Just an Update!!!~

     Our family is so over-joyed with our Chinese Princess!!  Josh and I just sit back and watch all of our children and thank God for blessing us so much!!!! 
     I feel so honored to have adopted one of Gods orphaned children and to have the most wonderful oppourtunity to raise her in a christian home and we pray that one day, Mya will ask Jesus to come into her heart to save her!!!!!! 
     We were not able to be in church yesterday due to having to take Mason to the prompt care and finding out that he has strep throat.  Although, while we were in the office, the doctor was very interested in finding out why we wanted to adopt and how did we adopt!!!  I got to tell him that we felt that God was calling us to do so and I can only hope that by talking to thim that he will either seriously think about where he will spend eternity or possibly feel lead to adopt!!!!!
     I love the opportunities that we have had because we do have Mya!  I think I told about the lady at Walmart that had stopped us because she saw our family picture and our adoption announcement in the paper and today, I was in a little small town grocery store near our town and I was stopped again and was told that she saw us in the paper and how special of a family that we are and I told her that we are the ones being blessed!!!!!!
     Now to the update on Mya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She is doing soooooo well!!  Josh and I were playing with her this morning and she was laughing and laughing so hard!  I told him, remember in China and some when we got home, that when we tickled her, she wouldnt laugh and if she did, it was minimal..well today, she was hysterical!!!!!!!  She really, everyday, just gets a little more comfortable and really it seems like she has always been with us!  The other children are soooo great with her!  Mason is having a real hard time, that because he has strep, he cant get in her face and hug and kiss on her!!!  Last night, the kids were all outside and jumping on the trampoline, playing in the yard and having the time of their lives!!!!!!!!   Im not sure if I have said this before, but we are SO BLESSED!!!!!
     Here are more of our everyday living photos!!!!!!

                                                       I LOVE LOVE THIS PICTURE!!

We met up with some friends who we have met while adopting!!!  This is their little girl, Briley!!

Momma's running girls!!!!  Mya's first run with Momma!!

Mya insisted that when we were done that the girls had to "Hold" her hand!!!

SO CUTE!!  Thank you Chase for letting Mya ride!!

She was ok here but......

Wanted no part of it here!!!

Mason giving Mya a ride..Again, thank you Chase!!!

I love this!!!  daddy and mya!!!

Mya thought she would help Momma!!

Madison and Mya!!!  Such pretty girls!!

Pretty Mya!  (Mason taking pix with my phone!!)

Dont you just love how I am not in any of the photos?!!!!!?  Really, I am in her daily life...LOL!!!!!  Momma is just the one behind the camera!!!!!!!!  And Myles is usually off playing with cousins and runs home and checks in and has to kiss sister and then he is off again!!  Never in one place long enough for a picture!!!!!!!  LOVE MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God Bless You!!!  Mindy

Show and Tell~

     Today was show and tell Day!!!  First stop.....The Junior High!!  Madison was told by the Assistant Principal that she wanted me to bring Mya in!!  I asked Madison, you have show and tell in Jr High, and she said, "Yeah, if you are Mya!!!" 
     So we went to the Jr High and met the office crew and made our way down to see her Language Arts teacher!!!  She was a BIG hit!!!!!!!!!!! 
     Then, we had some time to kill, so we went to where I used to work, Mya's pediatrician's office!  We were there for 2 hours!  It was so great seeing everyone and again showing off Mya to all of my co-workers!!!!! 
     Next stop, the boys' grade school!  They have been waiting since we got home for us to bring Mya to school for show and tell!!!  It was so sweet, as soon as I went to the office, So many of the faculty came in to meet MYA!!  She was and is so popular!  It is so amazing all of the support that we have had through this journey! 
     We went and made a visit to Myles' class and his teacher had me sit in the chair and all the children, 1st graders sit on the carpet and they were able to ask me questions about Mya and or out trip to China!!   It was so cute!!!  The questions they ask were adorable...I think the first one was.....Does Mya like to hit...hmmmmmmmmm, by the looks of Myles face when he went back to school, Id say yes!!!  Although, that is sooooo much better since we have been home!!!!!
     Then on to Mason's class!!!  Again, the children were asked if they had any questions for me or about the trip and I believe the first question was, "how do you communicate with her if she doesnt speak our language?"  Very good question coming from a 3rd grader!  I just told them that love is a universal language and so is smiling!!!  I also proceeded to tell them that just like when they were babies, when Mya points to something, we say what it is for her so she will learn!!!  They thought that was neat!!!!!!! 
     Next we went to the other 1st grade classroom!  A friend of mine is the teacher and she hadnt met Mya yet and was soooo excited!!!!!!   All of her students crowded around Mya and they also had questions!  One question was, whats that thing by her eye???  I told them that it was a birthmark and that she was born with it!  The teacher was devastated that they asked that...I told her that it was ok, kids are curious and that is what they see!  Then, the next question...........................Mrs. Clayton, why are her eyes slanted??????  I thought the teacher was going to cry, she was so embarrassed that he asked that!!!  She said to the child, REMEMBER when Myles told us while showing us his album, that the people in China were born that way?!?  It was soooo cute!!!!  You cant help but laugh!!!  Kids and what goes through their minds is so funny!!!! 
     It was such a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!! 
     Please pray for Mya, as I sit here blogging tonight, she has had a really rough night already with her night terrors.  It is 12:25am and she has had 3 real bad ones.  It has been several nights since she has had any, so I am not sure why tonight, she is having so many problems.  I just go and love her through it and tell her Momma is here and pray over her!   So, if you could join me in prayer for her and her sleeping, I would really appreciate it and I know that she would too!!! 

Mya climbed right up on big brother Mason and fell asleep!!!

Papa Rick

Mama Bonnie

Big sister @ the park

Daddy and Mya

Big Brother Myles swinging with Mya!  He was so proud!

Thank you and God Bless!!!!

Mya's Welcome Home Shower!!!

     First of all, I would like to thank Crystal Stubbs, Leslie Stephens and Sandie Sherbert for throwing this shower for Mya!!!!  It was such a blessing and we had a fabulouss time!!!!
     On Saturday, 3/17/2012 at Grace Baptist Church, we had an amazing time of fellowship and food all in the honor of meeting our MYA!! 
     Lots of people came out to meet her and it was such a blessing!!!!!!  Mya received clothes, clothes and clothes and toys, and gift cards that were used tonight in purchasing a dresser for all of her clothes!!!!!!  God is so good and provided in a way that was needed!!!!

                                    Thank you Bobbi Shanks for making this awesome cake!

                                                                My "SPICY DRAGON"

                                                                     Daddy and Mya

                                                    Mommy opening all the gifts!

                                                                        Picture table

                                                                    Table Decor

Table Decor

                            Thank you all for coming out and making our day so wonderful!!!!!!!!

Mya's Doctors Appt

     Im sorry that it has taken me so long to blog her appt!  We went and saw her pediatrician on Friday and he loves her!!!!
     The dr actually threw her right into a fit!!  He wanted to see how possessive she is of her food and when he took away her goldfish, she threw herself on the ground and kicked and screamed!!  He said, " I like her, they didnt break her will!!!" 
     He looked at  her palate and is starting the referral process for Mya to see the cleft team!  When I asked him, if it would be better to go to Children's Hospital, he said that he would refer us anywhere that we wanted but that he had full faith in the cleft team here.  So we are going to get an eval and decide from there! 
     Mya is overall, wonderfully adjusted!!!!  She acts so comfortable and like she has been here the whole time!!!  She is such a spicy dragon!!  This is the year of the dragon in China and she is spicy!!!!  We love her spunk!!!!  She hasnt thrown a fit like she did in China, where I couldnt even find the words to describe it, but she has thrown some smaller fits but nothing we couldnt handle:)
     Mya had her first Sunday at church and was quite popular!!  So many praying for her and she is so loved!!  Its so amazing how much love that everyone can have for a child that they dont even know!!!!
     I have a problem changing someone elses children's dirty diapers.  I gag and carry on.  I was so concerned how I would be with Mya and that situation, but Mya is mine and I have NO problems changing MY baby girls diaper, or helping with what I call a palate emergency when food or anything else is coming out her nose!!!!!  LOL
    Mya is so amazing and we are so blessed!!!  She is sleeping somewhat better!  Still some night terrors but getting better each night! 
    For some reason, I guess a mother's intuition, I felt her Tuesday morning before getting out of bed and I never do that because she is not a very sound sleeper, anyway, I felt her and she was pretty warm so I took her temp and she had a 100.6 temp.  No other symptoms except LOTS of drooling and chewing on her fingers, so I do believe its her teeth!   She hasnt been cranky or anything, just drooling...LOTS!!!!!!!
     We ended up going to the dr and seeing the NP.  Mya had a 103.4 temp and still no other symptoms.  Because we have no history on her, they had to check for everything.  The NP said we will have to check her urine and I asked how to do that and she told me that they would have to put a catheter in.....WHAT?????????????????  I lost it!!!!  I was crying and Mya was screaming!  Then...blood drawn and a nasal swab...IT WAS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!  Mya was so brave, I was so proud of her! 
     We took the labs to the hospital and the NP called me after hours to give me the results..Mya's white blood cell count was 16,000 and they put her on amoxicillan. 
    We are about a week into the medicine and she is doing great!!!  Starting Friday, no fever, just very very cranky, and Saturday, she was perfect!!!!!
     We are doing so well and thank you so much for all of your prayers and thoughts!!!
     Here are some pictures from being at home!!!!

Grammy

                                          
                                                                   Papa Cheezie

                                                             Mya's 1st 4-wheeler ride


God Bless Mindy

Mya's first day at HOME!!

     Mya has made us liers!!!  She has been absolutely perfect!! NO FITS!!!
     She slept well last night and I woke her up at 11:00am which she didnt go to bed until 1:30am or so.  I was up at 10:00 and Josh was up at 8:00! No jet lag for us!  We are feeling amazing! 
    We went to town and guess where we ate.....QQ China!  Josh and my Dad have been craving this and I was not looking forward to anymore rice!  But we all went together and the men were happy!
    We had our first trip to Walmart and Aldis today!  Mya did so well!  She never cried! 
    Mya did absolutely Super in her carseat today!!!  I was so thankful, I hated to see her cry, it breaks my heart! 
     We came home and I started cleaning up a bit after landing last night with all of the luggage!  It was driving my crazy!!!  Josh was so wonderful!  I am so blessed to have a husband like him!  He told me that he would do all of the laundry so I could take care of Mya and visit with my parents!!  He is so wonderful!
    We had lots of company today to come and meet Mya!  I loved it!!  I love showing off my kids!!  She was, of course, a hit!!
    Josh's twin brother walked in and Mya immediately wanted Jeremy!  She thought that he was her Daddy!  It took her about 3 minutes before she realized..this isnt my Daddy at all!!  She then reached for Josh!!! Adorable!!! 
    Then it was bath time!  Her first bath at her home!   Remember me saying that she has been so scared of ther bath and screamed the whole way through, NOPE, not tonight!!!!  She was so comfortable!!!  My Mom came into the bathroom and said, where is this Spicy Girl you keep talking about??!!!!?  I said, I am not sure!!!!  Mya has adjusted so beautifully!  I couldnt be more proud of her!  She has come so far each and every day and that I give praise to God!!! So many prayers all over the world have been prayed for this little girl and her adjustment!!!! 
     Tomorrow, Mya has her New Patient Appt with the pediatrician!  I am so ready for her to see him and he can tell us, In English, how she is doing and what we the plan is for her cleft palate!!! 
     Thank you again for all of your support and prayers!  This journey has been a life changing experience for our family!  Again, if anyone is on the fence about adoption, my advice......GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God Bless
Mimdy

Ouy Traveling Journey HOME!!!!~

     On our way to our last buffet breakfast at our hotel, I told Josh that during my bible study that morning, God told me that everything was going to be just fine on the flight home!  Mya would be great and everything would go as planned, His plan!!    I had told Josh the day before that we will just expect the absolute worst and if anything was better that would be great!  Let me tell you, God was so in our day, that IT WAS AMAZING!!!! 
     We boarded our plane that took us from Guangzhou to Beijing and it was almost 3 hours.  Mya, I think, went through, ummm like 15 packages of crackers that had 2 crackers in the package!  Whatever to keep her from crying!!!!  She did wonderful!
     We landed in Beijing and we had to recheck our luggage due to the change in the plans..My parents were gonna meet us in Chicago instead of us having to have a 4 hour layover waiting for our flight to St Louis.  We had 2 hours and they seemed to go very quickly!  We rushed and rushed and it was crazy!!!!!  We boarded our second flight which was our flight back to the USA!!!!!!!!  Wow!!!!!
     As we looked at our tickets, Josh was 11 rows behind us all by himself.  So I told him that I would just ask the other person in our row if they would mind switching!!  So, we are walking to the back of the plane, because we were economy, and our seats were the first row, right behind the lavatory (bathrooms) and we had, what seemed like first class foot room!!!!!  It was amazing!  I looked at Josh and said, THIS IS GOD!!!  He knew that with 4 kids on a 12 hour flight exactly what we needed!!!!  I then asked the lady if she would be willing to change with Josh and she thought about it a couple of seconds, because she had a great seat, and she looked at me and my 4 kids and decided that yes, she would let Josh come up with us!!!! Again, GOD!!!
     Madison, Mason, Myles, and Mya were a huge hit on the plane!!!  The stewardess absolutely loved them!!  We were asked why we adopted, how we adopted and complimented us because we adopted!!  One man looked at me while he was doing his hand demo for all safety regulations and said, mama, you are a brave woman!!!! I took that as a compliment!!!!
     Our flight was amazing!  Mya did SUPER!!!!!  I couldnt have asked for a better baby!  She cried a little when she was going to sleep, otherwise, amazing!!!!!!  God is so good and is always with us!!!
     We arrive at the airport and have to go through customs and immigration!  That was fun!!  Long line and we are ready to go!!!  Finally, we got through and MYA WAS THEN AN AMERICAN CITIZEN!!!!!!!  What a wonderful feeling!  We went through security and went right to the restroom to change Mya into her coming home outfit!!!  A KIMONO!!!  She looked absolutely adorable!!

     We walk through the gate and there are Grammy and Papa holding signs that were made by my neice Ali and her friend and another one made by my very good friends, Amy and Kelly!!!! 
     It was so amazing being on US soil and then seeing my parents!!!  Mya was put in a carseat for the first time and she screamed all the way to our first stop...McDonalds!!!
     Then......  We come to Mt Auburn and my Dad goes all the way around town.  We of course are wondering why and when we reach town, the population sign says...500 +1 with streamers!!!  SO COOL!!!
    We get home and find Josh's Mom and Dad there and we were so excited to show off Mya to them!!  It was so wonderful having all of the family together meeting our newest child! 
    I go out to the van to get my camera because my house had been decorated everywhere for our homecoming!!!!   While in the garage, I found my friends Amy and Kelly!!!! 
    It was them!!  Kelly, Amy and Jill, thank you so much for decorating!  It was sooo nice to walk into all the streamers, and balloons and pink hanging from the ceiling, windows and fans!!!  My Mother-in-law had blown up our family picture and had it sitting on the island in a gorgeous frame and when I walked into the dining room, Kelly, had the same idea, she had our family picture in black and white in a wonderful frame!! All I can say, is great minds think alike!!!! :)
     Our first night home with Mya was wonderful with family and friends!!!  I could not have asked for a better welcoming!  Thank you all!!!!!!
Again, I am having issues with posting pictures, I will try again soon!
Mindy
 

Final Thoughts~

     Here are some final thoughts and feelings that I have upon the departure of Mya's first home country.
     I am very blessed that God has chosen our family to step out of our comfort zone and fly across the ocean to another country and culture!  This has been the best adventure, and I am sooooo thankful that Madison, Mason and Myles came with us!  They truly needed to see where their sister came from and smell her smells!  I think they have all had a wonderful experience and they are so excited to go back to school and tell all about their wonderful journey!
     I am saddened to leave Mya's country.  This is where our baby girl was born and this is was her normal.  Although, we think its been this terrible life, its all she knows and is comfortable with.  I pray that she will continue to attach and bond with us a little more each day and I know that God has a plan and we are so ready to see that unfold!!!  God is so good and wonderful and almighty!!!!
     I promise to Mya that we will and are able to keep a little of her culture within her through  In His Hands Orphans Outreach Ministry's!!  This is a wonderful ministry that gets all past present and future adopted families and families that just have a heart for orphans together and we can get the children together and also celebrate some Chinese culture on their holidays!!
     Once again, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read our blog and pray for us!  There is power in prayer and we definitely have needed it and it has most certainly worked!!!!!!  Josh keeps telling people that we came from a town of 500 and they just look at us in awe!!!  Our hotel has probably quadruple that within one building!!!  LOL
He has done AMAZING getting out of his comfort zone and I am so proud of him and that I can call him MY HUSBAND!!!  This is the man that told me when we got married, I DONT FLY AND NEVER WILL!!!  Look what God has done in all of our lives!!!!!!!!!!!  Again, TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!!
      I love you all and again, appreciate ALL the prayers and so very kind words of encouragement and all the compliments on Mya!!  WE THINK SHE IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     Our family is complete!  We have been happily married for almost 15 years and we have the most wonderful, amazing, awesome "4" children ever!!!!!!!
Thank you and God Bless!!!!
Mindy 

Tiffany~this one is for you girl!!!!!!!! Enjoy!!!

     Mya had another amazing night sleep!!  She never moved a muscle!!  This morning, I was in the living room and Mya, crawled off the bed and walked into there with me!!!!!  This is BIG!!  She has never done that!  She always just "lays" on the bed and waits for us to notice that she is up!  Although, most of the time, we wake her up staring at her!!! 
     Today, we went back to the island for more shopping!! This is bad, they all recognize us!!!  Of course, I have been there 3 days in a row!!!  I love that place!  We then decided to take a cab to a clothing wholesale market and it was NOT what we were expecting at all.  Josh was not impressed!!!  We pretty much, made a quick round and caught another cab and came back to the hotel!  The market was A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE and a lot of stores and they had some clothes on display and then dug through trash bags for the item you were wanting...NO thank you!!!
    Now we are back and I had a request from a friend that she was ready for another update!!!!!  I love that everyone is following!!  It makes our being away from home easier!!!!  So, Tiffany, I hope you enjoy!!!   LOLOL  xoxoxo
     We, really do love this country!!   Our baby girl was born here and spent the first 2 years of her life. The USA is amazing and we are so proud to be Americans!!!
     This afternoon, we are getting ready to go to, I think, McDonalds for lunch...YAY!!! and then meeting our guide at 4:00 to get Mya's visa!  Then, for dinner, our guide is trying to set up a place for all of the families to have dinner together!!!!! 
     THEN...............Tomorrow, WE COME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     Just so you know, some friends of mine, are throwing Mya a "Coming Home" Shower on March 17th!!!  We would love for everyone to come out and meet our MYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
God Bless, Mindy

People, tell me that they cant wait to see what outfit and bow she will have on everyday!!! She is very fashionable!!!

She is Mommys girl!!!!!

UA citizen!!! or at least one step closer!!!!!

We woke up really early and had breakfast and met our guide and 6 other couples in the lobby to catch our bus to the US Consulate!  I thought this whole procedure would be really neat and very orderly, but no!  We lined up in a very long line and waited to enter and then waited in another room where we, the parents had to raise our right hands, again, nothing formal, and repeat an oath.  Then we had to wait until they called Mya's chinese name and we went to a window and we signed a paper and we were done!!!  Very quick!!!  THEN...................................................................
     The absolute worst FIT happened!!  We witnessed a fit that we hadnt since we have had Mya.  She was so angry and crying screaming like we have never seen before!  Nothing we did helped comfort her.  Other parents would come to us and offer Cheerios and such but nothing worked.  And EVERYONE was staring at us trying to see how I was going to handle this situation.  I just prayed and thanked God for giving us such a spicy girl and that He thinks that WE are just the family that she needs to help her and love her and give her the forever family that she deserves!!!!!!  Then, I prayed and begged that something that we could do would help calm her down!  Then, out of the blue, she settled right down and has been the absolute BEST girl all day long!! 
     She is such an amazing person and we are truly blessed!!!!!!  She even took a nap in the stroller today!!  That is such an improvement!!!!  God is so good and I count myself honored to be all of my "4" children's mother Mommy!!!!!! 
    Here is Mya's US Citizen outfit!!!  She looked ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 6~

     We had a great day!!  Today, Madison, Mya and I went shopping with a great couple and their little girl and Daddy, Mason and Myles went to the Safari Park with the rest of the group.  The boys had a fantastic time!  They got to really meet and get to know some of the other chinese children around their age and loved it! 
     Us girls had a blast shopping on Shamian Island!  Lots of great shops and I did my first ever bargaining for all of our purchases!!  It was fun!  Josh was impressed with our purchases and even more impressed with how much I didnt spend!!!!!  We got lots of traditional items and we are very excited about them!!!
    Tomorrow, we are going bright and early to the US Consulate and Mya will become a US citizen!!!!!!  YAY!!!!! 
     We are getting ready to go to bed, so please pray that Mya will have a peaceful night sleep with no night terrors! 
    Short and sweet today, not much going on!!!  Thank you again and God Bless!!  Mindy

Day 5~

     We are loving our new hotel Guangzhou!!  It looks like Vegas here..I LOVE IT!!!!  We are definitely  more comfortable here a lot less staring from the locals! 
     We went to breakfast at the hotel buffet, which was amazing, and they sate us in the back, which to find out, thats where most of the American adopting families sat!!  I jokingly told another couple, They must want to put us all together and keep an eye on us!! :)  We had a wonderful time talking and getting to know other people especially that can speak our language!!!!!  On our way out, we saw a couple that we met at Chinese New Year and have been speaking with through our travel arrangements and I was never so happy to see them in our lives!!  It is a great feeling while in a foreign country, to see someone you know and recognize!!!  They are a great couple and I look forward to spending more time with them!!!!!!
     Next stop, the medical exam!  This is where all of the adopted children get a "physical" if thats what you would want to call it!  We were all herded like cattle from room to room.  First room was temp and weight, 2nd room~ENT and 3rd room was the general dr.  They didnt speak English, so I have no idea what they thought!  What I do know is Mya HATED every bit of it.  But, as soon as she was back in her Mommy's arms, she quieted right down!!!  OH YEAH!!!!!!  While waiting in line for everything, we had a great time meeting more families!!  They are all so great and really have enjoyed getting to know them!  There are several families from Illinois, so we would like to plan reunions with them!!!

     Then, it was SHOPPING TIME!!!!!!  Now that is my language!!  Josh and I were so excited to go and get some traditional clothing for Mya, we could hardly wait!!  The kids had a wonderful time looking at the different culture items and shopping too!!!  It was so fun!!   I am really hoping to go back today, I have lots more to see and hopefully purchase!!!!!!!
     Mason and Myles have met a friend!!  His name is Garrett and guess where he is from:  Chatham, Illinois!!!  I see a friendship in the making!!!  We have met this family before at our Orphans Ministry meetings but never really talked to them and we have truly enjoyed getting to know this family!! 
     For dinner, we went to dinner with this family from Chatham and had Thai food!  Some was amazing and other was disgusting!!!  I think the words were, as I was putting a bite in my mouth, I think I smell B/O  I thought I would...well you know!!!!  We all laughed and I said, I think its...THIS!!!!  Otherwise, we had a great time!!
     Bed time~by the way, Mya didnt have a nap today!  We thought this was a good thing and that bed time would be much better....NOPE!  I felt so sorry for her.  I am not sure if its that she is scared that when she goes to sleep that we wont be here or what, but she really really struggles with going to sleep.  Once she went to sleep, she screamed out, oh I dont know, probably 10 or so times.  I just wish I could take care of these night terrors that she is having.  Its so hard seeing your children cry while they are awake, but to see them in such terror while they have no control over it, it absolutely awful. Please join us in praying that the Lord will take away these terrors that she is having and that she may sleep more soundy and know that we are always going to be here!!!!!!!!!!

God Bless, Mindy

Day #4~

     We are having a great day!  Mya is loving her family!  She is back to loving all of us!  That is such a great feeling!! 
     Today, our Chinese guide walked up and Mya immediately wanted to go to her and I took her right back and said No Mya, stay with Mommy!  Later, Mya did the same thing from Josh and he told Mya No, you need to stay with Mommy and Daddy because you need to know who your Mommy and Daddy are!!!  Our guide than agreed with him and has never taken her again:)  I was so greatful that Josh told her that because I wasnt able to! 
     We started out at the City Park!!  It was amazing!!!!!  Very beautiful and the kids enjoyed doing some Tai-chi..or at least thats what it sounds like when our guide says it!  Its when a person dances very slowly with moves almost like kung fu but extremely slow.  She told us that your heart feels good when finished due to all of the concentration!  Although, my kids were laughing the whole time doing it so not sure there was any concentration involved!!  LOL

     Then we came up on a what would be similar to a very small six flags!  A couple of rollercoasters and some other rides, like the pirate ship, thunder river, bumper cars, carousel which we all rode together!  I looked at Josh and Mya and said how sad, Mya has done more in her 3 days with us than her entire life..Well thats gonna change!!! :)

     Next stop, the embroidery museum and factory!  I was so excited about this stop!  Mya's province is known for embroidery and fireworks!  The fireworks was news to me, I wasnt aware of that one!  Anyway, the embroidery museum was incredible.  Learning some of the history behind it and kind of how they did things!  THEN............The factory!!!!  We walked into this room and there were probably 10 women sitting at these tables embroidering!  They were absolutely amazing and I have never in my life seen anything like this before!  And, their stitching was incredible!!!  I couldnt wait to purchase something for Mya!!!!
     We went to the shop and everything was so beautiful!!!  I think it all would have been incredibly beautiful anyway, but the fact that this is what Mya's province was known for....Priceless!!!!
     We get back to the hotel and Amy, our guide, gives us our final paperwork!!!!!  Its so neat and official!!!!  Tomorrow, we will get Mya's passport and then fly to Guangzhou, our last stop before home, around 5:30pm!!!!  I am very excited to get to Guangzhou!!  There are A LOT of American families there and we know several and there is a lot of shopping to be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     Mya's nap time was a fraction better today.  She didnt cry as long but I am ok with this, its to be expected!  She is still sleeping and its been about 2 1/2 hours!!  Mommy slept with her for the first hour or so!!!  Josh and I are still struggling with Jet lag, the kids are doing great!!!!
     Tonight, our plans are to just hang around the hotel and play at the play room and spend time with our Chinese princess, or as Mason calls her, pretty pretty princess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God Bless  Mindy
Im sorry, I am still only able to download one picture per post!