Graycn did wonderful on her first flight!!!! It was only about 70 min from Changsha to Guangzhou. She drank her bottle, played and played and played! She LOVES Cheerios.....she got to sit right by her best friend ~ Graycey (although she pretty much missed her whole flight!!!! Wade teased her daddy that "a sweet parent would have woken up their new little girl to make sure she wouldn't miss her first plane ride!")
The White Swan is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! It is known for catering to adoptive parents since all adoptions end up in Guangzhou (that is where the US Consulate is located). We are SO excited to get our family's photo and our "girls" photos on that FAMOUS RED COUCH!!!!!! (Wade is sleeping right now so he can get himself "psyched" up to keep his eyes "open" during the photo shoot!!!!! ~ we are VERY grateful for our "digital" deleting we can do!) ha!!!!
Anyway, we are off to bed, but we wanted to share w/ you that we made it!!! We are on the LAST leg of our journey to bring Graycn home!!!!! YAHOOO!!!!!
Love to you!!!! (Jenny, Kari, Rachel and Lori.....You all are the BEST!!!!!!!!! You all have been such a PERFECT fit for our babies!!!!! Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for loving our kids so deeply....and for loving our sweet Graycn just as much!!!!) ~ imagine my LONG arms wrapped around ya!!!!!
xxoo
w&h
The Godshall Girls...
"gg" is sooooo kissable!
The World's Cutest Kids!
Pumpkin Shopping!
Graycn was just itching for Haydn to let go of her....she was ready to just "squeak" (squeaky shoes) her way from one pumpkin to another!
The BIG chair at the pumpkin patch
The poor people in line behind us thought we would NEVER get all 4 people to stop moving and to look at the camera at the same time!
Soooooo big!!!!!!
Graycn loves to twirl in circles and then runs at you with her arms down and back :)
One of Mommy's favorite photos!
All dressed up for church.....Paytn LOVES the "job" of getting sissy ready :)
Surrounded by LOVE!
Oh my goodness.....Wade and I walked into our house (excited and exhausted) ....we were met by the most overwhelming sight we have ever experienced! Our home was filled with "love letters" from our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors.....I remember feeling so confused when I walked in and saw faces of people all over my house.....and then all of a sudden I realized who they were ..... and why they were there ~ we have never felt so loved!
Welcome Home!
Jenny, Kathy, Karen and Rachel....THIS was AWESOME!!!!!!!
Love that kept going...and going....and going!
I found "love letters" in my cabinets, drawers, pantry....I had "surprises" for days!!!!! We had no idea we could be loved so much...WOW!!!!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
From embroidery to the "Spa"
A tender "hello" to all of you! We are sooooooooo loving this infant stage! As you know, we were quite surprised and slightly caught off guard when we found out our Graycn was so young~ but oh, what a true joy it has all been!
She is just bubbling more and more each minute we have her! Wade and I were talking about how we feel as if we haven't lost any time with her. It has been so smooth ~ just perfect!
I am so sorry I haven't gotten a chance to update the blog....let's see: We did not go to the park today, but we did get to go to a beautiful embroidery store. It was a historical factory that we could watch people making all levels of embroidery pieces, learned the history of how the silk was made, dyed and then turned into exquisite pieces of art. We could not believe the details! Each province is known for something special. Some are known for pottery or porcelain, but Graycn's province is known for embroidery. I did not think I was much for embroidery, but WOW - Wade and I were really blown away! We found a really sweet piece for Graycn's room that we will give to her to take to her home when she grows up. It is a piece that you can see through. It has a beautiful flower that represents her life just blooming and growing as a result of God's grace....it also has a sweet butterfly that we thought would be a visual reminder of how much she has changed just in these 3 days and what is to come in the days ahead! :) We also found a gorgeous large piece to put above our family's mantle. It is a landscape scene of a farmer's field here in Hunan. It has a young farm girl leading one of her family's oxen passed an arched stone bridge ~ it is so beautiful! We loved it!!! It will be neat for her to see that even when she was born, her homeland was so simple without many modern amenities.
We had a nice day just hanging with other mom's and dad's ~ our girls are all doing so well! We have been blessed with some really wonderful families! What a joy it has been to meet each of them.
One of the mom's and I (Grace Lynn's {Gracey} mom) went to the "spa" today to get a 80 min foot massage {cost was under $13.00- and they don't accept tips} ~ WOW!!!! We were informed NOT to go to the "spa" on the 8th floor because it is "too expensive" (code word for "adult massaging") ~ Wade and I are just laughing at the thought of accidentally going to the "wrong" spa!)..... Anyway, we were asked if we wanted a man or a woman. We looked at each other and thought "a foot massage?".... we didn't care, just as long as we could keep on our time schedule so we could be back in time for dinner w/ the hubbies. So, we got escorted to a really comfortable room sat down on the beds, they served us "hot" water (really excited about being home and getting my first glass of something with ice cubes in it!) and then all of a sudden, 2 guys come in with buckets of hot water. They smile, but don't speak any English. They put our feet in this REALLY HOT water....then abruptly pull out our feet and dry them off briskly.....then ......OUCH!!!!!!!!! their tiny little hands just about rubbed every blood cell out of the tip of our toes......the entire toe....the ball of our feet.....oh no.....here comes my arch......augh...they found the instep......yep...the heel too!!!! Then they wrapped our feet up in hot towels and before we knew it, our bodies were bouncing up and down as they aggressively massaged our shoulder socket, our upper arms, forearms and then my hand....what in the world are they doing to my hand, I thought? I heard this "pop" and thought to myself....."did he just pop my finger off of my hand? I didn't think that was possible?" And then, just a quickly as they came in...they took the towel off our feet and left the room.
I looked at my friend and she said "was it just me or did that really hurt?" I said, "yes, I thought I was not going to be able to walk around and sight see any more of china!" She said, "It was hurting so bad that I had to practice my breathing techniques and go to my 'happy place'!" We sat there in a daze and just laughed. I said "Is it over?" She said, "I don't know?" ALL OF A SUDDEN ~ the boys were back w/ buckets of HOTTER water!!!!!! My friend, Amy, said that she kept trying to pull her feet out of the water, but he kept pushing them back in and holding them down and smiling. She said she thought it was some form of "foreigner's torture"! The bad thing is that my guy got to me quicker than her guy did, so by the time she is trying to get her feet out of the bucket, my feet were done and now, instead of getting them wrapped up or massaged, I find myself bouncing up and down AGAIN, but instead of my upper body being attacked, it was now my lower extremities! Oh my word.....I thought I was going to fall of the bed laughing.....I was trying so hard to look like I wasn't surprised, but when my friend let out a noise from the HOT water, I found myself giggling out loud!!!! (Please remember: What is it that Holly does when she is stressed? That's right........LAUGH!!!!!!) Oh, no.....now, I am bouncing, my feet are probably hurting but they are SCALDED, so I can't feel the pain anymore, and this guy keeps attacking me (not gently massaging....but flopping my legs around like they are fish getting battered)! Needless to say, when it was all done....and the room was quieted from the TORNADOES that had entered our world of "serenity".....we sat up, adjusted our hair, looked at each other and burst into laughter. I said, "I think I feel like I have been violated!" ~ she stood up and couldn't even walk to the door without looking like she was hit by a truck!!! (LOL!) She said "I thought this was supposed to be relaxing! It said it was a 'Lavender' massage!" So, the moral of the story is ...... we had no idea $13.00 could buy SO much in China!!!! and we have signed our husbands up for one tomorrow!!!! (some bonding time for the guys!) :)
okay....off to get some sleep......I'll try to post some photos tomorrow....still having technical difficulties with my computer skills...
Love to you all! We are so enjoying the Skype phone calls!!!! It is awesome!!! How fun to have our little Graycn seen by you ..... The emails are awesome too!!!! I am trying to respond to them, but sometimes I am limited on my computer time. Just know that they are all read, appreciated and longed for!
My sweeties are sleeping....our day starts early with skype conversations from our wonderful families who are watching our kiddos ~ you guys, I know I have told you thank you, but again.....THANK YOU!!!!!! It is so fun!
w&h
She is just bubbling more and more each minute we have her! Wade and I were talking about how we feel as if we haven't lost any time with her. It has been so smooth ~ just perfect!
I am so sorry I haven't gotten a chance to update the blog....let's see: We did not go to the park today, but we did get to go to a beautiful embroidery store. It was a historical factory that we could watch people making all levels of embroidery pieces, learned the history of how the silk was made, dyed and then turned into exquisite pieces of art. We could not believe the details! Each province is known for something special. Some are known for pottery or porcelain, but Graycn's province is known for embroidery. I did not think I was much for embroidery, but WOW - Wade and I were really blown away! We found a really sweet piece for Graycn's room that we will give to her to take to her home when she grows up. It is a piece that you can see through. It has a beautiful flower that represents her life just blooming and growing as a result of God's grace....it also has a sweet butterfly that we thought would be a visual reminder of how much she has changed just in these 3 days and what is to come in the days ahead! :) We also found a gorgeous large piece to put above our family's mantle. It is a landscape scene of a farmer's field here in Hunan. It has a young farm girl leading one of her family's oxen passed an arched stone bridge ~ it is so beautiful! We loved it!!! It will be neat for her to see that even when she was born, her homeland was so simple without many modern amenities.
We had a nice day just hanging with other mom's and dad's ~ our girls are all doing so well! We have been blessed with some really wonderful families! What a joy it has been to meet each of them.
One of the mom's and I (Grace Lynn's {Gracey} mom) went to the "spa" today to get a 80 min foot massage {cost was under $13.00- and they don't accept tips} ~ WOW!!!! We were informed NOT to go to the "spa" on the 8th floor because it is "too expensive" (code word for "adult massaging") ~ Wade and I are just laughing at the thought of accidentally going to the "wrong" spa!)..... Anyway, we were asked if we wanted a man or a woman. We looked at each other and thought "a foot massage?".... we didn't care, just as long as we could keep on our time schedule so we could be back in time for dinner w/ the hubbies. So, we got escorted to a really comfortable room sat down on the beds, they served us "hot" water (really excited about being home and getting my first glass of something with ice cubes in it!) and then all of a sudden, 2 guys come in with buckets of hot water. They smile, but don't speak any English. They put our feet in this REALLY HOT water....then abruptly pull out our feet and dry them off briskly.....then ......OUCH!!!!!!!!! their tiny little hands just about rubbed every blood cell out of the tip of our toes......the entire toe....the ball of our feet.....oh no.....here comes my arch......augh...they found the instep......yep...the heel too!!!! Then they wrapped our feet up in hot towels and before we knew it, our bodies were bouncing up and down as they aggressively massaged our shoulder socket, our upper arms, forearms and then my hand....what in the world are they doing to my hand, I thought? I heard this "pop" and thought to myself....."did he just pop my finger off of my hand? I didn't think that was possible?" And then, just a quickly as they came in...they took the towel off our feet and left the room.
I looked at my friend and she said "was it just me or did that really hurt?" I said, "yes, I thought I was not going to be able to walk around and sight see any more of china!" She said, "It was hurting so bad that I had to practice my breathing techniques and go to my 'happy place'!" We sat there in a daze and just laughed. I said "Is it over?" She said, "I don't know?" ALL OF A SUDDEN ~ the boys were back w/ buckets of HOTTER water!!!!!! My friend, Amy, said that she kept trying to pull her feet out of the water, but he kept pushing them back in and holding them down and smiling. She said she thought it was some form of "foreigner's torture"! The bad thing is that my guy got to me quicker than her guy did, so by the time she is trying to get her feet out of the bucket, my feet were done and now, instead of getting them wrapped up or massaged, I find myself bouncing up and down AGAIN, but instead of my upper body being attacked, it was now my lower extremities! Oh my word.....I thought I was going to fall of the bed laughing.....I was trying so hard to look like I wasn't surprised, but when my friend let out a noise from the HOT water, I found myself giggling out loud!!!! (Please remember: What is it that Holly does when she is stressed? That's right........LAUGH!!!!!!) Oh, no.....now, I am bouncing, my feet are probably hurting but they are SCALDED, so I can't feel the pain anymore, and this guy keeps attacking me (not gently massaging....but flopping my legs around like they are fish getting battered)! Needless to say, when it was all done....and the room was quieted from the TORNADOES that had entered our world of "serenity".....we sat up, adjusted our hair, looked at each other and burst into laughter. I said, "I think I feel like I have been violated!" ~ she stood up and couldn't even walk to the door without looking like she was hit by a truck!!! (LOL!) She said "I thought this was supposed to be relaxing! It said it was a 'Lavender' massage!" So, the moral of the story is ...... we had no idea $13.00 could buy SO much in China!!!! and we have signed our husbands up for one tomorrow!!!! (some bonding time for the guys!) :)
okay....off to get some sleep......I'll try to post some photos tomorrow....still having technical difficulties with my computer skills...
Love to you all! We are so enjoying the Skype phone calls!!!! It is awesome!!! How fun to have our little Graycn seen by you ..... The emails are awesome too!!!! I am trying to respond to them, but sometimes I am limited on my computer time. Just know that they are all read, appreciated and longed for!
My sweeties are sleeping....our day starts early with skype conversations from our wonderful families who are watching our kiddos ~ you guys, I know I have told you thank you, but again.....THANK YOU!!!!!! It is so fun!
w&h
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
~No longer abandoned......adopted in love~
As of today....our little Chen, Yan Xiu is now known in China as Graycn Kuaile Godshall.....she is no longer abandoned...she has a home...a mom, dad.....brothers......a sister......a family ~ a chance to leave a legacy........ a life touched by the "grayce" of God.
I am so emotional as I type this....I wish I could put words to what my heart is feeling....I am absolutely overwhelmed by such a gift ~ something so tenderly hand-made by God for our family.
Wade and I woke up early today.....not yesterday (our "gotcha" day), but today (our first morning with our daughter! Ohhhhhh..........just the reality of that is so intense! Anyway, I rolled over and saw our sweet Graycn snuggled safe and sound between Wade and me....I couldn't help but take a picture of her so content~ so unaware of her "new' surroundings......the flash went off and then her eyes opened and met mine.......
Graycn just laid there quiet....relaxed....not a sound. It was as if she was taking me in just as much as I was taking her in. Her eyes seemed to slowly "sparkle"....
Wade was now awake, and we found ourselves just watching her as we had our other "newborns"...we both said to each other, "we don't even feel like we have missed out on any time with her at all....it is as if we have just missed the hard part of a newborn and got to jump right into the fun part of infancy"!
We could have gone back to sleep, but instead, we just turned on the over bed light and found ourselves just playing. Graycn can't sit alone yet, so we propped her up with some pillows and watched her go to town with toys, chewing and studying photos in her photo album, cooing, wiggling and kicking.....
How did we get so lucky? We just keep asking ourselves....how did we get chosen to go down this road.....adoption is the most amazing thing we have ever experienced!!!! I just can't wait for you all to meet our doll.....she is (as Wade puts it......) a little princess :)
Graycn is currently in her crib...cooing and kicking away....she is wearing a hot pink pair of those adorable "Ramsey" socks!!!! (they were a HUGE hit today! ~ and they fit her perfectly!) she rolls side to side but can't quite get her arm out from underneath her to totally flip over. I would look at her size and development and put her at 5 months, but she is sooooooooooooo alert and playful....so content and, well, did I say she is PERFECT!!!?????!!!!! ~ she is!!!!
Blayne is the only "Godshall" that has gotten to see her, yet. We are hoping to skype with the Paytn and Haydn soon......thanks to Aunt Shea~Shea....they have been able to see their little sister!!!! Yeah!!!! Thank you again, Shea, for taping that for us!!! It will be so cherished! :)
Love to each of you......I'll try to download more photos..... the snapfish album of gotcha day is a little out of order, some how...I am trying to fix it b/f I send you all an invite :)
We are loving your emails....the skype phonecalls......your love and prayers!!!! Graycn is a BLAST and you will want to "eat her up!" :)
*we are off to take a nap........
w&h
*ps......she had her first "poopy" today.....yee-hawwww!!!! (you should hear her right now...she is soooooo talkative!!!!!) ~ oh, she is just like her mama! :)
I am so emotional as I type this....I wish I could put words to what my heart is feeling....I am absolutely overwhelmed by such a gift ~ something so tenderly hand-made by God for our family.
Wade and I woke up early today.....not yesterday (our "gotcha" day), but today (our first morning with our daughter! Ohhhhhh..........just the reality of that is so intense! Anyway, I rolled over and saw our sweet Graycn snuggled safe and sound between Wade and me....I couldn't help but take a picture of her so content~ so unaware of her "new' surroundings......the flash went off and then her eyes opened and met mine.......
Graycn just laid there quiet....relaxed....not a sound. It was as if she was taking me in just as much as I was taking her in. Her eyes seemed to slowly "sparkle"....
Wade was now awake, and we found ourselves just watching her as we had our other "newborns"...we both said to each other, "we don't even feel like we have missed out on any time with her at all....it is as if we have just missed the hard part of a newborn and got to jump right into the fun part of infancy"!
We could have gone back to sleep, but instead, we just turned on the over bed light and found ourselves just playing. Graycn can't sit alone yet, so we propped her up with some pillows and watched her go to town with toys, chewing and studying photos in her photo album, cooing, wiggling and kicking.....
How did we get so lucky? We just keep asking ourselves....how did we get chosen to go down this road.....adoption is the most amazing thing we have ever experienced!!!! I just can't wait for you all to meet our doll.....she is (as Wade puts it......) a little princess :)
Graycn is currently in her crib...cooing and kicking away....she is wearing a hot pink pair of those adorable "Ramsey" socks!!!! (they were a HUGE hit today! ~ and they fit her perfectly!) she rolls side to side but can't quite get her arm out from underneath her to totally flip over. I would look at her size and development and put her at 5 months, but she is sooooooooooooo alert and playful....so content and, well, did I say she is PERFECT!!!?????!!!!! ~ she is!!!!
Blayne is the only "Godshall" that has gotten to see her, yet. We are hoping to skype with the Paytn and Haydn soon......thanks to Aunt Shea~Shea....they have been able to see their little sister!!!! Yeah!!!! Thank you again, Shea, for taping that for us!!! It will be so cherished! :)
Love to each of you......I'll try to download more photos..... the snapfish album of gotcha day is a little out of order, some how...I am trying to fix it b/f I send you all an invite :)
We are loving your emails....the skype phonecalls......your love and prayers!!!! Graycn is a BLAST and you will want to "eat her up!" :)
*we are off to take a nap........
w&h
*ps......she had her first "poopy" today.....yee-hawwww!!!! (you should hear her right now...she is soooooo talkative!!!!!) ~ oh, she is just like her mama! :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Introducing......Graycn Kuaile Godshall ~
We have our daughter!!!!!!! Graycn is beyond BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! We just can't even put into words how AWESOME this day has been!!!!!!! We are so tired.......but just soaring! :) I will post a few pictures.....that is what you all are dying to see! (ha!) I will post more details tomorrow, but need to get showered still and in bed. We have an early am and we are not sure what our first night with Graycn will entail...
Graycn is so huggy & so touchy~feely (just like her mama!!!)....she just melted into me when I fed her....when she is comfortable/happy, she wiggles her feet like Haydn....She hasn't cried hardly at all! She did AMAZING during our "gotcha moment"....not a tear...not a sad moment at all! She babbles all the time (like her mama)....and is sooooooooooooooooooo laid back like her baba......
She is sitting up in bed (propped w/ some pillows) and playing with some toys right now. She really loves anything that rattles....she sucks her left thumb (like her mama - mine was my right thumb)....she cuddles with soft/fuzzy things and holds them close to her face. When she wants to go to bed, she holds her hands together as if she was praying and just strokes her thumb with her tongue :)
oh....my.....goodness....we are soooooooooooooooooooooooo in LOVE!!!!!!
Sweet dreams to you all...I will load some pictures now and send most of them through snapfish :)
w&h
*please take time to thank our Lord for bringing us safely together......a "match made in heaven"!
Graycn is so huggy & so touchy~feely (just like her mama!!!)....she just melted into me when I fed her....when she is comfortable/happy, she wiggles her feet like Haydn....She hasn't cried hardly at all! She did AMAZING during our "gotcha moment"....not a tear...not a sad moment at all! She babbles all the time (like her mama)....and is sooooooooooooooooooo laid back like her baba......
She is sitting up in bed (propped w/ some pillows) and playing with some toys right now. She really loves anything that rattles....she sucks her left thumb (like her mama - mine was my right thumb)....she cuddles with soft/fuzzy things and holds them close to her face. When she wants to go to bed, she holds her hands together as if she was praying and just strokes her thumb with her tongue :)
oh....my.....goodness....we are soooooooooooooooooooooooo in LOVE!!!!!!
Sweet dreams to you all...I will load some pictures now and send most of them through snapfish :)
w&h
*please take time to thank our Lord for bringing us safely together......a "match made in heaven"!
25 minutes to go.......
tick....tock.....tick....tock......
We are getting ready to walk out the door ....to load up on the bus.....to take our 20 min drive......to meet our daughters!!!!
Oh my goodness....we are unusually calm....it is a rainy, chilly day.....feels like a any other day - but our hearts are so full....complete! :)
We just wanted to shoot out a quick email....don't want to be late.....not good to be the "last" family to meet in the lobby :) As I type this, Wade is pacing the room w/ his coat on and the camera around his neck!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.......proud daddy is ready to meet his little girl :) (xx00x0x0x0x)
Our next blog will include greetings from Graycn Kuaile Godshall :)
w&h
Sunday, February 22, 2009
11 hours to go! ~woo-hoo!!!!!!!
It is 4:45 in the morning on our daughter's "gotcha day"......I had to get up to go to the bathroom (hee-hee!). I just wanted to share w/ "someone"... (my sweet "someone" is quietly sleeping in our "Lucy & Desi" bed) :)..... my heart is so quiet....so comforted in knowing that "This is the day the Lord has made...I will rejoice and be glad in it!"
~back to bed, but just had to share the "grayce" of God!
night, night......
hg
~back to bed, but just had to share the "grayce" of God!
night, night......
hg
Only 4.5 hours drive from Graycn!
Greeting to you from Changsha, China (the capital of Graycn's Hunan Province)! We have settled into our hotel....not quite as 5* as the Regal was, but in comparison to Changsha's appearance, it is a 5* indeed! ;)
Our flight was great...we are now divided into our "intimate" group of 11. Our other CCAI families have gone separate ways to meet their daughters. We are having so much fun with families who have traveled down this long journey! What a joy to be on this end of the "waiting"!!!!!
We met our guides for Changsha, Raymond and Jason. They are both natives of Changsha, but currently live in Guangzhou (that is where we will finish our trip). Raymond will leave after all the paperwork is finished on Wed and we will meet him again in Guangzhou, but Jason will be with us for the remainder of our time in China.
We received our schedule for the next few days: I will post it to the left of the blog. I'll title it "Changsha's Itinerary".
We are scheduled to meet our Graycn in a little less than 19 hours!!!!! We have our backpack packed with a few diapers, wipes, cheerios, a bottle, formula, rice cereal, toys and a blanket! (And of course, the cameras, gift for the nannies, orphanage director, and our VERY protected paperwork!!!!) :)
We are tired today.....planning on getting to bed soon.....So excited to update you tomorrow with our newest member of the Godshall family!!!!! We will get to "experience" the "Grayce" of God in just a few shourt hours!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Blayne.....Paytn......Haydn......We LOVE you!!!!!!! (all the way to the moon and back.....and the stars....and the sun......and even from China!!!!) :) :) :) ~ XXOOXXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
w&h
Our flight was great...we are now divided into our "intimate" group of 11. Our other CCAI families have gone separate ways to meet their daughters. We are having so much fun with families who have traveled down this long journey! What a joy to be on this end of the "waiting"!!!!!
We met our guides for Changsha, Raymond and Jason. They are both natives of Changsha, but currently live in Guangzhou (that is where we will finish our trip). Raymond will leave after all the paperwork is finished on Wed and we will meet him again in Guangzhou, but Jason will be with us for the remainder of our time in China.
We received our schedule for the next few days: I will post it to the left of the blog. I'll title it "Changsha's Itinerary".
We are scheduled to meet our Graycn in a little less than 19 hours!!!!! We have our backpack packed with a few diapers, wipes, cheerios, a bottle, formula, rice cereal, toys and a blanket! (And of course, the cameras, gift for the nannies, orphanage director, and our VERY protected paperwork!!!!) :)
We are tired today.....planning on getting to bed soon.....So excited to update you tomorrow with our newest member of the Godshall family!!!!! We will get to "experience" the "Grayce" of God in just a few shourt hours!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Blayne.....Paytn......Haydn......We LOVE you!!!!!!! (all the way to the moon and back.....and the stars....and the sun......and even from China!!!!) :) :) :) ~ XXOOXXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
w&h
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sight~seeing, Sampan, Pearls and Dim-Sums
It is currently Sat afternoon....we have had a wonderful day w/ our travel guide and families! We were able to tour Victoria Peak and it was beautiful (a little hazy today, but GREAT weather!) I'll download some photos for you all to see. Aberdeen was really neat too! We took a 30 min Sampan ride (Hong Kong's version of a gondola ride without music or the romantic vibe). It was a good way of being down on the water and get some great shots of the houseboats and living quarters of the local fisherman. We were then able to go to an amazing jewelry store where we bought Graycn a pearl pendant to give to her on her wedding day. It is beautiful ~ we are so excited about that purchase!!!!! We had already wanted to buy her something "pearl" from Asia, little did we know that "pearl" would be her birthstone! :)
We then had a very filling lunch of "dim-sums". Dim-sums are little dumpling like appetizers. They are usually served as 10 varieties per person, but our guide was afraid we would "pop" with that many, so he opted for 8 different kinds. Some were scary and some were pretty.....all were pretty uneventful to the taste buds and some were REALLY tasty!!!!!
We now have a few hours to relax at our hotel...wanted to catch up on blogging. We only have access to it for a few more hours and then we will have to wait to see what our options are when we arrive in Changsha tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if blogging will be tricky with the "firewall" issues - While in Hong Kong, it has been just as easy as it is at home! :)
love to you all ~ we are able to see our messages from you on our regular email ~ thank you so much for your words of encouragement and prayers......
If any of you see our babies.....give them hugs and kisses from us!!!! We love you guys and will soon have your little Graycn! :) ~ less than 2 days away from kissing her!!!! :)
w&h
We then had a very filling lunch of "dim-sums". Dim-sums are little dumpling like appetizers. They are usually served as 10 varieties per person, but our guide was afraid we would "pop" with that many, so he opted for 8 different kinds. Some were scary and some were pretty.....all were pretty uneventful to the taste buds and some were REALLY tasty!!!!!
We now have a few hours to relax at our hotel...wanted to catch up on blogging. We only have access to it for a few more hours and then we will have to wait to see what our options are when we arrive in Changsha tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if blogging will be tricky with the "firewall" issues - While in Hong Kong, it has been just as easy as it is at home! :)
love to you all ~ we are able to see our messages from you on our regular email ~ thank you so much for your words of encouragement and prayers......
If any of you see our babies.....give them hugs and kisses from us!!!! We love you guys and will soon have your little Graycn! :) ~ less than 2 days away from kissing her!!!! :)
w&h
Friday, February 20, 2009
We are in HONG KONG!!!!!
Greetings to you all from Hong Kong!!!! We made it safe and sound:) We have had so much fun already! We slept great at the airport hotel, the night before leaving - only had a few “issues” with “excited diarrhea!! :) ha!
We arrived on time for each of our destinations, our luggage made it, and Wade has only said a few times “we are definitely NOT carrying this much stuff around when we are carrying around Graycn, I don’t care what we have to pay extra, we are paying it!” hee-hee :)
We were able to talk with Blayne and Haydn at school before our international flight, and left 2 messages for Paytn who was home sick - my sweet baby girl! - mommy/daddy love you guys sooooo much and are only 2 ½ days away from your Graycn!
We had so much fun with a Chinese family during our 15 ½ hour international flight :) He had us rolling with all of his “United Airline facts” of how the airlines have cut costs over the years. Here are just a few of his “tidbits” he generously and humorously shared with us: alcohol used to be free, and is now $6, they used to have a fruit snack, the salads used to have a cherry tomato and a cucumber (now it is just lettuce - only lettuce) and they used to hand out hot towels. He was also right on with each of the meal options to choose. For example: eat the beef, not the chicken! Pick the lasagna, not the ham and cheese sandwich (which was actually turkey, not ham). But the funniest moment was during our first meal, he reaches behind him (where his wife and kids were sitting) and brings forward a “to go box” from home. He opens it up and there is a HUGE platter of BBQ pork! I have NO idea where he was “storing” that!!!! It is as if he had just pulled it out of his armpit! :) (Brenna, you would have gotten a huge kick out of this next surpirse) Before I could get my composure, he pulls out another “to go box” and you will NEVER guess what was inside………..”DUCK TONGUE”!!!! - that’s right, “DUCK TONGUE!!!!” You could actually see the mandible and this little tongue connected at the base of the jaw. Needless to say, Wade and I looked at each other and said “Chinese cuisine……..here we come!!!!”
The hotel is just beautiful….we are getting ready to crawl in for the night. We have a 6:30am wake up call for breakfast. We hope to meet all our CCAI families tomorrow. We met about 2/3 of them tonight- This is just going to get better and better! So wish you all could be here with us to experience it! We will do our best to bring it all to you!!! So far, we have only met one guy going to our province. The other families are going to a province to the east of us- we hope to meet our other province families tomorrow.
Tomorrow (Sat at 8:15am our time/6:15 pm Fri for you) we get to tour Victoria Peak - it is supposed to be "one to the most spectacular panoramic views in the world". We will then tour Aberdeen, a fishing village known as a “haven of the fishing fleets and floating restaurants”. We with then go to a Aberdeen Jewelry Factory, where we will get to see the “artist carving on semi-precious stones and gold metals”. Our last stop will be at Stanley Market, known for it’s “bargain shopping and traditional handicrafts”. All of that is done by 1:15pm, because we are scheduled to eat at “Dim-sum” for lunch. (The rest of the afternoon is ours to “hang” and walk around, get to know the other families :)
We are scheduled to leave for the airport on Sun at 8:50am our time (6:50pm Sat- KC time). Our flight leaves for Changsha (Graycn’t capital city) at 11:55am (9:55pm Sat/ KC time). We do not know what time we will meet our daughter, but at this point, it looks like some time on Monday 2/23 :) :) :) :) :) !!!!!!!!!!
Oaky…..off to bed….I will try to down load some photos….hope you can see the blog!
Love to you all!
w&h
*keep checking the blog and we will try to add more during our "leisure" times
xxooxoooxooxoooxoooox
We arrived on time for each of our destinations, our luggage made it, and Wade has only said a few times “we are definitely NOT carrying this much stuff around when we are carrying around Graycn, I don’t care what we have to pay extra, we are paying it!” hee-hee :)
We were able to talk with Blayne and Haydn at school before our international flight, and left 2 messages for Paytn who was home sick - my sweet baby girl! - mommy/daddy love you guys sooooo much and are only 2 ½ days away from your Graycn!
We had so much fun with a Chinese family during our 15 ½ hour international flight :) He had us rolling with all of his “United Airline facts” of how the airlines have cut costs over the years. Here are just a few of his “tidbits” he generously and humorously shared with us: alcohol used to be free, and is now $6, they used to have a fruit snack, the salads used to have a cherry tomato and a cucumber (now it is just lettuce - only lettuce) and they used to hand out hot towels. He was also right on with each of the meal options to choose. For example: eat the beef, not the chicken! Pick the lasagna, not the ham and cheese sandwich (which was actually turkey, not ham). But the funniest moment was during our first meal, he reaches behind him (where his wife and kids were sitting) and brings forward a “to go box” from home. He opens it up and there is a HUGE platter of BBQ pork! I have NO idea where he was “storing” that!!!! It is as if he had just pulled it out of his armpit! :) (Brenna, you would have gotten a huge kick out of this next surpirse) Before I could get my composure, he pulls out another “to go box” and you will NEVER guess what was inside………..”DUCK TONGUE”!!!! - that’s right, “DUCK TONGUE!!!!” You could actually see the mandible and this little tongue connected at the base of the jaw. Needless to say, Wade and I looked at each other and said “Chinese cuisine……..here we come!!!!”
The hotel is just beautiful….we are getting ready to crawl in for the night. We have a 6:30am wake up call for breakfast. We hope to meet all our CCAI families tomorrow. We met about 2/3 of them tonight- This is just going to get better and better! So wish you all could be here with us to experience it! We will do our best to bring it all to you!!! So far, we have only met one guy going to our province. The other families are going to a province to the east of us- we hope to meet our other province families tomorrow.
Tomorrow (Sat at 8:15am our time/6:15 pm Fri for you) we get to tour Victoria Peak - it is supposed to be "one to the most spectacular panoramic views in the world". We will then tour Aberdeen, a fishing village known as a “haven of the fishing fleets and floating restaurants”. We with then go to a Aberdeen Jewelry Factory, where we will get to see the “artist carving on semi-precious stones and gold metals”. Our last stop will be at Stanley Market, known for it’s “bargain shopping and traditional handicrafts”. All of that is done by 1:15pm, because we are scheduled to eat at “Dim-sum” for lunch. (The rest of the afternoon is ours to “hang” and walk around, get to know the other families :)
We are scheduled to leave for the airport on Sun at 8:50am our time (6:50pm Sat- KC time). Our flight leaves for Changsha (Graycn’t capital city) at 11:55am (9:55pm Sat/ KC time). We do not know what time we will meet our daughter, but at this point, it looks like some time on Monday 2/23 :) :) :) :) :) !!!!!!!!!!
Oaky…..off to bed….I will try to down load some photos….hope you can see the blog!
Love to you all!
w&h
*keep checking the blog and we will try to add more during our "leisure" times
xxooxoooxooxoooxoooox
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
23 hours to go!!!!!!!
Oh my word......this time tomorrow, we will have been in the air for 1 hour!!!!!! We are so giddy!!!!!!! We are still trying to fit about 500 lbs of "stuff" into (2) 40 lb suitcases.....hmmmmmm not sure how this is going to work, and still be able to bring home souveniers for our Graycn? :)
I think I have all your contact information w/ me, so we just need to pray that I can "pretend" to be a computer genius while in China :) ha!!!!
My precious friend, Heidi (and her husband, Jason) are having such a wonderful time in China with thier Tai! I am so grateful God has blessed us w/ knowing her and has allowed our paths to cross at this time in our lives! She has been such a great resource during these last few days of preparation :) ~ Thanks, girl!!!!!
Oaky....this post is kind of boring, but hope to have some fun stuff to add to it next time!
I'll do my best to bring China to you~ and a HUGE thank you to our friends/families that will be bringing China to our Blayne, Paytn and Haydn! :)
Love ya,
w&h
I think I have all your contact information w/ me, so we just need to pray that I can "pretend" to be a computer genius while in China :) ha!!!!
My precious friend, Heidi (and her husband, Jason) are having such a wonderful time in China with thier Tai! I am so grateful God has blessed us w/ knowing her and has allowed our paths to cross at this time in our lives! She has been such a great resource during these last few days of preparation :) ~ Thanks, girl!!!!!
Oaky....this post is kind of boring, but hope to have some fun stuff to add to it next time!
I'll do my best to bring China to you~ and a HUGE thank you to our friends/families that will be bringing China to our Blayne, Paytn and Haydn! :)
Love ya,
w&h
Monday, February 16, 2009
Counting Down!!!!!
Only 3 days and 16 hours and we will be on our way to our sweet Graycn!!!! Oh my goodness....we are beyond any emotion we have ever experienced individually or together. Wade and I just shake our heads and find ourselves periodically giggling for no apparent reason.
We have the kiddos all packed...they are soooooo excited!!! I was walking into church today and someone asked us how many more days and I excitedly announced "5 more days!!!!" - Haydn squeezed my hand tightly and said "Mom, only 4 more days!!!!!!" ~ yipppeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Out of the mouth of babes!!!!!
Today was such a precious day! Wade had continuing ed classes today and wasn't able to make it to church, but I couldn't wait to share w/ him the gift of love our family received. At the end of Sunday School, even after the final class prayer, one of the couples in class asked me to come up to the front for a minute. I had no idea what I was about to experience........Wade and I are very new to this class - so new, that I could probably only call a handful of people by name, and yet, the love displayed to us was something we have never known. Time seemed to stand still and swirl all at the same time......I found myself surrounded and cradled in the arms of fellow believers ~Women that don't even know me.....weeping to my Lord on behalf of our family. I feel so humbled to have received such love as a direct result of Wade and I just "jumping out in faith and watching God's grace at work." Kindred Spirits in Christ~ praying for our Graycn....our kids, who we will be so far away from for so long.....our safety.....our health......our faith....our journey......our Saviour being honored and worshiped for what He has done and is doing and is going to do! I cannot even describe what that act of love did for our family! Our hearts are so full!!!!!!
Your prayers mean so much to us! We have no control on bringing our family safely home together.
Love to each of you.....please enjoy the blog......bear w/ any "computer glitches" that may occur.....
We would love to receive any comments on our blogs...just click on it and follow the directions!!!! otherwise, email us - PLEASE!!!!!
Off to bed.....BIG packing day tomorrow!!!!!!!
~w&h
We have the kiddos all packed...they are soooooo excited!!! I was walking into church today and someone asked us how many more days and I excitedly announced "5 more days!!!!" - Haydn squeezed my hand tightly and said "Mom, only 4 more days!!!!!!" ~ yipppeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Out of the mouth of babes!!!!!
Today was such a precious day! Wade had continuing ed classes today and wasn't able to make it to church, but I couldn't wait to share w/ him the gift of love our family received. At the end of Sunday School, even after the final class prayer, one of the couples in class asked me to come up to the front for a minute. I had no idea what I was about to experience........Wade and I are very new to this class - so new, that I could probably only call a handful of people by name, and yet, the love displayed to us was something we have never known. Time seemed to stand still and swirl all at the same time......I found myself surrounded and cradled in the arms of fellow believers ~Women that don't even know me.....weeping to my Lord on behalf of our family. I feel so humbled to have received such love as a direct result of Wade and I just "jumping out in faith and watching God's grace at work." Kindred Spirits in Christ~ praying for our Graycn....our kids, who we will be so far away from for so long.....our safety.....our health......our faith....our journey......our Saviour being honored and worshiped for what He has done and is doing and is going to do! I cannot even describe what that act of love did for our family! Our hearts are so full!!!!!!
Your prayers mean so much to us! We have no control on bringing our family safely home together.
Love to each of you.....please enjoy the blog......bear w/ any "computer glitches" that may occur.....
We would love to receive any comments on our blogs...just click on it and follow the directions!!!! otherwise, email us - PLEASE!!!!!
Off to bed.....BIG packing day tomorrow!!!!!!!
~w&h
Friday, February 6, 2009
Update on how to use the blog while we are in China~
I just posted an update on our "China status" (it is at the top of the blog- before the new photos) - I didn't put it in a "post" format because I was afraid it would get missed since I had to put the pictures above the posts in order to keep the pictures big. My blog wont' let me put big pictures anywhere else, so when we are in China, you all may have to bear w/ the format and search the whole blog for anything new :) Apparently the firewall in China is pretty solid. What this means is, I will be able to update through the blog, but I won't be able to "preview" it before it is sent. I will have no idea where anything is getting downloaded to - I'll have to fix it when I come home.
From now on, the "posts" will be stored together (down lower on the blog) and I will probably keep adding the photos as the first things you will see (that way they can be in a larger format so you can enjoy them more).
XXOO
~w&h
From now on, the "posts" will be stored together (down lower on the blog) and I will probably keep adding the photos as the first things you will see (that way they can be in a larger format so you can enjoy them more).
XXOO
~w&h
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Our Beautiful Chinese Princess
Look at this gorgeous outfit from "Aunt" Sha-nay-nay and "Aunt" Ramsey!!! My heart was so full as I put her in that special outfit! I just loved telling her about the "hug" she was wearing!
Our little "exclamation point"!
We refer to Graycn as being the "exclamation point" to an already AWESOME family!!! We are so excited to bring her home so we can all be together!
"Sisters"
It is said that girls from the same province call themselve "sisters" regardless of whether they have a friendship connection or not. Our Graycn and her sweet Gracey have such a tender bond. They seem to respond to each other differently than with the other "sisters" :)
"Red Couch" ~ brings such "emotion" to the girls!
Doesn't Graycn look concerned about her Gracey?
Dominos.....
"It's all fun and games until one baby cries and slides"
"Chenzhou Girls"
Graycn's China family! :)
"High-Tech" hearing test!
read the blog entry to get more info on this photo :)
2/3 of Daddy's Girls :)
Graycn is the talk of the travel group ~ she seems to have the best "seat" when touring her land of birth!
Mama's Girl
Graycn is just "chillin" in her "mom-made" carseat!
Oh No..... Another "Kissing Bandit"
When you say "kiss, kiss" Graycn will lean in to kiss you :)
So Tiny~ So Exhausted!
Graycn is so funny! She likes to fall asleep all snuggled up in a "nest" of things :) Look at how little she is in comparison to the little snuggly blanket next to her! the jammies she has on are 6-12 (she is 8.5 mo) ~ they are baggy on her :)
Sealed with a kiss.....
as far as we were concerned....the adoption was complete before we even laid eyes on Graycn! (a fellow adoptee caugh this on camera, we had not seen Graycn, but knew she was in the building!)
You just can't get much more comfortable than this!
we are in "hog heaven"!!!! EEEEeeeeeee!!!!!
~Settled in~
Graycn is clean....full.....warm and absolutely AMAZING!!!
Graycn and one of her Chezhou girlfriends~ Grace Lynn
we have become so close to these families already! We are loving getting to know the Harts!
Bringing our Graycn home to our "home away from home"...
getting her off the bus and taking her into our room to independently take care of her was an AWESOME feeling! She will be "officially" ours tomorrow....
Mama's snuggle bug!
Graycn is so touchy-feely and huggy....I am just loving that!
Daddy's newest little girl!
Pay~Pay.....do you think you can share your daddy with this little bundle? :)
The wait is over!
And it was well worth it!
Home away from Home......
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Doesn't g~g's "first" night at the Godshall look promising for "sweet dreams!" :) ~ it's been "ruffle-ized"!!!
Getting ready for Graycn's "delivery" :)
looks so sweet....but a little lonely.....
Graycn's "stash"
bottles...formula....cheerios....toys.....books....and lots more!
a "baby bed"!!!!
notice Graycn's sweet crib right by our "Lucy & Desi" beds! :)
Our 2nd Gas Mask found on our 1st night in Changsha!
We were at a "Western Style" chinese restaurant for dinner tonight, and we look up and see a gas mask on the wall of the room that the 30 of us were eating in.....hmmmmmm.....1 gas mask/30 people??? The odds are NOT in our favor! I told the table not to worry...I had my "inhaler"! :)
Gas Mask.....that's right.....I said "gas mask"!!!!
oh my word! We opened up the closet to put our things in the safe, and look what was "waiting" for us.... a genuine "chinese gas mask"!!! We both looked at each other and said, "I think China might be a little more dangerous than Memphis, TN!!!!!" (Sorry Gambrells!) - notice there is only 1.....wonder who can run the fastest to the closet?? hmmmmm!!! :)
LUGGAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it seems to just keep multiplying! ;)
our chinese cuisine on the flight
notice the "pork" sticker in the right corner......poor Dr. Rauf would be STARVING in China!!!! ha! :)
Chenzhou Girls' mamas & babas
the "intimate" 11 families leaving from Hong Kong to Changsha (the capital city of Graycn's Hunan Province)
Jumbo Floating Restaurant
This is the largest floating restaurant in the world. It is capable of seating 3,100 people! That would be a lot of food!!!!!!
HK Skyline
the building in the back on the left is still being built and will be the tallest building in the world! The building to the right of that (with a "chopstick" on top) was apparently in the most recent Batman movie.
Overlooking Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
There are 9 islands behind us, but you cannot see it with the haze from the weather.
the Regal Hong Kong Hotel
You know it is a nice hotel when you turn on the tv and it is has a personalized message for you!
CCAI guides for Hong Kong
Patrick (the tall one) will lead our tours
our personal "United Airlines extra ammenities" historian
This is the family we traveled 15 1/2 hours with. Read the blog for some fun details of how they made the LONG trip seem shorter!
One of Wade's "carry~on" items!
we had so many people ask us where our baby was....we had fun answering them with "she is in China!"
"Flat Stacy" ~ on her way to China......
Poor "Uncle Freshy" had no idea he was taking Flat Stacy to the airport too.....Flat Stacy is a school project for Paytn...you may see her popping up periodically throughout our journey :)
"It's Hot Time" ~
a "Childer's family" tradition! ~ Yee haw!
Dropping off the kiddos....
First Stop: Nanny and Papa
American "Chinese Food"
eating our last chinese dinner without our little china doll at our side!
Graycn's stuff ~ way too much for such a little bundle
1/3 of our 500lbs to stuff into our (2) 40lb suitcases.
Sitting all by herself!!!!!!
We are so grateful for the orphange God has placed her in... Graycn appears to be right on schedule!
Oh......couldn't you just eat her?
Our hearts are just leaping for joy!!!! As Paytn would say...."we just couldn't imagine loving her any more than we already do!"
Our "nosey" little g~g.........
She look so strong and healthy!
"Hi Guys!"
Looks like Graycn will fit right into our "social" family!
Graycn is getting so big!
updated photo taken on 1/5/09. Her hair is growing and look at how strong she is!