Long time, no post!

Busy cannot begin to explain things around here. It has taken us a while to get used to life with 2 preschoolers. We are so blessed to have two great kids and they love each other very much. Enjoy the pics.

Starting preschool

Getting ready to leave for school

Mama goes too!

Finding our cubby

New teacher, Mrs. Robin

In our class

Fun with friends

Playing in the new sandbox

Baylee came for a visit!

Levi always finds a way to move things

Before we had a sandbox!

Carly came too!!

I know...it's been a while. Life with two 3 year olds is a little busier than I am used to. Hope and Levi have started preschool and are doing well. This was the first week and by Thursday they both had runny noses. I have some pics to add and I know that is what folks look for on the blog rather than my notes! :)

Boys will be boys!

As I was beginning to blog I looked up and Levi was sliding head first down the stairs. I jumped up and he thought it was fun. He likes to throw everything and climb like crazy. He also "works" all the time by moving things from one place to another. The problem comes when he moves something and we can't find it like Hope's favorite cuddle toys. Levi is not afraid of much but he has a tender heart. He gets upset when Scott leaves for work because he wants to spend all of his time with Daddy. He also tries to look after Hope if she is not happy about something (unless he is the one teasing her). Hope and Levi are funny because they tease each other. If one is fussing about something the other will mock the sounds they are making. It is funny except at bedtime!

The kids and I make a chocolate cake one afternoon. As you can see in the pics Levi likes chocolate! He fits right into our family with that. He and Hope like to play with playdough. He is a character!

Well we have been home a week and I don't think we have slept a full night through. It is really tough going on such little sleep but I guess this is part of life for now. I have learned a lesson through this...I can complain about what I do not have or am not getting or I can choose to look at the blessings that are before me. I have waited so long to have children and God has answered my prayers and desires. This is a season that we have to experience where not everything is a piece of cake but it is worth it because I have two beautiful children and a wonderful husband and I am a child of the King.

I will try to post more pics but taking them has not been a priority at the moment :)

Brother and Sister together

Here are some pics from our first few days at home. I took the kids to the store for a quick trip on Monday and as we were leaving I told Hope that she had been a good big sister in showing Levi how to act. She said "He's a good brother". That was too sweet. She has really tried to get along and we are all still trying to adjust to the changes but we are blessed and know that this is God's plan for our family.

Just a quick note that in some of the pics Levi is wearing a barrett because Hope wears one. He was not happy until he had one too. This will not be a regular occurance:)

Going Home

Ok. So we have been home for 3 days and I am exhausted! Our sleeping is off and it is tough going on little sleep. Scott has been a trooper having little sleep, getting over his allergy troubles and starting back to work on Mon.

Our travel to get home was tough. First on Friday we had to be on a bus for 5 hours to get to Hong Kong. We had to go through customs to get out of China and to go into Hong Kong. It was all in the same building but we had to take all of our luggage off the bus and walk it through customs. Levi DID NOT like having to get in a stroller to get through there and he threw a huge fit. All of the people around us were looking at him like he was pitiful. We all know that the parents are the ones that situation is toughest on. We made it to our hotel about 10 pm and ate supper and in bed by 10:45. We were up at 4 am to catch our flight to Tokyo. Levi hated the seatbelt in the airplane so again we had screaming and crying. Thankfully he went to sleep for about an hour. Overall our trip was 29 hours of and Levi slept maybe 5 hours. He crashed on the last leg to Raleigh and slept all the way home in the van (after he fussed over having to wear the seatbelt in the carseat). Do you see a trend here? He slept all night and met Hope Sunday morning.

Hope is being a good big sister and sharing her toys. She is also sharing Levi's toys but I don't think he minds. He wants to be close to her most of the time. He also will not let Scott or me go far. He has to be near one of us all the time. I guess he didn't get much alone time. Sleeping is tough for all of us and it is an adjustment that I hope will get worked out soon.

Thanks for keeping up with us and I will do my best to blog as I can.

Thursday, August 5

This will be the last time we can blog before coming home. This has been a good experience and we are grateful for the opportunity to spend time in the country where our children were born. Our traveling begins Friday evening at 5 pm from Guangzhou to Hong Kong on a bus for 3 1/2 hours. We will spend the night in Hong Kong and leave for the airport at 5 am Saturday morning. We will then fly from Hong Kong to Tokyo then Tokyo to Detroit where Levi will become a US citizen as soon as we touch ground. We should arrive in Raleigh after 7 pm and then drive 2 hours home. It will be a long trip but worth it. Hopefully we will be able to sleep part of the way. Levi likes to be moving so the travel may be a little difficult on him. Pray for us as we make the journey home.

Today (Thursday) we went to the Consulate and took an oath for our adoption. We are thankful to get that done and we should have Levi's passport and visa tomorrow afternoon. We will be glad to have everything done and get packed up.

Thanks for all your prayers and support for Levi's adoption. We could not haave made this trip without our family and friends. Keep praying for us in the days to come as we adjust to being a family of four.

The pictures included are some of the things we have done the past few days. We were able to have dinner with many of the families we have come to know and it was lots of fun. These are also pics of Levi at Shaiman Island Park looking at the statues.

Wednesday, August 4

It is Wednesday morning and time is moving slowly. We have to be in our room this morning because our Consulate appointment is taking place right now and we have to be available in case there are any questions. Our guides actually go to the appointment for us which is great. We will go tomorrow for the oath ceremony.

Levi found his play dough a couple of days ago and he is enjoying playing with it. We were trying to save it for the plane ride, but I think he will still enjoy playing with it then, too. A group of us are meeting tonight to try to make it to an Italian restaurant for supper. Folks are beginning to head home today, so we were trying to get together one last time. The trick is catching a cab to get there. The hotel concierge will write down where we are going in Chinese for the driver, but we have to get a cab to startout with. Last time we tried to go out at dinner, we gave up and ate at the hotel. I think I have had enough noodles and rice for a while. No Hibachi buffet in Greenville for a while. Mr. Linwood will have to eat my share!!

We are taking it easy today because of the heat. There are no heat advisories here, but I believe 115 heat index is enough to take caution. We may hit the pool one last time before getting ready to head home (which cant come quickly enough for me). I am thankful for the opportunity to travel to China, and grateful to the people for hosting us, but I am a Mama and I want my family all together again.

Hope is enjoying another week of day camp. This week she is learning about the circus. I thought that was pretty appropriate since next week our home will probably be a circus!

Monday, August 7

On Sunday we went to the Folk Art Museum in Guangzhou. It is interesting to see the different parts of culture for China. It was extremely hot so we did not stay long at the museum because it is outside. Thankfully there were fans in different areas so we could get a breeze. After that we went to the Guangzhou Friendship store for groceries. It is like a 7 story mall with a grocery area on the 4th floor. We just walked around the store because it was cool inside. Levi found the Disney section and loved Eeoyre from Winnie the Pooh (not sure I spelled the name right). Anyway, he wanted one so of course we gave in and bought him a small one. Tammy-I know you are proud that he chose your favorite!

Monday was a free day for us because we were able to do our medical exams last week. Some of the other families had to go back for the TB test check. We were able to go back to Shaiman Island for lunch and shopping. Levi and his buddy, Alex, had a great time in the stores. They were playing instruments in one store so I said we had the Longgang District band. That is the area they are from in Shenzhen City. We also found him a small backpack and he has carried it around all afternoon. He loves bags and this one was special to him.

We are waiting to have our Consulate appointment on Wednesday so it makes for long days. This afternoon we took Levi swimming for the first time and he loved it. He even put his face in the water and before it was over he was jumping off the side to Scott. We had a great time with him.

It is time for bed now and that means another day down. I am counting the days until we are reunited with Hope. She did well this morning on Skype and talked to Levi. I cant wait for all of us to be together. We appreciate getting your emails at crystal.setzer@yahoo.com so keep them coming!