Day 9 - A Park, A Temple, A Celebration

Today was a "group day" of activities. We started our day visiting Qian Ling Park, located within the city. It was unlike any city park I've ever been to. Even though it was very crowded, it was a very peaceful place. It spread over several acres and was surrounded by mountains. At the top of one the mountains sat a "huge" temple full of historical treasures. One of the main attractions (beyond the beauty itself) at the park were the native monkeys. I was told that over 700 of them live within the mountains of the park.

I provided several people laughter as I was walking down from the top of the mountain and had one of the monkeys within inches from my side. I didn't notice it right away and when I did, I jumped from being startled and thus the people around me found it humorous. Beyond that, there were several women exercising, people singing, families just being together enjoying the day. Here are some pictures from the park:

After the park we were off to downtown for a group lunch. Before the lunch we stopped at a temple near downtown. On the walkway to the temple, the backdrop of the "old" city contrasted by the "new". Here's a few pictures from that part of the day:

How about that beautiful little girl? Lize is truly amazing. She's like a little sponge and full of life. We sure do miss Zach, Will and Sofia and can't wait for them to meet Lize.

Our day ended by having a "birthday party" for the four girls. As all of them have celebrated their birthday's without us, it was decided to have a celebration for them. It was cake and fun for all (thank you David for the cake).

Tomorrow will be a travel day to Guangzhou.

Day 8 - Free day , Group Dinner

Today was a "free day" to do whatever we wanted. The rain limited what we could do so we ended up going back to Walmart and spending most of the day in the hotel, which turned out to be a great. It gave us uninterupted time with Lize and she is simply incredible. She's like a flying squirrel in our room, full of energy and talks non stop. She has many facial expressions all worth a million dollars each. We really miss the kids but knowing their in the hands of great family and friends makes the distance and time seem a little shorter.

Here's a picture of Lize in our hotel room. She was using her crayons to write and draw pictures.

Here's a picture of Lize on our trip back to Walmart. We took some time to see the "rare" live items they sell which included octopus, squid, frogs and many varities of fish.

We had a group dinner at a very nice authentic Hong restaurant. The restaurant is ran by Hong people and after dinner there was entertainment. The Hong people have no written language and must learn it by listening to the adults as children. Here are a few pictures of the restaurant, the group at dinner (including a dance and shots of rice wine for all) and the Hong people who entertained us.

After dinner it was back to our hotel for a little rest before our planned activities for tomorrow. Here's a picture of our hotel at night:

Day 7 - Visit to the orphange....

Today, we visited Lize's orphanage which was about a 2 1/2 hour bus (through the mountain side -and fog) ride from our hotel. Although she was living with a foster family, she did spend a limited amount of time at the orphanage. When we arrived, the older kids were calling out her name and running up to her. It was easy to see Lize recognized the children as well but wanted to be close to her mommy.

As requested, we will not post any specific pictures of her orphanage . I am posting some pictures from the hotel lobby as we were waiting to get on our bus and then some pictures of the country side there, local streets, a photo of Lize's daytime foster caregiver, and one of the most famous locations in recent Chinese history - the birthplace of the People Republic of China:

As we visited Lize's orphanage as well as the other girls', you were able to see the accommodations provided for the children. With that being said, the caregivers are doing the best with what tools they have available. Although Lize didn't seem to mind being with the kids, it was very apparent that she was also happy to be leaving. I believe this visit helped her to realize that we weren't going anywhere and that we are in fact her mommy and daddy.

I can't help to think about something I heard some time ago, " Our past is a part of who we are but does not dictate what we will become". This is so true of Lize and the other children who were adopted. It's amazing how God works to bring things together that we can only imagine.

Day 6 - A step back in time....

Today was a step back in time for the group as we took a group tour of an ancient Chinese city. The city (which I will not dishonor with trying to type or pronounce properly) is over 600 years old and was once a military post for over 30,000 troops and families. It was located approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours away from our hotel, in a very rural location within the mountains that surround the local area. We discovered that Lize rides MUCH BETTER than Sofi does as she was able to entertain herself and play with us to make the trip better for her, us and everyone on the bus.

The ancient city was spectacular. It's location and heritage was truly amazing (even Dawn enjoyed the trip to this historic site). Lize was quite the trooper as this was an all day affair and someone (like me) could take days to see all the ins and outs of this place. Here are several pictures I hope everyone enjoys:

Here's Dawn and Lize on our way to the ancient city.

The picture below (to the left) is the setting for the area surrounding the ancient city; to the right - is a picture of our group at one of the entry gates to the city:

The following photos are from within the city. Walking throughout this old city, you get an appreciation for the "old world" culture that China has to offer. We had lunch at a great restaurant within the city and did some more exploring. Everywhere we go, we get people who come up to us to look at Lize and then us and in their own way express a quiet thanks and /or express how beautiful Lize is:

Day 5 - We officially become a family of 6

Today was our "official" adoption day for Lize (NOTE: We were unable to access our blog for the first few days here so I am posting updates as if they occurred in sequence thus the reason you may see a date of Wednesday when I'm talking about a different day that that). You are given temporary custody of the adoptive child the first day (the Gotcha Day) and then on the next day you have to confirm your desire to adopt your child. We had a little time in the morning to have breakfast and get ready for the day's events. We were off to the provincial office for the adoption paperwork (here's a couple of pictures of the appointment and paperwork:

Signing the papers made us feel great as at that point in time, the Chinese government consideres our daughter. I can't help but think about the birth mother and can only pray that someday she finds some peace of mind in knowing that her act of grace makes her an angel to us bringing one of God's precious gifts, the gift of family.

Only one day into having our girl and we already can make several observations. She's appears to be healthy, has a big appetite, enjoys talking, has a great big friendly personality and is very independent. After the appointment we headed back to the hotel and were able to walk around the general area of our hotel (here's some pictures of that adventure):

Later in the afternoon today, we took trip to Dawn's favorite store in the whole world, that's right - Walmart. This store was huge and is located completely underground. Picture your local Walmart as busy as you ever seen it and multiply it by 10 and that's how busy it was. They carry items you would see at any American Walmart plus the added benefit of carrying some "local" specific favorites. I wonder if Sam Walton envisioned that his dream would spread all over the world. Either way, here's a picture of Lize and I outside the store entrance:

Lize was excited enough to sleep most of the way through the shopping experience. We loaded up on sodas, snacks and water.

Day 4 - Izabela Grace Newsome Arrives

After much anticipation, waiting and travel, it was finally LIZE time:

Today was Lize's "Gotcha Day". Once we arrived, we were taken to a room where Lize (and the other kids to be adopted) was waiting for their mommies and daddies.

When we walked into the room, we saw Lize setting at the end of the table. Once she noticed us, she acknowledged it by calling out "Momma" over and over. You can see that in one of the pictures she was pointing across the table at Dawn and I calling it out. Everyone in the room just gave an overall "Ahhhhhh" when they heard her. She cried just a little bit when she was handed over to us but very quickly stopped and was right where she was always intended to be, in our arms. It was instant love that words cannot describe.

We were off to our hotel room quickly after the "Gotcha Day" ceremony. When we peeled off the layers of clothes, we found that our expected 33 pound toddler (as we were advised her weight would be) actually was a very petite little 20 pound angel. Lize had a GREAT first night. We'll see what the next few days hold. Here are some pictures from our first night with her:

And you thought I was either kidding or crazy when I said that today would bring something that would make the Great Wall seem small and know you know that I was correct. Nothing I see here can top the beauty of this gift from God and the angel he used to bring her into our life. I can't wait to be back home so our family can be complete.

TRULY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a very busy day full of fun, excitement, astonishment, and appreciation. We (our group) started at 7:45 AM and didn't return to the hotel until after 5 PM. Our first stop was at Ming's Tomb. Ming's Tomb is collection of various tombs spread over several hundred acres across one of the mountain ranges. Here are some pictures of this stop:

After Ming's Tomb, we were off to what is truly one of the wonders of the world - The Great Wall. When you see the wall in the distance (as you drive up to it), it looks impressive. As you get closer and eventually arrive at the base of the specific section we visited, it leaves you completely astonished. What these people were able to accomplish nearly 2,000 years ago is beyond impressive and comprehension. The highest tower (of this section of the wall) sits at nearly 4,000 feet in the air.

As we climbed near the top, it was very windy. Standing up there looking down to the base, you truly got a perspective on how high you were and just made me that much more impressed. Truly remarkable. With no disrespect intended , but this turned out to be the biggest step master work out Dawn or I ever had. We took an insane amount of pictures but I will only post a few. I hope you enjoy them:

Dawn and I near the base of the wall (to the left). The other pictures were taken along the wall. Near the top of the highest point of the wall, I climbed into one of the watch towers and then on the roof it (you can see it in one of the pictures below). It was located higher than the highest point you see in the picture to the left. The final picture, at this point, is of The Grows' and us once we came back down the wall.

At the base of the Great Wall there was an impressive garden and other buildings. Here are a few pictures :

We finished the tour by going by the Olympic Village, The Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium) and the Water Cube. Here's a couple of pictures of those as well:

That brings to end another wonderful day. How do you top the wonders and beauty we've seen so far, well all these things will pale in comparison to what tomorrow will bring for us. You may think I've lost my mind but after tomorrow you too will agree.