The Kendall Chronicles: Where East Meets West

2012-01-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

Just real quick with recent activities this week. Donna's mom just headed back home after helping us out for the last week and a half. Grandma you will be sorely missed. Now its just me and Donna and 4 wonderfully different and challenging kids on our hands. And when I say challenging I mean it very much. There is much sorry, anger, uncertainty and pain in all of our children right now. For two they have been ripped from everything they ever knew and homed in a foreign land where no one understands their language or their likes. For my two daughter these two new strangers have entered their home and lives and now they must share their space, time, parents love, and their own rhythm for life. Momma is still getting over jet lag and Daddy is just trying to keep up.

Please keep the Kendall's in your prayers as there is a lot of emotional healing, and then bonding that must occur before we can function as a family. Please also pray as they boys have their first physicals and health screens this side of the Atlantic. Can not get into details but there was a surprise with the health of one of the boys, so keep that in your prayers as. Well. Sorry folks no pictures tonight as I own one of the most power hungry cameras on this earth and I had my camera out to take some park time pictures with the boys only for the camera to die on me. I did buy some batteries but in the current kaos in the Kendall home not sure where they are.

We should get this fixed and more pics will be on its way.

Rich..........

Donna and the Boys arrive!!!

2012-01-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry to all for the news black out. It was a busy weekend getting ready for Donna, Jacob and David arrival and the last 24 hrs has been intense!!

Donna and the boys arrived Monday Eve with Mary Beth. Our dear friend Dawn and adopted Daughter Kattie met us at the airport took some video and photos and provided ballons, and american sugar in the form of skittles. It was very odd loading up the oddessey to full capacity! David was nervous and cried most of the way home.

When we got home Grandma was there to welcome us home. Well the mania of a new home with lots of toys (ours, shared and not ours) to explore hit. We finnally tried to wind down around 10:30. Donna took the girls and camped out with them and gave me the baptism of fire with the boys.. David drifted off around 11:15 but Jacob my 1st day in the US, 1st day home, 1st time to play with whatever was a manic wonder. He finnaly drifted of to sleep around 1:15AM this morning. There were of course some wake up points at night but not to terrible. Of course I ended up on the floor between both boys so that I could reach out to each one threw the night which helped all sleep a little better.

Well today was the firstday as a forever family. It was day one of xx adjustment days..... Who knows how long it will take to get a rythm. But for now we are happy our boys are home and momma and the girls are happy to be in eachother arms. Our meals were like a circus, except for dinner in which our church family brought the food and we all were seated for a few minutes and actually prayed. I will not bore you with the details but we had more play, got to go the park, got to know Awdrey (dog) a bit better, had some rivary fights, jealousy, play and kindness. All in all not a bad first day. I have no idea how its all going to work together, but my God does and that is good enough for me. Here are some catchup pics. Sorry about the fuzziness the camera was on the wrong setting and I just noticed it.

3 Days to Go!!!

2012-01-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

Stories from China.

Donna Writes:
The little girl is J's girlfriend, Jane. I call them Tarzan and Jane, b/c your son is a WILD man! They LOVE each other! She feeds him, kisses him, and pushes his stroller, and he eats it up.

Meanwhile back at the Ranch......

Sherla returns home after spending a full week with the girls. Thank you so much for your love and help with the girls!! Can't wait till you meet the boys! Grandma decides to stay to help Rich hold down the fort. Lots to do before the boys come home. Donna is sending out her marching orders. Some unexpected requests! But we can handle them.

Enjoy the pics

4 days to Go!

2012-01-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Hope all is well with everyone. I got to speak with Donna today finally after missing two nights in a row! She is very tired and very anxious to come home. Night time for the boys is still up and down with some good and some really bad nights.

David continues to be the quiet passive guy why Jacob continues to be a whirl wind and continues to charm both the ladies and the Dads where ever he goes. When he is not charming people he is a Tasmanian devil in constant motion, getting into what ever he can. Hang in there momma! You are coming home soon.

Meanwhile back at the ranch.

Emily and Lianne too a huge bubble bath and again enjoyed each others company very much last night. This night was a bit different, when Lianne brought her Lego's into Emily's room, Emily sent her sister packing. Lianne had a hard time sleeping but a relative easy transition to sleep for my girls (no crying or whining! So I can put up with the late night again.)

Here are some images from life at home yesterday and today. I will post more pics from China when I have some to post.

Mean While Back at the Ranch

2012-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

Emily, Lianne are settling into their routines with their new care givers "Grandma" and Shirla. Things are working out mostly wonderfully.

Some Stories from the day.
As Lianne and Shirla were walking down the stairs Lianne asked Shirla to hold her hand strong enough so that Lianne could swing and jump to the next stair. (A favorite activity for Lianne.) Shirla inform Lianne she could not do that. Lianne looked at Shirla and said, "Why not? Other women can!"

Emily and Lianne have been playing more and loving on each other more recently. On the way out of pre-school Lianne grabbed two starburst, put one in her pocket and the other in her mouth. When Emily got home she took the starburst out of her pocket and handed it to Emily.

Today Emily and Lianne sat in front of the TV hugging each other.

Both girls did not want to go to bed last night so they stalled by going into Emily's room and played Leggos, doll house, they shared snacks. This time Emily got Lianne little chocolate bunnies because "...Lianne likes chocolate...."

When playing with each other Lianne declared, "I love you Emily!" and "Daddy Emily and Lianne are sharing!" (A rare occurrence in the Kendall household) They were having so much fun and being so good to each other I let bed time slip.. Emily was slow to get up this morning but it was worth it.

Picture Day in China

2012-01-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Recent Email from Donna below:

We had picture day today. Jacob really hammed it up and worked the cameras. He Loves his traditional Mongolian outfit and hat! He has a little girlfriend now...she was wearing the pink flower. He decided to give her his hat and he wore the flower. They are really very cute together.
Thank you all for your prayers. The last two nights have been a little easier.
When he is not fighting me, J is really very charming and cute!
David is quiet--still figuring him out!
enjoy!
JUST 6 MORE DAYS AND THEN I'M HOME AND I AM NEVER LEAVING HOME AGAIN!!!!!! AND I WILL DRINK ICE TEA, AND EAT A STEAK, AND REAL UNCOOKED VEGETABLES AND NO MORE RICE OR EGGS FOR A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK Mommy Last best words of our intrepid explorer who will do anything and go anywhere for her children!

Meanwhile back at the ranch......

Emily and Lianne are back at School/pre-school and Grandma and Shirla are doing a wonderful job taking care of the girls. They are also getting very tired. Em and Lianne can be a handful when they want to be.

That's all for now.

Its Sunday In Texas

2012-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hi all nothing really new to post we skyped briefly today. Lianne and Emily talked to David and Jacob on the Skype. Things were busy in Texas b/c Emily came back from Grandma's with Shrila, we had just come back from McDonald's and shopping. Hopefully we will talk more tomorrow and I will have more to post then. Enjoy the picture.

Donna, David, Jacob & Mary Beth Reach Guangzhou

2012-01-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

On Friday 1/13 Donna, Mary Beth and they boys traveled to Gaungzhou, which their port city back to the US. Some final paperwork, doctor appointments, visa work and US consulate appointments must be completed before cumming home. So Donna and the boys are still 9 days out from cumming home. Have not been able to Skype since their travel to Guangzhou but still communicate via email. Transition is still very tough so please continue to pray and send emails of encouragement to Donna.

Meanwhile back at the ranch. Emily took a trip to visit her Grandma which left me and Lianne with lots of time to play. The time kind of flew by quick. Lianne's favorite baby sitter came over to help out both days which Lianne loved. You can tell by the smile on Lianne's face. Well that is all I have to report tonight.

Funny Travel Storries

2012-01-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

Mary Beth sent some amusing travel stories from on the road in China.

While in Hohhot, the staff at the restaurant were very amenable to special food requests. Because of our allergies, we requested grilled steaks and fried rice with "no sauce" (aka - soy sauce). They would ask back in disbelief..."No sauce?" A few days in, we would start to request and they would finish saying "And no sauce?". Next to the last day there, they said "no sauce" then smiled, handed us the bottle of ketchup, and said "Ketchup?" So kind and so funny!

Jacob had his first plane ride flying from Hohhot to Zhengzhou. He was very excited to see the planes! When we started taking off, he climbed in my lap to watch out the window. As soon as we were airborne, his eyes got super wide and he said "Oh WOW" :-). He then reached for his paper and pencil and began "sketching" what he saw out the window!

We are laughing at all the things that are universal, regardless of age, language, or experiences. Saying "Wow" for something cool, "Hey" when you want some one's attention (we hear that a lot), and the excuses that come to delay bedtime (I'm thirsty, I need water, I'm not sleepy, I need to go to the bathroom)!

It is impressive to us how many signs have English translations. Some of our favorite translations so far include:

At the hotel buffet: "Cold degrease milk"
At the lunch buffet: "Fried McNuggets"
Down the street: "Fertility Hotel"

Then just two nights ago, we called housekeeping for more towels and pillows. They brought the towels, but not the pillows. When I asked again - in English - for "2 Pillows" he still looked confused. I then brought a pillow to the door and he said "Oh. A 'pee-low' Wow what a difference a vowel can make! :-)

Both of the boys are picking up English quickly. Jacob is using several words spontaneously already and David is signing "more" consistently, imitating some words, and showing understanding of English words more each day. Our favorite word Jacob has picked up is "help" said like a true Texan "hey-elp"! We tried to catch this on video - hopefully it came through! My favorite "therapy" time was sitting in the back of the notary office, in front of the Chinese flag, working on requesting "more snack" (craisins from my bag of trail mix). Most "official" therapy ever! :-) We have successfully taught Jacob NOT to spit and to not throw dirty napkins on the floor. When we were in Hohhot, one of the female staff happened to be near Jacob when we reminded him not to throw - he then handed the napkin to her. Now, he waits for a cute waitress to walk by and then hands anything unwanted to her! Quite the charmer!

They both are really good eaters - They both devour eggs, fruit, and congee (rice soup) and are pretty good at trying new things. They do agree on disliking anything green! :-)! And, both LOVE ice cream. LOVE it! It's the highlight of dinner! And as good as the fried rice and steamed rice is, neither of us will want to eat one single grain for many, many months once we return! :-) And both of them are very particular about keeping a clean tray during the meal! It doesn't translate to the room - they are happy to have a mess there, but we sure go through lots of napkins cleaning up every tiny spill during meals!

Pictures and More Pictures

2012-01-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ok this posting is mostly just a visual montage of life in China with David, Jacob and our fearless Donna. I spoke with Donna Briefly this morning. All are getting more sleep at least did last night. Hopefully they will get some more tonight. Transition for the boys continues to be rough, please keep our family especially our China bound family members in your prayers and please send an encouraging email to Donna if you can. Here are the pictures, enjoy!

Meanwhile in TX Dad and Emily Take Wolfe Lodge by storm

2012-01-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

Actually we kind on disappeared with the throngs in Wolfe Lodge with but had a great time. I did not take many pictures. Actually Emily took more than I did. We shared a room with Emily's Little princesses friend Izzy and Dad Parker. We spent lots of time in the water park especially the wave pool. I was disappointed because Emily did not want to do any of the cool slides they have there so maybe next time.

There was a Santa give away in the arcade that looked very scary with the arcade lights I took a picture of. And we ended the weekend with a visit to McDonald's get some nuggets and Fries. A no better way to end the weekend.

The Texas Bound Kendalls Meet David via Skype

2012-01-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

It was a very short visit. Every one in China had just woke up and Momma gave us a skype call. Jacob was pinging about every where and stopped just long enough to say hi and bye and then disappeared. David stayed in Donna's lap and looked at the computer with a puzzled look as if to say "Who are these people? And why are they on Moma's computer?"

Well it was a very fast Hello because Donna, Jacob, David and Mary Beth needed to get breakfast. Hoping we have a longer conversation tomorrow night.

Donna and Jacob Meet David in Zhengzhou

2012-01-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

1. Donna got to meet the orphanage director from Lianne's orphanage on Gotcha day! Lianne and David are from the same province but different orphanages. It just happened that another family was adopting from Lianne's orphanage. Donna and the director hugged and Donna shared photos of Lianne with her. She was very happy to hear about Lianne's progress and wanted to get some more photos!.

2. Following post from Donna's email
David is very quiet little dude. He imitates whatever Jacob does. Jacob is in constant motion! I think he moves more than our Emily does! He is beginning to show some good attachment signs...He was very jealous today when I got David...he was mad at me and refused anything to do with me for a few hours. But when we got on the bus to come back to the hotel, I reached for his little hand, said, "Wo ah ni (spelling?? "I love you, Jin Jin" and he said back in Chinese, "I love you, Mama." If I leave for a little bit (to sign papers or whatever) and then come back, he gives me a big smile and hug. He wants me to carry him a lot. Tonight he is sleeping in his crib-bed...that is open right next to mine. Last night was a hard night. He had nightmares--screaming--finally after two hours, fell asleep. But then an alarm clock that we didn't now was set went off at 6 so no much sleep last night. I haven't quite figured David out yet...

Meanwhile back at the ranch.......

Dad and Emily spent a night at the Wolfe lodge in Grapevine. Lianne stayed at home with Melanie and Addie and was sad a first but Addie and Melanie made things right. Latter that evening Lianne was very excited about the full moon. Moon watching is somewhat a bed time ritual in the Kendall Home.

I Hope you enjoy the new pics of David and Jacob. I will post Wolf Lodge pictures. Latter.

jacob & his mom

2012-01-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from gotcha and adoption day of Jacob getting to know his mom. Donna says that Jacob is having a hard time adjusting to his new circumstances. So please keep Jacob and Donna in your prayers. Jacob understandably was very nervous when he met his momma. We got to skype with Jacob again tonight.

My girls wanted to see Jacob very much and of course Mary Beth. Donna bought Jacob a traditional Mongolian suit complete with a pointed hat. Jacob took one look at him self in the mirror and said "Handsome!"

Meanwhile back at the ranch Emily's first day back at school and Lianne went to mothers day out. Which help our wonderful helper Melanie. Her daughter Adrianne and very close friend to our family has come out to help for a few days. So things going pretty well at the ranch except we all miss momma very very much.

Well that's all for now. Enjoy the pictures.

Jacob uses Skype

2012-01-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight after dinner Emily, Lianne, Melanie, and Dad got to meet Jacob on Skype! Jacob recognized his Daddy right away saying "Papa" and a whole bunch of Chinese we did not understand! We also heard Jacob say "Hello, Bye Bye, and Nihao". Well me and Emily need to take a crash course in Mandarin real fast!

Donna said Jacob is very verbal, extremely active and had a hard time sleeping his first night with his forever family..... We hope and anticipate things will improve with time.

It was wonderful seeing my son in real time for the first time, I wish I could be there with Donna and able to hold my son in my arms.

Meanwhile back at home...... after skyping we all goofed around and got ready for 1st day of school back from the holiday break. I think it will be a hard wake up call for my girls, but it will be great to get them back into a familiar life rhythm. OK that is all for now. Sorry, no pictures today. I did not think of using the snap shot in Skype until way after the call. Also hopefully Donna will send pics soon.

Rich...........

Donna Lands in Hohhot Inner Mongolia

2012-01-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

Just some thoughts you can post:

We are here in beautiful, but COLD Inner Mongolia. It really is beautiful. I could see the snow capped mountains as I flew in. The sky is blue--not like gray in Beijing. We are in a wonderful, clean (!) hotel. It's only two years old! Yea!! Mary Beth and I were so excited to be staying in such fantastic room. The bathrooms do have some funny features...there is a large window between the bathroom and bedroom (same as the last hotel). At least this one has mini blinds that work! In the shower, there is a full length mirror. THAT threw me for just a minute!

We're meeting Jacob at 10:00 at the hotel. Please continue to pray for his sweet heart...that he will begin to know he is safe with me, while he grieves his losses.

I can't access Facebook or the blog anymore. But please keep the comments coming! They get forwarded to me, and I can't tell you how much they mean to me.

Pictures to come later today!

**OH: Just a funny---when I was going through the body scanner at LAX, the security guy said, "Thanks, step this way. And just remember, if anyone tells you that you are short, just tell them, no I'm not, I'm fun size!"
*HA!

More later from me, the fun-size Mom

Donna on the Move again to Hohhot

2012-01-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's 9:48 pm CT 1/2/2012, but in China it is Tue 1/3/2012 10:48 AM and Donna is flying a plane this time to Hohhot, innner mongolia. It is pretty much due west of Beijiing. She will get to hold Jacob on Wed 1/4/2012. Keep Donna in your prayers, she has not yet adjusted to the new time zone and will soon have a 3 yr old handfull in her hands.

Meanwhile back at the ranch.............

Daddy set up the "Momma count down boar, put up Mary Beth's nifty communication boards, and plasted a world map in our kitchen. We marked every city where Donna will be and Changsha ofcourse since that is where we adopted Emily from.... Emily was quick to point out Changsha as well as Qidong and then should Lianne Zhengzhou, Lianne was very excited. Then.......

Things even got better, mommy skyped in (4AM her time) see what I mean and the girls got to see and talk to their mom and Mary Beth ofcourse. Well that's all for now.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

2012-01-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Emily, Lianne and Dad went to the park. Audrey (our dog) met her friend Scout and wrestled with her until she was very very tired. Scout like to chase after balls and Emily and lianne had fun helping scout do just that.

After the Park Emily and Lianne picked flowers (Dandilions) for mom for when she gets home. When I informed them that the flowers would be withered up and dead by the time Mom comes home they looked at me like I had 3 heads. Well mom if you can get to this site here are some flowers for you to enjoy posted with this blog. Pic of girls playing at the park as well. Good night all. I will attempt to get my girls into a regular schedule tommorrow.

Donna Takes China by Surprise 1st Guangzhou and then Beijiing!

2012-01-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

At 4:44 today Donna text me to let me know she had landed in Guangzhou.
At 10:25 pm she texted in Beijiing and at hotel. She is tired but doing well. She tried out the panda phone which is working fine. Tommorrow morning she leaves for Hohhot for Jacob! Jacob your momma is on her way!

Donna Leaves for Jacob and David

2012-01-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Donna and Mary Beth left DFW on the way to LAX on the way to Beijiing via Gaungzhou. They should arrive in Gaungzhou 6 AM Monday January the 2, which will still be Sunday our time. This picture taken under the wish bone at DFW. Momma our wishes are for a safe and uneventful travel to Beijiing. We love you and will miss you.

update having trouble getting the wish bone picture added will add latter.

Rich.........

We are HOME!

2009-12-24T23:28:00.000-08:00

We are home! Girls sleeping in their own beds!! Mom can't sleep....at 1:30 am....

We are all well, we are blessed, we are grateful...we are home! God has been so kind to us all the way.

And we can drink the water now.

More pictures to come,

one happy, proud mama.....

2009-12-24T01:17:00.000-08:00

The Guangzhou Zoo and LA

2009-12-24T01:04:00.000-08:00

What does the Guangzhou Zoo and LA have in common? The Kendall's were there. We had a fast and busy last day in Guangzhou. Hit the zoo in the morning, lots of animals and better habitats than the national zoo in DC. Then back to the hotel for lunch and quick run to the Cuangzhou folk museum for last minute gift buying. Last minute play time and packing at the hotel, check out at 5;30 pm and whala on the bus at 5:45 for a 9pm flight. Do not remember how many security checks there were at the airport but there were plenty. For the most part all Kendalls and Mary Beth faired well on the flight home. Donna and Lianne got the least sleep. In LA we had to deboard the plane onto a bus to the terminal (Again!) yuck then spent 2 hours clearing customs/imigration. Lianne is now a US citizen!!! Wha Who!!! Certificate and T-shirt to follow. That's all for now. Time to sleep and hopefully get home on Xmas eve. I love snow but hope for no delays, lets get the snow after we are home. Please!! A white Christmas in Dallas would be another small miracle to add to our huge miracle of Lianne coming home to her forever family!!!

A Short Video

2009-12-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a short video

Click here to watch "Mom and Lianne"

2009-12-22T10:20:00.001-08:00

Last pics from China!!!

We are leaving tomorrow night! 9:00 pm!! Woo hoo!!! 13 hours to L.A., then spend the night in L.A., leave the next day around 10, I think, then into Dallas by 4:00 pm. We're on our way home!! And I am soooooo ready to be home! 4 people, 1 one room, 15 days, 7 planes....enough already! USA here we come! I'm getting me some real ICE Tea, and a steak!

Here are the last pics. The "outdoor" shot is really indoors at our hotel. Emily loves the fish in the hotel, and named one "Ashley Jumbo" (yes, Lisa, after your Ashley!)

I'm so sorry that many of you have tried to post comments and have been unable to. I'll change blog site if I need to after I get home, or figure out what's going on! Thank you for your emails and those comments that have been posted. I can't tell you how much they have meant to me, esp. being over here!! Your prayers and good wishes and love have reached us and surrounded us and sustained us. We love you all and can't wait for you to meet our Lianne in person. (She's even cuter than her pictures!)

much love,
D, R,E, and L

2009-12-20T04:49:00.000-08:00

A few more pics:
We are coming home early and will be home on 12/24.
love to all,
D

2009-12-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hey!! We're here in Guangzhou! The weather is so nice! We don't need coats and hats anymore! Right around 60 today I think...at least it felt that way. Although I have been stopped by the fashion police & told to cover my baby up, that she needs to wear more clothes.

We did lots of paperwork today. Our consulate appt. got moved up to Monday, so there is a chance we may be coming home earlier. No definite plans yet...Rich is working on that!

Lianne continues to amaze and charm us. She will look at the person you name when you say, "Where's Mommy? Daddy? Emily?" She says Dada if Emily says it first! She's such a sweetie.

Here's a few more pics!

Keep praying for us. God is providing for us in all the small...and big ways...we're just noticing what He's doing more....!

D, R, E, & L

Picture explanation: Emily has been on a hunt for the Great Stone Dragon everyone we go. We have a LOT of pictures of The Great Stone Dragon.....

Praise God!

2009-12-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

We're leaving this city tomorrow.
Lianne is so funny and smart! She's already waving bye bye, saying Dada, sometimes says Mama, recognizes our voices and looks for us when we're not in her line of sight, plays games with us, and this sweet baby is most definitely not paralyzed. She raises her foot for me to tickle it, laughs when I tickle her thighs, and lies on her back and waves both feet in the air at me... on purpose. Really funny!
I know we still have a LOT of surgery and therapies... but she is not paralyzed! Praise God!

2009-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

I am so tired I can't write today.
All good...but she is a my kangaroo baby and will not let me put her down at all. Just wants to be held in the kangaroo position. I just got her to sleep and was finally able to lay her down...so I'm writing fast and furiously.
It's snowing here! Crazy, huh?!
Emily is doing great. Really great. She gets a little teary sometimes, like this morning when Rich, Lianne and I left to go to do paperwork and she stayed at the hotel with Mary Beth. When we got back, she teared up and said, "I thought you weren't coming back." But everything is ok now.
We'll leave here on Friday morning. Just 2 more hotels to go! And 3 more planes!

We've got her!

2009-12-14T05:21:00.000-08:00

We've got her!

Can't write much now......finally got both girls asleep. Will write more tomorrow.

Besides.....it's pictures you all want anyway!!

God has been so good to us.

For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted my request....

Enjoy...

Donna, Rich, Emily, and Lianne Marie

God has been so good to us.

2009-12-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

We all just got up! I'm so excited and joyful I"m like a kid at Christmas!

Emily slept from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am. Woo hooo! The only complaint I had about last night's sleep was the bed! it's like a board with a sheet on top. I'm not kidding. It's INCREDIBLY hard!

Emily is standing right next to me waiting for her computer time, so I'll go. I'll post pics in a few hours!

Woo hoo!!

God has been so good to us.

Zhengzhou, it's cold!

2009-12-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

We made it to our next city, Zhengzhou, today. It's COLD here, too!

We had pizza for lunch at Mama Mia's in the hotel.. and it was quite good! Yes, I came to China to eat pizza.

Emily is slowly getting an easier sleep cycle. She was up at 4:30 today instead of 2:30. It's 7 now and she's asleep. Rich and Mary Beth are at Walmart buying water (large cases of it!) and diapers.

And I'm trying to catch up on email, unpacking, etc.

We will meet Lianne in the morning at the registration office. We're here in Zhengzhou until Friday when we fly to Guangzhou.

And I'm hoping it's warmer there.

We have been blessed in many, many little ways on this trip. we've had several instances of things that could have gone horribly wrong (I forgot that I left our passports in the hotel safe as we were leaving the hotel this morning...ran back in just in time! Can you believe that??! ME??? Do a thing like that??!! Please!!), but have been made right. We have been beautifully taken care of, even in the middle of difficulties.

We'll post pics, and hopefully video tomorrow!

With much grattitude, love and hugs,

Donna

December 12th 2009 - Update

2009-12-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

*editors note- Yesterday Donna was quite sick and had to stay in the hotel room while everyone else toured Tian anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the silk factory.

Today she writes:

I am feeling much, much better today! Thank you all for your prayers.

Emily and I stayed in at the hotel today, while Rich and Mary Beth went to the Jade Factory and the Great Wall. Emily's "clock" has not adjusted yet, and she has been up wide awake at 1:30 or 2:00 each night. Yesterday the wind blew quite cold and she did not really have much fun going out to the Forbidden City. So....she and I toured the hotel today and took a lot of silly pictures. Right now she's napping, and i'm hoping that she will sleep all night long tonight!

Tomorrow we leave for Zhengzhou. We'll meet our Lianne sometime Monday afternoon.

Much love & hugs from all of us.

We are here!

2009-12-10T05:38:00.001-08:00

We got to our hotel in Beijing about 3:00 this afternoon. Overall, everything went smoothly. Emily did great all things considered! After 30+ hours of travel, changing planes 3 times, and having very little to eat but snacks, I think she's a trooper! We had a wonderful dinner at the hotel tonight and she fell asleep at the table. So...it's 6;15, Em is fast asleep and we're not far behind her. And yes, that means she will be up around 2:00 a.m......

Tomorrow we tour the Great Wall. I'll try to get pics up tomorrow night.

We know we didn't get here by chance....and we're looking forward to each step that brings us closer to our Lianne.

Donna

Lianne's Waiting for Us

2009-12-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of our beautiful Lianne who will join our family on 12.15.09. We are very excited, very busy and very tired right now, but mostly excited!!! That's all for now.

2009-12-04T15:44:00.001-08:00

OK...this is a test to see if I'm doing this right! So....if you can read this see if you can post something back to me! Then we'll be ready for the China diaries.....

The Kendall Chronicles: Where East Meets West

Donna and the Boys arrive!!!

3 Days to Go!!!

4 days to Go!

Mean While Back at the Ranch

More Stories from Guangzhou

Picture Day in China

Its Sunday In Texas

Donna, David, Jacob & Mary Beth Reach Guangzhou

Funny Travel Storries

Pictures and More Pictures

Meanwhile in TX Dad and Emily Take Wolfe Lodge by storm

The Texas Bound Kendalls Meet David via Skype

Donna and Jacob Meet David in Zhengzhou

jacob & his mom

Jacob uses Skype

Donna Lands in Hohhot Inner Mongolia

Donna on the Move again to Hohhot

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

Donna Takes China by Surprise 1st Guangzhou and then Beijiing!

Donna Leaves for Jacob and David

We are HOME!

The Guangzhou Zoo and LA

A Short Video

Praise God!

We've got her!

God has been so good to us.

Zhengzhou, it's cold!

December 12th 2009 - Update

We are here!

Lianne's Waiting for Us