Beijing just keeps getting better

After 12 glorious and much needed hours of sleep, we woke up to another beautiful day in Beijing.  We met our guide at 8:30 and headed almost 2 hours North of Beijing to see the Great Wall of China!

The girls have really been amazing at keeping up and enjoying all that  we've done.  

Hard to tell from this funny picture but Ebug and I are riding a cable car/ ski lift up the mountain.  Again, it was very beautiful and and very peaceful as we rode up, up, up.

Stunning views!! Can you believe what a gorgeous day?!  Can you believe the wall is 6,000 kilometers long?

The girls may look like we told them we are going to walk the entire thing but really they just can't open their eyes from the shining sun.

How many little girls can say they have danced along the Great Wall?

So as fun as the ride up was...the ride done was so much better!!  We rode sleds down a very long aluminum slide!  It was so great!  Lillianna's first question at the bottom was, 'Can we do that again?'

We got back in the car and  rode down a very scenic but very curvy road.  (Read: girls turned green and needed to stop) October is my favorite month because it's such lovely weather and of course because of the stunning fall colors.  China's fall colors are just starting to come out and the red vines and yellow trees are gorgeous.  There were so many orchards along the way and then with the mountains behind them, it really did look a lot like parts of California.  Just beautiful.  

So then we headed to a jade carving gallery.  

We learned a little about this beautiful stone and how they carve it and then looked at all the amazing sculptures, jewelry, etc.  The girls each got a figurine

of their Chinese Zodiac sign- Lillianna is Year if the Rooster, Ellenie is year of the Rat, and James is year of year of the Rabbit.  

For lunch: Noodles of course. Sssssluuuuurrrrrp.

No wonder they get so much attention here.  Rascals.

Next we headed to the Hutong district of Beijing and took a tour by rickshaw.  We saw lovely, quaint, truly ancient neighborhoods and got to visit one family's home to see how they live. These neighborhoods are over 200 years ild and are known for their distinct architecture.  Each home is small (size of hotel room) and shares a long corridor with other homes.  My girls were amazed they had everything they owned and did everything in a room smaller than their bedroom at home.  

I still ant get over the amount of trees in Beijing.  Much more than in other larger cities in the US.  Tall Weeping willows line a lot of streets and there are sycamore looking trees planted all along the highways.  

So then...

We went to a China tea room and learned about their delicious tea.  

We couldn't decide which was the best - the ginseng, the rose or the fruit tea.

We learned so much - like how to properly hold your tea cup, depending on your gender.  And that you drink The Emperor's tea in three sips- One for happiness, good luck, and long life.

After a quick dinner (fried rice!) we surprised the girls with a trip to a show.

It was full of acrobatics, gymnasts, dancing, and motorcycles racing around that sphere.  It was beautiful, thrilling, and crazy- just like Beijing!

Whew!  Some day!  We are worn out but so thankful for such a wonderful day!  And even more thankful to be one day closer to James!!

Beautiful Beijing

Oh what a day!  I mean two...or one and a half...it feels like three and a half!  We are officially in China!  After three flights with a lay over in Seoul Korea, we are here.  We had an easy time through immigration and customs and were quickly greeted by our driver.  Beijing is much prettier than I imagined with so many trees!  It was a little smoggy this morning but cleared up into a gorgeous day!  After we checked in our hotel and showered, we met our guide, Jack, and began our Beijing tour.  No rest for the weary in this bunch!

First stop...Lunch

Jack took us to eat Chinese for lunch and we enjoyed every bit.  It was so much better than airplane or airport food.

Second  stop...Forbidden City

 

                        

(Many many people wanted their picture made with the girls- forget the amazing ancient architecture when you have precious Americans)

We loved it!  It was enormous, gorgeous, and incredible to think it was built nearly 600 years ago.  

Next stop...The Pearl Market

The girls got to 'go fishing' for a fresh water oyster and see how many were in there.  We all guessed but were all wrong - surprisingly there were about 20.  

After this we could barely see straight we were so tired.  The girls have been real troopers!  So it's 7 pm here and I'm typing this in the dark- we are all in bed!  Me! In bed! At 7pm!  But we've got another big day tomorrow- can't wait!

On our way!

Oh this day is finally here!!  

We said good bye to Boone and Belle...

Boone is furious and Belle is begging us to change our plans.

Girls, We are really going to China!!

To say they are excited is an understatement!

We are thankful, excited, and ready!

Let's do this!

First flight down, two more to go.  

Praying we get some sleep on this 14 hour flight.  We are enjoying every moment together.  Just so excited!!

GOING TO GET JAMES!!

We are packed.

We are ready.

We can't wait to go!

Our prayers were answered!

We received our Travel Approval on Friday, September 27th - 

the last day possible before China's big holiday!

So we have had 10 days to pray, plan, and pack for this WONDERFUL trip!

It's so hard to believe that after a year and a half,

after months of waiting,

days of praying,

hours of crying,

we will be smiling, laughing, and cuddling with our son.

We will be united with him on October 14.

We leave tomorrow!

 TOMORROW!

Please pray with us for safety, good health, good sleep, beautiful moments,

but most of all, for James.  Pray that his heart will be prepared for all the change he is about to endure.

Pray he will begin to trust us, to bond with us, to attach to us.

Pray that Brad and I will have the wisdom and patience to meet his needs.

Pray that the girls will have the stamina, joy, and patience for this trip.

Pray for love to abound in each of us.

Thank you sweet friends and our dear family for walking this journey with us

 - for all your love, support, and prayers.

We are so excited!

We are so close...

We are so very close to bringing James home.

Just one more step!

We are praying we would get our Travel Approval from the Chinese government this week, 

before their week long fall holiday. (please pray with us!)

Just a couple of days before we started our wait for TA, we got our final update on James.

We knew to expect one but we didn't know when we would get it

 or that it would be such wonderful news!

Since the day we were matched with James, we have not known if he could stand, walk or would be able to in the foreseeable future.

In the first picture we received he is

STANDING!

Standing holding on to a unstable bouncy ball!

To say we were over the moon excited and encouraged is an understatement.

It felt like the sweetest gift from the Lord to receive this at this point in our journey.

A reminder of all that God has done for us and all the beautiful plans He has for James.

Isn't he the cutest ever?!

We were so excited and encouraged by these pictures!

I cannot wait to kiss those angel lips!

It's been a long road.

This road has been bumpy but beautiful,

long but enriching,

touch but incredibly encouraging.

And the best part of this wonderful journey has been the excitement and glory of the destination.

So we keep our eyes focused on the light at the end of the tunnel 

and wait with patience and hope that we are near the end.

At the end of waiting, waiting, waiting to be with James

 and at the beginning of having him in our family.  Forever.

August 15

 Dear Lillianna,

Today you turn 8.  Oh me.  Eight.  Eight seems like the year of the official...dare I say it...big girl.

But you already are both my baby and my big girl.

You always have been.

Perfectly innocent and quite an old soul at the same time.

At eight years old...

You are curious, cautious, and deeply compassionate.

You love to learn and ask me fantastic questions about the ways of the world every day.

You have always observed the details of nature and amaze me with your ability to remember each detail.

You love animals very, very much right now.

There is no creature too small, too gross, or too strange 

for you to love, to feel sorry for, to want to learn about.

This still includes your jungle, your zoo, your large menagerie of stuffed animals as well.

Oh, how you love them.

You welcome each day with joy and wonder.

I am constantly inspired by your goodness

 and sometimes think, "How does she seem to have life all figured out?"

You desire to be kind, fair, generous, and loving.

You are respectful of rules and don't like being in trouble.

You are considerate of others feelings and try to make everyone feel good.

You are very, very playful.

Many people don't get to see this side of you, at least not right away.

You can still be very shy and love the comfort of home to truly be yourself.

You love to giggle and Ellenie is still the one who can make you laugh the hardest.

Well, Ellenie and the dogs.

Speaking of the dogs, you get in more trouble because of the dogs than anything else.

You love to play with Belle and together so you can make a LOT of mischief.

It drives me bananas but I really do love this silly side of you.

For several years you have mentioned wanting to play the harp.

What?  Did you say harp?  Harp?  Sure honey, the harp.

Those were pretty much the responses from me and your dad.

But this year, at a concert, you said it again and I listened.

We persisted together and found a teacher, a wonderful teacher to teach you harp.

It is such a perfect passion for you and your personality.

Different, special, feminine and beautiful.

I am so proud of you for knowing yourself.

Oh my dear lovie,

If ever there was a wonderful big sister, it is you.

You are extraordinarily patient with your sister.

And all you've ever wanted is for her to be happy.

Which means sometimes you give up what you really want to please her.

It always amazes me and breaks my heart at the same time.

I can't wait to see how incredible you are with your baby brother.

I can't believe you are eight today.

And yet, you are perfectly, wonderfully eight.

You are so perfectly, wonderfully YOU.

I am so proud of you and love you more than you could ever know.

ever.

love,

Mama

LOA

It came.  It really and truly finally came.

We got a call on a Friday that our Letter of Acceptance had been sent

 from China to our agency in Birmingham.

They called the following Tuesday to let us know it had arrived and would be over nighted to us.

We woke up on Wednesday and were SO EXCITED to receive the letter we had been waiting over 4 months for.  We waited and listened for the Fed Ex truck to come.  Near lunch time, we heard it coming down our street and Lillianna and I ran to the window.  Here came the truck towards our house and then...

right past our house.  oh my goodness.

I was not going to wait one. more. day. just because a driver accidentally missed our house.

I yelled," I'll be right back!" and ran out of the house in my flip flops.

Down our long driveway and into the road, I could still hear the rumbly motor of the truck but couldn't see it.

I kept running down our street and up a hill until I could see the truck across another street, in another neighborhood.  I ran like I was in a high school track meet.

He didn't have it!  But he said the next truck, the Express truck would.

Hooray!  We waited some more.

But the truck never came.

So I called, they tracked the package and found out our agency accidentally sent it to Tennessee!

To our old house in Tennessee!

It didn't end there.

The next day it didn't come either.

because Fed Ex accidentally sent it our street address in the wrong city and wrong state!

So finally, 4 days after we were supposed to have it, we did.

Oh me, the journey of this LOA is so representative of our whole adoption journey.

A little wild, a little crazy but all good in the end.

We are just so thankful, so excited, so relieved to be one BIG step closer to James!

Sweet Spot

I'm going to brag.

It has been one of the sweetest summers with my girls.

Super duper sweet.

Full of fun visits, precious moments, lots of laughs, 

hours upon hours of playing,

days upon days of being outside,

and just lots of togetherness.

So much togetherness, that it made me realize

We are in a SWEET SPOT.

These really precious, near-perfect ages where everything 

is still very sweet and innocent, fun and playful

 but not quite so exhausting as those earlier years.

I'm soaking up every moment of this sweet spot.

Now if we could just get their sweet brother home.