God has given Brian and I a glimpse of heaven before we return to our life of chaos…………….
Today a mere 24 hours later, a rainy morning. Boring really, an afternoon of tired girls. So back to the hotel and I let them swim. WE leave Brian to tour on his own…..I miss him. It’s true even after three whole weeks of being very together – when he leaves I feel empty. But a mothers duty is never done and the girls need to rest and not be run down more with walking another city…….So I pass on pictures and Hong Kong Tours to hear my girls play in a pool with kids from India, New Zeeland , China and Hong Kong. Who could ask for more?
Tonight after dinner- A Hard Rock Café Delight of Chicken fingers and fajitas! If it were Brain and I alone -a different story- Hong Kong life would call…….But no, this trip is about our girls and here we end it at the pool. I am enjoying a nice glass of chardonnay . Brian is swimming with the girls- All I hear is BA- Short for BABA(daddy ) as HAi Ping calls for her favorite ride across the pool. The neon lights from the city stare down on us and the warm of the night and the wine makes me more relaxed than I have been before………..this is the prayer I SCREAMED before I left….Calgon take me away-
We have been gifted the most trying times in our lives these last few weeks - too much time away from our boys . Gifted the most memorable times, a new daughter and three weeks of quiet time……
Life-long friends have been made. Our daughter in our arms………………
Our journey leads us away from China but never the people to A place we always want to be- the place that is everything to Brian and I – Our home. Our simple life of Johnson chaos……………
Thank you Lord for all you provide- For my husband my children and my forever faith in you-
Humble goodbyes from China-
S
Monday, May 26, 2008
Zhu HAi Orphanage visit
Hai Ping, friends from her school and Zhu Hai orphanage
Meeting Ms Zhong again
Sorry, she has a mama waiting, but she has friends!!!
I love this picture.......
Big smiles!
walking with Ms.Zhong....She explains to Hai Ping the story of her finding ........Our daughter Zhu Hai Ping is from the city of Zhu Hai .It is a pretty city right on the ocean. The air quality seems better here and the people fewer than Guangzhou. I would live here IF it were not so hot. It is very tropical and although it was a beautiful sunny day i was told told Zhu Hai gets many storms and hard rains.
Our visit went well .......Brian struggled - After a two hour drive with a crazy driver his stomach was not good and his mood even worse! We did make it in one piece and Zhu Hai Ping was happy to see her friends!
She was met with hugs and kisses from all of the staff and it is VERY clear to me she as well as all of the kids have been shown affection and been cared for. I feel very lucky knowing that she was here vs. an orphanage like Zachary's for the last 10 years.
We had the pleasure of meeting a sweet little Zhu Hai girl who will soon go home to her family. I was able to get a few pictures and some video clip for her mamma who I know from my message board.
We took pictures , looked around a bit and then the rest of the kids were coming home from school for their lunch break. They come home, eat lunch and then take an hour nap before going back to school for the afternoon!! I bet the teachers love the quiet break!!! It seems here in China everyone takes a rest in the afternoon...on park benches, leaning up next to trees , in restruants, maybe even the teachers get a nap at school! I will say Brian has a very difficult time with the productivity level of this country.......WE like to GO, GO, GO in the U.S they are SLOW SLOW SLOW here!!!! Maybe this is a good thing???? Still debating!!!
After Hai Ping passed out toys and candy to her friends we said our goodbyes and headed out to her finding spot with MS. Zhong.
The finding spot was about 20 minutes outside of the city in a very small VERY old village. It is amazing to me that people still live this way in todays world. This village was only a mile away from a MAZDA dealership but yet once we drove into the village it could have been over a hundred years ago.....well it did seem they had TV and mopeds but all else was ancient!!!
Hai Ping was found behind a village family's home on the main drag. This main drag was barley wide enough to get the car down. Ms. Zhong found the women who had found our Hai Ping over 10 years ago and kept her for 20 days before she was sent off to the orphanage. Hai ping came only with a note with her birthday and time on it..........
This child I love so much has so much courage.....So much going on around her at once. Ms. Zhong took her for a quick private walk to explain why we were there and who the women was.
I asked this women if she maybe had any idea who the birth parents were and the answer was "no" of course. I wondered if we should leave our information with them..........And decided that when Hai Ping was ready and the time was right if she wanted we could always come back and search for her birth parents. Brian reminded me this all happened for a reason and to let it all be......
After our visit we headed off to lunch with Ms Zhong. She took us to one of her favorites a tiny local rearuant on a fishing wharf..... which also seemed to be like stepping back in time.
Our lunch was food I thought I would never eat but smiled and ate it with grace and courage only God could have given me.
I dreaded feeding this to Abbie as it was ALL just brought in fresh from the sea (along with all of the pollution and dirt , and I worry about the Mercury level in farmed samon!!!). My organically fed girl proved me wrong once again and ate a ton of Shrimp even though they came with a head, tail, eggs and shell! No crispy, breaded outside! Just a crispy shell! We ate another something? - No clue what it was something larger than a shrimp and smaller than a crab and not filled with very much meat! Fish with head and tail, sweet potato greens and a root veggie were all eaten. The appetizer , snails- the kind you find in the bottom of the lake . You know the small ones the kids find and then leave in their beach pail and they get yukky and smell......Those were inhaled rather quickly by Hai Ping........Fortunately she sucked them out of the shell rather quickly and there was non left for mom and dad.
I will have to explain to her the snails we have at North Lake must stay in the lake and NOT be eaten in front of MAMA!!!!!!AHHHHH!!
We very much enjoyed our visit with MS Zhong. We were able to get to know a bit of her history. We invited her to the states and told her how much the rest of our group ( Zhu HAi yahoo group ) wants to stay in touch with her . She feels it is Extremely important for us to continually send pictures- not just for her benefit but to show the Chinese government how well our children are doing!!!
She promised to keep in touch with us and just before we left she had Hai Ping sit on her lap, look into her eyes and had another heart to heart.......Wishing her well, telling her to obey and sending her love to the other girls who she knew Hai Ping would soon be in touch with once in America.
Then with out tears, Hai Ping held out her hand to me and walked back to our car. We know she is loved- With us and in China. She knows only with us she will have a family.
And so our vist to Zhu Hai was a success and we hope to someday visit again. Although the new orphanage is almost ready and we are told the kids will move into it in October. Ms. Zhong is worried only for the older kids and the transition to a new school. It looks like a beautiful place and with the staff at Zhu Hai I'm sure they will all do fine. We saw kids who still need families.....If it is on your heart, do not look the other way-
Although Zhu Hai has to be one of the best orphanages it is still an institution and not a home............
Longsheng County-Zhuang and Yao ethnic People.
Snakes- for lunch???
No just rice and ? served in bamboo- grilled outside
It was actually very good! We ate this lunch at a local village person's house. The lady was taking a nap on her couch in the same room.......I did love the food and had the man/owner of the house take me to the kitchen and show me how he made everthing!
Yes, I DID want to bring him home......Lucky for Brian we are in China!!!!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Longsheng County-Zhuang and Yao ethnic People.
A few more pictures:
My goal of the day -to catch up on pictures and posts -connection willing!
My goal of the day -to catch up on pictures and posts -connection willing!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
We are still here.........
and as much as we love China we are ready for home....
Our zest for witting has disappeared with our excitement of exploring. I'm afraid we have become very comfortable in our little home at the Victory. Not much happening here - We are counting down our last days here and praying they will fly by.
Our internet connection has been painfully slow and most of our patience with it has been on video conference calls to our boys.
We love all of the comments and helps us to feel in touch.
Abbie is doing well but REALLY misses her brothers and her class at school.She was bummed to realize yesterday that she would only have a few days left of school with her friends and her teacher when she returns home.......Ms. Surian's class:
Abbie says hi and that she misses you! She can't wait to tell you all about China!!
Hai Ping is doing well also- She has a flair for pouting her way out of situations and we are careful to not let those pouts break our hearts too much. I can see how she could use that one to her advantage someday. She LOVES her daddy but he is tough on her and she is sensitive to that. She can play rough and is relentless with teasing. Sometimes enough is enough and we need her to slow down or calm down and she may not "get it" at first and when daddy say's "NO" she gets it but holds a grudge....
Of course usually in a few hours all is forgiven and she wants us to take her to the pool. We now have leverage!!!!HA , We explained yesterday "if " you want to go to the pool "then " you must obey our rules and not run in the hotel . Use gentle hands ect.......OK - Her big word this week. She gets what we are saying!!! Trust me she wants to swim!
She loves the pool and is becoming very daring. The first day we had her she clung to the ladder , now she is floating on a tube in the middle or riding on daddy's shoulders!
Her smile fills my heart.......She wants cuddles at night and wrapped herself tightly into me last night, soaking up the cuddles that my other babies have been given for so long. Loving the closeness and wanting me to sleep with her......I stayed with her in till she fell asleep praying my Thanks for all she will now have and how grateful we are to have her safely with us. Whispering to her that I will always hold her and she will forever be my girl...........
We had the trip to the orphanage on Friday.I am having a hard time getting our computer to down load the pictures and video-
i have spent hours and our connection times out- It is very frustrating!!!
Once I get them to my computer I will post again and fill everyone in.
It went well and Hai Ping was happy to leave with us again so we took that as a good sign she loves her new family-
Church here in China today! I miss our church at home but this will hold us through until our return next week-
Thanks all who have been so good with our boys.......We are so grateful!
Amy- I have heard you were called to major mama duty with Nolan last week........I don't know how to thank you.....You have been such a great friend this year- Thank you-
I miss our group and look forward to an all AMERICAN Coney, talk it all out kinda breakfast with you, Melissa and Rosanne when I return. Thanks girls.........
I needed a break and went off on my own yesterday- A trip to the grocery, the mall and then Starbucks- I was feeling very homesick so it was a good break to have a few hours to myself and I have to admit it felt good to explore on my own and be independent in a new country.
Brian went to a concert the other night alone. So we are getting very comfortable with our surroundings and life here......
However I have found I am NOT a city girl and much prefer the CHINA countryside to the filth around us....Everything is dirty and smells. I know it is true in all big cities but seems worse here. The pollution is high here - I do not worry for us for the short time we are here but Would NEVER live here with this much junk pouring into the air! Zhu HAi Seemed much cleaner so I hope their is no damage to Hai Ping for all she has breathed and eaten in the last 10 years. I see a major detox when we get home........I know I am freaky about this type of stuff - My bio kids raised on raw milk and organic meat. Poor Hai Ping has no idea all of the vitamins her crazy mama is going to make her take when we get home.......
More later- Off for breakfast-
Caroline -I am still working on Isabelle's video.....I can't get the file to down load but I do have it!!!!!!
Our zest for witting has disappeared with our excitement of exploring. I'm afraid we have become very comfortable in our little home at the Victory. Not much happening here - We are counting down our last days here and praying they will fly by.
Our internet connection has been painfully slow and most of our patience with it has been on video conference calls to our boys.
We love all of the comments and helps us to feel in touch.
Abbie is doing well but REALLY misses her brothers and her class at school.She was bummed to realize yesterday that she would only have a few days left of school with her friends and her teacher when she returns home.......Ms. Surian's class:
Abbie says hi and that she misses you! She can't wait to tell you all about China!!
Hai Ping is doing well also- She has a flair for pouting her way out of situations and we are careful to not let those pouts break our hearts too much. I can see how she could use that one to her advantage someday. She LOVES her daddy but he is tough on her and she is sensitive to that. She can play rough and is relentless with teasing. Sometimes enough is enough and we need her to slow down or calm down and she may not "get it" at first and when daddy say's "NO" she gets it but holds a grudge....
Of course usually in a few hours all is forgiven and she wants us to take her to the pool. We now have leverage!!!!HA , We explained yesterday "if " you want to go to the pool "then " you must obey our rules and not run in the hotel . Use gentle hands ect.......OK - Her big word this week. She gets what we are saying!!! Trust me she wants to swim!
She loves the pool and is becoming very daring. The first day we had her she clung to the ladder , now she is floating on a tube in the middle or riding on daddy's shoulders!
Her smile fills my heart.......She wants cuddles at night and wrapped herself tightly into me last night, soaking up the cuddles that my other babies have been given for so long. Loving the closeness and wanting me to sleep with her......I stayed with her in till she fell asleep praying my Thanks for all she will now have and how grateful we are to have her safely with us. Whispering to her that I will always hold her and she will forever be my girl...........
We had the trip to the orphanage on Friday.I am having a hard time getting our computer to down load the pictures and video-
i have spent hours and our connection times out- It is very frustrating!!!
Once I get them to my computer I will post again and fill everyone in.
It went well and Hai Ping was happy to leave with us again so we took that as a good sign she loves her new family-
Church here in China today! I miss our church at home but this will hold us through until our return next week-
Thanks all who have been so good with our boys.......We are so grateful!
Amy- I have heard you were called to major mama duty with Nolan last week........I don't know how to thank you.....You have been such a great friend this year- Thank you-
I miss our group and look forward to an all AMERICAN Coney, talk it all out kinda breakfast with you, Melissa and Rosanne when I return. Thanks girls.........
I needed a break and went off on my own yesterday- A trip to the grocery, the mall and then Starbucks- I was feeling very homesick so it was a good break to have a few hours to myself and I have to admit it felt good to explore on my own and be independent in a new country.
Brian went to a concert the other night alone. So we are getting very comfortable with our surroundings and life here......
However I have found I am NOT a city girl and much prefer the CHINA countryside to the filth around us....Everything is dirty and smells. I know it is true in all big cities but seems worse here. The pollution is high here - I do not worry for us for the short time we are here but Would NEVER live here with this much junk pouring into the air! Zhu HAi Seemed much cleaner so I hope their is no damage to Hai Ping for all she has breathed and eaten in the last 10 years. I see a major detox when we get home........I know I am freaky about this type of stuff - My bio kids raised on raw milk and organic meat. Poor Hai Ping has no idea all of the vitamins her crazy mama is going to make her take when we get home.......
More later- Off for breakfast-
Caroline -I am still working on Isabelle's video.....I can't get the file to down load but I do have it!!!!!!
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