China ~ Day 3

Today was an incredibly long, wonderful day!  We all slept much better last night.  Jeb woke up around 3:30 am, but only stayed up a little while.  Everyone else slept great!  We started our day off early & left the hotel at 7:30 am.  We visited the Jade Factory first.  It was really neat to see the different kinds of jade & the locals who carve it.

Loden bought a jade cross with his own money...

Next, we headed to the Great Wall.  It was a super crowded day & around 85 degrees.  

Luke, Jeb, & I made it up to the first tower you see at the top.  Kevin & Loden made it up to the second tower.... the one in the middle.  The view is absolutely breathtaking!

The view from the second tower.

Jeb did an amazing job keeping up.  I was so proud of him!

We ate lunch nearby with a beautiful view of the mountains.  The food was great!

 

We drove by Olympic Village after lunch where we met our ride to New Hope Foster Home.  We rented a van with another family whose daughter was at New Hope until about 2 weeks ago.

New Hope was AMAZING! I am just ecstatic that we got to visit.  We were able to meet Robin & Joyce Hill, the founders, who have been instrumental in saving SO many orphans' lives.... including our Naomi's :)  I am assured after this trip that if not for their care, Naomi most definitely would have either not survived, or would have never had the opportunity to be adopted.  We are absolutely indebted to them.  I am just in awe of God's sovereignty....  the way He has orchestrated Naomi's entire life that led her to us & us to her.  She is first & foremost His child & has been in the palm of His hand.  It's so hard to believe that we only have one more day until we meet her!!!!!  Here are some pics of New Hope & some of the precious ones there... It is an amazing place :)

This is Robin & Joyce.  They have written a book with Elisabeth Gifford called "The House of Hope".... an amazing story of their lives & love for orphans.  They signed a copy for Naomi :)  What an amazing keepsake for her to have..... My cup truly runneth over.

This is the Nemo room that Naomi was in.  I have pictures of her in this room.

This was one of her ayis.  She remembered her & loved looking at all the pics of her on my phone.  I couldn't understand anything she was saying, but I know she could not get over how big she has gotten. 

Two precious ones (or lovely ones, as George, our guide, calls them) :)

I tried to hold them, but they just shook their heads "no"

They liked the boys :)

Tomorrow, we will leave our hotel at 7:30 am & fly to Zhengzhou where we get Naomi on Monday!!  Cannot believe only one more day!!! So excited!!  Going to sleep now feeling so very blessed :)  Thank you all so much for the sweet comments, thoughts, & prayers.  We are able to get them all through email when we are at the hotel. We have read them all & are so very appreciative for the support! It means SO much!

China- Day 2

Today we toured Beijing.  We did the Hutong Tour first with a Rickshaw ride.

The boys loved it! Very fun...

Then, we visited a local Chinese family in their home.  

We visited the silk factory next & learned all about how silk is made. Very informative for the boys to see!

These jars show the stages of the silk worm.

Stretching the silk...

Next was lunch.  It was great! And abundant!!

After lunch, we visited Tiananmen Square & The Forbidden City.

This is our entire group together.

Our guide, George.

We saw an acrobatic show last, but most of us slept through it  :) It was a great, but very long day. We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather!  And considering that the boys woke up before 3 am.... they were very out of it by the end of the day.  Hopefully we'll sleep better tonight & wake up rested in the morning.  Tomorrow, we will see the Great Wall & visit the Jade Factory.  Then another family & ours plan to visit New Hope Foster Home where Naomi was for a couple of years.  She had both of her cleft surgeries while there.   VERY excited about going there!   Only 3 more sleeps till Naomi!!!

We're in CHINA!!!

Finally... exactly 26 hours from when we pulled out of our driveway.... we're in CHINA!  We made it fine on the long 14 hour flight to Beijing.  The boys did great!  They slept a lot. We had an hour & a half bus ride after that to the hotel, and then braved our first Chinese meal across the street where no one in the whole restaurant spoke English at all!  It was quite the experience. We are all very tired (and some of us a little grouchy :), so we are about to get settled in for the night.  Hopefully we'll wake up feeling better in the morning.  We have a long day of touring Beijing tomorrow. 4 more sleeps till Naomi!!!

Here are the boys hanging out in the Chicago airport

Waiting on the long 14 hour flight

Our 777 waiting on us

Kevin & Loden had to sit on one side of the plane

The rest of us sat on the other side

The view when we flew over the North Pole :)

The boys in the hotel with George, our guide

China Itinerary

We just received our final itinerary for our trip to CHINA!!!  We are excited beyond words.  This has been literally a year in the making....and we are so grateful to finally be at the END....of the beginning, of course :)  Here is our itinerary for those of you who care to know :)  and want to keep up with us.

April 11- 6:00 am Fly from Memphis to Chicago, then Chicago to Beijing
April 12- Arrive in Beijing 2:40 pm
April 13- Tour Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour, Acrobatics Show)
April 14- Tour Beijing (The Great Wall)
April 15- Fly to Zhengzhou
April 16- GOTCHA DAY!!!
April 17- Complete Adoption Registration, travel to Hebi (where Naomi is from) to apply for her passport
April 18- Free Day
April 19- Free Day
April 20- NAOMI'S 4th BIRTHDAY :)
April 21- Free Day
April 22- Fly to Guangzhou
April 23- Physical Exam for Naomi
April 24- Receive Naomi's Passport
April 25- Have Naomi's TB Skin Test Read
April 26- U.S. Consulate Appointment
April 27- Receive Naomi's Visa. Depart by train to Hong Kong
April 28-11:10 am Fly from Hong Kong to Chicago, then Chicago to Memphis, arriving at 6:04 pm

Then we are HOME as a family of SIX! 

We are still selling puzzle pieces for $5 each.  We still have around 180 to have sponsored & we can have it framed & hung in Naomi's room. I would REALLY LOVE to have this hung when she comes home, so please help us spread the word. (See my previous post for info on the puzzle).

We are SO VERY GRATEFUL to all of you who have been so generous to purchase t-shirts, coffee, and puzzle pieces.  You will never know what impact this has had on our family. God has certainly shown up and shown out through all of you :))