Just a Few Pictures

Pictures on the ferry to Bainbridge Island...on our way to our last home study appt. 

Calling ALL West Coast Host Families

These are kids that can still be hosted! There are several more that aren't posted here as well. The deadline is till the end of the month. Just e-mail ginger.guglielmo@gmail.com for more information. 

One Last Day* EDIT* Deadline extended for a few kids!

I hate to beat a dead horse here....but we have one last day to find some really special kids a Christmas family. PLEASE note, the deadline has been extended for a few kids so there is still time if you are interested!

If you would like to host any of these kids, please contact Ginger at ginger.guglielmo@gmail.com. 

Facebook Group

Liza: This little 9 year old girl is precious! 

"This girlie is just amazing . Everybody who gets to know her are charmed with these magnetic brown eyes, this pure laugh, this gorgeous smile, this great activeness. This is a little fidget who is never at one place. L. likes playing outdoor games, likes being in the spotlight, that is why the girl has a lot of friends and love of all the teachers! L. has a fickle temper and her mood can change several times a day, but that doesn’t hinder her to have a lot of friends among her peers and adults. She is an incontestable leader in the class! She has a very artistic personality. She takes an active part in all the holiday activities in the school: she is a member of school theatre, also likes singing and dancing."

Vadym and Valera: Sweet 8 and 9 year old brothers. The same age as Seroja. If you couldn't host both, maybe someone can host at least one? 

"Vadym add Valera:Highly recommended by director. Come from a great orphanage. Both are sweet and smart."

Ruslan-Just turned 6 years old! Last minute add to the listing, as he asked the director if he could be hosted this winter. 

Ruslan just turned six and asked to be added for winter hosting because he sees all his friends going to America for Christmas. This little guy is highly recommended by a great director even though he has only been with her less than one year. He is a good boy and very loving. Available soon. 

Vasya: Another boy (10 years old) from Seroja's orphanage. This boy looks really special.

"If Vasya had parents, if he had family, if there was somebody to care about him, to give him their love and warmth, he would be the happiest person in the world, definitely! But he is not complaining. He is such an old boy for his years, very serious and intelligent. He has a calm quiet temper and is rather steady and disciplined. He has a tense sense of fairness, this is the kid whom you will never see neither fighting nor arguing with somebody. He is also a great defender of all the girls. He is very self-controlled and patient. He likes nature and animals and loves to care for kittens and puppies, feeds them etc.  His hobbies are singing, painting, drawing, he also likes doing sports and reading. His biggest wish, his dream, to become a pilot, the one who is “a living person controlling the sky”

If you would like to host any of these kids, please contact Ginger at ginger.guglielmo@gmail.com. Or go to this FB group: Facebook Group

OR Do you have a heart for teens? 

New Horizons for Children has some great older children still on their listing. 

This special boy has less than 24 hours to be hosted, and he also has a $1350 scholarship! “Last chance” means he soon turns 16 and will be unable to be adopted if he doesn't find a family first. He will also likely age out of the orphanage in the next year as well. 

$1350 Scholarship Vova (15) is one of our LAST CHANCE boys who is very athletic and enjoys all kinds of sports. He is a happy child and gets along with everyone (younger and older kids) and is often caught with a smile, showing his happiness at even life's smallest things. He is kind and considerate of others and helps out whenever and wherever he can without having to be asked. He is just a great boy! He was a joy and blessing to have in our home this past summer.

His previous host family has grandchildren older than he is, and thus are strongly advocating for a family who can involve him in more activities suited to his age.. And maybe meet families in a different life stage too.. He spent over a week with young cousins, and can be trusted to be a good influence on them.

Read more about Vova on This Blog


E-mail Stephanie at snorman@newhorizonsforchildren.org for more info about NHFC and Vova. 

Go to New Horizon's website for more info: http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/

Hoping for a Magical Christmas

Most of our friends and family know that we have been trying to find another boy or 2 siblings to host with S this winter. One or ones that would hopefully be "available" at some point. I really wondered over and over if it was going to happen for us this winter. It seemed like every where we turned was a brick wall, and we were seriously praying about whether we should change our path and our plans going forward. (Brick walls being: children through one agency too old or too many siblings, or another not going to west coast, or another not allowing us to host S at same time).


Well, we were strongly considering (and we actually had a "hold" placed) hosting a boy that had one younger brother, but also older sisters as well. This was not a comfortable place for us, as not only was I uncomfortable with the thought of trying to separate him and his brother from the older sisters, it also might not have been possible. 


Well, the day we left South Carolina, I received an e-mail stating that the boy I had repeatedly inquired about on the listing (only seeing his age and name) but had been told was "unavailable," was actually a mistake and he was considered "available." I saw his picture that afternoon and I immediately started feeling that excited/good feeling that I hadn't felt yet. So we prayed and talked about it and decided to go forward with planning to host this boy. 

We don't really know what God has planned for this hosting and this Christmas yet. (And also we aren't sure how long they will be here or when they will arrive yet). And we also will not know for sure his status until we receive official word from his government....but we are praying and preparing ourselves for this Christmas. 


So we are hoping for a little Christmas "magic." Perhaps magic is the wrong word....and yeah it definitely is...because by magic, I mean we are praying that God works mightily in our lives and these boys lives and that we see some big things. That we can show them God's love and continue the seeds we planted with S this summer. And that it is perfectly clear whether or not this boy or another child is meant to be a part of our family. 

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

New Digs

After 8 days on the road, we finally arrived in Washington on October 28th. 

A few pictures from the drive (we were mostly stretched a little too thin to think about taking pictures). These were in Wyoming and Oregon. 

Sadly, the Rangers let us down for the second year in a row as we moved across the country. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering who got the joy of driving the car with the stinky dog and the 2 meowing cats-----well, that would be me. Yay. 

Our goal was to find a place to live the first weekend so that we could get out of the hotel ASAP. We were all going a little stir crazy by that point. After several dead ends, we found a neighborhood we loved, (but the house we were going to look at there....we weren't as crazy about).  The neighborhood was close to post (a ton of other military families) and has 2 playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball, a small soccer field, and a paved trail that leads to the water. Perfect for what we were looking for. 

We drove around a found some other options and found a house that we loved as much as the neighborhood. We moved in that following Tuesday and our furniture arrived on Wednesday. And anyone that knows me won't be surprised that we were completely unpacked and decorated by early Friday. 

Unfortunately the movers that packed us in SC really stunk. A ton of our stuff was broken en-route, but that is a story for another day.