More from China

It has been SOOO hot everywhere we have been so far.  The heat has been the oppressive, sticky kind of heat that soaks you with sweat and makes you not even care if you climb the wall, see the pandas, or ever eat again!  Here are a few photos from Chengdu.

Tiananmen Square & The Forbidden City

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates -- our Internet service has been spotty, and it seems that every time I finish a post, I get kicked off the Internet just before the post goes through.  

Highlights from Tiananmen....We did not know that we picked the Chinese school break (two weeks off the last two weeks of July) to make our grand tour of China.  It was elbow-to-elbow at all the tourist destinations in Beijing.  Of course, our group attracted quite the crowd - David and Chase are both so tall that they were a marvel to the Chinese.  Kyndal and Candice, with their red hair, were also a novelty.  Add one blonde mama pushing a stroller with an English-speaking Asian 2-year old, and yes....we were a bigger exhibit than the Beijing Zoo.  We spent quite a lot of time having our photos taken by the Chinese tourists.  We smiled and laughed and agreed to be photographed. 

Funny signs...we enjoy the English translations of Chinese signs.  Our favorites have been "mind your infant and your senior" (a reminder to take care to hold on to your toddler or your elderly person) and "no naked flames" - a fire hazard warning. 

We Did Not Topple the Wall

We spent Monday at The Great Wall, and I'm sure you will all breathe a sigh of relief to know it's still standing.  The older members of our travel party found the trek just to get onto the wall somewhat grueling.  There are many steep steps up to the cable cars, and many more stairs after taking the cable cars to the base.  After that work-out, they didn't think they were up to climbing the wall.  For those who have never been to the Great Wall, you might be surprised to know that it is quite the athletic endeavor to walk/climb the Wall.  We went fairly early in the day to beat the heat, but we still ended up sweaty with racing heartbeats. 

After walking the Wall, we headed to a traditional Chinese lunch and a tour of a cloisonne workshop.  We then headed to the Ming Tombs.  None of us was too impressed with the tomb; in fact, the kids kept asking if we could leave so they could get back to the hotel in time to swim.  We do have our priorities!

The Burches are in China!!!

We made it to China! We were unable to get everyone onto one flight, so we ended up splitting into two groups, with half of us leaving Dallas at 5:57 a.m. and the other half leaving at 6:00 a.m. The first group went to Chicago and on to Beijing, while the other half went to San Francisco and then on. We were scheduled to arrive in Beijing within 45 minutes of one another, but the second group was delayed as a result of mechanical difficulties. We eventually all met up and made it to our hotel. We spent yesterday just wandering around our hotel, trying to get the lay of the land. There were some old-Beijing syle hutongs (old style alley neigborhoods), which we enjoyed seeing. Everyone is a little jet-lagged, but that's expected during the first couple of days. It's 4 a.m. here now, and my girls are wide AWAKE! Enjoy a few photos! Today we are going to the Great Wall at Mutianyu and then to the Ming Tombs. Should be an adventure. Actually, trying to do anything in China with my family of 13 is an adventure!

We're going to China!

The time is finally here! Our bags are packed, and we are ready to roll. We will be arriving in China on July 21, and we will spend about a week touring with 13 family members. It's going to be fun! Then, part of our family will return home, while the rest of us proceed to Henan Province to complete the adoption of Anna XiaoChun. We are scheduled to receive Anna on July 30. We will be blogging our way through China, so stay posted and keep praying for Anna and for all of us. This adoption will be different in many ways, but we believe with all our hearts that the Father has directed our steps toward Anna, so we walk in faith, trusting Him.

A trip to the beach!

Amelia has been on a one-woman mission to see Winter the Dolphin from the DolphinTale movie ever since the movie was first released. We finally slipped away for some R&R (thanks, Grandma and Papa for keeping Lucy!). After six months with a brand new 2 year old in the house, Amelia needed some Mom time. As it turned out, Mom needed some Amelia time, too. We had a great time together, just the two of us - a special dophin, some serious beach time, and even a round of miniature golf. We also got to meet up with some friends for a day. Really, the trip was just what the doctor ordered!

The big catch-up post!

I have woefully neglected the blog for months....life is just busy! However, since we are preparing to leave for China in two days to finally meet our newest treasure, Anna, I figured it is time to catch up. Let see....Amelia is still my Dancing Queen. The girl loves to dance. She recently told me that she would like me to enroll her in tap and jazz in the fall, because, after all, if you are going to be a Rockette, you have to be able to do it all. She has enjoyed her summer, which has included lots of time to lounge and a few weeks of ballet camp. Lucy is the funniest creature you ever did meet. She is a riot. She is zesty and zany and temperamental. She loves to be held and rocked and she loves to play. She has a really cute sense of humor for her age, and she knows when she's playing a joke. She thinks of things to try that would never, ever have crossed Amelia's mind. Lucy keeps us on our toes! Anna's adoption has finally picked up steam, and in the past few months, things have moved swiftly. We leave on Friday to meet Miss Anna. We are so excited! We would truly appreciate your prayers as we travel. Warmly, Amy & The Girls