Our last full day in China

Today is our last full day here. I am so looking forward to going home, yet, at the same time I am sad for Sofie. Sad that she has to say good bye to the land of her birth, her culture, her language and all that she knows. I know that it will all be OK and that this is the best thing for her and for us.....it just makes me sad :)

It has been an amazing trip and I will never forget all that I saw, learned and experienced. There are things about China that I do not like, but, it is such a different land and culture and it is so rich in history and tradition that is leaves you in awe. I cannot even imagine how much this trip will impact Ainsley. What a life lesson to be exposed to so much difference, history and culture at such a young age. I can only imagine one day as she sits in school and they are learning about the Great Wall of China and the thought passes through her head "I remember I climbed that with my Mom and Dad."

Yesterday, Sofie did her first swim in the pool. She had a blast and has NO fear of the water. Swimming lessons are going to have to start soon!!!! We also took a cruise down the Pearl River in the evening. The lights were fantastic. It was just breath taking to see.

Today we wandered down to Shamian Island which is where all the adoption stuff used to happen before the US Consulate moved downtown. It is a beautiful little island within walking distance of our hotel. It used to be used by the French and British a long time ago so the architecture is totally different than anywhere else in Guangzhou. We did some shopping and took a lot of pictures and then had lunch at a Thai place, The Cow and Bridge. It was amazing food!!!!

I don't know if I will have time to blog tomorrow so I will sign off for now. Back to packing :) When we land in Seattle, Sofie will automatically become a US Citizen. So on Thursday May 24 at 11:50 am Pacific time we will be celebrating a new beginning in a new country. See you when we get back to Minnesota :)

Swimming with Daddy

She dried herself off with her own towel....no help required :)

Hanging out with the kids on Shamian Island

The only picture I could get with their dresses on that Trish bought them. The youngest one wouldn't hold still long enough. This is their friend who is 13 and was also just adopted.