Monday, Monday

Liwan Plaza in downtown Guangzhou, where the Pearl Market is located.  We had lunch at Papa John's Pizza.  That's one of the things we can't get on Guam.  It was good!

Lilymei is serious when it comes down to food.  Note the highchair with a cushion for the princess!  Lilymei is the proud owner of 2 bracelets.  She loves wearing them.  

Just messing around on the bed.

We had a very busy day yesterday (Monday) with Lilymei's medical clearance appointment to start the day. All we can say is, it was less than fruitful. I am confident the medical exam she will receive once we are back on Guam will be much more useful. We then toured a Buddhist temple where all of the babies received a blessing. Afterwards the group went to the Pearl Market for some shopping and lunch. We ended up eating at Papa John's and not purchasing anything at the market. The boys convinced our guide to stop at Carrefour (Asian Walmart) so they could buy 2 rip-sticks (a newer version of the skateboard). The boys couldn't be happier because the price was about 1/4 of what it is on Guam. 

Once we got back to the hotel, Scott was a little under the weather. Jean took the kids to the arcade and they enjoyed the evening having fun. Later, Lilymei had a chance to play in the Swan Room, which is a playroom sponsored by Mattel. Lilymei started chatting up a storm and laughing like crazy. She has really come out of her shell. We are sorry about no new photos lately, but there was a huge electrical storm that prevented us from posting last night.

Guangzhou and Shamian Island, Good Times!

Daddy and his little girl with the Pearl River lights in the background. We had a good night to view the laser light and boat show this evening.
Lilymei acting goofy in the hotel room. She is really starting to open up more. The boys are great at making her laugh. Isn't she so cute!!

A nice family shot in one of the parks on Shamian Island, note the 5 funny looking children and the one adorable looking baby!
Here is Drew and a new found friend that had to "interview" him for her English class. Drew had to formally meet her and write his dream for the Beijing Olympic Games. We all had fun with this on Saturday of course we all received a gift from our friends.

Today we had to have Lilymei's picture taken for her Visa. We then introduced her to the world of swimming. Let's just say she is not a huge fan yet! The boys had a great time in the beautiful pool here at the White Swan. We ate dinner at Lucy's, again. Lucy's restaurant caters to western families and the food is very good. It was nice to have some old fashioned grilled cheese and apple pie ala mode. We have had a fun filled time here on the island. Lilymei is doing quite well and starting to open up more and more each day. We are going to the doctor in the morning for the obligatory medical exam. We will then be off for a fun filled day touring and completing the day with a dinner boat cruise of the Pearl River. We are finding Lilymei to be such a beautiful little baby in everything she does. She is currently "talking" in her sleep and it is so cute. We miss everyone and can't wait to get home.

Here are the boys playing Chinese hacky sack in the park, quite a show for the Chinese!

We made it Guangzhou!

Just a quick post to let everyone know we made it safe! The baby and Scott stayed awake the entire flight while the rest of the crew tried to sleep. We are all very tired and heading out for dinner. The little island we are staying on is nice and we can't wait to explore. More to come when we get a chance. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel if you want to google.

We did it and now we are heading south!!!

We thought this was a fitting sign to post as we truly feel blessed by God! (for those Olympic fans out there, this is the slogan of the Chinese workout gear provider)
We visited a great park today and Lilymei's finding place. We were all touched and had a great time visiting the park which had some amusement rides for the boys.
Cooler than a cucumber in Hohhot!

Laughing for Gaga Nate, as usual. Lilymei had a good day and is fast asleep already.



Well this is a short post because we have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to catch our early flight to Guangzhou. We finished all of the Chinese paperwork and Lilymei is officially our daughter. She received her Chinese passport today and is good to travel. We are all looking forward to getting to Guangzhou and having more of what life has to offer!