San Clemente, California

A day at Spenceville

A Kool-Aid Smile. These were taken at a January picnic we took. The site was an old mining ghost town name Spenceville. We found these Olive trees next to the old foundation of a home. The girls started climbing around in them. In California, the Chinese people built much of the infrastructure in the Gold Rush days, only to be treated badly and in all but a few areas, discriminated against and finally forced out. Now these Olive trees that were planted generations ago are the play ground for a new, first generation of Chinese Americans. It seems ironic that only the Olive trees remain at the site, since the Olive branch is the international symbol of peace. These girls continue to be such a source of Joy to our family and everyone who meets them.

恭喜发财

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Flower Market

上帝的美丽的花

To understand the significance of this photo, you have to read the post in the archives entitled "Inner Strength - the Bookmark". This was taken at the Kunming Flower market (the largest flower distribution center in Asia) on the day after we adopted MeiLi in Kunming.

Hebrews 11.1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Sisters & Best Friends

It's been a little over 7 weeks since we brought MeiLi home. She got a nasty ear infection 2 days after we got home from China. She had to go through a series of shots with a strong anti-biotic and then follow up with a liquid oral medicine. She is fine now. She seems to be happy and is typical for her age, getting into things and making messes. . I got some pictures of her & Karah last night.

Update on MeiLi

美丽
MeiLi is doing well. We had to treat an ear infection for her and she is finishing up the antibiotics. She gets one on one time with Mary for a few hours each school-day when Karah is in Kindergarten. MeiLi seems to be adjusting well. She really likes the neighbor's horses but she's not too sure about the dog & the cats. She likes to have a hand held when outside. She could care less about watching TV. We are trying to teach her, since we introduced her to Ketchup, that she is suppose to dip the food and then eat it, not just lick the ketchup off! She is speaking a few words of English now and I have heard her saying things in Mandarin; for example, she is saying "ni he" which means "you drink" which from her means, I want you to give me something to drink. She will take us to the refrigerator to show us what she wants to drink after saying that. She still calls me baba (daddy in mandarin) and calls Mary "mama". She loves to dress up in princess dresses after bathing, along with her sister Karah. She also is very busy getting into things (like a 2 year old does) and scattering things about. She enjoys watching hummingbirds feed in front of our living room window. Karah has shown a bit more jealousy but also watches over and protects MeiLi. Karah pulls MeiLi in the kiddie wagon outside.

Beijing - Olympics

北京
This is as close as we got to any of the Olympic activity. The Paralympics had just started the day we left Beijing. As we drove by on the expressway, we could see the Water-cube & the Bird's nest. I was delighted to see the torch burning, as I had watched when it was extinguished on TV at home. I guess they had relit it for the Paralympics It was raining (obviously) and we snapped a few photos.

A Great Wall Story

长城Chángchéng
As far up as we climbed on the great wall, I met a group of Chinese ladies who asked me to take their picture (With multiple cameras). I was conversing in Mandarin with them for about 5 minutes when one of the ladies decided to try her English with me. She asked me "Where are you from?" I replied, from California. She then asked "where in California?" I replied "near Sacramento". She said "oh .. I'm from San Francisco!" She is the lady sitting next to Karah. It's a small world sometimes. The smiles here reflect how friendly people are in Beijing. Karah was very tired by this time . Mary was visiting the shops.

Some Reflective Thoughts about China

广州 -我们去买东西！ China, seems to be, in many ways, very similar to life here in the US. People are out & about everywhere, doing the same things we do here. A typical shopping mall in a large city like Guangzhou, as pictured, is a good example. But there are some marked differences. As an adoptive group, living in 5 star hotels and having the money with you to do what you need, it can seem a little Rosy at times. The Chinese people still do not have nearly as much money in comparison to a US family of similar social stature. I'll state somethings both positive & negative about my experiences in China. I'm 51 years old and so I've seen a lot of things decline in the US. For instance, I do not feel safe going downtown in a major city in the US. Even if it is a polished up urban renewal area, there always seem to be the gangs, drug dealers, prostitutes and thieves lurking about. In China, I simply do not see that. It's probably there & I don't recognize it, but I and others have felt a surprising sense of safety in the cities. In Beijing, Chongqing, Kunming & Guangzhou, I felt as if I could walk by myself loaded up with camera gear & walk around with no fear of being victimized. My guide William simply stated it on my first trip: "The cities of China are very safe". It reminds me of a Mayberry sort of childhood I had in a small hometown of Folsom, California, where parents can let their children walk around without much worry. With this, I also find that most Chinese people on the streets are very friendly and love to chat with you, if you can get past their initial shyness. I am so glad I learned to speak Mandarin, albeit at only a first grade level, so that I could explain who we were, where we were from and what motivates us to adopt the Chinese children. Almost always, the responses were a thumbs up with thanks for having a big heart and helping. Another contrast is that Chinese people simply love to be outdoors in the parks enjoying life. It's not like here where I felt that if I did not have my kids in t-ball, soccer and all the fund raising stuff (including push long distance telephone services) that I was not doing my "duty" as a parent. Rather, they play board games, they dance, sing, do skits, exercise and play badmitten .. all just for fun. And again, because there is little crime, they don't have any fear of hanging out in the parks doing that. In downtown Sacramento near our home, we simply avoid the parks for fear of a drive by shooting, or mentally ill vagrants harassing you; we just do not go there, Instead, we have family get togethers here at homes or in a gated communities' pool area. Another thing I like .. service. Perhaps it's because we are white and so obviously different but every place we went, a store, the hotel, a restaurant, it is common to have 5 people all trying to help you at the same time. And if they can't help they rush to find someone who speaks better English. And they laugh & joke with you. In contrast here, I often go to a large store push a button for service, have 3 employees ignore me on purpose by not making eye contact. Another thing is the respect for Elders there. Here, we have retirement communities and younger people muse about how old people can't drive and generally treat them with little respect. As we slow down in life, we are met with impatience and sarcasm. That does not yet exist for the most part in China. Elders are to be respected; it simply is not tolerable to them to do otherwise. So there is my rose-colored glass view. Now for some negative things. I will do this with some humor. I don't really like the fact that elder women on the street may chew you out for things in her own language concerning your newly adopted baby, like not keeping her arms & legs covered when it is hot outside or if the child sucks her thumb; I rather think they should understand that picking one's nose or spitting is worse (which is commonplace in China). I do not like the frequent smell of methane wafting up through grates in the city streets. I do not like that the city rivers look worse than gray water & sewage dumped from a motor home. I do not like the smog in most major cities that is only relieved by rain occasionally. I don't mind blatant staring, it's understandable but some people might find that rude. I really am not much a a bargaining type of person and for everyday items, merchants will try to take you to the cleaners ( literally in some cases :-) . They might ask you 250 yuan for something that a Chinese person would pay 15 yuan for. If you are ignorant & give them more, I believe they just consider it good luck that an American passed their way. The driving there amazes me (but it is not as bad as the traffic in Manila was when I lived in the Philippines 30 years ago). People, bicycles, electric scooters, buses, taxis and pedestrians just all seem to mingle together and move around .. somehow it is all done in a civil manor with no road rage ever seen. In summary on this post, even the negative things I mentioned seem to me to be part of just enjoying the experience of the culture in China. Both of my trips there have been wonderful. I really do love the people & the culture of China, find them very hospitable and tolerant, and I consider it a great privilege and responsibility to do my best to be a good father and provider for my adopted Chinese daughters. Thank you William, Sunny, Susan and Wenzi (our Chinese guides) for helping to make our adoption trip so enjoyable. Special thanks also to Julie, our Dillon China Program person ( and of course Denise at Dillon. Thanks for the encouragement during this loooong process).

A Chapter Closes in our Lives

Before I even begin this post, I am amazed & emotional. It has been miraculous . The process of adopting Karah & MeiLi began with a small quiet voice in my spirit. I remember thinking with the initial thoughts of doing Karah's adoption, how impractical and hard it would be. I ignored it for a long time but it just would not go away. Finally I asked Mary if she had felt anything about adopting a little girl from China and she said yes, she had been feeling that way but since I was so deadest against adopting any more children ( we had 4 already from domestic adoptions) that she was not saying anything to me. With that confirmation we began the process. We had to do a major house addition to meet the requirements (our home was only 1200 sq. feet) . Then of course how do the finances come for such an undertaking? We spent a year to rebuild our home, all mostly done by our family (my 3 older boys did a lot of the labor and Mary's dad was a contractor who moved in with us to help us do it). Friends and family rallied to help us. My step dad Ricardo came to help with the labor. That process started in 2003 and was the beginning of a chapter for us. (I'm planning on going back and blogging Karah's adoption in a separate blog.) The opposition to doing all this was overwhelming at times. There were so many obstacles to overcome. One of our sons nearly died with encephalitis right before we went to China the first time but thank God he pulled through. We had to refinance our home 3 times to obtain the funds to rebuild the house and do Karah's adoption. Before MeiLi's adoption, last year, my job was eliminated and I was in a layoff. God again provided and I got another job within my company, just when it looked like I would be unemployed and have to sell the house. But we never gave up despite all the hardships. Friends and family have given us money to help cover the last minute unexpected expenses for MeiLi's adoption. You all know who you are. God will bless you richly for helping, you will see. From our hearts we thank everyone who supported us and prayed for us and encouraged us as we have dealt with the hardships. We are doing well now. MeiLi does have an ear infection so we have a Dr. Appointment for her today. Please pray for a quick healing for her. I am posting these photos I took yesterday of the girls playing on our yard. Later, I will do a post of some of the highlights of our China adventure as a recap, because I have some really neat photos that were on my HandyCam that I could not get posted until the DVD in the HandyCam was finalized to share. So check back once in a while.

The Chapter of the adoption process for these two Chinese girls is now closed. I've decided we can help others to adopt in the future as we have the resources but Mary & I both agree we are done adopting now. Our quiver seems to be full :-)

MeiLi at Home

We are getting caught up on sleep and unpacking our luggage. Mary got woken up by the girls at 1:30 AM. I woke up at 4:30 AM. It's going to take a few days to get back on California time.

Back in the USA

We are safely back home . Our Trip home started with a 4:45 AM wake up call this morning. We were already packed. Our flight left Guangzhou about 8:30 AM for a 3 hour flight to Tokyo, 2 hours of layover, then another 9 hours to San Francisco, then a 1.5 hour drive to our house. I did not sleep at all on the trip but Mary managed to get a few hours of sleep. The reason I could not sleep is because the flight between Tokyo and San Francisco was completely full and our family was split between 2 rows. Karah & I were in between two nice Japanese ladies but Karah is a sprawler when she sleeps. I had to stay awake to keep her feet out of the lap of the lady sitting next to her. MeiLi is smaller & was not quite as bothersom to her neighbors.

We pulled in to fill up the SUV gas tank about half way home and as I was standing there a couple of cars blasting their subwoofers and rap music pulled in. I thought to myself, what a contrast to the bicycle bells and horn beeping I got used to hearing on the streets in China. Both Mary and I still feel a bit squirely in the legs from the flights. MeiLi is settling right in. She's playing games with us like tag and keepaway. She also calls around to me "Baba! Baba!" when she cannot see me. That's probably because I have been within her eyesight almost constantly since we got her on September 8th and our house is much bigger than the hotel rooms we've been living in. When we get some rest I'll take some photos of MeiLi in front of our house & post them.

We took MeiLi's Chinese Passport & Visa, along with a sealed brown envelope given to us at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, to the appropriate immigration area after we arrived in the San Francisco Airport (SFO); they opened the envelope and stamped the documents, then congratulated us on the adoption. MeiLI is now an American citizen!

Last Post from China

Today is our last full day in China. We got the kids together for some traditional photos on the Red couches in the 2nd floor lobby and then in the center of the Atrium. Later, we traveled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou. We got MeiLi's Passport back with the visa to enter the US. We had to travel across town to do this and then went through a ceremony with 30+ other American families adopting from China. We are packing now for the long trip home from Guangzhou to San Francisco. I don't really have time to blog much tonight. I'll do some blogging when I get home with some of the pictures I've taken in the last couple of days here in China. God Bless & good night.

Free Day

Today our adoption paperwork for MeiLi was processed and we were informed that there were no problems. This morning was the usual breakfast buffet. We did a walk around the block, visiting the local shops. Then we went to the pool again which we all enjoy a lot. We got the arm
blow ups so we did not have to worry so much about the girls. Karah was pretty much hands off with those so it was more relaxing for me, not having to hold her so much. MeiLi has been VERY active in the pool too. She loves to play tag and keep away with a beach ball. The girls got very tired at the pool. Mary showered them there and we came back up to the hotel room. MeiLi went to sleep so we ordered take out Pizza by phone. We settled in and watched 2 Doris Day movies. Not a real exciting day but very fun, nonetheless.

While here, we have gotten to meet Tonya, John, Cossette and Daniel Eisenhauer. Daniel is a 6 year old Chinese boy they are adopting. It has been nice to meet them after reading their blog for a few months. Their blog is at http://www.builtbygod.blogspot.com/
We have met several other adopting families while here in Guangzhou. One family lives about 1.5 hours drive away from us in California so we exchanged addresses & phone numbers.

Today it was about 97F here and and very hazy with the usual high humidity. Now that it is night time, I think I'll go take another walk by the Pearl River to be amazed by the lights.

Shamian Island Nights

广州 - 沙面岛
Mary bathed the girls tonight so I slipped down to the second floor of the hotel where the famous red couches are. There was a pianist & flutist playing there and I walked over to the wall of glass to gaze out at the night lights on the Pearl River. It is very beautiful. We are on the opposite side of the hotel which also has a great display of lights but the Pearl River really takes the prize. I'm not a great photographer but I did find some photos that show a good representation of what we see at night here. One is of the White Swan itself as seen from the Pearl River. One is of a bridge we see across the river. The last shows the street here in front of the Hotel. This district is called "Shamian Island". It is a combination of old colonial buildings and new modern skyscrapers. It stays warm at night so it is pleasant to walk around outside. We don't go out much at night though, except to eat because the hotel restaurants are very expensive. With this post I'll say good night. Tomorrow we have a free day while our BLAS guides take our paperwork to the US Consulate to get the adoptions for the babies & toddlers finalized.
晚安

Guangzhou Afternoon

We spent time again this afternoon at the hotel pool. This is what Karah & MeiLi really look forward to. MeiLi is really adventurous and she keeps us busy. Karah loves for me to take her

under the waterfall. After spending a couple of hours there we headed back to the hotel and some Chinese folks just stopped us and wanted to have pictures taken with us. I spoke with them a little in Mandarin. The woman was giving us the thumbs up sign for adopting the girls. This seems to be a common way that the people thank us.

Guangzhou children

The medical exam was within walking distance of the hotel. On the way back, we saw some little children, probably Kindergarten age, all being moved along by their teachers. The teachers encouraged them to greet us with "hello, hello!". I responded with "hello!" back to them.