Our Last Full Day in Hong Kong

 Our early morning trend continued, although James got a sweet wake up from Hin Hin, “good morning dada”.  The weather was nice this morning so we ventured to the beach since nothing was open yet.   We figured we would walk on the beach, but the boys had other ideas, playing in the sand.  Our two budding architects had fun building forts, houses, tunnels and walls.  Due to the early morning, all the boys were ready for a second breakfast at 9:30.  As we headed out to find something to eat, it started to downpour.  Apparently that happens frequently which is why everyone carriers an umbrella. As we were waiting for the rain to pass a little voice kept reminding us “I am so, so hungry”.  Needing something quick, we decided to visit the gift from the west, McDonalds.  Luke heard us discussing this and said, “I love McDonalds, we should go there more often”.  Laura’s slap to her forehead was probably heard in the states.  As we rounded the corner, Hin Hin was so excited and said “McDonalds, I love you mommy”.  While it melted our hearts to hear those words, we wonder if he truly understands what they means.  We pray that he learns that love is more than just a word, and isn’t dependent on what someone buys for you.  When we were almost back to our room Hin Hin dropped the camera we had given him.  He has loved taking pictures of EVERYTHING and was heartbroken when he realized it couldn’t be fixed.  There were many tears but we explained that the photos are safe, or hopefully that is what the translator app told him 😁.  It was also a moment to show him unconditional love and acceptance when accidents happen.  While James was helping dry tears, Laura was working on drying the laundry.  When we traveled to China we did some “tub laundry” and hung it up in our room to dry with no issue.  We assumed we could do the same thing here, but the Hong Kong humidity had other ideas.  We had been trying to dry some clothes for a couple days.  Not only were they not dry but they smelled terrible, like the “west sea”.  We tried to wash a few necessary items again and then dry them with the hotel hair dryer.  A good reminder to be thankful for everything we have been blessed with!  Our next stop was the hotel pool, although we didn’t realize it was closed for an hour around lunch.  We had to call an audible and go to the beach again to burn some time.  Everyone had a good time, although Hin Hin kept watching the clock and was frustrated when we had to take the time to rinse off the sand before going to the pool.  The boys played in the pool for a couple hours, and it has been fun to watch Hin Hin mirror some of the things he has been seeing his big brother do.  They watched a “movie” in the afternoon while we packed our stuff, as well as Hin Hin’s lifetime of treasures.  Everyone was ready for dinner after that so we went back to the shopping plaza and found a new restaurant to try.  Luke is an adventurous one and tried baby octopus.  Not sure he would get it again but had fun trying it.  Please continue to pray for Luke as this transition has been challenging for him.