Red Couches

Adoptive parents stay at the White Swan in Guangzhou for several reason-its 4 star status, its proximity to the US consolate (our visit is scheduled for tomorrow), the Swan (Mattel) room, the giant coi pond for the kids to watch the fish, but the the thing that we look forward to the most at the White Swan are the pictures on the Red Couches. All of the families from our group assembled today to take both family pictures, pictures of all girls together on the couch, and then a giant group picture (although not all of us could fit on the couch, so we shot it in front of the waterfall). Needless to say, it is a circus trying to get kids anywhere from 1-14 to sit still together without their parents long enough to get 1 good picutre (unlike Avery's group which had sub 1 year olds that couldn't move away once we put them down). See the pictures-some great shots of the girls, the family, and some comical trying to get the group together.

Also near Guangzho are quite a few shops that have some neat items to shop for including traditional chinese dresses (as seen in the red couch pictures), squeaky shoes (shoes that squeak when you walk-Chloe was beside herself ecstatic when we put them on-in fact, we don't know if she likes the style, or the fact that they squeak...), trinkets, toys (that last a solid 20 minutes out of the store), silk quilts (handmade) and some other items that are good for future gifts for the girls (wedding boxes, jewelry, etc.). We spent a good deal of time over the last two days shopping and checking items off our list-the best part is usually the price, which although not as cheap as last time (dollar has lost about 15%-20% of its value versus the yuan since our last trip) but is still very reasonable.

We leave Friday and I would say the entire group is ready-despite a wonderful thai dinner, I think we are all ready for the comforts of home-gotta go, more shopping tomorrow.