Trip details

The Big Day!
Today we got CyLynn finally! It was worth the wait! It took her a little while to like us. But she finally did. She has really liked Callie. They've walked around and we've played with CyLynn. She has the cutest smile! This is what we've done all day. Play with Cy and its been really fun. More exciting days ahead!
G&P
Cade

Well yesterday we finished signing all of our papers in Chengdu. We all got to know CyLynn a little better. Today we got to see pandas! They were cute. We got to see the black and white ones and the red ones. They were all pretty cute.


The past 2 days we've been pretty busy. Two days ago we finished all of CyLynn's paperwork from here. So that was good. Then we all walked from the hotel to a pizza hut which is about a mile away and had some pizza. It wasn't as good as our pizza back home, but it wasn't to bad. Thats about all we did that day. Yesterday we saw the pandas! They were so cute! The black and white ones and the red ones. The red ones had a long tail, kind of like a fox. They were neat. We also went to Wal Mart yesterday! Yes, Wal mart in China. It was on the bottom floor of this 4- story mall. I didn't really look around in it but it looked kinda like a normal one. So we ate lunch at McDonalds again. Then came back to the hotel and did nothing for the rest of the day. Today is our last full day in Chengdu. Tomorrow we fly out to Guangzhou for the last part of our trip. I'm excited to get home but I'm gonna be sad to leave here.
Cade


Well today, July 22, was our last full day in Chengdu. We did a couple of fun things today. First we went to the park. The park over here was just a normal park that you walked around in, but it also had amusement park rides in it. So you can pay and ride the little kiddie rides. CyLynn tried one and she didn't like it to much. After that we went to the place where they make brocade. Brocade is a kind of silk. It was really neat how they made it. One of the pictures is of the guy making some bocade. Chengdu is famous for its bocade. Well after we toured there we went and ate lunch. Our lunch was called a "hotpot" Its like this big bowl in the middle of the table and we could put any kind of meat that we wanted in it. It was really good. One of the pictures is if the hotpot in the middle of the table. After that we just came back to the hotel. CyLynn is like Callie's right arm. She has attached on to Callie. Its gonna be sad when Callie has to leave. Tomorrow we fly out to Guangzhou at 2.
Cade

Hello from Guangzhou!
Sorry it as taken me so long to update. Guangzhou is a very nice city. Their is this mall that we went to that was 6 stories full of stuff then you keep walking and there is another 6 story mall full of JEWELRY. Any kind of jewelry that you could want. That was pretty neat to see. Also we went to a folkart muesem. The musuem had alot of beautiful designs on it. That was cool. We are staying at a very nice 5 star hotel on a island that used to be owned by England so the buildings are English style. Its very quiet on this island, because its mostly adoptive families in this hotel. All the people that adopt have to come to Guangzhou because the U.S consulate is here. There is about 37 different countries consulates' here. I've had a very fun time here.
CyLynn is crazy when she is wound up. We have adjoining rooms here, so she'll come in to mine and Landry's room and we'll chase her back into the other room and she'll get back in mom's arms. We scare her alot but she likes it. She loves Callie, and she still hasn't let anyone else carry her anywhere. But just today and yesterday, her and Dad went to the 7/11 across the street and bought her favorite cookies. She loves those cookies, and she loves to be picked up in the air. She is kind of shy when she is around people. But once she gets to know you it will get better. She is getting to know all of us better and everyday you can really see the progress in her. Its exciting. It took her a couple of days but she finally got in the pool! She loves it!
We made it home safely and are so happy to be here. CyLynn likes everything so far. Thanks to everyone that was praying for us. We defiantly needed it.
Cade

Home

The plane has landed. Six Freelings getting luggage. Air flights are over.

Karen

Great Wall of China

One picture below is of the Great Wall of China. Notice the steps. They were built to keep the enemy from running up and down them very fast. Some are steep, some are only an inch thick and there are chunks missing out of the steps. Also the wall is on a very steep mountain.

We made it to China!

Well I'm sorry that I haven't got a chance to update this blog! We can't log in to our blog over here. But we made it safely! We landed about 8 o clock p.m Bejijing time{7 a.m Texas time} By the time we made it through the airport, ate, and checked in it was about 11 o clock so we were all really tired. That next morning we had to get up at 8 and eat breakfast. The breakfast was really good! We left our hotel at about 9 and headed over to the Summer Palace. It was really big and beautiful. So we walked around in that for most of the morning. Next we ate some chinese food for lunch. We've had alot of Chinese! and chop sticks are TERRIBLE! I'm not very good at it! So i just use a fork! haha. After that we rode around in the old city on rick shaws which was pretty neat. To finish our day we watched acrobats. They were crazy! doing crazy stunts. It was kinda scary to watch. But none of them fell or got hurt. A very tiring day! Our beds here in the King Wing Hot Spring Hotel are hard! It's pretty much like sleeping on the floor. But our rooms are very chilly which makes up for it!
Grace&Peace
Cade

Day 2
Well this morning we had to wake up a little bit earlier. But it was all good. Our breakfast was delicous again! We left our hotel at about 8:40 a.m for the two hour drive to the Great Wall of China. It was very very big! Lots and lots of stairs! But we all made it a little ways at least. After the long hike we were all starving so we got to eat at a American Pizza/ Chinese food buffet and it was pretty delicous. Next we went to the Forbidden City and Tiennemen Square. Wow! What architecture and design that these people thought of. Very amazing! To end the day we ate supper. It was good also. At the moment its 8:46 p.m here {7:46 a.m Texas time. During all the rides to the different places we've been with another family, they are adopting they're second chinese baby. They have the first one with them and she is 4 years old. She is the cutest thing! Her name is Alexus[ or Lexi].She has really got me excited about getting CyLynn! I can't wait untill Monday. WEll goodnight from China!
Grace&Peace
Cade

travel delay

Well we made it to Chicago safely. We found our gate and got seated thinking that we were leaving at 12:20. After about an hour they announced that our flight wouldn't leave untill 5! But just recently they displayed on the screen that we are leaving at 2:30. So we still don't know when we are leaving. But hopefully we leave soon. The excitement of getting a new little sister is driving me crazy. I'm ready to get on that plane! But for now I just got to sit here......and wait.
I will update as soon as we find out something!
Grace&Peace
Cade

Finalizing travel plans

Hello!
Well at the moment we are finishing all of our packing and finalizaing things to do here. i'm excited for the trip and I pray that we are safe in everything we do. I'm very excited of the thought of being a big brother and not being the youngest anymore!:) Its going to be great! Well we have a few more hours untill we leave our house and head down to Dallas. Our flight leaves on Wednesday morning. I'll probably be the one updating this the most. So I will update as soon as I can. Keep praying for us!
Grace & Peace
Cade

At the beginning of this process, we all agreed upon the name CyLynn. Cy was the nickname of her grandfather and Lynn is her parents and sisters middle name.
When we switched to a referral list of children with disabilities, we were given a protected website to look at. These children hadn't been referred and we were allowed to look for the one God might have for us. During this process, we prayed God would put the name of CyLynn on the child that He wanted us to have. When the adoption agency sent us pictures and information on Chen Yi, we knew she was the one.

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. " Psalm 150:6

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16


The adoption of CyLynn came about with the planting of God's seeds along our life journey. Several times we have kept friend's children that have been adopted. God just led us to the next step of adopting our own precious child.

From Mom's prayer journal:
*Aug. 17, 2005 My little girl. My prayer for you today is that God would keep you safe, feed you, and keep you dry. That your smallest needs will be taken care of. I dream of the day you are here with your family. Love Mom

* Aug. 19, 2005 Sweet little China(CyLynn). What are you doing today. Hope you are playing and someone is singing to you. I'm singing to you right now at 10:30 in the morning. Jesus loves the little children; all the children of the world; red and yellow, black and white- my little China(CyLynn) is a favorite in God's sight- Jesus loves my little China(CyLynn) and all the children of the world!!! See you soon. Love, Mom

Our first picture of CyLynn!