A good, good day

Yesterday was a day worth writing about.  We woke up to a quintessential spring day--crystal blue sky, low 70s.  Most welcome after days of grey, misty, 50-degree weather.  Walked to the park after lunch with my kids, and took particular delight in watching my older daughter (almost four) running her little heart and legs out, so free and strong and joyful!  Can I be more like her, please?  (Well, not when she's Miss Cranky Britches, of course.) 

The physical copies of our Travel Approval were delivered.  I didn't expect it to be so elegant!  Got a little teary-eyed reading this:  In accordance with the Adoption Law of the People's Republic of China...we agreed that the child...who is in the care of CWI of Shuyang County, Jiangsu Province, be placed with you for adoption.  Please travel in person with this notice to the adoption registry office...of Jiangsu Province in China to proceed the registration formalities. 

So that's what it comes down to, what we've been waiting to hear after nearly twelve months of paperwork and check-writing:  We agreed that the child be placed with you for adoption.  Now please come to China and get him!  (my paraphrase) 

My Dear Husband was able to book our hotel rooms for the Beijing portion of our trip...another wonderful blessing!  My husband's previous job required him to travel extensively...not good for family life.  God in His goodness provided a new job last year.  And we discovered recently that DH had accumulated exactly enough hotel points from all his business travel to earn us two free nights (with free breakfast) in a very swanky hotel in Beijing!  How loving and kind of our Father to bring such a benefit from a difficult period in our lives--a blessing we could never have foreseen at the time. 

And now it's back to work for me.  So much to do, and the days are dwindling.  We leave NEXT WEEK!