Missed a day of blogging, so I feel behind! Exhaustion and crappy internet service is to blame.

On Sunday, we went to the Chen Family Temple and the Pearl Market. We had done this same thing in 2005 with Reagan so we knew what to expect! Ethan was not impressed at the Chen Family’s place, he got mad at threw himself into one of his tantrums and bumped his head pretty hard on a marble floor. So needless to say, the Tuckers excused themselves from the group and wandered around trying to make the Little Emperor behave! He perked up and even let Tim hold his hand to walk. We took our time and looked around and then went back out to the meeting spot, where another little one in our group was throwing an Ethan-like fit. Chinese people think it is a great show to watch American parents trying to control their Chinese children. They just stand there and stare and it is really kind of infuriating! After that we went to the Pearl Market, where Kelly took us to a reputable store. The sales people lay out a bunch of strands of pearls and tell you the prices and you pick your strand. Then they make it into whatever you want. We got a bracelet for me and 2 little ones for Reese. The kids were really good while we waited. I was very impressed! When we got back to the hotel we had lunch from McDonalds, napped and played. Reese and Ethan are starting to interact a little more with each other and so far they really like each other! We’ll see how that changes through the years! We discovered that Reese really likes icecream! Ethan took one bite and made a terrible face and refused any more, so Reese at almost an entire McFlurry by herself! She was so excited about it! It is so fun to get to know their personalities after wondering for so long. Ethan’s favorite things: Mommy, helping throw away trash, cleaning up, listening to mommy and daddy sing the Kai Lan intro song, pushing elevator buttons, carbs, pork dumplings, being tickled, French fries, taking a bath, escalators. Reese’s favorite things: icecream, rolls, hot tea, being held, chips, blowing kisses bye-bye, imitating people, riding in the Baby Bjorn, being tickled on her back and neck, being fed, fried rice. She turns when you say her name now and is way more spunky since she has pooped a few more times! Today (Monday) we went to a really cool and very pretty garden. It was another gorgeous day so it was a great morning to be out and about. Ethan rode in the stroller and daddy carried Reese in the Baby Bjorn. We took lots of pictures and a video of Ethan throwing a tantrum. We got so frustrated with our audience of Chinese people giving us the evil eye. We just let him sit and we walk away and say bye and then hold out a hand for him to come and he screams a bit. Sometimes this goes on for a few minutes, but seriously, people stop and stare and watch the whole thing! It is so rude and weird! Tim finally said “okay, people, show is over!” when we were getting him back into the stroller. I know that him being so strong-willed is what helped him survive all he has been through, so I am thankful for my Little Emperor even when he is being a difficult two year old boy! As soon as his fit is over, he is back to his smiling little sweet self. He just has to take some time to show us that he thinks he is the boss! Reese just watches him! Wish I knew what she was thinking! Later in the day we went on a journey through a Spice Market. That was quite an experience! We saw all kinds of things for sale, including lots of pets and even scorpions, that Kelly told us are eaten here in soup or fried! DISGUSTING! It was fun to walk thru the streets and just see it all. From there we walked to Shamain Island. This is my favorite part of China! Even though it is not the same as 2005 (the White Swan hotel is completely torn apart and won’t be finished for another couple of years) we loved being back where we made all those great memories with Reagan. Just seeing familiar places and shopping was awesome. We only had two hours, which was not enough time, before our group met the bus to head back to the hotel. But we made the most of our time and bought lots of good stuff! I feel like Ethan is getting the short end of the stick on the souvenirs because everything I want to buy is pretty girly! We got both of the kids some squeaky shoes, which they LOVED trying out in the hotel room! Our biggest purchase was an etching of all our kids’ faces. We won’t get it until tomorrow and I hope it turns out well. We have one of these of Ryleigh and Reagan and also one of Reagan with Emily, Lindsey, and Klaire. These are kids that were adopted around the same time in our town and the Bauers got it for us while they were in China. They are so cool and I am really excited about it. The prices of everything have definitely gone up since 2005. I hate that all those little shops have suffered from the White Swan being closed. Tomorrow we are going to the zoo. I am excited about it! We didn’t do this with Reagan, so this will be new to us. Then our group is going to all go eat at a Mexican restaurant with our guide tomorrow night. We really have such a great group. I love hearing everyone talk about how adoption has changed their lives. The families who are adopting for the first time have been changed forever and I think about how they will go home and share their story with others and who knows how many people will decide to adopt because of them. I love how God works! At breakfast this morning they seated us in a separate room from the main area along with many other adoptive families. It was not convenient as far as getting to the food, but we met some new families from other agencies. One family was going to have their Gotcha day today. There is just nothing like the bond that adoptive families have. Reese is so friendly to everyone, she loves attention and blows kisses all the time! Ethan is a little more reserved and doesn’t interact with people as much. If Reese hears someone talking loud as we are walking around she shouts back at them. It is really funny. We discovered tonight that both kids love M and M’s, so that might help on the plane ride home! I am trying so hard not to have so much anxiety about the trip home, but I am really nervous. I appreciate all the prayers being lifted up on our behalf. I am ready to be at home. I miss my girls more and more every day. Kelly’s daughter came with us to the garden today and she was so beautiful, just like Reagan. It made me really miss her. Just seeing girls that are the same ages as my girls makes me sad that we still have so much time left. I am so ready to be home together as a family of 8!