Leaving on the 16th!!

We received our Travel Approvals and have our appointment set at the Consulate so we were able to make travel arrangements this week!!  We leave on June 16, less than three weeks away and we are VERY excited!  Still in sticker shock over how much flights have increased since 2005, but none of that matters when we have such a cutie pie waiting for us in Hunan.

We will be going a day earlier than needed so we will get a chance to see the Temple of Heaven and go on an Hutong tour, which will give us a different experience with Bejing. 

Yesterday we took Gabby to see the Pirate exhibit at the Science Center and she found a pirate rubber ducky for Lydia in the gift shop.  As we were checking out, she excitedly told the cashier that the duck was for her baby sister who "is coming home in three weeks."  It is awesome to see how excited Gabby is about becoming a big sister. We can't begin to measure how much we will miss Gabby while in China, but we are so anxious to see our two precious girls together this summer.  We spent time today online finding a wading pool that they both can play in on the 4th of July!

Rob and I were talking about Lydia's upcoming Gotcha Day.  I have always told Rob that this time around he would get the first cuddle and I will be filming the "changing of the guards".  We realized that Lydia's Gotcha Day will land on Father's Day this year.  Gabby overhead us talking and has spent the last two days planning an Early Father's Day celebration for Rob on the Sunday before we leave.  She has made numerous cards, has been composing a song to sing to him and has made a list of the activities that will happen.

She doesn't want ruin the surprises for Daddy so she has hidden her planning list in her panty drawer, because "boys don't want to look in a girl's panty drawer."  We are so lucky to have Gabby as a daughter and now....realizing we have been blessed twice...our cups runneth over.  :)

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe the school year has come and gone so quickly.  Gabby has had many milestones this month, finishing her first year of Kindergarten, graduating from Tumblebees gymnastics and going on a fieldtrip with her Daisy Scout troop.  She is even styling her own hair and posing (and sometimes smiling) for photos. But she tells me that she will never be too old for our Sunday tradition of making her chocolate chip pancakes!

 

Still waiting on TA

Still waiting for Travel Approval, latest is that they should be sent out by the end of this week (which should have already happened since it's Friday night in China already). Then it takes a few days to get a confirmed appointment time with the American Consulate - hopefully by mid week next week we'll have confirmed travel dates.

Lakeview hotel is no more

In 2005 when we adopted Gabby we stayed at the Lakeview hotel, recently we saw that the hotel had been demolished. We have a lot of good memories from our time at the hotel, we're saddened to see it go. Apparently it had been left unused since a change of ownership in 2007.

More pictures.... here

Tentative Travel Dates

Agency emailed with updated tentative travel dates, we're now planning to travel two weeks later (Boo!). We're not happy about the later dates but it is what it is and in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal.

China has their Dragon Boat festival from June 14 to 16 so various offices and the American consulate will be closed. Our new dates are June 17 through July 2.