7 Days Already?

A Short Summary from the Past 7 Days:


I didn't sleep the night before they arrived so I was exhausted for the first 2 days. The Guglielmo family was amazing and picked us up at the airport in San Jose and then drove us to San Francisco AND then back to San Jose when we realized we left our laptop sitting outside the airport. You can't imagine my relief when we got back and security had picked it up!

At the airport I was so impatient.

S came rushing over with a huge smile on his face when they finally brought them through customs. 

2.0 was very comfortable with us immediately and we could see his outgoing personality quickly!

Of course when we got to the hotel that night we HAD to go swimming! :-) 

(Sorry the pics from the pool are on my phone and haven't uploaded yet)

And a quick game of cards....

They were troopers traveling to Texas the next day (We traveled for most of the day-got up at 4 am and arrived in Texas at 3pm) And all that after traveling for 24 hours the day before.

2.0 is FULL of energy and talks so much. He is pretty much the opposite of S. He is a really sweet boy though.  But he just soaks up any love and attention he receives. He lights up when you hug him and hugs you so hard back. He says I am "his mama" and tells me he loves me all the time. He just has a ton of energy and needs positive redirection a lot. Everyone in our families was really taken with 2.0-he's so outgoing and has a very joyful spirit.

My baby is the same as always. No real transition with him-he's back to the way he was when he left. (Other than being extra quiet during all the holiday festivities/hoopla/tons of people. We love him so much and I can't even think about saying goodbye to him again.

The boys had a really good Christmas. (all 4 celebrations with all 4 sets of parents) Plus Christmas cookie traditions and going to Six Flags Holiday in the Park. They handled the upheaval remarkably well. 

The first Christmas celebration they couldn't really fathom it when the gifts kept coming out----but they had the hang of it by the last one!

They are on their way!

My boys are finally on the way! They took these pictures in Kiev at 2:00a.m their time, and their plane left at 5:35 a.m. their time. (It was 7:35 pm here) 

In less than 17 hours we will see them! I'm sure they will be beyond exhausted and nervous. It's going to be a great trip and I can't wait to put big smiles on those tired little faces!

One Little Girl with no Host Family *Edit Grant $500 now*

We have until Tuesday to find this little girl a host family, as her host family has fallen through. The group will be here for a little over three weeks, arriving on December 20th in San Francisco. She is 6 years old and has an 11 year old sister. She has a $400 grant, so only $2100 is required to host. If we don't find a family before Tuesday, they will have to cancel her plane ticket. :-( 

Description of Ira:
This is an active, really easy-going little girl. She is very positive and open to others. Her best features are honesty and generosity. Ira is a hard-working child, ready to help the teachers and her peers, a diligent student, always eager to learn. Ira is a real leader, she likes to be in the center of everybody's attention. Her hobbies are making appliques, painting and drawing. 


Please e-mail me with any questions.

An Easy Way to Give Back this Christmas

One of my favorite bloggers posted a great way to reach out to the street kids of Seattle this Christmas. 


http://www.onethankfulmom.com/the-daily/be-that-mom/

Quoted from her blog:

"Send a Christmas card to a street kid that will be tucked into a backpack of supplies and passed out this month. If you have the time and resources, you can include a McDonalds gift card (even $5.00 will feed a teen)"


"Some Stats:

1. There are an estimated 150 million (unicef number) of children in the world who live and work on the streets….For a description and lots more information you can check out untilthen.org
2. There are over 1300 children (under 21) who live on the streets of Seattle and at least that many in Portland.
3. Domestic street kids are frequently refugees from the foster care system. Many of these kids have been through 10-20 foster care placements before giving up on the system and running away to live alone on the street.  Frequently these are kids who were taken out of their homes because of abuse and/or neglect situations. Some kids go directly from abusive homes to the street, skipping the system entirely.
4. Studies have shown that within 48 hours a kid on the street is approached by a pimp or someone trying to lure them into the commercial sex trade.  Many kids end up trading sex for shelter, food and survival.  Many become addicted to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping with the treacherous life of the streets.
5. Kids band together in groups of like-minded kids, creating their own “family units” that they fiercely defend and protect. This is their only protection against the harsh life and conditions of the street. Kids know they need a family….they just haven’t had the good fortune of being born into a family that wanted them or could care for them.

If you would like to send a card, please mail it to:

Overlake Christian Church
Be That Mom
9900 Willows RD NE
Redmond, WA 98052

   It would be best if you put the card in its envelope and then tuck the whole thing into an additional envelope to mail to Overlake Christian Church. We do not want your return address on the card that is tucked in the backpack. Thank you for considering this simple mom-gesture that might encourage a young person who has no family to send them a Christmas greeting."