tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37607823091476237942024-02-07T16:06:32.598-08:00The LaCroix FamilyThe LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-79570065269341602832015-07-28T00:04:00.005-07:002015-07-28T08:06:29.415-07:00Settling in at Home<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time at In N Out Burger...yum!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7CT0TJH2YyPAbwMU7VRdaBLT2exhV6dPMJlGTsCTqM9bleHqRrq7wiLvfI7hSE_4rq9VPOUiUIAFvb63Yh7Or-Z4kCQff4uxtcuAT8kR-C-tSpDkkNgh49-1kCYTpEKTOxXMysA_dOw/s1600/IMG_7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7CT0TJH2YyPAbwMU7VRdaBLT2exhV6dPMJlGTsCTqM9bleHqRrq7wiLvfI7hSE_4rq9VPOUiUIAFvb63Yh7Or-Z4kCQff4uxtcuAT8kR-C-tSpDkkNgh49-1kCYTpEKTOxXMysA_dOw/s320/IMG_7111.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggling with Baba</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with her birthday presents</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our neighbors swing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time to Mickey's Yogurt</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading Goodnight Moon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is so well loved!</td></tr>
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*I apologize that this post begins with pictures. Every time I add a new one it won't let me add to the bottom of the post. I am very technically challenged and that is one reason I only blog for a short time. <br />
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We've been home for a full two weeks today. Ahh....it is so good to be home! I did enjoy China but being away from home helps you appreciate it all the more when you return. Brooklyn did well on the plane ride home. I had high expectations as Jack was an amazing traveler when he came home. She fussed when we took off and landed as she had to wear a seatbelt. She's never had to be restrained before in a vehicle. China doesn't require seatbelts or carseats. We arrived to LAX at 2:45pm. It took a couple of hours to get through immigration. We were on the road by 5:30 headed home. She didn't like the seatbelt on the plane but she hated the carseat. She cried until she fell asleep for most of the ride home. We arrived home around 10:45. Our neighbors had a sign welcoming Brooklyn as we drove in and some friends put a sign in the house. We also were blessed with food in the fridge and snacks too. Thank you friends who blessed us!<br />
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Overall Brooklyn is doing very well. She is realizing she is home and not at another hotel. She is opening up more and more. She is still a little shy when someone new comes to visit but has improved a lot since the first visitors. She is trying to talk more. She now says:<br />
Baba<br />
Mama<br />
GuGu(big brother)<br />
She also has said baby, and sings songs-she loves music<br />
She babbles too. I'm not sure if it's just baby babble or Cantonese<br />
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Bedtime continues to be the hardest tradition. However, she is showing signs of trusting us more and more. She doesn't always cry when she goes to bed. She likes to read "Goodnight Moon" our family favorite. She is just a real sweet blessing to our family. All of the kids really love helping her and loving on her. I'll post some pictures below of what we've been up to over the last two weeks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unhappy in her first carseat ride</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhausted from crying</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSgkcO3AMgaKCJT0BJZrjd2BDZt-bh2ZuZHwSVtxLo7o1Qh1tTzbzuRLrckzddVf2VVu6c5GHIW8mMYLfSpDP7iOdTHPsivNXjM_X5Wt-JIRpvLyu7rwjaVOCgX3f-eyA21ItwanDMZE/s1600/IMG_7057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSgkcO3AMgaKCJT0BJZrjd2BDZt-bh2ZuZHwSVtxLo7o1Qh1tTzbzuRLrckzddVf2VVu6c5GHIW8mMYLfSpDP7iOdTHPsivNXjM_X5Wt-JIRpvLyu7rwjaVOCgX3f-eyA21ItwanDMZE/s320/IMG_7057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating Aaron's bday</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrated her 2nd Birthday with family</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing cake with Grace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening presents....she already loves clothes!<br />
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The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-47643360959343625662015-07-11T20:18:00.001-07:002015-07-11T20:28:55.732-07:00Stuck in Hong KongWe thought we were done posting....A typhoon hit near Shanghai on Saturday therefore canceling incoming and outgoing flights. Shanghai was our layover before heading to the U.S. Once we arrived to Hong Kong we saw our flight was cancelled. We knew this was a good possibility as we knew about the typhoon. Ultimately we were hoping if we had to be stuck somewhere we'd rather be stuck in Hong Kong rather than Shanghai. We had trouble when we were stuck in Shanghai last time because no one spoke english...but God did provide our friends to help navigate. So it really is a praise that we are stuck here and not Shanghai. Once we saw our flights were cancelled we went to the airline to see what our options were. We could get a refund and rebook with another airline or wait in line with the hundreds of others who were trying to get another flight out through our airline. We kept trying to get a hold of our travel agency but didn't for hours since it was in the middle of the night in the U.S. We had a local travel agent who has been helping us while we were in Hong Kong so were calling him for help too. He said stay in line b/c our airline would get us home.....so Doug checked other airline counters to see if we could get a flight out but they were $1600-$2400 a ticket one way!! That was not an option for us. We got in the line around 1:15. We waited and waited. Doug then went across the way to a connected hotel as we realized that we would be staying the night. I also felt sick all day long so I really needed a hotel to lay down in. So we got to the hotel around 6pm. I laid in bed and the kids went back to the airport to get dinner. Doug got back to the hotel after 1am. He finally made it to the front of the line and started working on getting our flights out when the computers crashed! So the airline sent everyone away and said come back at 6am. Doug then went back and was first in line. The airline was able to book us a direct flight with Cathay Pacific on a direct flight to LAX. I have heard that Cathay Pacific is a premium airline so I am thankful to be flying with them. This is the airline that cost $2400.....and now it will cost us nothing extra, praise God! The direct flight is also a blessing too. The unfortunate part is we now can't leave until Monday at 4:30pm. We will arrive to LAX at 2:55pm on Monday then drive straight home. <br />
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Please pray for me as I still feel ill and don't have much energy. Out of necessity Hannah has stepped up as the main caretaker of Brooklyn. So Brooklyn has quickly attached to Hannah. In the state of how I feel this is great because I can't really take care of her. But on the flip side it really confuses Brooklyn. She has a hard time adjusting every time we get to a new hotel. She was doing great by our last 2 nights at the hotel in Guangzhou but now has reverted to crying a lot during the night. I know it must be very confusing for her. Hannah left the room and Brooklyn started to cry and wouldn't receive comfort from me. It doesn't bother me, I just know it's a step backward. Please pray Brooklyn would have peace and continue to trust us during this crazy confusing time. I just to acknowledge how awesome my daughter is! She totally stepped up to take care of Brooklyn and the rest of the kids. She never once complained about changing 3 poopy diapers yesterday or staying up rocking Brooklyn to get her to sleep....amongst countless other selfless ways she served me yesterday. She rocks! Aaron was also helpful when running errands between the hotel and airport. I am thankful we had our kids to help.<br />
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Lord willing will be home Monday evening. Please continue to lift us up in prayer. He is trustworthy and has our travels in His control. We can praise Him always!The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-83108690355976527732015-07-10T07:57:00.000-07:002015-07-10T08:01:50.636-07:00Last post from ChinaWell, our 19 day, 16,000+ mile trip is coming to an end. Thursday we had our U.S. consulate appointment to apply for Brooklyn's visa to enter the U.S. When we touch U.S. soil she will automatically become a citizen of the United States! I am thankful that she will be receiving new citizenship. She will be leaving her birth country for a country where there is freedom.....to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Although we do acknowledge that the underground Christian church in China is thriving). Brooklyn was once an orphan and now she is a chosen child. Earthly adoption is just a veiled glimpse of the gospel. Doug and I decided to adopt this cute, sweet, cuddly little girl who needed a forever family. Earthy adoption is an imperfect reflection of our adoption into God's family. When God chose to adopt his children, we were not cute, sweet or anything to be desired. Rather we were shaking our fist at God, opposed to Him and hating Him. Yet He set His amazing grace upon His children, not while we were cute and cuddly, but while we were shaking our fists at Him. He decided to forgive His children (me) of all their sins. And he didn't stop at forgiveness of sin, but chose to bestow a full inheritance upon His children through adoption into his family. This truly is an amazing mercy received! No one deserves this kindness: <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:4-7<span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span></b><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span> </span>It is our greatest desire for Brooklyn, and all of our children, to know this adopting love of God through Jesus Christ. He is the reason why we can step out in faith to bring children into our home....because we have been shown His overwhelming kindness and mercy. We can only love others because we have first been loved. <br />
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Brooklyn continues to open up more and more with us each day. She is such a sweet little thing! We definitely are in love with her. But keep praying for us as we balance training her and being sensitive to the trauma she has endured of being stripped away from her foster family. I have been trying for a week to get a kiss from her....2 days ago she gave me my first one. Tonight she took a bath without screaming...actually she screamed when I took her out. Forward progress I would say. We keep hearing more giggles out of her too. <br />
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Yesterday we explored a nearby museum. The sight of the museum was originally planned to be a hotel before they discovered it was a burial place for an ancient king. We were able to explore where the tomb was and some of the items found. After the museum we walked around the block. We discovered a neighborhood where the locals live and shop. Doug has always wanted to see something like this so he was excited (but it made some of our kids pretty nervous). One area we entered had any kind of meat you would like to buy. Pork, chicken, beef, octopus, squid, eel, frog, and a few mystery meats. It was quite the site. No food safety standards in this market. And if you were in need of a new bra you could buy one of those on your way out. <br />
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Today we visited the Safari Park like we did when we adopted Jack. It was quite the adventure again. The kids will not be satisfied with the Chaffee Zoo for some time. <br />
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Well we are packed up and boarding a train at 9am tomorrow. We will then start our journey from Hong Kong to LA all day Saturday. We will leave at 3pm July 11 and return at 6pm July 11 in LA. The nice thing about traveling back is we get our day back. We will then stay the night in LA and travel home on Sunday. I am really looking forward to my own bed, drinks with ice, and something other than dumplings to eat. I love the food here but I think I'm done with it for a little bit. Please keep us in your prayers. Pray that we can keep Brooklyn entertained on the long flight home and that she will get some rest too. I forgot to mention that after our consulate appt on Thursday we took her back to the medical clinic to see the doctor. He prescribed her some antibiotics for bronchitis. She had a cough since day one and it has continued to progress. Hopefully the antibiotics will have begun to alleviate some of her discomfort. <br />
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I'll leave you will some pictures from the last couple of days:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKkyWFefQTepZ4zt6_dnsACzUmYKcmFUuJcrO8MFH9ZoTU3Kag9gqC03xsh19Pz1gYWKbQ6Q1Mb2Y02T2qsQYQ2dF3d5vLN4D-KFkRLhDdQx98oIaDS7h-tHlDa7gNbjfbXJEMSLkKRI/s1600/IMG_0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKkyWFefQTepZ4zt6_dnsACzUmYKcmFUuJcrO8MFH9ZoTU3Kag9gqC03xsh19Pz1gYWKbQ6Q1Mb2Y02T2qsQYQ2dF3d5vLN4D-KFkRLhDdQx98oIaDS7h-tHlDa7gNbjfbXJEMSLkKRI/s320/IMG_0732.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being silly at Shamian Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o1xFizjAFgufdyz1zVynU9d0_zecVbiWJbsKPMWARkWQ6hA_oucWmD4o9OaW4bQdmuXNJ_1aTYdn_JO7RUHrse1xJZu2ggA6ullj9xFNv9sTfBr6mmi32nJ6dEwzQ7DPbPevW8Aeak0/s1600/IMG_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o1xFizjAFgufdyz1zVynU9d0_zecVbiWJbsKPMWARkWQ6hA_oucWmD4o9OaW4bQdmuXNJ_1aTYdn_JO7RUHrse1xJZu2ggA6ullj9xFNv9sTfBr6mmi32nJ6dEwzQ7DPbPevW8Aeak0/s320/IMG_0742.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new friends </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKktObVKOe4Z1D26Eko6qrFW-v7K5n9FuXH7IjoztyI_KQSGWw1LeqOfpz4MoRR90aPrKzpzdWwtQDXbKKxNJeotSRy5cKEZWQxwIRJoBkqJupspnPVLTATwLi-QKvhN2tiN326CfbgYI/s1600/IMG_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKktObVKOe4Z1D26Eko6qrFW-v7K5n9FuXH7IjoztyI_KQSGWw1LeqOfpz4MoRR90aPrKzpzdWwtQDXbKKxNJeotSRy5cKEZWQxwIRJoBkqJupspnPVLTATwLi-QKvhN2tiN326CfbgYI/s320/IMG_0752.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn and her foster sister</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIq2vPDgRAl-FPyw1InFM_Br-QXlM7CGOFskDSWmYX5CUelDBI4esbwHK4TTi4qJl1WZmOIxDg0c6B81Hwe7Z1L94wPQIG_OlQ2HrVof8Z-aEsCqAWpaCKH-umX9WA2y7pmEX8pUb1VRE/s1600/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIq2vPDgRAl-FPyw1InFM_Br-QXlM7CGOFskDSWmYX5CUelDBI4esbwHK4TTi4qJl1WZmOIxDg0c6B81Hwe7Z1L94wPQIG_OlQ2HrVof8Z-aEsCqAWpaCKH-umX9WA2y7pmEX8pUb1VRE/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our travel families</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjfTCVH7VS8j5eZKlrtwoKYByIR1ie1O7x61cXirmsVNk0bwRhIn92lmQciH7-RaqJs4EHNdU-o7i4_FJydhY_SHBtyJb2U9BZmrNbh9b4OI2q7LHmkPgfgrMRFwZar6CSlwJKPjTSq4/s1600/IMG_0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjfTCVH7VS8j5eZKlrtwoKYByIR1ie1O7x61cXirmsVNk0bwRhIn92lmQciH7-RaqJs4EHNdU-o7i4_FJydhY_SHBtyJb2U9BZmrNbh9b4OI2q7LHmkPgfgrMRFwZar6CSlwJKPjTSq4/s320/IMG_0781.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEhpNLgyhH8490N6u7xi-T5OtkllqJDgF3htBMAdJnUN9m1OdSjTnPouPvVkAdFI6hq8hsKMjNt8wPmTXkxG26vpjTEpO4G48SozyOxJDaj1Xza9lvhnGtU2Qu2giw734At6e1eXBe1A/s1600/IMG_6999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEhpNLgyhH8490N6u7xi-T5OtkllqJDgF3htBMAdJnUN9m1OdSjTnPouPvVkAdFI6hq8hsKMjNt8wPmTXkxG26vpjTEpO4G48SozyOxJDaj1Xza9lvhnGtU2Qu2giw734At6e1eXBe1A/s320/IMG_6999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bath time fun!</td></tr>
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<br />The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-41745381774591661282015-07-07T20:13:00.003-07:002015-07-07T20:29:30.995-07:00The last few days in Guangzhou<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last few days we have been settling in Guangzhou. Like everywhere else it has been hot and humid. We did enjoy a bit of a cool down Monday and Tuesday and a downpour on Sunday. We welcome the rain for some nice relief from the heat. Sunday we toured a Folk Art Museum which was pretty uneventful. We met up with one other family from our agency who has been in Guangzhou their whole trip. They brought along their 15 year old daughter who has been a welcome addition for our kids to hang out with. After the museum we hit Shamian Island to do a little bit of shopping. We went to Jenny's Place like we did when we visited 3 1/2 years ago. We bought Brooklyn some squeaky shoes and cute Chinese outfits.<br />
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On Monday Brooklyn had her medical exam. She hated it! She screamed and cried until it was all over. Thankfully she is still under two and doesn't need blood work or a TB test.....that would have been a nightmare! As far as we know she checked out fine and we can continue to move forward. As we were at the medical exam we ran into a gentleman who was adopting two boys, one 13 and the other 14. Monday was the 14yr olds birthday. Once you're 14 you have aged out and are not adoptable. He made it just in time! Praise God they both have a family now. Apparently they were both very good at soccer. They were both recruited from their orphanage to play for an international soccer school. They must be very talented. Our conversation was cut short as they had to move on. Hopefully we will run into them again and hear more. My heart was full when I saw those 2 boys placed with a forever family. <br />
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The rest of Monday and Tuesday were free days. We took the kids swimming Monday afternoon and then went for a walk in the evening. Tuesday we ventured out by taxi to the other "adoption hotel" The Garden. Near that hotel was many more shopping and eating establishments. We went to a well known place called Tekila for some Mexican food. It was yummy and a nice change of pace. We are weary of Chinese food at this point.<br />
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Brooklyn is doing pretty well. She definitely knows how to turn on the crying when she wants her way. We will deal with that more when we get home. Nap and bedtime continue to be the hardest. She generally cries and cries until she falls asleep. Usually I am her pillow and if I play it just right I can slide her off of me and lay her on the bed. She comes from a foster family that had a family bed....hopefully we can wean her off of that too when we get home. I don't sleep very well with her on me. If she's not on me I almost always need to be touching her or she will fuss. She enjoys all the kids for the most part. If the littler ones get in her face too much she pushes them out. She likes to flirt with Aaron. She definitely will have him wrapped around her little finger....he is quite smitten by her. Some have asked how we think Jack will do with a new little sister. He has been doing great! He is very sweet and patient with her even when she pushes him away. He has also traveled very well for a 5 year old. I am glad he was able to experience this trip with us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqcuGM4Pu_COcbUUCLtTV54HwGbtpZ0Ab-yJiD8uFo3fT4Q29ZK72rY1gkSIq_MiIDGlVDrPndWvRjLx1v2Qwvko548GI8jiujeXE763fg7gpQiROZ4Y71kOb2VMJaQ60M8suA-wqRi8/s1600/IMG_6879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqcuGM4Pu_COcbUUCLtTV54HwGbtpZ0Ab-yJiD8uFo3fT4Q29ZK72rY1gkSIq_MiIDGlVDrPndWvRjLx1v2Qwvko548GI8jiujeXE763fg7gpQiROZ4Y71kOb2VMJaQ60M8suA-wqRi8/s320/IMG_6879.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new traditional Chinese outfit for Jack</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggles with Aaron</td></tr>
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*Tuesday night Doug was able to put her to sleep for the first time in several days. It was a nice break for me. She slept well with little interruptions. She has some sort of upper respiratory issues that are causing a wet cough and a very runny nose. We gave her meds last night that may have helped her sleep better too. <br />
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Brooklyn and her foster sister have not seemed to care about each other over the last week. A couple of days ago Brooklyn approached her and held her hand. This has now happened a couple of times. It is so sweet to see them interact. Their family will be leaving Thursday after they receive their<br />
daughter's visa. So just one more day together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNG5wFQtEXfSEEHZ_Q5UNVeo-X9wbOLoguA0ZjXVATb_-VSE5W8SVxch-6zh4xXGFvtaUtZyinDdbZo3926iIO2vv3PLxTGKpGq3IzY-BxAxV7kZ6vrbLvWMU7bw1STXYc1zoTlKS31g/s1600/IMG_5813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNG5wFQtEXfSEEHZ_Q5UNVeo-X9wbOLoguA0ZjXVATb_-VSE5W8SVxch-6zh4xXGFvtaUtZyinDdbZo3926iIO2vv3PLxTGKpGq3IzY-BxAxV7kZ6vrbLvWMU7bw1STXYc1zoTlKS31g/s320/IMG_5813.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shamian Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Gx1opdjiHcuh_LCyM49pBLY7GsdMS_ibfIbhRBZSTqOptwlCR4eUy5YBp8wdvGyUrKQFpqyQLTu2dQIIf6hZeNqkdraGcigH-gLAg5ekNNMKcIO6eydzg3WCCm_XUYe1Nu_O_AypG8/s1600/IMG_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Gx1opdjiHcuh_LCyM49pBLY7GsdMS_ibfIbhRBZSTqOptwlCR4eUy5YBp8wdvGyUrKQFpqyQLTu2dQIIf6hZeNqkdraGcigH-gLAg5ekNNMKcIO6eydzg3WCCm_XUYe1Nu_O_AypG8/s320/IMG_1457.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shamian Island 3 1/2 years ago</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaY6zOlOn87Lw2zT_AaVcYzmZ7K9Lo3fGeqm7HOYpzRZyqeaYasXD4jyyyaVGgeFx-uy7-xdZ8ZoqscZ0blTUuW9NtT6iixRFf4pcy5TqpPjMtAot6gqEMVk_mlBQ54-QPpFEx2d1wc6c/s1600/IMG_6905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaY6zOlOn87Lw2zT_AaVcYzmZ7K9Lo3fGeqm7HOYpzRZyqeaYasXD4jyyyaVGgeFx-uy7-xdZ8ZoqscZ0blTUuW9NtT6iixRFf4pcy5TqpPjMtAot6gqEMVk_mlBQ54-QPpFEx2d1wc6c/s320/IMG_6905.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is often how we sleep or she's laying on top of me</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn with her foster sister</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clinging to Mama</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack felt similar 3 1/2 years ago</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrified as she's getting weighed<br />
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The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-20129721108699003552015-07-05T00:17:00.000-07:002015-07-05T00:26:24.366-07:00GuilinWhile waiting for paperwork we spent Thursday and Friday exploring the beautiful city of Guilin. We saw tourists from all over the world visiting Guilin. Our first day we took a boat down the Li River. The scenery was beautiful, and we could see why this area is featured by many artists, and there are also pictures of this area on the Chinese 20 RMB bill. Brooklyn's Chinese name is En Hui Li.....we are guessing her last name has something to do with the Li River in Guangxi province. We enjoyed our trip down the river. It was raining too (summer is their rainy season) which gave us some relief from the heat. The cruise ended in the city of Langshau where we were able to walk down the streets with many goods for sale that we could bargain for. We had fun bargaining with the locals. We then boarded our bus to head back to the hotel for a two hour ride. Here are some pics:<br />
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On Friday we visited a famous cave in Guilin. Because Guilin is located in a mountainous area, it has many caves, here are some pics:<br />
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We also visited a scenic area called Elephant Hill, can you see why?<br />
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Lastly, is there nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby? Forgive the oaf in the background.<br />
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Later that evening Aaron and I woke up at the exact same time with symptoms of food poisoning. Although I am tempted to share details, I will just tell you, it was ugly. Aaron and I were the only ones to eat a Big Mac at McDonalds that evening, that's all we can figure out (no Sam, it wasn't bean turd). Who would have thought our "safe" meal at an American restaurant would get us. Thanks to those of you that prayed, as we were able to make our train to Guangzhou. We were very weak, but the rest of the fam stepped up big time. Jack, Grace, and Casey are nursing tender stomachs, so we would appreciate prayers that we can stay healthy. We will be here until we leave on Saturday. We have an appt. at the US Consulate this week, as well as a required medical exam for Brooklyn. After the Consulate Appt. we wait to receive Brooklyn's travel visa on Friday.<br />
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Unfortunately it is more humid here in Guangzhou than it was in Guilin. Overall Brooklyn is doing great. We see more and more smiles and giggles. We also see more of her exerting her will (of course). Brooklyn is a snuggler, which we love. Also, she isn't too fond of hotel rooms and let's us know about it. We are anxious to get her home to "normal". Brooklyn's trusts us more daily, which is an answer to so many prayers.<br />
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Favorite shirt of the day: <br />
"Light Flash With Clay"<br />
"The Growing Seriously Harm You and Ithers Around You"<br />
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Much Love from the LaCroixs<br />
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The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-47904790605816765982015-07-02T02:54:00.001-07:002015-07-02T05:49:01.955-07:00Nanning and GuilinTuesday we spent our last day in the capital city of the Guangxi Province, Nanning. Our guide David took us to dinner in the mall connected to our hotel for some traditional Catonese cuisine. Afterwards he suggested we go outside and play in the water fountains. We didn't really want to let the kids get wet as we were packing up to leave the next morning and clothes wouldn't dry out. However we realized we really hadn't explored the outside at all because it is so hot and humid. So we ventured out of the mall and went straight for the water fountain. It was the best water fountain for kids to play in that I have ever seen. Music played in the back ground and lights lit up around the fountains to coincide with the music. It was very cool. We stood and watched for a little bit. We decided we had to let the kids play as they would never have an opportunity like this again. Clothes and all Grace and Jack hit the water and were soaked head to toe. It didn't take Casey too long to decide he would join the fun. I had Brooklyn in the baby carrier and she enjoyed from a distance. We did not think she would like the water as she freaked out at the bath and was nervous just being near the pool watching the rest of the kids swim. But we decided to let her down and see what she would do. She loved it! <br />
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Wednesday morning we packed up and left for Guilin via high speed train. It was a 2.5 hour ride and Brooklyn was a champ. She ate some snacks and took a nap for about an hour. We played a little bit and then we were in Guilin. Doug noticed the temperature kept rising higher as we neared our destination. Have we mentioned it is HOT here!? We sweat everyday as soon as we go out....it's pretty miserable. However, I would rather sweat than be in the bad air quality of Beijing or Zhengzhou like we did when we adopted Jack. We arrived and checked into out hotel and then went out for lunch. Behind our hotel is a a fun little market to bargain and shop around. We didn't do any shopping after lunch. We wanted to get back and go swimming. We decided to get Brooklyn in her swimsuit too. As we slowly introduced her to the water she warmed up very quickly. By the end of our time she was sticking her face in the water trying to drink it. <br />
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We came back to the room and got ready to hit the market and eat dinner. After eating our KFC we walked back to the hotel. We were all so hot and sticky! I decided Brooklyn needed a bath. I started it up and she freaked out. I gave her a bath the best I could with her screaming. This is the first time she really has cried so hard and long. I bathed her as quick as possible which wasn't fast enough. After I got her out and changed she was still hysterical and I couldn't calm her down. She was probably very tired and possibly grieving too. She hasn't been very emotional the last couple of days. I know it is so hard on her being taken from her foster family. Finally right after I started singing Jesus Loves Me in her ear she calmed down. There is just something sweet about Jesus name. She feel asleep and is now sound asleep.<br />
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Here are a few pics from last night:<br />
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Favorite T-shirts of the day: "Mohawks Asfathy" & "Light Flash With Clay"<br />
<br />The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-33711372171242702802015-06-29T07:10:00.002-07:002015-06-29T23:33:49.417-07:00Brooklyn is an official LaCroix!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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*this post is from Monday and Tuesday as I have had a hard time connecting to the internet with the vpn......China doesn't allow social media sites and blocks them. Therefore we need a vpn to make a tunnel to by pass....but obviously it doesn't always work.<br />
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We have our beautiful baby girl! We met Brooklyn around 3:30 this afternoon. She was in a room with her foster sister and nanny. Our guide held her from the door entry so we could get a peak of her before officially meeting her. He actually invited Jack in the room but no one else. We're not sure if it's because Jack is Chinese or little. I think it has to do with his nationality.<br />
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Brooklyn is the sweetest girl! She is very quiet and reserved. She has preferred both Doug and I and likes the kids from a distance. She is now warming up to them today. We have been told that she was very close with her Baba(foster father). After we returned to the hotel she cried for Baba several times. It was so sad and I tried to comfort her the best I could with a language barrier. Several of the kids started to cry when they saw her crying for him. It was pretty heartbreaking. Now it's been several hours since she had asked for him. Our prayer was that she would receive comfort and love from us and God has been so kind in giving that to her.<br />
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Brooklyn is a very tall girl! The measurements were right unlike what I thought. She barely fits in her 18month clothing. She also has very large feet with some long toes. <br />
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She is doing well so far. Today she is showing a little more of her will. She was said to be a "coddled girl" which I am seeing may be pretty accurate. <br />
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We went back to the civil affairs office today and made it official. Brooklyn is officially a LaCroix!<br />
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Tomorrow we pack up and go to the city of Guilin. We will board a train for a few hours. Guilin is a tourist spot we will get to enjoy for the next several days as our paperwork is completed. We are looking forward to this part of our trip as we have read great things about Guilin. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time I got to hold Brooklyn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our official adoption photo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNQQ-PjSXKF5_9oXKG7uBgQr6B4N9bm5tYyfZlhJwJAA316mVBzICgkkWreQ1ztuHij9x0rgvxQnzcmBCF1GsPdd2FWXFSkFbcxgx-vEFw8o_VThEBfjo0wnYfBWVxaZ1xKVtJWQ6sMI/s1600/IMG_5541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNQQ-PjSXKF5_9oXKG7uBgQr6B4N9bm5tYyfZlhJwJAA316mVBzICgkkWreQ1ztuHij9x0rgvxQnzcmBCF1GsPdd2FWXFSkFbcxgx-vEFw8o_VThEBfjo0wnYfBWVxaZ1xKVtJWQ6sMI/s320/IMG_5541.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first family picture </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a sweet face!</td></tr>
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Here are a few more pictures from Tuesday:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2CKQBmu7wdSkDgYquZb9X62UMexFFTYvJi3Kq_R1lgfr6bqPX2HNWeLqgISRUSEwVMIaiQdDwQmzh-Aq2yS6yiIzHE5tna20282jfDRFGg34zSi0RzE3euUKE57F6V_8xYvEMps3P2g/s1600/IMG_0635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2CKQBmu7wdSkDgYquZb9X62UMexFFTYvJi3Kq_R1lgfr6bqPX2HNWeLqgISRUSEwVMIaiQdDwQmzh-Aq2yS6yiIzHE5tna20282jfDRFGg34zSi0RzE3euUKE57F6V_8xYvEMps3P2g/s320/IMG_0635.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being friendly with the Assistant Director of the Orphanage and head nanny</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CAn7uKLvJ_RfpDGSAPUj1DOD_uo_51U78BnkAekS3HkJeuYzfcTuP3M090gw5ELMaETSFEheUnt2n4WkApF0tm66G8K7uifEXSqY7o_2lMG_mZm0cvhLZECDt8apzBJ_By35E3ipFso/s1600/IMG_0631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CAn7uKLvJ_RfpDGSAPUj1DOD_uo_51U78BnkAekS3HkJeuYzfcTuP3M090gw5ELMaETSFEheUnt2n4WkApF0tm66G8K7uifEXSqY7o_2lMG_mZm0cvhLZECDt8apzBJ_By35E3ipFso/s320/IMG_0631.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn and her foster sister</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the playroom at the Civil Affairs office</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming up to Aaron<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-31435612923607853312015-06-28T17:47:00.001-07:002015-06-28T17:47:19.187-07:00Here is a quick update. We took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou China. We met Brooklyn's foster sister's parents yesterday and traveled with them. They are a very sweet and are excited to welcome their first child. A fun little detail about the mom is she is half Japanese too. When we first met I thought she looked partially Asian. Sure enough we discussed families and she mentioned her parents visiting Japan often....so of course I asked if she was Japanese. <div>
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We currently are in Nanning, Guangxi Province in China. It is here where we will meet our daughter for the first time. We were a little disappointed to find out that we won't leave the hotel until 3:00 this afternoon. It currently is 8:40. So for those in California it'll be after midnight before we receive her. Hopefully we will have been able to post pictures by the time you are up tomorrow morning. We have been having a little trouble accessing the blog. We have to use a vpn to log into the blog and the vpn isn't always working. </div>
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Thanks for your continued prayers. 3:00 can't come fast enough! </div>
The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-10201103500629308072015-06-27T08:19:00.004-07:002015-06-27T08:19:56.114-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry it has taken a little longer to get our first travel post up, but the combination of a flight guffaw and jet lag have prevented us from posting any sooner.<br />
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So here is what we've been up to: After a very nice flight from LAX to Shanghai, we had a 4 hour layover until leaving for Hong Kong. As we approached our gate for boarding we were notified that our flight had been cancelled, and for no good reason. Our guess is that there weren't enough passengers booked to make it a profitable flight so it was cheaper to cancel and send us to a hotel. Getting re-booked on another flight, getting a hotel, and transportation, was very sketchy as hotel personnel didn't speak English, and didn't seem to care much about our predicament.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting to board for our flight out of LA<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a nap in the Shanghai airport</td></tr>
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Luckily we met 2 sweet young ladies who were in the same predicament, and they befriended us, translated for us, and were super helpful. Meet Candace and Fish! (Yes, Fish! Often times Chinese will use simpler pronuciations of their names for the sake of their American friends.) We spent a lot of time with these 2 on days 1 & 2 of our journey, and we were sad to part ways with them once we landed in Hong Kong. Both girls are from Hong Kong and were in the U.S. going to college. Candace is studying at Cal Poly Pomona. Fish came to attend Pensacola Christian College for a couple of years and then transferred to Liberty University another Christian college in Virginia. It was neat to not only have her help but to know we have more in common than just being stuck in Shanghai.....we have a love for Jesus Christ. God is so awesome to have connected us like He did! Candace and Fish were clearly God's grace to us in a potentially difficult circumstance. Thank you ladies!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLgIF_oa4mDcqkDOl48_mlcRlHcdGtVL6UAqvOprlOJx7XK867cJxYemgeVfZklvZ6bC0QQIqCFs9qHnxU-u0HSsx2y_m3_W8kEEyJvTjUBJXuvW_LnF0RlZyZWVAb4LbNQB0rGhgpf8/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLgIF_oa4mDcqkDOl48_mlcRlHcdGtVL6UAqvOprlOJx7XK867cJxYemgeVfZklvZ6bC0QQIqCFs9qHnxU-u0HSsx2y_m3_W8kEEyJvTjUBJXuvW_LnF0RlZyZWVAb4LbNQB0rGhgpf8/s320/IMG_0510.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So we had been up for 26 hours, with some napping, by the time we got to the hotel around midnight. And because we were booked on the 7am flight out the next morning, we had to wake up around 4am to catch the shuttle back the next morning, brutal! To our frustration, we found that when we got to the airport that no one was at the check-im counters, because the first flight wasn't leaving until 8am. So we could've slept another hour, but instead found ourselves loitering for an hour at the Shanghai airport because of bad info from our flaky airline. We are using the same route in reverse on our way home, with the same airline. Needless to say, we are slightly nervous about this.<br />
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But on Friday morning, we made it to Hong Kong! Hong Kong is a beautiful, clean city, but man is it hot and humid this time of year. In order not to miss too much of our touring plans, we hit the ground running on Friday. We braved the train, ferry, tram, and bus transit systems, and successfully navigated our way to Hong Kong island and made our way to the top of Victoria Peak. This peak offers breathtaking views of Hong Kong:<br />
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On Saturday, we went to Disneyland in Hong Kong. There are some striking similarities to the Disneyland in Anaheim, and some pretty cool distinguishing features, and about 1/3 smaller than Disneyland - Anaheim. Again, the heat and humidity was pretty taxing, and we only lasted 7 hours there. That is saying a lot, as we can go 4 days easy in California. We enjoyed getting back to the hotel and enjoying the pool. Here are some pic from Disneyland:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace tuckered out after Disneyland</td></tr>
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So tomorrow, Sunday, we will be up bright and early and catch a train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, and from Guangzhou we will hop on a short flight to Nanning in the Guangxi province. It is in Nanning that we will meet our sweet Brooklyn for the first time. Our "gotcha day" is Monday morning, which is Sunday evening in California. Please pray for Brooklyn and that her grief would be helped by a trust in her new parents and family.<br />
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I'd like to end our posts with some of the humorous signs/clothing that we have come across. For whatever reason, it is "cool" in Chinese culture to wear clothing with English phrases, even though they may have no idea what they actually mean. Here are a few we ran into today:<br />
Hat that read: Supply Monday - "What Might"<br />
Shirt that read: The Night Music for Desire - Good Tunes<br />
Shirt that simply stated: "ACNE"<br />
Also ran into a Disney employee whose nametag read "Fatrick"<br />
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We thank all of you for your prayers. We can't wait for Monday morningThe LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-33332342765636842692015-06-22T23:51:00.002-07:002015-06-22T23:51:29.671-07:00Our New Journey to Brooklyn<div style="text-align: center;">
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Well I believe it's been a couple of years since I blogged last. It has been so long I forgot how to work this site and needed my daughter to set it up. Man I am getting old! I am thankful for teenagers who know technology better than I. </div>
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Moving on to the purpose of this post....we are going to China again! We are adopting a beautiful baby girl who will be 2 in July. We will meet our precious daughter, Brooklyn on Monday, June 29. Here in the states it will be Sunday evening as China is 15 hours ahead. We are beyond excited to bring her into our family. This time the whole LaCroix family will make the journey to meet their newest sister. As Doug and I discussed adoption again we both agreed that we just couldn't leave anyone of them behind. It will be an adventure we will not soon forget, I am sure. Although it may be a little chaotic at times, I hope that this will be a sweet time for our family as we travel across the world to add Brooklyn to our family. </div>
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Here are a few details of our adoption process this time. We began applying to adopt at the beginning of October with the same agency we used when adopting Jack in 2011. We loved our agency and knew we didn't want to use anyone else. The paper chasing part of our journey was completed in January and was sent off January 30th and logged into China's system on February 2nd. We were requesting a girl this time around. It began to be apparent that we would possibly be waiting to be matched for over a year. Our agency is so great and popular that they had many clients ahead of us in the process waiting to be matched with their child. It was quite different than our wait with Jack....we were matched within the first month of submitting our application. One day in March we received an email from our local home study agency asking if we would like to look at a file of a little girl named "Lilly" from the agency they partner with for international adoption. We decided it wouldn't hurt to look at her file. Well the rest is history and within a few days we were switching agencies so we could pursue adopting "Lilly". Brooklyn was an infant when she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was treated. She is noted as having some developmental delays. We have a few videos of her walking holding someones hand. We are not sure if she is able to walk unassisted at this point. We will soon find out. The first day we saw her file was March 19. The time has flown by so quickly and now we leave in less than 48 hours to meet our girl!</div>
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I also want to share how faithful the Lord has been to us through these last few months. On March 17 a friend specifically prayed that we would receive a match and would be able to travel in July. I had shared with her that the timing of travel would be better for our schedule to travel during the summer months before school started in the fall. Hannah will begin taking some courses at the community college this year and I didn't think the teachers would excuse a two week trip to China! Even better we get to leave at the end of June. Nothing is too hard for God! About 11 days ago we found out that our agency had another family traveling at the same time. Not only was this family going to be traveling with us, they are adopting Brooklyn's foster sister. These girls have been together since infancy with the same family. We were praying that we would receive travel approval in time so that we could travel with this family. God said Yes! I am so thankful we can travel with them. It will be such a blessing to our baby girls to have one another as they ease into their new families. This leads me into a few prayer requests:</div>
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<li>Pray for the foster parents who have loved Brooklyn and her foster sister. They will be losing both on the same day. We are so thankful they have loved our daughter for her first 2 years of life.</li>
<li>Pray for God's grace on our large group as we travel. We are starting with 7 people and coming back as 8. It is a little intimidating. </li>
<li>Pray we stay healthy</li>
<li>Pray our plane itineraries won't be disrupted and that our luggage makes it to us in China</li>
<li>Pray that Brooklyn's visa will be issued on Friday, July 10. We are scheduled to fly out on the 11th. We need the visa for her to travel. The US consulate has had some computer issues lately and have had families stuck in China for extra days costing them more money and time away from home. It looks like it's working out, but it could always get backed up again.</li>
<li>Most importantly please pray for Brooklyn. She is leaving the only family she has known. I can't imagine the grief and sadness she will experience. I am so thankful she has been loved by this foster family but it may make her grieve tremendously. Please pray that she will trust us quickly and will be comforted by us. </li>
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I hope to update the blog as often as I have energy to. I'm sure Doug will take a few turns as well. Thank you for your love, support and most importantly your prayers! We serve an amazing God and I am so thankful I can trust Him!</div>
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Here is one of the first pictures we saw of our beautiful girl</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is from November of 2014<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
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The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-64773777036383210382012-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:002012-12-06T23:02:07.900-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPXgowdV9F999rr2VfxPtXPGbRIYfMh5NADFvtVc2F5oqBCsbcvBwpK0bfrksZ4sUimr76K4Jji-bv9CBbPru1JPdqi9ZLViSAGR-wM5-U57wk6gyXSa7pcCnegL4RQVp6Oi1vSWJJlU/s1600/Fall+2012+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPXgowdV9F999rr2VfxPtXPGbRIYfMh5NADFvtVc2F5oqBCsbcvBwpK0bfrksZ4sUimr76K4Jji-bv9CBbPru1JPdqi9ZLViSAGR-wM5-U57wk6gyXSa7pcCnegL4RQVp6Oi1vSWJJlU/s320/Fall+2012+063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our little Jack-O-Lantern</div>
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Yesterday marked our 1 year anniversary of meeting our son Jack. Today is the official adoption anniversary of Jack Zan Biao LaCroix. The year has flown by! We love our little guy and am blessed to have him here. He has grown up so much this last year. He went from diapers and bottles to underwear and feeding himself. It is amazing how the Lord is faithful to hear and answer prayers. Jack has truly been grafted into our family and we LOVE him dearly! Thank you Father for showing us a glimpse of our adoption into your family! I don't have a lot to say, but lots of pictures to share of our last year together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc3lsD-6TzaunHc9Cfj9DYm4KiG9CvNYtPfCCCNFZZ_DFzQm9jj2BxdlgYjtliwa7LjNy3LGN6G8BDHf3E4OoJYfFlDdIMw81WJ7go_dFwd6FT-4Hfg3mTyZmyFQfzM1P0oNA1HvjVsc/s1600/Elise's+iPhone+pics+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc3lsD-6TzaunHc9Cfj9DYm4KiG9CvNYtPfCCCNFZZ_DFzQm9jj2BxdlgYjtliwa7LjNy3LGN6G8BDHf3E4OoJYfFlDdIMw81WJ7go_dFwd6FT-4Hfg3mTyZmyFQfzM1P0oNA1HvjVsc/s320/Elise's+iPhone+pics+031.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack's first ice cream experience</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First beach trip</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First climb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First surgery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOfngrUcYw9C2L9IZdXkdzq3iR9JUlHK7IMKbG8dW9coganfP7xONF6UpYu44n0PMVKDNDXO4RsG90PSjQpCPnbuPsRiqYFDVXIOHG1Cyr5RWE10zChLpoK8yVyM62l9df3lB_ZdpUBo/s1600/Elise's+iPhone+pics+380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOfngrUcYw9C2L9IZdXkdzq3iR9JUlHK7IMKbG8dW9coganfP7xONF6UpYu44n0PMVKDNDXO4RsG90PSjQpCPnbuPsRiqYFDVXIOHG1Cyr5RWE10zChLpoK8yVyM62l9df3lB_ZdpUBo/s320/Elise's+iPhone+pics+380.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy after anesthesia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJ6ZtEajx6tG5PbOtjZ0YYKkyBZBSVdTKg4q5JuLtsHITA3pqgJemtIT04IVUolg_EeJWxAKuJzbr82nVD2fjl8xkZgwMYFvUa2l6CxLO-qn_RQXv1-1twGC6n5vy71dvbmFZuk95zJo/s1600/IMG_2080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJ6ZtEajx6tG5PbOtjZ0YYKkyBZBSVdTKg4q5JuLtsHITA3pqgJemtIT04IVUolg_EeJWxAKuJzbr82nVD2fjl8xkZgwMYFvUa2l6CxLO-qn_RQXv1-1twGC6n5vy71dvbmFZuk95zJo/s320/IMG_2080.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First birthday party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA360KoK6t4ZD8ApUtdJQ0n2eh1ywmlxFdKB4nQt0h5l21BmVuKElVjtvHSDPl_v4bTCW3QvDr3ELpgcd9Wza2Ue1wL-HMVjoLQr4MMsvl2hSRR49I2qIZ2AzvMghCxj_nSijUnDagN4E/s1600/IMG_2134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA360KoK6t4ZD8ApUtdJQ0n2eh1ywmlxFdKB4nQt0h5l21BmVuKElVjtvHSDPl_v4bTCW3QvDr3ELpgcd9Wza2Ue1wL-HMVjoLQr4MMsvl2hSRR49I2qIZ2AzvMghCxj_nSijUnDagN4E/s320/IMG_2134.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Easter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMyfjaIJds-_zJbkOiVvmj_m7FZm7t5lrABOlxGTbLOKGhCWJxbGV4UGxuy2kLeYYuPHTymLHQO4dHsCk0kZRtDcnQVrsYLXivyxDuNRFqJbQ-rFoxJH5BQ7hOrZtl0kTER7e0EduvVI/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMyfjaIJds-_zJbkOiVvmj_m7FZm7t5lrABOlxGTbLOKGhCWJxbGV4UGxuy2kLeYYuPHTymLHQO4dHsCk0kZRtDcnQVrsYLXivyxDuNRFqJbQ-rFoxJH5BQ7hOrZtl0kTER7e0EduvVI/s320/IMG_2112.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Egg Hunt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-KU6xmzpVvArdjc4IGQkgM_7xb99RJqWdVxuY51hIak70DubjXoWbleO6BqwKKoK8E5YAT8eVwFRxRjS2G9hhGBgLhNHHqCTMhmps9dsV26VqxxOMqCEultuf7CqyMyj6S2a3rjFmXc/s1600/Elise's+iPhone+pics+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyaKssCDKuJo5r3tp-ZX1SFewL0F_CCOudasnn4Sx7CR_OO_FGIC-3QlBXsFzDc0ll9QfzFgpsuICBigZ7flNcHw4fN2CQ_ZUdvErX7DyIM0jTHKY7TC6jWdFHDjbGQOMlW3759hTJDk/s1600/Summer+2012+516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyaKssCDKuJo5r3tp-ZX1SFewL0F_CCOudasnn4Sx7CR_OO_FGIC-3QlBXsFzDc0ll9QfzFgpsuICBigZ7flNcHw4fN2CQ_ZUdvErX7DyIM0jTHKY7TC6jWdFHDjbGQOMlW3759hTJDk/s320/Summer+2012+516.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bryce Canyon<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU0dRTbpNMp5t7yPAR-3t9ABu_Owy69bqSVbIoP4RQ2tU1PI11XqnxXyQUjK3DwL3pxeWkkTKbUoV3HdFcuIfeLpUADJ4SD5lBU-6iOsBNvl9rlzMUUtG6AJJ3zVbfT_EOOL8C9ph_R8/s1600/Summer+2012+445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU0dRTbpNMp5t7yPAR-3t9ABu_Owy69bqSVbIoP4RQ2tU1PI11XqnxXyQUjK3DwL3pxeWkkTKbUoV3HdFcuIfeLpUADJ4SD5lBU-6iOsBNvl9rlzMUUtG6AJJ3zVbfT_EOOL8C9ph_R8/s320/Summer+2012+445.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh2hpYo6QlF5jZw4PEB8albF_wnRi7TWe1OKT9lkmRieeJ-ClXjMgmPyIjPwaQjftT9FqZRKgu7HSGh73OQvSoospWh0nbxlwjdoKNJ_Esay7Yva4_PwWdRBUE2tiJOS6SfCMFaLTCRE/s1600/Summer+2012+362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh2hpYo6QlF5jZw4PEB8albF_wnRi7TWe1OKT9lkmRieeJ-ClXjMgmPyIjPwaQjftT9FqZRKgu7HSGh73OQvSoospWh0nbxlwjdoKNJ_Esay7Yva4_PwWdRBUE2tiJOS6SfCMFaLTCRE/s320/Summer+2012+362.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First camping trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13WYwRWR8DAdVsaFnjXtnzYntWqAg_U3u7zkO8PmfavGXOUOAUqoJ8l1Ss_dWmSSatQGswwSxpG4Yxgxhea31uaTm5OyNC5I8prFupAboXvOoq9kU7i47iQppgYcyS5XBoMst1Z8m9PM/s1600/384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13WYwRWR8DAdVsaFnjXtnzYntWqAg_U3u7zkO8PmfavGXOUOAUqoJ8l1Ss_dWmSSatQGswwSxpG4Yxgxhea31uaTm5OyNC5I8prFupAboXvOoq9kU7i47iQppgYcyS5XBoMst1Z8m9PM/s320/384.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First trip to buy a Christmas tree!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRSKKnFJU2T4cW9Urjz0FBKF1VIjwfXN4vCMsNCKiRNXNm0h9i3bo-UHvMwPIOpGbxDmY1qIBLqIxGVHBYTnGtT5gPPglVQ5MFYz2VYtJHdDc88EEPG9aAQY_xDkCTndUVk4gpBAfD38/s1600/288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRSKKnFJU2T4cW9Urjz0FBKF1VIjwfXN4vCMsNCKiRNXNm0h9i3bo-UHvMwPIOpGbxDmY1qIBLqIxGVHBYTnGtT5gPPglVQ5MFYz2VYtJHdDc88EEPG9aAQY_xDkCTndUVk4gpBAfD38/s320/288.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boardwalk<br />
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</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTHMJl7nDc62KQ89-t_Fm2iqZVmo7a8pQq_qj0BFdEvZ8iYt9_HkkZLenHAbA654VVkth6sXhZ2ULP05UYRuB9IA6jw0l3Q-eZNpTLjh3xsrzCigTeNcMkkWYzgSEF4ICIoGdv6uOMhs/s1600/422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTHMJl7nDc62KQ89-t_Fm2iqZVmo7a8pQq_qj0BFdEvZ8iYt9_HkkZLenHAbA654VVkth6sXhZ2ULP05UYRuB9IA6jw0l3Q-eZNpTLjh3xsrzCigTeNcMkkWYzgSEF4ICIoGdv6uOMhs/s320/422.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating with our travel buddies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lFMX8-Zy5lv_hxQR5DamcSMV5h_q2WZKBIPTzwr4wocda3K56_QWaLPujRX1HYl7dwqhuigHoGdxnsWwILDZIOudn4fhAdSVJ5woLC1pDsqYIlrEfGGiQ8gwtuRTq8HFV2dWUnXyTRI/s1600/423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lFMX8-Zy5lv_hxQR5DamcSMV5h_q2WZKBIPTzwr4wocda3K56_QWaLPujRX1HYl7dwqhuigHoGdxnsWwILDZIOudn4fhAdSVJ5woLC1pDsqYIlrEfGGiQ8gwtuRTq8HFV2dWUnXyTRI/s320/423.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So cute!</td></tr>
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The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-86375562373761593782012-03-08T21:09:00.001-08:002012-03-08T21:14:59.324-08:00One year ago today......It has been one year since we first laid eyes on Zan Biao. I remember receiving the call from CCAI around telling us we had been matched with an 11 month old boy with a malformed right ear and hearing loss. We didn't know how severe the loss was. I sent Doug all the info we received from our agency. It didn't take long for us to decide. By that evening we were passing pictures of our new son. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjPJYf5SHovf_b8hDs8EoEbKHA2hM9qK95b-qFFVS-q_mumEzPu48iZdr798wWgUOYBbWr-oRxsqcvE7iRy3TwgLvprQzaLQJOQG8pGmyZNezbCsvWaIUGkRCK1xSWl5ImVnjC75LRN0/s1600/Dang+Zan+Biao.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjPJYf5SHovf_b8hDs8EoEbKHA2hM9qK95b-qFFVS-q_mumEzPu48iZdr798wWgUOYBbWr-oRxsqcvE7iRy3TwgLvprQzaLQJOQG8pGmyZNezbCsvWaIUGkRCK1xSWl5ImVnjC75LRN0/s1600/Dang+Zan+Biao.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Looking back we had no idea what our journey would look like. However long, hard and trying it has been.....he is worth it all! He needed a family and God chose the LaCroix's to be Zan Biao's before the foundation of the world. We feel extremely blessed to raise him in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory! <br />
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As I am posting this, Jack is in bed at our hotel. We are on our first beach trip with Jack. He is talking and singing in bed. How I love to hear my sweet boy sing and talk, feeling so secure with our love. We love you Jack!!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOLvjj554pt3mD34Xjlap-16XlBl8f32sUE_uCtcxyXBeOs_aVDUSdVmFnc8jvZnXE69LRVCtJFZfwOVhSS3E1xggzMmKKiEkk2imBckdOptPauxiV9KNwp2zo7B1vBi6R5yjgAhsSmA/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOLvjj554pt3mD34Xjlap-16XlBl8f32sUE_uCtcxyXBeOs_aVDUSdVmFnc8jvZnXE69LRVCtJFZfwOVhSS3E1xggzMmKKiEkk2imBckdOptPauxiV9KNwp2zo7B1vBi6R5yjgAhsSmA/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1741749212"></span><span id="goog_1741749213"></span></div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-63798035426225020602012-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:002012-03-02T13:22:54.039-08:00Life with JackI know it has been a very long time since I blogged last, sorry for those who have been disappointed. Life has been very busy as we got through the holidays, vacation and starting school back up. <br />
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Jack enjoyed his first Christmas. He quickly learned the art of opening up gifts, following his big sisters and brothers example, he enjoyed it very much. He learned how to fellowship with family all day and share his toys with his younger cousins. He got to go to Grandma and Grandad's house for the first time Christmas Eve and loved it! <br />
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We had our annual Tahoe snow trip in early January with the LaCroix family. We had only been home 3 weeks before packing up for a long drive to Tahoe. We were a little nervous how Jack would react to sitting in a car seat for so long. He had just been introduced to being restrained by a car seat a few weeks earlier, now we were strapping him for a five hour drive. Yikes! What were we thinking? Not only that, how would Jack sleep in another new environment? He was sleeping well at home now and we were going to whisk him to a new place. Again, what were we thinking??? Well, all our worries were needless. Jack did as well as could be expected for a 21month in a car, whether new to car seats or not. He also slept great! Dark closets in the corner of a house do very well. Having lived in an orphanage, Jack did not see much. His short life had been very confined. We were opening up so much to him, Christmas, a family and snow! Wouldn't you know it, there was no snow in Tahoe. For the first time in 10 years of going to Tahoe, there was no snow!! Maybe next year Jack will be able to have the joy of playing in the snow. He still was introduced to God's beautiful creation, Tahoe is really beautiful without the snow too. <br />
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The biggest change for our family is homeschooling with a toddler again. Not a toddler who has been here from the beginning. One who is still a little unsure and who doesn't prefer to ever be alone. Jack is spending a lot of one on one time with each of his siblings taking turns playing with him throughout the school day. This way I can help whoever needs help and Jack is happily (most the time) playing with a sibling. The other kids enjoy the time too. We are chugging along, still trying to iron out some of the wrinkles, but we will get there. <br />
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We also were told that Jack was testing positive for Hep B and C. This was a complete shock to us. The B, we knew probably was a false positive because he had been vaccinated for Hep B. The C however was the concern. Well after a month of thinking he had the virus, we tested him again with a more conclusive test recommended by the specialist. We found out last week he does NOT have Hep C!! I cried tears of joy when I heard the great news. I know the Lord would sustain us through this if he had the virus. However, I am very thankful that he doesn't!! Praise God!!<br />
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Over the last several months Jack is understanding most of what I say and he has picked up some new words. Maybe not always identifiable to the untrained ear, but this mama understands. These are the words Jack can say:<br />
<li>mama</li><br />
<li>more</li><br />
<li>please</li><br />
<li>tractor</li><br />
<li>water</li><br />
<li>bottle</li><br />
<li>got you</li><br />
<li>poo poo</li><br />
<li>potty</li><br />
<li>vacuum</li><br />
<li>yes</li><br />
<li>dada</li><br />
<li>Casey</li><br />
<li>sissy</li><br />
<li>attempts Hannah</li><br />
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Below are some pictures over the last couple of months.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl88KaH4WQnjML179_TrnjFF3AJ6sp8nV3Ql5eVwUWF_geXwC-P8b-cNnGKiyhDE-8lFmuRWuuCz-f7h1ltqUfJmL1Kpk4IwlezAITdn9g6IS4VYte7QpRdmqS0yc5NnW5OgakyBvrvc/s1600/IMG_1783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl88KaH4WQnjML179_TrnjFF3AJ6sp8nV3Ql5eVwUWF_geXwC-P8b-cNnGKiyhDE-8lFmuRWuuCz-f7h1ltqUfJmL1Kpk4IwlezAITdn9g6IS4VYte7QpRdmqS0yc5NnW5OgakyBvrvc/s320/IMG_1783.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating New Year's with the Tsudama clan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlUL6b-Yr9nWILt-czoTmnVH122K97-2OPZCCgdG2hiXd5oSKZmjnN2cTpjQB0NP2brU-BIrycNZZx28r3GNW433Q-4IwbP7puPfKgq_Xzj9HtD0H0y96ouWPZ5CINKxhpTI7XVGQNm4/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlUL6b-Yr9nWILt-czoTmnVH122K97-2OPZCCgdG2hiXd5oSKZmjnN2cTpjQB0NP2brU-BIrycNZZx28r3GNW433Q-4IwbP7puPfKgq_Xzj9HtD0H0y96ouWPZ5CINKxhpTI7XVGQNm4/s320/IMG_1797.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting outside the skating arena</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscpaorPT7WvbXHKUKb4-q5IBGA08YbUyWav09m3R6ZsfEsLGsOPcpyV9oJFeLq6WTDIpkT_ThfFDQVlBvzxyrr78baMesn5NG1tdpuTbq9eCtD2Y2MCsNixmxhS3Br5kePIktNkDTao4/s1600/IMG_1819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscpaorPT7WvbXHKUKb4-q5IBGA08YbUyWav09m3R6ZsfEsLGsOPcpyV9oJFeLq6WTDIpkT_ThfFDQVlBvzxyrr78baMesn5NG1tdpuTbq9eCtD2Y2MCsNixmxhS3Br5kePIktNkDTao4/s320/IMG_1819.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice skating in Tahoe in lieu of skiing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack making silly faces at our annual dinner at Cottonwood in Tahoe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rip riding with his big sister</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Chinese New Year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuddling up with Grandma and Gracie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun with the cousins at Casey's birthday party</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PzgwGE1vKzWmKNRl3x5ls6Zy_9gzIWHhFyRi3jCsKKWcTs8ia0iLpahOuaBwwM28HyBJdoBdlQ-8X7M0fv-X4tIyNMnYu5cr3JnJl3DI9FmRG4FrpWVICeWdldf-TQzTAgzsrtTCQ4c/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PzgwGE1vKzWmKNRl3x5ls6Zy_9gzIWHhFyRi3jCsKKWcTs8ia0iLpahOuaBwwM28HyBJdoBdlQ-8X7M0fv-X4tIyNMnYu5cr3JnJl3DI9FmRG4FrpWVICeWdldf-TQzTAgzsrtTCQ4c/s320/IMG_1891.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casey turns 8!</td></tr>
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<ul></ul>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-61593737531894099812011-12-16T23:48:00.000-08:002011-12-17T10:10:40.649-08:00Settling in at home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We made it home! We left Guangzhou at 10:15am on December 14 and arrived in Fresno at 11:00am on December 14. Crazy, we arrived in Fresno before we left China. It was a total of 17 hours of travel time, with 11 hours of that time being the non-stop from Hong Kong to San Francisco. We were extremely nervous how Jack would fly, especially with our last experience with him flying very fresh on our minds. People were praying for us and it was evident that God was merciful toward us. Jack handled the flight wonderfully!! He started out with an hour and a half nap. He was then up for about 7 hours or so. Our seats were not all together on this flight. Doug and I had the middle and window seat of our row of three, with Hannah and Aaron directly behind us. A sweet American Chinese woman was on the aisle. We had asked the flight attendants for help to get the four of us together. We were told it was a full flight, and most likely no one would give up their aisle seat for a middle seat. It turned out that there was a middle seat at the bulkhead with good legroom. The flight attendent offered that seat to the lady. She checked it out and said sure. Therefore, we were able to have an extra seat for Jack. This was a great blessing for our traveling. Jack sat happily and played between Doug and I for all those hours. He never fussed. We were even able to watch a movie while he sat and played. A few other adoptive families were on the same flight having to walk their babies around the plane. Jack was a little angel. When he went to bed, he fussed a little more, but nothing to complain about. Truly a blessing from the Lord. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When we arrived to the Fresno airport we were greeted by our family and friends. It was such a great reception, we had so many people celebrating our adoption of Jack. Casey and Grace were the first to greet us. As we were making our way to the crowd I was getting teary. Surprisingly, once we hugged the kids I was not emotional. Our sweet boy was a full of tears. He was so happy to see us. Oh, how I love and missed him!! Grace was just her bouncy little self, excited to be with us. We got home around lunch time. Our plan was to stay up until evening. It was very hard. We were sooooo tired. Doug took a nap for a couple hours and I dozed for a little bit. We wanted to stay up because we missed Casey and Grace so much, we wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Aaron sacked out early missing dinner. Hannah stayed up til 8:30, yet her eyes were very heavy. We all were in bed by this time. Jack woke up around 11:30 and a few times after. We fed him a bottle. He fussed for a little bit, then stayed asleep until 9:00am. For the jetlag, I think we all did pretty well. We felt well rested the next morning. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">First thing on Thursday morning was getting a Dr.'s appt. for Jack. He has been very congested and coughing and throwing up the week before. We saw the Dr. and Jack had an ear, chest, and head infection. Poor baby!! This is why I say the Lord was merciful! Jack didn't fuss when flying with all of these infections!! I can only attribute this to my gracious and kind God and His people praying for us. Needless to say we started him with strong antibiotics. The improvements were evident that night. Jack went to bed again around 8:30, woke up for a minute around 11:00. We didn't even need to go to his room. Morning came and needed to be woken up by Doug around 9:00am. I hope this trend continues! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We are so glad to be home. We had a great time meeting new friends in our travel group. A bond that will last a lifetime. We feel truly blessed to have gone on this journey with all of them. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0GIn-1c6UwfjgFzCrXQHUHLc9NtNWs2SYOczJQj9WPjNTxnFwCzuuDcSYBBCHUd8EsyFWjl6IcFbatI6vXXJ7ZmkjvmYyL8lQhoapngn_pWI3fOEDIvTewzdVu-d6l5AAcI1bsrEsmg/s1600/IMG_1645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0GIn-1c6UwfjgFzCrXQHUHLc9NtNWs2SYOczJQj9WPjNTxnFwCzuuDcSYBBCHUd8EsyFWjl6IcFbatI6vXXJ7ZmkjvmYyL8lQhoapngn_pWI3fOEDIvTewzdVu-d6l5AAcI1bsrEsmg/s320/IMG_1645.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The picture above captures what our last few days have been like. Jack is soaking up the love and attention he is receiving from his brothers, sisters, mama, and daddy. This son of ours is no longer an orphan, he was chosen and loved. He is now a LaCroix with all the benefits of being a member of our family. He didn't do anything to be chosen. Just like I have done nothing to be chosen by my Lord and Savior.</span> <span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><em> "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as <u>He chose us in Him</u> before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intentions of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:3-6. "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 </em><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">This journey has been one worth traveling. Forever our lives will be changed with Jack. Our greatest hope is that God would be glorified through this earthly adoption, knowing that our eternal adoption in Christ is far exceeding. Secondly, our hope and prayer is that Jack will be chosen of God to be His child with an eternal inheritance. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">If I don't have the opportunity to blog before Christmas, may you all be blessed and celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiikp1bCl8Zit912r9FyNKrfLZmOorXXP6u0JuaodA6hX9hC8VVjTbpWzkFbOwRJR01xjjk3I7gJ28IMQIPy9n8-I9-Ewib2lRvWGQ0FrGboLOdaWmhZUOvoyPTRLQ1-W8vlhLY8C5E8U/s1600/IMG_1517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiikp1bCl8Zit912r9FyNKrfLZmOorXXP6u0JuaodA6hX9hC8VVjTbpWzkFbOwRJR01xjjk3I7gJ28IMQIPy9n8-I9-Ewib2lRvWGQ0FrGboLOdaWmhZUOvoyPTRLQ1-W8vlhLY8C5E8U/s320/IMG_1517.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elise and Jack with Dani and Eli on the Pearl River Cruise<br />
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Jack and Eli<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y5xOiZRJPzyO04F5CT371fienonY2a4nj4fXulFp0VGXul39H81fWvJQTaeZKw_CYDCT8paeD2UbNMAA5sZkUqrCiYF_JgjDJCp8nbHghPFNCP1R8RwIJ6XMXmwADGYZmes3iJFYLpE/s1600/IMG_1541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y5xOiZRJPzyO04F5CT371fienonY2a4nj4fXulFp0VGXul39H81fWvJQTaeZKw_CYDCT8paeD2UbNMAA5sZkUqrCiYF_JgjDJCp8nbHghPFNCP1R8RwIJ6XMXmwADGYZmes3iJFYLpE/s320/IMG_1541.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day before leaving<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRU_Ha-RNTxZM-LfydnK5dsnD0p1CPSVHQMG4fzDd7C4Db7OpPAHpMfskHcYD5TrWFoFL24ps4Kx9N-AUX4p_yfZn0sxjj6MJvZ6LzmfvVBNSls3l5iBIkCrpjcZkhr1k-rEeVbFEyVg/s1600/IMG_1570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRU_Ha-RNTxZM-LfydnK5dsnD0p1CPSVHQMG4fzDd7C4Db7OpPAHpMfskHcYD5TrWFoFL24ps4Kx9N-AUX4p_yfZn0sxjj6MJvZ6LzmfvVBNSls3l5iBIkCrpjcZkhr1k-rEeVbFEyVg/s320/IMG_1570.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Our travel group<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOBfHDDg8PRRTebrHp8yR22_YmGPPonWFMwagfAMpO_-QTrC0BcCY6-wd3R4rvQiGBKr_4YXbFuHTzE0Jtvz-moUxUaucs0u2FOoUDNNoszDFxPu4syUjA4MXzlVKPXARy3wxJD2GD54/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOBfHDDg8PRRTebrHp8yR22_YmGPPonWFMwagfAMpO_-QTrC0BcCY6-wd3R4rvQiGBKr_4YXbFuHTzE0Jtvz-moUxUaucs0u2FOoUDNNoszDFxPu4syUjA4MXzlVKPXARy3wxJD2GD54/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jack looking at his favorite thing from the airport gate, "cars"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-WR5wChveUYMdWFNuflWXRw13t2x6NcT9jBGf05xlWqkzN0kC3Oi_7FLAS7lmutIbJ2GLqSjDuhRSeiD57ruTFwdb9MIqhRo6ISyXlh2ILgUsJHc-HIPu9MvasT332cbG6IKb_Pk4L0/s1600/IMG_1588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-WR5wChveUYMdWFNuflWXRw13t2x6NcT9jBGf05xlWqkzN0kC3Oi_7FLAS7lmutIbJ2GLqSjDuhRSeiD57ruTFwdb9MIqhRo6ISyXlh2ILgUsJHc-HIPu9MvasT332cbG6IKb_Pk4L0/s320/IMG_1588.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Killing time on the moving walkways at the Guangzhou airport<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSPG4QFWBIbfLbAObON0WsJtsJvXCgrKswFKY9wZ26EKBZaNkP1kIotMpLa8ZEHNnE_nZyKGVjlNtWEBonyavYLoYndIeOLE7kuOfki-4ZxAgdpFY9U9sEs-uEU5Z6Hk5U3uh8UzWPFA/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSPG4QFWBIbfLbAObON0WsJtsJvXCgrKswFKY9wZ26EKBZaNkP1kIotMpLa8ZEHNnE_nZyKGVjlNtWEBonyavYLoYndIeOLE7kuOfki-4ZxAgdpFY9U9sEs-uEU5Z6Hk5U3uh8UzWPFA/s320/IMG_1599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Our happy flying boy<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy63bJ1KWgOBkCsnoC4e72DpNDC8ewSfrJfiz-o__sePrgCr7TLdELrJ_GfrcdEovh9OnJ7DMvES9DYeAxbtCdqzwCKN_GcdVMucln3-eKyjinHIb6yWWAF0ngecPQKzdgzu78ftAPgCs/s1600/IMG_1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy63bJ1KWgOBkCsnoC4e72DpNDC8ewSfrJfiz-o__sePrgCr7TLdELrJ_GfrcdEovh9OnJ7DMvES9DYeAxbtCdqzwCKN_GcdVMucln3-eKyjinHIb6yWWAF0ngecPQKzdgzu78ftAPgCs/s320/IMG_1602.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>First night at home, playing w/ sister Gracie<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5lHL7QB3tx9m2PnlME7CLNy3WZat6lEXZljJzcO8-Uc-AOIctiThsXTnwfMR4FLpsUIaaov_sd49gWzKDDZz-ZKIwoxFKILsjet41LNh4kr0imumOYx06QKN3PtR1zaBLmbzDGmyhrE/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5lHL7QB3tx9m2PnlME7CLNy3WZat6lEXZljJzcO8-Uc-AOIctiThsXTnwfMR4FLpsUIaaov_sd49gWzKDDZz-ZKIwoxFKILsjet41LNh4kr0imumOYx06QKN3PtR1zaBLmbzDGmyhrE/s320/IMG_1631.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Cheesing it up<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB7y_sZQHqNX8Tw6T7HUnxrdZEtsdPXEOPPpw3ETd89tuxD3-bn2n0MpB6yfODviBlI1D5Md6gINZI8up3_P2s8EVTlJP7f-uvK6OJSp6MxF4hRs_uLoIAyn6QDOr5IOLO0CwmttLOAA/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB7y_sZQHqNX8Tw6T7HUnxrdZEtsdPXEOPPpw3ETd89tuxD3-bn2n0MpB6yfODviBlI1D5Md6gINZI8up3_P2s8EVTlJP7f-uvK6OJSp6MxF4hRs_uLoIAyn6QDOr5IOLO0CwmttLOAA/s320/IMG_1643.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sweet brothers<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9H-6H05DazyxLE9eW7MKW-R59YZlduIdGBcz7ly0YgO8lsxvOlpA9C86t-X-dJ2p5JGOJku6hboVTByX1-ibUon5LZ6X-c97632T-BwCxqPAwvEmuVlTx620lRZqTe_R3S9IbrqiEcg/s1600/IMG_1634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9H-6H05DazyxLE9eW7MKW-R59YZlduIdGBcz7ly0YgO8lsxvOlpA9C86t-X-dJ2p5JGOJku6hboVTByX1-ibUon5LZ6X-c97632T-BwCxqPAwvEmuVlTx620lRZqTe_R3S9IbrqiEcg/s320/IMG_1634.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>Daddy changing his first stinky diaper :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"></span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-45347965725542974572011-12-12T01:35:00.000-08:002011-12-12T06:33:27.989-08:00Last Post from ChinaThe last few days have been full of adventure. Yesterday, five families decided against the planned city tour with our group and deciced to visit the Safari Park. Another family had visited previously and said how wonderful it was. So we rented a van without a guide and headed to the park. <br />
Our first attraction was the Safari on Wheels. We boarded a tram that took us around to numerous exotic animals and it felt like we were viewing them in their environment rather than a cage. It was quite the sight, and Jack was very interested. We had to stop for an ostrich that was crossing the street. The tram was in one lane and there was another lane where people drove their cars. Kids were standing and looking through the moon roofs. We saw many different types of animals. Elephants, giraffes, tigers, white tigers, bears, camels and many more that we weren't familiar with. It was a great way to see the park. We then got off the tram and walked around the park. It was huge! We enjoyed seeing the animal kindergarten (baby animals). One monkey was dressed in baby clothes, very cute! We saw sleepy koala bears and giant panda bears. One panda was sleeping and pooping at the same time. Quite the sight. As we were heading for the exit a show was starting. The dancing characters were all very different, girls with coconuts, santa girls and boys, and others dressed as Indians. The best was the monkey dressed as a panda. A very strange and eclectic group, but very entertaining. We had a great time and were very glad we made the decision to visit the Safari Park.<br />
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Today (Monday), we had our U.S. Consulate appointment. We took an oath and gave all our necessary paperwork to receive Jack's visa to enter the U.S. and receive U.S. citzenship as we land in San Francisco. <br />
After our Consulate appt. we visited the pearl market. It was very interesting. We walked through shop after shop of different jewelry stores, mostly bead-type jewelry. Some shops had pearls too. We however did not know what was fake and what was genuine. I was wondering if that is where all our cheap jewelry comes from. <br />
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Our instructions were to grab a taxi back to the hotel before 2:30. Apparently there is a shift change with the drivers, followed by rush hour. We made it out a few minutes after 2:30. We stood out on the curb for 15 min before finding a cab. Either they were not taking customers or a more aggressive local got in before we had a chance. One local had mercy on us and allowed us to get in. Thank you Lord!!!<br />
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The last thing we did tonight was take a dinner cruise down the Pearl River with our travel group. The dinner was traditional Chinese (as the pics below will show) buffet, and in China you don't really line up to go through the buffet, you kind of box-out your competition as if contending for a rebound in basketball. The key is to get low and use your posterior for position. After dinner on the boat we spent the rest of the evening enjoying the beautiful skyline of Guangzhou.<br />
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This will most likely be our last post from China. Tomorrow we will get Jack's visa and probably spend the rest of the day cruising around beautiful Shamian Island and then packing. The following morning we will be up very early to board the first of 3 consecutive flights to get home. We are so anxious to be reunited with Casey and Grace. Please pray for the long flight home. Our 2 hour flight with Jack was not fun so we are praying that he will do better on the long flight. <br />
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The Lord's blessing has already been abundantly evident in the short time we have had Jack, and we anxiously await the future blessing that awaits. God is so good<br />
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Signing off from Guangzhou, China<br />
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The LaCroixs<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagDHEqBgpayNFpaPU74RZrEJVVNjO47Z2l1ayNY7Bf_5eids8GoXfNh2tZrQorVwn-6axiht7caVIuoJ-f6ru9booTeFkGnwcH9n0kQ1tL0sNtdR0wzBSMP4qKERX3-1nMP7iRrUVYFU/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagDHEqBgpayNFpaPU74RZrEJVVNjO47Z2l1ayNY7Bf_5eids8GoXfNh2tZrQorVwn-6axiht7caVIuoJ-f6ru9booTeFkGnwcH9n0kQ1tL0sNtdR0wzBSMP4qKERX3-1nMP7iRrUVYFU/s320/IMG_1258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">White Tigers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cCSeSKoJ1ieGFoBz6I3ahBvP-LwlCyKCZU_Ox791oMCOJjDT0nJ0N-TAXJzDysgnJC17WbhUtF-WUy6lX3wfaL_BD4ug4nZpXK2HoZ0L5hRjlYWJFGlQlZl7SVU3FRw3_smdYH793BQ/s1600/IMG_1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cCSeSKoJ1ieGFoBz6I3ahBvP-LwlCyKCZU_Ox791oMCOJjDT0nJ0N-TAXJzDysgnJC17WbhUtF-WUy6lX3wfaL_BD4ug4nZpXK2HoZ0L5hRjlYWJFGlQlZl7SVU3FRw3_smdYH793BQ/s320/IMG_1360.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was amazing how close we could get to the animals</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bHP4fIGEpe50SNNLfT_r0jYVcs2MnYFlaEdP9nwE4RiuroNFVs1cexMG_xMk1_nH5B8DjbLLnYGTl4cXDWGb1-0_00BpQfqKt7T6rQOdF0nPF96IOmW0Vk2VMnMF9TaibEi35Q0fcKA/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bHP4fIGEpe50SNNLfT_r0jYVcs2MnYFlaEdP9nwE4RiuroNFVs1cexMG_xMk1_nH5B8DjbLLnYGTl4cXDWGb1-0_00BpQfqKt7T6rQOdF0nPF96IOmW0Vk2VMnMF9TaibEi35Q0fcKA/s320/IMG_1363.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baby White Tiger</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzs_EZuD8MOXb1g-UOVzpLtKZMX-8fNHdeXQ_NiDMEQbvwuUkwIBmxy48TKgxZoFlZxSHVIyTRDmrbAMZEs-SyXkt-hr3eFyJpNDCK2aF59pIiSMEZ_ygoiHFausE_SwXzswEuV_ksxis/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzs_EZuD8MOXb1g-UOVzpLtKZMX-8fNHdeXQ_NiDMEQbvwuUkwIBmxy48TKgxZoFlZxSHVIyTRDmrbAMZEs-SyXkt-hr3eFyJpNDCK2aF59pIiSMEZ_ygoiHFausE_SwXzswEuV_ksxis/s320/IMG_1388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The children of our "Safari" group</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqgm1CAEdh0BOko5lOD_w667h3qSMz3cYOR0xZbckSbJS4aLIKRNt874SSnNiIRXDS5X0vJN7oTMF5z53wzdhf4O0CrKEDdIFLDGCkw0O9Ab0YQPawjNeMngQFYqnebUo9SYF7QRB0D4/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqgm1CAEdh0BOko5lOD_w667h3qSMz3cYOR0xZbckSbJS4aLIKRNt874SSnNiIRXDS5X0vJN7oTMF5z53wzdhf4O0CrKEDdIFLDGCkw0O9Ab0YQPawjNeMngQFYqnebUo9SYF7QRB0D4/s320/IMG_1402.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like many Chinese, this monkey hadn't seen an American with a Chinese kid before</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU525maYcViZw4m9s88sXkDHyNidU8WE1ULeWMB8qDRZu9ya9amP6v2gTTvK-z1Ei0JQImweIjAuXscU9EaBFWSO88aT-eEHscclyAUQ3mMdNH7XRtUEK8R5Dh1LYHMyp86XslDmad9ww/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU525maYcViZw4m9s88sXkDHyNidU8WE1ULeWMB8qDRZu9ya9amP6v2gTTvK-z1Ei0JQImweIjAuXscU9EaBFWSO88aT-eEHscclyAUQ3mMdNH7XRtUEK8R5Dh1LYHMyp86XslDmad9ww/s320/IMG_1421.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The fam at the Safari park</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWQDaLGHNds_fWToEt-8sRG2vE_b2_MgbGetH8aFzgSTB4sdCtQ0OIEm3HX6-g1DguQ9jCaf6NE6tzOacgSixo1ABYJghyphenhyphenJyUSN8TJRUZQPX1nYqdcyvkf7PVIie-0NkB_ztK4u9ElMM/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWQDaLGHNds_fWToEt-8sRG2vE_b2_MgbGetH8aFzgSTB4sdCtQ0OIEm3HX6-g1DguQ9jCaf6NE6tzOacgSixo1ABYJghyphenhyphenJyUSN8TJRUZQPX1nYqdcyvkf7PVIie-0NkB_ztK4u9ElMM/s320/IMG_1424.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A tempting snack. Apparently bone-in is a plus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9O32MMYhkWaZGzdSWtyCnUIOSAm6O0IwPKC9mYZ-hMSG9Y_XF-2mTqx7MYknK50FePJpWq7LTnr1f7tkfMKtstnZBmAbB2RFlLkUgWp97xEM_wObs1sH1egNT96m1kdeR6_6kJ0mM14/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9O32MMYhkWaZGzdSWtyCnUIOSAm6O0IwPKC9mYZ-hMSG9Y_XF-2mTqx7MYknK50FePJpWq7LTnr1f7tkfMKtstnZBmAbB2RFlLkUgWp97xEM_wObs1sH1egNT96m1kdeR6_6kJ0mM14/s320/IMG_1438.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Koi feeding by bottle near the Pearl market</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Gx1opdjiHcuh_LCyM49pBLY7GsdMS_ibfIbhRBZSTqOptwlCR4eUy5YBp8wdvGyUrKQFpqyQLTu2dQIIf6hZeNqkdraGcigH-gLAg5ekNNMKcIO6eydzg3WCCm_XUYe1Nu_O_AypG8/s1600/IMG_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Gx1opdjiHcuh_LCyM49pBLY7GsdMS_ibfIbhRBZSTqOptwlCR4eUy5YBp8wdvGyUrKQFpqyQLTu2dQIIf6hZeNqkdraGcigH-gLAg5ekNNMKcIO6eydzg3WCCm_XUYe1Nu_O_AypG8/s320/IMG_1457.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beautiful Shamian Island</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8IKbuRa67MCqVgduzVyVxxgBtpl50nELu2EXLzm7tBkzlV2S4zVlJZ2rz65M49nncO7ZMeD-WODZzHwvCUOhrjl_q1QW6W3_yZRPXjof1Ri2sPUDGUaljWW-K3TnXRrGVrOAHeNRPhNU/s1600/IMG_1463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8IKbuRa67MCqVgduzVyVxxgBtpl50nELu2EXLzm7tBkzlV2S4zVlJZ2rz65M49nncO7ZMeD-WODZzHwvCUOhrjl_q1QW6W3_yZRPXjof1Ri2sPUDGUaljWW-K3TnXRrGVrOAHeNRPhNU/s320/IMG_1463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Traditional Chinese chicken feet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KeZAmDEwZpDEEsZQxLUcV_0ebwBIAJAWNtTXvpDGy11_CVoxJE0VSh59UEMnfdkYGXg7eSgspKchQAcMLG9phbNg3kQOrCLUsb4lQYIPy4KsGx-BTKn9TuUXxfGCXDBc17VGIT52es8/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KeZAmDEwZpDEEsZQxLUcV_0ebwBIAJAWNtTXvpDGy11_CVoxJE0VSh59UEMnfdkYGXg7eSgspKchQAcMLG9phbNg3kQOrCLUsb4lQYIPy4KsGx-BTKn9TuUXxfGCXDBc17VGIT52es8/s320/IMG_1469.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">eewwww!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5fbpSpITOk56HjW6wpR0v_2kraS2DBqvDfPFCXDZyG5zSrV0wd1ryd4OfnP8UTO6gOdgo2MAxeq3Xw3FaplWLqGahZyI0bsFIEbnmYUpNZpZ-f6OaAG_I9tkyJ2gJ62x0h7KZ8TdGlU/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5fbpSpITOk56HjW6wpR0v_2kraS2DBqvDfPFCXDZyG5zSrV0wd1ryd4OfnP8UTO6gOdgo2MAxeq3Xw3FaplWLqGahZyI0bsFIEbnmYUpNZpZ-f6OaAG_I9tkyJ2gJ62x0h7KZ8TdGlU/s320/IMG_1480.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guangzhou skyline from our boat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The tall building near Hannah's right hand is the second tallest building in the world</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-54570611157770113142011-12-10T06:26:00.000-08:002011-12-10T06:26:51.663-08:00Travel day/GuangzhouThe last few days have been an adventure. Friday we prepared to leave Jack's province of Henan to go to Guangzhou where the U.S. Consulate is located. It was a busy day of packing up our hotel room getting ready to leave. I was ready to get to a warmer climate. We left our hotel at 3:00pm for a 6:15pm flight departure. We checked our bags and went through security. Then we had to say goodbye to our CCAI reps. They have been wonderful! I was truly sad to say goodbye, they were a huge blessing to us in our adoption of Jack. After we made it through security we had about a hour wait until we boarded our plane. In the middle of the airport was a little playground. Needless to say our group stopped and took over the playground. Jack loved it!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioh8ZdzBoi1VGGJrMv9janORORUff4IVTxDuQoCH_ZpjRy65mva6PazI7QN3rHrmKeHaMOqa-qhQycs2ZHvVawRkM5xxpmZx64g0bnHMIBGQLZA-NpepXD67hEylhhykFiWmD8ZmiRTrw/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioh8ZdzBoi1VGGJrMv9janORORUff4IVTxDuQoCH_ZpjRy65mva6PazI7QN3rHrmKeHaMOqa-qhQycs2ZHvVawRkM5xxpmZx64g0bnHMIBGQLZA-NpepXD67hEylhhykFiWmD8ZmiRTrw/s320/IMG_1123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-V79XrKq5ZVHvEvRBR6pQfrVGVMcTIi8kJz41ZWyqIl6Xc6W38jJfgEgDg2Rn1XZdwlc3ofiq6WJChYpmGt5bqgOG2-M6ROuWTEBqbnbYrgoAOvKa5EqUc_KDVO3OcHQfeuwC1_PLfM/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-V79XrKq5ZVHvEvRBR6pQfrVGVMcTIi8kJz41ZWyqIl6Xc6W38jJfgEgDg2Rn1XZdwlc3ofiq6WJChYpmGt5bqgOG2-M6ROuWTEBqbnbYrgoAOvKa5EqUc_KDVO3OcHQfeuwC1_PLfM/s320/IMG_1142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbP0lnI1pu5WntDtO1bxvSQK1rzBo1rMXhM4vlg72X4mRZFpxUVWIV1rIPraWk0fmubnhYNRr8e7KK1NmeMt5T5JmR_6Ec83tkOyGtNuctnF0SQank61fH23PKCPaPdw5oxB3di_q3DU/s1600/IMG_1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbP0lnI1pu5WntDtO1bxvSQK1rzBo1rMXhM4vlg72X4mRZFpxUVWIV1rIPraWk0fmubnhYNRr8e7KK1NmeMt5T5JmR_6Ec83tkOyGtNuctnF0SQank61fH23PKCPaPdw5oxB3di_q3DU/s320/IMG_1126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gL6xDAXSKBs-qet8pmgHudqaOfws1U3j94yfe0B-k87JpK74obdV_Nqu8-WlksN9yy4DdAvgbGSrdUWNoqWCZqAdMKFT7e01FnoPi4IMUAP8ICfb9EzGqHsEhvz2BrHPGQ8jDBuzOss/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gL6xDAXSKBs-qet8pmgHudqaOfws1U3j94yfe0B-k87JpK74obdV_Nqu8-WlksN9yy4DdAvgbGSrdUWNoqWCZqAdMKFT7e01FnoPi4IMUAP8ICfb9EzGqHsEhvz2BrHPGQ8jDBuzOss/s320/IMG_1160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well these were the last of the smiles for a while. After playing and playing and then waiting, we found out our flight was late. An hour late!! We finally boarded the plane around 7:15pm. No one had dinner and we thought for a 2 hour flight, there would not be any food. Much to our surprise, we were fed dinner. Only China flying treats you so good. There is no such thing on a 2 hour domestic flight in the U.S. Before dinner was served we gave Jack some plain white bread. Since he has not been keeping food down, we had been trying to keep his diet very plain. He had half a bottle in the morning and congee(watery rice) and Cheerios. He did great and had not vomited all day. He spit up a little at breakfast, but that was very mild. I think that was due to his congestion. No sooner had I started to eat my dinner and started to share some plain white rice with him, he started puking again. Did I mention we were on a plane with seats that packed us in like sardines? We got passed that and he seemed ok. I was given a plastic bag that I kept just in case. After we finished dinner he started puking again. I had already handed the flight attendant the plastic bag back. He started walking past me again and I grabbed it out of his hand. Hannah and I had been catching the vomit with our hands. He finally stopped and we were descending down to land. We unloaded off the plane and Jack and I were covered in vomit. I think the only fly in the whole airport found us. We found our guides and slowly made our way to the bus for our 40 min. drive to the hotel. The hotel is a Marriott and is definintely the best we have stayed at this trip. The hotel has the bell boys deliver our groups bags to each room. Logically one might think that they would see what bags belong to what room, right? Not in China. They take the whole groups luggage and go room to room to see whose luggage is whose. Wouldn't you guess that we, who had bathed our puking boy and needed jammies, were the last to receive our luggage? Then to top it off, our luggage was tied up with plastic ties. We had scissors, in our luggage. They weren't much help. Finally everyone got to bed, Doug and I the last, by 1:15am..We were wiped out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday was not very exciting. Jack had his physical and I guess he checked out okay. He was not too happy though. We walked around a little bit on Shamian Island after the medical exam. We didn't stay too long. We then grabbed a taxi, which was pretty uneventful. I have heard of others dodging in and out of traffic when traveling by taxi. We then went to the hotel for a few hours, then to dinner with the group. I am happy to say, Jack has had 3 bottles and congee today and has kept it all down! Now it is just coming out the other end. lol! I have run out of laundry for him. We sent out our laundry to be washed, but won't receive it back until tomorrow afternoon. I had to buy some more clothes for him today to get us through tomorrow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Casey and Grace, we love and miss you soooooo much! 4 more days until we are all back together again!! We can't wait to hug and kiss you!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some pictures from the last few days.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RFGh15Qkr5L8ZZHSIxThbl-GmGARZied0RGov5tWFuSKZk_lWrBLSZgUvOcJrLAEIDxZncGBDeF7ZlI2LEAFymBSQF8uChxVlFP6wVwToLBXvCOc-J8qgViqKSjw0uNJ3dMKXjlGOG0/s1600/IMG_1098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RFGh15Qkr5L8ZZHSIxThbl-GmGARZied0RGov5tWFuSKZk_lWrBLSZgUvOcJrLAEIDxZncGBDeF7ZlI2LEAFymBSQF8uChxVlFP6wVwToLBXvCOc-J8qgViqKSjw0uNJ3dMKXjlGOG0/s320/IMG_1098.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guides in Zhengzhou<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L9TcLaD8WCmS_TG7hDb-4lvwf3qC40ylMQgqcImei2XsrZWyMU_7x-rx45RFgGH4JF97PmxwS4tOp3SAnMNmfrM7HK5wVa1CI3K0l0XaOubxMyThiqvzs2GoPHVOWaigT8G6ETd0QuY/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L9TcLaD8WCmS_TG7hDb-4lvwf3qC40ylMQgqcImei2XsrZWyMU_7x-rx45RFgGH4JF97PmxwS4tOp3SAnMNmfrM7HK5wVa1CI3K0l0XaOubxMyThiqvzs2GoPHVOWaigT8G6ETd0QuY/s320/IMG_1177.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Not happy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DtLRhv_MVl_Z2Lk_MPeTm60oyJmqotUrNkSsGPrnN9gCfPB1vE_6k_cbPatbHf-R1Z6NF3g7cjPuIIAURdLIRBImlSLdxdwZeOgrTXsRxbiYMCXtPLVGhe5h7I2IaBTuY21E5TN8bpg/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DtLRhv_MVl_Z2Lk_MPeTm60oyJmqotUrNkSsGPrnN9gCfPB1vE_6k_cbPatbHf-R1Z6NF3g7cjPuIIAURdLIRBImlSLdxdwZeOgrTXsRxbiYMCXtPLVGhe5h7I2IaBTuY21E5TN8bpg/s320/IMG_1192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Jack has learned a few English words. " Car" being his favorite. He loves to watch cars.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvouln__5HOeYXufOEw0W4ID2RepYbe00WyGkus6Y-95k_oYAjrzSiTGmDd98yax3w9TikpN6OYsZfrV1PQDjVbseK7wzbSy-0Jt7OWp0vvQ88OGXl6D7qQSKACK8UXabG14JteRqb4zo/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvouln__5HOeYXufOEw0W4ID2RepYbe00WyGkus6Y-95k_oYAjrzSiTGmDd98yax3w9TikpN6OYsZfrV1PQDjVbseK7wzbSy-0Jt7OWp0vvQ88OGXl6D7qQSKACK8UXabG14JteRqb4zo/s320/IMG_1190.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Shamian Island<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsdxRtIYO8qQVDAXX02g8wqY0RlJ2YQBoV6M2o9wUCIE6OTB63LvdI5-laYm75PPILdV-tKwZwjsJUpUoTxKBvi-Rz_LxDZ1DTmmpRH3qIK7hJW1oJ21EDna7mGEs-jdGiAYlhvD-W0Q/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsdxRtIYO8qQVDAXX02g8wqY0RlJ2YQBoV6M2o9wUCIE6OTB63LvdI5-laYm75PPILdV-tKwZwjsJUpUoTxKBvi-Rz_LxDZ1DTmmpRH3qIK7hJW1oJ21EDna7mGEs-jdGiAYlhvD-W0Q/s320/IMG_1214.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jack is learning what kisses are now. He occassionally will give one to mommy. He gave Daddy his first one tonight at dinner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpRRqJcxBrFcIaJMrNGgWRvCeouqeUKj-9Rjjfhk2fQeJ_FHVw13YCyEGlhBwCuEfP_57XTAfLn2dxDoYPoJIjKVcC9e50XZKuAc3DEryw_1n2avDB56Dc8Tlzvv7dvlJ9B8kTOSpNXE/s1600/IMG_1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpRRqJcxBrFcIaJMrNGgWRvCeouqeUKj-9Rjjfhk2fQeJ_FHVw13YCyEGlhBwCuEfP_57XTAfLn2dxDoYPoJIjKVcC9e50XZKuAc3DEryw_1n2avDB56Dc8Tlzvv7dvlJ9B8kTOSpNXE/s320/IMG_1216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mommy's first Starbucks in China!! It was yummy!!<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-23009525759839946932011-12-08T06:19:00.000-08:002011-12-08T17:32:30.517-08:00Orphanage Visit & Kung FuThe last 2 days we have been waiting for Jack's passport, and will get it tomorrow morning. Once we get it, we hop on a plane tomorrow afternoon for Guangzhou which is where the US Consulate is located. So for these 2 days we have been planning on 2 different day trips: visiting Jack's orphanage and the Shaolin Temple. Jack is still having trouble keeping his formula down (please pray that Jack's tummy would settle down), so we have had to split up these last 2 days. <br />
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Orphanage Visit from Elise:<br />
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I have thought from the beginning that I would like to visit Jack's orphanage. This is the place he has been since he was only several days old. I wanted to see for myself where he spent his short life. Wednesday was my opportunity to see. Because I wanted to go so much, Doug and Hannah stayed behind with our sick little sweetie. Aaron and I got in a van with a local travel agency guide for a two hour ride. We were greeted by Ms. Li Jun (I think she is second to the director). The orphanage looked the same as the many pictures I had received from other families who had visited before. At the same time I found it far more depressing than I had imagined it would be. Don't get me wrong, the nannies seem to care for the babies. But there are so many babies, they can't possibly get the love a family can give. I know I am stating the obvious. I can't adequately describe the sadness of the orphanage. I am so thankful Jack is with us now and not there any longer. I was also able to visit some sweet girls who are waiting for their mama's and baba's to come bring them home. I prayed for them and took some pictures to send to their parents. I know how precious it is to receive such a gift during the long wait. <br />
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After looking around, my guide led Aaron and I to an office. The office seemed 20 degrees warmer than the area where the children were. It was freezing in the kid's rooms. It is now understandable why they are so bundled up. I was then given a gift, a picture of the national flower the peony. My guide also said they wanted to take us to lunch. Yikes!! I didn't really want to without Doug with me, but I said yes. I was very nervous to spend a meal with people who don't speak the same language. I think they might have thought we were a little crazy. They asked how many children we had and I said now 5. All the ladies laughed, I think in disbelief. I told them that was nothing. I had many friends with 9 and counting children. They were very kind and the lunch was not too painful. I was just a bit nervous. Aaron was a great distraction. They took a liking to him. He is very cute, I can't really blame them. <br />
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The next stop was Maria's Big House of Hope. The name is in honor of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria who died several years ago. She was a special needs orphan. What a difference the two places are. Maria's was a beautiful place. Children are sent to Maria's from the local orphanages if they don't have the means to care for these children. Their preschool teacher Rebecca showed us around. She is from Alabama. It was so sweet to see how she interacted with the children and you could tell she truly loved them. Some of the children there had severe special needs. Others had them, but were not obvious to me. It was a wonderful time. It was so refreshing to be with Rebecca and I ended up giving her a hug. There is something to be said about having a bond with fellow believers. <br />
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Our last stop was Jack's finding spot. This is the place where he was left at 2 days old. It was at a very busy intersection in a park. The park was a beautiful place with several people bustling around. It was this place that someone found our sweet boy left alone. Although he was left physically, God had plans for this boy's life. He knew that Jack would be a LaCroix one day. All to the praise of our Great and Mighty Lord!!<br />
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Here are some pics from our day:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BoJX7rrT6yaJjHh6tacp_qCqdi83KAeN5Yu47Z6Z8miNgFZ48K2-0TbpoCAKkOMI5F71f_DiUZx2KWwpKptjWheWtk5hJWyuO1wxhfiIsWJ_MZ_R7y2OOc0MtlA06buwHhEpD0-t88w/s1600/IMG_0843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BoJX7rrT6yaJjHh6tacp_qCqdi83KAeN5Yu47Z6Z8miNgFZ48K2-0TbpoCAKkOMI5F71f_DiUZx2KWwpKptjWheWtk5hJWyuO1wxhfiIsWJ_MZ_R7y2OOc0MtlA06buwHhEpD0-t88w/s320/IMG_0843.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Jack's Nanny<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwK_VqGOOQ_8rq37peEMCr44vPdUQFbTV5EZOoXckuud07DUSEZ7VnfJ0biAWdCrJSgHDbXZH_IPMzD95D5XYhw7R4MfqGR0uBv8rODT0Db5_lpvC_DldFH5EUhGEn7Mh-buAA7DzEmxQ/s1600/IMG_0863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwK_VqGOOQ_8rq37peEMCr44vPdUQFbTV5EZOoXckuud07DUSEZ7VnfJ0biAWdCrJSgHDbXZH_IPMzD95D5XYhw7R4MfqGR0uBv8rODT0Db5_lpvC_DldFH5EUhGEn7Mh-buAA7DzEmxQ/s320/IMG_0863.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Jack's former roommates<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT55svtQ9IXXNI-rAZsmmBTKBmlvRxh_nh6T-Bz2Wa-vbQCk59_cR_s6vYFmjlI3hXp3hKljEtfcMXT8SfQYjPtBFYcNnuul83wUMCfe7dSW7NbGxVs0E6F-wWRoJ13aAH1rPrVP3ysN0/s320/IMG_0879.JPG" width="320" /></div> Jack's old room<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZNEhwlttg_QRYUO2FZIRFo3PHAxufLPezzCi_DlGWNEIX_Bd5wW0aOKuW25Pi-LoHMqZxmLN1_96ApsoahfnSJCLIBvE6ym7LFcFN_XLQ8soV9pg7VDByIOv4oN8LUEcABAqzfl1zIE/s320/IMG_0920.JPG" width="320" /></div> Maria of "Maria's Big House of Hope"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc4_UPPd2rshhHQdG_0tMFocO-dfb-SsboIIHP_3Bqr89YADgdClw4XKeU7pLc8LoUVWQqq9Qwl0oww32kObHdV0jXMKnnT3BAmWWO6bvE1NPx7Ob5KVT50lJo3bCmb-XV_s4t6KLeE0/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc4_UPPd2rshhHQdG_0tMFocO-dfb-SsboIIHP_3Bqr89YADgdClw4XKeU7pLc8LoUVWQqq9Qwl0oww32kObHdV0jXMKnnT3BAmWWO6bvE1NPx7Ob5KVT50lJo3bCmb-XV_s4t6KLeE0/s320/IMG_0939.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Rebecca of "Maria's Big House" showing some love<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZL04Fpmn4qhkKQL_Jl0369fLvyBhp4CeLhdaTKYdcPIPAFMNXz65c-bO3l0uamVIjsfFjfOhxvk1gORywT4RpIocnp9K1sOZQVwSRfKZf2F1jap0JX2b7ZNEJXzoauqyXr5s-pk7-1k/s1600/IMG_0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZL04Fpmn4qhkKQL_Jl0369fLvyBhp4CeLhdaTKYdcPIPAFMNXz65c-bO3l0uamVIjsfFjfOhxvk1gORywT4RpIocnp9K1sOZQVwSRfKZf2F1jap0JX2b7ZNEJXzoauqyXr5s-pk7-1k/s320/IMG_0984.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Park where Jack was abandoned and found<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOIUZVo6Z4PpjL-vuX3FjY-EsF4Q30jGWFDkmxAipDNj1yww3DKIKJb_W7F2HCEPI47hz_r_srDErNbr2WodX_R_1I2H1Dlhyphenhyphen1ED_-kYuRj5LT2aO6fO3qXh_rnj4bviO42ITKK8_7i4/s1600/IMG_0997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOIUZVo6Z4PpjL-vuX3FjY-EsF4Q30jGWFDkmxAipDNj1yww3DKIKJb_W7F2HCEPI47hz_r_srDErNbr2WodX_R_1I2H1Dlhyphenhyphen1ED_-kYuRj5LT2aO6fO3qXh_rnj4bviO42ITKK8_7i4/s320/IMG_0997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Reunited after a long day apart<br />
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Next day, Shaolin Temple visit from Doug:<br />
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The province where we are located is called Henan. Henan's claim to fame is that it is where Kung Fu originated and is still currently the epicenter of Kung Fu. Specifically, the birthplace of Kung Fu is the Shaolin Temple, located in the mountains of Henan, about 1.5 hours drive away. Besides being a tourist attraction, the temple still teaches thousands of students the various levels of Kung Fu. Their goal: to become the best and get a movie contract. I'm not kidding, they all want to be Bruce Lee<br />
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There weren't many tourists at the temple and I now know why. It's stinkin cold, I mean really cold. I don't know how those Kung Fu monks wander around barefoot and bald headed.<br />
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After we toured their expansive ancient facility, we were treated to a Kung Fu show which was pretty cool.<br />
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Here are some pics from the day. The last is a picture of our favorite course at dinner tonight. Some friends we are traveling with offered to pick us up some dinner from a local restaurant, so we thought we would share some of the local fare with y'all at home:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbs5N9Qtr95zbOKRdYNmhL0rQHXqZKYrIy3DAZwbd5WxnrgnNAW5tHbzk3BfNskIMohceGO5_SjlQDIaY6LNoivudbrr49hwRCMYbWu8JoTp1fIA9gcI7YuJZlCho5lYUEJwk7eAKmQM/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbs5N9Qtr95zbOKRdYNmhL0rQHXqZKYrIy3DAZwbd5WxnrgnNAW5tHbzk3BfNskIMohceGO5_SjlQDIaY6LNoivudbrr49hwRCMYbWu8JoTp1fIA9gcI7YuJZlCho5lYUEJwk7eAKmQM/s320/IMG_1032.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> Shaolin Temple entrance<br />
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<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32NGEQqIsKerOrpVNaeiXuwW-qXGRX7ZJ2uUY3mKzghe26xQGjAP-WNkUeOlGyXdMNeYlocfb7gI9TAvUXMu-fRd9DmXCl4mdNQ8BXF4ANDvGE1qCPGYJJBdzdhn6Hzh5gGzJOiFHBTc/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32NGEQqIsKerOrpVNaeiXuwW-qXGRX7ZJ2uUY3mKzghe26xQGjAP-WNkUeOlGyXdMNeYlocfb7gI9TAvUXMu-fRd9DmXCl4mdNQ8BXF4ANDvGE1qCPGYJJBdzdhn6Hzh5gGzJOiFHBTc/s320/IMG_1039.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hannah had some trouble channeling her inner Kung Fu, Aaron - no trouble at all</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTQGVFJqA6o1ROo4-7o41tMArwn97O6E5ByIWkGrZP9dLUQwUckCzyyuuDe-HMLj4l4nCJASO-fh6vrQLfmde9zHhx51zT52-7gWVVCMQEC0k7VHu8hyphenhyphenaB51ZmwcE5DWlINSEeyAFWDk/s1600/IMG_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTQGVFJqA6o1ROo4-7o41tMArwn97O6E5ByIWkGrZP9dLUQwUckCzyyuuDe-HMLj4l4nCJASO-fh6vrQLfmde9zHhx51zT52-7gWVVCMQEC0k7VHu8hyphenhyphenaB51ZmwcE5DWlINSEeyAFWDk/s320/IMG_1048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Apparently these dragon-turtle creatures are good luck to the Kung Fu monks - Aaron would beg to differ</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7M6WGnY4rG-3u69XnWOlB3qAUqAkYU27zQB8Fl_6yXnZ1ULWxcUlm8BM_juE54KmbAp4_vLHDeHzEvB9B0dlBj4WgrU4rCGfiVkiY-rC6Me94c1FRWCjSl3WAyUZc9KZp1Vsteh1IaQU/s1600/IMG_1088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7M6WGnY4rG-3u69XnWOlB3qAUqAkYU27zQB8Fl_6yXnZ1ULWxcUlm8BM_juE54KmbAp4_vLHDeHzEvB9B0dlBj4WgrU4rCGfiVkiY-rC6Me94c1FRWCjSl3WAyUZc9KZp1Vsteh1IaQU/s320/IMG_1088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mountain backdrop of Shaolin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPnLjJ0fQwWgiB3Cf88cxBsWUi-X8V5_g6tM72csgRCwIJ1jvQJ3cxyre9HbnSoA5hIniTB-JKv_DL4wPP_hzxJTnEfXBcPrVdW3CDNimeir3u8prnyeJaTKxPwEwOCRV77nPd9-EK0s/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPnLjJ0fQwWgiB3Cf88cxBsWUi-X8V5_g6tM72csgRCwIJ1jvQJ3cxyre9HbnSoA5hIniTB-JKv_DL4wPP_hzxJTnEfXBcPrVdW3CDNimeir3u8prnyeJaTKxPwEwOCRV77nPd9-EK0s/s320/IMG_1093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Chinese Gov't program - No chicken parts left behind</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-69959986260960158502011-12-06T05:34:00.000-08:002011-12-06T06:08:42.733-08:00Jack is officially a LaCroixToday we finalized our adoption of little Jack and he is now officially a LaCroix! Well at least according to the Chinese Gov't. He has been officially ours in our minds for quite some time. We spent the morning at two different government offices finalizing the adoption paperwork and after Jack's nap our entire group got in a bus to take a shopping trip to a local grocery store called "Lotus" It had never been clearer that we were not in CA anymore. We are not in a city that sees many foreigners, so when a busload of Americans holding Chinese babies wandered into a very busy store we received continuous stares. The meat, the produce, the seafood, just about everything is so different than we are used to. I was quite entertained.<br />
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On the Jack front, we feel like we learned much more today about him. It was a day of firsts:<br />
<ul><li>First bath</li>
<li>First giggles</li>
<li>First time reaching for Dad</li>
<li>First bump on his head</li>
<li>First tantrum (although very mild and very cute)</li>
<li>First poop (thank goodness Elise is here for diaper duty - I am going to take some time to adjust to adopted-kid-poo)</li>
<li>First puke</li>
</ul>As you can see we had quite the day. In retrospect we have probably fed him a little too much. He seems so hungry and we have been eager to please him, but it seems that this has contributed to upset his stomach. We are hoping that he does fine this evening and morning as we are planning to make the long drive tomorrow to visit his orphanage, his abandonment site, and Maria's Big House of Hope (Steven Curtis Chapman's orphanage in the same city) We were all planning on going, but if Jack still is showing signs of tummy probs, then Elise will stay behind with him.<br />
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We are really enjoying getting to know Jack more and our love grows daily. We can't wait to get him home!<br />
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Here are our favorite pics from the day:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPENxNTbxK8CGVg9tAYmz8sQDTA-s2ZPhXY9cCyxoLu4OGdCQNLq7vv0Uifpw7KOiJpMWEhaeSTCIXxuJYN0Kql4LOxYyIxk-hUBggISjNeHwvF0PlnUSH6B4mxbXAUqUG2MuHFLp-dnM/s1600/IMG_0728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPENxNTbxK8CGVg9tAYmz8sQDTA-s2ZPhXY9cCyxoLu4OGdCQNLq7vv0Uifpw7KOiJpMWEhaeSTCIXxuJYN0Kql4LOxYyIxk-hUBggISjNeHwvF0PlnUSH6B4mxbXAUqUG2MuHFLp-dnM/s320/IMG_0728.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> He loves his bath. His face totally changes when<br />
he laughs, so cute!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojTCxvtozCI4tFQ46n2-IUPzg0g_a-6MrfvgtUkFWf604PA0_cABz59_RMG8vObARYFluzZe5GLNHXIkvQBQ5aCvMXXwRTM_gTOiiefuNGi3kd5GSVvVVl97o7jY26uwpmPAGaf3cLg8/s1600/IMG_0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojTCxvtozCI4tFQ46n2-IUPzg0g_a-6MrfvgtUkFWf604PA0_cABz59_RMG8vObARYFluzZe5GLNHXIkvQBQ5aCvMXXwRTM_gTOiiefuNGi3kd5GSVvVVl97o7jY26uwpmPAGaf3cLg8/s320/IMG_0781.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Fun with Mom at the adopting registration office<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJG_wwmLMHLcS0XhebunDScOgVhIXibWOLBYs4-btrK-zH5TQrO-ULFhnY3wTElNpXk7vz6NBkIVMlgz3bLZ6BWIjwkKLUjcTyxEXc88Vz7FoHM8ucP6uG_1cMvbvR0UvEcg4fGaShk8/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJG_wwmLMHLcS0XhebunDScOgVhIXibWOLBYs4-btrK-zH5TQrO-ULFhnY3wTElNpXk7vz6NBkIVMlgz3bLZ6BWIjwkKLUjcTyxEXc88Vz7FoHM8ucP6uG_1cMvbvR0UvEcg4fGaShk8/s320/IMG_0787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> More fun at registration<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzQdwkan0fsaNVZGcG3YElJ_9wcY3qQJXnf6H-vNOBVvGMJu_m99YmjEawBJWV4N48141dqVVlVea9MrI8rk_Y19UIXnua49zqROa6mUi5hOhx2c7Vu5sTIKv-JvDKipr-epztRmmKPc/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzQdwkan0fsaNVZGcG3YElJ_9wcY3qQJXnf6H-vNOBVvGMJu_m99YmjEawBJWV4N48141dqVVlVea9MrI8rk_Y19UIXnua49zqROa6mUi5hOhx2c7Vu5sTIKv-JvDKipr-epztRmmKPc/s320/IMG_0790.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Jack is officially ours!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjU4CkbbVI9DXfk9rLfKPj91KLxgSk7wlcWErApZEf0lYUNcvgANmaAeby-4QFMSrm_24-qtUMO1Dqc5LOXGeSDyAK6myvsNdHBQMGU3duOKfnE06c5G1mCZYa4UUC963O9qpzWz0LvTY/s1600/IMG_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjU4CkbbVI9DXfk9rLfKPj91KLxgSk7wlcWErApZEf0lYUNcvgANmaAeby-4QFMSrm_24-qtUMO1Dqc5LOXGeSDyAK6myvsNdHBQMGU3duOKfnE06c5G1mCZYa4UUC963O9qpzWz0LvTY/s320/IMG_0811.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Fun with Dad at the Notary office<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRK1ioTTTNY4rdKiz3aGO_RHfsXPq_OZA5q_gCjTgwYX_Lv1iXN1lHNPdMPKiC0tcEjQ3XgjUC4L8B6s-mfJPU3Vr0jxgqm7cObJILwY2LLuBcfDD_IhelZUTZNudYbodVHJj_JnF1Ev8/s1600/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRK1ioTTTNY4rdKiz3aGO_RHfsXPq_OZA5q_gCjTgwYX_Lv1iXN1lHNPdMPKiC0tcEjQ3XgjUC4L8B6s-mfJPU3Vr0jxgqm7cObJILwY2LLuBcfDD_IhelZUTZNudYbodVHJj_JnF1Ev8/s320/IMG_0815.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Ouch! Jack fell headfirst into the hotel room door<br />
Don't worry Grandma, the swelling subsided quickly<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_M0ztP8Apx3YIVFuddgZUlB3OYSZxZ1_zPG8YGZhp5-u24KM2yOtid5NQGk6lXTU065GGvWaCTZllxd9vB2HtFa-vWrNzmHlFgcPsC69TL8cCtZ_4LX0kYFZS2r8doijopwnfQ5DOytA/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_M0ztP8Apx3YIVFuddgZUlB3OYSZxZ1_zPG8YGZhp5-u24KM2yOtid5NQGk6lXTU065GGvWaCTZllxd9vB2HtFa-vWrNzmHlFgcPsC69TL8cCtZ_4LX0kYFZS2r8doijopwnfQ5DOytA/s320/IMG_0828.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> dried pig or duck carcass anyone?<br />
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<ul></ul>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-88613369478823083212011-12-04T23:45:00.000-08:002011-12-04T23:45:46.303-08:00We have Jack!What an exciting day. It is so hard to describe the depth of emotion involved when finally meeting the son that you have loved from afar for so many months. For Jack, his day started just like it had for the past 20 months,and he had no idea of what was in store for him. God is so good and kind to us: not for just putting Zan Biao into our family, but by first adopting us as His children. To Him be the glory!<br />
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To give you a flavor for the atmosphere of our "gotcha" site, picture a 30 or 40 foot square room with a few tables and chairs, and about 55 degrees inside. Now picture that room with about 13 families inside waiting anxiously as children arrive from all over the province at different times. There are bodies everywhere, children crying, some screaming; in short a very intimidating environment for a child to be dropped off with his/her new family.<br />
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As Elise first held Jack, you could just see the confusion and fear on his face, but his little cry was just a whimper, and that was it for crying. Jack constantly studies his surroundings and he slowly warmed up to us, especially his mama. We have had Jack for several hours now and he is really attaching to Elise, which has thrilled Elise to say the least. When Jack was several feet away from Elise, he whined and walked toward Elise saying mama. We have gotten several smiles out of him now, and have learned the key to his heart thus far is food. As I write Elise just finished giving him his first bottle and now he is sleeping soundly.<br />
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Thank you all for your prayers, they have been felt. Pictures often speak louder, so I will bring this post to an end with some pics of our first few hours with our new son Jack<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack's arrival</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His first reaction</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating Cheerios with Daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a sweet face!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron playing peek-a-boo with Jack</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah's first time holding baby brother</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron's first time holding baby brother</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama feeding Jack </td></tr>
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</div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-76091972036817114902011-12-04T15:07:00.000-08:002011-12-04T15:10:35.076-08:00Travel day<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday we had another early morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doug can’t sleep past 3:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His internal clock is having a hard time adjusting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of us woke up around 5:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to skype with Casey and Grace at Grandma and Grandad’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great to see their smiling faces!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We left for the airport at 8:20 with our travel group. The Barcelos’ left earlier in the morning to catch the train to Chloe’s province.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so excited for them, they have already received Chloe!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friday we will meet back up with them in Guangzhou.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday was a pretty mellow day, the only event of interest was Hannah's experience with the Chinese airport security. Our whole group was waiting and Hannah was the last through. Security had identified some shady things on their scanners in Hannah's bag, and they proceeded to ask her questions, take things out of her bag, and re-run her bag, repeatedly. Finally we isolated the problem item to her pointy metal compass (the math tool used to draw circles). From the look on Hannah's face during this ordeal, she must have thought she was going to a communist dungeon. To her relief she made it through to the applause of our whole group. We new Hannah was going to be the trouble maker on this trip.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> Well today is the day that we have waited many months for. Gotcha day with Jack! We will receive him around 11 am local time which is 7pm in California. Your prayers for Jack's transition into his new family are coveted.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Our next post should be much more exciting!</div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-10836413871586845232011-12-03T05:43:00.000-08:002011-12-03T05:58:47.190-08:00Great Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Our tour guide, Cindy, said today would be much easier than yesterday. I am not sure exactly why she said that, since today was the day we walked the Great Wall of China. The weather was perfect for this walk. The snow from yesterday cleared the skies and we had beautiful sunshine. The air was cool and crisp.<br />
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We started up the jagged uneven steep steps. The steps were different lengths between each one. We climbed and climbed. Finally I got to the top. I should have been working out on the stair climber for this journey. I caught up with Doug and the kids. I was so proud, I made it. At the top was a guard tower. Inside you could climb to the very top of the tower. Doug said lets keep going. I thought he meant to the top of the tower. Come to find out, I did not make it to the top. Behind what I thought was the top were many more stairs. The kids with endless energy kept going. I stayed behind with Kendra. I was content with how far I went. Everyone else made the trek.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRB_J33pWYGOTQEIaVVrTlHnB1k__UGYBxnpDJh-6-MrPWoQcstu_xoY5VCNnOOE03hwtBuPnnXQfpk9XRQpPZjL4BjELSMlWzPEgcJxGuCmqfLwycYO0plqkVv1vGQ_GAjhpEuD5IVyE/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRB_J33pWYGOTQEIaVVrTlHnB1k__UGYBxnpDJh-6-MrPWoQcstu_xoY5VCNnOOE03hwtBuPnnXQfpk9XRQpPZjL4BjELSMlWzPEgcJxGuCmqfLwycYO0plqkVv1vGQ_GAjhpEuD5IVyE/s320/IMG_0361.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The beginning of the the climb</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUASiyoyy62BzkWyP2h7EsBc7LoKbAGTkB22kGAwqa75qpXdJCpPA8jOamAN1RvhaOBO5XAbv9kFHoiz8tECN9WIEPTktQHKTcn7Zg7DuCajx1wH9sUVpmRsZn0QtH5VPy6_2Ez64b4Y/s1600/IMG_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUASiyoyy62BzkWyP2h7EsBc7LoKbAGTkB22kGAwqa75qpXdJCpPA8jOamAN1RvhaOBO5XAbv9kFHoiz8tECN9WIEPTktQHKTcn7Zg7DuCajx1wH9sUVpmRsZn0QtH5VPy6_2Ez64b4Y/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The top of the climb</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also visited the jade factory today. We have noticed that our tours are a little bit about how the product was made, but mostly a sales pitch about how wonderful their product is and how we will receive great discounts buying it from the factory. Today I was looking at possibly buying a jade pendant. I decided I would wait and see what there was in Guangzhou. I was talking with a gal from our travel group when the manager came up to me, with the sales lady who had been helping me. I kinda thought I was in trouble. :0 He said that it is off season and he would give me a discount off of the pendant. I was shocked, they hunted me down to buy this piece of jewelry. When you are shopping at the factories the sales people follow you around the store. Very different than the states. They know what they are doing, and I bought the pendant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will leave you with a few more pictures from the rest our very long day. The last one is of the acrobatic show. It was amazing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Doug couldn't blog today. He is busy packing for our flight tomorrow. Hopefully he can make it back on the blog again. We leave in the morning for Henan province where Jack is. We will receive him on Monday!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBTy-4eXsFU3jIeAPqY77d7l-fgWHks33Le_igknt5khwxrQHAKrI0z4AMHm19Lo52FKbTdB844oJlZdFHU8fECYwQm4vlSnamM6LlAlZBJbAyyForGCLD-6FxaXNyNrHX3MHMUZMt4E/s1600/IMG_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBTy-4eXsFU3jIeAPqY77d7l-fgWHks33Le_igknt5khwxrQHAKrI0z4AMHm19Lo52FKbTdB844oJlZdFHU8fECYwQm4vlSnamM6LlAlZBJbAyyForGCLD-6FxaXNyNrHX3MHMUZMt4E/s320/IMG_0393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A yummy fish dish</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHsyd_Y4zqkdf6va5JWxqjQ4zeYYRFaUlxv0fhQCzEYgv7aN-Io4sdMsWmJOIDQujmtDTKQ87q5ZaDbX__hfIPRPlwFsaIWWUHTJqNl6A7bbiTOX1OwkNXHbWQyt1dd9w6AuwYlruPKA/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHsyd_Y4zqkdf6va5JWxqjQ4zeYYRFaUlxv0fhQCzEYgv7aN-Io4sdMsWmJOIDQujmtDTKQ87q5ZaDbX__hfIPRPlwFsaIWWUHTJqNl6A7bbiTOX1OwkNXHbWQyt1dd9w6AuwYlruPKA/s320/IMG_0400.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2008 Olympic Bird's nest</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewmezPisYxw4RGKPdUyol_aHuXuQ1DBnBDJ8eY4PvFZRp3YzIVNqiO7V1W9SrQjMBDNUIVZKtn1nQ68mDptJOxxxwXKQdJn-g264jcX5V4xij5EAeHwSzCg0GogVQAdYGXWXnQosjDOg/s1600/IMG_0406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewmezPisYxw4RGKPdUyol_aHuXuQ1DBnBDJ8eY4PvFZRp3YzIVNqiO7V1W9SrQjMBDNUIVZKtn1nQ68mDptJOxxxwXKQdJn-g264jcX5V4xij5EAeHwSzCg0GogVQAdYGXWXnQosjDOg/s320/IMG_0406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the 2008 Water Cube</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iSPjo38zNTvPfCagdPjNOkqirXgQ1uFk2sIYTjPoGmgug1QUsAQLxo0gbgI3cMdn6nxOEXG-27ltuqSkugrFByKtitfBn8Bw1cpUdVxQmlMoDpgjOlZTkCUEBNwEkBQOCybNxMomXHA/s1600/IMG_0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iSPjo38zNTvPfCagdPjNOkqirXgQ1uFk2sIYTjPoGmgug1QUsAQLxo0gbgI3cMdn6nxOEXG-27ltuqSkugrFByKtitfBn8Bw1cpUdVxQmlMoDpgjOlZTkCUEBNwEkBQOCybNxMomXHA/s320/IMG_0411.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A man with amazing strength and balance</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-89644945720330901282011-12-02T06:58:00.000-08:002011-12-02T06:58:40.210-08:00Day 1 - Touring BeijingGreetings from Beijing. As Elise mentioned yesterday, we were fried when we finally hit our hotel pillows at 8:30 pm local time, which still felt like 4:30 am to us. You would think that we would be able to sleep a long time after being up for 24 hours, but we still found ourselves awake around 3:30 am local time. So we all got showered, dressed, and cruised around the hotel a bit, waiting for the breakfast to open up at 6 am. While we were wandering we ran into another man in our travel group with his young son who was also having difficulty sleeping. Turns out he is a worship pastor at a large reformed church in the Chicago area. Needless to say we hit it off with him and his family, and have enjoyed getting to know our fellow travel companions on this adoption road. There are a total of 11 families traveling together for the next 2 weeks. It has been a particular blessing to be traveling with our friends from home, the Barcelos family.<br />
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After breakfast we headed out for a day of touring. Our first stop was a rickshaw ride to tour a traditional Beijing home, called a "Hutong". Think four small, primitive rooms surrounding an outdoor courtyard with no private bathrooms, only access to public bathrooms. Did I mention it was snowing here in Beijing? It snowed for at least 4 hours, which made for an interesting rickshaw ride. What was shocking to us about the Hutong we visited was that it was valued at over $7 million because of it's location and historical significance. Crazy<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgIbk1_mIOA1fR34Fkpc1DvqqZ4sl0qd0njdygIKyK499iS9CGe6GfDW8ulu0spBVuZru_e0aH3n66q2B0ppmovMaffx5boPyJJIWYEiDliMBuvvMN73HRk1HAth9P71sMAuGWSkIEac/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgIbk1_mIOA1fR34Fkpc1DvqqZ4sl0qd0njdygIKyK499iS9CGe6GfDW8ulu0spBVuZru_e0aH3n66q2B0ppmovMaffx5boPyJJIWYEiDliMBuvvMN73HRk1HAth9P71sMAuGWSkIEac/s320/IMG_0196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Doug & Aaron on the rickshaw<br />
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After a traditional Chinese lunch, we headed to a silk factory, where we got to see the process of silk garment and quilt making, which Beijing is famous for<br />
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Next was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. You are probably familiar with the square, but may not have heard of the Forbidden City, I know I hadn't. The Forbidden City was built about 600 years ago and was built as a palace for the emperor and 30,000 of his closest friends. This palace, or city, is 9,999 rooms, covers hundreds of acres and was reserved for government officials only, thus "forbidden" to any Chinese commoners.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhe5YL2CFprLn5z1BiYASCh9nRE-6qazut6unB_OndxhCE_O2KVmwZVgSMTG4JMz7aZk3olw8Drhlup7bxJj4091ijbczhJBiK6d8Dti2zVpChZS6sHsOMr9IyDFOOJzJPT0oMbEv-_w/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhe5YL2CFprLn5z1BiYASCh9nRE-6qazut6unB_OndxhCE_O2KVmwZVgSMTG4JMz7aZk3olw8Drhlup7bxJj4091ijbczhJBiK6d8Dti2zVpChZS6sHsOMr9IyDFOOJzJPT0oMbEv-_w/s320/IMG_0258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Tiananmen Square with the Barcelos Family<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRErHeCoCOsh91_BqQYVNTRKerkPUfR1yIGzEy2FK24kfrn5irP1FOLRnHULUy55Tvip7Xo3lyHk6O1ghqFkl6LshCkjS50ZEeyiC3tJbO44OmbcwCrvh-sDpUqDlNj34AcMQzGuVQWvU/s1600/IMG_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRErHeCoCOsh91_BqQYVNTRKerkPUfR1yIGzEy2FK24kfrn5irP1FOLRnHULUy55Tvip7Xo3lyHk6O1ghqFkl6LshCkjS50ZEeyiC3tJbO44OmbcwCrvh-sDpUqDlNj34AcMQzGuVQWvU/s320/IMG_0286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Forbidden City<br />
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Once done with our tours for the day, we ventured out to dinner in Beijing with our friends the Barcelos's. We were in search of the famous "Peking Duck". For the first time during our time here we were without our guide and the language barrier became evident. At one point we thought we ordered rice and water, which never came, and Kendra Barcelos even resorted to sign language in a last ditch effort at communication. Elise's contribution to the ordering process was "I want fried bean curd". What? Who orders that? So we got a pyramid of fried bean curd (or bean "turd" as Aaron called it) that nobody would eat, so Mr. Iron Gut (me) powered through four bean curd logs. As I type this, I can still feel them rolling around inside. Lets hope Elise can do better next time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitF3dSaFp6Qj3WP6JtJjhbMuQaqX2tY7p-Hbs1wQVpZQHhrQpaYRaX2qrm4CV2Kwky310dHz7iaiaFkyPsBhueHlo7XzjVNy2CfB5ClIllRDRYTQ8MN8H59Bh64E-L3ej_muNNgF8jAuM/s1600/IMG_0323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitF3dSaFp6Qj3WP6JtJjhbMuQaqX2tY7p-Hbs1wQVpZQHhrQpaYRaX2qrm4CV2Kwky310dHz7iaiaFkyPsBhueHlo7XzjVNy2CfB5ClIllRDRYTQ8MN8H59Bh64E-L3ej_muNNgF8jAuM/s320/IMG_0323.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Fried Bean Curd<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX93VTu2ihr4OAHBplhVa7KLddKNPtKWfmHuvnGnAVzi2KNiMaG6if-ob7-7hHAAcwj-mVHBpgVVFs08SdtHSx3_Nz6Pe2cXl2Fp9SfHRjQE4yGReymuHadEZgwhJZNnr35BVlApYKk8k/s1600/IMG_0331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX93VTu2ihr4OAHBplhVa7KLddKNPtKWfmHuvnGnAVzi2KNiMaG6if-ob7-7hHAAcwj-mVHBpgVVFs08SdtHSx3_Nz6Pe2cXl2Fp9SfHRjQE4yGReymuHadEZgwhJZNnr35BVlApYKk8k/s320/IMG_0331.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> Beijing at Christmas<br />
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Signing off for now. Tomorrow we are off to the Great Wall, a jade factory, and an acrobat show. Only 2 1/2 more days until our "gotcha day" with little Jack!<br />
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Doug (for Elise too)The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-30209533730868078082011-12-01T04:29:00.000-08:002011-12-01T04:29:22.723-08:00We made it!Just a quick note to let you know we made it safely. We have been up for just about 24 hours now. It is currently 4:30 am in California on 12/1 and 8:30 pm in China. The kids are fast asleep and snoring. It has been a long day. We are glad to be in our hotel to get some rest finally. A big day of touring tomorrow! Hopefully I can update a little more after our adventures tomorrow. <br />
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Good night!The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-56328226783798583092011-11-25T17:03:00.000-08:002011-11-25T17:03:11.955-08:00We leave in 5 days!!!We are officially counting down....well I have been counting for a few weeks now, but now we are actually really close!!<br />
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This will probably be my last post before we travel. <br />
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Please continue to pray for us. Everyone who is traveling has been healthy so far. Gracie has a bit of a cold and Casey sounds like he is getting one too. Pray that it does not get to the rest of us. Doug, Hannah, Aaron and I will be traveling. Casey and Grace are being taken care of by our wonderful family and friends.We are so blessed to have a wonderful network of people to depend on.<br />
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Please pray the little ones we are leaving behind. As we get closer to leaving, my heart starts to feel the sadness of being seperated from my kiddos. It is hard, I want to spend quality time with them, yet I have so much to do to get ready. On top of it all, I haven't been feeling very good. I am not sick, but my neck has been extremely tense and I have been having heart burn. I am hoping these are all due to the stress of the holidays and getting ready to travel to a foreign country. I hope that once we sit down on the airplane, it will all subside. Sooner would be better though.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Below is our itinerary if you would like to know where we will be during our journey to Jack.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">11/30<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Leave <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></em></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent3" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">12/1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Arrive in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></em></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">12/2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tour <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour, and optional acrobatics show</span></span></em></span></b><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">12/3<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tour <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Great Wall</span></b></span></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em>12/4<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Depart <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city> for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Zhengzhou</st1:place></st1:city> </em></span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em>. </em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">12/5<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Today you will receive your child!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Congratulations! Please make sure to take plenty of pictures as these photos are a requirement for the one month post-adoption report!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></em></span></div><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em>12/6<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All families will take a bus to the registration office to complete the Adoption Registration in the morning.</em></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">12/7<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Free time or rest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></em></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="color: blue;">12/8<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Free time or rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Optional tours maybe available please ask Yisha for details.</span> </em></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">12/9<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Receive your child’s passport.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></em></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">Leave <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Zhengzhou</st1:place></st1:city> for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Guangzhou</st1:place></st1:city> on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> Southern flight <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CZ 3619 (<st1:time hour="18" minute="10" w:st="on">18:10-20:25</st1:time>).<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></em></span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">12/10<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Take bus to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Shamian</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> to complete </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">your child’s visa <u>physical</u> and visa <u>photo</u> taken this morning. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Bring supplies (water, snack, etc.). </span></span></span></em><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em>12/11 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Free day in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Guangzhou</st1:place></st1:city>. </em></span></div><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> 12/12<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Today is your<st1:personname w:st="on"> Consulate</st1:personname> appointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></em><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">12/13<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A <st1:personname w:st="on">CCAI</st1:personname> representative will go to the U.S. Consulate to receive your child’s visa packet</span></span></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em>Prepare to leave for home.</em></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><em>12/14<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Depart <st1:place w:st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place> for the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </em></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><u>LaCroix</u></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">– Depart <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Guangzhou</st1:place></st1:city> for <st1:place w:st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place> on Dragon Airlines flight <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">KA 783 @ <st1:time hour="9" minute="50" w:st="on">09:50</st1:time>. Booked by you.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></em></div><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Leave <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please check in 2 hours prior to departure for the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></em>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760782309147623794.post-83945150840989590712011-11-13T15:24:00.000-08:002011-11-13T15:24:29.883-08:00We have TA!!!The most important email in our journey so far, arrived on Wednesday, November 9th. Again, I was not home for this very important and exciting email. We were at CC for the day. I checked my friends phone around 9:15, and nothing. Then at 9:36, Doug called from New York, he was there on business. I have a special ring when he calls. It startled me, and I knew we got TA!! I was at our co-op, which had just dismissed from the group opening, and I yelled we got TA!! I was so excited. <br />
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According to our agency the soonest we could travel will be November 30th. I still asked if we could leave this Wednesday, but they said no. I figure it doesn't hurt to ask. :) Our tickets have been purchased. Now we wait and prepare to leave. We will meet Jack on December 5th and he will be with us from that point on. I can't wait to go. Only 22 days until I hold my baby boy!!<br />
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God has been so good throughout this process. Although I wanted to leave sooner, I trust in His perfect plan. I know that His timing is perfect in everything. <br />
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I will post again before we leave with our itinerary posted. In the meantime, please pray for the health of our family, especially those of us traveling(Doug, me, Hannah and Aaron). And also for Jack, that his heart will be ready to be part of a family. <em><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18</span></em>The LaCroix Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01041255141306930812noreply@blogger.com1