R & R in Hawaii (Part 2)

...Jump down to my last post to see new photos...

Hi again.
I just wanted to get some of these posted before too long (and before anything happened with my connection...)

We are coming to you tonight (Sun. evening) from the Marriott Ko Olina Resort where we've been enjoying some well-deserved (and somewhat stress-free) downtime and family bonding time.

So at this point, young Dylan figures that he's been adopted by a wandering tribe of nomads, who only stay in one place for a few days before packing up and getting on another airplane for some new destination. He's been in more hotel rooms in the last two weeks than Lisa and I have in the last two years! Imagine his little brain trying to process what's happening...

We're hopeful that every morning he wakes up and sees all of us, at least he feels comfortable and that he can trust us to take care of him. There will be plenty of time later for routines and structure. Certainly not on this journey!

A few Disneyland notes...
In "Small World" a favorite of both D & K, every time Dad pointed to an item of interest, young Dylan would nod approvingly three times. It meant one of two things:
(A) - "Yes, Dad, thanks for pointing that out. I do enjoy looking at it."
(B) - "OK, Dad, that's enough pointing. I'm not blind, I'm just being polite."

There seemed to be a confusing (to me) overabundance of the "Stitch" character? Perhaps positive test marketing and focus groups were the cause - but the effect was a little disturbing - what the he** is "Stitch" anyway?? It's no wonder attendance is down...

We are thankful for the downtime here in Hawaii. The Tokyo layover was brutal. Meltdowns were plentiful (we had 6 hours to kill!). In general, airports were a challenge, juggling Strollers, three carry-on bags, Starbucks Coffees, and oh yeah...two squirming three-year-olds! As soon as we get home, Lisa and are will be putting the4 finishing touches on our new Cirqe-du-Soleil juggling act - look for it this fall in a theater new you.

The last days in GZ were fun - you know about the Zoo...
But we forgot to tell you about the RATS.
No fancy cages, carefully planned exhibits or expensive habitats - just rats!
Running free and enjoying the zoo - just like us.
Miss Helen, not sure of the degree of OUR OWN domestication asked: "Have you ever seen a Rat up close?"
Perhaps the rats were running to stay one step ahead of the feral cats we also saw patrolling the shadows behind the cages and exhibits!

It must be cultural, because both boys have a keen sense of smell!
Did we mention that GZ was hot?? On our many walks we wandering behind several restaurants, and the stench of garbage was heavy in the air in some places.
When encountering any foul odor, Kyle, ever the diplomat, blurted out "Something Stinks, Daddy!" Almost at the same instant (without even knowing what Kyle was saying...), Dylan's little hand shot up so that his fingers could pinch his nose shut!

Hawaii has been fun so far. We've been staying close to the hotel, eating breakfast at the nice Buffet, and Lunch & Dinner out. We've hit Zippy's (don't laugh - Special K ate his entire pizza, while Lisa and I choked down a Grilled Cheese and burger, respectively) which is a local favorite, and Pizza Hut (same as it ever was...).

Last night we watched 4th of July fireworks (shot off from the "Wet-n-Wild Hawaii") from the Home Depot parking Lot across the highway. There were about 30 other carloads of people that joined us!

The hotel has a nice pool and there are four protected and sheltered lagoons nearby with sandy beaches for swimming and fun.

Last night was not a good one for K-man (bigtime tantrum at Bedtime, one for the record books). So as Dylan began acting up at Dinnertime tonight, Kyle says, "Dylan's not going to start with this tonight, Mommy!" The epitome of the pot calling the Kettle black!!

This afternoon we visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation where we had a nice morning. We took a narrated train tour of the working plantation that thrilled both Kyle and Dylan. We picked up a couple of small items on the way out and took the long way home. Mission accomplished - about halfway down the foothills, they both fell asleep. The quite time was priceless for Lisa and me...

We continued to drive right past the resort and on up the west coast of the island, just to keep the quiet time going. We also snuck a couple of McD's sundaes on the way - please don't tell the boys - they didn't even wake up!

We'll try to catch up with more photos soon.

Tomorrow we're driving up to the North Shore to have a day out with a picnic lunch.

Good night all.
C

R&R in Hawaii...

Hi everyone, C here.

Before I start writing, some long-promised photos...

Dylan & Kyle in their 4th of July gear!



The family in front of the Dalian SWI (Dylan's Orphanage)



Kyle & Dad goofing around on a skateboarding sculpture at the Dalian "at the sea" Park:



With Buzz Lightyear (of Start Command) at Disneyland Hong Kong:



At the GZ Zoo in front of the Bear Exhibit:



Mom & Dylan at the GZ Zoo



Dad & the Guys at the GZ Zoo



Mom and the Men on the HKD Carousel



Mom & K-man at the top of the Pearl Tower in Shanghai (just prior to Mom's breakdown - she's very afraid of heights!)



TODAY at the Dole Pineapple Plantation here in Oahu:



I'll continue in a moment...

C

Hong Kong Arrival

Hi all:

Lisa here. Contrary to what some of you may have thought that I am sleeping or baby-sitting the kids all of the time, I finally have a few minutes of free time. I am in the Bistro area of the Marriott Sky City Hotel in HK and it's beautiful. The hotel is brand new and we have a great room with a view. I was trying to arrange for our boarding passes tomorrow via the internet, but no such luck (what has been easy on this trip so far - NOTHING!!). There are no "open" seats, so I guess we'll need to re-arrange once we hit the airport in the a.m. It's going to be a long day -- we fly from HK to Tokyo at 8:20 a.m. and then we have about a 7 hour layover before leaving for Honolulu on an overnight flight. We also gain a day going back into the states, which is kind of cool.

We left Guangzhou around 11:30 this morning, arrived in HK at 12:30 and bolted to our hotel, which is literally 5 minutes from the airport. Then we grabbed a cab and went over to Disneyland, which was about 15 minutes away. It was kind of a "rush" tour through the park, after very long days in Guangzhou. The temps were in the high 80's at least with very high humidity. Based on those factors, no real lunch and no naps, we only had a few mini-meltdowns!!! Dylan, in particular, is now at the stage that he cannot leave Charlie's sight or hand. He wants to be carried alot, so poor Charlie was roasting in the heat, carrying Dylan and a backpack!!! Then, at certain times, Kyle decided he needed only Charlie, too (can I say that was tons of fun?!!!) Anyway, Dylan LOVED the rides. We did the Jungle Cruise, Small World (both were enthralled with that), Pooh (another fave), the Carousel (Kyle actually got on that twice!), Buzz Lightyear, Dylan did flying rockets and I took Kyle on the race cars (that are electric here, so no gas smell!) The boys also loved Mickey's Philharmonic show (the 3-D show). The highlight was probably when Buzz Lightyear appeared, took Kyle's hand and walked him over to the picture area. Dylan was initially crying, but then thought "hey, this is pretty cool" so we got a decent picture. Overall, it was a fun trip. It was actually pretty crowded today vs. the last time that we were here.

The boys are doing very well together most of the time. Dylan has to do EVERYTHING that Kyle does - he is learning really, really fast in terms of just doing things and also speaking. He will even repeat Kyle's sentences at times. He is very funny and very smart. If one of us disciplines him, he will immediately go to the other parent. He also has a look that definitely says "if looks could kill." He will definitely be one of the athletes of the family; he can climb anything and everything and he is very strong. He does not like to hold hands and walk normally, so that is a super challenge. He is either pulling an arm or laying on the ground, running off or crying to be held. That will take some time to get used to, I guess. Kyle definitely likes being the big brother and was extremely helpful especially today, when we needed someone to grab a stroller or push it or hold a bag. He is really super with that when we run out of extra arms!!!

Dylan is definitely potty-trained, but is still wearing pull-ups for now, until we can get on a regular schedule. He has learned to say "potty" quite clearly or just do the dance!

Well, must run for now, I am dead tired and we have a super long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Will catch you all when we get to Hawaii!!

Our Last night in GZ...

Hi everyone,
C here...again.

Mom is upstairs trying to settle K & D into a slumber before it's tool late.

We leave the hotel tomorrow morning at 9AM headed for the airport, and a late morning flight to Hong Kong.
We expect to have enough time to dump the bags at our hotel and head off to Hong Kong Disneyland for a few hours.
We think we'll have enough time to have a full day, since they are open late.
(PS -  Don't tell Kyle or Dylan - it's a secret.)

We're a bit sentimental about our second trip to GZ and the White Swan.
The first time around, there were 10 other families and things always seemed so hectic.
"Do we have everyone?" "Does everyone have their babies & Passports?"
Today we'll be visiting _____".  There really wasn't a lot of downtime.
This time around was much more laid back, we got a chance to get off the island to the Zoo, but most of the rest of the time was family time, for us.  It was good bonding time and fun time, especially at the pool.  But this time it was just different, maybe not dramatically better or worse, but different.
Lisa would probably say that we were bored at times but sometimes that kind of empty time is good if the alternative is go-go-go.
Anyway, although we're sad to leave such a nice place, leaving means we're heading homeward.
This is a good thing.

Today was Dylan's "swearing in" ceremony, which was done at the US Consulate in downtown GZ.
I remember the walk from the bus into the building for Kyle's ceremony very clearly.
It is still a difficult emotion to explain - the moment that you see Our Flag in a an official capacity, in a foreign country.
(I probably wrote about it in Kyle's blog - since it was a first time experience...)
It's pride...it's comfort...it's English...it's a whole lot of things rolled into one.
You really need to be here to experience it first-hand.  My descriptions would not do it justice.

Our guide MJ assisted us into a large waiting room with 20 or so windows at the front (much like bank teller stations.)
We were first off the bus and, because we were traveling alone with our guide, we were able to hustle inside to be first in line.
Lisa handed over our US Passports, the agent behind the glass figured we looked enough like those horrible photos that he let us sit down.  It took maybe 20 minutes for the other 40 families to get seated and situated.  It was heart-warming to look around the large room and see a very broad mix of people, all proud as could be and all here for the same reason.
Lisa took Dylan's oath this time, since Kyle and I were permanently attached 2 and a half years ago.
She did wonderfully and as quick as it started, it was over. Short - Yes...Profound - Absolutely.
She leaned over to me and as we looked at each others' moist eyes, we pecked out a quick kiss.
It was a great experience this time as well.
The boys were oblivious and we were quickly yanked back to reality as Kyle was trying to tell us that Dylan had just dropped a raisin on the floor and picked it up and ate it. "Goss!" shouted Kyle. (i.e. "Gross")
I'm surprised that raisin hit the floor at all, given the way Dylan is with food!

A funny Dylan story...

The past few times we called to speak to Grandmom & Pop-Pop Lockhead ("the ones that live next to us" as Kyle likes to call them), I have emphatically tried to have Dylan right by the phone to say his name for them.  Wanting to please us, he has noticed that when we were on the phone with GM & PP, he stayed near the phone and shouted out "Dylan Lockhead", in his little Dylan voice.

After bath time tonight, Lisa asked me to call housekeeping to get two fresh new towels for the morning. As I sat near the phone ready to call, I saw Dylan and Kyle playing with their Play-Doh across the room.  I tuned my back to dial, and no sooner did I finish dialing did I hear loudly from over my right shoulder "Dylan Lockhead"!!

Apparently, due to Pavlovian conditioning, any time we pick up the phone for any reason, Dylan see it and makes his way quickly to the handset to offer "Dylan Lockhead."  Lisa and I laughed for 10 minutes as we took turns picking up the phone to a chorus of "Dylan Lockhead".

Very funny.

We had dinner tonight at La Dolce Vita again.  Good meal, reasonable prices.

On the way home we had our final night of "stroller races" on the 11th floor of the White Swan.
The hotel is shaped like a flattened diamond, with the elevator bank in the middle.
The hallway is continuous and circles the floor.  So no matter which way you turn off the elevator, you can still get to our room.
(We're about 3/4 of the way down one of the legs of the diamond.)
For the last few nights, as soon as the elevator doors open on 11 (hopefully no one is waiting to get on!!) Dad grabs the stroller and passenger has has for that night and races the "long way" to the room.  When I say races, I really do means RUNS (to both Kyle's and Dylan's delight).  Mom goes the short way, sometimes trots, but most times just walks quickly.  It is really a lot of fun for the whole family. Like it was tonight, it's usually a tie, but by my count, Kyle was ahead for the week.
Congratulations Special-K!!

It taken me an hour to pound this episode out, so I need to get moving.
Sleep awaits.  Flights and a Big Day tomorrow.  Tomorrow night in Hong Kong.
The next day is a travel day from Hong Kong to Tokyo (long Layover!) then on to Honolulu and the US of A.

I am hopeful that we'll be able to post some photos once we get to Hawaii, since we've been stockpiling them!

I'm not sure when we'll post next, but until then we hope everyone has a safe couple of days and we'll talk to you when we talk to you.

Thanks for following along.
C

---

Dell Laptops: Huge Savings on Popular Laptops - Deals starting at $399

Tuesday Night Update

Hi everyone, Charlie here again...

Lisa and the boys are settling in after a really nice dinner at La Dolce Vita, followed by a Hagen Dazs ice cream treat at the Deli Store.
I am here at the business center with the "regulars", including an exceedingly interesting man who is an investigative journalist working on a new book.
(Noel, remind me to fill you in, since he's the kind of guy you would find fascinating. Honestly.)

Yesterday, we made a trip to the GZ Zoo here in town.
We had originally been slated for a tour of the Chen Family House/Museum, but for us it was a "been there, done that".
So we arranged, with the help of MJ, to visit the GZ Zoo.  We were guided by the very nice Miss Helen who did a great job of making sure we saw all the good stuff.

The GZ Zoo is an old style zoo, probably outdated by most western standards.
Smallish cages, not a lot of high-end habitats.  But very walkable and a nice way to spend a morning.
The weather was warm and humid, but we only spent the morning.
There was ample shade and the best thing we did was to visit on Monday morning (not Sunday - VERY crowded).
We had the place almost to ourselves, and got a chance to see many of the animals up close.
The famed Panda was pretty reserved, but we did see him move around.
Apparently, most of the time he is lees than energetic, some might even say lazy!
(A major 5-alarm nuclear meltdown was the only downer - but Kyle was able to recover after lunch.)
Lunch yesterday was...wait for it... McDonald's!
MH was really helpful in getting our order right, and we had a mini-picnic lunch just inside the back door of the White Swan.
We enjoyed the air conditioned comfort and the chicken nuggets & burgers on the red chairs and small round tables near the tour entrance (for those of you who know the White Swan).

For the past couple of days we've actually had a lot of free time between appointments.
So we've been in the pool a lot - did I mention it was hot, here?  Humid, too??
Anyway, the Boys, Mom & I spent an hour or so a day enjoying the cool water and the company of other families at the garden pool.
It is quite nice, lots of shade and lots of room to move around.  They even have a small kids pool.
I mentioned this to Kyle and he gave me one of the Kyle looks and said "Kid's Pool?? I don't think so."
So we all ventured into the big pool.  It was 1.6m (I should have studied the metric system a little harder in school, but I think its a little over 5 feet) deep.  The boys each have their own life vests (one of the reasons we have so much luggage!!!) Mom thinks of everything!
Kyle started out tentatively, but soon began feeling his oats.  He has taken to "swimming" on his own.
Most of the time he's fine but occasionally forgets to close his mouth.  Not good.
His vest keeps his head and face safely above the waterline, but he does sometimes get wound up when playing ball with Dylan.
He jumps off the edge of the pool - always into Dad's (or Mom's) arms. He's really changed in the past few days.
I don't know if it's the pressure of looking courageous in Dylan's eyes or not - whatever, he's really gotten much better in the pool.
It's been fun to watch him and Dylan.  Dylan is just really getting used to being in the water and the feel of his life vest.
We should have a lot of fun next week in Hawaii - maybe in the small waves in the ocean.

Dylan had his medical examination at the clinic here in GZ the other day.
We were luckily first-in & first out.
Just as with Kyle, there were 3 stations.
"Ear, Nose & Throat", "Medical & Surgical", and "Height & Weight".  Dylan was extremely calm for all of the poking & prodding.
(Likely due to his condition and having been evaluated for the special needs program.)  He passed all Stations (after a few back & forths between MH and the doctors about his special need).
They wanted to make doubly sure we were aware of his circumstances. Don't worry about that...we are.
Dylan is approx. 29 Pounds (+/- due to metric conversion), and 36 Inches tall - about 4-5 inches smaller than Special K.
He fits the Size 3 Tops and Size 2 Pants that Mom got for the trip.  Momma always knows...
At the clinic, we really just started to notice that he seems to be putting on weight - this is a good thing.
He is a free eater and will try most anything - he always smells unfamiliar foods first - it's funny to see.

One of the things that we found as a diversion for Dylan has been Play-Doh.
We sprung it on him on the plane ride from Shenyang to GZ.  He was instantly enthralled.
I showed him some of the neat stuff he could do and he really enjoyed it.
Play-Doh is now a permanent fixture in the "wanjun" (toy) bag...along with Matchboxes and the full line of "Ice Age 3" toys from McDonalds. (We have them all and we have multiples - We are even considering opening a store.)

One of the nicest things to watch has been Kyle and Dylan playing Play-Doh together on the small kid-sized table in our hotel room. Kyle talking to Dylan in English, explaining what to do (they were making Pizza this afternoon!).
Dylan answering back in Chinese, truly believing that "guge" (pronounced "gugga" = Big Brother) understands every word.
Highly entertaining for Lisa and me...

One other story I must relate - it happened on our walk home from Dinner tonight.
We stopped in one of the island park areas to let Kyle & Dylan push their strollers around & burn off some energy.
They had a lot of fun chasing each other around, while we rested.
We got going again just after that. It was dusk, and Lisa and I were just casually walking side by side pushing the boys toward our ice cream desert.

We walked by an older appartment building on our left - and then, just past that building, but before the next office building, there was a very narrow alley. (Not an uncommon sight here on Shaiman Island).
Lisa and I continued our conversation as we passed slowly by the alley. We both glanced down the alley, not breaking stride. There was a berely imperceptible pause in the flow of conversation.  At the exact moment that she said to me, "Did you see that?"; I said to her "What was that?"   We kept our measured, calm pace. Down that alley we both saw the same thing, but we had trouble making sense of it...

Why would a tall, thin, bearded Chinese man, dressed in what appeared to be some sort of loincloth (like you see on National Geographic when they have shows about how Indians in Bombay bath in the Ganges River) seem to be bathing himself from a large bucket in an alley in Guangzhou, (in 2009)? The kicker was the look on his face when our glance down the alley caught him in mid-rinse, in full loincloth glory? The look was a combination of:  "Why are they looking at me?", "Oh No, they busted me getting a bath in this alley", and "Boy, that was refreshing".  I tell you, I cannot make this stuff up!!!
Thank God the boys didn't see that! I would really have some 'splaining to do!

I have to go now - the boys are hopefully asleep - Mom is definitely asleep!

Good night to all...
C

---

An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!

Update for June 30 - Tuesday...I think!

Hi there, C here...

Our workaround seems to be working fine.

I am posting via AOL e-mail.  I send the email to a special Blogger address and it posts automatically.

I cannot see my previous posts easily, so my apologies if I double-dip (especially given the missed post).
It left me a little mixed up since I lost so much.
Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up with this post...

If it's Tuesday, it must be Guangzhou and the White Swan...

Our flight down to GZ wasn't so bad.
It was a difficult leaving Shenyang, and especially the most excellent Miss Veronica.
It was a little misty for all of us, especially knowing that Dylan would be leaving his province for the first time.
Who knows if and when he might ever return?  Hopefully, like Kyle, if their interest is strong, we'll try our best to accommodate their wishes.

MV hung around the other side of the Security Checkpoint until we were safely near our gate.
She made sure to maintain line-of-sight with Dylan as long as she could.
We hope she's made it safely home and we want to let her know how much she meant to us on this leg of our journey.
We were also leaving the only other person we knew who could speak to Dylan for us in Chinese.
Not to worry, Life is all about new challenges.
If we weren't up for it we would not have come...

After a fairly significant swerve about 1/2 way through the takeoff roll, we were airborne.
In the excitement, I quickly checked my phrase book for some of the comments I heard in the cabin.
I thought that I may have heard the Chinese phrase for "goat on the runway - I can't be certain though...
Regardless...the flight was fairly uneventful (unless you are Lisa).
While waiting in line for the restroom, the Flight Attendants decided that it would be a good time to bring out the drink cart.
As they pushed up the aisle, they got to Lisa who mentioned politely that there were 4 more people behind her and perhaps they might wait for a moment or two?  Clearly they had a schedule to keep - they pretty much plowed through the restroom line and basically barked something in Chinese at Lisa and shoved her into a row of seats right into a none-too-happy fellow traveler.
Luckily no fisticuffs ensued (I think the man had a hold of Lisa's hand so she wouldn't take a swing) - RUDE much?

Dylan had a little rougher time than we had hoped - he was restless for most of the flight but finally passed out from frustration with about 1 hour remaining.  He is not as good a traveler as young Kyle.  Kyle was really unusually calm during his flight from his province to GZ. (However, it was a shorter trip. He played with a half-full water bottle as I recall. It's funny the details that you do recall about a trip that happened over two years ago.)

As we descended from our cruising altitude on final approach, the Flight Attendants led a 10 minute in-seat exercise routine.
If this was a US flight NO ONE would participate and many would ridicule.
One our flight, Lisa and I were the only ones NOT participating!! (Actually just Lisa, because I joined in during the elbow stretches...)

When we got to GZ, Miss Judy was waiting eagerly at the Arrival Hall and escorted us to our van.
It was hot, but luckily it was humid too!  We all broke sweats as soon as we left the Air Cond. of baggage claim.
Miss Judy (MJ) is very nice and told us all about our upcoming itinerary for the week on the way to the hotel.
She also gave us a rundown of many of the changes on the island (Shaiman) since we last visited.

After check in we took a walk around the Island to reacquaint ourselves. It is quite small and we do remember vividly many of the shops and the park. GZ has been rainy (as MJ explained due to the remnants of a Monsoon that was just about cleared out...) and we've seen rain every day to some degree.

There is a noticeable difference in the families that we've seen around the hotel and the Island.
There are many more older parents and families than we experienced with Kyle's trip.
In addition, there appear to be many more special needs children (us included).
On Kyle's trip, the rule was two young parents with a healthy baby girl (9-15 months).
On this trip this is the exception. It is really heartwarming and moving to see some of the families that we have seen.
- A late middle-aged father apparently traveling along with a year-old little girl.
- Many mixed families with bio. children AND previously adopted Chinese children
- A large family of SIX (three older bio. children PLUS a little adopted girl) enjoying every minute
- Many other families with parents older than Lisa and me with easily identifiable special needs
We can only imagine the love and compassion that these families share by accepting these children into their lives.
It's a humbling thing to see...

The island brings back a flood of memories for us, as well.
Walking with Kyle two-and-a-half years ago in a borrowed stroller down the main road, picking up large leaves from the hundred-year-old trees for him to carry and play with.  One of my favorite photos of him is with one of these leaves.
Conversations with other first-time families can be recalled almost verbatim at the exact spots where they happened.

There is now a Starbucks here as well (what took so long!).
We miss the "old" coffee shop - they had free Internet and free use of in-house computers!
That shop is now a restaurant - we spent many hours there last time.

On the upside, there is a newer Italian Restaurant - La Dolce Vita, where we've eaten twice already!
(I think we're headed back there as well tonight.)  The pizza is excellent, and the other meals are good too.
It's a safe choice in a sometimes uncertain environment.
We've also made the obligatory trip to Lucy's - same as it ever was!

Our room is smaller than we remember, but they have small kid-sized beds this time since the boys are older.
(No cribs necessary.)  These beds are a good fit for the fellas and they nap and sleep comfortably.
Sometimes, if they're restless, we'll let them fall asleep in the big beds with Mom & Dad and move them into their own beds once asleep.  They are both very good, sound sleepers. We are lucky and thankful for that.

I do need to run along but there is still much more I have not gotten to...

- The GZ Zoo
- The Pool and Kyle "Phelps"
- D-mans "extensive" medical exam...
- Dylan's clothing details...
- Play-Doh Pizza
- more GZ stories...

Oh yes, I almost forgot -
When I picked up the laundry the other day - it seemed like the whites were brighter and the colors bolder than we expected.
I asked them how they did it, and the young woman replied: "Ancient Chinese Secret"!
Ba-dum-Bum.

Thanks for following.
See you soon...
C

---

An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!

Still more to catch up on...

Hi there, C here,

Still Monday afternoon - still hot & sticky.

Just dropped the laundry off to see Lisa & Dylan asleep, but Kyle wide awake.

He's sitting here in the Business Center with me at the White Swan - checking my spelling - so you can blame HIM if I misspell something! (Lisa's been on me about my misspelling errors but I try to tell her that people understand our situation and look past these errors. I'm a dad, not a data entry clerk.  - Please support me with your comments!)

The laundry was reasonable - about 10 Bucks for 2 good sized bags.
We did need it, though, we were getting pretty low.

From Shenyang...
We visited the Shenyang Forbidden City (the only other FC outside of Beijing).
Picture the Beijing FC, but on a smaller scale.  The construction was very similar and the decor just as stunning.
Thank God again for the marvelous Miss Veronica..
It seems that it is Chinese royal custom to have built-up thresholds on doorways between rooms and from the house to to the outside to protect from evil spirits.  The higher the threshold, the more protection.
Great for warding off evil spirits, not so great from strollers.
We took the strollers to keep the boys under control.
So to see the FC, we had to move the boys over EVERY threshold in the place.
Some we could just lift the wheels, others we had to LIFT.
These ranged from 6" to almost 18"
I hoisted Kyle and MV (Miss Veronica) and Lisa took care of D-man.
The boys lasted almost the entire way without too much of a problem.
We have some nice photos that I hope to post once we get to Hawaii.

According to MV, evil spirits moved by shuffling their feet in a sideways heel-toe/heel-toe sort of shuffle.
MV demonstrated - I wish I had the video of that!

Now, evil sprits probably aren't MENSA members, but you'd think that at least ONE evil spirit would be bright enough to know that all he had to do was just lift his foot over the threshold and it would be happy haunting? Then he could tell all his evil spirit buddies about it.  Soon enough word would spread and the whole threshold thing would be out the window (allowing us to simply roll the boys from room to room...)?  Alas, it was not to be.  Maybe that's why they're so evil - because they're so mad about the thresholds...
Could be...

Dylan likes his new Wal-Mart special $0.99 shoes, which he discovered to his delight LIGHT UP.
He literally wakes up, says "Zhoshang Hao" (look it up!), and makes a bee line for his shoes and starts to put them on (no socks!).
He told MV that his Mama got them for him - very cute.

We do not miss Shenyang in one respect - the 24-hours sound of beeping horns.
It got to be almost background noise for us to the point that we couldn't sleep unless we heard it!
Here in Guangzhou, beeping one's horn is punishable by a fine of 200 Yuan ($30 or so), or was it 2,000?
Either way, it's MUCH quieter here.  They also outlawed Motorcycles and scooters here in 2007, due to there being too many accidents.
Guangzhou has about 9 million people, and there are 400 or so cars added to the roads every DAY.
There are nearly 1 million cars in the city.  Luckily, the small island of Shaiman where we are is very small with few cars.

It is very entertaining to watch young Dylan when he speaks in Chinese.
I have been trying to use my phrase book to try to break through to him with "toy" and "water", and other simple words and phrases.
Watching his face as he speaks to us, you would swear that he thinks we understand every word!!
He has begun to mimic quite well, and has even said his name fairly clearly.
We tested this last night on our first phone call back home to Grandma & Pop-Pop Lockhead.

Kyle just asked me to say "Hi" to all of his friends at Goddard School in Malvern.
He would like to know if today is a sunny day or a rainy day?
"Hello" to Miss Pam, Miss Jessica, and Miss Kim.
We can't wait to tell you all about our trip.

We have met many other families here in Guangzhou and many of the native Chinese ask if the boys are twins!
Mom got them matching hats!  Many people also comment on Kyle's big beautiful eyes.
One couple (Chinese) even asked MV how we, as an American / Western couple, could have produced two Asian boys.
Ever the professional, MV patiently explained that we had adopted the boys (and they were not immaculately conceived as Chinese from American parents)!

At some times, the boys seem quite close, especially during our nighttime routine.
Kyle is always the first one to Brush, Floss, and rinse with BubbleGum Fluoride Rinse.
Dylan carefully studies his big brother and accepts that he will follow when Kyle finishes.
As we though, Dylan looks to Kyle for many cues especially in unfamiliar circumstances.
Kyle usually knows this, and tries to be a good big brother.

Time to go again, Mom & Dylan will be waking shortly and she will FREAK if she sees that Kyle is missing, but doesn't see the BIG NOTE we left on the floor by the side of the bed.

Have a good afternoon.
We'll reconnect shortly....

Thanks for following.
C

---

An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!