Magnificent Marvelous May

I can't believe it is Marvelous May already! Hannah has now been home well over a year and we just celebrated our 2nd Mother's Day together.  It's been a busy month, and I am soooo happy the weather turned nice.  We visited the zoo recently, and we are going to a Mommy and Daughter Tea this weekend.  We bought passes to Kings Island, our local amusement park (gotta love Groupon) and Hannie loves the rides.  Other than that, things are just pretty normal :-)

More and more good news coming out of the adoption world, Kyrgyzstan is now once again allowing foreign adoptions.  For those of you who don't know, in 2009, the Kyrgyz government put a moratorium on international adoptions after some alleged illegal activities were reported by the media. Since then. more than 60 Kyrgyz orphans -- the majority of whom have serious health problems -- have been prevented from joining their adoptive families in the United States.  Two of the children who were to be adopted died recently of their health ailments.  Hopefully these new changes will offer a glimmer of hope for those kiddos still waiting for their forever families.

Emily and I officially launched our newsletter "Macaroni Kid" this week.  Here is the link to the facebook page:  Macaroni Kid Hamilton-Fairfield  and please "like" it if you haven't already.  Even if you don't live in the area, each issue will have lots of cool recipes, book reviews, travel articles, etc. Also. refer a friend to our page and be entered to win a GREAT prize! We've got hairbows, books, tickets to local events, even a birthday cake to give away! If you don't live locally, we will ship it! Also, if you want to be a newsletter subscriber, private message me or subscribe directly from our website, http://hamiltonoh.macaronikid.com/  


I am still hard at work helping plan the International Adoption Center's Passport to Forever Event.  I am currently working on "big ticket" items for the Silent Auction.  Anyone know anyone with a timeshare that can be used in the Orlando-area? We may be willing to buy this to put with our Disney vacation package.  We are also doing a Cincinnati Staycation trip, a Wicked (the musical) Weekend, An American Girl Getaway to Chicago, etc.  It's going to be such a fun event, and I love all the AP parents on my committee!

In other news, a fellow AP mom wrote me last week and asked if I would present some information on The Sparrow Fund on my blog (and others, I've noticed).  The Sparrow Fund is  an organization committed to encouraging and supporting families as they prepare for the adventure of adoption.  They provide grants to AP's pay for preadoption counseling and support, medical reviews of the file of the child they are referred, and postadoption support as their child becomes part of their family.  I think this is a really neat organization, and I love the meaning behind the name.  Here it is...

In the book of Luke, from the New Testament, we read, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7). In some places around the world, children in orphanages may be considered only as valuable as simple sparrows. But, God, because of His great love, has not forgotten any of them. Though the cause of the millions of orphans in the world may overwhelm us, God knows each one of those children and loves them dearly. Each one of us on the leadership team has a relationship with this God of the Bible. We believe that adoption was God’s idea. We were lost and orphaned, and God sent his son Jesus to provide a way for us to be adopted into His family. And, we desire to have a heart like His. We want to serve orphaned children by serving the families who are going to welcome them home.

So check out their website and the May fundraising drive!



A great poem I took off another AP mom's blog...

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,

and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I saw you feed a stray cat,

and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I saw you make my favorite cake for me,

and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I heard you say a prayer,

and I believed that there was a God to talk to.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I felt you kiss me goodnight,

and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I saw tears come from your eyes,

and I learned that sometimes things hurt,

but it's alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I saw that you cared,

and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I looked....

and I wanted to say thanks for all the things

I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

                                              Kings Island ~ The Korean Invasion Day!

                                              Our pool is now open but COLD brrrrrrr

                                                               Playing in the hose

                                                                Devil in a pink dress.

Playdate at sweet Ella's house.  Popsicles, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and playing on the swing set!

                                          Checking out a baby Boa at the zoo with Bella

Bella's new wagon...it was a canopy, 8 cup holders, and folds into a bench.  The cadillac of wagons!

Happy Mother's Day Nana!! Love, Erin and Hannah  For Mother's Day, I decided to officially "friend" my mom on facebook.  With limited access.  Of course.