Twenty-two

     For twenty-two days, Eric and I haven't slept in our own beds. We haven't driven our own cars. We haven't seen the corn grow on two sides of our house (WOW it's so tall now!). We haven't set foot in a grocery store that isn't absolutely bananas with people. We haven't done a.lot.of.things. for twenty-two days.
     For twenty-two days, Eric and I have been away from home. And I'm not just talking about the physical aspect of home. I mean its comfort, its familiarity, and its pace. Life these last three weeks has been...well, busy! And busy is good. There are times in my life where I thrive on busy-ness. But there's also a point in time where you long for slowness and simplicity. And I think it's safe to say Eric and I both reached this so-called "point."
     As some of you may have figured out, we JUST arrived home (like HOME HOME...not just United States home) late last night from a week in Daytona Beach with my family. Say whaaaaa?! YEP! You read that right! Let me break it down for you as to how this exactly happened...only because I can laugh about it now. Our plane from Hong Kong/Dallas landed in Detroit at 11:45PM last Friday night. We claimed our baggage and rode a shuttle to a hotel near the airport...where my mom and our three other kiddos were sleeping. (Well, my mom probably wasn't doing much sleeping.) At 5:30AM we re-loaded said shuttle with all our previously-claimed baggage and all of our kiddos and our grandma...and we flew to Orlando. Well, actually, we had a layover in Charlotte...and THEN we flew to Orlando. THEN, we picked up a rental car and crammed into it like a bunch of sardines and drove an hour or so to Daytona Beach to stay with my sisters and their kiddos in a three bedroom/two bathroom condo on the beach. For a week. After a two-week stay in China. With a different time zone. Yeah. Crazy, right? Probably.
      BUT! We did it and we have no regrets! (Well, unless you count the time we chose to have Eric patted down at the airport on the flight back to save four Capri Sun pouches for the kids...there may have been regrets about that part, ha!) But, I digress. Eric and I were careful not to share too much about this decision for a couple of reasons. One, being judgement by other people (we knew we would do what we thought was feasible for our family)...and the other reason being that we were fully prepared to back out of this trip if we thought it would be too much for Josiah. The biggest reasons we chose to even consider this trip were Sydney and Landon. My parents own a timeshare that comes every other summer. We've known about this vacation for a looooooong time and they've been looking forward to it for equally as long. The other reason it seemed to make sense (if that's possible?) is that it literally butted up to our China trip...so we weren't bringing Josiah into our physical home...and then ripping him out of it and confusing him with a trip to Florida which he won't remember. It seemed to be the best timing for making this vacation possible. And our bigs were SO EXCITED...which made it totally worth the effort.
     Eight flights in three weeks. That's gotta be a record for someone NOT in the business of flying planes, right? Maybe not. But I know I'll never be able to say that statistic again. Do you remember that I don't like flying? I still don't care for it...but I definitely feel more comfortable in the air. HA! Again, a huge answered prayer! We joke that Josiah is going to think we're some jet-setters with all of this flying. He became a pro by the last flight home!

     We took it easy and did what we thought was best during our time in Florida. Some times we swam...sometimes we didn't. Sometimes Eric went down...sometimes I went down. And sometimes, we both went down! My family was SUPER helpful with Sydney and Landon as Eric and I tended to the "twins" and tried to recover from jet lag. It hit Eric pretty hard the first couple of days...and then it hit me. Once the little kids were in bed...so were we! Honestly, the only way we survived was because of my family pitching in with the older two kiddos. We were extremely grateful for their care and attention throughout the week to make sure Sydney and Landon were having fun! Eric and I also got to enjoy time with all four kiddos at the beach and the pool. Josiah did pretty amazing considering everything. He LOVES kiddos! That was super helpful as he just got in line with his siblings and cousins and did all of the things! He also did his share of crying too. Don't go thinking this was some super easy trip. We're still talking about two very young toddlers! Ha! But all in all...we had a great time and we're glad we could spend time in Florida as a family of 6.

     We hit the ground running this morning as Eric was on the schedule for sound booth at church. I stayed home with all four kiddos to lay low and continue to work on bonding. Josiah definitely cries when I leave the room and likes me to hold him...especially when I'm holding Emmaline! The "twins" are perfecting the antagonizing relationship that siblings tend to exhibit. Josiah likes to "tattle" on Emmaline who has turned into quite the stinker! If there wasn't a dull moment before...there's even LESS of those moments now! HA! We're having fun and laughing along the way. And again, there are also moments when I'm ready for a large coffee at Biggby...which is where I went today...with just Sydney. It was so nice to have some quiet time. We even grocery shopped! Fun stuff! Seriously. 

     All in all, we've seen so much improvement these last few weeks and can't wait to continue to watch Josiah grow and learn. The other kids have handled all of these changes well too. We're just very grateful! Thanks again for everyone who has prayed for us these last few weeks in particular. Every time I look back upon all that has happened...I have to give all the glory to Him! How else are we still alive!? God is good!

      I hope you all have a super week- whatever it may entail! I know the kids and I have some things we'd still like to accomplish these next few weeks....as Summer is quickly ending! 

...Home...

     We left the hotel at 7:30AM on Friday. (7:30PM Thursday U.S. time) We loaded into a van with two other families and drove to the border in Shenzen. We knew it was going to be about 2 hours for this portion. I barely slept the night before because of nerves and excitement. I'm not sure many of us slept. How could we?! We were finally going home!!
     As we drove, I started to worry. I had no idea if we were going the right way. Signs were in Chinese and obviously it wasn't a trip we had ever taken before. To make my mind wander even more,  I overheard the couple in front of us say they didn't remember seeing these things on their way into Guangzhou from Hong Kong. They were very tired and slept during their commute, but the first part was all I needed to hear to make my Mama heart start formulating ideas of how we weren't actually going to the airport. I blame it on my nervous mama heart and not getting any sleep. But, either way, I made Eric use our beloved international data plan and pull it up on Google maps. Thankfully, we were indeed going the correct way. I made Eric check it throughout the trip. Thank you, Lord!
     When we got to Shenzhen, we had to split up into two smaller vans for the remainder of the trip. This "crossing the border" part took a while and was a little nerve-wracking. We had to fill out forms and drive through two border stations. We waited a while to work our way through both stations. Each time, our driver had to open up all of the van doors and the trunk. And each time, we had to show our faces and our passports to the patrolman and explain who Josiah was...they always asked us what his (Chinese) name was before we could proceed. They even quizzed us on whether he was a boy or girl at one  station. At the second border check, a lady actually came out and checked all of our temperatures- all 5 of us! Craziness. Thankfully, we were fever free because otherwise they would have re-checked us in Hong Kong.
     We arrived at the airport and checked our luggage fairly painlessly. It was insanely busy though. Luckily, we had enough time to grab lunch at the food court (Food on planes is awful!)...but there were no tables. We're talking thousands of people and trying to find a table like a needle in a haystack. Talk about stressful! We finally pulled up two high chairs and set our food tray on top of one and put Josiah in the other. Eric and I sat in extra chairs we had pulled from surrounding tables. Here's our guy eating congee...and french fries...yum!

     After lunch, we made it to our gate with less than an hour or so to spare which was perfect. When it was time to board the plane, we were allowed to go whenever we wanted since we had babies. This was a nice gesture, but we preferred to board later than earlier because #lesstimeonaplane. Here's our sweet boy looking out at his ride HOME and playing with his most favorite toy ever.

     The security in Hong Kong was no joke. Obviously we had already been through several security checks up until this point. But unfortunately, we had to go through one final check as we made our way onto the plane. Everyone's carry-on and personal item was checked and then a man was checking our tickets individually to see if you needed an extra "random" check. This was an international flight... we're talking a big plane...with a LOT of  people. But guess who won the door prize for a random check?! Ding, ding, ding! Me!
     I had the pleasure of going off into a third line with a few other lucky winners to be checked more thoroughly. I was holding Josiah which they told me was no big deal. But after watching others complete their "random checks," I knew that Josiah would have more fun with Eric. Honestly, I almost unraveled at this point. I fought back tears as I watched Eric and Josiah pass by easily and begin to board. Eric could see that I was ready to break down and waited for me.
      By the time it was finally my turn for a random check, I was fed up. But thankfully, no drugs were detected! (sarcasm) I must admit that even though you KNOW you're not hiding something...it is still scary to watch them insert their wand (that just rubbed your shoes or hands or other body part) into a machine and watch it read "processing" for 20 seconds before it reads "No detection." Yikes! Talk about agonizing! As if I wasn't already a nervous flyer...this pushed me over the top.
     But, alas! I was allowed to board the plane! And thankfully, it was a pretty uneventful 14ish hour flight. Josiah assumed this position for the majority of it...praise God! The extra seat was worth every penny!

     Eric was able to sleep a little...I didn't sleep at all. By the time we landed in Dallas, I had been awake for almost 24 hours. We had to go through customs and immigration...along with lots of other people waiting in line. The first man to direct us asked if we had just adopted our babies. He was so kind and spoke with another woman who let us cut all the way to the front. This saved us SO much time!          There were 4-5 adoptive families on our flight and four of us stuck together so we weren't issued green cards. Sometimes adoption isn't as well known to officers so they'll issue your child a green card. *This isn't a huge issue, but it involves more paperwork and usually your congressman.* The Consulate warned us of this possibility on Tuesday so we decided to go with the strength in numbers approach. Thankfully, our officer had no problems with our paperwork and we were given an easy green light! Josiah and I celebrated his U.S. citizenship with a tired selfie!

     We had to grab our bags and recheck them for our connecting flight. At this point, we said our "see ya later" to the other couple we had spent time with in Kunming. They were in a different terminal than we were for the last leg of the trip. I held back tears... I was still in disbelief we were all this close to home! And we were all so, so exhausted. 

     We sat in our gate and waited...trying not to fall asleep. Sitting across from us was a lady who complimented Josiah on how good he was being. He was playing nicely with (you guessed it!) his stacking cups. I explained that we had just come off a 14+ hour flight and the conversation allowed me to share our heart about adoption and how we met Josiah. I also learned that this couple actually went to the same church as my parents and oldest sister years ago! Only God!

     At 8PM (8AM China time), we boarded our final flight from Dallas to Detroit. *Fun fact: We took 5 different flights in 15 days! Yeah us!* Sleep deprivation was more than setting in though...Eric and I tried to do the math about how long we had officially been awake and we.just.could.not.even. Josiah had his moments on this last flight but we survived. He was up for the long haul now.

     When we touched down in Detroit...it was almost still too surreal. But suddenly, I wasn't as tired anymore, ha! I had the chance to share our exciting news with several people who overheard Eric and I talking about our sweet boy. People shared in our excitement as we made our way to baggage claim. The airport was quiet and it was as if we had our own quiet, special moment bringing Josiah down the empty halls as a Murray. We were now just one shuttle away from a hotel full of our other sleeping Murrays! My mom had driven up on Friday night with all 3 kiddos to a hotel near the airport.

    This was the sight I saw when we walked into the room just after 1AM (1PM China time- and on Saturday)... I hugged my mom and we both cried. The kids all grew at least a foot!

     Wow. Just wow. Fifteen days ago, Eric and I left home to travel across the ocean to become a family of six. We left our three babies in the great care of family and friends to go and bring home the child we've all patiently waited and prayed for these last two and a half years. And God did it! He did it all! God allowed our family to overcome so many obstacles and challenges. And He grew us in so many ways! I am eternally grateful for this opportunity to raise another child and teach him about the love of Jesus Christ...an opportunity he might not otherwise have had. 

     Thank you for following along, friends! Our Josiah is home! He's HOME! Here he is meeting Sydney for the first time...it was all smiles and giggles. He just loves his brother and sisters!

     I hope to continue sharing our adoption journey as I see fit...but not daily! Haha! No one wants to see that. But I do pray our story...God's story...has encouraged you in some way- big or small! Thanks again!

Saying "See Ya Later"

     When we first received our LOA back in March, we were anticipating travel could be late April or May. And as I've shared before, July wasn't really on our radar. But here we are, getting ready to leave China in the middle of July, and I couldn't imagine a better experience or a better group of people to travel with here.
     We had two other families with us in Kunming. Again, we learned this was considered a large group. And yet, I'm grateful God orchestrated our paths to cross during our stay in Kunming. I can't imagine a smaller group! When we arrived in Guangzhou, our tribe grew by four more families. Each family was slightly different from the next. Some of us were first time parents, some of us were sixth and third and fourth time parents, and some of us were parents of kids who had graduated college. This group was special. They were kind and funny. They were prayer warriors. We appreciated each family for what they brought to our first trip to China. And while I never doubted God's timing, it isn't always easy to understand why things don't work out at first. But here we are, on the back end of our trip, and we can see so clearly why God laid out this plan for us.
     At noon, we received Josiah's visa. YAY! But we also had to say "See Ya Later" to a few special families that we've shared so much with these last couple of weeks.
     We had nothing on the schedule today which was both good and bad. It was nice to sleep in and eat breakfast when we wanted to eat breakfast. But we also did a lot of sitting around in the hotel room which can make the day drag on!
     Josiah finished off his canister of sweet potato puffs this morning so we headed to Walmart in hopes to find more. UGH! The humidity was awful! And Walmart was equally as bad! (I'll gladly take a Walmart in the U.S. any day!) I can't tell you how many times people cut in front of you while in the checkout line. Eric finally stood beside me to block our spot. But, I digress.
     In regards to our puff search, we came up empty handed as they didn't sell puffs. BUT, they had cherry coke so that was a positive. As we were checking out, I noticed what looked like goldfish crackers across the way. Eric tried asking about them only to be ignored. Finally, a man behind us, who spoke some English, told us they wouldn't be good for kids. We're still not exactly sure what they were but we were so grateful to the man behind us. We thanked him for his help. The cashier lady barely handed me my change...being very careful not to touch me. It was enough to make me upset and rush out of there. Thankfully, Eric grabbed our items, ha!
     On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by Burger King to grab a sandwich. God blessed our visit with another kind woman who spoke English and made ordering very easy. Admittedly, my heart needed these positive interactions because it was getting slightly hardened from daily interactions you can experience here as a foreigner. I know that's not what God wants and neither do I. I'm definitely thankful for His grace.
     Tomorrow, we leave the hotel at 7:30AM and ride in a van to Hong Kong. It's about two hours until Shenzhen where we'll go through customs and hop into another van for the remaining hour drive to the airport. We were fortunate enough to be able to share a van with two other families and split the cost. Yay!
     Our hotel, called The Garden, has a beautiful garden in the back of the building. ..which is probably why it has its name, right?! We went out earlier this week and enjoyed a beautiful walk. Here are some pictures we captured!

     (Sigh) We cannot wait to be on the same side of the world as Sydney, Landon, and Emmaline. We have missed them so, so much! The next time I post will be from HOME! Eek! Thanks for praying, everyone! We've got a long flight ahead of us and an extra passenger in tow. Please pray for health and safety for all of us. Until next time, China! 

Welcome, Wednesday!

     Wednesday. I can hardly believe it's already Wednesday. The weekend here in Guangzhou seemed to drag on forever. Funny how that's not the way it works back home, right?! We're so glad Monday and Tuesday (and now almost Wednesday) are behind us!
     We all slept in this morning and ate breakfast just before heading out to Shamian Island around 10AM. I'm not sure what exactly I was picturing the island to look like...but it wasn't what I had imagined. It's a beautiful place that was originally purposed for all things related to American adoptions. The Consulate used to be housed there, as well as the building where your child had his/her medical appointment. Families also stayed on the island at The White Swan where the famous red velvet couch belonged. Families always had their picture taken with their new child on this particular couch. Our guide said that the hotel was renovated some time ago and as a result, had the furniture replaced. But, because so many adoptive families asked about the red couch...they brought it back to be on display.
     The other famous picture that families usually capture on the island is with the music teacher and her children. The entire island is sprinkled with beautiful bronze sculptures. Naturally, this famous spot was our first stop when we arrived! Josiah wanted nothing to do with it so we did the best we could. Ha!

     We spent the rest of our three hours on the island searching for gifts for the kids. There are tons of little shops with souvenirs and other special items. Many stores are named after the owner such as Helen's, Michael's, Jenny's, and Susan's. I had flagged some posts in a Facebook China Group I'm in to determine which of the stores might be best for what we wanted to purchase. There was also a store called A Gift From China where the proceeds benefit orphans in China. We stopped there first...well technically, second. *Actually, Eric encouraged me to go to Starbucks first for a coffee. Great idea!* The owner of A Gift from China was so kind and we even heard Amazing Grace being played there! We found some neat items and continued on our way. 

     As we walked past another building, a girl pulled me into a very small shop and I noticed it said Jenny's. Ha! Perfect! It was another store I had wanted to check out. The signs on many of these stores aren't easily seen so you definitely have to pay attention and look hard to find some of these spots. Eric stayed outside with Josiah and I looked around. A man, who was actually one of the owners, began talking to me and asking me about my family. He was very kind and showed me around his store...all 8x10 square feet of it. I saw a few items I was interested in, but wanted to keep going. I told him I might come back. He came out as we were getting ready to leave and gave Josiah a Chinese flag. It was so sweet.

     Our next stop was Helen's and this store owner was also very kind. She was also slightly pushy but not in an annoying way. She truly just wanted to show us all her store had to offer. We purchased all the kids a cultural outfit. The girls got matching silk dresses and the boys got matching silk short and shirt outfits. 

     By now, we were ready for lunch so we stopped at a famous restaurant called Lucy's. (They're all about the first names here!) They had congee on the menu so that was a bonus. I had sweet and sour chicken that was actually pretty good. It was more like American Chinese so it was right up my alley. 

     Afterwards, we only had about thirty minutes before the van came to pick us back up. I wanted to stop back at Jenny's... partly because the owner was so nice and partly because I wanted something else small to give the kids. We went back and picked up some handmade wooden frogs that make music and a pair of squeaky sandals for Josiah. These squeaker shoes are quite popular! I wasn't sure what Josiah would think so I put them on him and gave them a squeak. Instant smiles! Actually, we had to wear them out of the store because he didn't want to take them off! Here he is all smiles with his new shoes.

     We had a few extra minutes before we left, so I snapped several pictures of the bronze sculptures because they were all very different. Here were some we saw as well as some views of our walk around the island. The buildings were just as beautiful.

     Josiah fell asleep on the way back as he usually does any time we're in a vehicle. 

     Unfortunately, he woke up when we got to the room though. And since nap time was such a fiasco yesterday, Eric suggested heading to the pool. Josiah was very hesitant at first. But he sat on my lap and really enjoyed splashing. Once he warmed up, he let Eric hold him in the water and did not want to get out. The only reason we left was because it had started raining. Josiah loved the splashing part!

     All in all, it was a great day. We even got Josiah to nap this afternoon... although he cried quite a bit before falling asleep in my arms. He crashed on the dinner cruise last night so we really wanted to try and encourage him to rest. We have NO schedule tomorrow except that we'll hopefully meet our guide at noon to get Josiah's visa. We're almost home, friends! Yay!! As always, thank you for your prayers!