ALMOST HOME!

2 more days, 3 more sleeps and 3 plane rides to home!!

Yes-we are counting down the days, nights and hours until we are home. Kevin has been using the application translator to tell Hudson about the 3 plane rides home. He always smiles when Kevin tells him! SO glad we got the itouch with the translator!! (thank you Daigles!!) That has been such a blessing in communication with him. I highly recommend it for older child adoptions. It has been vital in many circumstances. We do a lot of sign and body language too!

Yesterday we went to a Safari Park, which was pretty amazing and filled our day. The kids were wiped out, which was very good. We saw Panda bears, white tigers and some other cool animals. We went to a monkey show which was cheesy, and then onto a Panda bear show. We thought it was going to be real Panda bears but really it was people dressed up in Panda bear outfits dancing to music such as Kung Fu panda! Went then went on to a white tiger show which was real tigers, not just dressed people. The kids really liked it and it was a cooler day with no rain.

Today, was our first day to have the morning in the hotel which proved to be challenging at times since the kids were ready get out. After breakfast, Hudson put on my outing bag and was saying let's go out! He was so used to having the big bus take us somewhere! We ended up having down time exhausting all the kid toys and movies until about 2:00. We then took a bus to the US consulate to be sworn in with our kids. There were 38 families doing this and proved to be about as crazy as the Medical exam place. Thankfully, we brought snacks and coloring stuff. In 2 days we will have the Chinese visa in order to leave the country on Saturday!

We then went out for Dim SUm with all the families, about 40 people. This was our last Dim Sum for the trip and we won't be missing it for awhile. THe noodles, fried rice and broccoli is always good along with the Coke and Sprite! They continue to serve the chicken with the head along with it for a garnish! I prefer the parsley back home! Railsbacks and us left a little early as the kids were starting to lose it. So we headed back for baths and bedtime and sleep.

Hudson continues to make strides in bonding with us and I count it God's grace and mercy that he is! I don't take this for granted at all in what I've seen and how long it can take! He loves to be held, tickled and continues to be all boy! Holly did invite Hudson to play and put on a short show for us with Chinese Dance fans. It was cute and so glad they made a few more steps in their bonding together! They usually now give each other a hug when they meet up and haven't seen each other for a little bit.

I know the Railsbacks, Smiths and us continue to covet your prayers and all your support! If I haven't responded to your email-please know I got it and Kevin and I are so grateful.
We are still in awe we have a daughter and a son! Truly a gift we don't take for granted even in the midst of tiring days and longing for home. A small price to pay to love a boy who needed a forever family.

Oh- I almost forgot to mention that today we received about 25 pages of pictures and documentation from when Hudson came to the orphanage and joined the Half the Sky school program. He was found at 2 /12 years, so we did receive pictures when he was pretty young. All the writing is in Chinese so I will need to get it translated. I am so thankful for this history we have on him and the pictures are priceless. He was so excited to look through it with me! Cheryl and I were the only ones to receive this on our kiddos. Half the sky is awesome in what they do for all the orphans and families! Love them! They really do put your donations to work-we have the proof!

Hope to post one more time before we leave!
Looking forward to Qdoba queso chips and dip! Holly was craving their naked chicken burrito tonight!
Love,
Rachel