Four Babies from our group.....

Following are the four babies that are from our group....from left to right...
Lianna.....Roma....Gianna.....Bella.......sounds like an Italian Law Firm....

More pictures.....hope folks dont mind

Here we go Red Sox....!!!!

Bella's day at the zoo.....Zach's 6th birthday.....

Today was a big day for us in Nanning....weather was gorgeous....another great night of sleeping for all......had breakfast in hotel.....and being that it is Zachs birthday today, dad decided to 'go for a run' to the local Wal-mart, praying he would NOT get lost...(no street signs in English)....as the major mode of transportation in Nanning is motor bikes and bicycles, took my life in my own hand, running down the street.....should have seen everyone looking at the crazy Amercian with salt/pepper hair and iPod running down the street....!!!! Found Wal Mart no problem...navigated my way through the store and got Zach some presents for his birthday......we are having a little party for him tonight at dinner, and the other 3 families we are travelling with all got him some presents, which is very sweet....Zach has been super....hasnt asked for anything for his birthday, and knows we will celebrate it when we get back...AMAZING how cheap things are here.......can get Transformers for about 3 or 4 dollars (vs 10 to 12 in States).......Then, the whole group went to a fantastic zoo about 20 minutes from hotel.....was really nice......spread open...not crowd......but lots of animials....hippos....asian elephants....panthers...lions...tigers...crocs.....seal and dolphin show.....was great way for Zach to celebrate his 6th birthday......for a bottled of water....can of coke....and a ice cream cone, it cost 11 YUAN (which is less than a $1.50 US).......had lunch in restaurant by zoo.....was great.....know back at hotel....Zach is a little disappointed as we were going to go swimming, and a guy Jimmy that is on the trip with his wife Nancy (very nice couple....from Martha's Vineyard, too!!) were going to go swimming with us...they adopoted a really cute little girl, Lianna.....she is 8 months, and actually is from the same orphanage as Bella...but, they are working on the pool....so, it is closed for now...hopefully, will be fixed today or tomorrow......the other 2 girls adopted in our small group are from other provinces.......In Nanning versus Beijing, Americans definitely stick out a lot more.....everyone stops to look at you....but get used to it....It is Wed, and we are here until next Tuesday...it actually is much slower paced than Beijing..more down time......i think they do that on purpose...get to know your babies...spend quality bonding time...one on one time..it has worked out great thus far.....mommy and Zach are out exploring the hotel a bit...they got pool table..ping pong...arcade....Bella is taking a nap....Dad is sipping an ice cold Budweiser that he bought at Wal Mart (they sell beer..wine....hard liquor....at WalMart...!!!).....we got some great pics from the Zoo that we will post later on.....weather report said cold and snow in Mass??? it is humid and about 70 here in Nanning.....yesterday, woman said something in Chinese to Tina because bella's legs were exposed...told her she should be in long pants and a sweater....we laffed as we were in shorts and Tees.......more later....best wishes to all......

Daddy's little girl.....

The good news is that Bella is definitely daddy's little girl.....the bad news is that she's daddys little girl!!!! Yesterday, she would ONLY go to me...she would hug, kiss and play with Zach....but daddy was only one who could carry her...pick her up....hold her......she wouldn't go to anyone else, making dad have to eat the old 'one hand method'.....Between that and swimming in a freezing cold outdoor pool with my son, dad was pretty wiped yesterday.......but today she is gravitating a lot to Tina and Zach.....another great night of sleep for her......she was thrown off her schedule yesterday (usually naps around 1, but we were out at 'super Wal Mart as a group...an interesting adventure to say the least...!!)....Store is huge...two floors...and amazing what you can get there for cheap....It was cute....a couple of the ladies in our group who took a shine to Zach bought him some Transformers to give him today for his birthday....yes when you read this, it will actually be his birthday in China......we think we are heading to a local zoo, which will be fun, and hope to get him a birthday cake tonight......it has been an incredible journey, and we are relishing every moment spent as a family....watching her adapt to us......seeing how much she loves us (especially Zach.....he got the very first kiss from Bella and at last count, per Zach, she has given him 6 kisses, but none yet to daddy.....Zach gets a kick out of that, of course)....there has been a little jealousy on Zach' part, which is understandable, but he has been super.....He seems to get a little jealous at the end of the day/night, as he gets very tired....so that it is understandble......We all are back on a normal schedule of sleeping..In Beijing, we were constantly on the go....non stop...here in nanning city, it is less structured...more family down time, which is great........NOW, if I can just find a damn good cup of Coffee.....Dunkins? Starbucks.....NOPE.......okay, off to breakfast......then meeting downstairs at 10 for the zoo.....hope to post some more pics.......

The Family......

Pictures taken this morning from getting adoption papers notarized.....This is on the van going to the office.....!

Bella's first night.....

This is a picture of Bella her first night at the hotel....we are working on posting pictures and getting more updated....so far, things are going great for us......!

The Wall,,,,,

Views of the Wall........