Mackenzie's Gotcha Day (9:30am)

Dear Mackenzie Ty,

In just an hour and a half your entire world is about to change.  I wish I could somehow assure you the moment they place you in my arms that this change is going to be amazing!  I've watched enough "Gotcha Day" videos to know that you will probably feel scared, overwhelmed, nervous, angry, and sad.  No matter what your response is to me, or the entire situation, I will tell you wo ai ni (I love you).  Our guide, Sandra, told us that you will probably not understand what that statement means since you have more than likely never been told that before.  However, I will continue to tell you wo ai ni until you understand and believe it to the core of your being.  And in the not too distant future, when you begin to realize that you have so many people who love you and only have your best interest in mind I hope that every scary, sad, or lonely moment you have ever experienced over the past three years will be replaced with a new memory of security, peace, and unconditional love.

I woke up this morning at 2:30am because I was too excited to sleep.  You are worth every single piece of paperwork (and trust me, there was a lot), every LONG day of waiting, and every tear I cried because at times the longing to hold you in my arms was too much to bare.  Words cannot express how thankful I am to God for choosing me to be your mommy.  You are beautifully and wonderfully made, and I am excited to learn all there is to learn about my sweet Mackenzie Ty!

Happy Gotcha Day sweetheart...

Love,
Mommy

Adventures in Shanghai

Well it has been quite the emotional journey for Jacques and Emily over the last few days. Moments of happiness, frustration, excitement and joy and some all at the same time. There have been tears of laughter and tears of relief that this year long journey is becoming a reality.

Here is Emily and Jacques on the long plane ride to Shanghai from San Fransisco! What an experience that flight was! 

Jacques left Shanghai today at 3:00 pm to fly to Mongolia to meet Lily Grace for the very first time. Emotions are high as we are patiently awaiting the phone call from him saying that she is safe and sound in his arms.  Meanwhile back at the ranch (here in Shanghai) Emily and I are anxiously getting prepared for tomorrows adventure of meeting Mackenzie Ty for the very first time.  It has been such an incredible blessing for me to be apart of this journey with them as they get to meet their daughters for the very first time. I am excited to watch them as they get to bond with Lily and Mackenzie.

So, today is day 3 of our Shanghai experience and I finally experienced my first taste of real authentic Chinese Food. Up until now I have not been very daring and have not ventured out there to eat the local food-- terrified that I will get sick. Well I survived! :)
After Jacques left for the airport.. Emily and I decided we would be brave and take the city head on.. WOW!  Emily and I went to the Carrefour which is the Chinese version of a Walmart to find a stroller and some snacks. Needless to say our trip was unsuccessful--but not at all uneventful. My advice to anyone who is traveling overseas and is terrified of using a "squattie pottie".. GO BEFORE you leave the hotel, because more than likely any bathroom you go to outside of the hotel is a squattie pottie.. It was an experience I will never forget, but glad I was able to experience it. For those of you who have no idea what a squattie pottie is.. Here is a picture!  It's hard to take it all in right??
Well it's time for Em and I to get some sleep so that we are fully prepared for tomorrow's awesome adventure! Thank you to all of you who have been supportive and have been praying for this family! Keep them in your prayers as they are getting prepared to meet their precious little angles that God has specially picked for them. This is a momentous occasion!

Love to you all~
Kelley

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...

Showered With Love

A group of our amazing friends decided to surprise us,

and shower us with love as we wait

to leave for China.

 Delicious Chinese food table

Yummy ladybug cupcakes

We played games...

This activity was one of my favorite highlights from the night.

Each ladybug stick had the names of people

who have or will interact with Mackenzie & Lily in special ways.

From the orphanage nannies, to the doctors & nurses, 

and all of our family members.

Each friend took a ladybug stick, circled around us,

and prayed for the person on their stick.

It was absolutely beautiful!

Spoiled with gifts...

And loved us in a way that cannot be put into words...

we LOVE you sweet friends!

There's Always Hope...

Last Thursday night I made a discovery 

that would have a HUGE impact on our family 

over the next few weeks.

I was working on our visa applications, and noticed that Jacques'

Canadian passport expires on 8/9/2012.

We leave for China on May 3rd and return May 18th.

No problem, right?

We will be home WAY before his passport expires.

Not so.

International travel requires that you have 6 months 

until expiration on your passport.

UGGHHH!

Throughout this adoption process, 

I have dotted every "i" and crossed every "t".

I have checked and rechecked 

every...single...document.

Multiple times!

What I failed to realize,

 is that Canadian passports expire

every 5 years.

I quickly emailed our adoption courier explaining my oversight.

The next morning I received a message

stating that she would not be able

to help us get our visas.

WHAT?

She said that there was "no way" we could get a new passport

and visa in time to travel.

I called our adoption agency, and they referred me to a courier 

out of Chicago...great place :-)

Denise was hesitant at first, 

but I must have sounded pathetic enough,

and she agreed to help us.

The name of her courier business is,

"There's Always Hope".

My hope is not found in Karma,

nor happenstance

or coincidence.

It is found in the promises of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ.

Jesus loves Mackenzie and Lily more than I could ever fathom.

He fashioned them together with the utmost care and love.

He orchestrated things in my life and Jacques' life

that would lead us to each other.

He created our family in a way that the 

sixteen-year-old me never 

would have guessed.

Today Jacques went into the Canadian Embassy to request 

a temporary 6 month passport to travel.

His application was rejected due to the wrong passport photos

and the lack of a Canadian guarantor.

Please join us in prayer as Jacques returns to the embassy tomorrow

with new photos, a new application

and renewed HOPE!

 

Fast Forward

Have you ever felt like someone hit the fast-forward button in your life?  That happened to us yesterday.  I was at the White House with the girls when I missed a call from Emily. The voicemail said, “Hey – I think we have to leave for China May 3^rd.  Can you make that work on your end?” Wow - that’s 3 weeks away.  This is CRAZY!  I thought we didn’t have enough time to prepare already.  And that was with us leaving at the end of May.  Ready or not, I guess, here we come!

God must be up to something – because this in not how we would have planned it!  We have spent months (and when I say “we”, I mean Emily) making sure that every “t” was crossed and every “i” was dotted.  We knew how much time we needed for every step along the way. Or so we thought!  I am reminded again of the words God spoke through his prophet Isaiah.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).  

 I actually feel better knowing things aren’t going according to OUR plans!

Peace and Goodwill,

Jacques

Travel Approval!

I am a planner.

I need to have a plan...planning is what I do.

Apparently, China could care less about my silly plans 

or my desperate need to always

have a plan!

With the amazing news that China issued our official 

Travel Approval, came the news that we need to leave for China

as soon as possible.

Translation - Emily's plan - out the window!

Lily has been living the past year 

at a dangerously low oxygen saturation.

Waiting is no longer an option.

Our baby girl needs to come home NOW!!!!

God's plan has always been so much better than anything I could 

ever possibly dream up or imagine.

So tonight, I am clinging to the promise that God has known 

the exact moment

our girls will be in our arms forever...

Today was just the day that I was let in on His plan!

So we are still waiting on a few more things from China, 

but it looks like Mackenzie & Lily 

will forever be in our arms

on Monday, May 7th.

Plan or not...China here we come!