Terracotta Warriors - May 11,2010

Yesterday we went to visit the Terracotta warriors. We started at the factory where the Terracotta warrior souvenirs are made; these are of a higher quality than what the local farmers sell at the discovery site. We then went to see the actual Terracotta warrior discovery site. The pictures and video do not do justice to the actual magnitude of the site. We walked all of pit 1 which has the largest number of warriors. We also saw some archeologist digging and cleaning new pieces of the First Emperor's army. We, as a family, had a great day; lots of laughing which felt SO good. Shae is warming up to us more and more each day. This was a long day of walking and Shae walked almost the whole way. What a trooper. Once back at the hotel, we went to eat dinner and Shae started calling us "Ma Ma, Ba Ba, and Ge Ge," when we would go up to the buffet. We found out that she has a good set of lungs. :) Today is a free family day to rest and enjoy each other; what a treat compared to the non-stop running.

Transition Day

Shae woke up this morning peacefully. We only had about a five minute episode of crying in the morning on our way to breakfast. This was a great improvement over last night. We thank everyone for their prayers for our family. We went back to the Civil Affairs Office to finish the adoption paperwork. Our interview was with the Director's assistant and wasn't that bad at all. Then Jared and I went on a Xi'an City adventure looking for an adapter to Jared's DS as his broke in Beijing. We saw a lot of what we would call back streets and it was interesting but I kicking myself as I didn't have a camera. Karen and Shae went to get her passport together and get some supplies for the room. Then we went out to eat as a group and had some wonderful food. Then we just went back to the room and gave Shae a bath and watched a movie. This was such a better day for all involved.

Gotcha Day

Well the day we have been waiting for the last 4 years has finally arrived!!! We left Beijing early Sunday morning and headed to Xi'an City. Once we landed we were met by our facilitator, JoJo, who took us to our hotel to drop off our luggage and freshen up before we went to the Civil Affairs Building. At 4pm we went to the Civil Affairs building, the room was small and crowded with waiting families and their adopted babies. Shae Rose wasn't there when we arrived, but Karen was the first to see her and got a picture of her coming off the elevator. The visit with Shae went well at the Civil Affairs office until it was time to leave and for her to say good-bye to Amanda, the director of Starfish foster home. Shae started crying uncontrollably and calling out for Amanda. This went on for most of the night but we did have a few hours where we were able to divert her attention and she was happy, like watching Scooby Doo with Jared and cutting and eating her watermelon at the hotel's restaurant. When Karen saw the huge platter of fruit coming our way she said, "oh my goodness" and Shae Rose promptly said as plain as day, "oh my goodness." Please pray for God to heal her broken heart and give us the strength and patience we need to get her through the transition. Also, say a special prayer for Jared who is struggling with all of Shae's crying, as he doesn't comprehend the magnitude of her loss.

Sightseeing Day 2

We had our second day of sightseeing in Beijing. We started off going to the Fangshan orphanage, which was established for children who can't be adopted because they have a living relative. The founder of Living Hope, Samual Fang, is the person who established this orphanage and 2 others in China. The older kids performed 3 wonderful dances for us and the younger kids sang Amazing Grace in both Chinese and English. After this we toured the orphanage and ate lunch with the kids. After the orphanage we headed to the Great Wall. The Wall didn't disappoint anyone. This was a great experience and this is one of the activities that Jared was looking forward to the most. From the Great Wall we went back to Beijing and did a drive by the Cube (Olympic Swimming) and the Bird's Nest where the 2008 Olympic Opening and Closing ceremonies, along with the Track and Field events, were held. We ended our day with a wonderful Peking Duck dinner. Well, we are packing now and getting ready to head to Xi'an City tomorrow morning to get our daughter!! This is the part that doesn't seem real...........

May 7, 2010

Title: We made it/ Sightseeing in Beijing


We made it to China safely! The whole process went smoother then I thought it would be but the flight from Newark to Beijing was long!!! Jared did the best of the three of us on the flight, we were proud of him for that. Once we landed and got to our hotel (King Wing Hot Spring Hotel). we went to dinner with another family that is adopting and our guide Lisa. There wasn't any forks so we all had to use chop sticks. and for Jared and I that was a challenge. This was Jared's first time using chop sticks (see picture) and he did a great job. We then went back to the hotel and crashed. Today was a day packed with sightseeing in Beijing. We went to the Tianan Men square, the Forbidden City,Temple of Heaven, shopping at the Pearl Market. and the Chaoyang Acrobat show. It was a very fun day experiencing another country's culture. It was amusing to see how the Chinese people responded to Jared; they usually stopped and pointed at his buzz cut and some even rubbed his head. One very old gentleman stopped,pointed at his hair, and stood there and chuckled. It really was sweet; they seemed to be taken by him. The pictures are of the Forbidden City and Jared with his new buddy, John, climbing a tree at the Temple of Heaven. Jared's and my favorite part was the Forbidden City, and while Karen enjoyed the sightseeing, her favorite was the company and conversation with Angie and Amy on the bus. That brings me to another point, the driving. There is no way I would last more than a day driving in Beijing. There are no rules and driving in a lane is an option. We really couldn't watch what was going on around us as it would stress us out. Well, that is about it for today. Tomorrow, we go to visit the Fangshan orphanage and the Great Wall.

Getting Things Ready

We have been busy over the past couple of weeks getting stuff ready for our trip. We can't believe that after 4 years we are finally bringing our daughter home. Jared's Swim Team threw us a shower last Sunday. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful. Also on Sunday, our pastor called us up front and explained that we were going to China to adopt our daughter. He explained that as Christians we are all adopted by God and adoption should hold a special place in our hearts. Jared has only 2 days left of school this year. He will be going into the 5th grade next year. We can't believe that it will be his last year of elementary school!! Jared is getting excited about the trip and he even asked an older boy what is it like to be a "big brother". Finally, we have posted some pictures of Shae that we have received over the past month. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel to get our Shae Rose.

Award Winning Day for Jared

Jared came home from school on Friday, April 16th, and surprised his mother with the announcement that he had a certificate in his book bag that he received from school that day. Unbeknownst to Jared, he had been selected as Christian Citizen of the Month for March 2010 by his teacher and classmates. He found this out during the morning announcements on "Lion T.V." There is one student per class per month who is selected for this award and these students have lunch with the principal in the Ministry Center at St. Luke School, receive a certificate, and are featured on the school website.

Later that evening we, as a family, attended the Hurricanes Swimming Annual Awards Banquet. Jared received the "Jump Start" Award for the 9-10 year old boys age group for the '09/10 swim season. Coach Mike stated that approximately half way through the season Jared "just took off," and the last 3 swimmeets that he attended were his best ever.

Way to go, Jared!!!