We Are On Our Way!

       I woke up this morning (Sunday) about 4:45 and could not go back to sleep. Those perpetual butterflies were really flying around and I had so many thoughts racing through my mind. I decided to just get up and Nordic Track one last time before we left! By the time I was finished (well before 6am all my guys were awake and ready to GO to China!

       It has been such an adventure already! I was a little worried when 22 minutes out of Ellicott City (in the car on the way to Dulles) Patrick and Christopher began the chorus of, “How long ‘til we get there??” Uhhh, about 16 hours! But once we got to the airport they were thrilled with the shuttle bus ride to the airport from long-term parking and the train ride to our concourse. And of course, just watching all the hustle and bustle in the airport was interesting to them.

        

       We have been incredibly blessed so far by all the people the Lord has put in our path so far: the couple in the shuttle bus with us who adopted their daughter who is now 20, the sweet Chinese lady I met in line to check our bags who wound up sitting right behind me on a packed flight, the guy who gave up his seat so we could have another aisle, and last but not least, the flight attendant who switched two of our seats that were across the aisle and back several rows so that we could all be together! Wow, God! Thank you for being with us even in these little details which can mean so much.

Only Three More Days to China!!

Incredibly, the time to travel is upon us!  It has been a whirlwind week packing, running errands, and finishing up our school year!  We are all getting a little nervous and VERY excited :)  I seem to have developed perpetual butterflies in my stomach which I am hoping will go away once we are actually on our way.  We received our itinerary and it is quite full...lots of sightseeing interspersed with adoption paperwork.  We also know where we are staying now:  The Chang An Grand Hotel in Beijing and the White Swan in Guangzhou.  Both look beautiful, and it has been great to show pictures off the internet to the kids so they have some idea what it will be like.  That has really helped calm some of their fears (Isn't technology amazing??)  The only snafu in anything is that we were scheduled to receive little Catherine Fu Juan the very next day after arriving.  We decided to leave early so we would have a turn around day for the time change and somehow that got confused.  Hopefully it can be worked out.  I have found it very difficult, wanting to have her IMMEDIATELY but knowing that I want our meeting the first time to be as low-stress as possible and we have NO idea how the boys will be the day after a 14 hour plane ride in a very foreign country!!  Thanks for all your prayers and support everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms reading this!  We had a really nice day starting with a wonderful worship service and ending with a nature hike at Patasco park followed by Chinese food for dinner!  Both the beginning and ending of our day reminded me of the wonder and majesty of our great God!  The boys made me some sweet cards and brought me beautiful flowers, but we all missed our little Fu Juan.  Only 3 more weeks until China!!!!  All day today I caught myself saying, "Three weeks from today we will be off to the airport....flying over the ocean....trying to sleep on the plane...."  Our Visas arrived Fedex a few days ago and our passports are looking quite official sporting a full page Chinese Visa complete with a Great Wall picture :)  Still chipping away at our last few weeks of school and trying to prepare for the "big trip"!  I have to say, no one is too motivated at this point to work a whole lot.  Our thoughts are with a little girl in China and our upcoming adventure!  It doesn't help that the weather has turned beautiful as well and some days it feels as if summer is all ready here (although today there was a nip in the air). 

Hiking at Patapsco on Mother's Day

We are so awed by the way God has recently placed specific people in our lives to help us during this amazing time and to share in the blessing:  A friend with a Mom who happens to work for United Airlines (maybe we WILL get that window seat after all!), a Chinese friend who translated our letter to our daughter for us, a neurosurgeon and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon anxious to give an opinion and see our daughter when we return, not to mention the many people who have shared their China experience.  All of these wonderful people have blessed us with their talents and encouragement.  And most of all everyone reading these words who will lift us up to the Lord in prayer!  For all of you we are so grateful and count ourselves truly blessed!