“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!”
Humbert Wolfe
My sister and I are in the spirit! We went pumpkin shopping.
I guess I take too many pictures. Now I can't stop my kids from posing.
Bret is our 6th in braces and she has to have 4 teeth pulled out this month to make more room.
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!”
Humbert Wolfe
My sister and I are in the spirit! We went pumpkin shopping.
I guess I take too many pictures. Now I can't stop my kids from posing.
Bret is our 6th in braces and she has to have 4 teeth pulled out this month to make more room.
Hua Hua needs a home!
HuaHua's story starts at about 2:24.
This is what I was told the response from Love Without Boundries was about her:
If your or another family is interested in possibly adopting Hua Hua, they should contact Lily at lilyqiuchina@hotmail.com. Lifeline, the agency Lily works with, is trying to help place some children with HIV, but most orphanages won’t submit a file without a committed family. While Nanyang hasn’t filed on this child yet, if a family would definitely step forward, then Lily could work with them to submit the paperwork.
This is what I was told the response from Love Without Boundries was about her:
If your or another family is interested in possibly adopting Hua Hua, they should contact Lily at lilyqiuchina@hotmail.com. Lifeline, the agency Lily works with, is trying to help place some children with HIV, but most orphanages won’t submit a file without a committed family. While Nanyang hasn’t filed on this child yet, if a family would definitely step forward, then Lily could work with them to submit the paperwork.
What happens to me?
Teens in China share the same dreams as teens in the US. Unlike young teens in families, children raised in Chinese orphanages face a very scary future. In some countries, children as young as 14 are made to leave their "home" and begin life as an adult with no family and few skills.
In China , young people are allowed to remain in their orphanage only until the age of 16-18 years. However, their future (or lack of) is set years earlier. In China on their 14th birthday by law, orphaned children become ineligible for adoption. This is true for both international and domestic adoptions.
In the orphanages, only the strong survive. Here are some of the strong. They are girls that are just as deserving as any other adopted or biological child here in the US. I'm always irked when people say how lucky my kids are to be adopted or be in the US. Do they not think their kids are lucky? I don't think they would appreciate me telling their kids how lucky they are not to be orphans.
The girl in the yellow was our daughter, Arden's best friend. She was Arden's only "family" and Arden's protector. Her and Arden stay in contact, but as fate would have it these girls are still there.
When we were there a year ago we got to meet the girl in the black.
This man is the orphanage director where 5 of my kids lived. We have had the pleasure of meeting him and I've only heard good things about him. I think here he has taken the older girls to dinner even though I know some of them are out on their own. Arden's friend told me she really liked him. I think he must have a kind heart and cares about the kids.
In China , young people are allowed to remain in their orphanage only until the age of 16-18 years. However, their future (or lack of) is set years earlier. In China on their 14th birthday by law, orphaned children become ineligible for adoption. This is true for both international and domestic adoptions.
In the orphanages, only the strong survive. Here are some of the strong. They are girls that are just as deserving as any other adopted or biological child here in the US. I'm always irked when people say how lucky my kids are to be adopted or be in the US. Do they not think their kids are lucky? I don't think they would appreciate me telling their kids how lucky they are not to be orphans.
The girl in the yellow was our daughter, Arden's best friend. She was Arden's only "family" and Arden's protector. Her and Arden stay in contact, but as fate would have it these girls are still there.
When we were there a year ago we got to meet the girl in the black.
This man is the orphanage director where 5 of my kids lived. We have had the pleasure of meeting him and I've only heard good things about him. I think here he has taken the older girls to dinner even though I know some of them are out on their own. Arden's friend told me she really liked him. I think he must have a kind heart and cares about the kids.
Lyric is 9
I can't believe it. At the time we adopted Lyric, I knew I wanted to adopt, but I was looking for a child around 4 or 5 years old. The new list of kids came out, and the only ones Mike and I were interested in were babies!! When we first chose Lyric, I was almost sick because of my age!! I could not imagine chasing around a two-year old. It took me three days to get over it. Now that Lyric is nine, I've been thinking how awful it would be if I had let my age stop me from going to get her. That was also the same trip I spotted Kong Wei Xin. So one year later we went back and adopted another 2 year-old, Kong Wei Xin, and we named her Cokie. Since we got Cokie, she and Lyric have always been like peanut butter and jelly and have brought us more happiness than I could have ever imagined.
Lyric is our shinning little star. Even yesterday when I was dropping her off at school a lady came up and introduced herself. She said her daughter was in Lyric's class. The lady had met her daughter for lunch, and Lyric was at the table. She actually told me she wanted Lyric to be her daughter's friend. LOL I immediately thought, "who wouldn't?" Did I just say that?
Since we are such lame parents (meaning we're usually not ready for our kids' birthdays when they arrive), I came up with a plan. We tell our kids that since they are so special, we will celebrate their b-day all week long. So this year Lyric's b-day was on a school day. I gave her a little present that morning and did manage to make her a cake. When Mike came home from work he took her to a game store and let her pick out a video game as a present. The celebration was still going on Friday, and Mike took Lyric along with a ton of her cousins to Jillian's (an arcade downtown). Then Saturday, I took her another cake when we got together with friends at our usual Mexican hangout and had her another little party. Mike told Lyric that he thought her ninth birthday may have been the most celebrated birthday a kid has ever had. Lyric answered, "there's still Sunday!" It just so happened Whitney had a cookout planned for Sunday, so we told Lyric it was for her. : - ) In these pictures Lyric had just ate spicy wings and they are still on her face.
We get stared and smiled at like crazy. I understand that, but every now and then you get the nosy mean look. I told Mike, "well, you know the Chinese gangs are the worst."
Lyric was 3 y.o. here with her orphanage director. We took Lyric back with us to adopt Cokie.
Lyric is our shinning little star. Even yesterday when I was dropping her off at school a lady came up and introduced herself. She said her daughter was in Lyric's class. The lady had met her daughter for lunch, and Lyric was at the table. She actually told me she wanted Lyric to be her daughter's friend. LOL I immediately thought, "who wouldn't?" Did I just say that?
Since we are such lame parents (meaning we're usually not ready for our kids' birthdays when they arrive), I came up with a plan. We tell our kids that since they are so special, we will celebrate their b-day all week long. So this year Lyric's b-day was on a school day. I gave her a little present that morning and did manage to make her a cake. When Mike came home from work he took her to a game store and let her pick out a video game as a present. The celebration was still going on Friday, and Mike took Lyric along with a ton of her cousins to Jillian's (an arcade downtown). Then Saturday, I took her another cake when we got together with friends at our usual Mexican hangout and had her another little party. Mike told Lyric that he thought her ninth birthday may have been the most celebrated birthday a kid has ever had. Lyric answered, "there's still Sunday!" It just so happened Whitney had a cookout planned for Sunday, so we told Lyric it was for her. : - ) In these pictures Lyric had just ate spicy wings and they are still on her face.
We get stared and smiled at like crazy. I understand that, but every now and then you get the nosy mean look. I told Mike, "well, you know the Chinese gangs are the worst."
Lyric was 3 y.o. here with her orphanage director. We took Lyric back with us to adopt Cokie.
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