travel update...

Well, K-man and the boys arrived safely in Chicago, early.

Got through immigration and customs without a hitch.

Then found out that their flight home is delayed.

Sigh.

K is losing his mind.

Oh, I forgot to mention that little Isaiah-Tooty-Fruit didn't sleep

at all on the 14 hour flight home.

That explains K's mind going....going, gone.

Please pray that this last flight WILL leave when they say it's supposed to (or earlier)!!

Which will put them at our airport at 8:15 tonight (Saturday).

I'm so ready for our family to be together.

Thanks for praying.

Oh and one last thing.

My fellas went to dinner (lunch...breakfast?) at the airport

and K ordered chips & salsa.

Hao Hao didn't like the salsa.

Gasp!

This too needs dedicated prayer.

Our family eats salsa at practically every meal.

Not even joking.

Even Macy winced when I told her HH didn't like it.

How will he survive here?

He must learn to love it.

He must.

homebound!

At this moment (Friday evening),
my China fellas are at the Hong Kong airport getting ready
for their dreadfully long flight home.

I simply can't wait for our new normal to begin.
And I can't wait to see my dear man.
I miss him terribly.

So, if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night tonight...
and/or when you wake up in the morning...
would you pretty please pray that their flight is going well,
that they are actually able to sleep, and that they arrive home safe and sound,
right on time?
Would you ?

Thank you, thank you.


And here are a couple pics from the other day when they
went to the zoo in GZ...

Those aren't real pandas.
It's hard to tell, I know.
But the children, they are real.
At least I think they are.
I'll let you know this time tomorrow night.

thankful

Okay, let's review.

Here is a shortened list of things that have gone wrong since K has been gone:

1. Microwave died (see pic below).
2. Brenden's car died (now fixed...many $$ later).
3. TV died (RIP).
4. Chicken died (Also, RIP).
5. Electricity out for a good 4-5 hours on Day 234 of K being gone
(or something like that).
6. 1,457 new gray hairs.
7. There are other things but my internal coping mechanism is blocking
my memory in order to maintain my frail sanity.




Here is my new make-shift microwave area.
Right there in my laundry room.
Don't be jealous, girls.
Believe it or not,
this little gem is straight out of K-man's work van.
(Hey, a guy can't live on cold sandwiches alone)
Only problem is,
every time my washer is on its spin cycle I have to run
in to rescue my micro-friend or who knows where
it would end up.
Do you see my struggles?
Do you?
So there you have it.

Actually, I'm quite thankful that that's the extent of it.
Very thankful.


Only TWO more sleeps until
Big Daddy K and the boys get home!!

skype pics {good-bye donald trump}

Notice anything different about Little Man?

My sweet husband and I think alike.  However, the quality of our hair styling equipment varies a tad bit.  But, he improvised quite nicely.  I'm thinking he should have been a Marine.

Mr. Slightly-Better-Hair seems quite happy with his new do.

Quite happy to be rid of that ridiculous Donald Trump mop.

around the island and pool pics

Pictures are starting to arrive to me in a trickle.

But I love every one of them.

Keep up the good work, Super-K!

The boys make the rounds on the island...

(again and again and again)

K with Jordon

K with Kenny.

K with Michelle.

These folks have become K-man's extended family.

Anyone who utters a lick of English,

he gravitates to...and hangs on every last thickly accented word.



The boys are doing amazingly well.

They have so much fun together, which is a huge blessing!

And they absolutely LOVE the pool!

Long and lanky.

Just chillin'.

Mr. Silly Pants.

The comb-over.

Can't wait for these boys to finally get home!

And get my hands on that kid's hair.

pool pics!

K and the boys went to the pool.
Even though it was hot and humid outside,
the water was only around 65 degrees...
but it didn't seem to bother these two sturdy boys one little bit.

Kelly said that Isaiah giggled and carried on so much.
So cute!

They both had a great time!

Again, the bangs taunt me.

So there you have it.
Another day marked off.
One week from tomorrow they will be home.
Forever!

I'm giddy.

where's my mama?

Super-K
(that's his new name as far as I'm concerned)
and the boys made it to GZ and are safe and sound in
a very nice suite at the Garden Hotel.
They found a Pizza Hut and said it was DELICIOUS.
I kid you not, he has yet
to eat at a Chinese restaurant.
Such a waste.

Here are some fun pics for your pleasure and mine.

My baby.
Where is my Mama?

Super-K enjoying his executive suite.
And here he is pretending to be an executive.

HH's first plane ride!

My fellas having some bonding time.

My baby.
Seemingly on a window sill.
No, Seriously, where is my Mama?

Just gotta say again how thankful I am for all of you.
Your comments, emails, text messages, and phone calls
are SO ENCOURAGING to me.
You make me smile and keep me going.

hotel life

I really don't know how these two aren't going completely
nutty being in the hotel room so much.
They do stroll around the island a lot, have met several other families,
and have eaten at Lucy's 3,246 times.
Actually, they have also ordered Papa John's and McDonald's, delivered.
Can you even imagine how delicious McD's would be after being delivered on a
bicycle from who-knows-how far away?
That's sick.

The fun of disposable hotel slippers.

And K-man has been pulling props out of his bag-o-tricks
a little at a time.
Much parenting experience has taught him well.
So yesterday was the day to reveal
the new shades.

And, boy oh boy, did he love them!!
Kel had a hard time getting his pic because he was jumping
up and down in excitement!
But...sadly, he has no nose to hold them in place.
They stay on better upside down.

But their time at the White Swan is drawing to an end.
Finally.
On Tuesday they head to Zhengzhou, Henan to
meet Hao Hao.
Then back to Guangzhou on May 5.
Quick, I know.
But thankfully, they'll be staying at the Garden Hotel for the
duration of their trip.
Which will give them a whole new area to explore.

The countdown continues!

great job, honey!

It tickles me senseless when I see an email from
Kel with new pics.

It does this Mama's heart good.

Look at my little man Isaiah in
his Woody PJs.
Is he not 100% boy?
But...I think it's time to lose the Hitler-like haircut.
Note to K-man: take that child to get it fixed.

Sweetie pie.

He loves noodles.
Surprise, surprise.

Don't mess with me,
I'm eating.

Grumpy-bug.

I need to publicly say how very proud I am of
my hunky husband for the
amazing job he is doing.

When I skype with them and see how he is with Mr. Isaiah Jack Dong Ji,
I just watch in amazement.
He's got that little dude all figured out
and is quick to know his needs.

Once when we were skyping K said,
"OH! He's having a sad moment. I gotta go."

It is so sweet how quickly he tends to him.

He has such a great understanding of attachment.
Knows when to extend grace,
and when to stand firm.
He's so sweetly affectionate and loving.

Also...
He's been peed on.
Cleaned up diarrhea multiple times,
kept fever at bay,
rocked to sleep our reluctant boy,
knows exactly when Little Guy has food in
his mouth that he doesn't like and is
quick to extend his hand to help him rid of it.
Been kissed on the cheek,
is called Baba regularly.
And has amazingly handled everything else that has come along,
all without complaining at all.

But he has bragged about the kisses and Baba thing.
:)

I'm so proud that my kids have him as their Dad.

Great job, Honey.
I'm very thankful for who you are.

a very good day

All conked out.
Little Fella goes to bed early,
and sleeps long and hard, all night long.

Probably because during the day he is super busy
doing stuff like this...

For those of you who have been here to adopt,
you no doubt recognize this box.
That's right, he saw the White Swan Barbie and tore
into it like nobody's business.
(And meticulously put each torn piece into the trash can. He may
be a tornado, but he's neat about it)
Oh and once he finally got to the Barbie...he was no longer
interested.

View from the room.K-man says he took this pic to prove that
he was in fact in China and not on a Hawaiian vacation.

But I think he took it to prove:

1. That he hasn't hurled himself out the window. Yet.
2. That he looks so dapper in his new shirt and no one there seems
to appreciate it.
3. That he figured out the timer on the camera.
4. That he hasn't hurled himself out the window yet.


And as of just a few minutes ago...Little Dude was curled up
in Daddy's arms settling down for bed.
He's feeling better.
And so is K-man.
(Emotionally, that is)

They seemed to have turned a corner,
are figuring each other out,
and doing really well.

We are now thinking that he will just stick it out by himself.
But we'll make a final decision this morning about
sending B over.

THANK YOU so much for praying.
It TOTALLY makes a difference.

not quite there yet...

As I type this...my Dearest Manly-Man-K-Man
(I'm renaming him because he deserves an upgraded title)...
is still not quite to his final destination.

Gasp.

There was a change of plans rather last minute which meant he had to
go to Guangzhou just a couple hours after arriving in Beijing.
Which meant he didn't get to spend any time with our friends Bill and Lynsay.
We were all so bummed about that.
Really, really bummed.

But anyway, he texted me at 2AM to tell me he made it to Beijing and was working his way through the airport to get to his next flight.

Did I mention he is manly?

There was a huge blessing on his flight over the pond...
he had a window seat with two (count them)
empty seats next to him.
Glory be.
For those of you who have traveled to China before know
how it's usually packed like a semi full of cattle going to slaughter.

He was able to curl up and sleep like a lil' kitten.
A very manly kitten.

So thankful!!!!

He will arrive in GZ at about 9AM our time (central).
Then he'll meet his guide, Elsie (who was our guide when we got Lucy!)
and go to the White Swan Hotel.

Then gets our Little Dude on Wednesday at 10AM
(which is Tuesday 9PM our time).

Is anyone still reading this?

How am I doing?
Why, thank you for asking.
I did great yesterday until I saw my man's empty
spot at the dinner table.

Oh my heart.
I have this whole new appreciation for those of you whose
military husbands/sons leave for months at a time.
And for single moms.
Ya'll are super strong women, I tell ya.

I'm left with feeling so extremely thankful that my guy will
be back in just a couple weeks.


Okay, that's all for now. Just thought I'd update you.

it's go time

The obligatory packed luggage photo.
Which means, today is the big day.

Early (awfully early) this morning I dropped my man off
at the airport.

I know it's sickeningly sappy...
but we are both heart-sick to be apart for almost three weeks.

We will no doubt be one of those old couples where
the husband dies exactly one week after
his beloved wife...
because of his broken heart.

I know, I know.

I gotta stop it our I'll end up in tears.
Again.

Please, please pray that everything goes smoothly.
The itinerary is still up in the air
because of the holiday in China next week.

But back here at home...I have grand plans to get a
million and one things done around here.
And when I told my dear husband this he said,
"Soooo, me being here has been holding you back from
getting things done?"

Well, no.

Maybe.

Anyway, I just figured if I fill my time with tons of productivity,
the next few weeks will fly by.
Right?

Please say, right.

Anyhoo...
I will be blogging about his trip.
A blogger, he is not.

But don't you worry.
Auntie Lori will keep you informed.
Very.

Have a great day!






Is it May 14 yet?

monday morning

Flights are booked.

Monday morning.
K-man leaves MONDAY MORNING.
As in,
this coming Monday morning.

My brain is a whirling jello concoction of stress and anxiety.
I am SO not spontaneous and all this last-minute
stuff has me beat.

Oh and my dear sweet husband,
whom I've never been away from for more than a few
days in our entire married life,
is going to be on the other side of the world for
close to three weeks.

I can barely stand the thought of not having my
snoring teddy-bear beside me for that long.
*Waaaahhh*

Okay...I better go for now.
Lucy has been in front of the TV for the majority of the
afternoon.

And I suppose my family is going to insist on dinner.
They're funny that way.

rollercoaster {cont'd}

I sure do wish I could tell you that our TA was safe and sound
in the loving arms of our agency.

But, no.

However, it IS on its way.
That has been confirmed.

SO, Monday (or Tuesday) it will arrive.
Next, we gotta get our CA.

Then, like the crazy people we are, we are going
to put K-man on a plane next Friday
morning...if it kills us.

pray*pray*pray*pray*pray

Oh and Brenden is scheduled to get his wisdom teeth out
that day too.

So, you know...if you need me to babysit your kids
or wash your dog or something,
I'll be free in the afternoon.

No problem.

therapy session {no whining allowed}

Thank you all SO MUCH for your extremely
sweet comments on
Macy's blog.

She checks it OFTEN to see new comments so please,
keep up the good work!



Now, it's time for my therapy session.

Indulge me, would you?

And I promise, I'm not going to whine.
I'm so over that.
Yeah, sure.


Our agency hasn't received any TAs this week (or last week)...
so they are due for some.
In my estimation.
And I do know what I'm talking about.
Actually, not really.

Most packages come on Mondays and Fridays.
So...perhaps tomorrow!

But we're scrambling like crazy around here trying to prepare.
And that ain't easy when you have no idea
whether to run or sprint.
(My husband's words)

I think it will be slightly easier since he is the only one traveling.
Hopefully getting a last-minute flight will be do-able.

My biggest angst, as you know, is Brenden's graduation.
There is NO WAY K-man is going to miss it.
No way.

If it's cutting it close, he will wait until afterwards.
Hard as that is,
he needs to be here to celebrate Brenden's big milestone.
That is not an option.
It's too important.

So now, will you join me in praying for TA tomorrow?
Or what if we were surprised with it today!?

I have goose-bumps just thinking of it!

Alright now, I gotta go.

But first, I'd like to know from you all,
especially those who have traveled to China more than once...
and have taken different routes/flights,
what's your preferred
airline and flight?

Our last two flights were on United out of Chicago.
Great airline and route but ugh...they
don't have those really cool TVs in the backs of the seats!

Anyway, tell me your experiences, good and bad...okay?!