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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Guangzhou

 
We arrived in Guangzhou on Saturday.
A typhoon had just made it's way through the area before our arrival, leaving hot and humid weather behind. 
Perfect weather for swimming,
or just splashing by the pool... 
 
We've spent quite a bit of time on Shamian Island.
The island is a famous historical area with beautiful parks, restaurants and tourist shops.
 




Of course we found the only Starbucks on the island.

Logan enjoying dinner on the island.


Tonight we enjoyed a river cruise on the Pearl River.
We went with the other families in our travel group.
It was a beautiful night and the view of Guangzhou was breathtaking.

 


 I'll soon post an update on Logan and how his transition is going,
but for now here is one last picture of our sweet boy and
a story about a new friend...
 
 
Jenni's Story
This is our new friend Jenni who we met while walking along the streets of Shamian Island. 
She was with her four year old son and stopped to ask about Logan. When I told her that Logan is our fifth child, she said that I had very good luck.
I told her that it wasn't luck, but that each child was a blessing.
Jenni asked what a blessing was, she said she had never heard that word before.  I told her that each child was a gift from God.
Her face lit up and she quickly showed me her necklace, pointed to the cross and said, "I know Jesus too, I am a Christian."
She took us to her store where we met her husband.  She told me the story of how she and her husband met at the church on the island, the church where they eventually would be married.
She said that her husband plays the calabash flute at the church each week. 
He played a song for us and it was a privilege to hear him play, he's an amazing musician.
Before we left, she gave me, Olivia and Julia each a bracelet that had a traditional family ball charm on it. 
She said they were gifts from her because we were her family in Christ.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Forbidden City

Today we visited the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
The Forbidden City was the imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty.  It was amazing to walk the grounds where emperors once walked.
 
Here are several pictures from our day...
Logan always likes to point at me when I take his picture.
 

It was an incredibly hot and humid day,
but that didn't stop us from having a fantastic time on our tour.



Logan seemed unimpressed by the rich history that surrounded him.

Logan playing with Jiejie Olivia's camera.

Our day ended with a tour of a local silk factory.
We were able to try our hand at making a silk comforter, but we weren't as skilled at it as these lovely women who make it look so easy.
 
Yesterday our adoption was finalized in China, it was very exciting to know that this little boy was officially our son.
Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we fly to Guangzhou where
Logan's medical exam and passport paperwork will be completed.
 
We are so thankful to everyone for your continued prayers and encouragement
and I'll post more when we arrive in Guangzhou...
 


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Meet Logan.

We are overjoyed
to finally introduce you
to our son
Logan David

 ADOPTION DAY!
Meeting Baba (daddy).

Mama's joy.

Logan walked in holding his caregivers hand,
as soon as he saw us he called us mama and baba.

He is amazing!

It was obvious that the orphanage director loved our little boy very much.
She told us that we were now family and that we were welcome back any time.

 We had brought him a special backpack filled with goodies.

His favorite item was the toy phone.
Leaving his handprint on the paperwork at the Civil Affairs office.

He is incredibly smart.
It didn't take him long to master the stacking cups.

Taking his first walk with his new family.

Meeting Ross and Ella via Skype.

He loves his big sisters!



Having fun in the hotel pool.

We are so blessed and privileged to be given the opportunity
to parent this beautiful child.

More pictures coming soon...

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Beijing.

It's a rainy Sunday evening here in Beijing. 
Back home it's early Sunday morning.
 
We arrived safely in China on Friday afternoon after almost 17 hours of flights and layovers. 
 
When we checked into our hotel there was a folder waiting for us from our agency.  We were thrilled to find that the folder contained updated pictures of Logan!  Our little guy had grown and his adorable, little smile lit up each picture.
 
We had been up for a little over 24 hours, so after having settled in our room, we were all in bed by 5:00 p.m.
 
After a restful Saturday, our bodies were finally adjusted to the 12 hour time change and we were ready to explore the city.
 
Beijing is absolutely amazing. 
It's the largest city we've ever been in.
There are 21 million people living in the city and it seems that at least half of them have bicycles.
 
Today our local guide arranged a trip for us to the Great Wall.
Ascending this part of the Wall was quite a challenge, but we made it.
It was a very hazy day, so it was a bit difficult to get a good picture.



 
 Our guide had quite a day planned for us.  After the Great Wall we toured the local jade factory, which included a delicious lunch in their beautiful restaurant. 
 
Our day ended with a tour of Hutong Lane in a rickshaw.
 
While touring Hutong Lane we had the privilege of visiting with a local family in their home.
 
They were delighted to show us their "good luck" grasshopper that they keep in a cage in their courtyard.
 
It was a privilege to take in so much of Beijings rich history today.
And as we spent the day exploring the vast city, I would often think about the little boy who would soon be calling me "mama".
Our little boy, here in Beijing.
Our little one, who will be in our arms tomorrow... 



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Cocoons & Prayers.



Prayers

Tomorrow we leave.  My stomach is filled with butterflies as I type this.
This will be my last post until we’ve arrived in China.

We’re pleading for prayers.  Will you join us in praying for the following things?

*For Logan and his tender heart.  May our time together be well spent. May he come to understand our love and commitment to him.  May God ease his heartache as he transitions away from the only home he’s ever known.

*For travel mercies.

*For health and energy. (We arrive in Beijing at 2:40 p.m. after a 13 hour flight.)

*For Ross and Ella as we are apart.  May the Lord place His protective hand upon them.

*For Lani as she “holds down the fort” while we’re away.


Cocoons

Our family of six will soon be a family of seven and life as we know it will be drastically changed (and we couldn't be more ecstatic).  As we prepare to bring Logan home we want to express our gratitude for your love, support and prayers during the last ten months.  We will be forever thankful for the encouragement of family, friends and strangers, and for the new friendships
 that emerged along the way.

I am one blessed mama.

Life in our household is about to look drastically different.  Logan will call us "Mommy" and "Daddy"....yet, he won’t know what these words mean. He needs to learn that we will be the ones to fulfill his needs.  He needs to know that he can depend on us...and together we will help him learn what it’s like to be a family. 

In order to do that, we have specific things that we will do to help Logan adjust and begin the bonding process.

We will be "cocooning" for a while.  We'll be lying low...with the seven of us. We will be spending our days at home. We will try to decrease the amount of stimulation in our life as the seeds for attachment are planted.  With time we will venture out more and continually assess how our sweet boy is adjusting.

We look forward to you meeting our new son and we want him to meet all of you, once he’s comfortably made this transition.
We are so grateful for each of you.
Thank you for richly blessing our lives and praying us through.

With Love,
Rebecca & Tim

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Packing.

Only TWO more days until we leave!
Life has been a whirlwind of activity as we prepare,
but we're ready to go.

Olivia and Julia will be joining us on this next leg of our journey and
Ross and Ella will enjoy a staycation here at home with Aunt Lani.
Thank You Aunt Lani.

I'm completely convinced that packing is a true form of art, 
and I am truly not an artist.
We were told to pack light, yet there were many things 
that were on our "need to take" list.
So everything we needed to pack went into the school room, which quickly became packing central.

 But we were up to the challenge and our packing is now complete.
I'm hoping we have everything the four of us, plus one precious boy, will need.

We've received our itinerary for the final lap of our adoption journey.
Here's a peek at what the next 2 weeks will look like for us:
  • Thursday, August 8 - We leave bright and early for the airport!
  • Friday, August 9 - Arrive in Beijing at 2:40 p.m. (Beijing time)
  • Saturday, August 10 - Recover from jet leg.
  • Sunday, August 11 - Explore the Great Wall and Hutong Lane.
  • Monday, August 12 - Gotcha Day!
  • Tuesday, August 13 - Free Day.  
  • Wednesday, August 14 - We pick up Logan's adoption certificate, do the document notarization and apply for his passport.
  • Thursday, August 15 - Visit the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
  • Friday, August 16 - Fly from Beijing to Guangzhou.
  • Saturday, August 17 - Visa paperwork check and Logan's medical check.
  • Sunday, August 18 - Free day with optional activities.
  • Monday, August 19 - Pick up Logan's medical results.
  • Tuesday, August 20 - Free day with optional activities.
  • Wednesday, August 21 - Free day with optional activities.
  • Thursday, August 22 - Visa appointment and Oath taking ceremony.
  • Friday, August 23 - Visa pick up.
  • Saturday, August 24 - Fly from Guangzhou to Shanghai and then home!
The journey continues...

Saturday, August 3, 2013

10 months.



10 months ago we saw the picture
of a little boy that would change our lives forever.

We saw his sweet, little face and we fell in love.

In five short days we’ll be on our way to meet him.

Precious child…
the wait is over.
We’ll soon be there.