China - WE ARE HERE!

We are here!  After 39 hours of travel, we arrived safely in Guangzhou.  We arrived at the airport in Columbia knowing that our plane had a one hour delay.  Then it turned into a two hour delay.  When they announced it would be noon before we could depart, we were scrambling to figure out what our next step would be.  It was like a scene from Amazing Race - Ryan standing at the ticket counter begging and me scanning our computer for a flight, ANY flight, that would get us to China ASAP.  In the end, we flew to Chicago, had a six hour layover, then flew to Newark, NJ, had a four hour layover, then flew to Hong Kong, had a two hour layover, and then, finally, Guangzhou.  

 The girls were troopers through it all.  MK is such a helper, she was pulling and carrying bags left and right while Maddox provided our entertainment with her comments each time we landed.  

"I can't believe we are going to China on an airplane!"

Upon landing in Chicago, a short plane trip, she quickly looked out the window and shouted, "China is so pretty!"  Little did she know what was ahead flight wise:)

And my favorite was when we arrived in Hong Kong, "Why are all of these Spanish people here?"

 Guangzhou proved to be easy to work through and we soon found our driver who took us very safely to our hotel, The Garden.  If you've been to China, you know that the driving here is less than stellar!  

And, finally, the hotel.  The girls were beyond giddy.  They were thrilled to be out of a seat and free to run around.  We all showered and took a tour of the hotel gardens, found a much needed Coke, and ventured out for a walk around the streets of the hotel in search of water.

MK began asking if we could please go back to the hotel.  Maddox fell asleep.  It was 2:00pm and Ryan and I were anxious to keep them awake for fear they would not sleep at night.  We decided to rest for one hour and then wake everyone for dinner.  

Ha!  They were beside themselves.  Maddox cried and cried.  MK fell asleep in the bath.  I pulled out a new Barbie (thank you Gran!) for Maddox and a new book for MK which made them both happy AND they were awake.  

It was at this point that my stomach began to act up.  If you know me well, you know very well that my stomach is a mess and causes me much angst at times.  After waiting for a bit, I thought all was well and we decided to go find something to eat.  Not far from the hotel, I told Ryan I wasn't feeling well and it went downhill from there. I know that God sent an angel to me at that time - out of nowhere this lady knelt down and began massaging my head as I lay on the sidewalk and she spoke English!  Seeing as there were many, many Chinese people walking by and talking about me, to hear English at this point was extremely comforting.  

All is well.  I eventually felt well enough to walk back to our room - of course, the hotel staff insisted I ride in a wheelchair, so embarrassing!  We rested in the room and then just gave up trying to keep the girls awake at 7:00pm when we noted that MK had fallen asleep with her hand in her dinner!  They slept ALL.NIGHT.LONG.  And MK is STILL sleeping as I type this!  

Inquiring Minds Want To Know....

 All about Maryn Gentry.....Maryn is 22 months old and waiting for us in Guangdong, China.  We are told that she has a good appetite and her favorite food is chocolate....she likes to play with other children but will sometimes take their toys - ha!....speaking of toys, they tell us she likes anything that makes noise!  We are also told she is not fond of strangers so we are prayerful that her heart will be open to us when we meet her on Monday!

Meeting Maryn Gentry.....We will meet Maryn Gentry on Monday, June 23, at 2:30 pm China time....that will be in the wee hours of your Monday morning in the US.

Who is traveling.....This will be a very different trip for our family in more ways than one!  The most significant difference will be that our boys will not be along for the journey.  Instead, they will be embarking on an adventure of their own to Nebraska to visit our good friends the Mohrs!  When they are not visiting the Mohrs, they will be with my parents who will make sure their every desire is filled - well, within reason at least:)  Ryan, myself and the girls will be making the flight to China.

Where will we be.....Our entire stay in China will be in one city - Guangzhou, China.  There will not be any extra travel involved other than a train ride to Hong Kong at the end of our stay.

Our travel dates.....we leave TOMORROW!  We arrive in China Saturday, June 21, and return to Columbia, SC, on Thursday, July 3!

Father's Day 2014

Nine kiddos....nine grands....nine cousins....nine blessings....

The children kayaked, jet skiied, swam, went on the boat, repeat....and the parents relaxed, relaxed and relaxed:)

Cousins are some of the best friends....

Maddox has a huge heart for being "big"....she dreams of the day that she will be big like me!  In the meantime, she is doing everything possible to make sure that she is doing big things.  She has watched numerous times as the big kids have kayaked around the lake.  Not to be outdone, she convinced her cousin Kemp to take her for a ride....in the pic above, she is yelling, "Look mommy, I am kayaking! Can you believe it?!"

And then came the moment of all truths, the moment when Kemp gave Maddox the paddle.  The adults had some stomach hurting kind of laughter as we watched these two four year olds kayak....

and then there is the oldest of the cousins....he loves chilling on the lake!  

boating time....

So thankful for my father, my brother, my brother-in-law, and especially my husband who make our family possible!  

Monday came quick with two unexpected doctor's appointments and ended with two of our three swimmers in the pool for their first meet!  

And the final countdown to Maryn Day has officially begun....

Beach days are my favorite summer days!

Something about the air brings on happy children which makes for a happy momma!

The children spend countless hours catching minnows and these buckets are the home for many minnows until they are released back into the ocean.  This year the children upgraded and dug out an aquarium for their sea creatures....

When the children were not busy catching minnows, they were swimming, swimming, and swimming!  

Hours were spent riding waves in the ocean, and as if that were not enough, then the kiddos took to our pool! 

The children all enjoy each other's company whether they are constructing something, playing a game or just hanging out!

Jay-man is quite the baseball player and would be content to throw the ball back and forth all day....and the boys were spot on when he was looking to throw!  And when they weren't, Pop stepped in too!

The added bonus to playing ball with Jay is having him umpire the game as well....he LOVES to call people out!  

Maddox spent more time seaside than in the ocean....

This is a classic beach photo of my mom....her daily beach snack in hand and the hat to boot!  

And my dad with a handful of grands....he loves these kiddos!

Wynding Down, our home for one week each year.

The memories will forever be ingrained in our kiddos and in our own heads as we continue down this adventure called life!  

Colin is our budding photographer and seems to have quite an eye for "the" picture.  We ventured out early this morning for our annual tour of the pier and he asked to take a picture with my camera...below is what he captured! 

The pier tour always involves a shark sighting or two.  The children were all on watch but only a few caught a quick glimpse of the lone shark we spotted swimming about the surf.

The pier pose....

and when all sharks were behind us, we took up some time inside at the arcade...

a few tickets and a handful of prizes later, we were on our way to the beach for the day.

The most precious moment that I get on the beach to date is having Maddox crawl into my lap and take a nap as I listen to the waves crash - pure delight.  Of course, after the beach nap and many waves being ridden, it is home to the pool.

The backyard pool is an added plus to our week....the best of both worlds really!

Nothing says awesome like P's hair when he comes out of the water - no gel needed!

Our one evening out is also our picture night....the children love this night!  Ha!  They love the night out, the pictures, well, not as much.

However, they do humor me and let me snap a few to document our family time at the beach.  

It is important to note at this point that really these are the only clothes my children have worn all.week.long.  We put on bathing suits in the morning, shower in the late afternoon and change into the comfiest, warmest pajamas for the evening.  That is it.  Bathing suits + PJs = great day at the beach!

Drew and Paige....Drew just graduated from college, recently got engaged and will begin her nursing career in the upcoming months!  Paige will be a sophomore at College of Charleston and keeps us all entertained with her college life!  

And the whole crew....with the "five-bombing" nephew and brother-in-law....story is that Ryan is the  Clemson influence among this crew and he was taking the picture....the "five-bomb" is for Carolina beating Clemson FIVE years in a row in football - OUCH.

Water Park Adventure 2014

Wild, Water and Wheels

 Our crew was all smiles as we entered the water park for our 2014 sliding adventure...

 Pryce conquered the Dark Hole and was all smiles upon his pool entry...

 Jay-man and James got a not-so-surprising soaking after a whirlwind tour through the waterfall....

 Colin, thankfully, is still a kid at heart when it comes to the waterslide....

 And our wee little miss was all smiles when she came flying down on her daddy's lap....

 MK went solo!  No more double tubes for this brave girl!

 And we convinced Drew to join us this year....have you ever seen someone slide while holding onto their tube/mat AND their shoes at the same time???  Talent at its best.

 It was a great day for slipping and sliding!  So thankful to have the opportunity to share one of my favorite childhood pastimes with my kiddos!

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

Over a year ago, our hearts stirred and we felt a string pulling us to adopt again yet there were many ropes pulling us away.

After all, we had four children; zero dollars for adoption; a child facing orthodontics and surgery in the next year; a house we were outgrowing; certain family members who wouldn't understand; and, honestly, we were quite content.

Yet, that string kept tugging at our hearts until one day we both agreed to pray for guidance and direction.  We literally said, "Lord, we are giving this to you.  If it is your will for us to adopt once more, show us; make your path clear for our family....open doors wide or slam them shut."

And, He did.

Fifteen months later, I look into the face of this baby girl, our baby girl, and I am so thankful that we listened and trusted.