We are stuck at the airport in Beijing due to lots and lots of snow! It is beautiful, freezing, and my crazy husband is wearing shorts and flip flops! Yes I wrote that right, I said he is wearing shorts and flip flops! He says its going to be warm where we are going! He is so funny! Everyone is staring and stopping to look at him.
It is amazing to think we are about 25 hrs from getting our daughter. Giving her hugs and kisses and zerberts and telling her we love her! We are riding the waves as they come and as long as we get a flight by tomorrow morning so we can get lexi on schedule then life is good. I am praying we can get internet working at our next hotel so you all can see photos! Otherwise its going to be postings from the blackberry. Love to all. Q,R,C,B we love you so much! Mom, thank you for everything.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
9 hrs on a plane going no where
Well we got on our plane! Yep we did, but we are still sitting in it and it hasn't moved. We got to the airport at 6 ish am. It is currenty 4pm and yep, still waiting. Everyone is in very good spirits, we know we will land before 10am when Lexi gets off her train. God has been so good to us and we will not complain. At least we know our plane will be safe when it finally does take off. We are running out of things to talk about and do so I think it is time for me to show my new friends and chinese passengers my E.T impression! 13 hours til we have Lexi!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Hello fron Beijing
Good morning! The server just started working on the blackberry however still having issues with the laptop. We woke up at 3am this morning feeling well rested and ready to rock China. We got ready, took a walk in the freezing cold, found a starbucks (closed!) And then headed to a 24 hour mcdonalds for a cup of coffee. We are so excited for today, seeing one of the 8 wonders of the world! We are loving China and having a ball! Q,R,C,B, sis k and BF Nat I love you guys!!! Mary
we are in china!
We made it! We are at the Beijing airport now. Just attempting to blog real quick as I have heard blogger may be blocked in china! Will post later tonight. So far it is amazing! I can hardly believe we are here.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
skype
Last night the girls and I got our computers all ready to skype from here to china. We were all sitting at the table just talking to eachother on the screens. Just a bunch of little goof balls we are! I love my family!
Baby shower
Sunday my friends threw an amazing shower for us! We had a great time! Here are some pictures from the big day.
A few last posts before we go!
Just 1 more sleep til CHINA!
No that's not a picture of Bryan in a wig!! But it is what we would look like if I didn't have this one bag weighing just 40 pounds restriction. Yes it is killing me, but ...deep breath... I can do it!
Well our bags are packed and we're ready to go! We're standing here outside the door, already we're so lonesome we could cry.... oh just kidding! I was just looking for a reason to quote those funny old lyrics. I remember my aunt listening to that song when I was just a tiny girl.
Well we are just about ready to go. We have a little packing left and a lot of organizing and so forth for the rest of the day. We are taking a shuttle to the airport because we leave so early. It's finally happening!!! Muahhh to all!
Mary
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Almost!
My sweet friends are throwing us a family shower today! I will post pictures this week.
4 more sleeps til CHINA!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
We have Itinerary!!
Our Itinerary
10.30 2:40PM Arrive in Beijing greeted by Kathy our Beijing Guide and head to the Poly Plaza Hotel.
10.31 9:00am Sightseeing Tour to the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tian An Men Square
7:30PM Go to the Chaoyang theater to see acrobatics show.
11.01 8:10am Fly to Changsha.
Changsha, Hunan
Guide Information:
Name: Kathy
Accommodations:
Dolton Hotel
11.01 10:35am Arrive Changsha, meet guide and head to Dolton Hotel.
11.02 10:30am Gotcha day. The day we get ~LEXI~
3:00pm Do relevant paperwork at Civil Affairs.
11.03 9:30am Shopping for child..diapers, bottled water, etc .
11.04 10:00am Visit to the museum
11.05 10:00am Visit to the Lieshi Park.
11.06 4:00pm Get child’ passports.
8:00pm Families fly to Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guide Information:
Name: Kelly
Accommodations:
White Swan Hotel
11.06 9:10pm Arrive Guangzhou, meet guide and head to the White Swan hotel.
11.07 My 29th Birthday! (ok so it's again but this time it's in China so its a first!)
2:30pm Sightseeing tour to Chen Family’s Temple
11.08 9:00am Sightseeing tour to Yuntai park.
11.09 2:30pm Take family to do child’ Visa photo and do child’s medical examination.
11.10 10:00am Guide goes to American Consulate to hand in family’s documents, and hand in visa fee in the afternoon.
11.11 9:00am Visit the GZ Zoo and Silk market.
11.12 3:00pm Families go to AC for oath-taking ceremony.
11.13 3:30pm Guide goes to AC to get visa.
11.14 7:55am Leave Guangzhou, arrive into Pudong at 10:00am. Fly to Shanghai, 2 hour overlay then off to Sanfrancisco. 2 hour overlay then Arrive Phoenix~Home Weet Home at 2:15pm November 14th.
10.30 2:40PM Arrive in Beijing greeted by Kathy our Beijing Guide and head to the Poly Plaza Hotel.
10.31 9:00am Sightseeing Tour to the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tian An Men Square
7:30PM Go to the Chaoyang theater to see acrobatics show.
11.01 8:10am Fly to Changsha.
Changsha, Hunan
Guide Information:
Name: Kathy
Accommodations:
Dolton Hotel
11.01 10:35am Arrive Changsha, meet guide and head to Dolton Hotel.
11.02 10:30am Gotcha day. The day we get ~LEXI~
3:00pm Do relevant paperwork at Civil Affairs.
11.03 9:30am Shopping for child..diapers, bottled water, etc .
11.04 10:00am Visit to the museum
11.05 10:00am Visit to the Lieshi Park.
11.06 4:00pm Get child’ passports.
8:00pm Families fly to Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guide Information:
Name: Kelly
Accommodations:
White Swan Hotel
11.06 9:10pm Arrive Guangzhou, meet guide and head to the White Swan hotel.
11.07 My 29th Birthday! (ok so it's again but this time it's in China so its a first!)
2:30pm Sightseeing tour to Chen Family’s Temple
11.08 9:00am Sightseeing tour to Yuntai park.
11.09 2:30pm Take family to do child’ Visa photo and do child’s medical examination.
11.10 10:00am Guide goes to American Consulate to hand in family’s documents, and hand in visa fee in the afternoon.
11.11 9:00am Visit the GZ Zoo and Silk market.
11.12 3:00pm Families go to AC for oath-taking ceremony.
11.13 3:30pm Guide goes to AC to get visa.
11.14 7:55am Leave Guangzhou, arrive into Pudong at 10:00am. Fly to Shanghai, 2 hour overlay then off to Sanfrancisco. 2 hour overlay then Arrive Phoenix~Home Weet Home at 2:15pm November 14th.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Lexi's Room
Lexi's room is almost fnished! She still needs a chair for us to sit and read books or just cuddle in. It should be here before we leave. The girls also want to put a little table for her to sit at and have a tea party but that is something we can do for Christmas! Ahhh a little one for Christmas! FUN FUN FUN! Everthing is already going to be a first for her... but can you imagine the wonder and ahh she will have when she see's the lights and the festivities of Christmas? Can't wait to see everything throug Lexi's eyes. Now the room!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Flights are Booked!
Today we got confirmation that our Consolate appointment is on November 10th. So with that we were finally able to purchase our Airline tickets!
Leave Arizona 7:15am Thursday October 29th
Arrive Beijing 2:45pm Friday October 30th
Gotcha Day (The day we get our little girl) Monday November 2nd
Return Home Saturday November 14th.
We will get all of our detailed itinerary and inner China travel about 5 das before we go. My sweet friends are giving us a shower on the 25th, then 4 days later it off to China we go!
This weekend will be all about final preperations. Halloween costumes for the kids, plenty of candy for my mom to give out, Get Q's B'Day present since we will be in China for her Birthday, Load the freezer get grocery gift cards for my mom to use, pay all the bills, change the cell phone plans for travel, pack, arrange the rides and such for the kids, plan some play days for the youngest and so on. I don't think the time will go by slowly!!
Tomorrow I will post pictures of Lexi's room. It is absolutely adorable. Rylee and Cassidy did the wole thing. They picked everything in it themselves. They made the letter boards spelling her name by hand and designed the whole thing alone, every last detail. I just paid for it and let them go at it. I think it is darling and they had a blast doing it. Hope she likes PINK!
Leave Arizona 7:15am Thursday October 29th
Arrive Beijing 2:45pm Friday October 30th
Gotcha Day (The day we get our little girl) Monday November 2nd
Return Home Saturday November 14th.
We will get all of our detailed itinerary and inner China travel about 5 das before we go. My sweet friends are giving us a shower on the 25th, then 4 days later it off to China we go!
This weekend will be all about final preperations. Halloween costumes for the kids, plenty of candy for my mom to give out, Get Q's B'Day present since we will be in China for her Birthday, Load the freezer get grocery gift cards for my mom to use, pay all the bills, change the cell phone plans for travel, pack, arrange the rides and such for the kids, plan some play days for the youngest and so on. I don't think the time will go by slowly!!
Tomorrow I will post pictures of Lexi's room. It is absolutely adorable. Rylee and Cassidy did the wole thing. They picked everything in it themselves. They made the letter boards spelling her name by hand and designed the whole thing alone, every last detail. I just paid for it and let them go at it. I think it is darling and they had a blast doing it. Hope she likes PINK!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
We have a Travel Date!!
Today we got word from Nancy that we are officially traveling to China
on October 29th!! That is a Thursday, we will be in China for Halloween,
my Birthday, and our oldest daughter's Birthday. I do not know what our iternerary looks like yet, you don't usually have that until the week before travel. I am both excited and scared all at once. There is lot's and lot's to do! I am very blessed to have been in contact with someone who is working at our daughter's orphanage. We have so many more pieces to her story because of this angel living in China. Our daughter was severely malnourished and was being severely neglected in her SWI. She was able to go into a charitably sponsored wing of the SWI in May of 09 and has been there since. She weighed just 12 pounds when they got her and now she is up to almost 16 whopping pounds! This Angel that I refer to has shared with me so much of Lil Miss Baby Cakes personal information and I will forever be grateful! Things that make me so sad and so astounded but at the same time lead me to being so grateful that God would choose us to be her parents. Just an ordinary family with an ordinary life, being entrusted with this little life, this little child he created for his Glory. I'm off to buy luggage! Light luggage, we can only pack one suitcase each, weighing 40 pounds including the bag itself! I know I can do this, I think I can I think I can!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
TA !!!
When the caller ID said Great Wall today, I expected it to be Stephanie asking where my updated I171H was.... Well, it wasn't! It was Nancy our TRAVEL ADVISOR, calling to tell us that our TA HAD ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am totally without words! Just in AWE of God's timing and Grace. CCAA is closed until the 9th of October s while we can't say for sure until we have our appointment scheduled for Lexi's exit visa, we are told to plan for OCT 29th take off!!!!! We're Going To China! Hang on a little longer Baby Cakes, Mommy and Daddy are coming for you!!