Wednesday, June 14, 2017

“We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God’s very own hands.” ~Kristi Larson

The Consulate, A Cruise & A Birthday Wish…

Hi Everyone,

Today is Connor’s 13th birthday...WOW! Happy Birthday Connor! We’re singing to you from China and wishing you a very special birthday day! There are now six teenagers is this family....Hurrah! We are so very blessed to be parents to this bunch of kids.

On this side of the ocean, we spent the morning at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou finalizing Lucas’s adoption paperwork. His file is now stamped and we can get his visa to enter the United States on Friday. When he clears customs/immigration in Seattle on Saturday, he will be a citizen of the United States of America. The best part is that Lucas was brave enough to talk to a stranger today and it was an important one. Since he is ten, he had to answer interview questions about his adoption with the consulate officer. I was relieved when that part was done.

We decided to do a bit of shopping today while we waited for the evening cruise. Off we went to eat lunch and see what we could see. It was a success. Jonathan now has CDs of some of his favorite music and we have the two bears cartoon the boys are enjoying so much on DVD. It is time to introduce the rest of the kids to this silly show. I guess it has replaced “The Pleasant Goat” from the past as the most popular kid’s show.

Lucas was stunned I think to see what happens when we decide to power shop. He couldn’t believe that we bought three bags of stuff. This is definitely a different life that what he has ever known. He was a trooper though…very patient, just surprised. His request…googles for swimming…and we found ones with an adjustable nose piece so they would fit his tiny nose. My wish list for shopping in China is basically done now. It feels good. We are definitely on the countdown to come home. Several of the families we are traveling with had their consulate appointment on Monday and they are heading home tomorrow. We will miss them.

We are very fortunate that this hotel has non-smoking floors. It is one of the few places where we can be sure to get away from the smoking. I didn’t realize how great it was until I got off on the wrong floor at one point today and discovered the difference if you are on a smoking floor. I’m looking forward to having drinking water in faucets and western style toilets everywhere again in just a few days. Such simple things, but they make life easier.

We spent the evening on a cruise boat on the Pearl River to see the lights of the city. We all enjoyed it and it was something quite different from what we have done so far on this trip. The Pearl Tower is a landmark building. It was built for the Asian Games in 2010 and was a TV tower, but now Kelly said it is just a decoration for the city.

Tomorrow we plan to go to the Safari Park here in Guangzhou since we have a totally free day. Hopefully we won’t have any rain to deal with. Overall we have only had a few minutes of rain here and there during our days in Guangzhou, but nothing super hard. We should have some fun animal pictures for you after our trip tomorrow so be sure to check back in…

Off To Get Some Sleep,
Brandy, Jonathan & Lucas