Goodbye Guangzhou...

We are packing up today and will be on our way back home soon! Our flight leaves at 9:00pm. We will leave the hotel at 5:00pm. We got up this morning, ate breakfast, and took a taxi to Shamian Island. The White Swan Hotel is there, and that is one of the places we went shopping this week. It is so pretty...lots of beautiful flowers:) We went to the White Swan to take some pictures on the famous red couch. It has been a tradition for years for adoptive families to take pictures of their children on the red couch. Betsy did very well, but had a melt down after several pictures. She loved the dresses we brought for her to wear! I just wanted to say one last time...thanks for all your prayers, comments, and emails!! This has been an awesome journey, and we are only just beginning:) Please pray for our endurance and patience during the long flights we have ahead of us. Thank you again for sharing in this special time with us.

Cruise, Birthday Cake, and Zoo!

 

This is a catch all post:) Last night we went on the Pearl River Dinner Cruise. It was fun, and the river was beautiful with all the lights of the city shining all around us. The food was good. I have heard so many stories about the food on the cruise...eat it...don't eat it...etc. We just ate what looked familiar...rice, noodles, veggies, and we were fine! We also enjoyed a little entertainment while on the cruise. When we got back to the hotel Sam's cake was delivered. Rebecca, our guide, made all the arrangements for that...she's great!!  Sam loved it! It wasn't very big, but enough for us to all get a slice. Today we went to the zoo. We had great time, but everyone was tired. You could just tell the entire group was moving very slowly. I think we are all ready to get home! Three families leave tonight, and the other three(including us) will leave tomorrow. I haven't mentioned this on our blog, but our flight plans have changed. Instead of leaving early Friday morning and returning Friday night, we will leave Friday night and arrive in Huntsville at 10:34am Saturday. We would love to see you at the airport!

Happy Birthday Sam!!

April 6, 1999 Samuel Caldwell Evans was born. Sam is a great kid and an awesome big brother to four siblings now. We never would have imagined that on Sam's 12th birthday we would be in Guangzhou, China adopting a little girl. We have had a good day. We Skyped with my parents and Hugh and Henry this morning. They had a Happy Birthday sign, party hats, and a chocolate cake!! It was so sweet:) We are getting a cake to celebrate with Sam tonight. Shhh...don't tell! Some of the kids Sam and Ellie have gotten to be friends with gave him gifts this morning, and had a little party in their room. Today we also had our consulate appointment. All went well...although, Todd and I were the LAST family to be called to finalize everything. I was beginning to get a little worried! When we were done it was such a good feeling. Tonight we are going on the Pearl River Dinner Cruise. I will post about that and more pics of Sam's big day later:) One more thing...the napkin on Sam's head was the closest we could get to a party hat!!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory...Ephesians 3:20-21a

Betsy at Bedtime!

 When we went shopping Monday on Shamian Island I bought Betsy a pair of PJ's. She loves them!! I had to do a post with her in her new pajama's. She has them on right now...at 1:20 in the afternoon! As soon as we got in today she put them on. They are so soft, and of course I think she looks precious in them:) I took the pictures last night. She loves to get on a stool we have in the room and play in the bathroom with my makeup. She is so girly and sassy!!

Botanical Gardens...Beautiful:)

Today we went to the Botanical Gardens, and had a great time! I took so many pictures..it was beautiful there. Our hotel provides strollers, which has been a blessing. Thankfully Betsy loves the stroller. We walked all over that place for an hour and a half. Betsy pretty much just wanted to stay in the stroller. She got out for a few pictures. I told Todd I would rather her be like that than not want to be in it at all. She got tired of me wanting to take her picture, but all in all was good about it. After we walked around the gardens our group met for lunch. Rebecca took us to a restaurant just outside the entrance to the gardens. It was good...a Chinese fast food noodle restaurant. I can't remember the name of it;) I have not mentioned the toilet situation in China in any of my posts until now! Most of you may know this, but for those of you who don't...they have lots of squatty pottys! I'm not going to go into full detail...just think about it and you will figure it out! Anyway, most restaurants do not have toilets in them. If you need to go to the restroom you go to a public restroom. Let me just say...today I had the worst restroom experience since I have been here!! Betsy needed to go to the bathroom, so I took her outside the restaurant to the public restroom. It was so dirty...she would not go! It took us three times going back and forth before she finally would go to the bathroom. She refuses to use a squatty potty! Thankfully everywhere we have gone they have a regular toilet along with the squatty's. She used the regular one, but I completely covered it with antibacterial wet wipes before she got up there! If your going to China...take plenty of those, and packets of tissues:) Ok...enough of that! We are having a good time, but are getting ready to be at home. We appreciate all your emails, comments, and prayers...can't say that enough! I am posting pictures from today and last night when we went to eat at the Italian restaurant I mentioned a day or two ago. It was really good:)

Ten Ways to Describe Our Sweet Girl:)

I said in the post before this one that I didn't sleep well last night due to a cappucino. Well, after much tossing and turning this is what I began to think about...Betsy! This precious child is a pure delight. Now this doesn't mean she's perfect and there are no issues, but she is a unique little girl. She is truly a gift from God! This is what I came up with to let you know more about her.

 

Brave

Extrovert

Tickleish

Sassy

Yogurt Lover

 

Extremely Girly

Very Smart

Awesome at Coloring

Never Gives Up

Special

Dinner Last Night...More Shopping Today!!

We had a great time last night getting together with the other families staying at The Garden. Before dinner we all met downstairs at 5:30pm to take a few pictures. Rebecca, our guide, had her husband come and take a group picture of all the families. Counting us there are six families in our group. It has been such a blessing getting to know them. Sam and Ellie have made some new friends too! Rebecca said she would get all of us a copy of the group picture. After that we got all the kids together. Betsy did not like the idea of me putting her down for the picture. I thought I was going to have to get in the picture with her. There were two other kids whose parents were having to hold them as well. Finally she decided she would sit with Sam. We snapped away and I got one pretty decent picture. When the picture taking was over we walked over to the restaurant. I said yesterday it was Italian, but I was wrong. We went to a Thai restaurant. The food was good. The menu was extremely large...so many choices. Todd got something really spicy with curry in it. His eyes were watering! After dinner we went to a different place for dessert. It was delicious! I had a cappucino with my dessert, which kept me up most of the night!! Usually caffeine doesn't bother me, but it did last night! This morning we met downstairs at 9:30am. We had to go back to the medical center so three of the six kids could have their arms checked where they did the TB test on Saturday. Betsy was one of the three. She cried when we walked in that room again and the woman looked at her arm. She thought they were going to stick her again...poor baby:(  Our stop there was really quick, and we were on to shopping again!! Today we got lots of good deals on everything from shoes to tea sets...we had so much fun(at least I did...don't know about the boys;) Betsy LOVED trying on shoes! She tried on alot , and never complained. That's my girl!! We are back at the hotel now , and she is taking a nap. We literally shopped till we dropped!