Spreading the word

I love this adorable Panda dress and wish I had a better picture of Lily in it. She wore it on Christmas day and had no desire to sit still for my photo shoot. None of my usual bribes worked (M & M's, DOTs, cookie, etc). She was more interested in coloring in her new Color Wonder Cars book.

Back to the adorable Panda dress.......I bought it from Red Thread Stitches.
Robin (the very talented seamstress) does excellent work! She could be selling these in stores. It is just so cute and Lily really likes it as well.
Robin and her family are raising money to bring home Baby Hope from China. They have until January 31st to raise $2900. At that time her file will be sent back to China Center of Adoption Affairs. Once a file is sent back that typically means they are no longer able to be adopted.
Check out her blog to read the story. They were thinking they would have a year to save the money needed for a second adoption.
Well, things happened sooner.....they found their daughter on Christmas Eve. As we all know God has a plan for us that doesn't go by our timing.

The Panda Dress that Lily is wearing along with some other really cute items can be purchased through her blog. The proceeds go towards bringing their daughter home.
I ordered the Panda tote to go with the dress and it is just as cute.

In addition, they are also doing a raffle. It is $1 to enter and you can enter as many times as you would like.

You can access her blog by clicking on the Red Thread Stitches words.
I also have a link to her site on my sidebar.

Merry Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

My intention was to post several times over the last week. Then it was like I stepped into a time machine that landed me here 2 days after Christmas. Actually it feels like I stepped into that time machine right after the would be Mexico vacation (beginning of November).
November and December FLEW by and I am sure many of you can relate to that feeling.

We had a wonderful holiday season!
Lily was so much fun this year. She was so particular with her unwrapping of presents. She spent so much time with each present...... she studied how it was wrapped, unwrapped a tiny piece, walked that tiny piece to the trash bag, then sat down to work on another one inch section of paper.
She loved each present and after each unwrapping would say,
"I NEED MORE PRESENTS."
Santa brought her a kitchen that she has been in since Christmas Day.
She LOVES it.
She woke up yesterday and today notifying me that she needed to cook in her kitchen.

Our Christmas Tree

Our tree is not a designer tree by any means but we love it.
It is filled with ornaments that I have been collecting since I was a little girl. In fact I have a few from back to 4 years old.
I have always loved ornaments and over the years the collection has grown. Some of them are from my grandma's tree, some are gifts that my mom gives me each year, some are from family, some are from dear friends, some are from friends no longer with us, some are from special occasions, and so on.
Each one holds a special memory. Decorating the tree each year is like a trip down memory lane.

P.S. Lily has her own tree (well next year she will have to share it with brother Ty) in our family room. She is quite proud of it and loves decorating it. I will post pictures of her tree soon.

My favorite picture this season.

(click on collage to see larger picture)

New Ty Pictures

This morning felt like Christmas day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A couple that is part of your Xi'an CWI (orphanage) Yahoo group just made a trip to the orphanage (with their new daughter) on Thursday.
They took some wonderful pictures (as you will see below). It appears the kids were painting or working with markers because they all seem to have it on them.
We see this in a lot of Ty's pictures........ he must love to paint or color.

I just love this little guy so much! His smile warms my heart!

Xi'an CWI

A few new favorites

OH MY........This has been a busy month so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been snapping pictures left and right (with my new camera) but don't seem to have any time to put them on the blog.

Back to the new camera.....Jeff bought me the Canon EOS Rebel XTI camera that I have been hoping for all year.
I LOVE IT..... but I have a lot to learn about the world of SLR cameras. Good thing I love to take pictures...... that will give me plenty of practice.


Lily in her cupcake shirt...... having a cup of tea

Admiring herself in the mirror of an ornament

FCC Holiday Party

This past Saturday we attended our annual FCC (Families with Children from China) holiday party. We love this organization. They were a huge blessing while we were waiting for Lily (and now for Ty). In addition, they do so much to keep the Chinese heritage/culture a part of our children's lives.

They are a huge support in our lives as American Chinese Families.

Each year they honor waiting families and families that have just brought their children home with a candle lighting ceremony. This is the third year we have been part of it.
The first year we were waiting for Lily, the second year we were celebrating Lily being home, and this year we are waiting for Ty. Hopefully next year we will be celebrating Ty being home.

They presented each family with the poem below and then read it out loud. As they read this I looked at all of the precious children (with tears rolling down my cheeks and trying not to let it turn into one of those ugly cries) and thanked God for the miracle of adoption.

UNTIL FOREVER
This morning in China a mother cries
She’ll never forget her daughter’s eyes
Her heart is broken and filled with pain
The tears run down like the falling rain.
She has no choice but to leave her there
The cost of keeping is too much to bear
She hopes her daughter will one day know
True love can be found in letting her go.

This morning in China a baby cries
Hungry and scared as tears fill her eyes
Her mother has left her in this public place
Another lost daughter of the Chinese race.
Someone passing by has heard her soft moan
She’s soon quickly taken to a foster home
It’s here she’ll reside in the care of another
Until she’s adopted by a brand new mother.

That very same moment, in the U.S.A.
A woman cries as she starts to pray
Her heart is heavy but filled with much love
She prays for a daughter she thinks the world of.
“Dear Jesus I ask that your arms would be
Wrapped tightly around the one picked for me
Guard her in China ‘till I make my way
And then in my arms forever she’ll stay.”

Tom Fisher
December 24, 2003

Miss Lily Feifei..... the love of our lives

Checking email before the party

Loving her party dress

This is my friend Emma and we are so cool together

This is Emma's brother John..... also my friend and first kiss

Holding hands
Looking at pictures of Lily