We are ready. Ready, as in, weighed suitcases sitting in the hallway. My mom asleep already. Me, popping one last movie onto my iPhone and gathering a few last cords and ends. Three excited kids asleep in their room (miraculously, no reappearances!) knowing that the next time they sleep in there, there will be four.

(Gulp.)

I do plan to blog while we travel–there should be plenty of pictures and lots to tell. We’ll be in Beijing until Sunday 6/21. We THINK we meet Rory 6/22 in Fuzhou. (Details, details.) We leave for Guangzhou 6/27 and come home 7/2.

We are well provisioned with iGadgets and Nintendo diddlywops. We have many, many heavy gifts for our hosts. (Coffee! Sweet tarts! Maple syrup…remember, they’re American.) We have several sets of matching shirts for four. We have swimsuits, comfy shoes and tums. I think we’re set.

Think I can learn Mandarin on the plane? I hear my seat comes with Berlitz.