Safari Park Photos

We definitely made the right decision to go to the safari park. Ella's eyes lit up when we got on the tram, and when the first emu nearly came into our tram, she was so excited,  we all were actually.  It was unbelievable - so many animals that we got to see close up.  The tigers were my favorites, but Andrew liked the elephants and I think Ella did too.  It was about a 1.5 HR ride, and then we walked thru the rest of the park and were able to see other animals.  They had 12 pandas there at the park, and it was great to actually see them moving around and eating.  They had so much personality.  Here are a few photos from the park.

A few pictures of the kiddos

We've been quite busy since we got to Guangzhou, and it's been tough to find time to blog. On Monday morning Ella had to return to the Medical clinic to have her TB test read. She appeared to be a bit nervous to return, although I told her a number of times "no shots today", she didn't seem to be buying it. She was very pleased when it was a quick in/out.

After Ella's appointment at the clinic, we had arranged with Eva to go the safari park. Others had told us about it, and we thought Ella and Andrew would especially like it. I can only email 5 photos at a time from the iPad to post, so I'll post safari pictures after this one.

Here are a few picture of our kiddos - Daddy is learning to handle double trouble pretty well. William has really blossomed in just the week we've had him. He's like a different little boy. He's warming up to Mama, and has won over Aunt Nay. He even has Andrew playing with him now. Ethan is going to be our little trouble maker. But he just so darn cute it doesn't matter. He loves to crawl around and explore, and no telling what kind of trouble he cam get into.

A day of sightseeing in Guangzhou

Today we had a morning of sightseeing - starting with a tour of the Six Banyan Tree Temple. Because it was the beginning of the new year, there were many people there to worship, and the incense was pretty intense. But the sights were spectacular. It seemed Ella was quite in awe of everything, as she took quite a few pictures. The weather was really great for being outside, and the boys did pretty good being pushed around in strollers. Yes, we broke down and bought two strollers the day before, because we thought it would be so much easier to navigate the airports pushing them, rather than wrestling with them.

After the temple, we headed to the Chen Clan Academy museum, which was quite interesting. It houses the Guangdong Folk Art Museum now, so we got the chance to really see some of the higher quality folk art and a few artists in action. The architecture was breathtaking but the pictures just don't do it justice. There were detailed stone carving telling stories throughout the rooflines and walls - you can see one of them in our picture below. Again, Ella drained her camera battery taking a ton of photos.

A cute Ella story. Our guide Eva came up to me in one of the stores and said that Ella asked if she thought we would buy her a fan. As soon as I heard, I said of course, which fan does she want. So we went to the fan display, and she picked up a cute flimsy fan that only cost 5 RMB (about $.80). Eva talked to her for a little bit, and then she said to me - she is so sweet. I asked her if she wanted one of the other fans - the higher quality ones. Ella said "oh no, they cost at least 10 RMB and that is too much - I don't need anything that fancy". Yep, 10 RMB is about $1.60. She is quite the sweet girl. She asks for very little, appreciates all, and seems to be quite surprised when we give her the chance to pick something out - and then picks out very small, inexpensive items that she then handles with such care that you would think we had spent a small fortune on it. I know that may all change soon when we get her to the states, but for now, we're so taken by her innocence and sweetness.
We're glad it was only a morning tour though. The boys were hungry and they needed a nap. So we headed back to our room to hang out for a little bit and get some food. Another thing we learned about our girl. Although she likes her Chinese food spicy, when given the choice, she'd much rather order a hot dog and big plate of French fries. And then for dinner, since we were all exhausted, we opted to order a pizza from Papa Johns. Ella very clearly said "pizza" when it came, and ate her fair share. Maybe eating when we get home won't be nearly as big of an issue as I thought.

Another day down. I think we are all ready to head home. Not because I want to leave this beautiful country, but because we're tired of living out of suitcases, washing bottles/cups/spoons and laundry in the bathroom sink, boiling our water, and eating out. Looking forward to a big salad filled with vegetables, a tall glass of ice water, and not having to worry if the public restroom has a squatty potty or a real toilet. Just a few more days and we are US bound.

family photo at the temple

Lotus Tower at the temple

Some of the beautiful decorations still at the temple for the new year, including many orange trees

One example of the detailed stone carvings at the Chen Clan Academy

The Next Leg Of The Journey

We're finally on our last leg of the journey. On Friday, we flew from Guiyang to Guangzhou, which was quite an adventure in wrestling luggage and children. We had a little mixup in our rooms in Guiyang; they had the two families switched. So checkout took a bit longer than we expected, which made it a little tight on our time getting to the airport. Between shuffling kids and luggage, going thru security and then getting on the shuttle to the plane, we were all exhausted. I am so grateful that Lynné was with us - I am not sure how we would have made it without her. She sure earned her keep on that trip :). After we got our tickets, we realized that we were not all sitting together. Andrew, Ella, and I were in the front of the plane with Ethan. Chris, and Lynné were about 20 rows behind us with William. I'm still trying to to figure out how they had 2 adults to 1 kid, and I had 1 adult to 3 kids. Hum. But it worked out ok. Ella was very excited to take her first plane ride. Her eyes got real big as the plane took off and she was so interested in looking out the window. We were pleased that all four kids did great on the short plane ride - it was only 1.5 hours. Hopefully that's a good sign for our next two flights. From Hong Kong to Tokyo and then from Tokyo to Chicago.
So we are now in Guangzhou and on the last leg of the trip. The kids had their medical exams this morning. Lynné and Andrew stayed back at the hotel - we were afraid all the crying babies would be too much for him. After we got there, we realized we could have used the extra hands. They took each child thru a few stations - checking weight, height, vision, hearing, and going over the original medical records. It was quite a challenge to do three kids with only 2 parents :) but we managed. I stayed with Ella and then Chris and I juggled William and Ethan depending on what station we were at. Neither of the boys were happy with the exams, but did pretty well. Ella's exam was a bit more intrusive and she was obviously uncomfortable, but she is a trooper. My heart was breaking though when they told me that Ella had to get 4 shots and the TB test. But again, she toughed it out, and didn't have tear one. My girl is tough.

Little William is finally getting more comfortable with us and we are seei g more of his personality sneak out. Ethan has been a little whiny - we think he might be cutting another tooth - may make that trip home even tougher.

We're staying on Shamian Island here in Guangzhou, and spent a little time exploring. We certainly love the weather here - a nice change from the bitter cold of Beijing. We have a short sightseeing tour of a temple tomorrow, and the rest of the day free, so plenty of time to get in some more exploring time and shopping.

Walking thru the park in Guangzhou - love the green!

another beautiful sight in Guangzhou

William giving kisses

William showing some love for his big brother Andrew

Ethan being silly -I'm afraid we've got a whole lot of silly in our future with this one!

Boys will be boys

We had some Internet problems during our last day in Guiyang, so I'm a bit behind in my updates. We've spent most of the last couple of days getting to know our little ones. Yes, boys will be boys, but our newest ones are complete opposites.  A few things we've learned about our little guys:

Ethan is quite the happy baby - doesn't mind at all who is holding him. And he has a smile that melts your heart. He smiles with his whole face and gives his smiles readily. I've nicknamed him my "little laughing Buddha". William is much more reserved, and frightens easily around strangers.  He is getting used to me finally, but if Daddy is around he only wants him. He seems to be studying the situation at all times.  Ethan on the other hand seems to be willing to get involved in anything.  He loves his toys, and loves any toy that William has.   Although William seemed to be more fussy at times, we're learning that it normally happens when he hungry.  And man, can both boys eat. Keeping them full has been a full-time job.  William's smiles are few and far right now, but when he does smile, it feels so rewarding because you have really earned that smile. He loves to play patty cake and we've actually gotten some giggles and laughs out of him while playing. He's a tough one to win over, but we are coming along pretty well. And a few more pictures of my little guys.

My two smiling guys

Boy do those fingers taste good!

William and Aunt Nay

We left Ethan alone with the powder for 5 seconds, and he showed us what he can accomplish

Loving a good game of "patty cake"