MEMORIAL DAY

May 25th, 2009 we proudly saluted our service men and women by attending the Memorial Day Service at our local cemetery. Zach and Luke saw two flyovers of military aircraft. The 2nd fly-over was the “Missing Man” flight formation that brings tears to many eyes (including mine.) We enjoyed the band concert by the Air National Guard and the boys saw grown men playing the trombone (Zach and Luke play the trombone.) We also sang the “National Anthem,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “This is America,” “God Bless the U.S.A.” and of course the fight song of all our military branches –GO NAVY!!! Now, with Morgan proudly in the AFRORC, we say “Go Air Force” or what ever she tells us to yell. We heard “Taps” and visited the grave with the memorial wreath of the unknown solder, we pray that they “Rest in Peace.” Photos are of Zach and Luke with the march of the Colors (the USA flag,) with the Scottish bagpipes, the Memorial Grave Site, and the “Mosbey Platoon!” Luke is driving the jeep, Zach is manning the gun, Clayton is riding in the passenger seat and Morgan is the senior ranking officer giving orders.

DISNEYLAND

Our birthday present to Luke was to take him to Disneyland with two of his school friends. Zach and Luke loved the experience and were not scared at all. We had a park hopper pass so we went to both Disneyland and California Adventure. You can see all of us standing in front of the large “California” sign. Ken and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in one month and the photo of us shows the love we still have for each other. Instead of an anniversary party for us, we decided to buy a hot tub for our back yard to relax in and take in all of our blessings. If you want to celebrate with us, bring your swimsuit and join us for a splash!

CHURCH AND SCHOOL

On Sunday’s after church, we usually go out to eat and discuss what we have learned from our lesson. It is heart warming to hear what Zach and Luke get from the service. They both sit with us in the adult church service and we take pleasure seeing them turn in their Mandarin/English bible (with book tabs) to find the scripture we are studying. They sing with the congregation, fill out their tithing envelopes, and place the envelopes in the basket. Using our faith as a foundation, we explain our worldview, which includes just about everything….. I had the pleasure of joining the boys at school for a special Mother’s Day Celebration Brunch. They both had hand made crafts for me. Zach wears his Stetson hat to dance with the fifth graders at school for open house. Dancing with girls is something that would never happen at school in China.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE!!!

Luke enjoyed his very own birthday cake with candles on his actual birthday! In the orphanages, there are so many children; the directors pick ONE DAY a year to celebrate ALL the birthdays for the children. Luke told us he felt so lucky to have his own cake on his special day. We had to explain what “make a wish” before blowing out the candle means. Luke also took donuts in a pink box to school for his classmates. It is a constant reminder to our family how lucky we are in America. We pause when we think about the children in the world who have never had a celebration, cake, or the luxury of a wish on their birthday.

BAND PERFORMANCE

As luck would have it, the annual band performance at the Civic Arts Plaza (for all the local school bands) fell on Luke’s birthday. Since this was the first birthday that would be celebrated on his ACTUAL day, it was hard to tell Luke that we could not do something special that evening for this birthday. He just looked at me and said “Mom, can I still have a cake?” Zach and Luke practice playing the trombone and will be attending a two-week band camp this summer to sharpen their skills even more.

SIX MONTHS TODAY!!! APRIL 26TH, 2009

It is hard to believe that Zach and Luke walked into our arms 6 months ago today at the hotel in Inner Mongolia, China! We have been so very blessed these past 6 months. It has been incredibly busy and exhausting as we continue to adjust to all the changes. Ken has chilled champagne and sparkling apple cider. I thawed Cheesecake and we celebrated with hot chocolate, kisses, and hugs. The greatest thing was that we went around the table sharing our thoughts of that special evening, six months ago, when we first met face to face. Now that the boys can share their stories in English, we are learning a great deal about their feelings and their life in China.

They are signed up for soccer that starts in August. Zach and Luke will be attending band camp for two weeks to improve their trombone playing. They take private trombone lessons weekly and are having so much fun. Both boys are taking lessons at Sylvan Learning Center to improve their reading, phonics, and comprehension. We will be doing this through the summer and maybe longer if needed. Zach and Luke remain positive, cheerful, eager to learn and a joy in every sense of the word.

EASTER BUNNY 2009

We got up early and went to 6:00 AM Easter Sunrise service outside in the fresh air. After getting showered and dressed we went to the Four-Seasons for Easter Brunch that was fun with the Easter Bunny and Easter Egg Hunt. It is soooo much fun watching Zach and Luke take part in our traditions. They are learning a great deal in the short time that they have been here in the USA.

COLORING EASTER EGGS AND FINDING EASTER BASKET

We had fun coloring 3 dozen Easter eggs as we played loud music and danced around the kitchen. The Easter baskets were hidden and on Easter morning, everyone had fun playing hide and seek to find their very own Easter basket. This is great fun! It really brings the kid out in all of us....

GOLFING

Luke is lining up his putt and Zach is waiting for his turn to putt. They are shown with children in their golf clinic.

COLONIAL DAYS AT THE REAGAN LIBRARY

On Saturday, March 28th, 2009 we all had fun at Colonial Days at one of our great teaching centers in the Conejo Valley-The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library! It was another opportunity to discuss how the USA looked around 1776. We had previously purchased and then watched the "John Adams" series on HBO. I love learning about history and the Presidents. There was great excitement when the British soldiers fired their muscats over the valley. The Fife and Drum Team added another spirit to the day. The characters demonstrated the life of a General in his tent, the women cooking in an open pit, the children playing games of “Nine Pin” and “Rolling Hoops.” Ronald Reagan is buried at the library and we see Nancy Reagan there often.

It was great to catch this photo of Luke with LBJ because his report on LBJ is due this week. Ah…more work for me. Also, it is so fun driving in our 8 passenger Yukon we purchased when we were expecting the boys. Since we are now a family of 6, we can not all fit into a regular car. We plan to drive our Yukon to Texas and back this summer.

AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

Zach and Luke are learning about all of the colors for American Holidays!!! They now understand red, white and blue on National Holidays; orange on Thanksgiving, red and green for Christmas; pink and red on Valentine’s; green on Saint Patrick’s; and they haven’t seen Easter yet! In China, the celebration color was mainly red.

Speaking of Easter, they boys have a Mandarin/English bible and they treasure it. We put book tabs (Genesis, Exodus, etc.) on the pages so they could find them more easily. They carry their bibles every Sunday in their bible covers and still sit with us in big service to hear the message. We have tickets to attend “The Glory of Easter” performance at the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County. I have ordered the “Passion of Christ” movie and will show it to them. I loaned my copy of the “Passion of Christ” out to our church middle school and never got it back. Eventually, I realized that I just needed to purchase another one.

They are learning a bit about democracy, voting, and that you may not always get it your way. Zach is learning about elephants and donkeys in our political process. In the photo, Zach is dressed as an elephant and holding a donkey. I always waited for a time that Morgan and Clayton could go with me to the polling place to vote. This way I could lecture them on their civic duty to vote, blah… blah… blah… I look forward to taking Zach and Luke to the polling place when I vote next time. Whew, so much to learn at one time!

Zach and Luke have a heart for Valentine’s Day; they loved sharing valentine sweets with their classmates. It was terrific that Zach had the opportunity to participate in this elementary school ritual. Next year when Zach attends Middle School, they stop the exchange of valentine’s altogether. Luke will have another year of elementary school and this will be so playful for him. It was unusual for the boys to receive “I think you’re cute” or “You are special” cards and stickers from girls. Young girls showing boys affection is not tolerated in China.

St. Patrick’s Day was exciting for them, they wore green shirts, ate green Jell-O and green grapes. Elementary school makes such a fuss over these entertaining days and it really teaches Zach and Luke about our “fun” spirit of being an American.

ANYBODY OUT THERE???

Thank you to everyone who tells me how you have followed my blog. I am always shocked when I hear this comment. We have been in town and people whom we had not previously met; say they know about Zach and Luke because they have read our blog. The purpose of blogs is to share experiences so others may learn or catch up with what is happening in our lives. Would you please, leave comments on the blog when you read my posts? It has the impact of getting a get-well card when you are sick or receiving flowers from a friend. Most of you do not leave a “comment” so with out telling me that you have been following the blog, I had no idea that you cared to take the time in this busy world to check on our family. It encourages us beyond words.

I know you check this blog to see how Zach and Luke are doing...but here is a quick update on the rest of us. Clayton has his driving permit and is going to have his dental braces off in April. Morgan performed in an all student performance at Pepperdine and we all went to see the skits. She is getting excited about studying abroad for the Fall semester next year in Shanghai. Ken is tired of all the stress in the financial markets and works hard to keep his clients updated. I have had two minor surgeries removing my gall bladder and thyroid. This photo shows Darlene, a good friend, visiting right before going into surgery. We are busy planning our summer road trip through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Nevada. This will help create memories when learning about American history.

SCHOOL UPDATE AND REPORT CARDS

School Reports have created some stress as the boys cannot write well, spell, or type well. The teachers allow the boys to tell us what they want to say and we transcribe their words and type them for them. Zach did a state of California (A to Z) report and is now preparing for an oral presentation to the class on a book he has read. Luke has prepared a report on the Santa Barbara Mission (see photo of him holding the final report) and now is preparing a report on a famous person and we picked Lyndon B. Johnson, LBJ. Since we will be driving to Texas and stopping at LBJ’s Ranch and Presidential Library, we thought it would be fun to learn more about him. Getting movies that show events are very helpful for the boys to understand.

At school, they have attended several Field Trips. They have been transported by parent’s vehicles and by school bus. This is a real high light for them, as they did not get to do these things in China.

We are continuing our weekly private Trombone lessons. The boys play in the school band and
say they enjoy it very much. Since Zach will go to Middle School next year as a 6th grader, the band is a nice place to make friends and have fun at the same time.

On the 5th Grade Report Card, Zach received three B+ in Writing, History, and Science. He received two A’s in Reading and Math. All grades were as an English Language learner. He is reading, listening, and speaking at the 2nd grade level. Zach was awarded “Student of the Month” in English from his class (see photo of him receiving the award in front of the entire school.) The teacher comments: “Throughout this whole transition to our country, he has remained incredibly positive and respectful. He rarely gets down on himself, and he approaches every assignment with a wonderful enthusiasm. I am hoping he gains enough confidence to participate a little more in class….”

On the 4th Grade Report Card, Luke received two “C’s” in reading and writing taking into consideration he is an English Language learner. He received an “A” in Math, also as an English Language learner. History and Science were not graded. He is reading, listening, and speaking at the 1st grade level. The teacher comments: “Luke has made amazing progress for only being here from China for a few months. Luke came here with no English language skills. He is developing verbal and non-verbal skills, speaking, and listening skills in English and starting to write words. He has great enthusiasm for learning. We are working on lowering his speaking volume and talking at appropriate times….”

MEDICAL UPDATES

Zach wore eyeglasses in China. He now has new eyeglasses that better fit his prescription and his face. Luke went into eyeglasses for the first time shortly after arriving home in California. They look so handsome in their trendy wire frames. We take turns cleaning eyeglass’s now. They love the spray bottle and silk cloth that we use to wipe the glass clean. They are shown in the photos with a rainbow in the background. Also, in front of a large section of the Berlin Wall at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library sporting their new glass's.

In February, 2009 Luke had one of two baby teeth pulled by the dentist, as it was decayed. The tooth fairy came and left him $10.00. We thought we were finished with this ritual and it delighted our hearts greatly to sneak the “gift” from the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy had never been so generous in the past, so we were all shocked, most of all Luke and Zach! Zach felt a bit left out since he has no baby teeth left to donate to the tooth fairy. It was all precious to see it played out. In addition, Luke has needed a root canal and crown on another tooth. The dentist said his teeth was soft and this usually happens either during pregnancy or if he had a high temperature as an infant when his teeth were forming. We play mean Mommy and Daddy when teeth are not brushed adequately or flossing is not done. We also are not a fun Mommy and Daddy when we pour milk as the beverage with meals . I am even tired of hearing myself explain the importance of strong teeth and bones and how brushing, flossing, and drinking milk helps in our dental health.

On March 16th, 2009, Zach got dental braces. He has a very small mouth and moving his teeth will be more difficult than it was for Morgan and Clayton. His teeth have over crowding (in some places, three teeth sitting side by side in the same small area) as well as a cross bite. We are trying to avoid pulling four teeth to straighten his teeth. Apparently, if you pull one tooth, you need to pull four to keep your mouth in alignment.

LEARNING TO RIDE A BICYCLE AND NATURE WALKS

The boys were thrilled to see a LIVE rabbit today. Luke said he had only seen one rabbit in China. Luke is so soft hearted for animals and it is wonderful to see him this compassionate. Zach and Luke have asked me several times if we could get a dog or cat. Luke said he used to walk past this one dog on his way to school in China and he loved seeing this dog. We are not going to be getting a dog as I have my hands full with four children and a big house to take care of. They must have told their English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher about their love of animals because she sent me a note asking me if I would like their bird. I am certain that we will not be getting any “pets” soon. However, I do check their pockets for any creatures that they may want to sneak into the home for pets.

When they see squirrels, playing in the trees or chasing each other they are delighted. They tell me in detail what the squirrels did and how they played. It is enchanting for me to stop and think of the charm of squirrels playing; I tell myself that I will stop and pay more attention next time I see them performing.

We have seen deer, coyotes, woodpecker birds, ducks, geese, swans, and other such wonders near our home. They boys cannot believe we have all of this where we live. You would think we live in a Zoo with their amazement and excitement. It thrills us beyond belief to see children this excited about God’s creatures great and small.

MAGNA CARTA RECEPTION AT THE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

Tonight we had the rare opportunity to hear a guest speaker from the Lincoln Cathedral in England. On loan to the Reagan Library is one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta preserved at the Lincoln Cathedral. The boys learned that the Magna Carta was the "birth certificate" of Democracy in the world. Our USA Constitution is modeled after this document as well as most of the Democracy's in the world. The photo of all the guys and a bronze statue of Ronald Reagan is at the entrance of the Library. The family photo is in front of a huge piece of the Berlin Wall (butterfly painted concrete) given to Ronald Reagan. This would qualify as Zach and Luke's first cocktail party. They drank mint-flavored lemonade and ate English style appetizers. The desserts were terrific from the smiles on their faces.

DIVING IN AND GETTING INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Zach and Luke received golf clubs for Christmas and are taking golf lessons. They received swim lessons when we first came home. In California with all the pools and recreation centered around water, it is very important that children learn to swim. Zach is in the goggles photoed here. Both boys have learned how to dive and do several swim strokes.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DINNER JANUARY 18TH, 2009

We had some friends over to our home and all nine of us cooked, ate, and shared stories. Morgan came home from Pepperdine for dinner and our friends son (Michael) came home from his University. I purchased this cake in Chinatown in Los Angeles, it says "Welcome to our Friends." We have all become acquainted with the different Asian markets and have been shopping for soup bowls, teacups, chopstick holders, soupspoons, soup rests, and many other items. It is all fun but my cupboards are full, so I will have to stop buying.

SANTA BARBARA MISSION PROJECT, JANUARY 10TH, 2009

Luke is doing the traditional 4th Grade "California Mission Report" and his teacher gave him the Santa Barbara Mission. For those not from California and do not know what the Missions are: the Missions are the way California was settled (from Spain) and all school children learn about these Missions in school. We visited Santa Barbara, CA on January 10th, 2009. As you can see, the weather was beautiful and the skies were clear. The boys loved seeing the Pacific Ocean, learning about the El Camino Real, which is the trail up the coast of California. It means "The Kings Highway" and when we spot one we yell out "El Camino Real" like we used to play the Volkswagen "bug" game as kids. We are ALL learning many things about many things! :)

FIRST CHRISTMAS 2008

Zach had some school friends over to our home to be better acquainted, decorate some gingerbread houses, and play basketball. He is making some nice friends at school. It was a shock for the boys to learn that Jesus was not Santa Claus. Previously, they would point to Santa when asked about Jesus. They know the difference now and loved the spirit of the holidays. They received golf clubs from Santa and Trombone rentals and lessons from Mom and Dad.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL -DECEMBER 2ND, 2008

Zach and Luke wanted to go to school so badly. We let them go earlier than planned as everything was going so well here at home. They pack their lunch everyday. Zach is photoed with Mr. Swanson the best 5th grade teacher ever! Luke is photoed with Mrs. Marvin the best 4th grade teacher ever! The children at school love both Zach and Luke and according to Mr. Swanson, the children fight over who gets to do things with them. Playing basketball has been great fun as well as handball, running the bases, and other fun American games. Both boys are in beginning band and both play the trombone. They get private trombone lessons on Friday nights and play in the school band on Tuesday and Thursdays. They are very eager to learn. Their English being spoken is coming along nicely. The reading and writing is taking time to learn.

PERFECT TIMING

We went with our adoption agency, AWAA, because we felt led to adopt after attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert and he is a spokes-person for this agency. You may end up with AWAA but do check around. We really did not check into any other agencies--too dumb to know to do this! :) We felt if it were good enough for SCC, it would be good enough for us. We did our dossier in record-breaking time according to our agency. I can be consumed with things and process paper quickly. Even then, I was getting help; I just did not recognize it yet. Being self-employed and an experienced mother, you learn to "make it happen."

After alot of frustration with our agency, we were kicked up to the Director for a possible "good by" conversation. My husband and I got on our knees and prayed. NO OTHER PERSON WE HAD DEALT WITH KNEW ABOUT ZACH AND LUKE--ONLY THE DIRECTOR HAD MET THEM IN BEIJING AND KNEW OF THEM PERSONALLY (she had not discussed the individual children with the other employees as she was waiting for their paperwork to come in first!) Had we not been at our wit's end with them and their wit's end with us, we would not have been talking to the Director and known about Zach and Luke. So... another Divine intervention???

Many people are traveling for their second child and used AWAA both times. They say AWAA has really changed and not for the good. We have only used them one time and if I had not worked with the Asian Director of Programs, I would have thrown in the towel with frustrations. I think the agencies have so many budget cuts, the staff just turns over so fast they do not get adequate training. Some are so young that it is difficult for them to relate to parenthood let alone adoption. Go figure...

As an example of this "Perfect Timing" thing, I have talked about:

I am currently trying to put away all the adoption and travel paperwork (we got back 1 week ago yesterday) so I can get on with my life. As I was reviewing and filing the paperwork, I noticed that:

1. The boys had entered the CWI in March 2005 but the paperwork to put them up for "foreign adoption" wasn't completed until the paternal grandparents signed paperwork to move forward with placing the boys for a foreign adoption. The paternal grandparents signed the paperwork on 10/27/2005, EXACTLY two years to the day of us attending the SCC concert. I don't know.... 365 days in a year, two years later and this was the day that they formally released them for "foreign adoption" after they had already been in the orphanage for 7 months! Ken and I think that Zach and Luke in concept were conceived in our hearts at that SCC concert.

2. After being in the orphanage from March 2005, Zach and Luke needed to sign paperwork themselves saying they "want to be adopted by a foreign family.” A couple of years went by and this paperwork somehow was never signed. Finally, they signed and the signature date on these "official documents" that Zach and Luke signed was 10/29/07! This is the exact day that we paid $250 to our adoption agency and signed our "Letter of Request" asking that we be considered for a child from China. Think the stars lined up that night???

3. Gotcha Night was on 10/26/08. Remember, I posted earlier on my blog that we were doing adoption business in the hotel lobby with the Civil Affairs and did not check into our hotel room until 1:00 AM making it 10/27/08. This is exactly one year from our attendance at the SCC concert!!!) We crossed the threshold of our hotel room together. We had been thinking of each other a year earlier but now... we were together as a family

4. The final Chinese paperwork was completed and the famous red thumbprints notarizing the papers were done on 10/28/08. Zach and Luke's final adoption paperwork is dated 10/28/08--this is the day that they became legally "ours." This was 365 days after we attended the SCC concert and 365 days from when Zach and Luke signed their paperwork agreeing to a "foreign adoption.” Talk about that perfect timing!!! If you know anything about foreign adoptions, you will know that you cannot control these dates, they happen when China (and God) says they are going to happen.

5. This sounds so weird for me to get this vulnerable and spill all of this entire story out to you. It is totally not like me to go off like this. However, I must say, the entire adoption has went this way. When I was scared about what we were about to do, I would pray "Lord, please show me in a clear and indisputable way that this is YOUR will for Ken and I to adopt a child.” It never failed, a call would occur, we would get a big break, doors would magically open. God showed us over and over that YES, my good and faithful servants, THIS is what I have called you to do. More than any other time in our lives, we learned to get in the back seat and let God steer this ship called adoption. It sounds so petty to bring up a few dates but I can assure you... these were minor things compared to what we have witnessed and experienced during this journey.

6. There have been things unique to me in my childhood. I can now see how God was preparing me for Zach and Luke. I look back and am so grateful for some of the breaks I did not get in my life. They made me strong for this time I am living right now. I know not every day will be "Devine" and we will have our struggles. This too, will make us stretch and grow. I am at peace knowing that I am doing exactly what I should be doing. Ken and I have been uniquely prepared for the task at hand and we know this by an excellent source.

In Him,
Tina

TUESDAY NIGHT, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008: HOME SWEET HOME

Our entire family is together for this one night and it feels so good to this Mama Bear! Morgan came home from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California to meet her new brothers in person. She has talked to them on the telephone and also by Skype (computer calling including live photo feed.) She purchased Pepperdine Tee Shirts for them to make them Pepperdine Wave fans ASAP!!!

We had hot chocolate with marsh mellows and some fresh homemade cookies that a dear friend, Patty, had waiting for us when we arrived home. It was so loving to be thought of, thank you Patty!!!

The boys slept with Morgan in her bed for their first night home as Morgan would be returning to her dorm room in Malibu the next morning. Morgan loved on them and they enjoyed playing with her.

Wednesday night, Zach and Luke will sleep in their own bunk beds. They already know where all of their clothes are and where to put them after being laundered. I love to label things, so the boys have labels on all their drawers so they can learn English and help put their own cloths away at the same time. I did this for Clayton when he was young in an attempt to help keep him organized.

Thursday morning, Zach and Luke will go to church with me and we will play in the "home schooled" room while enjoying CBS (Community Bible Study.) We will sneak away for a few minutes and I am eager to introduce them to my women's bible study group. I will be staying with Zach and Luke in the room with the other children as they begin acclimating to California children and their mannerism. This will be a first step prior to putting them in school in December.

Friday morning, Zach has a doctor appointment with our pediatrician and next week Luke will have his visit. Soon, we will have our dental appointments.

Saturday, after going shopping for some new school shoes for all the boys, we will put up the Christmas lights outside our home. We do not turn them on this early but have found if we don't get started with all the decorations in the week-ends leading up to Christmas, it is too much to do at the last minute. It will be so nice having our first Christmas together, Morgan will be home from college and it should be a warm and cozy time. Can you hear the fireplace crackling? I have already purchased the gingerbread houses to assemble and decorate.

Sunday, is church with Zach and Luke. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank you everyone who prayed for us during the adoption process, our travels, our health, and the love you have shown us. We have definitely grown in our faith and closer to God through this process.

Morgan was born by C-Section, Clayton was born Vaginally, Zach and Luke were born from my heart and soul.

All my love,

Tina

TUESDAY EARLY EVENING, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008 AT LAX: TWO NEW AMERICAN CITIZENS

November 4th, 2008 will mark the date that Zach and Luke became US Citizens. Due to the time difference between China and USA (16 hours now with Daylight Savings Time) we still arrived on November 4th at 5:30 PM (PST.) I know this is also the date that Americans elected their first black President. We will focus on the citizen celebration in the Mosbey household. Enough said.....

TUESDAY EARLY EVENING, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008: SAYING GOOD BYE TO CHINA

GOOD BYE CHINA! Ken and I traveled to Beijing in 1994 and I thought it would be our last time in China. In the 14 years since we were last here, the growth and changes are nothing short of breath taking. Somehow, I feel like another trip to China may happen in our lifetime.

Here is the photo of the exchange rate taken November 4th, 2008 (China time) at the GZ airport prior to departure.

Zach and Luke are pointing to the very top screen; the fifth line from the top says "Los Angeles." We are all looking forward to getting home and starting our new life together. We all have seats on the same row, just across the isle from each other. We flew business class to try to get some extra room and a good nights rest. China Southern allows you to purchase a coach class ticket and then upgrade to what they call Pearl Class (business class) for a fraction of the price of purchasing Business Class outright. This is a trick another adoptive family shared with me and it was terrific!!!

TUESDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008: THE SWEARING IN CEREMONY AND HOMEWARD BOUND

November is National Adoption Month and the very month that we received the American Visa's in Guangzhou -allowing our boys to travel home to California. At the US Consulate, we raised our right hand and took an oath that all information in our paperwork was accurate. Our swearing in ceremony included about 15 children ranging in age from 14 to a few months old. Including comments from the Consulate member (from Fresno, CA,) the event took about 10 minutes. Adopted families were represented from California to the East Coast. We were the first group to be sworn in for the month of November, the National Adoption Month. We felt special. On the steps outside the Consulate is a photo of Ken, Clayton and me holding American flags. Zach and Luke are holding both Chinese flags and American flags. The other photo is of the three Mongolian boys (Zach, Luke, and TJ) from Inner Mongolia, all being sworn in on the same day! How cool is that???

We took photos outside the consulate (no photos inside the consulate for security purposes) and received the legendary sealed "brown envelope" that we were told to present to the Immigration Officials at our point of entry into the USA, in our case, LAX airport. We also received the Chinese passports back with the American Visa attached. Zach and Luke are not citizens until they step foot on US soil, so they needed a Visa to travel to the USA. The photo shows all five of our passports.

Our bags had been loaded on the bus earlier when we had checked out of the hotel. We headed to the airport in GZ to catch our 9:00 PM flight non-stop from GZ to LAX on China Southern airlines. It was a lovely flight and we slept most of the way. We would fly China Southern again especially because of their non-stop service from LAX. Zach got motion sickness on landing at LAX, but that was minor considering all we had been through. We traveled home on an airport shuttle, all eight checked bags, four backpacks, three pull on's and a big package of scrolls from the Monk Uncle. The Mosbey's do not believe in traveling light! See a photo of Ken looking exhausted from being in charge of all of our luggage.

The photo of Zach and Luke on the cell phones is when they telephoned their Monk uncle and the orphanage director in Chifeng thanking them for the wonderful care they had been given and saying good-bye. It was as beautiful as it could have been. Clayton videoed their conversation so it would be a keepsake. We do not understand Mandarin so maybe someday, they will tell us what all was said. I know the Uncle keeps telling them to listen to their parents, behave, help the family, etc. as this is what Rosa, our guide, interpreted for us. We have every one's cell phone numbers, mailing addresses and emails and they have all of our contact information for the Mosbeys.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2008: ASIAN CLOTHES AND THE RED COUCH

It is the custom for travel groups to find their way to the White Swan hotel and get your photos taken on the red sofa. It would have been nice to get our Christmas photo taken like this but Morgan was missing!!! We purchased a Chinese top for her and we will take photos again in California.

The six children shown on the red sofa are the six children adopted in our travel group # 139B from AWAA. As I mentioned earlier, of the six children being adopted, there are five boys and one girl. In addition, we made close friends with "TJ," also from IM but not featured here in the photos because they were not from our adoption agency.

MORE ASIAN CULTURE

Rosa, our guide has shared some interesting information about China that helped me understand some things I have seen but did not fully understand.
1. Dragon: mythical animal with a long legend of super powers representing a combination of five different animals. Next time you see a dragon in a parade, see if you can find the following... antlers representing a deer...scales or something shiny representing fish...claws representing the eagle...tale representing a lion and the long body representing the snake. This is showing the "united" tribes of China coming together. In the western culture, we might think of the way the Indians use Totem Poles for animals and meanings.
2. Tigers are popular in the Asian culture and they represent courage and strength.
3. Horses represent success.
4. Panda represents how special China is because so many Panda's are born in China.
5. Turtle represents a long life; you will often see an elderly Chinese person carrying a walking cane with a turtle on the handle.
6. Crane (bird) represents a long life.
7. Fish represents an abundance of anything.
8. Cricket represents 200 plus years ago when as a past time, fun was having cricket fights or contests to see which cricket could jump the farthest.
9. The number 14 is unlucky for Chinese and you will not see elevators have a 14th floor. (Much like the western culture of the number 13.)
10. The number 8 sounds prosperous and is thought to be a very lucky number. You will note that the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing opened on 8/8/2008.
11. The number 6 is thought to be smooth and uneventful.
12. The number 9 is the biggest, most powerful, everlasting, and the largest single digit.
13. The number 4 sounds unlucky or to "die." Thus, avoid anything with 4, 24, 34, etc.
14. Never give a Chinese person a gift of a clock, sounds like the word funeral.
15. Flower: Lotus flowers are featured in many paintings representing how the Lotus flower grows out of the mud but the flower itself has no dirt or dust on the beautiful flower. This represents hardship, encouragement, and you should not be influenced by bad circumstances, you will be all right in the end.
16. Flower: Plum Blossom represents endurance in hardship as it blooms in the winter.
17. Flower: Peony represents China because the peony is such a large flower like China itself, and it represents wealth and growing prosperity.
18: Flower: Chrysanthemums blooms in the autumn.
19. The bamboo is featured in much Asian art and it symbolizes men that should grow to be upright and straight.
20. During Chinese New Year Eve, it is common to eat a whole fish with the head and tail still on the fish to symbolize wealth or abundance. Much like the western culture eats cabbage on New Years Day representing much money will come your way this year. Also in the Chinese tradition, you will see a very fat baby featured for the Chinese New Year, showing an abundance of everything this year.

SATURDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 1ST 2008: MEDICAL EXAM FOR USA VISA

In order for all adoptive children to get a travel Visa to fly to the USA with their Chinese passports, they need to take a physical. The purpose of the physical is to see if there are any communicable diseases the child has that could be spread. Tests include vision, hearing, height, weight, physical exam, and updates of all shots for children over the age of 11 years old. Zach being on paper 13, needed to have 3 shots and he was so brave and strong.

We went back to the hotel and the famous "paper party" took place. One parent goes to a conference room and fills out so many papers you get hand cramps. Ken volunteered to be the parent to go so I could work on my blog and update everyone as to what we had been doing. After 2 1/2 hours, Ken was finished with his part of the "paper party" and then had to go make some additional copies in the business center of certain items that extended even longer his administrative tasks.

Ken was also great about being the one that exchanged all of our money to Chinese RMB for us. The hotels will allow you to exchange $200 USD per passport per day. Hence, Ken could get $600 dollars exchanged per day using his, Clayton and my passports; we all did not have to be present for this exchange. We needed to exchange money more often than we had originally thought because we were prepared to pay some of our medical, notary, CCAA, translators, etc. in USD and all wanted RMB's.

FIRSTS

Firsts so far have included:

1. Plane Rides--Friday, October 31st, 2008 (Halloween) we took the flight from Hohhot, IM to Beijing and then the connecting flight to GZ--Zach and Luke loved seeing the clouds, hearing the music from the seat in the headsets provided, the snacks and the drop down movie screen.

2. Swimming, October 29th, 2008 at the hotel pool in IM and later in GZ-Zach and Luke loved doing this but it was a white-knuckle experience at first with grins. The hotels make you wear swim hats and offer them for sale should you not bring one from home. They are about $1.00

3. Having their first Starbucks in GZ--Zach and Luke hated the drink and asked a Chinese-speaking person to tell me to never get them one again!

4. Eating first hamburger: At Lucy's on November 1st, 2008, in GZ. Although we previously ate at McDonald's in Hohhot, the boys ordered a roast beef sandwich. Tonight for TJ's birthday, they ordered hamburgers!

5. Motion Sickness seems to be an ongoing problem. One of the orphans (TJ) traveling with us got sick on the airplane ride to GZ. Luke got sick riding in the back of a taxi one evening. Zach got very sick on the plane ride to LAX as we were landing. We were thinking that possibly the orphans have not had the exposure to moving things and it made them nauseated that lead to something more pronounced a few minutes later. We will carry bags in all cars when we get home to take care of any upset tummies. We have been home for 4 days now and the motion sickness continues when we take a car ride. Zach and Luke now wear wristbands, drink caffeine, and take ginger on the Doctors suggestions.

6. Birthday #14 celebration dinner for TJ, November 1st, 2008, in GZ. China officially approved the paperwork for adoption while we were in IM. All eight of us went out to Lucy's for dinner. In the orphanages, there is one day a year and everyone celebrates a community birthday for everyone living there. It was nice to have an individual celebration for TJ; we love him and have many fond memories of our times together in IM playing with Zach, Luke, and Clayton.

7. Visited Doctor Kundell, our family Pediatrician, on Friday, November 7th, 2008 for Zach.

Zach was measured at 54 3/4 inches tall (4 feet 6 3/4 inches) and weighed 71 pounds. Dr. Kundell said everything looked fine with Zach but ordered some routine blood work common for international adoptions. In addition, due to the discrepancies of Zach's age (from what Zach keeps saying--age 11-- and what the Chinese documents say-- age 13--,) Dr. Kundell has ordered a wrist X-Ray to more closely determine growth and age. From his exam, Dr. Kundell thinks Zach is about 11 1/2. He strongly suggests we place Zach in 5th grade at our local elementary school for social and educational reasons.

8. Visited Doctor Kundell for Luke, Monday, November 10th, 2008.