Sunday, May 18, 2008, 9:33 PM

I am happy to be able to type a little earlier tonight, but I am still exhausted. We go, go, go all day, everyday.

First, this is a video from yesterday, when the kids were trying on their costumes.





And a few more cute pictures.

More glasses.

Ling wanted her hair like Mary Alice, and Matthew wanted his hair like Ling's.

She is so proud of her backpack!

Today we went to the Botanical Gardens in Shenyang. It was very interesting and enormous. They say it takes two days to see it all properly. We only had a few hours, so we only saw a little bit. Plus we took it slow so the kids could play.

The grounds were lovely and although I expected to see lots of plants, it was not a typical Botanical garden. It was more like a giant natural playground. There were about 50 of these swings in a huge semi-circle.There were giant, air filled balls (like hamsters run around the house in) that float on the water and people went inside of them and tumbled around.



There was a huge rock climbing wall, and a very high cable that went across the water from one end of the lake to the other. Matthew and Mike both tried this! Here is Matthew going down! Don't worry Gramma Judy, Uncle Marty said it was OK!




There were many exhibit halls with interesting information and beautiful photos of many famous areas in China and events in China's history.

We did not have time to actually go to the Great Wall during this trip, but here is a photo of Flat Brittany in the exhibit hall. She enjoyed it a lot. It was so real looking, she felt that she really was there.



I find the Terra Cotta soldiers so amazing. The photos were really realistic and made me feel like I was standing in the tomb! The kids are pretending to be soldiers.


Later in the day we went to the home of the foster mother and father that I met the other night. They were so appreciative of us taking the gifts to their former foster daughter, who is now living with her adoptive family in Virginia. They welcomed us into their home and showered us with attention and gifts, as well as special treats and foods of all kinds. There were probably 20 different foods including candy and fruits and yogurts and ice cream treats etc. on the coffee table. They showed us incredible generosity and kindness, including coming to the hotel with two cars to pick us up. The foster father is a General in the Chinese army, so they live in a beautiful 1700 square foot, modern apartment on the military base. They showed us all through the apartment and it is furnished simply and elegantly. They have two soldiers who serve them in their home and here is a picture of one of them playing cars with Ling.

Here is a picture of all of us, minus Grace, who is taking the picture, and another soldier. Foster mom showed us many photos of her beloved foster children and in one of them the boy was holding a huge bunch of bananas. I was showing Ling this picture and I happened to say to her "oh, Ling loves bananas". All of a sudden there was a little commotion and one soldier zipped out of the house very fast. Grace told me that foster mother sent him out for bananas for Ling! I couldn't believe it! I tried to protest but he was already gone and came back 15 minutes or so later with about 15 bananas! The funniest thing was that she had already eaten FOUR today, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, and then was served her FIFTH, which she promptly ate also!!! Wow.....this was an incredible opportunity for all of us. We are so glad we had the chance to meet them.

This is Ling with our lovely and incredibly competent guide, Grace. We will miss her as she is not coming to Guangzhou with us. We will have Kelly there.

After the visit, we went out for Chinese dinner again, and yes, Ling ate more. She sat on uncle Marty's lap and ate some of everything. She likes ribs, scallops, cellophane noodles, spicy rice, etc. etc. We think she will burst sometimes, and when we got back to the hotel around 9 she spotted our bananas and shouted for them. We told her No Bananas......

Grace told Ling tonight that we have an American name for her too, and told her about Megan. She immediately repeated Megan, several times and seemed very pleased. Grace told her that we might sometimes call her Megan Ling and she smiled. She is learning so fast so many words. She was playing with uncle Marty and repeating all the face parts, nose, mouth, eyes, etc. She is really amazing at the way she takes it all in and she does not seem to be overwhelmed at all. I expected some shut down, but she seems as normal and happy as can be. She cried a little when Daddy put her down for bed again tonight, but I think it's just because she does not want the day to end. She is quite a joy.

Tomorrow we leave the province and fly to Guangzhou. It will be another long day, as we are going to a nearby wildlife zoo in the morning and our flight leaves at 6:30PM for Guangzhou. We will head to the airport around 4:15 and get to Guangzhou around 10:30PM. We will then go to the White Swan and go right to sleep. I am sure we will be even more exhausted by then. It is going to take me three weeks or more to recover from this trip!!

Again, thanks for the great comments and feedback that the video was working. It takes a long time to load them and I did not want it to be for nothing. I am glad they work. I am really enjoying sharing with everyone.

I forgot to mention that we have talked to many local people here about the Earthquake and the aftershocks that continue to plague the areas around the epicenter. People here are so sad about the situation and feel very helpless. They are raising money to help the recovery and victim assistance. When I look at the huge 20 story buildings, I think of all the people living in them, and it's so painful to think that so many lost their homes and lives. I feel so terrible for them and I see that so many have no where to go. The Chinese people are so strong, but not having homes for so many and not enough supplies is a devastating situation. Please pray for their safety and survival. I have heard rumors that China's orphan population is now going to double. I don't know if that is true or not, but there will certainly be many more.