This morning started as usual but I dressed Esther and Xavier in some special items that I had a friend in the adoption community make for them just prior to our trip here to China. These ones say: For this child I have prayed - 1 Samuel 1:27 I have another set made for them too that I will share when they wear them. I think they are perfect!
After our hearty breakfast, we came back to the room to kill some time. Mama began packing and organizing because tomorrow we leave for Guangzhou! During that time we Skyped and the kiddos romped on the bed.
Then at 10am, we met down int the loby for a walk/subway journey to Zijingshan Park. From my experience, parks in China tend to be beautiful places to go. I enjoy the beauty of them. This park had an "exercise equipment" area, common in China. Their sense of exercise equipment differs from that in the U.S. Additionally, instead of playground equipment, there were kiddie fair rides. A child could ride (including adult if needed) for 20 RMB (that is about $3 a ride), not cheap but the ride times were much longer than you typically get in the U.S. The little ones rode three different rides and Xavier loved them, not wanting to get off when the rides were over. Thankfully, he did not have a melt down, just shared his frustration.
We returned to the hotel shortly after 12:30pm, fixed some noodles for lunch and put two very sleepy kiddos down for naps at 2pm. Ester napped till after 4pm and Xavier was a bit of a challenge to get woken up. It was nearly 5pm before he finally totally roused.
This is one of the many exercise equipment pieces. These are actually a full back and lower back massager. We could all use one of these, right?
Big brother Michiael rode the car roller coaster with Xavier and even took a selfie with him (see below)! Xavier was not happy to get off.
I think Logan had the most fun on this ride, there were buttons to make it go up and down. He had fun with this!
Bumper cars were a hit with Xavier too, though he preferred the softer bumps over the harder.
Esther did not seem to enjoy this one, I guess whiplash isn't her thing.
Awesomely creative landscaping!
Paddle boats
We walked all the way back to the hotel from the park. It was about a 20 minute walk but was great at wearing out the two littles. This is Esther's first piggy back ride, she caught on pretty fast. There were lots of stairs because to get across the street in some areas you have to go underground. Esther is a bit slow on stair because her depth perception is not good due to an eye issue that we will have repaired in the near future. I think once she can see better she will be more sturdy on her feet!
While the little ones napping, Michiael went to WalMart one last time to get a small jug of water to get us through till tomorrow. He took a photo for memory sake. WalMart is a bit different here in China, the kids enjoyed the experience.
On his way back, Michiael said there was a benefit set up for "Save the Elephants".
For dinner tonight, we ordered room service, it was quite a variety from beef & noodles, sweet & sour pork, fried green beans (which were actually pea pods), fish & chips, chicken nuggets & fries, and hamburger & fries.
This afternoon we received their passports!!! Obviously need those to finalize this trip! Tomorrow we leave the hotel just after 10:30am to head for the airport. Our flight is at about 2pm.
