We are now seven

We went to meet Grace at the Civil Center, but when we arrived the director wasn't there and the office was locked up. Our guide told us we could wait in the van or outside, so we stayed in the van... for about thirty seconds. Then Stephenie looks out and says, "There's Grace!" After a shocked few moments, we piled out to see a scared little girl with her companion. She was shy and a little sad.

After waiting for a few minutes, it was obvious no one was coming to the office, so we all went back to our hotel. We signed some papers and they showed us information about Grace. She held my hand as we went into the hotel and opened up as we sat down. She named us "mama" and "baba" and watched the family. Zachary gave her a Starburst which she very much enjoyed!

She is very adorable and very small. When Stephenie asked her what she thought of her new family, she replied, "Beautiful". She played with the kids in the room until it was time to go eat, and she and Eliza have something in common! She ate everything on her plate and loved it all. That could also have been because she ate very early and was hungry, but she was very happy to eat. She patted her stomach after and was very satisfied.

I'm sure Stephenie will add more soon, but I thought I'd take a few minutes and put something here.

In Xi'an

Well, we arrived around 2 pm today in Xi'an. It is much warmer and greener here. Around 50-60 degrees. We changed our rooms from two connected rooms to their "family suite". It costs more, but we get free Internet in the Executive Lounge, breakfasts, and a cocktail spread. It is nicer to have the three rooms, but it is more expensive, about $60 more per day. I think it will give us much more room and be easier to work with, however.

We meet Grace tomorrow afternoon. We meet our guide in the lobby at 4 pm and we drive to the adoption center. We don't know if other families will be there also, but we will. We are supposed to be there at 4:10, so tomorrow's the day. We're excited and scared, but I think everyone is feeling much better about everything.

Anyway, the kids are getting pizza for dinner and Stephenie and I are still deciding what we are going to have. And we are trying to get hold of a contact here in Xi'an to go to church with and give Kirk's Eagle Project donations to. Hopefully that all works out as well.

The Pearl Market

Today, we decided to visit the Pearl Market. It is just a few harrowing street crossings and one over-the-street bridge to get there.

Pictures from Beijing

We haven't put on many pictures, so here are a few from the last few days.

Hanging out at the hotel room. Thank goodness for the games we brought!

This is an old place called a hutong or something. (Steph: actually, this is just a ramshackle old section we walked past on the way to the Temple of Heaven. Hutongs are old living areas inside a walled area.)

Monkey's in a barrel are too old. Try crabs in a barrel!

If you see this, Isaac, this one is for you. They have these delicious turtles you can eat!

A tough week for me...

OK, I've decided I don't really like being away from home. It is so hard the first few days being gone, especially so far from home. We all miss Eliza and our kitties! Before we left, I was in a total panic mode with all of the Eagle Scout packing, our packing and getting ready to leave. It's probably the most stressed I've ever felt. Add to that all the worry of adopting and wondering how everything is going to work out and it has been hard to enjoy myself this first few days.

Also, I didn't remember how long the flight here takes! It felt longer that driving to Missouri, which takes about the same amount of time. I guess just the reality of the trip hit me and combined with all my stress really put me into an anxiety attack.

I'm getting better and can eat again. The kids are all doing really well and keep each other busy. I think it will be nice to get to Xian and then we will meet Grace. I truly believe we are doing the right thing even though it's been one of the hardest things I've ever done. I think whether you are adopting or not, adding a new member to your family is a leap of faith and it always is a transition for everyone. I've really prayed about our decision though and felt that peace that it will all be ok. Then, when it has been so hard on me, I realized that even though it is right that doesn't mean it will be super easy. I know it will be hard for her to leave everything behind that she has ever known and after this past few days, I think I have more of an understanding of how that feels. Different surroundings, people, smells, schedule, it will all be different to her but I hope she will get used to us and enjoy being part of our family.

Sorry this is so long, but I think it really helps to know that we can do hard things and we will get through them. I've second guessed myself so much, but the only thing I would change is our three week stay! (What was I thinking?? Oh well, we didn't have much choice by using our points for flights and with it being during the holidays.) I can't change eveything but I know I'll be strenghthened to be able to make it until we can get back to our home sweet home! We went this far and this long for Eliza and she has been such a blessing to our family and I know she is truly our daughter. I can't imagine life without our sweet Eliza. Grace deserves that same sacrifice and I'll forget how hard this has been after she's been home for awhile!

Before I forget, I have to thank a few people for helping me so much. My mom and Albert for taking such good care of Eliza this first week. They've kept her happy and busy and I'm really grateful for their help. My good friend and neighbor Aly who saved me when I was packing. I don't think I would have made it without her help with all the sorting and packing of the donations. The boys helped but it was beyond their area of expertise. Mike, for trying to keep me from going crazy and helping me to look on the bright side! And, Mike's mom for understanding me and being so supportive. She will be in charge of Eliza the rest of the trip with some help from Debbie who so kindly offered to help out too. Doug, for being willing to get up early and drive us to the airport. Larayne, Mike's sister in Portland, who so happily offered to pick us up on our way home and will put us up for the night before our last flight. Our neighbors who are helping with our animals when mom and Albert leave. I'm really blessed with so many good people in my life. Thanks everyone and all the others who are praying for us and helped in other ways! I really appreciate it.
Stephenie

Quick note

After me making everyone walk a bit (they think I made them walk from across all of Beijing), we finally ended up at the Temple of Heaven. Here's a picture of all those that matter! Notice the hats. There are a lot of vendors trying to get you to buy stuff. I got the Beijing Olymipic stocking hats for the kids because it was a bit cold for them. They cost 25 RMB for the three. That's about $1.65. Zach wanted a hat like I got last time for a friend. Stephenie got one for 40 RMB, but I another guy and I bartered and we got a second for 15 RMB. I gave him a couple of yuan extra just because it was a fun bartering experience. Sometimes the vendors won't leave you alone. And they need the money, so you feel bad not buying everything.

I'm sure there will be more to follow. We're about ready to go to lunch. Stephenie is looking for the perfect meal and so far hasn't found it. We'll just have to make do with what is around us for another day.

Resting and playing

We mostly rested today and got our bearings in the city. We looked around in the complex our hotel is in to see what there was. It is part of a 5 story mall with everything you could imagine in it. The bottom floor is a large market with a lot of, for us, unusual items. There are aquariums with live fish, shrimp, crabs, and turtles. My nephew Issaac probably wouldn't like the turtles for lunch! The also had cooked food to take home, like chicken and pigeon. Some things looked very good, like the mandarin oranges that we brought back to our room. Others were not as much to our liking.

The top floor has a food court and we ate at a Korean place for lunch. It cost about $13 for all of us. We had Korean cans of fruit juice-- grape, orange, and peach. We bought two large stone bowls and had leftovers. Of course Stephenie is tender in the stomach and Olivia doesn't care much for spicy foods (plus she ate most of the mandarins before we left).

The kids went swimming and I watched TV, then we all had naps. Iwoke up and took the boys to dinner. We went to 16 Curries and had a Black Pepper Beef and a Chicken Curry. They were about to close, so we ate fast and left over half of it. Even with our drinks it was only about $7 total. Food can be very reasonable here.

I had a coworker here in Beijing rework our room reservations. Before, we paid about 550 RMB a night and we had to buy our breakfast. If we ate at the hotel, that was 124 RMB each (about $18) a person. She got our company rate for us which is 600 RMB a night, but two breakfasts are included per room so we just need to pay for Olivia. And since she is under 12, hers is 1/2 price. And the discount also goes for the food which means her meal is only 51 RMB ($7.50).

Things are working out for us. Tomorrow the boys (and maybe girls) are going to walk to the Pearl Market and Temple of Heaven. They are about 5 minutes away from us. That sounds like fun to us. I think the girls may go shopping in the mall, but the plans of women are always a mystery to me!

We made it

At least we made it to Beijing. We will remain here until Saturdayand then we fly to Xi'an to pick up Grace. We are doing many of the sites ourselves to save money, but we requested Rose in Beijing from BOIT. And she did come to pick us up. She will help us personally in many ways. She was our guide last time and no other guide came close to her in our estimation of her!

Today we are going to rest and walk around the city a bit. Our hotel is in between the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, so everything is close.

We'd forgotten how long the flights were. It is so nice to be on the ground now. Every one of our flights was delayed in leaving. In Salt Lake they had to de-ice the plane which made us 1/2 hour late. So we had to run to the counter (Steph's boarding pass wouldn't print in Salt Lake) and we were the last people on the plane. And our seats were the second to last row in the 747. Then they had to de-ice this plane which made us an hour late to Narita. Since we couldn't print our boarding passes to Beijing in Salt Lake (too early), and we didn't have time in Minneapolis, we didn't have them in Japan. Remember we were in the back of the plane and there are five of us to get off of the plane.

We made it off the plane, around one huge line of transfers and into the Chinese security lines. Then when we finished those, we hear the "final" boarding call for our flight. And the gate is a long way off! We get there and they thought we were no-shows because it was late and we hadn't had boarding passes issued. They had given two of our seats away. They ended up bumping me and my son Zachary to \Business Class (Zachary's birthday present!) and we were able to all get to Beijing safely on the same flight.

Oh, as an added bonus, we were already last and they were holding the plane for us; so what do they do? I get the full security pat down besides! The wand over everywhere, take of the shoes and have them examined. My bags searched, the whole 9-yards. So, needless to say, this flight was also late getting into China.

Oh well, we are here and that is a good thing. And as soon as Stephenie calms down, eats breakfast, and de-stresses, it will be great!

5 hours to go

We have almost everything packed and the kids are finally going to have a nap. Stephenie is ready for a couple hours of sleep also, but I want to sleep on the plane. In about an hour, I think Steph will lie down and then we'll be ready for my brother Doug to come and drive us to the airport.

We are lucky that we are going now. We will get the tax credit for the adoption in 2008 and the orphanage fee goes up on 1/1/09 $2000.00! I don't know if we would ever be able to do this with the kids again, so we'll make the best of it we can.

On to Beijing!

ME

Going Crazy!

We are getting ready to leave Sunday morning before 6 am. Before then we need to get our trip planned and we just got our definitive consulate appointment yesterday. Then we got the quote from the travel agency for the Chinese tour guides, hotels, flights, etc. After I was revivied off of the floor, I just sat drooling and staring blankly. Stephenie worked like anything to find hotels ourselves that were much cheaper, a guide in Beijing to take care of the things we couldn't do ourselves, and determine where and what we could cut from the rest of the trip. Then she worked on Kirk's Eagle Project to get the donations ready to take to China. She had to go through many donations and cull the items that couldn't be used or fit in our baggage. We had a great number of donations, but many of them will need to go to places more local.

Everything isn't nailed down completely yet, but we do have a hotel in Beijing. And I think that Steph will be reserving the hotels in Xi'an and Guangzhou this morning. We are having two places give us bids for the airfare and I'm going to check on it myself also. That leaves us with using the tour group for just the adoption proceedings and travel to/from airports. We will do almost everything else on our own. Hopefully we can save some money and make it possible to take the whole family.

We need to finish the majority of the packing tonight, then top everything else off on Saturday night. I'm wound a bit tight now, and I hope that everything starts working out soon.

Eliza's 4th Birthday

Eliza's birthday was Saturday. Olivia and Eliza's friend Kate had a little tea party and played. We were collecting Kirk's Eagle Scout donations that morning, so it was very small and simple but she had fun!

Since we will be gone for Zach's birthday, we celebrated his and Eliza's with the family Sunday night. Zach is excited to have his birthday on our trip!

We received TA!!!

We had an email this morning telling us that our travel approval is on its way from China. After our agency gets the physical copy, they can fax to the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou for the immigration paperwork.

We are working on getting our flights now, and so far it looks like we will leave on Sunday the 7th and return the 31st. Hopefully our flights and our appointments line up. We are also hoping to stay with my sister on the way back because we will have a 22 hour layover in Portland (oh the thrills of frequent flyer miles). We need to call her to see if what kind of reception we'll get with this idea!

It will be fun to have Olivia baptized on the 6th and the leave the next morning for China.

Steph says: I just have to add to Mike's blog an update. We were able to get all our flights together using our frequent flyer miles!! Yes, it is a long time to be gone but I feel really blessed to have it work out for Kirk, Zach and Olivia to come with us to get Grace. It will be a wonderful experience for them and will be good for Grace to have her older siblings to be with her. Eliza will be well cared for, or spoiled would be a better word for it, while we are gone. Fortunately, she has her Grandma Renee who lives close by and Grandpa Albert and Grandma Carol who will come and stay for a week. Also, we have other family and friends who would probably help if we beg them!

Take care and Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for today!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Sign for the front door. Yes, she is a princess!!

We already had 2 cakes (friend party on Saturday and family party on Sunday), so Olivia chose ice cream for her birthday dessert. She was ready for bed when we realized she hadn't been sung "Happy Birthday" to by us! Zach has her "birthday candle" and he, Kirk and I came in right after I turned out the lights and sang to her.

Her new Barbie Diamond Princess!

"Yes, I got the movie I wanted!" Olivia opening her gifts from us and her grandparents. We made a stop at her Grandma Rene's before we ate at Apollo Burgers for dinner.

Olivia had a great birthday! She brought home the sweetest cards from her class. Most of them had pictures of "chitas" aka cheetahs, since they found out today it is her favorite animal. They also said things like "I love your glases" and "I like you becaus you are always nice". 2nd graders are so adorable!

We love you Olivia!

Olivia's Tea Party!

Olivia opening the presents.

Lighting the candle on Olivia's cupcake.

Kirk and Zach were the "man-servant" and "butler". Kirk would only do what Olivia told him to and Zach used an English accent. The girls absolutely LOVED it! They just laughed and laughed. By the way, the boys VOLUNTEERED and came up with their jobs. Seriously! Could you find a nicer pair of brothers??

The "tea" was apple juice and we had ham and cheese sandwiches cut out with little cookie cutters. I found the cute toothpicks at Target! We have several tea sets, so they each had a cup and plate.

Another visitor...

Grandpa Montgomery from Missouri decided, finally ;) to come for a visit! It's been a few years but usually I take the kids out for a visit.

Grandpa and the girls

Olivia and Lauren at school

These are the happy smiles of two best friends who show up at the "evening of reading" and find that they have the exact pajamas on! They were giggling the rest of the night. It's so fun to be young and carefree.

Never point a laser at anyone's eyes

I had put extra money in our Flex account for braces for my two sons. Turns out, however, that the doctor decided Zachary should wait another year and so I was left with extra money that we were going to lose if it wasn't used. Stephenie thought about Lasik, but decided with the adoption it wasn't a good time for her. So, at the last minute, I decided to have my eyes burned. I was scheduled for Lasik yesterday. It seems funny to let someone shine a laser in my eye to make me see better, but I'm hoping for the best. Anyway, just as we were leaving for the eye center I got a call saying that when they fired up the machine it had an error code and the technician needed a new part. So, my surgery was put off. I was a little irritated because I had arranged for the day off and had everything scheduled for work so I could do this.

They called back an hour later and said they could have me go to another of their centers an hour and half further two days later or I could wait a week and then have it done at their center. They told me they would provide a shuttle for me and take another $200.00 off of the price. So, I guess it will all work out somehow (I told them I didn't want to be the first person since there ws a repair on the machine, though!). I still have to pay for a portion of the surgery and having that much more taken off is actually quite nice. This is Olivia's birthday and I hope that we will have no problems going somewhere for her birthday that evening. She's turning 8 and it should be special for her.

So, maybe next Wednesday I'll be without glasses and our Flex account will be empty and Olivia will be ready for baptism!