Thursday, January 28, 2010
Adahlyn's New Friends
At the recent sponsor party, Adahlyn met some new friends. They spent the whole afternoon playing games... a balloon keep-away game. Clearly they had a wonderful time!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Our Knight
Maybe we haven't told you before, but there are dragons right outside our office.
It's a good thing we have Drew to stave them off. Before he went out to slay the dragons, he felt he needed to brush up on his technique a bit in the office. He honed his skills on Elva.
He's our knight in shining armor, with a few extra layers of winter clothing to provide extra warmth and protection from the ferocious beasts.
From all appearances today, the dragons are gone. Drew - 1, Dragons - 0
Monday, January 25, 2010
A Gathering of Love
We're so thankful to have a wide base of domestic Chinese sponsors. It's a little known fact that we have more domestic sponsors than foreign sponsors!
We threw a party for our Chinese sponsors... an opportunity for them to come out to the foster home for the day and play with our children. Nearly 150 people showed up!
The kids were the show-stoppers of the day, and they had some tough competition... including a Chinese movie star!
Our hearts were touched by the love and generosity of this group of people... You can see lots more pictures from the event over on the foster home's scrapbook.
We threw a party for our Chinese sponsors... an opportunity for them to come out to the foster home for the day and play with our children. Nearly 150 people showed up!
The kids were the show-stoppers of the day, and they had some tough competition... including a Chinese movie star!
Our hearts were touched by the love and generosity of this group of people... You can see lots more pictures from the event over on the foster home's scrapbook.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Busy Boys
Busy boys warm our hearts... their antics and energy keep us on our toes, but there's always plenty of laughter abounding - and it's usually coming from these mischieveious little ones!
And seriously, are there bigger cheeks anywhere in the world? I think our kids have cornered the market on chubby cheeks.
Little boys, with their snips and snails and puppy dog tails, amaze us with their unending energy and uncontainable joy. They're just what we need...
And seriously, are there bigger cheeks anywhere in the world? I think our kids have cornered the market on chubby cheeks.
Little boys, with their snips and snails and puppy dog tails, amaze us with their unending energy and uncontainable joy. They're just what we need...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Babies!
Sorry for the blog silence the last few days... I was off visiting the little ones in our formula project. But after two days of over 100 babies, I still hadn't had enough. So when I came back to this adorable little video featuring some of our little babies here at the foster home, I couldn't resist sharing it with you!
Enjoy!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Your Hard Work Pays Off
I just wanted to let you know what a difference the blogging community can make! In addition to big organized efforts like Operation Giggle, the blogging community was involved in another big blessing recently, and you might not have known about it.
Back in July, I posted about our need for Pediasure, a high-quality nutritional supplement that helps our littlest heart babies. A few bloggers rallied to the cause and researched options, even finding an alternative product that is powdered and therefore much cheaper to ship. It's called Pediasmart.
They contacted the company that manufactures Pediasmart on our behalf and arranged for a discount for products purchased in bulk to benefit the foster home. For several months, we had individuals who offered to buy a case and ship it to an intern who would bring it when they came to the foster home.
But at the end of 2009, we were contacted directly by Nature's One, the company that makes Pediasmart. They told us that after getting to know the heart of NDFH through the various purchases they'd facilitated over the summer, they'd decided they wanted to donate directly to the foster home.
So they sent us 12 cases of their product, worth nearly $5,000 I'm told! We have so much that we even took it off the foster home's needs list!
And Judah...
And Debra...
And several other little ones have plenty of this much-needed supply... enough to last for months!
Back in July, I posted about our need for Pediasure, a high-quality nutritional supplement that helps our littlest heart babies. A few bloggers rallied to the cause and researched options, even finding an alternative product that is powdered and therefore much cheaper to ship. It's called Pediasmart.
They contacted the company that manufactures Pediasmart on our behalf and arranged for a discount for products purchased in bulk to benefit the foster home. For several months, we had individuals who offered to buy a case and ship it to an intern who would bring it when they came to the foster home.
But at the end of 2009, we were contacted directly by Nature's One, the company that makes Pediasmart. They told us that after getting to know the heart of NDFH through the various purchases they'd facilitated over the summer, they'd decided they wanted to donate directly to the foster home.
So they sent us 12 cases of their product, worth nearly $5,000 I'm told! We have so much that we even took it off the foster home's needs list!
Which means that Addison...
And Judah...
And Debra...
And several other little ones have plenty of this much-needed supply... enough to last for months!
Thanks to all of you bloggers who were involved in forming this partnership with Nature's One. We're thankful for your involvement and hope you're encouraged by the result of the ball you started rolling.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Healing Home Kids
With the weather so cold and windy, we haven't been visiting the Healing Home with a camera all too frequently! However, we do have some pictures, and think you'll be amazed to see how the little ones at the Healing Home are changing.
Kevin enjoys looking at pictures of his family. He's looking forward to the day that he meets them in person!
Yan Zhi's a happy and content little girl, especially when she's cuddling!
Yan Xia likes playing with Sadie and the other little babies.
Catherine's back from the hospital and feeling much stronger now! She also received a gift that included some new clothes, which made her extra happy.Friday, January 8, 2010
Little Miss Piggy
While we do our best to teach our children many things, evidently good manners gets flung to the wayside. Khloe has figured out the best way to eat lunch -- and the fastest way to get seconds -- is a two-fisted approach. One hand carefully manuevering the spoon to get the biggest possible bite into her mouth while the other follows to delicately stuff in any stray pieces. She certainly is a girly-girl, except at mealtime, when she morphs into The Eater and leaves many of our hefty little boys in the dust. We love a girl who loves to eat, though, so we're filming this beautiful culinary display instead of correcting it.
When she's this cute, can you blame us?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
No Words
Can't think of much to say about this picture... Just thought it was adorable.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wordless Wednesday: Cora
Did you read her amazing story?
(Sorry, I know I just violated the cardinal rule of Wordless Wednesday.)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Fostering Fun
Hannah recently was placed with her new foster family here at NDFH. Randy and Rita, two of New Day’s staff members, have decided they would like to begin taking in our older girls as they are medically cleared so that the older children can grow up in a family environment and begin learning English while they wait for adoptive families.
Elizabeth was their first foster child, and now Hannah has joined the crew. Hannah is a sweet little girl, but though she is almost 8 years old, developmentally she behaves much younger. So at times she can be quite challenging! The Rippees also have two daughters, Shawna and Elise. They certainly have a house full of girls, laughter, and love. We’re so thankful they’ve opened up their hearts and home to our older children, but it isn’t without its adjustments!
The other night, Hannah locked herself into the bathroom and couldn’t get out. Randy and Rita didn’t have a key to open the door from the outside, but with a lot of coaxing, Hannah finally managed to get the door unlocked. Rita says it crossed her mind that perhaps they needed to tape the locks down so she wouldn’t do it again, but then thought it was probably just an isolated incident and a simple accident on Hannah’s part.
So she thought…
Hannah is still learning about life in a family. She doesn’t yet understand that some things, like the other girls’ belongings, aren’t hers to play with whenever she likes, so to solve the problem, Randy and Rita made the older girls’ room off-limits to Hannah without the permission of Shawna and Elise.
Hannah couldn’t bear the suspense about what wonderful things might be lurking in Shawna’s and Elise’s drawers, so when she had an opportunity, she snuck in their room and locked the door from the inside again! Hannah had stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to explore without immediately getting pulled away. Shawna and Elise were a little frustrated to say the least, but after a few minutes, Hannah opened the door.
Now the Rippee home is devoid of room locks and Hannah is being taught to knock before entering a room. (The rest of the children understand and obey the rule; Hannah still has a ways to go!) It's taking a lot of patience and grace, but the whole family knows she'll start making progress soon.
Not many families would give up their privacy, locks, and personal space to become a haven for a group of older orphans. But not every family is like the Rippee family. We’re so thankful they’ve decided to invest their time and energy in these beautiful girls. In spite of the inconveniences, we know the difference they are making is incalculable.
Elizabeth was their first foster child, and now Hannah has joined the crew. Hannah is a sweet little girl, but though she is almost 8 years old, developmentally she behaves much younger. So at times she can be quite challenging! The Rippees also have two daughters, Shawna and Elise. They certainly have a house full of girls, laughter, and love. We’re so thankful they’ve opened up their hearts and home to our older children, but it isn’t without its adjustments!
The other night, Hannah locked herself into the bathroom and couldn’t get out. Randy and Rita didn’t have a key to open the door from the outside, but with a lot of coaxing, Hannah finally managed to get the door unlocked. Rita says it crossed her mind that perhaps they needed to tape the locks down so she wouldn’t do it again, but then thought it was probably just an isolated incident and a simple accident on Hannah’s part.
So she thought…
Hannah is still learning about life in a family. She doesn’t yet understand that some things, like the other girls’ belongings, aren’t hers to play with whenever she likes, so to solve the problem, Randy and Rita made the older girls’ room off-limits to Hannah without the permission of Shawna and Elise.
Hannah couldn’t bear the suspense about what wonderful things might be lurking in Shawna’s and Elise’s drawers, so when she had an opportunity, she snuck in their room and locked the door from the inside again! Hannah had stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to explore without immediately getting pulled away. Shawna and Elise were a little frustrated to say the least, but after a few minutes, Hannah opened the door.
Now the Rippee home is devoid of room locks and Hannah is being taught to knock before entering a room. (The rest of the children understand and obey the rule; Hannah still has a ways to go!) It's taking a lot of patience and grace, but the whole family knows she'll start making progress soon.
Not many families would give up their privacy, locks, and personal space to become a haven for a group of older orphans. But not every family is like the Rippee family. We’re so thankful they’ve decided to invest their time and energy in these beautiful girls. In spite of the inconveniences, we know the difference they are making is incalculable.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Snow Day
With a record snowfall in the area, we knew it was time for some snow fun! But with bitterly cold winds and freezing temperatures, we also knew we needed to bring the fun indoors.
So we scooped up several buckets of snow and brought them inside for the little ones to touch and taste.
Annie's snow-eating enthusiasm quickly outweighed her snowman-making enthusiasm..
Victoria quickly become engrossed in making a beautiful snow maiden, complete with colored spritzes to bring a rosy hue to the little beauty.
And when everyone finished playing, we bundled up and enjoyed a little jaunt outdoors.
We don't get many snow days in Beijing's cold and dry winter, but we all think it is a great way to start the New Year!
-----------
Maria joined her adoptive family today! (In spite of some serious weather-related travel difficulties!) You can follow along with their adoption journey on their blog, The Collier Bunch.
So we scooped up several buckets of snow and brought them inside for the little ones to touch and taste.
Annie's snow-eating enthusiasm quickly outweighed her snowman-making enthusiasm..
And before long, all she had left was enough snow for a little bitty baby.
Victoria quickly become engrossed in making a beautiful snow maiden, complete with colored spritzes to bring a rosy hue to the little beauty.
And when everyone finished playing, we bundled up and enjoyed a little jaunt outdoors.
We don't get many snow days in Beijing's cold and dry winter, but we all think it is a great way to start the New Year!
Maria joined her adoptive family today! (In spite of some serious weather-related travel difficulties!) You can follow along with their adoption journey on their blog, The Collier Bunch.
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