12/23/08
Today is our last day in Guangzhou. We go to the US Consulate and take the oath for Kate. Then they give us all of her visa paperwork in a sealed envelope. We will take it to Detroit where they will open it and she will become a US citizen. We are all so ready to get home!
Guangzhou is beautiful though and our hotel is amazing. Everyone has to come through here to finalize adoptions so the hotel is completely full of American families with Chinese children. It is so amazing to see all of these families and hear their stories.
I actually met two families from Va Beach last night. We have also made some very good friends that we plan to stay in touch with. To experience this trip together is a quite a bonding experience!
Well, the girls are off to shop while the dads spend some quality time with their daughters. We can not wait for everyone to meet Kate. Thank you for all of your comments. It has helped us to feel more connected with home and we look forward to getting them.
Don will try to post a few more pictures tonight.

12/21/08 - Guangzhou

At 4pm today was the world famous photos on the red couch at the White Swan hotel. Our travel group took lots of photos of the kids, babies, parents, etc. Here is a sample of the photos from that event. Kate is clearly of royal Chinese blood as can be plainly seen in her outfit and she seems to act more and more like and Empress every day. Two more full days and then we head for home!!

Special thanks are due Denise parents and Don's mother for watching our three boys for these two weeks. We miss them all so much. Sam, Jack and Ben - Hang in there. We love you and miss you so much!!!!!

Kate cannot wait to see you and likes what she has heard about slide mattress and the famous Keller snake and rat game.

Kate having some fun making faces at daddy on the bus.

Last time getting on a bus today. Back to the hotel!!!!

We also stopped by a market on the last stop of the tour. Lots of jade, clothes, etc. Kate was ready for a nap and some down time at the hotel. We all were.

Kate needed to take a break and eat some yummy apple food.

12/21/08 - Guangzhou

Our next stop on the tour was the Guangdong Provincial Folk Arts Museum. It had lots of statues, carvings, embroidery, and ivory. It was over 100 years old and was saved from the ravages of the cultural revolution by hanging photos of Chairman Mao all over it.

The only female Buddha in China also known as the shopping Buddha.

Where we had the blessing ceremony.

Famous Chinese poet who wrote the Six Banyan tree poem.

Very tall pagoda.

12/21/08 - Guangzhou

Our first stop of today's bus tour (morning) was at the Six Banyan Buddhist Temple. First built over 1400 years ago, it is an amazing place with giant Buddha statues and one very tall pagoda. We have never smelled so much incense. We took Kate to the blessing ceremony where we all knelt in front of the Buddhas while a priest chanted over us.

12/21/08 - Guangzhou

One of our friends from this trip and her new daughter posing with Denise and Kate. We had just finished breakfast and were on our way to another adventure.

12/20/08 - Guangzhou

Tonight we reunited with many of our fellow adopters that we had last seen in Beijing. Lots of great stories to tell and hear and babies and kids to see.

Denise found a great store to buy tea sets. Since it was pointless to try and talk her out of one, we did some bargaining and did pretty well on a set made in Kate's home province of Chongqing.

OK, we were ready to move on and do some real shopping!!!!

Next up was the grocery store. Compared to this, the herbal market was tame. The entrance probably should have tipped us off to the sights and sounds we were going to see in the market. No place better to get fresh fish. We saw many split in half that were still moving with hearts beating.

Chickens and ducks for sale. I think Denise and Kate had seen enough by this point.

More views of the market.

Another photo looking down the rows of shops. It was a great experience. Kate likes riding with mommy when it gets a little hectic.

Kate really liked looking at the dried frogs. Denise wanted to get some but we need to conserve our money for more squeaky shoes.

The dried starfish were some of the best I ever had.

One of the many shops at the herbal medicine market. It ran for many blocks. This one had dried millipedes and snakes and many other items that we could only guess at since the signs were in Chinese (I guess no real surprise there).

12/20/08 - Guangzhou

After Kate got her physical and a nap we decided to tour the local herbal market and grocery (slaughter house). Lots of sights and sounds and smells that can only be called interesting on a family oriented blog. See above for more comments.