Our bags are packed!

The day has finally come!   We leave this evening and arrive home just after midnight on Sunday.  We are so ready to come home.

 

So pray that we have a safe trip home and we will see you all soon!

We have our papers!

As of early this evening we have received all of our paperwork from the US Consulate.  So we are finished both with the Chinese part and the US Consulate visa processing part.  I feels so nice to have all of their paperwork in hand.  We are ready to come home, so ready to come home!  What a long process this has been.  I know many of you were won dering if we were really adopting, well it has become a reality.

 

Welcome to the Smith Clan...

 

Addisyn Meiling Smith

 

&

 

Samuel Thomas Jun Smith

Happy Birthday Baylee!

Not only was yesterday our big swearing in day at the US Consulate but we also had another very special occassion to celebrate.

 

Baylee celebrated her 15th birthday in China!

 

It was a great day all around.  We got all of the adoption procedures completed and then it was time to celebrate.  When we got back to Shamian Island, Jessica took her to get a Frappacino.  In the meantime, Hayden and I went to pick up her cake from the White Swan bakery and pick up a chop we had carved for her.  She is the year of the pig.  The chops are pieces of stone that have figures carved on them.  So we picked out a pig and then they carve the bottom of it.  It makes a personalized stamp.  It comes in a little box with ink.  She was very surprised.

After running our errands we met up with another family we met and went to dinner at the "Cow and Bridge" restaurant.  In our opinion, the best restaurant on and around the island.  It is Thai food and absolutely delicious.  The other family was from Utah and had adopted a 2 1/2 year old little girl.  We were all in love with her within a few days.  She is such a sweetie.  They were nice company to share dinner with.

After all of that, we headed back to Starbuck's for cake and drinks.  The cake was delicious as well.  It was chocolate mango, it didn't sound the greatest but the mango was mixed into the filling and just gave it a little extra flavor.  By then we were stuffed and we took a little walk.

 

We are so proud of you Baylee.  You are a beautiful young lady that has developed a wonderful compassionate heart.  I pray this experience will continue to grow your heart for those less fortunate and build a passion....

 

"To make a difference!"

 

Love you sweetie!

Swearing In Ceremony at US Consulate

I don't know where the time goes.  I feel like I don't have time to even get on the computer some days.

 

So yesterday was supposed to be Addisyn's swearing in ceremony at the consulate, followed by Sam's the next day.  Sam's coordinator had turned his paperwork into the consulate early in the day and we got a call that his was going to be at the same time.  Good you may say, but a wave of panic arose as it was the going to be the mixing of the agencies, families and coordinators.  It turned out just fine, however and they were sworn in together.  We couldn't take pictures because it was the US Consulate.  I took one just before we went through security facing out towards the window and they made me erase the picture, luckily I figured out how to erase one photo.  I also tried to take one outside but the security guard was on me in a flash.  I really wasn't trying to cause problems, I just wanted one picture.  Probably is why we don't have one of Kennedy, Xia or Reese at the consulate either!

 

What a huge relief that part is all over and I didn't end up in a Chinese prison!

Another long story!

 

I have to share a couple more English Translations that made us chuckle:

 

(From the bathroom at the US Consulate)

Please don't flush and rush away.~not sure what that one means, maybe make sure the toilet flushes?!

Please keep feet on the ground not on the toilet seat.~squatty potty world

 

 

 

Xiangjiang Safari Park, thunderstorms & more!

Today we pretty much had a free day except for waiting for our guide to let us know Addisyn's paperwork was fine for the US Consulate.  The girls had wanted to go to the Guangzhou Zoo but the reviews weren't great.  Huge zoo with lots of animals in horrible conditions.  Jessica had been there two years ago and was not impressed either. 

Last night I was googling the Guangzhou Zoo and in one of the reviews someone mentioned the Xiangjiang Safari Park.  We got help from the hotel desk and they said the best way to get there was the Guangzhou Metro.  So we ventured out to the subway.  It was amazingly clean for a subway and easy for us to get around.  Any only 7 RMB ($1.03) to ride.  We even changed lines!

Once we arrived we discovered that the Safari Park was part of this big amusement resort.  There was a hotel, the safari park, crocopark (crocodiles and such), and actual amusement ride park, and a huge water park.  Much bigger than Great Wolf Lodge.  It was pretty amazing.  Plus it only was about $60 for me and 4 kids.  The water park was the same price.  They are trying to talk me into returning for that.  We will see!  The safari park was fun.  We saw pelicans, pygmy hippos, white striped tigers (we saw a white tiger performance and a baby white tiger as well), giant sea turtles, elephants, meerkats, flamingos, monkeys, and some pandas!  It was a nice day.  When we came out of the panda exhibit it was a  complete downpour.  We waited a while while it just poured and poured and then we just had to just walk through the park in the rain.  They closed all of the exhibits and were closing the park.  As we were walking out it started thundering.  We didn't see any lightening but boy did it rain and for hours.  We had planned on taking the subway back but we were all drenched and sort of cold by then, we luckily found a van taxi that drove us back to the hotel. 

Addisyn is doing great.  She is bonding to everyone very well.  She is understanding and using the signs we have taught her.  We seem to be communicating pretty well.  She can really pout at times.  I think it is a habit that develop to get attention because people can't communicate with her very well.  She snaps out of it pretty easy though.  She is very much a girly girl, I let her pick out a pair of shoes where we buy the squeaky shoes and she picked out pink maryjanes with a HUGE pink flower on top.  She loves them!

Sam is dong really great too.  He has learned a few signs and will make eye contact with us more and more.  At first if you tapped him to get his attention he would completely ignore you or close his eyes.  The tantrums have about disappeared, haven't gotten scratched, bitten or had my hair pulled in almost a week.  He is understanding that he is staying with us and likes that idea.  He cries when I leave.  All good stuff!  He is such a funny little guy.  Quite the personality on this one.

Baylee and Hayden are doing well with the long trip.  They have been very helpful the entire trip.  They both are magnets to the mosquitos here though.  They are horrible, they swell up and sometimes get this big pink ring around them.  They look like they have polka dot legs. 

Tomorrow is Baylee's 15th birthday.  I can't believe it has been 15 years.  She has grown into such a beautfiul young lady. 

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I love you to pieces.