Our little man is bouncing off the walls with excitement, which is awesome considering that just a few months ago, he wanted nothing to do with getting on a plane and going to China. His fear has given way to pure joy and we are so happy. We know its from lots of prayer and talking about how much fun the plane ride is. I think what pushed him over the top was telling him that the flight attendants would bring him soda. And he is over the top excited about pulling around his little angry birds suitcase. Meticulous Makena is making sure that everything is just so and she keeps checking with me to make sure we are taking what we need, especially for Leah. They are going to be amazing with their mei mei (little sister in Mandarin)
A friend's kids were asking about our trip and she suggested we post some info in case anyone else was curious. Our flights going and coming back have a layover in Seoul, Korea. We took the same flights when bringing Josh home & it is a really cool airport, with little indoor playgrounds for the kids to play in. Our flights are 15 hours going (13 from here to Korea, 2 from Korea to Beijing) and 14.5 coming back (3.5 from Guangzhou to Korea, 11 from Korea, home). The time difference is 15 hours ahead.....an easy way to figure it out is to take NY time and in China it is the same time, just the opposite (pm vs am & vice versa). Its always a little confusing when making travel arrangements and trying to make sure we get there the day/time we need to get there. And I still think its cool that we arrive home a mere 3.5 hours after leaving China!
In addition to all of the "stuff" we are taking, we are also carrying precious cargo to take to the orphanage......photos of children previously adopted from where Leah is. Contrary to what some might think, the orphanage staff love these children and, while they are happy to see them united with their adoptive families, they miss them and want to know how they are doing. It has been amazing to see the photos and the beautiful glowing smiles on what was once an expressionless face. We are also taking photos from a family to a little girl who waits for them. Hopefully they will be traveling in August, but until then, she will have the gift of seeing photos of her forever family. Rest assured families, these precious gifts will be carried and presented to the staff with love.
Well, back to packing. We'll check back in before we leave. Have an amazing day!
