'Twas the Night Before Christmas

...and all 'round Guangzhou, many new families were out on the go.
OK - I can't keep up the rhyming much longer, so I'll get down to business.
First, new photos of Keira having fun. She's been such a joy and is taking more interest in other babies now. She wakes up happy to see us and loves to go for rides on the bus.
Here's a photo especially for Grandpa N -- she is walking with daddy's help:

Love that sunlight pouring into our room? Did I mention it is in the 70s here? Supposed to be about 80 tomorrow, I think. If you have to be away from home for Christmas, this is the way to go! And by the way, the service here at the White Swan has been great so far. My favorite part has been the evening turn-down service. They bring a newspaper, turn down your bed if you want, and give you CHOCOLATE! Yum!! A close second is the great breakfast buffet. I've read rave reviews, and am now happy to say I concur. Can't wait for more French toast tomorrow, and fresh fruit, and pastries, and bacon and eggs, and...and...and!

Anyway, back to K. Here she is, living on Easy Street:

What a life! And by the way, have I mentioned that she loves noodles??

Here she is, playing with daddy in the morning. Note that lovely ONU outfit she has on. This little genius is hoping there are more women and minorities on the ONU Board of Directors by the time she's choosing universities....or maybe it's been her mom saying that....

Now a few pix of the Chen Family Temple, otherwise known as the Guangdong Provincial Folk Art Museum. We visited there this morning. Cindy says that Chen is the Chinese equivalent of the name Smith or Jones in the US. The Temple is very, very beautiful - the photos don't do it justice, but I tried.
This is the main gate:

Here I tried to capture some of the ornate carvings on the roofline. Cindy said that the carvings have to be repainted every couple of years or so because the pollution is so bad here. The carving all tell a story of some sort, some part of their history. The whole Temple is like this. Very impressive.

A peek through a doorway:

After touring the Temple, we did some shopping for jade and porcelin. We got some nice keepsakes for Keira. Apparently, diamonds weren't available in China until about 100 years ago, so jade was their precious stone. It is not quite as hard as a diamond, but still a hard gemstone and the Chinese used to use it in tools. And then they discovered that, hey, this stuff is pretty and we could use it for jewelry too.

We also learned today that Guangdong province is the wealthiest in China. For a long, long time, Guangzhou (capital of Guangdong province) was the only port of entry open to foreigners, and as a result, the economy here has done quite well. And now, foreign families here to adopt babies do their part to keep it that way.

Cindy also shared this with us, regarding eating. She says that we tend to think that Chinese people will eat everything. Actually, it is the Cantonese who eat everything (Guangzhou used to be called Canton; the people in this province are therefore called Cantonese), she says. Other Chinese have a saying that Cantonese people will eat anything that flies, except an airplane; anything with legs, except the table and chairs; and anything that swims, except a submarine. And from what we've seen on our trip, I think this is true! Oh where, oh where is that Christmas ham?!

Happy Holidays to you all!