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| One of Pat's very favorite things to do is to play in the sand with his sisters. |
We've been home for a few weeks, and it is certainly time I introduce you to our little guy! Patrick is full of life, very curious, and pretty much always smiling. The first few days he kind of wandered around like a little lost puppy, but is settling in to our routines well now. He and the Little Princesses spend a lot of time playing in the back yard.
The first weeks home are always full of visits to the doctor and dentist, and of course in fighting that wicked beast called Jet Lag.
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| Thank goodness for dentists who allow all five kids to have concurrent appointments! |
We actually traveled China with FIVE kids in tow, two of them in wheelchairs, and we lived to tell about it! It was difficult, yes. But we made lots of memories, and I'm so glad everyone got to go. Because there were so many of us we required something larger than a hotel room, or even the two bedroom apartment we had when we traveled last year for Isaac. We stayed in a three bedroom apartment in the area of the city where the US Consulate and the health building are located. This also allowed us to keep more of a "normal" home life than staying in a hotel would have allowed.
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| Playing games in the apartment. |
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| Watching a funny video on the computer. | | |
Of course sometimes it is a treat to go out to eat - especially when you can get a bowl of noodles as big as your head for under $3.00!
Our agency's guide arranged for a driver and van so we were able to visit many places when we weren't at official legal appointments.
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| Way up in Canton Tower! |
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| Visiting the orphanage where we got to meet Abigail's foster mother! |
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| Night time cruise on the Pearl River |
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| Easter in Guangzhou, finding their "baskets" in the apartment. |
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| Waiting for church to begin at Shamian Island |
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| China has such fabulous parks! |
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| Safari Park |
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| Shopping with Ann! |
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| Pedacab tour of a Hutong community in Beijing |
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| Our guide in Beijing, David Wang, was wonderful! |
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| The family in the Hutong who made us the most delicious food we ever had! |
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| The Forbidden City |
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| The Great Wall of China |
We flew into our local airport when we went on our other trips. But this time we saved literally thousands of dollars by driving to Chicago O'hare.
We thought we would miss the welcome home parties - not so! Our daughter Ruth and her husband Gerret met us at the airport. We stayed overnight in Chicago, and stopped in Indiana on the way home the next day to introduce Pat to more of our adult "kids". They along with several friends surprised us with a welcome home party.
There was yet another welcome when we arrived home. We partied all the way home! Three states, three parties!
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| The scene on the street in front of our house when we arrived home. | | | | |
It is so wonderful to be home again. We are settling into our new normal with five kids. Pat is beginning to pick up on some English, and Isaac is a huge help in translating for us when needed. Thank you all for your kindness and prayers for us along this journey.
