Learn to be still

What a busy few days, Olivia is delicate, deliberate and such a soulful little person. As A mother my heart aches for her and I long to know her story. In the few days we have had her we have learned a great deal but for now we are her story and she will slowly begin to find where she f its in our family. We are all letting her settle in on her own terms, she is 4.5 years old and has developed definite likes and dislikes during her time at the orphanage. The Yangzhou orphanage was absolutely beautiful and very peaceful, quite different from our last experience. Our visit with Olivia went well,  she did not hesitate to go to the nannies nor did she hesitate to return to us. She is such a brave little girl and in her own time I am certain she will be a energetic, care free child. She loves David and goes to him if he is around. She is very, very thoughtful and is the most delicate child I have ever met. Olivia will teach us to learn to be still. Everyday she shows a little more of herself and becomes more accepting of the boisterous family she has fallen into. Cate is sweet and kind to her, yet at the same time she brings out a component of Cate we have never seen. It is not jealousy or competition it is almost as though Cate is trying to communicate to Olivia to let go, put the top down, feel the wind in your hair. I can hear Cate saying in an adult voice " hey these people look different and sometimes it's crazy but jump in big sister because it's been a great ride and you will be loved." A long time ago when I had Wyatt and his personality started to appear it dawned on me that I had very little to do with who he was, I naively thought that Wyatt would be a mini version of John David, that it was me who shaped and molded these little people. It was at that point I wanted dozen children. Life moved on and here we are in a hotel in China with 2 teenagers, a toddler and a little girl who is stronger than any person I know. David asked me one of those "if I would of questions last night." The girls were ready for bed and between us and he said if "I would have told you 10 years ago we'd be in China with 4 kids in July of 2015, what would you have to say to that." My response was "I'm tired." I am tired, but not because of exhaustion, I am tired because we are away from home and all that we have that makes us feel comfortable each day. I am tired because this is an exhausting process and there is one more in our bed. One more to love and one more who counts, one more who has a voice and one more who will teach us so many things. We are forever grateful to everyone who held us up through the process and grateful for the those who knocked us down, because somewhere in between is the place where you find peace and discover that God will provide and guide you live in the light of Christ. She is here and she is a gift that we are still unwrapping. It is through the strength you muster to leap off the ledge that makes you catch your breath for those "single" moments that make your life complete.

We have found out very little information except that she was about one week old and found by the doors of a bus stop. 

July 6th - Family Day

The journey started days ago and has been packed with planes, trains and automobiles. There has been little time to blog and as many times as I have wanted to attempt, it has been too late, too tired or simply too much. Traveling with Cate has been a totally different experience for everyone. Cate has been very adaptable along the way, she is excited to see and do and loves to be on the move. John David and Wyatt are GWT's, (David's acronym for Great World Travelers). 

We started in Salt Lake City on June 26 and travelled to Marin County to meet up with David. The timing did not work out as we had planned so many adjustments along the way had the family starting out at a later date than expected. We spent a few days in Marin and readied for the trip to China with last minute shopping and preparation. We then flew to Seattle and had a quick visit with David's family, John and Mitzie were visiting Robin and Greg already so it was a nice stop with a lovely dinner and then morning departure for Seattle airport. 

We landed in Shanghai and hit the ground running. Shanghai has so much to see, a beautiful city and we hired a guide to take us out to some other cities including Suzhou and the ancient water town of ZhouZhuang, places that were "must sees." Shanghai is definitely on the list for a revisit. 

Today is a life changing day for Olivia, as she is being readied to meet her forever family and we pray her heart has been opened by God to know that she will be loved. 

Please keep us in your heart and prayers. We will post pics and catch up as soon as we catch our breath.