Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Home at last!!










Well, we have been home since late Friday night. The trip home, as many of you know, was a little more interesting than we were expecting. We ended up spending an unexpected night in Tokyo. It is an extremely long story that I won't go into on here. After many frustrating hours, we finally landed in Minneapolis at 5:30 Friday evening.

Considering the length of the flights and the extra time it took to get home, Dexter did wonderfully. We were a little concerned about how he would deal with being in a carseat for the first time, but he sat great.

We arrived at our house at 8:30 to welcoming hugs from Elli and Zane. It was great to finally see and hold them again. They were also really excited to finally meet Dexter. Grandma Kathy, Aunt Emily and Broc were here to greet us too. They had balloons lining the front sidewalk and a bunch of signs welcoming Dexter home. Dexter warmed up to everyone quite quickly, even though Zane scared him a little with his wild ways. Since it was late and we were all tired, we didn't stay up too late. Dexter is still on China time, so we're lucky that Grandma was willing to stay up with him!

We have had a few visitors already, which is great. We're excited for him to meet everyone! We've got lots to look forward to - - let the adventure begin!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Misc. Photos from Shamian Island

Dr. Sun Yatsen Memorial Photos

Last Day Photos

The one picture is an example of the amazing way people haul things around on their bicycles.

The other is a view of the city from the top of our hotel.

Our Last Full Day

Today was our last full day in China. It is kind of a bittersweet moment for us because we have had such a life changing and wonderful experience here, but we are also very excited to get home again. We can't wait to see Elliana and Zane!

This morning, we took a taxi to the Dr. Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall. It is a huge memorial and grounds area dedicated to Dr. Sun Yatsen, who was considered the founding father of contemporary China. It was a magnificent structure with meticulous landscaping and greenery. This tropical climate is great for flowers!

We did some shopping after that and took a bunch of pictures of the island. We tried to soak in every bit of China that we could today. We want to be able to tell Dexter all about it some day.

We had our final adoption related appointment this afternoon at the US Consulate. We took an oath there and received Dexter's passport and visa. There were 31 families that were there with us. I teared up at the end of the oath. We are bringing Dexter home!

After we arrived back from the Consulate, we said goodbye to some of the families that we have gotten to know so well over the last 2 weeks. Although we are all so excited to get back home to our families and begin the next chapter of our lives, it was hard to say goodbye to people that we have grown so close to and that we have traveled this path with. Bittersweet.

Tonight we finished up our day with some final souvenir shopping and then came back to pack. We also Skyped with the kids and Mom and Dad. It was so great to see them! We leave the hotel at 7:00 tomorrow morning and our flight leaves Guangzhou at 10:20. With all of the time changes, we are supposed to land at MSP at 1:30 Thursday afternoon. Dexter becomes a US Citizen as soon as we clear Immigration in Minneapolis!

What an adventure this has been. Thanks to everyone for all of the support, prayers and good wishes during our journey to bring Dexter home. We'll put an update on the blog sometime after we return home.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

River Cruise

The Red Couch photos

Us with Molly on the Red Couch.

The whole group of families from our agency.