Red, White And Blue

On Tuesday little Miss Ellie was dressed in red, white and blue for our US Consulate appointment and oath taking ceremony.  

We boarded the bus with two other families and made our way to the US Consulate.  It was actually way more chaotic last time around.  Were were at the Consulate with 12 other adoptive families this time instead of a large mass of people.  We had to raise our right hand and swear all our paperwork was true and complete.  We were called up one by one to go through our paperwork.  As we were standing at the window watching them go through Chinese and American documents I told Eric it is truly amazing that everything goes so smooth.  I am so grateful for an amazing agency, we don't have to worry about a thing but taking care of Ellie.  

As we were waiting I looked over and I saw a face of a little girl that I recognized, a face I will never forget, a face I cried over.  One day I was surfing blogs and I came across the blog of a mom adopting from China and as I saw her little malnurished face peeking out of steel bars my heart broke.  I wondered how in the world that mom could not just get on a plane to bring that girl home.  We met in person today and shed tears together as we shared our daughters stories. It is amazing how this journey can bind your hearts with people you have never met. 

I left the Consulate with a broke heart yet again for the orphans we left behind, for the ones who have had care that has been horrible but also a joy for all the orphans that have found their way into the arms of their moms and dads.  It has been amazing to witness the transformation that love brings in so many families. 

After our Consulate appointment we headed to lunch with friends.  We decided to try some Mexican food in China. All 7 of us jumped in a cab... you heard that right 7 of us.  Eric and Kai were in the front and Eric, Shelly, Ellie, Elijah and I were in back.  The cab driver shook his head as he tried to communicate that 4 was the limit.  We told him we were ok and so we were on our way.  At one time both of the little ones were screaming and Eric had a bag out because it seemed as though Kai was going to throw up.  We all just kind of laughed and chalked it up to memories made in China. 

We had an amazing lunch and I am not sure if it was because it was really good Mexican or because it tasted good to eat something besides Chinese food.  We also had amazing fellowship.  Our time in Guangzhou has been a breath of fresh air but we are getting anxious to board that plane and get home to our other four.  We are excited for everyone to meet Ellie.  

Our kids at home seem to be doing great.  I think Papa and Grammy have been needing to go to bed earlier but it seems to be going smooth.  They will need a long vacation after this. We are so grateful that they have stayed the long haul with the kids.  We have been able to Skyp with them and they have loved seeing Ellie.  We also got to Skype with the kids school.  We Skyped with Emma's class and the other 2 came to her room too!  We had fun sharing with the kids about China and they asked us questions about Ellie and her country.  Their are so many from school that told us they would love on our kids while we were gone.  We are thankful for this community that is more like family lifting us up in prayer and loving on our kids while we are away. 

We finished the night sailing on the Dragon Boat on the Pearl River.  We arrived at the dock with all the families from our agency.  We waited for our Papa Murphy pizza to be delivered and then boarded the boat.  We ate our pizza and then made our way to the top for the view. 

It was a picture perfect night.  The weather was amazing and it was fun to catch up with the other families on our last night together in Guangzhou. 

It is hard to believe that just 10 days ago we were waiting to meet our little girl. 

We feel blessed that God would bless us with special friendships on our journey! 

Miss Ellie decided that she was getting a little sleepy.  It was time to put the thumb to work. 

She is be any sweeter!  Foot in the air and thumb in the mouth. She is taking full advantage of getting comfy. 

We had an amazing last night taking in the sights on the Pearl River with a special group of people that we have walked an amazing journey with.