Our silicone bracelets just came in and they are AWESOME. If you donated already (& shared your address) we will mail them out to you next week and THANK YOU!!!!! Wear them with pride knowing you helped bring an orphan home. If you would like one, please send along a donation - anything you can offer and you too can wear one of these very cool bracelets :).

What new news do we have? We got a surprise update that spoke about our little boys present home. He was born in July of 2011 and after found at about a month old he was abandoned, found and placed in an orphanage. This orphanage does have some good programs for struggling kids but our little guy (who still needs a name) needed more. Just before he turned one he was placed in a foster home because he needed more attention and better care. He has shown great improvements since then. His foster family was just told that he has a "forever family" and they are very excited. We are putting together a photo book for him to see us and our home. We did this for Anthony as well (along with stickers and a CD Eric made on the keyboards playing different Classic Rock tunes in a kid version) but we don't think he ever got them. His orphanage was not a good one at all that includes not feeding girls and cutting nails so short they get infected (we weren't the only one's who had this problem but we ended up having to bring Anthony to the hospital in China, but that's a whole other story). Having a child come from a foster home instead of an orphanage will be a different experience. I personally think everything this time will be different as I keep saying: "if the first child is really good (like Anthony), the second is going to make up for it." So excited, absolutely, but a little nervous at times too. Keeping the faith is certainly helping us get through.

And my big WOW for the day......imagine going into a store and as you greet the owner at the register she say that she is glad you came in. Wondering why you smile and she hands you a gift card that someone else bought just for you and your situation! That happened to me today. Last week Anthony & I stopped into a kids consignment store in Finksburg, MD (Worn With Luv) after we dropped off the papers for the required physicals.  There we met two wonderful ladies, one the owner and the other a customer. We spoke for a bit about adoption and the owner told me not to buy anything today but to wait until Saturday when they were having an 80% & 60% off sale. She literally told me to put down the item I had in my hand and come back. We talked some more and I left. I never did get the names of the women but I did share this blog. Sure enough I started getting some donations from that area. I don't even know these incredibly kind people and they helped us through donations. Then I went to the store today and the owner handed me the gift card and told me it was from the woman in the store I met.....I have tears in my eyes again! She gave me the name and sure enough, it was the same woman who gave us our very first donation!!!! More tears! And she has shared our story with other people who have donated! I am truly amazed at this woman and I send prayers to her and her family with their new baby girl! Thank you and your friends!!! I hope that our children can play together some day!

Ok, one more WOW on a different note. Eric teaches 4th & 5th grade and he is in a great school in a great and diverse community. One of the parents of his students invited Anthony to he son's birthday party at a gym (he also turned 4). She is Chinese and thought it would be nice for Anthony to be around some Chinese people (keeping the Chinese culture in his life is very important, unlike years ago where you would raise them only American). We were so excited and Anthony had a great time. Although he really didn't "get it" he had a blast running around. He didn't shy away as much from people speaking Chinese as he has in the past (as you can imagine, it could scare him). He had so much fun. It was so incredibly nice of this mom to invite us. We look forward to having a play date with her little one. What a great opportunity it was for Anthony!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the WOW's :) ...will update you with more information as it comes In the mean time share!!!!! Thank you and God Bless!!!!