Day 2 and Day 3

Saturday, Dec. 3rd: Beijing, Day 2

Well, as crazy as the weather was yesterday, today it was clear and sunny- not a cloud in the sky.  We started off the day by visiting a local Jade Factory, and I was able to purchase a couple of pendants to give the girls when they are older.  Then we went to the Great Wall.  It really was incredible.   Much steeper than I thought, and the steps were so uneven it was quite a challenge.  My girly-girl Mia shot up to the second tower without any trouble!  Bobby and another guy from our group continued on to the highest point of the section we were visiting, and took some beautiful photos.  After lunch, we visited the Olympic Village and were able to see The Bird's Nest and The Water Cube.  Mark said it reminded him of Mallory Square because there were so many street vendors and performers.  We then went to see an Acrobatics show that was truly amazing!  We all enjoyed it so much and feel that we have had a nice taste of Beijing.  The traffic was a nightmare today, and our tour bus was hit by a car-only a broken headlight,  but I guess it is part of the full Beijing experience.  Mia seems to be enjoying China, but why not when she can have noodles everyday for breakfast!  She is even putting to use some of the Mandarin phrases she knows.

Tomorrow we head to Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province.  We will have the afternoon to settle in and relax, before receiving Lexi on Monday!

Sunday, Dec. 4th:  We made it to Zhengzhou!

This morning we took a short flight to Zhengzhou.  There are 12 kids arriving tomorrow from 9 different orphanages to be adopted by one of the 10 families in our travel group here.  How amazing is that?  We feel so lucky to again be a part of an experience where you can really see what love can do, and how lives can change.

We found out that most of the families will go to the Registry Office in the morning to receive their children, but Lexi and another child are coming from such a long distance that they are taking a train and will be brought to our hotel around noon.  We decided to go with the other families in the morning so that we could take pictures for them.

Please say a prayer for Lexi- that she has a safe journey, that she isn't too frightened, and that she has a smooth adjustment into her new family.  Mia is so excited, and we are too!  I can't believe this day is here- it is hard to believe after looking at her picture for so many months.

I will post as soon as I can.