Joy to the World - What a Summer!

It has been ONE lost tooth, TWO tonsils removed, THREE birthday parties......
FOUR trips to the adoption clinic.....FIVE hair cuts and a kitty..... in our pear tree,

Since you all have heard from me, life has been in the fast lane. As you may have picked up on I’m in the Christmas spirit due to Kmart’s WONDERFUL Lay-a-way plan!

Let’s start catching up where we left off.

Soon after my last post I was tucking Rachel in bed and saying our prayers as always, we end with “Jesus loves Rachel Lian” and she usually looks at me with her sweet angelic face, smiles and replies, “night, night mama.” This night was a first in surprises as she wrinkled up that button of a nose and said, “I Lian, NO RACHEL” Her last name in China was Lian and she knows it well. Sooo just to confuse you, Rachel is now Lian!

I would like to tell you that Lian is blooming like a rose, however, it’s more like growing Kudzu! She is changing so fast, every day she is different! For our friends not from the South, Kudzu is uncontrollable and grows so fast that it takes over entire forest in one season!

The first day of Summer break Olivia, Lian, and I went on a Yard Sale Treasure Hunt looking for Ooh La La items to decorate Olivia’s new bedroom. Did I mention that Lian expressed her need for her own bedroom?

So there we where, the three of us, with sweat beading down our backs and our hair stuck flat to our heads, taking turns carrying Olivia’s money jar that held over fifty dollars in change she had collected from left over lunch money the entire school year.

Determined to find that perfect “IT” that would make Olivia’s room complete, we scrambled over each other with excitement to GET OUT OF THE CAR BEFORE “IT” WAS GONE! After eight yard sales and numerous bug sightings, we had completed our mission. A beautiful French duvet, two pink and black pallor chairs, a purse that sparkles, and most importantly...a doll that pees.

All that and we had enough money left in the jar to eat out too! While we dined at the Five Star Chic Fil-a, I noticed that Lian was not smiling and when she just sat on the bench in the play area I started to call the EMT , something was terribly wrong, Lian not screaming and running amuck! During the ride back home I watched her in the rear view mirror grow more disturbed to the point of tears. Olivia and I tried to get her to talk and she refused to even open her mouth, keeping it tightly closed. Then it hit me, she must have put something in her mouth!

I DEMANDED OPEN YOUR MOUTH! With her sad tiny black eyes she opened her mouth, took out her front tooth and placed it back into the hole it came from...She must have thought, I come to America and now my teeth fall out! She had been putting the tooth back so it could grow back... I drove her directly to her Grand Father who happens to be missing a tooth and all was well again until...I tried to explain the Tooth Fairy to her! Lian wants nothing to do with a flying intruder!

Two tonsils as big as golf balls had to be removed, the ENT explained to Coy and I. My heart sank as my mind raced to come up with a way to explain what and why we were going to allow this to happen to our tiny dragonfly. All I could come up with was the plain out truth. Lian shook her head yes as I explained the Doctor had to fix your throat.

She came out of surgery great. As soon as the meds started to wear off she grabbed her slippers and got up to walk out when the nurse chuckled, “wait you are still above the legal limit to drive out of here, you’ll have to take a wheel chair” with that Lian climbed up into her Daddy’s arms and we went home.

Two weeks later I had the realization that not only had the good Doctor removed her tonsils he had changed my little Dragonfly into a termite! She now eats day and night everything she can find! Lian lost four pounds and gained five back.

Over the summer our son Joshua turned seventeen, Olivia seven, and Lian six years old!

Lian LOVES Birthday parties. Coy gave her several gifts in one large pink gift bag with bright flowers on it. I know the bag well since she drags it with us on all car rides! She keeps markers, paper, books, and the doll that pees in it at all times. The bag is so big she has to drag it around. She holds up six fingers when asked how old she is and she adds one more finger for Olivia since she is seven.

We are working with an International Adoption Clinic to set up a plan for Lian’s development. Speech is on her list of things to do, however, we understand her perfectly well. Fine motor skills are not up to an American six year old yet.

I do not understand why it is that a child raised her entire life in an institution with special needs kids is tested four months after coming to America with a test used for American six year olds.

When shown a picture of a wagon Lian said car since it had wheels and pull cause that’s what you do with it. She had never heard the word wagon before!

Do not label a child LEARNING DISABLED that has learned fifty plus new words in English and can follow directions in only four months! That is all I have to say about that at this point...

Lian loves school and her teacher. Out of five kids she is the only one that wakes up excited and ready to go to school. She buzzes around the house eating pancakes while the others drag up from bed.

The long hair was pretty and hot this summer. Lian wanted a hair cut with Olivia. They both got shoulder length bobs that look so cute framing their round faces.
Olivia wanted a kitten and since I felt that she was old enough to take care of it, I agreed.

Off to the Animal Shelter we went, Joshua, Olivia, Lian, and myself each of us tossing out our ideas of what type of kitten to get.

Olivia wanted a white fluffy one. Joshua stated that he did not care, as long as he did not have to change the litter box, Lian just screamed CAT NO SIT NOW! I envisioned a Persian cat that it’s owner had to leave due to a job transfer (I tend to dream big)

When we walked into the shelter we entered what is called the new arrival cat room that consists of a screen porch with a couch and thirty or so new inmates of all colors. Olivia did not see one she wanted so we moved to the next room.

This room was inside with air conditioning and floor to ceiling cat cages with cats so fat that they looked like dogs! I am not kidding! OBESE CATS EVERYWHERE NOT ONE NORMAL SIZED CAT! Lian flew into a spinning frenzy screaming CATS NO SIT NIGHT NIGHT HOME NO CAT NO CAT!!!!! The attendant explained that this was the Adult Cat room and we followed her to the Kitten Room.

The Kitten Room was the same as the other room, however, no obese kittens! We saw over fifty of the cutest kittens alive all very playful lined up one cage atop of the other till they covered the whole wall. It took a long time playing with the kittens before Olivia picked out a sweet long haired girl kitty with one yellow arm and one gray arm.

I left Joshua and Lian in the Kitten Room while Olivia and I paid the fees and filled out paper work, when Lian came running down the hallway screaming, “ JOSHEY CAT EAT OH NO!” I returned to the kitten room to find Joshua standing with his back up against the cat cages, stiff and unmoving. When I looked behind him there where four kittens, two holding his shirt and two holding his shorts, it seems that kittens like that, I just got out of football training smell! EWwwww in Olivia’s words.

Olivia named her kitten Paris and we have been in cat bliss for four weeks now. That is Paris the city, not Paris Hilton! Lian keeps an eye on Paris and a good distance from her at all times so far. Lian is not too fond of animals, she likes to be in control and animals don’t always listen to her.

Our oldest son, Blake and daughter in law, Jessica spent last weekend with us bringing along the prettiest, smartest, most loving one year old grand-daughter in the South, JENNA!

We all piled in my SUV, with french fries under the seats and crayons melted on the carpet, and drove into town for a visit at the Zoo.

Everyone had a nice time. Jenna sighted a BALL in one of the animal cages! Olivia loved the pink flamingos and Lian.... well lets just say she took enjoying the zoo to a new level. We walked along the bridge and watched the swans swim when Coy spotted what looked like gum ball machines filled with bird feed for the swans and ducks. Lian saw him putting money in the machine and came running with force! I thought this will be a great way for her to overcome her animal distaste!

Coy instructed her to hold her hands under the spout to catch the food , which she did. The swans came swimming with speed and honking with excitement for their new found food source. Coy said throw the food to the swans Lian. Which she replied NO! And then she ate the feed much to the swans disbelief! Like a CD on pause, the honking stopped and they swam away holding their heads low to the water...Olivia repeated EEEwwww to herself the entire outing. And right or wrong Coy, Blake, Jessica, and I laughed our way out of the zoo.

My point is this; Our culture’s focus is on what a person cannot do more than what one can do. Look at the stories I have told to you here. Lian has graced our family with love, laughter, and a much greater understanding of what truly is important in this life.

The bond she has made with us cannot be broken. Before Lian, we had forgotten to be thankful for so many things. Example, Lian still yells, “YEA HOME” when we pull into the driveway. EVERY TIME I cook she says, “Thank You MaMa”

Today I bought the cutest pair of bright orange converse high top shoes with black dots painted on them and black ribbon laces with orange dots at a secondhand store for two bucks. I thought they will look cute for Halloween.

When Lian saw them her mouth hung open, her eyes big and she said, “PRETTY for Olivia” I explained they where for her not Olivia. She looked shocked that I had bought them for her. Sitting down right away to put them on she was the happiest child I have ever seen, repeating, “Pretty for Lian” it is now nine at night and we just now got her to stop stomping the wood floor with them and saying, “Not Olivia’s pretty, Lian’s Pretty shoes”

Am I alone in seeing the pure enjoyment of loving and being loved? I am a little concerned that her shoes will clash with all of her clothes if she should decide to wear them daily. Well that is the best I can do to fill you all in. I forgot to tell ya that Coy put in a pool this summer and Lian can swim! That is a whole different story that I will share next time! Live, Laugh, and Love that’s what its all about. -Joy

I like to Dance!!

Joy to the World – Our Daily Routine

I finally found a spot of time to sneak a moment to share a glimpse of daily life with our new daughter, Rachel Lian.

Every morning she hops up into my bed and skims across the covers like a Dragonfly crosses a pond, always smiling, and giving me a “fist bump”, we call this GIRL POWER!

Next, it’s downstairs to breakfast where she always eats all of her food and giggles out a Thank You. She helps me find Olivia’s shoes and waits as I get everyone ready and off to school.

As soon as the screen door slams she is in high gear to get dressed for the day, repeating Car get YE YE eat” You see most days of the week we find great pleasure in the company of my wonderful Father In Law, Coy Sr. He has been so helpful with Rachel Lian adjusting to other people and really entertaining along the way! She loves him and looks forward to teasing him daily. When we say Ye Ye she instantly laughs. It is so cute.

Ye Ye has lunch with us and tells her stories just as if she can understand what he is saying. I am always surprised when she gives the correct response back to him...she understands way more than we thought she could.

Next, we do our daily shopping. This is our favorite adventure! She likes to ride in the shopping cart and wave with a “Hey” to all that we meet. She is so excited in the fruit department that she kisses each fruit item I place in the cart! Some days she has to eat a banana before we leave the store. As always she makes me put the cart back when we are done just as we found it. She is still surprised to see our car in the parking lot waiting for us, this makes her very happy! I have to really watch her when we carry the groceries in she will pick up items that are too heavy for her.

All of our children help out in their own way when asked to do so, however, Rachel Lian follows me around and watches to see how she can help. I roll up the laundry in a towel so that I can carry it to the washer and here she comes dragging it for me, she loves to push the start button! I just packed up the winter clothes and was dragging a heavy bag of items to place in the attic when all of a sudden it got easier, Rachel Lian left her playing to help me carry the load all on her own!

All day long she waits to get Olivia from school. She repeats, “Car Bolivia” I explain to her it’s not time and we will go get Olivia. She accepts this till she starts to miss her again. When Olivia jumps in the car the two act as if they have been apart for months, the hugging, kissing, jabbering, good grief it’s only been eight hours!

I am very proud of Olivia and the way she has accepted Rachel Lian into the family. I thought that we might have a problem since she had been the baby for six years. Olivia has turned over her entire room to her sister (NOT THE DSI) and that’s ok, she needs her own things and space too. The two act like....sisters! Learning together, fighting together, and playing together. I thought it was cute when Olivia asked to bring her sister to school and show her off.

Dinner is one of Rachel Lian’s favorite events. She is the only person at our table of six that will eat everything. She still acts fast if anything should drop off her plate. I have to remind her at restaurants not to clean the floor! She likes dinner at home the best with everyone at the table. She told the Doctor at the Asian Adoption Clinic that her Ma Ma cooks! The Doctor seemed surprised at how many times she referred to us as MA MA and BA BA. I’m still not sure why this was a surprise?

Finally, it’s bath and bed time. She loves them both. Every night she smiles and lets us know she likes her bed. She will tell me, “Ma Ma Ba Ba sleep car get Ye Ye eat”, this is her way of explaining what our schedule will be tomorrow. The next morning my little Dragonfly will skim across the covers and give me Girl Power to start my day! How blessed can I get?

She has let her guard down and is in full swing of teaching us all about her. I called myself having a language lesson with her the other day and she pointed out and repeated home, book, music, the members of our family, cat, swing, shoes, wind, flower, tree, car, peanut, color, eat and brush. So far these are the words she has mastered! Then she looked at me firm and repeated a string of her own language, threw her hands in the air, swung her hair back and I just know she said to me, Can you say that? She thought it was funny whatever it was...

We have not seen any fits or violent behavior only a tiny little girl with a big heart that wants to love and be loved. She will put her hand on her hip and whip out a few of her words at times but she just has a way of getting tickled at herself...I am amazed at how she understands us. Her receptive language skills are great. She will follow directions! HOW DOES SHE KNOW WHAT WE ARE SAYING! Her expressive language skills are growing each day!

Anyone who thinks that you do not bond with your adopted child as you would your birth children are completely off track! At this very moment I feel as I did with my infants. Loving their smell, watching their eyes spark when they grasp a concept, hearing them speak their first words, hurting when they get a boo boo, clapping when they learn a new task, melting when you can FEEL their love for you....It does not get better than this.

My husband, Coy deserves to be bragged on and here it goes....From the first time he found Rachel Lian’s picture on the waiting child list he bonded with her. He followed his heart and the spirit that lead us to her. Never giving up on the paper chase and making the funds to reach her without a doubt in his heart.

From the first sight she held onto him tightly as if she knew him already. Through crowded airports and on long almost never ending flights she was not afraid and did not cry as long as she held his hand. To this day she yells yea HOME when we pull up to our driveway.

Love can and will break all obstacles that are standing in the way. We have the proof.

If you are reading this and pondering over adopting a child let me encourage you to follow your heart, trust God, and GET GOING, DON’T LOOK BACK!

Check out the special needs waiting child list too. Rachel Lian was on this list. Her special need was love and a new pair of GLASSES!

Thank you for all of your prayers. Please continue, things are sooo good. Keep it up!

Till I steal the computer from Coy again,
Joy :)

Jenna turns 1

This weekend we went back home for Jenna's birthday party. Can you believe that our granddaughter is 1? Seriously, can you even believe we have a granddaughter? Are we really this old? Ugh!

Anyway, we had a blast spending time with our oldest son, Blake and his family. We are so proud of them. Rachel Lian and Olivia had fun in the jumper and eating cake and ice cream. She travels well on the road but was so happy when we pulled up at home. She yells, YAY! and then runs around saying home, home every time. It is so precious to see how thankful and greatful she is to have a home and family.

Josh went with us as well but CJ stayed behind. He had to go to the Prom this weekend. Josh and CJ are playing spring football. It looks like I know where we will spend Friday nights this Fall. They only have 2 more weeks of school. They better find jobs if they know what's good for them. I've seen the list that Mom has waiting for them and trust me, they are better off getting jobs.

1st Trip to Church

We started out Week 2 home by taking Rachel Lian to Church for the first time. She had a great time. She thought it was funny to see Ye Ye playing the piano but she really lost it when Daddy started playing the drums. She went to children's church with Olivia and stayed for the finger painting and coloring. After that she wanted to go back to the main sanctuary to be with Ma Ma and Ba Ba. After church we picked up a large bucket a KFC and headed home, she loved the mashed potatoes.

On Monday we took her to the UAB clinic. Dr. Chambers is great. She is the first doctor that Rachel Lian allowed to examine her without melting down. Dr. Chambers has 2 adopted children and the other clinic members have adopted internationally as well. She ordered hearing and eye tests and we spoke at length with the family therapist who has also adopted multiple times. We also had an abdominal ultrasound to look at her hernia and drew blood for lots of labs. We return to the clinic in 3 weeks to get the results and put together an overall plan for her development.

We learn a little more each day of her personality. She is very happy and loves to run and play outside. She is wide open all day and because of her eye issues she falls a lot. She always has a scrape or bruise from running and falling over something in the yard. The pediatricians both think her eye issues are correctable and we will find out when we go for her first appointment on this Thursday the 13th.

She continues to pick up a few words in English each day. This week's highlights were:

Wal-Mart

Book

Kitty

NO

We have noticed that she understands a great deal more in English than she expresses. She listens to our conversations and she understands if her mom asks her to do something. The other day, Joy called for Olivia to go upstairs and get her glasses from the desk. We turned around a minute later to see Rachel standing there handing the glasses to her mom with a big smile on her face. We were shocked. We better be careful what we say around her because she is catching on quick.

She also does not like to be without her shoes. As soon as she gets up in the morning she puts her shoes on. She fusses at each of us if we go outside without shoes. It is so funny. Olivia is just the opposite, you have to threaten her to keep them on.

More Fun and Trip to School

This week was busy. After the Monday appointment, Coy went back to work on Wednesday. Olivia went right back to school on Monday and her sister stopped by for a visit to the class on Tuesday. We shared many of our videos and brought Chinese snacks for the whole class. Olivia brought a string of pearls back for Mrs. Brasher and everyone had a great time. We showed them pictures from our trip and of Chinese school children that we met at the safari.

We also stopped by Chick Fil A for the first time. She loved the play area and the nuggets. She is a good eater, so far we haven't found anything that she doesn't like.

I hope you enjoy her first words in English, they sound so sweet..........

Swinging with Friends

The first weekend home we had lots of visitors from the neighborhood. Everyone knew we were back and had followed our trip to China. All of the girls came to play with Olivia and her new sister. Josh showed her how to swing and now it is her favorite thing to do. All day while Olivia is at school, Rachel points to the door and tells her mom, "car, Olivia" trying to get her to go get Olivia from school. As soon as they get her and come home the girls head straight to the swing.

One of the girls from the subdivision let Rachel Lian sit in her Barby Car. She should have turned the key off because Rachel Lian took off laughing as soon as her back was turned. They chased her all over the yard and stopped her just before she plowed into a parked car. I think I know what she is getting for her birthday after the eyes are fixed.

The first doctor appointment went well. We already knew she was up to date on her shots. The pediatrician checked her over and made follow-ups for the International Clinic and eye specialist. We scheduled the visit for the clinic for May 3rd, 3 weeks since Gotcha.

First Morning Home

We flew in and landed in Birmingham after 11PM on a Friday night. By the time we made it to bed it was after 2AM. The first morning as a family was great. Joy got up and cooked a big breakfast of eggs, sausage, cheese grits, toast, cereal and the list goes on. We texted the shopping list to the boys when we landed in Chicago and they picked everything up before we landed back home.

Rachel Lian loved the cheese grits and eggs and her favorite drink is milk. She is picking up a few words in English each day and already sleeps alone in her own bed. She is the best sleeper. When she gets tired she comes to get me and signs that she wants to go to bed. I take her upstairs, change into the pj's and she gets right to bed. No fuss, no meltdown, nothing. A big hug and kiss and the next time you see her it is 6 AM. I wish she could teach that to the other kids!

The boys really love her. Josh started calling her Rachel Lian as soon as he saw her and she answers to it every time. We have already dropped her Chinese name and nicknames. She just likes to be called Rachel Lian or Lian for short. She likes CJ and Joshy as she calls him. She is terrified of the 2 big dogs if they come inside but likes to go over to the door and talk to them when they are outside. As long as the door is closed she loves them. She tells them all of her problems. She will go over and tap on the glass for them to come to the door and then she just lets go. She jabbers on and on in Mandarin and we catch a word or name every now and then. It seems she tells them a great deal about her sister, bo-blivia. I am afraid to ask......

We scheduled appointments for the first week at our pediatricians and the second week at the UAB International Adoption Clinic. After their assessments it will be off to the eye specialist and where ever else they determine is best.

Catching Up

I owe you several posts to get caught up. After we came home, Joy and I were sick for over a week and then back to work and traveling. The latest round was a bad wisdom tooth that I had out yesterday so that is why I finally have time to catch everyone up. Sorry for leaving you hanging. I will do my best to catch you up and keep you up to date. Coy

An American Girl

God Bless AMERICA!

We finally made it home late on Friday night. We have never been so happy to be home in our lives. The trip to China was truly life-changing and an experience of a lifetime.

The last 2 days in China went something like this:

Last day in GZ:

We had breakfast and then went to pick up our last laundry. We had everything cleaned except the clothes we had on just before leaving so that we would not show up at home with smelly laundry to do. We did some last minute shopping and then repacked and weighed all of the luggage. We had a last minute snack at the deli next to the White Swan and then went down at 4 to check out. We met the other families going to the airport and got our visa packets from Kelly who had picked them up at the US Consulate that afternoon and boarded the bus to the airport.

The trip to the airport took about 45-50 minutes. About 10 miles out the shifter linkage broke and the bus was hung up in 4th gear. We had 1 last toll station to go through and the driver nearly fried the clutch trying to get the bus to take off in 4th gear again. By the time we reached the terminal it was fried and he could not make it up to the concourse that we needed. Instead he coasted down to the downstairs portion of the concourse and we unloaded our luggage on the sidewalk. Kelly was able to round up a few carts and we all headed for an elevator to get to the right level. It took another 15 minutes for us to take turns getting to the elevator and then a mad dash to the ticket counter to check bags and get our boarding passes. At the counter a group of European businessmen with a Chinese guide were arguing with the ticket agent about a silly duffel bag that they wanted to check. After 45 minutes the line was almost out the door and everybody else was freaking out because the Gate was due to close in just 15. We were all complaining LOUDLY by the time they opened another line and when I left the duffel bag gang had still not moved. By the time we got to our turn the plane was so booked that we could not all sit together. Lian and I in row 37, Joy and Olivia in 58. We had just 7 minutes to get to the gate and it was at the other end of the concourse. I took all of the carry-on bags and made a dash to hold the gate. We made it just in time and the flight was on time for a change. After 3 hours we landed at Beijing, collected our luggage and made it to the hotel around midnight. We ordered room service since the hotel restaurant was closed but the girls were asleep by the time it arrived. Olivia got back up to eat a little but Lian was a goner.

The next morning we woke up around 8 China time and went to breakfast. After breakfast we repacked the luggage again and waited to checkout. The 3 families that stayed together met at 12:45 and headed back to the airport to catch our flight home. We checked in, found our gate and spent the rest of our Chinese money on snacks and the like and waited for our plane to arrive. At 4:20 Chinese time our plane left for Chicago. Since this was a direct flight and a Friday afternoon flight, it was booked. I only saw about 3-4 empty seats which meant no room to spread out or rest. The flight was uneventful but there was no rest for the weary. The girls each slept in their seats for about 4-5 hours of the 13 hour flight but Joy and I only nodded a few times. The plane landed on time at 4:15 PM Chicago time or 5:15 AM to us and then the customs circus began. What a joke, it went something like this.

We exited the plane and walked about a mile through the terminal dragging bags, paperwork and very ill kids. We went to the first set of lines for a passport check. 30 minutes in line and then our passports and Lian's naturalization papers checked. We were then told to pick up our checked bags and go to the customs line. We found a cart, finally, and went to collect our bags. Then we took them to the second line to wait to clear customs. We went through to the proper station and gave our paperwork to the agent who told us to park our luggage and wait in the seating area for our name to be called. 30-40 minutes later, they called us and handed us back the paperwork for Lian. Congrats, she is now an official US citizen. Now take you luggage to the X-ray station and then go to the airline counter to recheck them. I have no idea why they do this. the bags were screened in China and we filled out a paper stating we had nothing to declare. The bags were in the care of a US airline the entire time. Anyway, we x-rayed them and reloaded them on the cart to push to the United station down the hall. We rechecked them and then headed to our gate which was 4 terminals away, UGH! We had to catch a train and ride to the new terminal for domestic flights. We had to go back through security, AGAIN. The same routine, bags, shoes, boarding passes, passports, x-rays, unpack the laptop, take off the jackets, etc. We went through that and then walked out on the concourse to find our gate. We stood at Gate A1 and wouldn't you know it our gate was A-22B, the last one in the building! A mile later and we were all seated at the gate with 45 minutes to spare. I went back to a McDonald's that we had passed and picked up supper for everybody. About 15 minutes before loading, both girls decided they had to go. Joy took them and headed back down to the bathroom. About 5-7 minutes went by and they called to start boarding the plane. By the time the first 2 sections had boarded I was freaking out. I could not see the girls anywhere and almost everyone was on the plane. I gathered all of the bags, purses and coats and ran like a pack mule to the bathroom. I called from the door and told Joy to HURRY. The girls were not cooperating by this time and we literally ran to the Gate. We were the last ones on the plane and by the time it took off it was 8 PM Chicago time and 9AM to us, 25 hours since the trek began.

The plane ride to Birmingham was smooth and after dodging a few storms we landed at 9:45. Our family was there to get us and we were so happy to see them. We loaded everything in the SUV and started home. Lian thought it was extremely funny that I could drive. Up to now we rode in vans or buses and had a driver. She laughed all the way home. We got home and settled in around midnight or 1PM to us, 29 hours later.

Here are a few of my observations from the 17 days that we spent there.

1. We have the most beautiful daughter and she fits into our family of 7 perfectly.

2. The most dangerous activity in China is DRIVING. They manage to pull it off but I do not know why a single line is painted on the roads since no one pays them any attention. And no, the sidewalk is not any safer.

3. The beds look like something from a camping trip. They are as small as single beds in the States and as hard as the ground. The first 2 nights home we wound up all sleeping together in a king sized bed by the end of the night and still had more room.

4. The pollution is worse than you imagine or the pictures can show. The air quality in America is 1,000 times better than anywhere in China. It make the idiots in our Congress look like they are clueless or crooks when they say we need a new Clean Energy Bill. I estimate that it would take China at least 25 years to catch up to where we are now.

5. The Chinese culture and people are very rich in tradition. We truly do not have anything to compare when they say this structure is 3 times older than your entire Country, or this was built a thousand years before George Washington.

6. Most Chinese people are very poor and struggle to make enough for basic needs. Most do not own a car or home. They ride bikes and live in apartments or rent from the government.

7. There truly are 2 China's. You have the big cities of 10-15 million and then the rural areas of nothing but sparse farmland. There are a select few people who are very rich and the rest are very poor. It makes us greatly appreciate the freedoms and the blessings that we have.

8. For all the talk about the US needing to be more like other countries, they are all trying to be just like us. They are modeling everything they do after us and there are still more people coming to this country for freedom and a new chance to thrive than anyplace else in the world.

We truly are Blessed to live in the Greatest Country on Earth! Seeing other parts of the world only reminded us to be thankful for everything that we have. God Bless America and this Family.

We are Home!!

Since it almost midnight and we have basically been up for the last 28 hours, I won't post much now. I just wanted to let everyone know that we made it home safe and sound. 3 hours from GZ to Beijing, 10 hours layover, 13 hours Beijing to Chicago, 3.5 hour layover, Chicago to Birmingham arriving 9:45 PM.

I promise more details and pictures tomorrow.

Thanks for all the Prayers, Coy/Joy

Sworn In at the US Consulate

It is official, we took the oath at the US Consulate around 4PM local time. After all of the hoops and hurdles it was pretty anti-climatic but none the less it does bring closure to a very long process. 33 families in all took the oath together including the 7 in our group. We all went in and waited for our name to be called at 1 of the 3 windows to sign the last piece of paperwork for her visa. Once that was done, the only person that I saw that was an American in the American Consulate, came out and administered the oath. The whole thing took less time than the bus ride over or back.They do not allow cameras for some unknown reason so we could only take a picture at the entrance to the escalator after we came out. After the ride back we conferred about tomorrow's travel plans and then all headed to Lucy's for Dinner. Cheeseburgers and fries all around. Since the ceremony was not until after 2, we spent the morning shopping, what else? We found "Jackie Chan" suits for the boys and even a couple of nice golf shirts. W ended up back at Mr. Jordon's Store where Olivia haggled with him over the price of a fan. He also wrote the girls names in Chinese for free. He is masterful with the ink and a hoot to be around. Tomorrow, we leave for the airport at 4:30 PM local time and head back to Beijing, we spend the night there and then off to Chicago and then HOME on Friday. We have a had a great time and this has truly been a life changing trip for all of us but now we are just ready to come home. Can't wait to get there. More from Beijing tomorrow. The Graham's (7 no longer 6)