Its official, we have 6 kids!

Hard to believe we have 6 kids now!! So today we made the adoption official as far as China is concerned. We spent the morning signing papers, then went to a notary office. At the notary office we were handed a letter written by one of her birth parents. I could barely write through my tears as it was being translated. I hope and pray this will be precious to Bethany one day and help give her some understanding. We also got her twin sister's birth name which is precious to know. I haven't fully processed or grieved all of this yet. So our daughter's full name is Bethany Grace Jiang Lan. Jiang Lan was her birth name, but in the orphanage they called her Lufen. So you may hear us still calling her that for a bit after we get home. I don't think I have shared publicly that she had a twin sister who died in Jan. 2013. They were both born with TOF, a serious but correctable heart condition. By the time their birth parents left them in the hospital at 9 mos. old, they were weak and sick. So the orphanage was waiting for them to get stronger before they had surgery. Bethany had surgery one year ago. We did know most of this story when we were matched with Bethany, but had no idea her birth parents had written a letter. After we were done with paperwork around noon, my new friend Carolyn ( a fellow Bethany adoptive family) and I decided the guys could take the kids back to the hotel for naps and she and I were dropped of at a HUGE shopping area. We also enjoyed wontons in broth and spring rolls for lunch. We spent some time in a pearl market which was amazing. It took us 20 min or more to hail a taxi but we did make it back to our hotel. This evening our family walked a few miles back to the Bund to have Subway and ice cream for dinner. It is neat to be out and about and experiencing the culture. Bethany did not care for the sandwich but enjoyed the ice cream. She is still very happy with lots of giggles. Today at one of the offices it was neat to see her sing and do hand motions to a couple of songs she had learned in preschool, with one of the workers from the orphanage. And to have our translator ask her questions about does she know she is going home with us, and that she talked to her brothers and sisters back home this morning. Tomorrow morning we get to do a city bus tour, do some shopping and then have a traditional dumpling lunch. Shanghai is famous for dumplings. Looking forward to that! Then in the afternoon we go to the airport to fly to Guangzhou. While there Bethany will have to do a medical exam and TB test. She has to pass these before she can come to the US. We will get to do some sightseeing and shopping. The last step will be the US consulate appoint on April 7th, where they check all adoption paperwork and grant a US visa, so that when we touch down see will be a US citizen. The next day we drive to Hong Kong then fly out the next morning. So we still have a ways to go! It will get harder each day to be away from our other children. So thankful for those that are caring for them!!!

First day in Shanghai

We had a good, relaxing day yesterday. We got to video chat with our kids at home. Hard to be so far away from them. So thankful they are doing ok so far. We had a good breakfast in the hotel, yummy fried rice and steamed buns, along with American food. We then ventured out about three miles to the Bund, a beautiful walkway next to the river. Saw cruise ships, barges, yachts. I loved the beautiful European buildings. Shanghai is much different than any other city we have been in in China. We enjoyed a frappachino at Starbucks. Rod and Austin were even asked to have their picture taken with some people. This city is very touristy as we have seen/heard different nationalities and languages. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon then went to dinner at a restaurant next to the hotel. There are not really any other restaurants close by, but hoping to venture out tonight if Bethany is doing ok. We met our fellow Bethany family yesterday afternoon. They have their 6 year old son with them and are adopting a 23 month old little boy. Makes me think of Caleb who is almost 6 and who was 23 mos old when we brought him home from China 4 years ago! So today is Bethany's Gotcha Day! Its hard to believe we will have six children! Never would have thought or planed for that, and that we would be here in China for the third time. We are getting ready to go down and eat breakfast then be on our way. So prayers the next few hours would be wonderful!

On our way!

Ok, SO it has been almost two years since I have been on here! I would like blog more but not sure if its worth my time if no one reads it. And life with toddlers to teenagers is just busy!!! So yes, Noelle has been home almost two years now. We took last year "off" from going to China :) Hard to believe we are on this journey again! We have a few hour layover in LA, preparing for our 14 hour flight to Shanghai. Rod went to Shanghai in 1988, (yes he is old!) to run with his school. That began his love affair with China. He has always wanted to go back. The last two times we have been to China we just didn't have the time or money to go to Shanghai. So during the paperwork journey I just thought I would pray that our new daughter could just "happen" to be from Shanghai. And she is! We are very excited to spend a few days in this great city! Sunday have have free so we are hoping to explore a bit. We will be staying on the Bund, so you can look that up and see the area we will be staying. This time Austin, our almost 15 year old son is joining us. He has a blog also which is austinchinatrip.blogspot.com Naomi really wanted to go again, hopefully someday! It is hard to leave 4 kids behind! Especially pray for our little ones as we are away for two weeks, and for those caring for them! Our new daughter is 4, she will be 5 the end of August. She had heart surgery almost a year ago for TOF. They have told us she is no longer on any medication and this condition doesn't usually require more surgeries, sometimes a repair as a young adult. Her name is Bethany Grace Jiang Lan. I don't think I have totally wrapped my mind around that I will have 4 kids age 6 and under! Please pray for health and rest, I only slept about two hours last night, for us and for our kids and caregivers at home. Pray that God continues to prepare Bethany's heart for us when we pick her up Monday morning. We are looking forward to meeting new friends, a few who I already have connected with on FB. We are still in touch with people we met when we brought Caleb home almost 4 years ago. This journey really binds you together like no other! This journey so far has been about trusting and obeying God even when its hard! We really appreciate your prayers!