Well here it is at last. Our travel day to China...and yes, finally, I am nervous! :) I think, how our lives will never be the same. Since October 2002 it has been us three, the two boys and I. My, oh my, how God has brought us so far and taken three bleeding hearts and healed us into a loving, happy family. How much our extended family, Nanny and Papa, have cherished and loved us....and as I was hoping in the dark days of 2002, we have not only survived, but thrived.
Now our cozy threesome, will become a foursome! What joy, what joy! Can you believe that God would bless us so??!!! I know there will be many adjustments for us all. For the boys ( where do we sit in the car, I want to sit by her, no me...can we all squeeze in the back seat and ah, oh, better buy a third head set, let' s tell bedtime stories in our room, no in her room, can we sleep in her room too?), for me.. (how do I hold three hands walking across the street, managing double bathtubs at bedtime, who sits where at the dinner table, do we watch Rescue Heroes or Cinderella Barbie, how about Dora as a compromise?)...but most of all for Mary Elisabeth.
Seeing the world through her eyes....new name, new family, new smells, new country, new home, new clothes, new sounds, new brothers, new mommy, new grandparents, new life....and sadness and confusion over the loss of the old. As an adult we realize when God takes us from something, He is also bringing us TO something. But how does a 2, almost 3 year old understand that?
So, in the words of the Casting Crowns song, we just plan to love her like Jesus and carry her to Him. She does not know Him yet, but she will. The best "NEW" she will have in her life, a new life, for here and eternity. I pray that God will always help me to see, in the moments of challenge and stress, the world through her eyes.
Well we are all packed and ready to go...All got hair cuts and books for the plane....just waiting for the calendar to keep turning to June 15th!
June 18th is when we actually meet Mary Elisabeth....
June 15-16th we are in the air!
June 17 - 18th in Beijing
June 18 - 20th in Jinan
June 20th - 23rd in Qing Dao City
June 23rd - 28th in Guangzhou
June 28th and 29th in Hong Kong (Disneyland!)
June 30th back home!!
My goal is to lose 12 lbs while I am gone! (Karen did this when she went for Laci! ha ha)
I will keep this updated whenever I can.
We now have our travel date! We will be leaving June 15th...and have a two stop hop...first Sacto to LA, the LA to Hong Kong, then Hong Kong to Bejiing! We will be SLEEPY...as the plane change in LA is at 1:30 am! OUCH!
But it fits our time frame, so I won't complain.
Stephanie surprized me today, by making a small lunch plan into a large lunch and surprize shower for Mary Beth. How sweet everyone was in their gifts and thoughts! How SNEAKY Stephanie is! :)
Thank you everyone! 9 days and counting......
I can't beleive Nicholas is 8 years old...where did the time go? I remember the first night I held him...all night long, so the nurse came in at 2 am and asked me if I was ever going to put that baby in his bed! :)
I love you precious son, truly a gift to me from God, you are! Happy 8th Birthday!
Life got so busy! It has been so long since I blogged. First we are not moving to Oregon, but staying home. :) Which feels good to all of us....
More important, on Tuesday I got my TA from China...we are waiting for the consulate appt confirmation for the 26th, if that is confirmed, we will be leaving on the 16th!! And I should have Mary Beth in my arms by the 20th. We will fly into Bejiing and do a day of touring..then on to Ji Nan, where we meet Mary Beth face to face, then over to Qing Dao to see the orphanage and spend a few days....then to Guangzhou, for final paper work...and final end our trip in Hong Kong at Disneyland, then back home. 12-13 days!
We are all so excited...and talk about Mary Beth all day long! Nick is so happy, he keeps singing songs about how he will see "Wookie" (her nickname) in two weeks!
We did a dry run trip to ChinaTown SF last Saturday and had a lot of fun... We road Bart, the trolley, lots of shopping then lunch at the Rainforest Cafe...we are ready to go!
