Shanghai China

After 51 1/2 weeks or praying, planning, and preparing our family

for the arrival of two very special little girls,

the day FINALLY came when we got

to board the airplane for China!

Our first stop, Shanghai, China

birth place to our 

sweet Mackenzie Ty!

Our flight to San Francisco was great and uneventful.

The flight to Shanghai was a completely different story...

The sweet little boy in the row ahead of us screamed and cried 

for about 11 hours of our 13 hour flight.  

The poor little guy broke our hearts 

as he screamed and cried 

and pulled at his ears.

Jacques, Kelley, and I were all painfully aware that this could be us 

very soon on our flight home!

VERY scary thought...please be praying for wonderful

 in-country flights, and

especially our LONG flights home!!!!

 

Our guide, Sandra met us at the airport and brought us to our hotel.

We ventured out to explore the city of Shanghai and get some dinner...

what an experience!

Three Americans who do not speak Chinese, in a city FULL of people

who do not speak English made for a hugely comical night.

Needless to say, after trying to find a restaurant on our own, 

Jacques ended up with a bowl of mystery meat and noodles 

while Kelley and I settled for a safer option...

McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers!

As embarrassing and at times humiliating as last night was for me,

I am so glad that we got to experience the frustration

of a MAJOR language barrier.

Very soon our little girls will have their world flipped upside.

They will not understand us, 

and we will not understand them.

They will be scared, frustrated, and annoyed

just like we were last night

when we were all severely overtired and just wanted to eat.

This morning I woke up at 5:30am with a case of major excitement.

The mere thought that Mackenzie is only 6 miles from our hotel

has created a level of longing, excitement, and anticipation 

that I have never experienced to this degree

before in my entire life.

We ate breakfast at our hotel, 

and then enjoyed some coffee afterward.

 

Emily's delicious caramel cappuccino

Kelley's yummy latte

Directly across the street from our hotel is a breathtaking place

called Xujiahui Park...it is so peaceful and serene.

We walked around enjoying the park for a couple of hours.

Jacques spotted a man teaching Tai Chi to a boy.

Before we knew it, Mr. Social, I mean Jacques,

 was over talking to the man in French!

And just wait until Mackenzie sees the photos of her Papa playing

basketball in HER city...super cool!

Our guide took us to Colonial Shanghai where we had tea

at a place called Huxinting Teahouse.

We enoyed the Dragonwell tea, which is what the Queen of England

enjoyed on her trip to this Teahouse.

We relaxed...

Drank tea...

Ate quail eggs...well, let's be honest here, Jacques

ate the quail eggs while Kelley

and I watched.

And laughed at the BIG American trying to get down the stairs!

We ended our evening with a riverboat cruise around Shanghai.

Tomorrow evening Jacques will leave for Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.

We suspect he will meet Lily tomorrow night.

Please pray for our precious baby girl that she will embrace

her Papa's love and feel safe and secure quickly!

Two more sleeps and a wake up until Kelley and I get to meet

Mackenzie Ty...