Activity Inside the "Shoe"

Inside the Shoe today, I overheard some giggles coming from the stairway. Oh...don't tell me... Jillian, who was home 'sick' with strep, was instructing Kate and Zoey in the fine art of sliding down the stairs. The first stage was bumping their little bottoms down each step. This resulted in a flurry of giggling. Next, as their courage grew, Jillian asked for volunteers to sit on her lap and take a ride. Zoey was the first to jump on board, and off they flew down the steps.

I wonder how long before they start looking for the baby mattress that they were using last time?

They also had a wonderful time emptying the dress-up bin. Poor Zoey, aka Sponge Bob, fell over and couldn't get up without help, due to her bulky costume.

New respect for Old Mother Hubbard

I'm glad I don't live in a shoe...but there have been occasional moments these past few days when I "have so many children, I don't know what to do." haha God has been merciful and things have been going pretty well but there definitely have been some uhhhh...moments.

Like when Zoey kept waking up every hour from 11:30 to 2:30 and then Kate woke up at 6:20 and thought it should be morning. She then woke Zoey up and the two of them were like sirens, awaking the entire family. It was close to the time the girls needed to get up for school, so they did. The whole squabbling mass of humanity stumbled down into the kitchen to forage for food. Some didn't get what they wanted and began to howl. Others loudly proclaimed what they needed for school snack. Mommy tried to keep it together with a prayer breathed to please help her cope. Finally they went off to school and the day got a bit better. There was a lull in the action while they napped and Mommy took Jillian to the doctor with a fever and sore throat. Upon returning home, we had to wake the girls up so they wouldn't sleep too long. Zoey got up with a smile but Kate went into total meltdown mode and screamed in my arms for an hour. That was fun. She needed to grieve, though. I think it was a delayed reaction to everything that has happened to her the past few weeks. She is smiling again today.

"Spanking everyone soundly and putting them to bed" sounded tempting but it would have taken far too much energy. haha Jeff is out of town so he told me I could just send number one son out for fast food every night so I don't have to cook. Fast food is not my favorite, but the truth is that I detest cooking. If I never had to cook again in my entire life, I would not miss it one iota. Isn't it amusing that I hate cooking and yet end up with a humongous family? God has such a sense of humor. I'm trying to laugh, too. hehe

I'm sure we will eventually get into a groove but right now it's pretty much chaos at dawn.

Some cute moments this morning.... Jordan and Kate, two peas in a pod, snuggled for a few minutes on the couch. Later, Jake and Zoey, also two peas in a pod (God, help us, please!) were jumping back and forth from the couch to the ottoman. How Zoey can jump on that sore leg is a mystery, but the girl is a rock!

Home Sweet Home

The kids are in bed and I am fading fast from jet-lag, but I will try to send a quick update. Thank you so much for praying for us. We could feel the prayers!

The girls are going through the usual transition. It's never easy but they are doing as well as can be expected. They are both terrified of their room. Kate slept in the same room as her foster parents, and Zoey slept with a room full of kids. Every time I carry them up there to get a diaper change or get them dressed, they both freak out and start screaming. I tell them 'no sleep' in Chinese but I don't think they believe me. ha The first week home is always the hardest part of the adoption, so each day should get better.

Jake is very jealous and Kate has taken a strong dislike to him. The first thing he did when he met her was take a toy away and she is holding a grudge. They did hug each other once today and smiled, so I think they will eventually be friends.

The other kids are doing well and having fun playing with their new sisters. Ryan and Taylor, who groaned at the thought of two more little tykes running around, have been holding them and working hard to gain acceptance. It blesses me so much to see them welcome their little sisters home. This afternoon at nap time, the girls were screaming and Taylor volunteered to lie down on the floor in their room until they fell asleep. Awwww....so sweet.


Photos from the trip home...

Baby and Kate sit on the luggage at the airport in Hong Kong


Baby checks out our plane before we board


Two happy, brand new American citizens! And Happy Birthday, Kate!


A sweet and thoughtful friend had this "Welcome Home" and "Happy Birthday, Kate" cake waiting for us at home.


Our friends not only babysat our kids, they made banners welcoming us home!




Chloe's kindergarten class also made signs to welcome the girls and their very own Baby home to the USA


Our eight youngest treasures - the older boys were at camp over the weekend

We're home!

Wow...it was so weird to log into my blog and not have it be in Chinese!

We made it home, despite delay after delay. We were originally supposed to arrive home at 3:30PM on Friday and ended up getting home at 12:30AM Sat., which meant that it was 2:30AM by the time we got home. By the time we got the girls fed (because it felt like lunch time to our bodies) and in bed, it was 4AM. argh. But hey...at least our plane didn't crash into the Hudson!

I will post more later, with pics, after I get some sleep. But just so you know, the girls did very well meeting their large group of siblings today! Thank you so much for your prayers. We appreciated them more than you could know

Yesterday, the girls and I were at a park and noticed some couples dancing. Our helper told me that that they come every day and dance for exercise. They were so graceful. It was fun to watch and reminded me of watching my grandparents dance. We eventually attracted a crowd, all wanting to know if the girls were twins. Since our helper was Chinese and could converse, she was peppered with questions. At one point she looked at me and said, “They ask too many questions, too fast, I cannot answer.” I just stood there looking like I was watching a tennis match with my head swiveling back and forth as they all spoke at once. Finally one woman dug in her purse, produced her camera and asked to get her picture taken with us. Her friend jumped into the photo, as well. Too funny!! This happens a lot and I always wonder what they tell their friends. “Oh…we asked a stranger on the street for a photo and here it is.” I had our helper take one on my camera too. So…here is MY photo with some strangers on the street in China. ha

We are safely in Hong Kong, preparing for our last leg of an amazing journey to get our daughters. The girls are currently crying in stereo because they don’t want to go to bed.

Friends of ours in Hong Kong arranged for a van to pick us up at our hotel in Guangzhou and drive us to HK, so that we didn’t have to deal with schlepping our ridiculous amount of luggage through the airport or train station. It was very much appreciated! We had a very comfortable ride from our hotel to the doorstep of our friends’ home. It was a beautiful day and we ate lunch outside and then walked around the infamous Stanley Market. Jeff still had a list of items that Taylor had requested, so he did his best to fulfill Taylor’s wishes. And no, Taylor, they will not allow us to bring fireworks onto the plane.

We had fun catching up with our friends and the day passed way too quickly. Baby thought that Hong Kong was very beautiful but he is bummed that his people only got one picture of it from the van. The rest turned out blurry. Sorry about that! Baby did pose in the window of our friends’ house, though, so you can see the water and mountains in the background.



We are always sad when we leave China. We love being here, we love how friendly the people are, and we love getting to know our children’s country a bit more each time. We are anxious to see our kids at home, though, so we must say “Zaijian” to China. (Kids…. I bet you can guess what the word Zaijian means! It means, ‘good-bye’ in Chinese. It is pronounced: zy geon. )

Some random thoughts as we leave….
--It’s the last time for awhile that I will smile and say hello to so many people in one day—and get a big smile in return!
--I probably won’t hear horns honking at cars waiting in line at a toll both in the US
--I won’t be in danger of getting T-boned by a bicycle while I’m riding in a car
--I’ll be able to use tap water to brush my teeth
--I forgot how good it feels to walk everywhere until I spent these past two weeks in China
--I won’t have strangers asking to get their picture taken with me
--I won’t see grandma’s carrying babies who are wearing ten layers of clothing to keep warm, but leave their freezing little butt cheeks hanging out of their split pants
--I will deeply miss China because I love to come here

Speaking Chinglish

You know how you begin to pick up an accent when you visit a place like Canada or down South? Jeff and I now find ourselves speaking to each other in Chinglish. We don't bother using a full sentence like, 'Yes, we have it." Instead, it has now become, "Yes. We have." We say other things like: "No problem for you," and "Very cheaper for you." Since it's harder to understand English speakers when we use contractions, we have stopped using them. We now sound very stilted, which gets amusing when I hear Jeff talking to other Americans and forgetting he can use contractions. So rather than saying, "We'll go to the store," we use the formal, "We will go to the store." Other fun phrases, 'Come and have a look,' "have some healsy (healthy) water," and "This one please." (This is from the elevator guy who waits for the 'ding' sound of the elevator arriving. Then, stating the obvious, he points to the elevator and says, 'this one please.') Jeff finds this highly amusing, so if there is no elevator guy, and Jeff hears the ding, he makes sure he turns around and tells me, 'this one please.')

This afternoon, my Chinese helper and I were heading back to the hotel when she decided that I should go shopping for some new clothes since they are 'very cheaper for you here.' Sigh.... I knew it would be fruitless. Nothing fits me here. Sometimes however, it is just easier to go along, rather than try to explain. So off we went into the sea of holiday shoppers with two strollers. Like I said, it's like Christmas shopping-on-steroids. It is their Chinese New Year soon, so they have an even higher volume of shoppers. Compound that with the blaring music in each store and you have a recipe for utter chaos and noise. I am no stranger to shopping in heavy crowds, but I leave the kids at home. My sweet helper was determined that I would find something, so we went to shop after shop. After two hours, she had to admit defeat and head to the hotel.


The girls did very well today without Jeff being here. Last night was a bit rough for Zoey but today she was fine until about 30 minutes before his return. She began to cry off and on. When she saw him, she burst into tears and held her arms out. My heart turned over! She was SO happy to see her Baba again.

Neither child is used to being disciplined, so when I have to tell them no, they get a bit peeved. Kate's knickers were in a twist much of the morning because I wouldn't let her have Coke. Overall though, both of them are very happy the majority of the time. They are doing remarkably well!

Yesterday we saw these dismembered manequin body parts lying in the bushes. It looked like something from a CSI show. A guy was leaning over examining them and before we knew it, he picked up the torso and carted it off! I didn't get my camera out quick enough to get his photo, but here is the rest of the 'body.' We passed it several times that day and each time, the parts had been rearranged. Last night, they were gone. I wonder what happened to them?


We leave for Hong Kong in the morning. We will spend the night there so that we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to catch our Friday morning flight home.
Here are some more pictures of our time in China.


Parking lot for bikes


Interesting modes of transportation




If traffic is heavy, no problem. Just drive on the sidewalk. And don't forget to honk at pedestrians because you can now act as though you have the right of way.


"Your washing machine is on the delivery vehicle, Ma'am."

Very Fresh Meat

Taking the Oath

Today was our U.S. Consulate appointment where Zoey and Kate received visa's to enter the United States. Each time we raise our hands to take the oath for our kids, I get teary eyed. Zoey and Kate have no idea the gift of citizenship they are being given, but as their Mama, I am acutely aware. When those visa's in their passports are stamped in Chicago, the girls will become U.S. citizens. Kate will have this momentous event occur on her 3rd birthday! We were not allowed to take camera's to the Consulate, so there are no photos to share.

We did nothing else noteworthy today, so I will post some random pictures from the last few days.



Jeff wanted me to take this picture to show the lack of railing next to this drop off into the canal.


If you send your clothes out to be laundered, they will come back neatly folded and/or pressed and packaged.


Follow the Leader...Baby follows, too


Signs that brought a smile to our faces...

Beef...it's what's not for dinner

Baby decided he wanted to try some authentic Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese is much different than northern Chinese food. The northern Chinese have a saying that the Cantonese will eat anything with legs, except a table. After seeing today's choices, Baby would probably agree! These were some of the choices at a nearby restaurant.


Yes, these ARE huge waterbugs
Baby decided that he would rather just have a bottle of milk and forget about dinner
Our hotel in a district that is surrounded by many stores. They are not the type of stores we would normally buy from, but we decided to take a look around. The number of people crowded into the available space was astonishing. Even I was overwhelmed! It was like Christmas shopping at the mall…on steroids. The population is so dense here that the Chinese are not used to the same amount of personal space that Americans are…which brings me to my next funny moment.

Yesterday at church, Jeff and I were sitting in a pew with the girls. We had our diaper bag and jackets on the seat…so we were kind of spread out. I should have known better. Part way through the service, a young girl came in and started to move into the pew we were sitting in. As I was trying to move our stuff so that I could scoot over and sit beside Jeff, the girl just wedged herself between us and sat down! Jeff and I smothered smiles and spent the rest of the service handing baby toys to each other behind her.

I went to my usual place to get a massage. I had a wonderful, hour-long massage for about $12.50! It was heavenly. Her shop is pretty bare bones, but it’s clean. She then wanted to shampoo and style my hair. I noticed while she was doing this that the shampoo bottle had a very odd translation. It was: “…for the energy and superior fertilizer for dry, forked hair.” No idea what forked hair is? Jeff says that he wants to try out the hair fertilizer and see if he can get some of his hair back!

The girls are feeling so much better. They still have slight colds, but I think they are almost over their illness. Zoey goes in and out of liking me. Jeff had to go to the Consulate this afternoon to straighten out a paperwork issue, and she stood by the door crying hysterically and saying, “Baba, Baba.” I felt so bad for her!! It was naptime, so after I held her a bit (she let me, so that was good!), I put her in bed. She was so mad! She did finally go to sleep, and when she woke up, only cried for a little while. She then seemed fine and we went up to the roof to play by the pool and get some sun. (It's too cold to swim.) We are really praying that she gets used to Jeff being gone, because he has to leave tomorrow afternoon (Tue.) and won’t come back until Wed. evening. He has a plant here in China that he needs to visit (for work). He hired a local girl to come over to the hotel on Wed. to help push one of the girls in a stroller so that Mommy and girls aren’t stranded in our hotel room all day. Amazing how little it costs to do this (wish I could do it at home—haha).

Baby works out on the roof of the hotel

Stylin' girls

We started out this morning by heading to church. We always go to church here in Guangzhou, and it is always amazing to me to be able to worship with our Chinese friends.

While out shopping, a group of about 15 young children walked by with their teachers. The teachers wanted the children to use their best English phrases to try to talk to us. The kids were so cute and tried very hard to say things like, “Hello, nice to meet you,” “My name is ----“ etc. The teachers asked Jeff and I to sign our names in the children’s notebooks, so each child lined up for our autographs.



It was a beautiful day here – not like home where we got a blizzard. Ugh. We took the kids for a walk by the river and then Jeff suggested I do a bit of shopping and he would stay at the park with the girls. It seems they are all bored out of their minds while I am deciding what/if to buy. While I was gone, Jeff made the girls strollers into a double stroller. There was a group of old men watching him and when he succeeded in getting it to work, they all began to applaud!

Yes, this contraption is all one piece!

Eating lunch at "I Love Lucy's"