FIRST DAY OF SITESEEING IN GUANGZHOU

This morning we went on a tour of some historical places in Guangzhous, the Buddhist Temple.  The Old Chen House, and the Provincial Arts and Crafts Shopping Center.  Since this is the FOURTH time we have taken this tour, I was much more interested in taking pictures of our virtual triples. I don't have a lot of pictures to share about the actual sites we visited. 

The Buddhist Temple never ceases to amaze me. I watch people go in, light incense, and bow before those golden statues in hopes of peace, prosperity, good luck, long lives.....the list goes on. Our guide, Jason, explained that they always light the incense in multiples of three, representing the three lives they believe they live......their past life, their present life, and their future life. There were several different statues of Buddha, each representing something different. The Buddha in this picture is called the happy Buddha, and it is recommended to rub his belly is you want more children. I asked Roger if he wanted to rub it.....he declined. :) I know if I had grown up in this culture, this might be a part of my way of life, too.....but, as and American who has grown up in the Bible Belt, I look at these educated people and I just don't get it. Again today, I wondered if this might have been part of our girls' lives had they remained in China. It is doubtful that any of them would have ever made it to the temple.

We also visited the Old Chen House. It is an amazing place because of the art work there. You can see the carvings on the roof and along the eaves in the picture. It is remarkable. There are also displays of the important items that the Guangdong province is known for: porcelain, jade, bone carving, carved furniture, and beautiful calligraphy pieces, to name a few. I bought a calligraphy piece with Hope, Faith, Joy, and Love written on it....a part of each girl's name. 

We were able to shop a little at the Provincial Arts and Crafts Shopping Center. This shop is owned by the government, so the items there are good quality. I got a pretty jade pendant with the symbol of mother/daughter on it. I had already bought jade bracelets for all my girls for the future, but I had never gotten anything jade for myself. Of course, I have Eiley Joy's jade bracelet, but it would never fit my arm. It is just something I will keep that was hers. 

After we got back to the hotel, we went with Ed and Kylie, our best adoption friends on this trip, to a quaint little noodle shop for lunch. We are thankful that we have such a bond with them. They are a sweet, sweet couple, with hearts of gold, and we love being with them.

I have sent Roger down to the adoption meeting room to do the paperwork for today. I do ALL of the paperwork pre-adoption, but when we get to China, I allow him to take care of everything else that has to be done. Right now, the girls are playing in the room. I think all of our hearts are a little heavy because we are remembering how bad these days were this time last year. As I'm sitting here, I'm listening to Molly Kate as they are playing and realize that she is having a funeral with her toys. We have really worked to make these days happy days, and they have been......after all, we have added a little girl to our family who is precious beyond words. They miss Eiley Joy SO terribly, though, and have talked about here throughout this journey. She will NOT be forgotten.....

One FUNNY thing to share..... This morning Molly Kate was talking about when she was adopted.  She looked at me and asked, "Mama, when were you adopted?' I told her, "I wasn't from adopted, I grew in Gran Gran's belly."  Her reply?  "Oh! I didn't realize you weren't from China."