Technical Difficulties

The pictures are taking a lot of time to load.  So we wrote all of the text from the past 2 days and hopefully we can load the pictures at our next hotel! 

We walked the streets of Taiyuan City and found a super market.  It reminded us a lot of Chicago. This is a huge city with a lot of clothing stores and little groceries.  We also ate lunch at McDonalds.  I don't think I have longed for fries so much in my life! 

Now off to get our little Madeline!

Sunday . . .Forbidden City and Lunch with a Local Family

Day 2:  We started again this morning at 5:30 a.m.  No need to set alarms in this hotel room.  We were ready for our tour at 8:30 this morning.  I need to tell you about the breakfast.  The displays are so beautiful and fresh,  There was egg fried rice and lots of veggiess,  even noodles for breakfast.  This morning they had fried potatoes.  Now when I say fried potatoes I mean McDonald's looking hash browns.  We totally loaded up!  We were advised not to eat the fruit becasue they wash it in the water, but the doctor with us said anything with an outer layer will be fine. SO  . . . we had dragon fruit for the first time.  It tastes much like kiwi.  Delicious!

We toured the Forbidden City.  I have to say that we probably would have enjoyed it a little more if it wasn't so cold, but we made the most of it.  I couldn't help wondering what life would have been like for the emperor and the empress that can only stay in the city.  They did have a garden within the city that was divine.  I would have loved to see it in bloom.

Lunch with a local family was interesting!  The family had lived in this house for 3 generations,  150 years.  The neighborhood was 700 years old.  The streets were very narrow and felt like a maze.  The man was a Kung Fu teacher and his son is living in Houston and training other martial artist.  His wife made all of the food for our group and we sat in their living room.  Tight quarters but the most delicious Chinese food we have had yet on the trip.  We finished the Beijing tour with a bicycle ride through the HuJong town.  Then off to the airport!

Saturday Sightseeing ... Great Wall & Olympic Village

Day 1:
We officially woke up at 3AM (the first time) and got up around 5AM ... we'll get there!  Today was a great day.  We toured the Great Wall - what a marvel (and a pretty good stair master ;-b) ...

Just a little bit windy and cold but quite the place!

The view from one of the early lookout towers

The "blue eyed" American boys are popular with the ladies!!

After the Great Wall we had a Chinese lunch which was truly delicious above a Jade store.  Jade has a lot of significance in China.  We took a tour and had time to look at the various items.  Mommy had heard about the "bangel" which is a Jade bracelet that women wear and never take off.  Then once you have a daughter you will give it to her and she will pass it on to her daughter.

All of the boys had fun chillin' on the bus . . .

We finished up the day at the Olympic Village with the Bird's Nest and The Water Cube.

Daddy's 1st attempt at the panoramic feature on the new camera ;-b

Before dinner our guide took us to a supermarket.  Mommy just can't stay away from the potato chips!

Zaochen hao (Good Morning) from Beijing!!

We are finally here!  What a plane ride.  After a good night's sleep four of the Landrum's are awake in Beijing and ready for a HUGE breakfast.  We will meet our beautiful 5th Landrum in roughly 36 hours!!

Here are a few pictures from our travel day ...

Flight #1:  DFW to San Fransisco ... Early Smiles!

The BIG one ... starting our 12 hour flight to Beijing

Back on LAND ... We made it!!  Simon capturing the artwork at the Beijing airport.

Travel Approval! We leave on March 8th!

God is SO GOOD!   We went to Mass this morning to once again thank God for His many blessings and LOVE!  The wait is about to end, and the journey is starting.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and support during these past 2 years.  7 more days and we will be sitting on a plane!!

Article 5 Approval!!!

I know most of these acronyms don't mean much to everyone, but Article 5 Approval really means that we are one paper away (Travel Approval) from going to China!!!

This morning our agency told us that our Article 5 was sent to the CCCWA, and please continue to pray that this last document will be issued quickly! PRAY for us and for all of the families that are waiting to travel!

We are so close to seeing our little Madeline!

Care Package #2

Being the active mom that I am, it is killing me to be sitting behind a computer, printing applications, shipping papers.  It seems, so far, that is all that I can do!  Believe me the manager at Fedex Kinkos knows me by name and each time asks how close we are to leaving for China.  So I had to send another package.  Just to scream from the roof tops that WE ARE COMING SOON, REAL SOON!