T minus 4 days and counting!

I actually made a little headway today in the packing department, thanks to my packing fairies! Thank goodness  for my wonderful friends -- keeping me sane as the big day approaches is a gift to everyone, trust me

Today was the kids' last day of school before we leave, so I am officially homeschooling for the next 3 weeks.  Let's just hope they recover from my "teaching"  methods.  I'm sure the Great Wall of China will teach  us all a thing or two...especially the importance of comfortable shoes!

Two Weeks and Counting!

At this time in 2 weeks, we should be sitting on a plane waiting for take off to Beijing! (via LA and Hong Kong)....of course the domestic parts of our trip are on American Airlines, so who knows we'll be sitting there on the tarmac, but we'll at least have gone successfully through security and everyone will have their electronics off and seat backs and tray tables in the upright position, half-listening to the flight attendant ramble on and on about flotation devices and exit rows.  By now the kids will have ravaged the snack supply that's supposed to last all day and will be entertained by their travel toys for at least another hour if we're lucky!

I'm amazed that this is actually happening!  And even though this ain't our first adoption rodeo, it still feels all new and exciting, and somehow, I don't know what to expect at all.  That's how it feels today, anyway.  I think it can be compared to being pregnant for the second, third or fourth time -- you block out the scary, painful parts of labor and delivery, because otherwise, you'd never go through it again!

And I guess that's where we are -- I have successfully blocked most of the anxiety and fear of the last adoption journey. There were some really stressful, tragic, frightening moments for sure, and now I'm ready to do it all again.  Unfortunately, I've also blocked the more practical parts as well.  For instance, I cannot remember how in the world we entertained the kids for 33 hours of airline travel.  I cannot remember how NOT to drink the water.  I cannot remember how badly my feet ached after a day of sightseeing or how much I craved chips & salsa.  Oh wait, it's all coming back to me now!

Hopefully my memory will also return to the point where I can remember how to pack everyone's stuff not to exceed 44 pounds each when the suitcase itself weighs 20 and Brian's shoes weigh 15. Wish me luck!