This is it, the last blog entry from China. I've tried to record our time here on our Quest For Shen as best I could, but there is so much I haven't told you about. Mainly, I guess I haven't really given too deep an insight into who Shen is. I suppose we don't really know this ourselves yet. I can tell you he is a very happy little boy, he is rambunctious, and a bit impulsive, yet he is tender as well, and clearly has a very big heart. He is talkative, and says lots of stuff - all in Chinese. Most heartwarming is that he says, "Wo ai ni." to us, which is Chinese for "I love you!"

We have had a bit more challenging time this trip. We miss having Cam and Ben with us. Mostly just because we miss being with them, but also because they were such a huge help to us when we came to China for Kai. Last time it was four basically grown-up people and one toddler. This time it's two on two and the little boys are both bigger and more willful. There were a lot of outings we thought we wanted to do, but just didn't have the energy for. We have been very lucky with the weather here in Guangzhou. I was very worried about the heat here, and while it has been hot and humid, it's not been above what we can handle. We have had a number of intense storms with heavy rain and dramatic thunder and lightning, but they've been at night and haven't impeded upon our days. They've actually helped keep it a bit cooler and the air a bit cleaner.

We have met a number of amazing people here in Guangzhou from all over the U.S. who are here adopting. It's very moving and inspiring to see people bringing these children into their families. We saw many more older children being adopted this trip, and many more special needs boys. We were much less of an oddity at the White Swan this time.

I remember being a bit sad to leave China at the end of our trip last time. I'm a bit sad I don't feel that way now. It's not that I appreciate China less, but we just haven't had the opportunity to be in it as much. We need to get home, and get to work on truly integrating Shen into our family. He hasn't even met his two oldest brothers yet! It's time for us to go. Our bags are packed and the boys are sleeping. We have to leave the hotel at 6:45 AM.

Thank you for following along with us, and thank you for all your warm wishes.