OUR LAST DAY IN ZHENGZHOU

Today was our last day to be in Zhengzhou. It was another beautiful day, but a little cooler and windier than it has been. We have been SO blessed with good weather since we arrived in China, and the forecast for this coming week in the direction we are headed is almost too good to be true!!!

We have had a lot of special moments here this week. Of course, I think the time spent in the province from where are girls have been adopted is always the most special time of the trip. It has been a week of bonding with the other three families in our travel group. They are all so very special to us. As I've said many times, adoption doesn't just bless a family with a child....it blesses a family with a lot of new friends. Even though we all came from different states, and had never had any communication before we met in Beijing, it's like we have known each other forever, and I truly do believe we will remain in touch in the future. We have become especially close to the Nason family....Ed, Kylie, their sweet China girl, Zoey, and their newly adopted 17 month old son, Niko. They are from Indiana, and we actually connected in the airport at Chicago. Oddly enough, their seats on the plane were right in front of ours. We hit it off from the beginning, and have gotten to spend some fun times with them this week. We are looking forward to more fun times in the week to come, and we know we are going to stay connected in the future!

We have been blessed with an awesome guide, Tina. She has done a phenomenal job with everything, and has even been able to snag us some medicine for our colds. Medication is hard to come by here in China if you don't have connections.....even just what we call over the counter meds at home. She got us some medicine for our coughs we have had since we arrived in Beijing. We aren't sure what was in the meds, but they worked!!! I was also SO excited to get to see our guides from our last trip, Rita and Vivian. They are both expecting babies within the next two weeks, so they are working right now. Rita was actually our guide our last two adoptions with Callie Beth and Eiley Joy. Vivian was our guide, too with Eiley Joy. They are both very near and dear to my heart.

  

 Vivian and Rita, the guides from previous adoptions.

This morning we went to the Zhengzhou Aquarium with two of the families in our group. It was a fun time for our girls. We had been before when we adopted Eiley Joy. I could just feel her looking down on us when we were there saying, "Hey, Mama......do you remember the fit I threw the last time we were here?!?!?!" She wasn't at all impressed with the mermaid show that day!!! :)

The Zhengzhou Aquarium

After we got back to the room, we hung out for a little while, then made a trip to Walmart to get batteries. We ended up stopping back by the indoor playground where we took the girls a couple of days ago. The Nasons were there, so we stopped to play, too. We came back to the room in time for Tina to deliver Ansley Grace's passport, and then we went to eat at Pizza Hut. I must say that our pizza tasted just like it does in Kentucky, which was a WONDERFUL change from Chinese food!!!!!

Walking Bridge to WalMart

WalMart

Today is the one year anniversary of Eiley Joy's death. We wore matching shirts today to honor her. I have shed a lot of tears, but I am glad that we are here and not at home for this day. Oh, how I miss her, but she has SO been with us on this trip. I don't know that I have felt her presence any more strongly since her death than I have this past week. I know she is beaming in Heaven over the adoption of her sister number three, and when I look at the sweet face of Ansley Grace, I am thankful beyond words that God truly showed His grace by allowing us to adopt her. A sweet friend of mine told me the other day.....Ansley Grace will never replace Eiley Joy, but being able to adopt another child can bring happiness amidst the sorrow, and that is SO true. She is such a special little girl. I hope in my next blog to share some of the special things about her. :)

Our matching shirts honoring Eiley Joy.

Tomorrow morning we will be flying to Guangzhou. My Kentucky friends, who are freezing right now, it is supposed to be in the 70's all week while we are going to be there. I'm not sure that I've packed clothes that are going to be cool enough for the girls!!! I actually threw a couple of pairs of flip flops in for me, along with crop pants and t-shirts. I'm planning on enjoying the warmth before we return to the freezer in Kentucky!!! We are looking forward to our time there, not just because of the weather. Guangzhou is much more like a U.S. city, and we honestly know places to eat there that are NOT Chinese restaurants. I'm looking forward to a little Mexican food, and of course, Lucy's on Shamien Island. We are also looking forward to taking the girls to Safari Park one day, and to taking the Pearl River Cruise for the third time. It never gets old!!!!

Leaving in the morning is going to be a little bittersweet. We will be taking Ansley Grace from the city that has been home to her as long as she has can remember. I think she is ready to go, though. She has molded quite well and easily, too, into a little Pierce girl. Please pray that she will continue to transition as well as she has. As you can see from the pictures, she sure does have a big, beautiful smile.