tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51564498736773401932012-01-20T23:30:34.904+01:00Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.comBlogger4931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-38537324694262613982012-01-20T23:12:00.000+01:002012-01-20T23:12:05.624+01:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-43622547321909002012012-01-19T00:54:00.000+01:002012-01-19T00:54:24.199+01:00

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-299132176818117252012-01-17T11:45:00.001+01:002012-01-17T11:45:14.140+01:00

Ian is age 5 ½ and was adopted from Congo. His adoption is being disrupted because he is aggressive towards his adopted brother (he is not aggressive towards anyone else). He is healthy and smart but will need a good family with either no kids or much older kids. He will probably need counseling too. But he came out of the poorest country in the world, and it takes a great deal of love to help

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The poorest Country in the world is The Democratic Republic of The Congo. Congo is the largest country in the world that has French as it’s offical language. The country has been devastated by war. A war that has already killed 5.4 million people. It is thought that as many as 45,000 people per month die in the Congo. Congo is also believed to be the worst place in the world to be a women.

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Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-50548484200457551302012-01-10T16:44:00.000+01:002012-01-10T16:44:31.995+01:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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So sad, but the dad asked for her at 4 months of age. I know people that adopted "older" kids(I adopted "older" kids), and those kids did just fine. My heart goes out to the adopted parents, but I can not understand why the father had to wait so long for his child. There are far too many children "waiting " for families. Kids that don't have biological parents that want them. If this dad

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-86603162356660937762012-01-08T18:56:00.000+01:002012-01-08T18:56:39.855+01:00

This is a video from the kids camp. I'm still waiting for the final show to be uploaded.

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-28271658146383809492012-01-01T22:43:00.000+01:002012-01-01T22:44:30.855+01:00

11 years ago today, Juergen, Nicole, Jessica and I got on an airplane and flew to Thailand. It was our first adoption trip. We had no idea what to expect, but we were on our way. And long story short, we got our son. And today Philip celebrated his 14th birthday.

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-50433665438072072322011-12-19T21:28:00.001+01:002011-12-19T21:28:45.099+01:00

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-20058323673544856522011-12-13T11:00:00.000+01:002011-12-13T11:02:06.669+01:00

I made this simple slide show 4 years to encourage people to adopt. You really can not change the whole world...but you can transform the world of a child. And as family after family adopt, we see a real big miracle taking place. Maybe you have said or thought "maybe I should adopt"? I encourage you to think about it again. And I know it's not so easy or cheap...but nothing in this life worth

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I know that most people who adopt want to adopt a baby. Sadly, it's hard to make sure you are adopting a baby that was not bought or stolen. I think the only answer is to adopt waiting children (many of them are older, with special needs). We have adopted 3 times. All our children had waited for awhile. I have peace they were not stolen or trafficked. I could not imagine how awful it

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Sarah goes to a special school for kids that have language delays. She has been in Germany for 4 1/2 years but her German and English are not very good. But she is making very good progress as you can see from this video. Some things just take time. Isn't she beautiful!!! What a gift God gave us when we adopted Sarah. It was not an easy transition, but well worth the pain. I’m such a

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Here is a great list of adoption grants. I think the money is really a big thing people worry about. It can be done, I know because we did it 3 times on one income. http://fiveofmyown.blogspot.com/2011/11/adoption-grants.html

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I get the news from Second Chance Waiting Children. They specialize in disrupted adoptions. They now have a beautiful set of kids (a sister and brother) from Ethiopia. They need a new placement. It's very sad for the adoptive family, but a chance for another family. You can read about adopting this 5 and 3 year old here. They are healthy, just having adjustment issues. I don't want to down

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My boy's are from Bangkok. We have been there many times. This is really sad.

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-88350252011818016722011-10-27T12:18:00.002+02:002011-10-27T12:18:19.925+02:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-78089259506111089652011-10-12T20:27:00.001+02:002011-10-12T20:29:52.851+02:00

Sarah has to read 10 minutes every night. Tonight she read 25 or even 30 minutes. I stopped looking at the clock. She got so into it, she wanted to finish the book. Isn't that great! BTW, Sarah is reading in German not English.

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Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-19355516022769597002011-10-08T18:33:00.003+02:002011-10-08T18:57:49.082+02:00

Sarah likes to play with the girl next door but she doesn't like to clean her room. So today I let her play first. That was good for her. But then she had a raging fit when she had to clean. Sarah is full of rage. When she is upset she can not control her tone. Her voice get's stuck on scream, and that is all she does. We tried play therapy but it didn't work. I get so frustrated I just

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Soccer is called football in Germany. I just arranged for Thomas, Philip and Sarah to try out for the local team. They have pretty full boys teams so only the best boys get to play. Philip and Thomas have only played in school. Thomas is pretty gung-ho, but Philip is very afraid. But I think it would be very good for them all. The practices are Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-7pm. Games are

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I took Sarah to her new school today. I've been very sick the past few days. It was all I could do to take her. So sorry, no pictures. She has a very nice teacher. there are only 5 girls in her class (I think 12 kids). I'm hopping she finds good friends and "fits in". Philip also started his new school today. Philip has a gift of making friends where ever he goes. He walked home from

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video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo playerBoth my sons have ADHD. I am thinking of giving Philip coffee.

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-45340251822162691182011-08-02T20:41:00.000+02:002011-08-02T20:42:16.493+02:00

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-1765700366166723192011-07-28T17:37:00.001+02:002011-07-28T17:39:17.383+02:00

Here is a really great girl in Oregon that needs a family. http://www.nwae.org/Profile-OARE-dbC.php?tn=3&case=c8146She sounds like a real great kid!

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-47608599308584633952011-07-25T22:17:00.002+02:002011-07-25T22:28:48.706+02:00

Philip doesn't really have a birthday. He was found and given a January 1st birthday. We have tried for 10 years to get this date changed to October 17Th. Germany will not change the date. So we plan to stop fighting them. We will keep the January 1st date. But that means he didn't get a party this year. So we gave him a party with his friends. We are moving soon. We wanted the party before we

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Here is an instant family for someone. I was looking at the heart gallery of South Carolina. Very cute waiting kids!

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-5888078197897475532011-07-14T11:42:00.002+02:002011-07-14T11:47:09.771+02:00

We watched the women's world cup game last night! USA! USA!!! We are in the finals on Sunday night. Too bad the game is at 8:45 pm and cost 100€ per ticket! Other wise we would go. But we have a big screen TV, and we hope to be celebrating a win!!!

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-61942641998060449252011-07-13T15:27:00.001+02:002011-07-13T15:29:38.839+02:00

HERE is a pretty good list of adoption grants and funds. If money is the problem, maybe you can find your answer here?

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-32726238658128174102011-07-10T00:36:00.000+02:002011-07-10T00:36:50.179+02:00

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-60253912966547317822011-07-08T15:57:00.003+02:002011-07-08T16:30:13.388+02:00

Here is some very good educational stuff on attachment. There are many videos on you tube on the subjects. Our kids have shown amazing progress in this area. We still see the awful symptoms of a stressful early childhood. It takes years to see all the fear fade. And with older kids it may never go away. But we do our best to bring health and life. And I know people have unrealistic expectations

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I got an email from Sara about the fresh air program. They need host families. Maybe you can host a child for 2 weeks? www.freshair.org

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-63923869284154467402011-07-05T22:45:00.003+02:002011-07-05T22:52:46.243+02:00

The women's world cup is being played in Germany. Philip got to watch a game in person tonight (Mexico vs New Zealand). The kids watched the Germany vs France game just now. Germany won 4 to 2! We are doing very good! The USA is also doing well. Are you watching it? The US women play Sweden on the 6Th.

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-73522392854398072692011-07-01T17:56:00.002+02:002011-07-01T18:05:59.065+02:00

Here are 2 of the cutest waiting kids. They are ages 2 and 3. A healthy brother and sister. They are legally free. Octaveyan and Tayana. A two-parent family would be the best fit for Octaveyan and Tayana, especially a family with no other children under the age of three. For more information and a video look here. http://www.nwae.org/Profile-OARE-dbC.php?tn=3&case=c8121-22

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Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-10469796042918087272011-06-26T17:12:00.001+02:002011-06-26T17:16:48.513+02:00

It was warm today so we hung out by the butterfly bush. So much fun!

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-89285361821855872192011-06-24T20:39:00.004+02:002011-06-26T17:19:56.561+02:00

The kids are watching "how to train your dragon" for the 100th time. They love this movie! And Thomas built this super cool dragon from Lego.

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-61723593801639280702011-06-22T10:00:00.000+02:002011-06-22T10:01:40.033+02:00

Catching Butterflies 3http://www.blogger.com/profile/05072416791438168411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156449873677340193.post-45636078697958961782011-06-15T13:41:00.003+02:002011-06-15T13:46:33.796+02:00

Sarah and I shopped for kitchens today. We are moving (God willing) in about 6 weeks. We have to order a new kitchen for the new (old) house. We didn't find anything but we had some fun!

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Sarah stayed home today because she is sick. She can be a real clown and I love her so much!

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My oldest daughter Jessica has lice (not fun). To be on the safe side I washed my hair, and Sarah's hair with the lice shampoo. Then I took Sarah to her speech therapy. I dropped her off and drove to pick Thomas up from school. My cell phone is broken. I missed the calls from her therapist. It seems Sarah told her she had lice. The therapist thought...oh no, and she made Sarah sit in the garden.

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Sarah spent hours playing with my beautiful god daughter Anna. They are both so wonderful! Sarah was so good with her! She would make a very good big sister! I wish...I wish!!!!

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China's population growth slowing

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I remember the birth mom's of Philip, Thomas and Sarah. Today might be a really hard day for them. I wish I knew who they were. I wish they could see what beautiful children they brought into this world. It would make me so happy if they could know these beautiful and amazing children. I bet they are allot like their birth families. What an awful loss not to know them. Adoption is such a

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Sarah starts play therapy on Friday. She has been home 4 years this week. You would think that's enough time to be 100% adjusted. But she is still having powerful rages of tears. I won't say what set her off tonight but she acted like a 2 year old having a temper tantrum. Juergen tried reason. It only prolonged the whole thing. Maybe it really is a mater of getting his attention (100% attention).

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On April 9Th 2007 we met Sarah in Nanjing China. She was 4 years old. On April 24Th 2004 we met Thomas in Bangkok Thailand. He was almost 7 years old. So this month Sarah and Thomas will both pass a "milestone". They will both live with our family longer then they lived in an orphanage. We will have a family party the first week of May to celebrate this milestone . It is sobering to think of

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http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2011/03/31/pf_hd_adoption_tax_credit.cnnmoney/The Wards couldn't believe the news when their tax preparer called to tell them they're getting a $54,000 refund this year.

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http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/visit/nanjing-plum-blossom-festival-208516?hpt=SbinSarah is from Nanjing China. I would love to take her there o see the plum blossms. I've got to plant a plum tree in our garden.

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I read on Rainbow kids that in 2005 34% of all International adoptions were boy adoptions. In 2010 that number is up to 44%. They think people sharing their adoption stories on the internet is the reason more boys are now finding families. Pretty cool don't you think?Here are my boys! We adopted Philip in 2001 from Bangkok Thailand. In 2004 we returned to Bangkok to adopt Thomas. They were

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The CCAA has outlined the following guidelines:1. The single applicant may adopt one Special Focus child at a time, with an interval of at least a year between adoptions. 2. Applicants must be between the ages of 30-50. If over 50, the age difference between the parent and the child being adopted must be no more than 45 years.3. Applicants must be healthy and without criminal record.4. Annual

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http://www.hopeinternational.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage

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I just got the photos from the Christmas play Sarah was in. Great pictures don't you think?

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Sarah played all afternoon with her best friend. But we also found out the friend is going to move. How do your kids handle change? Thomas had a best friend too...but then he moved away. It's been hard for him to find a real friend since then.

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Sarah has a problem taking her things off and just leaving them anywhere (socks, gloves, sweaters etc). She misplaced her belt for her Karate outfit. She couldn't find it today, and missed her class. I told her she could just go without it. But no...and a one hour cry. And then she tries to blame me. But it isn't my fault, or my belt. I'm not receiving her blame! So after she calmed down (and it

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Keep an eye on Jewels of my heart blog. Daleea is in China adopting her little girl Isabella Faith. She has been fundraising for years to bring Isabella Faith home. Today is the big day! What a Valintines gift!

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Sarah was bouncing of the walls with excitement today. But she can get low at the smallest little thing. She sat on the stairs waiting for the bus to come. I heard the walkie talkies go off in her pack pack. I asked her to take them out, they are not allowed in school. She turned from over joyed to depressed in a New York second. And holding back the tears, climbed on the school bus proclaiming

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Tomorrow Sarah will turn 8 years old. I made her party invitations and we will bake cupcakes for school. I have no words to say what a gift she is to us. She is my best little friend, the Pearl of great price! But 8 years ago a women in China probably felt the pain of labor. And I don't know if she also felt the anxiety and grief knowing she may not keep this child? Perhaps she already had a

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The kids got their report cards this week. I was pleasantly surprised by the grades. Thomas got almost all B's and even a few A's. French was his only bad grade. He quiets French next week. We are moving him to a new school. He doesn't need to take French there. Philip got B's and C's. He got an A in Sports and Natural Science. Sarah doesn't get grades until next year. I really feared Thomas'

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I think the kids in school are asking Sarah why her "real" parents did not want her. She is confused about it all. We try to explain to her the one child policy in China. Her parents could not have 2 children. They probably abandon her for this reason. Really, it's hard to understand. And she is filled with fear. She has so much fear these days. She remembers being hungry. She remembers being

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Reece's Rainbow is a registered 501(c)3 charity which advocates and fundraises for the international adoption and rescue of children with Down syndrome specifically. http://reecesrainbow.org/new-family/thechildrenDid you know there are people that choose to adopt Down syndrome kids? My nephew has Down syndrome . He is the sweetest boy in the world. Yes you will be looking at a life time of care..

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Sarah made a birthday card for her friend. It should read Herzlichen Glückwunsch, but she got it backwards. It means a heartfelt good luck wish. She bascically wrote a goodluck wish heart felt! Maybe that puts more meaning on the heart then the luck. Don't you love the notes first graders write?

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Sarah has been really stressful today. She falls apart at the smallest little thing. I think she is getting sick.

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I don't care what you've heard, impossibles not a word it's just a reason for someone not to try!

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Here is LWB blog post about Evan. Evan is a "special focus" child. He is 13 months old. He had heart surgery, and needs 2 more surgeries before his heart is healed. It sounds like he will be fine after surgery. I have 2 heart babies (Jessica and Philip), and believe me, surgery can do wonders! I got an e-mail from Great Wall of China agency. They wrote, Evan is able to creep, roll over, grasp

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Sarah got a sticker in school today because she is the "reading queen". She laughed at me when I told her I was never the "reading queen". OK, so she is smarter then me! Isn't it great!!!!

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Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

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I am a Christian. It is important to me to teach my values and beliefs to my children. I think they have the choice (from God) to accept or reject what is taught. But it is my job to teach it. This can be a big challenge. Philip and Thomas both have ADHD. They have never liked sitting still and listening to anything. Nicole and I have read the Bible together for years. I think Thomas is at a

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this story made me cry...I had to stop and dry my eyes before I could read it all. My daughter Sarah was left on a cold stone bench in the winter when she was only one day old...a victim of the one child policy. I thank God she lived and now calls me mama. The world has lost too many beautiful girls to this awful law!Read it HERE

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It was so exciting today to see Philip finally "get" math. He is learnig delayed. He goes to a special school. He is in the 5th grade but just learning multipication. He came home from school yesterday and told me he was already done with his home work. So I said Ok, let me look at it. It was math (the 8's). I asked him a few math questions. He couldn't answer anything right. So I asked

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I saw The Lord of the Rings Return of the King with Philip, Nicole and Thomas last night, until 2;30am. I love this line "I am no man"! There are things only a women can do! Do not mess with a women!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j3GmAShlMM

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Sarah has been home over 3 years now. She seemed to be doing much better, but then she started school. Now she has so much fear it is crippeling her. I met her teacher today. Her teacher says she is a smart girl. she does all her homework. she is very good in math. BUT..I knew what would be said before she said it. She breaks down in uncontrolable tears when you critizes her in any small

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I got an e-mail from rainbow kids saying you can watch the documentary Adopting Haiti on line for free. I clicked on the link and it said I can not see it because I'm out side the USA. So if you live in the USA you can see this 57 minute documentary about an orphanage after the earthquake. Let me know if it's any good. They say it's emotional. Adopting Haiti Video on Hulu:http://www.hulu.com/

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Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the adoption of our son Philip. I bought all the stuff for banana splits. We eat ice cream for dinner and watched a Monk DVD. Philip loves Monk the detective. I felt like he didn't really understand what a big deal it was to be adopted...to have a family. But when I prayed with him at bed time he gave me a big, long hug. He squeezed me harder then he ever

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10 years ago today Jessica, Nicole, Juergen and I sat in a hot waiting room in Bangkok. Then a small and scared 2 year old boy walked into our lives...our son Philip. the 2nd child in the line is ThomasIt must have been so scary for him to meet these people they said would be his family. We obviously didn't look a thing like him, and we couldn't even speak his language. But here we were, and

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We met Philip 10 years ago Tuesday. This is Philip...10 years home!

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The Bible is a Super Book. I have been reading the Bible with my daughter Nicole since she was 3 years old. I've been trying to read it with Philip, Thomas and Sarah too. But reading the Bible with 2 ADHD boys isn't always so easy. Thomas has gotten a little better about reading...in fact he will read it himself. I decided to buy "Superbook" DVDs for Sarah and Philip. I found them (all 25) on

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I bought Wii dance 2 for our New Years Eve party. The kids were giving it a try...warming up for tomorrow night. I'm amazed how much they have grown over the past year. Thomas is already as tall as I am (I'm 5 foot 8 1/2 inches tall). He is a 13 year old Asian kid, and I bet you he gets to be over 6 feet! And Philip doesn't look like a little kid anymore. He looks like a young man. It will not be

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Many of the children in China are not raised by their parents. The parents work all year and only see their children during the Chinese New Year. The kids stay with grand parents in the villages. This is a great film. I watched it with Sarah. She said she is glad she lives in Germany. I'm glad she does too! It is a sad film and I wouldn't show it to a child that can not handle the emotions. Sarah

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Hi friends, I just got info about a smart and healthy Russian girl who is available for immediate adoption. She is 6 years old and has been in the USA for 13 months. Her family is disrupting because of attachment issues. If you are interested please contact Wasatch International AdoptionsSecond Chance Program http://www.wiaa.org/default.asp It is an US adoption and the cost is very

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The kids all had a short day at school today. Now they are home for the Christmas vacation. I look forward to the late nights of fun followed by the full nights of sleep. The long slow breakfast, and the rest! The weather in Europe is pretty bad. We had planned to travel to Opa's house for Christmas. Right now that's a strong "we will see". We don't want to be stuck in the cold, or worse. But

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Almost 10 years ago we flew to Thailand to adopt Philip (Jan 1, 2001). As I think about Philip, I can not help thinking he was left in a market place in Nakhon Sawan in North Central Thailand. I do not know if it was this market. I've been looking for videos of this city (called the city of heaven). It's a beautiful place. We have been to Thailand 4 times but never there. I want to go there

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Here is our family Christmas Newsletter. It is not a brag letter, and I hope it's even encouraging. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Christmas.

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Philip buys me these dancing animals for gifts. So far I have 3 of them. Sarah and Philip were dancing with the animals. It was cute until Sarah had a small meltdown. She is so competitive. She stopped dancing when she felt like Philip could dance better. I thought she was doing great...why does she need to be best all the time? She had just beat us both at a game of memory. I use to remember

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While like a giant - proud and happyI take my baby in my armsFragile, innocent and aliveAnd like a little bird he’sPushing against my chestAbandoned quiet and safeFor an instant almost sweetlyMy destiny appears to me like a dreamAnd I see myself, old and surrendered,Seated there near the coalfireWaiting for the evening with the anxiety of a child,Just to see him coming back homeWith the gift of

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