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Hearts full.

We are so happy to be home! My parents came in to welcome us at the airport and asked if they could stay a few days to help out. Um, yes!! So, they wore themsleves out serving us this week! They took the big kids wherever they wanted to go- putt putt, movies, McDonald’s, nail salon, Target for toys, Claire’s …

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China Day 19: Hong Kong

We had a great last day in Hong Kong! We love this place! It felt a little like home but made us even more ready to get to Texas! We spent the morning around the hotel. We had breakfast and then walked over to the airport to see if we could change our seats on the plane (our 11 hour …

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China Day 18: Leaving Guangzhou

We had a great last day hanging around the apartment in GZ. We were all sad to leave!! It has truly been our home away from home and we will miss this place- even the 70s decor grew on us! :)           We loved our guide, Kelly, in Guangzhou! She truly made our stay so easy and fun. I …

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China Day 17: US Consulate Appointment

Thursday we had Lila’s US Consulate appointment! After breakfast we said goodbye to our new friends that were leaving Guangzhou. They had their Consulate Appointment earlier in the week and were heading to Hong Kong and then home to Colorado! So thankful for these new friends- it was hard to say goodbye! Then it was time to drive to the US …

China Days 14, 15, & 16: More of Guangzhou

We’re still here! We’ve had a fun few days doing more exploring in Guangzhou! This city is HUGE- over 14 million people live here! There are so many people! And tall buildings! And apartments! And cranes! I have never seen so many cranes in one condensed area- so many high rises and huge buildings are going up. It is truly …

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China Days 12 & 13: Exploring Guangzhou

We’ve had a nice couple of days exploring the city. Saturday morning we decided to take a walk, so we borrowed a stroller from the hotel and we were set! We ended up at Aeon, a grocery/department store. It is set up so differently from what we have in the US! There is a huge grocery store on the bottom floor, …

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China Day 11: Orphanage Visit

We left our hotel this morning early to head to Dongguan. This is the city where Lila’s orphanage is. It is about an hour from Guangzhou, heading down the Pearl River highway back toward Hong Kong. The first thing we noticed about Dongguan is how beautiful it is. It is very lush and green, and in parts you would think …

China Day 10: Fun Day in Guangzhou!

Today was such a fun day! We had to wake up Miss Sleepyhead again this morning because we were leaving the hotel at 9am. We went down to breakfast and then met our guide in the lobby. Our first stop was shopping for pearls at the pearl market! This was such a fun experience. There are SO many places with …

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China Day 9: Medical Exam and Passport

Today was the hardest day we’ve had. Even though we are all still doing really good, Lila had a harder time today with everything. We woke up after another great night’s sleep (everyone is sleeping so good, thankfully!!) and headed down to breakfast again at the hotel. I made Lila a plate of bananas and pancake and then headed to …

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China Day 8: Adoption Day

We woke up after a great first night’s sleep! Lila drank her bottle quickly and we headed down to breakfast. It is crazy that we had to ask for a table for FIVE! We all fixed our plates and Miss Lila went to town eating bananas, pears, and pineapple. We tried feeding her congee, a rice porridge she had at …

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China Day 6: Travel to Guangzhou

Today was just crazy full of so many emotions! This morning we had a great time hanging around our hotel before heading to the train station. We loved Hong Kong and are so excited we will be back for one more day there after our time in Guangzhou, before we head back to Dallas. It was not too hard to …

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China Day 5: Hong Kong Disneyland

Saturday morning we surprised the kids and told them we were taking them to Disneyland! They were so excited! We knew this would be such a fun way to celebrate our last days as a family of four. We took the subway directly to the park and got there before it opened. We were sitting enjoying breakfast that we had …