MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!!

One of my favorite blogs, Ni Hao Y'all is doing a great GiveAway!30 days of free giveaways for Christmas!!Gotta love it!

http://www.dianjiangkids.org/

Here is the link to Dianjiang's Gracie's Room website. All donations (100%) go to either Foster Care in Diajiang or to Gracie's Room in XinXiang. You choose which you would like to donate to.

When we travel to visit the orphanages, we personally pay for all of our expenses. I used all my Aeroplan points for the flights and thankfully it's cheap to eat in China!

This way 100% of all donations go to caring for children. We help with medical tests, nannies salaries, toys, clothing etc..

The Director has told me that winter is now upon them, and they are finding that the children need extra blankets and warmer clothing.

Imagine, sitting beside a broken window, with the cold winter air on your hands and back. Not being able to move out the the cold.

Please consider making a donation this Christmas, warmth would be a wonderful present.

Thank you

Krista Dolan

Director Gracie's Room First Hugs Program

www.dianjiangkids.org

Sponsor a child in our Gracie's Room program

YOU can make a difference in the life of a child!!

My March 2010 visit to Gracie's Room in XinXang China

I've posted this video for a mom whose daughter is presently in Gracie's Room and she is in the video!

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say which baby, but she is the cutest baby in the video!!

Ohh.. they are all pretty cute, and they all have my heart in the palm of thier hands!

Please keep all these children in your thoughts and prayers! There are 7 more children that need sponsors to stay in Gracie's Room, please consider sponsoring a child!

250$us will sponsor a child for a full year, and you will receive quarterly medical reports with photos.

One of my favorite blogs, Ni Hao Y'all is doing a great GiveAway!30 days of free giveaways for Christmas!! Gotta love it!
I love her blog, and I love that she raises money for special needs children in China..(clubbed feet) and y'all know how special that is to my heart.I wish I could get the same sponsorship commitment that she has with Orphans Wish, for Gracie's Room First Hugs Program!!
I'll keep chipping away at it, every little bit counts to those beautiful children.

BOO!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO Y'ALL!!

Man, we were completely unprepared for Halloween this year!!

I have no idea why, but it just seemed to sneak up on us.

I managed to take some quick pics of the kids before they ran off in separate directions..

Power Ranger Lily! She was so excited that I found a pink costume!

Isabelle... oh Isabelle.. The night before she went to a friend's Halloween party dressed up as a person caught in a wind storm, her hair was blown back, we had wires in her scarf and dress that held them straight back, she had an inverted umbrella and leaves stuck in her hair! It was a fantastic costume! Then another friend called last minute Halloween night, saying she didn't have a costume to wear, so Isabelle gave her the wind swept costume and in 30mins we threw together this Rubiks Cube costume!

of course I didn't manage to get any pics of the wind swept costume as I thought she'd be wearing it again .. ooh well..

but to add to this, she went trick or treating with this same friend, in her neighbourhood, and she ended up getting almost NO CANDY!! Even Lily and Hanlin got twice as much as she did!!

Abigail got dressed as Mother Nature with flowers and greenry in her hair, butterflies on her face, and shoulders and vines all alround her dress and legs. BUT, went out trick or treating with friends and got ready there so I have no pics of her either.... sigh...
Here is Hanlin! My Transformer!! Seconds after this picture, he fell backwards, jumped and ran around ready to go! What a riot. It was soo cold out last night, I put on thier winter coats under the costumes. Man, I had them stuffed in those outfits that they looked like little muscle men! Hillarious!

As he laid his head on his pillow last night he said "this is the best trick or treating day EVER!!"

Then 2 hours later woke up with a wicked bloody nose!

We finally have an appt with the ENT tomorrow!! YEAH

Hopefully we'll get some answers on his hearing loss.

GASP!!!GASP!!!!

BREATHE..... BREATHE.....

MY BRAND SPAKING NEW 5 BURNER DOUBLE OVEN GAS STOVE IS BEING INSTALLED RIGHT NOW!!!!!

I'VE SAVED AND CRIED FOR 3 YEARS OVER THIS STOVE....

YIPEEEEEE

I'll post pics soon.........

meanwhile here is a picture just to hold you over...

Another beautiful Fall Day, spent Apple picking

Not sure who had more fun, the dog or the kids! (and by kids I include Frank)

Frank and Hanlin thought it was nice enough for shorts...

I had on 2 pairs of yoga pants and a sweater, obviously we have very different ideas of "warm" weather!

Abigail spotted this "perfect" apple..on the very top of the tree..then set out to try to pick it!

First Hanlin had a try...

Then Isabelle had a try....

Next Abigail tried...good thing we bought our own human ladder!

Then finally and reluctantly mommy tried..

I'm only about 2 inches taller than Abigail... but it was enough to reach it!

ohh that elusive apple..

wait, didn't Eve pick the forbidden apple?

OH OH..

OUR GRACIE'S ROOM FUNDRAISER

WAS A HUGE

SUCCESS!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED!!

WE HANDED OUT FREE TEA SAMPLES (donated by Adam at Classic Touch) AND TONS OF COOKIES, BROWNIES AND GINGER CAKE...(all baked by me!)

FROM 12 TO 5PM ..

WE RAISED $500.00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME BY TO SAY HELLO, SHOW SUPPORT AND MAKE DONATIONS!

(oh,and yes, i took the older girls out of school for the afternoon to help me! shhhh)