Life from where we are

Went to Dani's yesterday after work & after taking a side trip to Kohl's we took Sophia & the dogs to the park down the street.........I forgot to take my camera with me but this was taken when we got back. A few pictures from my yard this week.....................temps reaching almost 80 degs made the magnolia tree bloom. The one lonely daffodil that the "varmints" left alone!!!

I know I good intentions of going back to finish my recap of China but.............................. The weather this week is absolutely gorgeous (today 80 degs) so I have lots of outside work to do. I worked 6 days in a row again & this is my only day off for the next 6 days. Dani brought Sophia to the golf course yesterday so her "fan club" there could meet her. She had a blast from walking around the pro shop with a golf ball in her hand to taking a ride out on the course in a cart - she thought that was really cool & was laughing because the wind was blowing in her face. I had 3 yards of mulch delivered yesterday so I must get to work...............right now I can't even get my car out of the garage so I don't have much choice!!!!!!

Adorable pictures that Dan's sister Renee took(thanks Renee) to show how happy our little girl is!!!! PS. I will get back to more China stories but I'm working 6 days a week right now at the golf course - crazy golfers that were locked up all winter have to play now no matter what!!!!

I know I have fallen behind in the China recap & blogging in general & have a very legitimate excuse............the weather or to be precise what good in the spring brings out in full force! Yes - the golf course is open & I have worked 6 days in a row............I am not working today & guess what?? It is raining!! Stopped by to see Dani & Sophia on my way home from work yesterday & we took the dogs for a walk & then played for a little bit before her nap. It took her a few minutes but she still remembers Nana! As you can tell by the last picture she's walking pretty good & I barely had time to get the shot. PS. Check out the pigtails!

Mark & Dani were up , showered, baby fed & we went down to breakfast at 7:00am.(Sophia had gone to bed with no problem & slept all night) We were meeting everyone in the lobby at 8:00am to go back to the Lottery hotel for the official adoption day ceremony. This time they showed us into a room with some toys as each family would be going into another room for their interview & official signing of the documents. We caught a glimpse of the nannies peeking in the door watching the babies play. When it was Mark & Dani's turn we walked by the nannies in the hallway & her little face "lit right up"..........it was very touching & extremely obvious how much they cared!!!! After all the pertinent questions - "do you want to keep this baby?" (like they would say no!!) the papers were "signed" with Sophia's red foot print. We were then moved back into the "gotcha" room for the official ceremony after which the orp...

We were up very early and after breakfast took at walk & explored the area around our hotel. We met the rest of the group & Michael in the conference room at 10:00 am for paperwork. *Teary moment # 1 - seeing Sophia's passport photo! All the babies were wearing the same pink vest & had their hair "slicked" to one side - we were all laughing as it reminded us of "pomade do's" There were pages upon pages of paperwork for signatures accompanied by the "red thumb print". Teary moment # 2 - We were told the order everyone would receive their babies - Mark & Dani were # 6. We then walked as a group to the grocery store where Michael helped everyone find the right bottles, nipples, diapers, formula, rice cereal etc. He was amazing & we would have been a little helpless on our own - lots & lots of sales help but no one speaks english! Most of the group stayed for lunch but we, along with 2 other couples decided to go back to th...

We arrived in Nanning at 3:45 pm & were met by Michael - our guide. It was about a 45 min ride to the Wharton hotel where we would be staying. The hotel was absolutely gorgeous & was right next to Lake Nanhu & the bridge that crosses it. Four lanes of traffic - 2 each direction & then 2 more lanes each side reserved for motor cycles, mopeds & bicycles. After checking out our rooms - yes Mark & Dani had a crib - we met as a group in the restaurant that was on the ground floor below our hotel. Very fascinating as you could see thru windows on 2 sides of the room into the kitchen where they were cooking. On the wall above there rows of pictures & names & prices of all the dishes. You could just point to what you wanted.....simple right??? Not! One thing we learned very quickly in China is that "what you see is more than likely, not what you get"!!!!! I also learned very quickly to order fried rice as it was usually just fried rice without ...

The flight over was extremely long(16 hours!) but we did have a choice of 335 movies, 150 tv shows, games etc. - I watched 5 movies & probably 7 or 8 shows. We survived & were met in Hong Kong by Patrick & Matthew - our guides. We also met 7 other families & had a 45 minute bus ride to our hotel. After checking in we took a walk around & were fascinated by the fact everyone was eating at little "sidewalk" cafes at 10 pm! Next day after breakfast we went on the usual tour - Victoria Peak, Aberdeen fishing village(my favorite as we took a 20 min Sampan tour of the harbor) & then Stanley market. Lunch was traditional Dim sum & I was taught how to use chopsticks - good thing as we seldom were able to get forks! Later on in the evening we were trying to find a "safe" place for dinner & ended up at the italian restaurant in the hotel - what's wrong with that picture? Mark ordered a bottle of wine & even I had a glass.............