Whirlwind.

So I last left you with a promise to keep you updated about our consulate appointment. And I realize I have failed miserably at that.

But here's the good news...

As I write this, we are hovering in the air somewhere between Louisville and Chicago with a final destination of Guangzhou sometime Saturday evening!

Yeah, you read that right....we are on our way to China!!!

We received our travel approval on Monday night, followed by an email about 10am Tuesday morning that we had a consulate appointment for July 1 and needed to be in country by Sunday, June 23.......... Say what??!!??

I read the email about ten times, looking between the calendar and the email, confirming the dates because I knew there was no way in the world I was reading that we needed to be in China in no less than 5 days. I even had Charlie look at the calendar to make sure I was looking at the dates right!

But alas, what I was reading was true and for the next hour I called myself frantically busy, but was really only wearing a hole in the floor walking around the kitchen island. I didn't even know where to start!!!! We never expected to receive a date that early! I thought IF (and a BIG if) we were able to travel before the consulate shut down, we would be looking at a travel date of June 28ish.

God had other plans and in all His humor, graciously gave us 3 days (well, really more like two and a half) to book plane tickets, pack bags for 5 people going in two different directions, make arrangements for the boys and all the other things you do when you get ready to leave the country for two weeks.

And since we had so much time on our hands, our basement/playroom/den flooded (a lot!) on Tuesday night after a torrential downpour. Within about 5 minutes, there were legos and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles floating about what can only be described as a large indoor lake.

I really wish I could tell you I'm joking, but we spent about 4 hours sucking up water only to discover about 11:30pm that our sump pump had died. But was still filling up at a fairly fast rate from the ground water and rain that was still draining. So we started the bucket brigade emptying that bad boy as fast as we could. Every 30 minutes all the way through 7am. (Yes, that means no sleep was had.) Kenny hit up Lowe's as they opened the doors and was back at the house, new pump installed and on his way to work by 8am.

Here's the silver lining to all that. I've told y'all before and I'm saying it again, but we have ridiculous friends! I mean, who comes to your house at 8pm with a shop vac and their water shoes with intentions of staying til it's dry?? Five of the most servant hearted people I know! It would have taken Kenny and I three times as long to clean up if it wasn't for all the help we had!

And in days following, folks watched the boys while I ran last minute errands and spent hours on the phone booking travel arrangements. Friends sent pizza so we didn't have to worry about cooking in the midst of the controlled chaos that was our home this week. And family rearranged their schedules and made unplanned trips to Kentucky to pick up two of the world's most excited big brothers!

All to make sure that on June 24, we can get our hands on the most popular baby in the state....except she's not even in the state...yet.

We'll be back on July 4. What a day to become a US citizen!

Things you can pray for:

1. Uneventful travel. We don't typically roll in an uneventful way. Just speaking truth. It's never major disasters, but the oddest things happen to us. I prefer norm...at least until we can make it to Guangzhou.

2. Our sweet boys. They are spending the time with grandparents in Alabama. And they are super excited about it, but I fear it's gonna hit Sam in a few days in that his Mommy's gone and I just hope he will be okay. I know he will be. But he's been glued to my side for the last 72 hours.

3. Our precious baby girl. Her world is about to be turned upside down. And she has no idea. Pray for attachment and bonding to us and eased fear of these two new strangers she's been given to. And for communication. It's hard enough getting a 20-month-old with no exposure to English. We are getting one who has had very limited communicating at all...at least that's what we've been told. I've been brushing up on my ASL and Baby Signs and we are ready, but those signs, just like any words we would use with a child who could hear, will be totally foreign.

Ok. I'm signing off. If the Lord grants us internet access, I'll check in next from China!!

再見

In other words, bye!

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