A quick hello from Guangzhou

Hi,

We got up this morning and got ready for the day. We had to pack Scott's suitcases and we sent him home with everything that we did not need. You can see from the pictures that he was pretty sad. We thought we had about thirty minutes together to have breakfast and say our goodbyes but when we got downstairs it was time for us to leave. The goodbye was quick but very tearful. Sharlyn and I cried like we would never see Scott again. We had to get right on a bus with our local guide Simon and have the pictures taken for the visas for the passports so the babies can enter the US. A visa is like a second step in the passport and is not required for all countries. We did have to get one in order to come to China. It is a big stamp on one page of the passport. Lilly is a few steps ahead of her brothers and her sister. Already an international traveler at 11 months old! Soaking up another culture has given us even more of a travel bug than we already had. It is just so fun! Yes.......even with a brand new baby and all the gear. I will actually be sad to leave China. The people are amazing. After the visa pictures we went to a mall area that inside shops and also an outdoor area with more shops and places to eat. We did not feel like shopping too much so we went outside for a latte for Sharlyn and a cool iced drink for me. While we were sitting up there on this crowded street filled with strangers I looked up and there was Dennis. Someone I know! He had left to take Scott to the airport and we had wandered away from the group and he just happened to be coming up the same street. We were more interested in people watching then in shopping so Dennis sat with us and we had a really nice chat. We haven't had a chance to talk with him alone as you can imagine. He is coordinating everything for so many families. One of the pictures is of a man holding Lilly - that is not Dennis. That is a complete stranger sitting next to me at the cafe'. He was with 5 or 6 men and 1 woman. He wanted to hold the baby and now I am so used to strangers holding my baby that I just start undoing her carrier and handed her to him. The other pictures are of Simon - our new guide who is so sweet and teaching us a lot about Chinese history. The others are obvious. In one of them Lilly is sharing her cookie with Daddy. Time for lunch now - Lilly is getting very used to grown up food and lets us know if we have forgotten meal time. She is letting us know right this minute.

Bye for now.

Love,

Kimberly