Gotcha!!!!!

Gotcha Quinn!! What a dollie he is!! This child was truly meant to be with my family. He is such a jokster and will love his Daddy. He told the coordinator today that if she could guess the English words he knew he would pay her $20 USD and laughed at her. He kept making jokes with her too. Quinn said he likes his name and smiled great big when we told him he was named after his Grandpa! He is healthy and happy and small! Not much bigger than Janie :)

Alex is loving being a big sister!

I will post more pictures later!

In Changsha ~

We are finally in Changsha, Hunan!!! It was a bumpy ride but made it.

We originally were supposed to get Quinn in the afternoon now we get him @ 10AM!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!! So for those not aware of the timezone difference, that will be about the time you go to bed (13 hours difference)!

Alex on the Great Wall

There are a few more pics posted off to the side!

Beijing is almost behind us! Next Stop QUINN!!!!

Yesterday we had a great day! We visited the great wall and made it a good ways up. Alex said she could climb a long way ... I said Mommy is old and I am out of breathe :) On the way down she said that she was glad we turned around to come back. She could hardly make the steps because some of them were as deep as her legs were long. Plus it was drizzling rain and a little slippery. Once we left the Great Wall we went to Summer Palace and took a dragon boat ride. It is very beautiful there!

Alex and I came back to the hotel then ... she layed down and was asleep in 5 minutes ... so on came the jammies and I was out too. I wasnt feeling so hot anyway .. the bus made me car sick! We finally got some sleep!!!!! It is now 3:05M and we are wide awake waiting on room service because we had no dinner! Alexandra has not been eating well and they had Pasta so .... she gets!

This morning @ 10:30 we leave for the airport to go to Changsha in Hunan Province. It is here that we will be united with Quinn tomorrow afternoon! :) I can hardly wait. Alex will love this to because her play mate is leaving for Guangzhou this morning. Changsha holds a very warm place in my heart and always will. We will be staying @ the Dolton Hotel. This is the place that we were united with our beautiful two daughters! I feel so lucky to be able to share these important details with Alex while we are there. I still remember the exact spots that we were in the day we met! Alex acting like the world was good and looking around at everything and Janie crying and climbing me like a monkey! :) I hope Quinn has a fun memorable mark on the meeting too but most of all I hope he likes us to!

Sleep Deprived ~

I believe you could officially say we are sleep deprived now. I have had maybe 2 hours and the alarm is due to go off in an hour. Alex slept about 2 hours and then was up 3 and now back down again. I hope she can sleep a few more hours! I decided to organize the pics I had taken so far ..... Yes, I have enough to organize Owen :) Here is one of Alex! She is too cute!

Sightseeing ~

Today we started the day with sightseeing at the Forbidden City and Tianemen Square. Alex was absolutely amazed and loved it. Her art teacher will love having a conversation about the beautiful artwork. I have to admit, I am really surprised that she didnt ask more questions. She staying in front of the group next to the guide when she was talking about it so she wouldnt miss anything.

We found a buffet lunch down the street. Now, if any of you know anything about crossing a street in China that was four times an adventure. Talking about grabbing my daughter and going!

Funny story ... this morning I went to blow dry my hair and the plug would not fit into any of the electrical outlets or my converter. So, feeling like a fool, I called the front desk for help. The gal didnt know anything about it. Left for a minute and then came back. She pulled out the drawer on the desk that houses another outlet ..... plugged it in and walked off! I was told tonight that they have an outlet that will house any current!

Tonight we went to the Chinese Acrobat show. Awesome! I would highly recommend it to anyone. We had a nap right before and the alarm clock didnt go off. Our coordinator had to call and wake us up ... talk about embarassing... the whole group was downstairs waiting! Hopefully, we will sleep tonight. We are functioning good but just tired!

The hotel is very nice .... equal to the White Swan in comparison I suppose except the lobby is smaller.

Good Night ~ I love you Owen, Janie & Quinn! I will see you in a few days sweetheart! :) I can hardly wait!

The Big Bird In The Sky Has Landed!!!

We are finally in Bejing now and enjoying stretching our legs. We flew NorthWest Airlines and could not have been happier with them. The service was fabulous. Now, Alex @ the age of 7 saying "Wow, are they serving us food again ... This is great service Momma" It was too cute. I probably wont eat for 2 days after all of the food they gave us.

I think in all of the flying we did I had to remind Alex twice that there were no loud noises on the plane and to get off the dirty floor. Other than that she earned her wings today! What a girl! I am super proud of her ... now for that 17 hour flight back to Tokyo. We are hoping to sleep better on the next flight .... I think we both had 3 hours sleep.

Airport switches went fine and couldnt have been better! Now, if it will go that smoothly going home we will have it made. On the way back, there will only be 3 families with the remainder traveling the next day.

Owen sorry, I wasnt able to get a good connection to update you. I have left you a message and email. I LOVE YOU and JANIE!!!! Soon, we will be a family of 5!!!!

Today is finally the Day!!!

Today is finally the day that we leave for China ~ Momma will be there soon Qi! Hoping for quick travels and a less bouncy Alexandra! Poor little Alex has a backpack that weighs more than her I think but refuses to take anything out of it .... so, this could be interesting. First Stop Detroit ... then Tokyo... with last stop being Beijing!

Almost Airborne ~

Tomorrow Alex and I will be Airborne to China!!! Today is busy trying to finalize the last minute details before leaving and wondering what I have forgotten. Hopefully nothing. However, my packing strategy may change drastically. Northwest is enforcing the weight limit on international luggage and am way over. We may end up mailing the clothing to the orphanage or seeing about different luggage. Yikes! I would rather spend $150 in China on you than give it away!

Your room is ready for you finally ~ with the exceptions of picutres on the wall. When we get settled a bit at home, we will go shopping and you can decide what you want!

Yesterday, I received an updated photo of you also and have posted out to the side for everyone else to see! You have grown and become more handsome than ever!

Now the countdown begins to Gotcha Day 9/1!

The packing is done FINALLY!!

I am sure you would loe to see how your room looked while I had everything out. What a big mess! It is picked up now and everything is almost in order for you Mr. Prince!

What a hard few days this has been of packing ~ but it is finally done! Ok, so I dont have our sandals or Momma's makeup packed yet so that could change. Worst case scenario you and Alex lose one or two of your outfits. I have a few more packed for you than me. The large suitcase is 59 lbs and the weight limit with China Domestic is 44 lbs. We may be fined for the overage. Hopefully, they will have mercy on us! Once you join us in Changsha, I will lose quite a few things. I bought clothes for the older children in the SWI and the gifts.

Tomorrow will be a full day of cleaning and organizing the paperwork and looking over the notes from the conference call on Wednesday! We are SOOOOO excited! :) I cant wait to give you a big ol' hug!

4 Days Left (Almost 3) ~

I can hardly believe that there are 4 days left. Soon, this day will come to an end and we will be 3 days out! Today I have been packing and re-packing ... I bought a new carry on tonight so that I could make everything work. Several months back I bought quite a few pieces of Gymboree clothing for some of the older children in the orphanage. So, had to make sure that it would all go. I didnt realize how much I had bought! Tomorrow, I will be ironing everything and getting Janie's clothes ironed for the next 14 days too! So, you know what tomorrow looks like for me. I am off Monday and Tuesday to prepare last minute things before Wednesday morning arrives.

The time has finally come for us to be united! Just a few more days ~ Gotcha Day is 9/1 Sweetie!! Now, I just hope that you are as excited as I am.

One Day Closer ~ We are almost there!

One day closer now my sweet boy!

We had a busy weekend but more productive than before. I was able to catch up some things in the office and get a few more things done before leaving. Yes, I am becoming obsessed with the suitcase and packing list! We are so limited with the weight restrictions, etc that "necessities" are all that I can really take. We will have to go shopping if there is something that is needed. I have packed several times already and made a trip to the store this weekend to pick up our last items to take - I hope! Last night we took some family time off to go fishing. Today we had a fish fry in honor of Uncle Brian with a gathering of family and close friends. It was nice. I took lots of pic's for you of Daddy's side of the family and plan on creating a DVD to take to China with me for you. So, you were there alot today! Everyone was curious about your arrival and what our departure date was! Lots of excitement in the air despite a sad occassion.

Daddy is working up a big sweat over all of the hot fryers but had a minute to step in for a pic ... not so good though - I think he had other things on his mind!

** The Real TA Arrives **

Today our Federal Express package arrived with the actual TA in it and our schedules. I have not been able to sit down and see all of the information in it yet. But did see that we have a conference call next Wednesday that I will need to take off work for. We are very close now ... Momma will be there soon Qi!

Alexandra on First Day of School!

It is so hard to believe that Alexandra is almost 8 years old!! I am really getting old :) Today was the first day school! My little princess is in love with her skirt and spent the morning twirling and turning :) She informed me that she will be taking this to China with her ... Look out Qi! :)

Alexandra loves school so this was a really fun day for her. It excites me to see her wanting to go to school to learn. The teachers and staff are great. We are very fortunate. Qi I know you will love it just the same :)

School Already!

Hard to believe that school is starting today already! Janie is very excited about being in the Big K ... Alexandra is starting 2nd Grade also! They had a great morning and were bouncing out to the car with excitement. Just wait a few years, they might not be as excited :) Yesterday, we trimmed/cut hair, bathed, got french manicures, painted toe nails, etc. Janie actually got her hair cut off in to a short bob and she looks terrific! Your sisters are all beautified and ready to go! They were already beautiful to begin with though :)

China Travel Arrangements

We have our China Domestic Travel Schedule today!!!! Yeah!!! We will be staying at the Dolton in Changsha where I first met your sisters! Among many other places... that will be our second stop. I had asked if that was a possibility several months ago. Alexandra is very excited to see where her life began with us .. and Janie too :) Gotcha Day is 9/1 ... that is the best news of all! :)

One Day Closer!!

We are one day closer to you now Quinn!!!!! Yeah!!!! We have been spinning our wheels off and on today but have been semi productive. This morning started off a little rough when the drain in the garage backed up and flooded the bathroom and a little of the garage. Good thing Daddy is a whiz and fixed it quickly! At least I have a solid start with packing and the suitcase is out - your clothes are in the washer as we speak! :) Daddy has been adding new software to the girls computer today.

This morning we went to Best Buy to look at the battery packs for the portable DVD player. I looked at the lap tops again with stars in my eyes while Daddy stood there just looking at me ... I said, "Well, I guess I will just take some of my extra money and get me one" Off he walked ... Now if anyone knows Quinn's Daddy... they know that he cant stand that puppy dog look, especially out of his brown eyed wife (as he says)!!! Anyway, he said ... "Well, I guess I can afford a lap top for you" and sighed ... Alex is loving it btw! Little stinker :) I really like it when I get a chance to touch it :) I loaded a few games on it this afternoon for you and your sister!

China Domestic Flights

We are still awaiting our China Domestic Flights and Hotels to be finalized. Funny Story ~ The agency contacted me the other day to ask if I wanted a roll away bed for one of the children to sleep on and reminded me that the beds are smaller in China than the US, etc. She included the hotel charges of $30-$40/night for this. That is crazy high and is not Yuan ... US Dollars! So, I told DH that I think I will take me a taxi cab down to Wal-Mart in Hunan and buy one for a much cheaper price!

Today Joyce and the girls came by for lunch ~ We a breathe of fresh air that was!:) After they left, I tried to organize your room a bit and take things out of boxes, etc then picked out some cute little clothes for you! Lets see .... you have KC Royals, Baseball, Cars and of course Gymboree items! You will be just too cute in everything and will look like a handsome prince!

Tomorrow I have to go to the bank to have something notarized. After that, I plan on working towards having laundry finished and an idea of clothes for Alex and I to take plus a clean tidy house! Ok, so we will see how big this dream is ..... right! :)

19 Days until we get on the big bird in the sky and counting!!!!!!!!!!

Travel Approval Arrives

Today we received our Travel Approval via Federal Express along with medicals and photos of Quinn! What a sweet little face :)

International Flights and Consulate Appointment

Wow, what an agency!! They absolutely do not mess around. We had a confirmed Consulate Appointment and had an email that our International Flight choices could be made and paid for! Unbelievable ~ I looked everything over and decided to go through Detroit to Tokyo and on to Beijing. Pure Excitement!!!! We leave 8/27 and come home 9/10! Momma is on her way very soon son! :)

Another Weekend

Finally, a productive weekend!!! Yeah .. the hearth room is painted but not without a hitch! Yep, I am gonna blame this one on my sister for making the comment that one thing leads to another on a project. I got a water spot on the ceiling from stripping wallpaper border so decided that I need to paint the ceiling. While I was at it decided that it was a good idea to paint the rest of the room too and spruce it up a bit. While I was fixing the area around the water spot and removing the border, I pulled piece of what I thought was excess ... Well, it was not excess at all. Indeed it was an old wall paper that had been left on with the seams mudded. I had no idea that we had paper under neath. It just kept peeling!!!! Of course, the mess was right above the fireplace on the entry way! Gotta love it. Owen's buddy "Mr. Renovations" is going to come by and tell me what the best thing to do would be. So, the room looks fabulous with the exception of the fireplace!

Sunday afternoon I worked busily cleaning and trying to prepare things for our journey to Quinn. Turned out to be quite productive

******* TA Landing ********

We have a TA Landing!!!!! Yep, I got the call this morning @ 9:12am. Potentially, we will leave for China 8/27 and return on my a Very Special Person's Birthday on 9/10!! What a birthday present you will get Sister!!! The agency is trying to confirm a Consulate Appointment for me now. Alexandra will be joining me on the trip. She will be so excited when I finally tell her and will melt when she finds out we are going to Beijing too! :) I can hardly wait to get my hands on my sweet little son!!!! YEAH!!! More details next week on travels I am sure! I have lots to do in such little time! Tomorrow is going to be very busy but all GOOD! After the rotten month of July that we had .. for some reason, I just cant stop smiling today! Hmmmmm