Guanzhou Adventures

We flew from Zhengzhou to Guanzhou on Friday. I had intended to do a better job of blogging, but  keeping up with six kids in a foreign country is a big job. Especially when two of them are going through the biggest transition of their lives! We are referred to as "the big family." It is not uncommon for Chinese people to stop and stare at us open-mouthed or to audibly count the children while shaking their heads in wonder.

Our flight here was quite turbulent. Isaac had a messy accident. I think it was a combination of stress and my lack of understanding his words. He ended up sitting in his messy pants until we landed because there was nowhere to change him. Since then I have kept him in a diaper just in case! It makes both of us feel a little more relaxed. But we are beginning to understand each other a little better. 

Joshua continues to amaze us with his resilience. He wants to please and tries hard to be a good boy. Everyone we meet who can speak Chinese with him tell us what a smart and charming boy he is. He is very impressed with Andy's strong muscles and tells everyone how strong his BaBa is. We have skyped with our Chinese friend, Gloria, a couple of times. It is funny to hear the boys jabbering away to her. I'm sure it is comforting to them to know that there is at least one person in America who speaks Chinese. Our guides have been a big help, too, in communicating with them. But mostly we just muddle through and do the best that we can. 

Last night we decided to celebrate by going to a fancy restaurant here at the hotel. All of the children behaved beautifully through the long meal. By the end of it, the boys had charmed the waitresses to the point that they were bringing them whatever they asked for.  Joshua ended up getting a hamburger in addition to the spaghetti we had ordered for him. They also brought him a plate of strawberries (compliments of the chef!) They were funny as they chatted with the waitresses while we looked on without a clue about what they were saying. 

His personal assistant at the restaurant.

Fancy food! It was fun to give the boys (and ourselves) this treat. They've come a long way from orphanage life! (Hopefully they won't get the idea that we live like this all the time!)

Today we did some shopping for souvenirs. The weather here has been awful. We were expecting it to be warm, but we have still needed our coats. It is damp and rainy. We went to Shaiman Island. All of the adoptive families used to stay there at the White Swan Hotel, but it closed for renovations for a year and a half! So we are staying in the city itself at the China Hotel. It is a nice hotel, but it doesn't have quite the same atmosphere.

The waterfall in the lobby of the (now closed) White Swan.

Six kids!

Lunch at Lucy's with the Zittles. They have American decor and food. 

Isaac has seemed a little more content today. Both of the boys have a lot to learn about what it means to live in a family, but we are looking forward to celebrating all of their small victories together.  

God has been so good to us! A couple of the kids are struggling with some stomach issues and Caleb and Josiah have colds. So we are praying for good health for all as we draw nearer to our long journey home. Thanks so much for praying for us!