Friday morning

Good morning to all, or I guess it is evening there.

We all had a pretty good day yesterday. We were able to FaceTime with our kids for quite a bit which was great! Emmy woke up pretty happy. She had a good breakfast and enjoys playing with her dad when she eats. We didn't have anything scheduled most of the day so we just played in our room. We took a walk before lunch down the street and into a type of mall. Emmy didn't know what to think of that at all and just looked around without much expression. Mike isn't feeling well with a cold or sinus infection so we headed back to the hotel.

During lunch they brought us a high chair for the first time, and we sat Emmy in there, but she would have nothing to do with it. She wants to be held or to sit in our lap. I am sure over time that may change. Several times today she has raised her arms for us to pick her up anytime she feels unsure. She is trusting us more and more. There are so many times that I get into an unknown situation and try to figure it out or try to "do" something to make it better, and all I really should do is raise my arms up to my Father. He loves me and will carry me. I know I find comfort there so make that my first reaction!!!

During the afternoon we were supposed to meet our guide for some paperwork so by the time Emmy took a nap, we didn't have time to go to the park or anything else. So playing in our room was the best option. Emmy had a time when she was just wide open. She was climbing up on the chair and jumping down and then wanted to stand in the window sill and walk back and forth. We are on the 23rd floor so it is quite a sight for her I am sure. She was jumping and laughing so much she even started sweating. It was so fun to see as I can imagine her acting like that with her siblings when we get home.

After our paperwork, we had dinner with our friends. Emmy and I ate stir fried rice noodles with peppers, onions, carrots, shrimp, chicken, and pork. She really liked the noodles and little pieces of chicken and pork. I tried to give her a shrimp, but she quickly pushed it away. She would eat all of the small vegetables though. By the end of the meal she was finally comfortable enough with our friends to wave bye bye to them. They were excited to see that and so were we.

So today the words she tried to say were jump, Ella, gu gu which means big brother, and mama. At lunch she was playing with her spoon imitating the way daddy does at breakfast and loudly would yell ah-ya as she pulled the spoon out of her mouth. It was great to see some very animated moments from her today!

Today we have to check out of our hotel and will visit the city wall on our way to the airport. We have a flight tonight at 7:00. If you can pray specifically for this as we have no idea how Emmy will react to the airplane, and it will be very hard for her to sit in a seat by herself. I am assuming she will just have to sit there for take off and landing. Please pray that Mike's head clears up before our flight as well. I am a bit anxious about the day as a whole and am praying for His peace to surround us throughout the day and night. It will be a late night for all of us. We will check into another hotel room, and I am hoping Emmy will sleep as well there as she does here. Please also pray for our sweet ones at home. I know they are having fun, but it is hard on them and us to be away from each other for so long. It is less than a week now before we are back home, and we can't wait!

Thank you all for praying for us during our trip!