U.S. Consulate to get His Visa..or at least try!

Most of you by now have heard that we are still waiting on Oliver's visa. The U.S. Consulate in Washington D.C. is having computer issues and haven't been able to issue any visas or passports since Tuesday. Could someone who knows what they are doing go fix the problem please? Although we are really frustrated, we know that God is completely in charge and we have no control over any of it. We are not the only ones, there are many, many families who are stuck here. So we sit and wait. We decided that if we are going to be stuck in China, then it might as well be here in Guangzhou, one of the best cities in China.  Please pray for the situation and mostly for Hannah back home. She is anxiously waiting for us and expecting to see us on Saturday, but that isn't going to happened. We have not told her yet, but will plan to tell her Friday night, so please pray that she takes it the best she can. We know that she is having a great time with everyone she is staying with, but we also know deep in her heart, she misses us tremendously. And we miss her too!

The pictures below are from us at the U.S. Consulate. We were not allowed to take the camera beyond the security point, but we took the oath and promised to never abandoned or abuse Oliver.

 

This fogginess of this picture shows you how hot and humid it really is here.
I couldn't keep the lens clear to take a picture.

Selfie with the U.S. flag in the background!

Since the White Swan has been closed for a while now, the traditional family pictures on the red couch can not happen anymore, so we take them on the red stairs instead. :) As you can see, Roger decided to buy some Chinese silk too, which in turn guilted me in to buying one too.  You should have been with us when we were buying our outfits. Roger struggled to find a shirt that was big enough, but the Chinese store owner was determined to find a shirt that fit. He spent probably an hour in a little store on the island...the little lady was not going to let the business go elsewhere!!! Then when I was trying on dresses, she kept getting me ones that were too tight for my hips. She felt they were fine, but I said, No, too tight. They wear there dresses and skirts tight here.  After another 15-20 minutes, we finally found one that I liked and that fit comfortably. The only thing I didn't like was the slit on the side, it was a bit high for my comfort!! :)

Complete...missing Hannah of course.

We all knew that they kids' picture would be a disaster for some
and as you can see, Oliver was a complete disaster!!

More shoes to add to our photo book...

These are my favorite..

Returning to Shamian Island

 

When we realized that this trip back to China was actually going to happened, we envisioned going back to Shamian Island where we stayed in 2010, but we weren't sure it would actually happen. We had kind of hinted at Jason and Paul, our guides, that we would love to go back to shop. Well we went to the Pearl Market in the morning on Tuesday, then as we were heading to jump in a taxi to go back to the hotel, Jason looked at us and said, "Would you like to go to Shamian Island?" , and of course we said, "YES!" So us and a few other families headed to the island in another taxi.  Again, not so bad, as long as you don't pay attention to what is in front of the car. :)  We spent about 3 hours shopping on the island and eating lunch at Lucy's Café, a very Americanized restaurant! As you can see below, we totally ordered American food!! We can actually say that we have eaten at Chinese restaurants about 6 times and surprisingly have loved all of them, but it was definitely time for a cheeseburger and fish.  But we will also admit, that we have had Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC,  and McDonald's. We have had many more options as far as food this time, because of where our hotels have been. We are pretty sure that we have gained 10 pounds each this time, instead of losing. Although with the heat and humidity, maybe we have stayed the same.

 

The Famous White Swan Hotel- home of many Adoptive families for 6 days

 

 

 

The best part of Lucy's was our waitress understood English and the Menus were easy to understand!!

I didn't have to work hard to get a sprite!

 

Oh so good!!!

 

Roger thought this shirt was a little silly!

Here is another reason why we should appreciate the work of the Chinese, even if we do get tired of everything being made in China.  While we were shopping on the island, three men began to put this scaffolding together with bamboo and strings. They started at the bottom and just kept adding to make it where they need it to be. You see no machines or heavy duty tools, just hands and mind!! Wee were completely blown away how simple they made it and in so little time.

 

 

 

Our boy did really well shopping the whole time, and
 this is what happened on the way home!!

In the evening, we went to another Chinese restaurant called Macau Street Restaurant.  We will admit that it was one of our least favorite ones, but mainly because we didn't get to order our own food. Our guides ordered it for us, thinking we would be brave and try new things.  Well...we tried most of it and the dishes that got eaten the most was the fried rice and noodles.  The pork was ok, but a little fatty, and the dish that you see below was supposed to taste like a big mac, but it wasn't quite the same.  We made it through though and had a good time with our families.

 

Always family style with a turntable in the middle. We are thinking
about getting one for our family gatherings.

The dish that was supposed to taste like a big mac.

Just chillin' - he has been a great eater throughout this whole trip!!

 

Crab anyone????

 



Visit to the Pearl Market

 

Today we got a chance to do two things we did not do the last time in China! We rode in a taxi, which was not so bad, and we went to the Pearl Market.  If you have ever heard our stories from before, traveling in China can be a little dicey...doing a U-turn on a red light in a bus can get a little crazy- that was last time. This time traveling has been surprisingly calm, that is as long as you don't pay attention to what is in front of the bus. :)  In order for us to go to the Pearl Market, we were thrown in a taxi without any thought about it. It was actually pretty safe, although the taxi driver did insist that Roger put on his seatbelt, since he was in the front seat. :)  We spent just a few hours at the Pearl Market. Advice to you, when your guide says that the building is air conditioned, don't always assume that it is cool. I have never sweat so much while shopping inside!!  The Pearl Market was 6 floors and packed with little shops owned by different people. So many different strands to choose from...totally overwhelming. Since I seldom sit down and make jewelry anymore, I didn't really want to buy strands, so I just purchased a few of the cheaper, but still pretty pieces of jewelry that were already made.  What an experience...

 

Bars between the front and back seats makes you a little nervous.

Six floors and totally packed with pearls, crystals, and silver!!

Cruise on the Pearl River!!!

 

We had a chance to return to the Pearl River last night!! We would not pass up the chance to see the beautiful view from the boat.  The Pearl River is the 4th longest river in China and is known for its beautiful lights! The buildings on both sides of the river are full of lights that change every few seconds. The photos do not capture the full beauty of the night.  Even though it has been very hot and humid here, the breeze on the boat last night was amazing!! It was absolutely perfect!! Great time with our families once again!!

 

The boat we rode on...the top deck is for viewing the beautiful lights!!

one of the most beautiful buildings along the river

The White Swan...where we stayed when getting Hannah. It is still not open
 yet, but hopefully will be finished soon! We miss staying
on the island, but do love the China Hotel!

We were also able to enjoy a juggling show by this little lady!! She started out by juggling knifes, not sure how sharp they were, but they were machete size!! Then she did some tricks with a soccer ball, including spinning on her finger and every kid's finger in the room.

 

love her outfit :)

 

Relaxing at the pool!!!

 

We have another water lover...well except the bathtub. He didn't really enjoy that experience, but the swimming pool was great, as long as mom was close by of course.  Many of you will notice that he has a cracker in his hand, we call that a sweet cake. It tastes sort of like kettle popcorn...very yummy. You might remember Hannah always having food or drink in hand when we first got her. He isn't quite as bad, but he does like to eat!  He has eaten everything that has been offered to him! When we were swimming, he tried to drink the water. He just really enjoyed it!!!

 

 

He has tried to take his hat off a few times, but has been really
 good about leaving it on!

Love my cuddlebug!

Medical Appointment

 

So thinking back to 5 years ago when we were here with Hannah, we were not looking forward to the medical exam here in China. It was a very hot and a long wait, standing with about 100 people in one little building. But today was a great surprise...the building was air conditioned, many places to sit, and we had a special area just for us, adoptive families!!! Our guide said that they moved it from Shamian Island a few years ago. 

 Oliver had three rooms to visit- the ENT, weight and height, and the general screening. He did great with all of it...only a few screams. Of course I would scream too if someone tried to put a popsicle stick down my throat!!  Thank goodness he was under 2 years old...not a TB shot for him!! Lots of screaming from that room.

 

 

His look after the popsicle stick!