Day 3

Last night we ventured out, this time taking a stroller with us.  Chloe liked 
that much better and we ended up walking a total of two miles round trip to 
McDonald's.  Oh the stares we got... we literally are the only Americans here.  
Ordering was interesting, we were hoping the had numbers but only pictures.  
They finally got what we were saying and pointing to and we got it just as 
ordered.  (no onion = happy momma) We were told Chloe did not eat much and the 
foods she would eat were only soft foods like noodles or rice.  We ordered her 
chicken nugget happy meal and pulled the crispy edge off and broke the chicken 
into tiny pieces and she ate 3 of them! She watched me dip a fry into ketchup 
and then picked up a fry and dipped it too.  At first she shivered as if she did 
not like it and then she proceeded to dip and dip, you know the typical kid 
thing where you eat more ketchup then fries.  It is gross to me but I let her do 
it this time.  :) The toy (just a rabbit figurine of some sort) has not left her 
hands since. :) 

This morning we met our guide and went to the West Buddhist temple.  It was very 
beautiful, the detail of the buildings is amazing, all the while sad to me that 
so many really believe in these different statues and look to them for luck, 
peace, health, happiness, etc.  Jeff began to talk to Penny our guide about her 
beliefs and was able to share some about why we believe what we do.  She was 
very open to hear God's word.  Please be praying for her to continue to be open 
to the Holy Spirit and that we will have more opportunities before we leave to 
share or answer more questions that she has.  

She then took us to the oldest folk hero house in Fuzhou, followed by a visit to 
a tea room.  There we were able to taste different teas and even taught the 
proper way to hold a tea cup. :) Chloe was a trooper but just got too hot and 
was a little whiny and ready to go back to the hotel.  When we got back to the 
room she went straight to her bed.  She does this often and we have to keep 
telling her she can get up and play.  She fell asleep in no time.  We have found 
that she likes the room dark and no lights on.  As soon as you do that she is 
out like a light.  

Once she woke up Jeff made her some noodles and then we decided to be 
adventurous and  take a taxi to the mall.  Our guide wrote on the back of a card 
where to take us and off we went.  The smell of the taxi was enough to make me 
sick, that coupled with the driving I really wondered if I would survive.  It 
was about a 15 minute trip there and I was relieved I made it there without 
loosing my crackers that I had for lunch.  Ha ha  The mall was very clean, and 
cool! We walked around for about two hours wondering in and out of stores.  Not 
that I have ever wanted to be a star of some sort, but I am thankful I am not 
famous.  The stares we get become annoying.  You can not walk or go in any store 
without people looking at us like we are from Mars.  Some will stop and turn 
around just so they can stare at you.  Little kids almost run into things 
because they are looking at us. If you are in a store the rush over to you to 
help you, nice, but I do just want to look.  Chloe LOVES mirrors.  If she sees 
one she stops, laughs, makes different facial expressions, and even dances.  She 
had us laughing several times as we were pulling her away from yet another 
mirror.  I think we will be getting her one for her room for sure!  That and 
some blackout curtains and she will be good to go! :) All and all we enjoyed 
just being out, being in a mall made me feel a little bit like home and we made 
it back without any problems.  Oh, and the taxi there and back was a total of 44 
Yuan which is 7.18 US dollar... not to bad and you do not tip them because they 
include that in the price.  

Tonight we are having our guide order pizza from a local pizza restaurant.  She 
said it is similar to Papa Johns but cheaper.  Hopefully I will like it! 

We are thankful we have been healthy, Chloe is happy and continues to amaze us 
with what she seems to understand.  For a girl that can not talk she seems to 
comprehend a good bit.  I made a countdown for the kids so they could countdown 
until the get to meet Chloe.  I should have made one for myself to countdown 
until I get to see them!  :) Since 11 days seems to long, I will start with only 
2 more days in Fuzhou and then we fly to Guangzhou! I can make it!  

Love to you all~
Jeff & Katie

Red Ink and Panda World

Tuesday, July 30th:
Monday night we ventured out to a local Chinese restaurant.  We had rice and 
Jeff ordered some beef something similar to Mongolian beef at home.  Chloe had 6 
bowls of rice! I finally told Jeff we would have to cut her off after that 
because I didn't want to see it again.  They were small bowls, like a small 
dessert bowl, but still I thought that was a lot for her little body.  We walked 
the streets and when in to some shops and then headed back to the hotel.  The 
heat (even though I was warned about it) is like no other.  The humidity is 
terrible and practically unbearable.  Poor Chloe was soaking wet she was so hot.  
We got back to the hotel, gave her a bath and played for awhile and then she 
climbed into her bed on her own and went to sleep.  She is a great sleeper!  

This morning we met our guide at 9:30 and headed to Panda World.  Hot it was but 
we saw some pandas and then watched a little show where they had  red pandas 
doing different tricks.  Chloe seemed to enjoy the show and her lollipop that we 
gave her!  :) We left there and headed back to a supermarket to purchase some 
more water and noodles for Chloe.  We drank 8 bottles of water yesterday alone.  
I can't get enough water.  
Now we are back in our room and plan on resting for awhile and COOL off!  We are 
going to attempt the pool later this afternoon and then venture out later 
tonight for a walk in the park.  Chloe has adjusted amazingly well.  She can't 
talk but understands a lot of what we say, and even chooses to ignore us when it 
is convenient for her, but what 6 year old doesn't have selected hearing? :) 
We know so many of you are continuing to pray for us... and it makes such a 
difference! Keep them coming!:) 
Much love to all~
Jeff & Katie

 It's official, red ink and all:)

Chloe Hope

 She loves to be in her daddy's arms!

 One hot, sweet girl!

 Panda World

Beautiful little Chloe enjoying Barney!

 Wal Mart delicacies!

Day 2 - It's Official

It's official!  
This morning we got up, ate breakfast, and then met our guide at 9:15.  She took 
us to the civil affairs office where we signed the paperwork and made it 
official with inking our thumb in the red ink.  They proceeded to ask us 
questions about caring for her and then we went to the notary office where we 
signed some more paperwork and answered the same questions.  It only took about 
an hour to do both and that included driving.  For those of you who haven`t been 
to China, the driving is like something I have never seen before.  I gasped so 
loud within the first minute of being in the van that he turned around to make 
sure I was ok.  Cars coming at you in all directions... want to turn left, ok 
just go, turn right in front of a car, no problem.  People on scooters 
everywhere!  They park wherever, however, block people in, its CRAZY!!  Im 
thankful to be back in the hotel and somehow I managed to not get car sick!  
After our two appointments our guide took us to Walmart.  It is 3 stories and 
they have people stationed in different departments to help you.  The "fresh" 
food is eye opening and NOT for the weak stomach.  Stuff I had never seen before 
and quite frankly I don't care if I do!  HA :) I'm trying very hard to be 
adventurous and to embrace the experience, but I think I'm failing.  I'm a 
creature of habit for sure and the whole food thing is very challenging for me.  

Chloe has handled everything very well.  She played yesterday, ate well, took a 
bath without any complaints and went to bed like a champ!  She slept this 
morning until almost 8 when we were making more noise to wake her up.  She ate 
some eggs and a little sticky rice for breakfast and even drank some milk.  She 
rode in the van without any problems today and no complaints.  She did want Jeff 
to hold her when we were in some of the buildings but other than that she acted 
like it was all no big deal.  She is not speaking (Chinese words) but makes a 
hum sound frequently and tries to say stuff but it is more of a sound than an 
actual word.  We knew all of this ahead of time though so we are anxious to get 
her home and get her started in therapy. We are the only family this week that 
is adopting so we are looking forward to going to Guangzhou on Friday and 
hopefully meeting some other families.  Not having anyone, anywhere that looks 
like us is weird... but gives us more of a understanding of how she might 
feel... we look different, talk different, and we are total strangers to her.  
We are resting in the room now and will go out later for a walk in the park and 
to eat dinner at a local restaurant.  The hotel provides a breakfast buffet in 
the mornings that has everything from danishes, to eggs & bacon, boiled eggs, 
soups, noodles, and even chicken feet.  There was all sorts of stuff that I was 
afraid to look at but the selection was quite large.  Yesterday we skipped lunch 
and ordered Papa Johns for dinner.  One medium cheese pizza was $21!  I thought 
that was a little much but since they deliver it to the hotel door maybe not.  
Thankfully I have a piece of pizza saved in the fridge if dinner is not ok.  :) 
I'm telling you I think I brought more food with me than clothes... ha!
Keep the prayers coming! Pray for continued peace and ease for Chloe and us and 
for our kids back home.  I am a little home sick and I have 13 days to go so I 
need to let go and let God!  He has carried us this far, he will carry us 
through to the end.  We are incredibly blessed that God has chosen us to be her 
parents, and although the road won't be easy, we know He will be with us every 
step of the way.  
I read this this morning and thought it might help someone else too...
Don't worry.  God is ALWAYS on time! TRUST HIM!
Much love to you all!
Jeff & Katie

GOTCHA

Here she is!  Miss Chloe Hope Taylor!  The exchange took about 20 minutes and now we are in our room playing!  She has been happy and smiling, and especially keeps staring at my blonde hair!  We gave her a baby doll and she does not want to put it down - she LOVES it!

An Update From China!

Just a quick note... We made it to our hotel. 31 hours up and we are both ready 
to lay down and sleep! All went well, everything was on time, etc. 
Our guide, Penny was very nice and rode with us on the 45 minute journey to our 
hotel. The driving is very interesting to say the least. I'm really not sure why 
they have lanes as they pretty much ride in the middle, don't use turn signals, 
but do flash to bright lights frequently. The van was a stick shift... Kevin I 
thought you would especially find that interesting. :) 
We are exhausted, but here with our luggage so that makes me happy! :) 
We meet Chloe at 3:30 tomorrow! 

T-minus 8 hours!

One last post... tomorrow is the big day!  We leave in less than 8 hours!  PRAY, PRAY, PRAY that we have smooth flights, no delays, and few tears as we say goodbye to our 4 kiddos in the morning!  We love you all and can't wait to share this journey with you!
Our HOPE in Him!
Jeff & Katie

COUNTDOWN... only 4 days and we are OFF!

It all seems surreal!  I can't believe that we are leaving Friday morning!  Our bags are all packed so it's just a few finishing touches on the school supplies, kids clothes, grocery shopping for the kids while we are gone and I'll be ready.
While we are in China I will try to post updates, pictures, etc. provided that I don't have any internet problems.  I'm told that I won't be able to get on Facebook, so those of you who would like to receive updates, you can enter your email address near the top of this blog, where it says "subscribe" and you will automatically get updates as they are posted.  I have put our itinerary on the right hand side of this blog too, for any of you would like that info.  We are super excited to be flying into the Augusta airport on Sunday, August 11th at 8:03pm.  Please feel free to welcome Chloe home!  And don't forget to wear your RED, WHITE, OR BLUE!  If there are any last minute flight changes we will try to update the blog so that you know.
Please continue to pray for us!  Some specific things you can pray for are:

• No flight complications, delays, etc.  Especially on our way there this is extremely important since we are scheduled to get Chloe about 18 hours after we arrive in China!
• For our health, the kids health at home, and Chloe's health
• For our 4 kiddos that we are leaving behind and my sweet parents that will be taking care of them, along with some sweet friends that are helping too!  We couldn't do this without the help and support of so many
• For Chloe's transition, for peace, understanding and comfort
• For me that I will embrace this journey and not worry about my other 4 kids that will start school without their momma.. not to mention 17 days away from them will be very hard! 

And, one day soon, I will share this AMAZing story that I heard today!  All the way from Texas, a sweet family has been praying for Chloe, even raising money to go toward her foster care in China, and all the while, I had no idea!  But God did!  God painted a picture for me today, and once again I STAND AMAZED IN HIS PRESENCE, AND WONDER HOW HE COULD LOVE ME, A SINNER CONDEMNED UNCLEAN!  

Precious friends, when we are called, we must LOOK UP, don't look back... God's got this!  

Our Hope In HIM!

Jeff & Katie

TRAVEL APPROVAL!

The moment we have been waiting for.... TRAVEL APPROVAL!  It has been so cool to see how God works!  His hand has guided this entire process.  A little recap....
We received our I-800 approval on June 13th.  It was delivered in China on June 18th.  It was then picked up on July 2nd and the approval was sent so we could get travel approval.  Travel approval usually takes 2-3 weeks on average.  On Sunday night, July 7th I couldn't sleep.  (not too uncommon right now) I checked my email every 10-15 minutes... I had this "feeling" that we would be notified that we had gotten travel approval.  It was a crazy thought, it had only been 6 days.  I began praying to God.  I knew it was HIS perfect timing, not mine.  You see, we had exactly one week to get the approval, or we would have to wait another two weeks to find out because it just so happens the consulate in China, where our adoption will be finalized is closing for two weeks to move their office to another building.  And so, I continued to check my email, as it was Monday morning in China and I knew they were working.  So the night went on, Monday came and nothing.  And so, we waited.  On Tuesday I found out that my "feeling" was right on, God was moving mountains and our travel approval had been mailed from China!  So then, the next wait... for the approval to travel from China to California (where our agency is located), all before Friday so that our consulate appointment can be made.  In TWO DAYS, the approval arrived!!  Yes, God was flying that plane for sure! :)
So now what?  We wait for confirmation of our consulate appointment, but how things look is we should have her in our arms on July 29th!!
We have a lot to do, plane tickets, packing, etc.  We will miss open house and the first day of school so I will work on gathering all of their school supplies before we go too.  Anna Kate has cried and cried because she wants to go with us and she doesn't want me to miss her first day of middle school.  Oh how I wish she could go, but I she can't.  Please pray for her that she will be distracted and not sad the entire time we are gone.  Please also pray that the plane tickets are "reasonable" as this is the most expensive time to travel to China.  We had budgeted $5000 for both of our tickets and her ticket home but we aren't sure if we will be able to do that.
We are so blessed with friends that have prayed for us, supported us, and rejoiced with us through this entire process.  Praise the Lord for his goodness and mercy!
Much love to all of you!
Katie

P.S. - Some have asked if they can help.  Here is a link where you can make a donation (in any amount) if you wish to help us with this last part of the process.  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=T5LJ4KSG5TRNG

Moving right along, or so we thought...

As long as this entire process is, lately everything seemed to be moving right along.  Our I-800 approval came in the mail on June 13th, and then the letter was hand delivered in China on June 18th.  Our Article 5 is scheduled to be picked up tomorrow, July 2nd. Most of you who are reading this are probably saying what? and huh?... I know, it's all this crazy adoption language. :)  The short of it all is that we are truly in the FINAL stages before we are able to travel to China.  The next step after tomorrow is to wait on travel approval (which generally takes 2-3 weeks) and then get a consulate appointment (which takes just a few days, if that), and then LEAVE FOR CHINA!  Yep, we are THAT close!  It's a dream, I've wanted, wished for, hoped for, prayed for, for so very long, and it's just around the corner..... or so we thought.
You see we knew that there weren't any holidays coming up in China that would delay our process at this time.  However, the consulate in China is closing the last two weeks of July to move their office.  That means, no adoptions will pass through during this time, as well as future appointments made, etc.  Two weeks from July 2nd (probably THE earliest possible date that we could get our TA (travel approval) is July 16th.  The office is closing on July 15th... and we need this in order to get our consulate appointment.
Please join me in praying that God moves mountains like we know he can and that we get travel approval in record time!  I would love to be leaving at the beginning of August, not waiting to get my date.  In the end, I find great comfort in knowing that God's plan is PERFECT, he knows whats best, and he is in CONTROL!
We are coming sweet girl, we are coming soon!  (I got this sweet picture of her today too so I thought I would share)