Stuck in Beijing

No pictures tonight, just a short note to let everyone know our flight out of Guangzhou was canceled. Our guide got us on a later flight but we missed our United Air flight back to Washinton,DC. Our group was actually put onto different flights out of Guangzhou. Ou flight was delayed over an hour and we figured the rest of the group made it to Beijing and was able to board the flight scheduled home. Imagine our surprise when we finally got to the airport hotel and they came off the elevator! We were united once again as it should be. Hopefully we will all be on the United flight home tomorrow!!! Please send up LOTS of prayers. until then..............Robin

Last Day And We're Headed Home

This is going to be very brief tonight because we must get to bed. We have a 6:00 wake up call in the morning and our bags have to be packed and in the hall by 8:00. We leave the hotel at 9:15 headed to the airport. Then we'll be traveling for the next 27 hours. Please start sending up the prayers for safe travel and that all goes well with our girls. Speaking of our girls, this picture is of my girl at breakfast this morning. She has mastered the high chair and loves to eat.We should all be so bright eyed early in the morning!

After we finished up breakfast some of us jumped into a taxi(another wild and crazy ride) and headed out for more shopping. No, we didn't do enough yesterday. Here we are with Clara Beth wooing the locals once again. She just eats up all the attention. This lady gave us the thumbs up sign which means she's very happy that we are taking her to America. Oh, I'm going to miss this place and the people here!

This was us right before we headed off for our swearing in ceremony at the United States Consulate's Office. There are no cameras allowed inside so we had to snap pictures before we arrived. Doesn't Clara Beth look cute in her new outfit and matching shoes! We walked in, showed our passports, raised our right hands and swore that everything we said was true and then we received her visa and she was ready to come home with us! We have waited for this day for a looooooong time.

Afterwards of course we had to walk down the street one last time for just a little more shopping. Here we are in one of the stores very close to our hotel.

And finally, all the paper work and waiting was over and we all celebrated with dinner at our hotel. The people that work here are so kind and want us to come back next year! Don't know if I'll be quite ready for it by then but I must come back to China again soon. I have fallen in love with the places and the people. Land said today as we walked down the street, "I think God might want me to be a missionary mama." I told him that might just be what God has in store for him. He loves it here too. This is my last post from Guangzhou. Tomorrow I get to board that plane wih the best carry on ever: Clara Elizabeth DeMin Cobb. Look out Ninety Six, we're coming HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Until we see you remember that, God is so faithful and He does keep His promises!!!!!!!!!!! Much love.......Robin

We Shopped Until We Dropped

Since we couldn't be at church on Wednesday night we had our own little service in Houston's room. Here are four of our girls all playing and watching Land cut up before we got started. Cooper was busy walking around playing with Legos. Other than our girls rolling around they are not as mobile as she is. We have all had such a good time together. I am so glad that God placed us with this group of people. This trip wouldn't have been the same without them. We have shared so much together. We have shared tears of joy and belly laughs that we will never forget. What an amazing trip and it's not quite over yet. Here's Clara Beth, Barbee Ruth, Rebekah Grace and Geordyn. That would be Land's mouth they are looking at, all but Clara Beth, she's already used to his antics!!! He has been great with all the girls, especially Clara Beth. He can always make her laugh out loud. She loves her big bubby.

Here we are at breakfast this morning. We had to eat a lot to gear up for our big day of sight seeing and shopping!!!!! That's Kathy and Rebekah Grace in the background. These girls love to eat. Meal time is so much fun for them all. Us too!!!

Here's the whole gang, with our facilitator Richard, in front of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's memorial Hall. He is said to be like the George Washington of China. The building and grounds were very beautiful. We walked around, took pictures and then we were off for the real highlight of the day...........SHOPPING!!!!!

Those of you who know me, know I can't pass up a good bargin, even if it's something I don't really need. Let's just say that this man with us should get a reward for the best sales pitch ever. He was selling Authentic Purple Clay Teapots. That were designed by his great grandfather. They drink tea everywhere in China. Do I drink tea in Ninety Six???? Only if it's ice cold and full of sugar but after hearing him, I just had to have one. So I called Kirby over to see his song and dance (literally). He even stood on top of the pot so that we could see how sturdy it was. Neither of us could resist, They were supposed to be twenty U.S. dollars each but the fun of shopping in China is talking them down. So Kirby offered up thirty U.S. dollars for two and we were in business. So now she and I are the proud owners of purple tea pots that will probably only be used at our houses to stand on because she doesn't drink hot tea either!!!!! Don't worry we made lots of other purchases too.

After this outing we headed back to our hotel for a little rest before we ventured out to shop even more. While we were there these young girls that work at the hotel stopped Paul at the elevator and wanted to see the baby. They came in and laughed and played with Clara Beth. The one in front spoke English very well, she was only eighteen. They stayed and visited for a while. They were so sweet. I wish Anna Kayla could have been here to talk with them. Well this was a big day for both of my girls. Clara Beth's paper work was turned in to the consulate's office so that everything in the adoption can be finalized and Anna Kayla is being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in about an hour. Oh, if I could only be in two places at once I would be with them both. Thankfully Greg and her Granny and Papa Ty will be there for her and we'll be headed home day after tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WhooHooo, we can hardly wait. Please start praying for safe travel and that all the girls will do well on the long flight. Until next time.........Good night from Guangzhou........Robin
P.S. check out John and Kirby's blog to see cute little Cooper:
http://www.nancycooperking.blogspot.com/

Medical Exam Day

We woke up this morning to pouring rain. But that didn't slow us down. After breakfast we boarded our two vans and went on the perilous journey to the babies' medical exam. I have never seen driving the way they do it here. There are no lanes and there doesn't seem to be a certain side of the road that they drive on. We have seen several cars coming straight at us. Today our driver hit a man on a bicycle pulling a cart. Thank goodness he only hit the cart and no one was hurt. Once again they both just continued on as if nothing had happened. All of this makes for a very interesting ride each day. After a ride through the city we arrived at the medical exam building. The babies had to have their pictures made first. Then we went in the building. Here we are right before going in.

Here we are inside the building in front of the entrance for adopted children to be examined. I could not believe it. I was finally standing in the spot that I had seen hundreds of times on other people's websites. I could feel the tears welling up but wait....no time for that, they ushered us in and we quickly got started. We were wisked into little rooms and the checking began. Clara Beth did not mind until they looked in her ears and mouth then she let out a wail! Thank goodness this was the last check point for us. Look at this sweet picture, see how Clara Beth has her little hand turned sideways. She does that when she's sleepy and she sucks on it. Look at how she's staring up at me, like she's saying, ah yes, you're still there. That's why I just love this little carrier. We can just stare and stare at each other.

Here we are geting our very high tech hearing test. She passed with flying colors. As soon as they cranked up the Christmas music, on this little toy piano, she quickly turned to see where it was coming from. Oh, she is certainly her mama's girl. She knows I love to listen to Christmas music all through the year and she seemed to enjoy it in April too!!

After the exams our guide, Richard took us to the pearl market, where we made quite a few purchases. Then we went to McDonalds for lunch. I have to say that the hamburger Hapy Meal that I had was delicious!! All of this was located in a huge mall. I could have stayed there all day. But no, we had to return to our hotel. When we got back we ventured out with the King's and their two year old Cooper. It was a great experience. It is truly another world here. This is a picture down one of the streets we walked. We laughed and nodded with the people(because we can't understand a thing they say)but it didn't matter, because a smile is universal. It's so amazing how God created us all so differently and yet all the same. We walked and we shopped and we marveled at what we saw.

After our outing we were back in the room playing in this little pool full of Legos, the hotel put in here for us. Clara Beth loves sitting in here, usually Land is in with her but he was busy so I had to take over!! Of course you know I didn't mind at all. Better run, time for bed.......Good night from Guangzhou!! Two more days and we head HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally Arriving in Guangzhou

Not going to post much today. we are very tired. This turned into a very loooong travel day for us. Our flight to Guangzhou was supposed to leave at 2:20 and was delayed because of thunderstorms so we didn't get to leave until 4:40. We were at the airport for a very long time with no lunch and a very late supper. This is a picture of Paul and Clara Beth before we left this morning. I love capturing these sweet moments.

Here we are in the lobby of the Dolton(great hotel) before we left. Now Clara Beth and I have a new best friend!!!!!! We are going to miss this place.

Here's the whole gang at the airport. People all around us just stared as usual. I don't think Changsha sees a lot of Americans.

Here's Land watching all the planes take off except ours!!!!

Here's Clara Beth and I finally getting on the plane to Guangzhou!!! It was her first plane trip and she did very well. We arrived in Guangzhou around 7:30 we were all tired and HUNGRY! We checked in and headed downstairs for some western food. We were not feeling to adventerous on the food front tonight. Everyone is asleep but me. Clara Beth and the other girls have their medical exams in the morning. So I better be off to bed. Good night this time from Guangzhou. Only 4 more days until we come HOME!!!!!!!! Have a great day while we have sweet dreams........Robin

Last Day In Changsha

Hello, for those of you wondering why it took so long for me to post today it's because I did, and somehow when I went to publish it everything was lost! So I'm trying one more time. Let me begin by praising God for this incrediable journey He has taken us on. It has truly been amazing!!! He has brought us together with a wonderful group of travel mates. We have had so much fun together. This is a picture of us enjoying a delicious breakfast before our last full day in Changsha. After all of this scrumptious food each morning how in the world am I going to go back to my daily bowl of oatmeal!!! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get used to not being in a five star hotel!!

After breakfast we headed out to the Hunan Embroidery Museum. Here we are in front of the entrance. Hunan is famous for their embroidery. Even President Bush visited here and took home an embroidered family portrait. We didn't choose anything that elaborate but we did purchase a round two way embroidered screen with flowers on it. This will be a keepsake that we will treasue because it came from the province where our precious daughter was born.

After our outing we went back to the hotel and it was lunch time. I am getting quite adventerous in my food choices. Can't you tell by my plate??? It's so neat here. You pick out your food and they cook it for you right then. There are lots of things to choose from: fish(whole body included), veal(delicious, by the way), even American chicken nuggets and french fries. I decided to pass on the saute'ed baby octopus and braised snake. Maybe next time........HA!!

When lunch was over Paul and I decided to take Clara Beth and venture out to the store on our own.(Land stayed with Ms. Lynn) On the way there we saw a man get bumped by the mirror on a car. Neither he nor the driver even looked at each other. They both just went on as if nothing happened! Here you can't tell the road from the sidewalk, cars and motorcycles use both!! While we were walking I just had to stop and take in the sights, smells, and sonds of Changsha. I want to remember everything about the province where my daughter was born. I want to be able to tell her so much. When we returned to the hotel we had a short rest and then we were off to an authentic Hunan resteraunt for dinner. Hunan is also famous for their very spicy food. It was quite different from what we had in Beijing. On the way back we saw performers getting ready for a show. We had to stop and take a look. Here we are with some of the dancers from the show. They were captivated by Clara Beth. We are too! She's just soooooooo cute!!!! Who wouldn't be???????????

Finally, after a long day, here is Clara Beth getting her last bath in Changsha. It makes me sad to write that. Tomorrow we receive the babies passports and then we are off to Guangzhou. I'll miss Changsha but this means we are one step closer to home. Please pray for safe travel. This is my last goodnight from Changsha. My next post will be from Guangzhou!!! Until then.............Robin

Rainy Day Fun in Changsha

Another day in Changsha and we get to see more and more of Clara Beth's personality. Here she is with Land first thing this morning. She is quite the wake up call. She has done so well but she does cry out on and off during the night. I pray that she will be able to rest peacefully soon.

Here we are on the bus ready for our tour of Mao Zetong's school. It was a soggy day in Changsha. We woke up to pouring down rain. It didn't stop us, some of our group decided to stay at the hotel and rest while the adventureous ones headed out into the rain, babies and all. After another exciting ride swerving past cars and umbrella topped motorcycles we arrived at the school safe and sound. This girl loves to travel in her carrier.

Here's a picture of us in the hallway with a view of the school yard in the background. Clara Beth took her a little snooze in the carrier and woke up bright eyed and ready to go again!!!! Just look at that little sleeping angel!!!!! Gotta love that sweet face!!!

After our morning outing we came back to the hotel for some lunch and a short nap. Myself included. Then Land and Paul went down for a bowling match on the sixth floor. They had so much fun, Land challenged me to a match. I couldn't resist, we had a great time wih Clara Beth and Paul cheering us on. By the time we were finished, it was time to meet the group for dinner downstairs.


Here I am at dinner feeding Clara Beth and holding onto Geordyn while Houston visited the buffet. It is quite a sight to see us all together at meal time with all five of our little ones. We leave quite a mess in our wake. Thank goodness the hotel staff is so kind and they don't seem to mind at all. It's getting late here so I better be off to bed, keep the comments coming. We love hearing from you. Remember, God is sooooooooo good and he is sooooooooo faithful. Until next tme........... Robin

College Bound...........

Today we set off on another adventure to the Hunan University. Part of the campus is the oldest university in China. The buildings are very beautiful and were built using no nails. This is a picture of Clara Beth in her favorite ride. I love having her like this. She just stares up into my eyes and smiles as we walk along and take in the sights of China. So far she's been the best thing I've seen!!

As we walked around the university we were the only Americans there. We are getting so used to being the center of attention. Here is a picture of us getting mobbed by the curious locals. They are just drawn to Clara Beth. It has to be because she is just so cute!! This time we almost didn't get away in time to catch up with our group. They left and Paul was ahead of me calling back for me to come on. Most all of the people are very friendly and very curious. They come up and just talk and talk, and I just smile and nod my head because I don't understand a thing they are saying. I could be agreeing to anythng and not even know it!!

Here we are in front of the Hunan University sign. Our facillitator, Richard said that maybe our girls could be exchange students here one day. I have a feeling Clara Beth's daddy will not let her venture this far away from us!!

This is a picture of a pineapple stand. They are everywhere. The pineapples are carved into various shapes. They look delicious but Richard warned us that our western tummies may not be ready for one of these. So we have to pass and just eat the pineapple off of the buffet at our hotel.

This is a picture of us across fom the entrance to the university. We are standing near the banks of a branch of the Yangtze River. I had hoped to see a least part of it. For those of you who love children's literature, the book "The Story of Ping" takes place here. I read it to my class every year. It's one of my favorites. After our outing we returned to the hotel and went to lunch with the King's at another 5 star hotel. The restaurant was very fancy with quite an assortment of interesting food. Land will have to tell you all the things he tried when he gets back home. That boy must have an iron stomach. After lunch, Kirby and I did a little shopping. I love the Chinese people, they are just my size. I can walk into a store and find pants that actually fit me!! Of course I had to make a few purchases. When we returned, Paul went to do paper work while we hung out in the room. Later we had dinner in the hotel with the whole group. Now it's time to turn in, because another night in Changsha has come to an end. By the way, did I say that I really love it here. Our whole experience so far has been great. I continue to be amazed by God's awesome power. Thanks for all the prayers for Anna Kayla, she arrived home safe and sound but says she really misses China. Who wouldn't. Until tomorrow.......Robin

Sisters and a Very Old Mummy (not me of course)

Hello all........This is going to be a quick post tonight because we are all so tired. Paul, Land and Clara Beth are already asleep. Anna Kayla is inflight on her way home. Please continue to pray for her and safe tavel. This picture is yet another cute face! Clara Beth is just full of personality, today Land had her laughing out loud! She's just too cute!! Paul said seeing her may cause an epidemic. He is completely smitten!! God is soooooooooo good. It's been amazing to see His hand in all of this. He continues to watch over and bless all of us on this incredible jouney.

This is a picture of Anna Kayla and Clara Beth right before she left this morning. We all miss her so much.

Another great shot of my two girls!!!!

One last time in Changsha waiting for the taxi.

This is Land outside the museum in Changsha where we saw the 2000 year old lady. Believe me she was not a pretty sight!!! But we had fun. Eveywhere this group goes we have a good time. Believe it or not, we are all getting used to being stared at! People just stop what they are doing to watch us go by. Keep prayingand keep the comments coming. We love them, it makes us feel so connected to you all. Until tomorrow............... Good night from Changsha!!!

Baby Faces and Shopping

Hello all, today I am going to post just a few of the many faces of Clara Beth that we get to see. This is the one she makes when she is sleepy. I saw this one at two thirty this morning right after she finished her bottle. It kind of reminds me of some of the little old Chinese men I've seen on the streets outside our hotel!

This cutie is the one we refer to as her Popeye face! Couldn't you just eat her up! She does this when she's playing with us.

This is a personal favorite of mine, where she's Daddy's girl. She loves putting her face right up next to his.

I think we caught this one in the middle of a rollover. We snapped and then she was off again!!

Here's the picture you been waiting for at Ninety Six Primary....Our girls...Clara Beth(minus her pink hairbow), Rebekah Grace, and Geordyn. Aren't they precious!!!


Today was very interesting, taxis whisked us away to a store very similar to Walmart. We ate at McDonalds first, very much like ours at home. Clara Beth had quite the stinky while we were there so we asked where we could change her and they led us to the back of the restaurant where a Chinese lady pulled out two chairs and motioned for us to sit down and change her. We were right at the back where people were eating!!! They didn't mind so we sat down and I went to work with her spread across both of our laps!!!! Mind you it was a very messy one indeed!! Then we proceeed to shop as crowds gathered around us to watch. It was like being in a
parade. People would come up smile and grab our babies by the hands and feet. Thank goodness Anna Kayla could translate some of what they were saying. I don't know what we will do without her, she leaves tomorrow. Please pray for safe travel for her. She has been great helping us with the language. The Chinese people love to hear her speak.
Tonight we ate some of the spicy Hunan food and I'll have you to know I can multitask quite well. I feed Clara Beth and ate with chopsticks at the same time!!! Sheila I will be sending you that picture for you to share!! I must run, I need my rest tomorrow we are off to see a mummy!!!!

Oh Happy Day

After we got Clara Beth we went back to the room to get aquainted. She didn't cry a single time and was very happy. We have nicknamed her the steam roller because when you put her on the floor she rolls from one side of the room to the other. She's like one of those toys that you wind up and when it bumps the wall it turns around, she does too! This is us headed to the Civil Affairs office to do the final adoption decree.

This is our doorman and Land's new friend! They make quite a pair.

This is Clara Beth getting her first bottle. She didn't take her eyes off of me.

This is us @ 8:30 after her bath. As you can see I am very tired, she is not. She has the biggest eyes. She is very active! She is stong and well developed. She rolls, as you know, and puts weight on her legs and loves to stand up. I am developing that upper body strength now!!

By the way Anna Kayla also has a new friend! Please keep sending the comments. We love to read them! We miss you all and we'll see you soon!!!!