Interested in Adoption in Africa?

I really am just thrilled about this because I have never seen it before. Not to say that it hasn't been happening, I just have never seen it. There are two families that I know of who are currently in Africa, to bring their children home. I do not know exactly how these adoptions came to be arranged as I am aware that Africa is not as open as other countries to adoption. All I can tell you is that I think these babies are beautiful and I am so glad that they have found their forever families.


These little darlings are Adam and Jeane, you can follow their journey home at 'Tuininga Treasures'. This little beauty is Savannah Hope. You can follow her journey at 'Johnson Family'.

Please Leave a Kind Word and Say a Prayer...

Please leave a kind word for Carol at 'At Home with Emily'. Emily has become very sick and has a rash with sores. Carol took her to the med center and they cannot figure out what she has.

My Oldest...

This is a photo from Zachary's scrapbook. Sometimes I just can't believe he is 15 years old. Well, to be honest, most of the time I can't believe he is 15 years old and he will be 16 July 9th. He is such a wonderful young man now with a life that is quickly becoming his own. He has already made arrangements to purchase a car from his father on his 16th birthday. With that car, he will be able to go anywhere.
Being his mother has been one of the 3 greatest blessings of my life. He is my first child, my first experience at loving as a mother does. He woke my heart. I have loved every minute of every day of every year that he has graced this world and my life. I have loved him through each stage of his life, always eager to watch him grow and always missing the boy he was the year before.
When he was small, he needed me so much. His life revolved around me and mine around him. Somewhere along the road, he has moved on to other things, but my life still revolves around him. He needs me less, but I still need him the same. I can't imagine what I will do when he is grown and out on his own, what it will be like when he isn't walking through the door all the time, when he isn't at the dinner table.
This phase is becoming very difficult for me. I know that it's time for me to start letting go, but it's just so hard. I know that it is my job to prepare him for independence and I'm doing the best I can to ready him for life. I just have to figure out how to prepare myself for a life without him always in it.

LayDFrog...Adoption Fundraiser...Win a $500 Travel Voucher!!

We will be raffling off a $500 voucher towards your next vacation....you can use it towards a cruise, airline tickets, hotel booking...the cost for said raffle tickets you ask??? well, $10 a ticket or 3 tickets for $25!! I know so very cheap for such a wonderful prize!! If you are interested, email me (dannyem1973@yahoo.com) and I will give you the amazing details!!! Go to 'LayDFrog' for more details!

Quote for the Week...

The Waiting Child by Cindy Champnella

Kelly from 'Katie's Antics' gave me this book to read. I read it while I was in Chicago on business 2 weeks ago. I could not put it down. Whenever I was in my hotel room, I was reading this book. It brought me to tears throughout the amazing true story. Jaclyn, the girl pictured above was adopted from an orphanage in China. While there, at the age of only 3, she had assumed the role of mother and protector to a small boy. After her adoption, she prayed daily and relentlessly entreated her mother to go back for this boy. This is the story of Jaclyn and "her baby" as she called him...Xiao Mei Mei.

Monday!

Have a great Monday everyone! Mine should be a little crazy at work since I've been gone for a week, but hopefully it will be a good one.

Thank You For Everything Cheryl...

Today I found out the identity of my Secret Buddy. I hope she doesn't mind me posting her photo, but it was on our Yahoo page, so I think it's ok. Thank you Cheryl for everything. You have been just the very best. You and your husband are such a great looking couple. I couldn't find your complete e-mail address on the site, so if you could e-mail me at timnkim@gmail.com, I would love to be able to get to know you better.
Thank you so much also for the darling apron that I wanted from Red Thread Stitches. I know that Sophia will be just darling in it.
Truly, you have made my year a very happy one with your wonderful monthly gifts.

We Are Home...Thank You for your Friendship...A Special Need...The Biggest Project Yet.

Thank you for every one of your comments and for your prayers and support this past week. It has meant the world to me and I will let you all know how things are progressing with my Grandmother.

I would like to send out a very special thank you to Verna. She makes the graphics for all of the fundraisers and baby showers. I have to say that the one above takes the cake. This is just so beautiful Verna.

If you look on my sidebar, you can see links with the photos of different children on them. Each of these children needs surgery in the near future. They are all affiliated with Amanda and the Starfish Foster Home. A couple of them are currently at larger orphanages in China, but Amanda has been asked to help.

This is going to need to be a little bit different than our traditional giving. These children need a large amount of money. Approx 3k per child. If you are willing to sponsor a child by putting their link on your blog, please leave a comment and we will be sure to get their link to you. The hope is that each sponsoring blog will be able to raise funds by doing a garage sale, bake sale, lemonade stand, donating blog design fees, holding an on-line auction, church donation, car wash etc. This could be a great family project.

Please let me know if you would like to participate.

The post below is taken from Chinese Starfish.

Donations for Surgeries
There have been some interesting developments of late. The orphanages I work with have been calling me about some of the babies that need medical care, hoping that I can help. It has taken almost three years to get to this point and I feel that they are beginning to trust me to find the best care for their children. I have decided to try raise the funds and this is the reason I am writing today: To ask for your help. I am unable to bring them to Starfish right now, which makes me sad but I know that if I help with the surgeries while they are in the orphanage, then they will have a better chance at getting adopted.
I hope that in the faces of the children, you will see a need that you can do something about because the children who could use a helping hand. Maybe it is foregoing a dinner at a restaurant, a DVD or a new pair of shoes and contributing that money to our tax free foundation. By doing that you will make a permanent difference in the lives of these children. People often tell me that they cannot contribute much. I will accept whatever you can donate because I know this: The power is in combining all of those "small" donations and making something 'big" out of it. As in the story from which I took our name, you too can become a starfish thrower, by helping a child to get the necessary surgeries to become healed.

1) Breanna: She is at Starfish right now and we have raised about 2/3 of the money needed for her heart surgery. April has been so eager to help her and to honor all of her efforts, I have decided to have the surgery done in April. We are going to go ahead and do the surgery next week because it is a convenient time for Dr Li in Hangzhou. We need a additional US$1600 to cover the cost.

2) Emily: Emily is our latest addition at Starfish and it would seem that she has a parasitic twin, I still have to confirm that. Regardless, the surgery will be done at the SCMC in the middle of April to remove the growth and this surgery is also partially paid for. The funds were donated to us by the Interkom auction that I went to in Shanghai last week. This even was presented by the high school students, who through their efforts raised 20 000RMB (US$2800) to help a baby get surgery. We are short about US$1 400 for that.

There is a selection of children with Spina Bifida still in the orphanage:

1) A little boy whose picture they sent to me. He is about 8 months old. I just love that little face.
2) Two girls with SB they spent pictures of.

3) I also know of three older children who are in need of some surgery. Two are is seven and they both have to have surgery on three botched attempts to heal their SB. Another girl is four and she was just just left by her family about two weeks ago. We are planning on getting these three on a schedule with Dr Lazareff and his team who will be back in China in October of this year. I was so happy to hear about this.
Please donate through Groundspring on our website http://www.chinesestarfish.org/ You will see the "Donate now" button on the right hand bottom of the page. If you donate, you are welcome to choose a baby and we will make sure we send you some information about the surgeries and the baby's progress over the next few months. The average amount needed for the spina bifida surgeries if there are no complications is about US$3500 to $4000. The heart surgeries can vary depending on the heart condition and this can be between US$3000 to $5000. I will also let you know when the surgeries have been fully funded. I want to keep Dr Bao busy at the SCMC!!! I am just kidding. He is busy enough without all my babies. You have to fight for his OR time and a bed in the hospital. SCMC is a really busy and very famous all over China.
Thank you so much for your support and for allowing me to do this kind of work. I could not do this without the generous donations of the people who follow the adventures of Starfish. It has been an awesome experience for me, one that has defined my life and I am so grateful for the chance to help heal a child and to be there to make sure they have everything they need to find a family.
Life, Love and Laughter,
AmandaStarfish Foster Home
http://www.chinesestarfish.org/
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com/

Scan Results Are Not Good.

We received a phone call yesterday from my Grandmother's doctor. The PET Scan results are not good. Active fast growing cells were seen in the mass in my Grandmother's lung and two other smaller spots were discovered. A biopsy is scheduled for Monday, but it looks like we are dealing with cancer.
We are having our traditional boiled shrimp dinner together tonight as a family. We all know the situation, including the children. I will blog more when I get back home. These next few days are precious to me as I do not know how my Grandmother will be doing the next time I am able to return home.
Thank you for all of the prayers and comments. They keep me going.

Update on My Grandmother...

Yesterday was a very disappointing day. I met my Grandmother for lunch at her house so she wouldn't have to get her test results alone. We called the doctor's office several times at the time they told us to and no one answered their phone. We finally left a message as their recording requested and waited for them to call back. Their message said they would call back by 5pm and no one called back.
I cannot tell you how frustrated that makes me. When you deal with people's lives, I can't believe that you wouldn't answer your phone or return someone's call who followed your instructions and is waiting for what could be life or death information.
So, today is a replay of yesterday. We don't know anything. We hope to know by the end of the day.
I want to thank you all for your kind words. I read your comments several times yesterday. They were the little pick me ups that I needed to keep smiling and acting like everything was going to be ok.

New Starfish Baby Photos!

Amanda sent some more photos of the darling Starfishes in some of the outfits that we sent. I know that her home is now full and she cannot accept any new babies. I can't figure out how to make these larger, when I click on them, they get VERY large, but hopefully some of you can recognize the outfits that you sent and a wear a big smile today.

A Big Day...Please Pray for us.

We celebrated my Grandmother's 79th Birthday last Sunday. It was bitter sweet for us. I am here in Kansas City because they have found a one inch growth in my Grandmother's lung. I am here because I cannot be anywhere else.
I was born into a family of 4 women on my Mother's side. 4 women who had always been together and did what it took to love and support one another unconditionally. When I was 16 years old, my mother died. It was absolutely devastating. My Grandmother couldn't look at me for over 2 years and not cry. We were a very wounded 3, but we went on.
My Mother is always with us. We visit her grave together and we talk about her. None of my children knew her, that is a great loss to me.
Today we find out if the growth is cancerous or not. I cannot bear the news to be anything but good, neither can my Aunt. We are not ready to be 2. My oldest sons would always remember, Eli would have photos, Sophia will have nothing. This is a great loss to me.
She went to work today knowing that today will decide her future. I am going to see if I can meet her at her house for lunch to be with her when she makes the call to find out the results.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Today could change my family forever.

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group...

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group! I am going to be driving to Kansas City and will miss the chat, but there is some important information that I wanted to roll out about the latest project.
If you go to the Chinese Starfish Blog, you can see that there are several babies who need surgeries in the very near future. One thing that I found really surprising is that Amanda has just recently been contacted by some larger orphanages and asked for help with fundraising for some of their babies.
The amount of money that needs to be raised seems so large, but when I thought about it, if we break it up into smaller amounts and have numerous blogs working to raise the funds, I think it can be done. I would like to encourage each of you to choose a baby from the Starfish Blog that you would like to sponsor during this fundraiser.
Verna is making fabulous links like the one above for each of the babies. The link will take people directly to the Starfish donation link. If each baby can have 5-8 sponsors, I would think that the money could be raised for their surgeries. Each blog that participates, touches that many more people. After everyone signs on, we will be able to calculate how much money each blog would need to raise in order to hit the totals needed.

Verna is donating all of her profits from her blog designs this month to the Starfish Surgeries. So, if you need a new blog look, please contact her.

I am going to meet with the Pastor of my church to see if they are willing to make a donation.
Please feel free to spread the word. We will distribute photo links to anyone who wants one.
April has raised a significant amount of the money that Breanna needs for her upcoming surgery, so she doesn't need as many sponsors as the other babes do.

Also, Amanda is fully aware of what we are doing, so leave her a comment and let her know how many people support her efforts and love the children she cares for.

Also, please keep Crystal and Savannah in your prayers. They are still in Africa.

There is no place like home...A Special Thank You To My Husband...

It's been a while since I've been away from home for several days. I enjoyed my time in Chicago, but it feels so right tonight to be home with my family.
I want to do a special post for my husband. Thank you for always loving me. Thank you for always supporting me in everything that I do. Thank you for never asking me how we are going to pay for my latest project or how we're going to make it work. Thank you for sharing my faith and believing that God will find a way. Thank you for not complaining when you couldn't open the bottom 3 drawers of your dresser because boxes of baby clothes blocked them. Thank you for not freaking out when FedEx told us how much the postage would be. God provided and still is providing the way. I love you more than I can ever put into words.
On the way home the other day, you asked me what my next project was going to be. Thank you for embracing it when I told you tonight. The word is out...we're committed now : )

Click On It!

Heading for Chicago...

Today I am heading to Chicago for some corporate training. Yeah, that's going to be fun. BUT, I do love the Windy City and I haven't been there for a while, so I'm looking forward to it.
I don't know how much posting I'll be doing over the next 3 days that I'm away from home, but I'll try my best to keep in touch!

3 Word Sunday...

Sunday...

Good Morning Everyone and Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group!

Good Morning Everyone! I tell you , I have been battling with insomnia this week. I usually sleep like a rock, but lately I've been waking up in the middle of the night and then spend hours tossing and turning before I get back to sleep again. I'm not liking it.

Some important announcements:

Crystal who is in Malawi Africa to bring home Savannah Hope needs your prayers and support. There are some issues with her paperwork and she cannot come back to the US until they are resolved. I have heard that it could take up to a month for resolution, so please pray for a miracle here so that she return quickly to her children and husband with Savannah. Crystal's blog is 'Johnson Angels'.

Robin at 'Red Thread Stitches' is almost to the point of giving away another handmade quilt, so if you want to donate $1 to get your name into the drawing, you should get over to her blog quickly!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for my Grandmother. Yesterday they put some type of a camera through her nose and into her lung. They were able to see the mass and remove a part of it to be analyzed. Please pray that there is no cancer.

Lastly, Tim and I are going to try to get at least 3 of the remaining Starfish boxes shipped out today. I don't think we have enough funds to send out the 4th box. I know that you all have given so much, but if anyone hasn't donated yet and would like to help, please make a donation to the Chip In postage fund.

The Saturday Morning Chat Group....Our View...

I am sure that most of you know about the Saturday Morning Chat Group, but if you don't, please take this post as an invitation to join us tomorrow morning from 8am to 12 noon.
The closest thing I can relate it to is the television show The View. There are many women who come each week and we talk about current events, what's happening with China adoption and what's happening in our lives. Some Saturdays are a little crowded and it seems a little crazy and others are more quiet and you can talk more one on one.
But if you are wanting to meet some more of the ladies in blogland or if you have questions about something with your adoption or your life, drop in and join us! Maybe I should start inviting special guests.

Mr. Brian, Michael and K1's friend are also welcome and any other gentlemen who wish to join in!

Spring...

Today is the first morning that I have heard birds outside of my window. I had to open it up and let some cold air in to hear them for certain, but it was worth it. Regardless of the weather, I am declaring it Spring for me. I need it in my soul. This has been a long tough winter and I'm over it. I cleaned up my front porch yesterday. The snow that came 2 days ago is almost gone. The lake has really started to thaw. The sun is now up when I leave for work and it is still up when I come home. I can't tell you how much that really brightens my spirits.
Welcome Spring! I think I'm going to get a Springy skirt out to wear today and maybe some pumps that let my toes show. : )

Quote for the Week...And A Question...

This is something that I am struggling with right now. I easily forgive most things, but when someone is repeatedly cruel and hurtful it is hard for me to keep forgiving over and over. There is someone in my life who is very hurtful, who is destructive to my family. Someone who shows little regard for our children or us. I am struggling to forgive them over and over for the awful things they say and do. It has been a constant struggle for years. I forgive and try to start over only to be absolutely crushed over and over. I know that God wants me to keep forgiving them. I think that I can do that, but I also think it is not healthy to maintain a relationship with them. Is it ok to forgive this person for all they have done, but to stay away from them so that it stops or at least isn't so visible to me or my family? Is it ok if it is someone in your own family?

Thank You Secret Buddy!

A very special Thank You to my Secret Buddy. I just love the little easter bunny that you sent, but what really is meaningful to me is the small cross. Each of my children has a small cross over the doorway to their bedroom, except for Zach who has his over his bed. This little cross will be Sophia's and I will place it over her doorway tonight. It will hang there as long as she is a child in this house.
I read on our Yahoo Group messages that next month is our last month and that we are to reveal ourselves. I want you to know how sad this makes me. You have been such an amazing person and I have really looked forward to your gifts each month. I voted yes for a new group to be formed, but I know that I will never get another person like you, it just isn't possible.
I will miss you so much as my secret buddy, but I look forward to knowing who you are and being able to get to know you.

Please Pray for my Grandmother...

Please pray for my Grandma Peggy. I received a phone call this weekend from my Aunt telling me that doctors found some type of a growth about one inch in diameter in my Grandmother's lung. I spoke with my Grandmother yesterday and she is doing her best to stay strong and positive but I can tell that she is afraid. We all are afraid. Hopefully we will know more by the end of the week. Thank you for your prayers, I know that they will help.

Happy Easter Everyone! & 3 Word Sunday...

He is Risen!

A Big Day for Eli...

Today was a big day for Eli. We went to Chucky Cheese (yes, if you know me you are completely shocked by this revelation). I did go to Chucky Cheese. He loved it and had a blast.

Then we went to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. He was so excited about getting to see him, but when the moment arrived to actually talk with him...this is what we got. See Below. He was not liking the Bunny AT ALL. Those pictures were not taken at the same time...this is the response I got to 'smile'.

Here are some photos from Chucky Cheese...just to prove I was there.

Welcome To The Saturday Morning Chat Group!

Good Morning Everyone! Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group! I am hoping to hear some news today about Crystal. She is in Africa to bring Savannah Hope home. For updates on Crystal and Savannah, go to their family blog 'The Blessings Just Keep On Coming'.

If you want to see something that will bring a big smile to your face...go to Chinese Starfish. Many of the babies are posted in their Easter photos and I think you may just recognize some of the outfits they are wearing! I recognize one of the dresses that I sent! There are still four boxes here that need to be shipped out, so if you find it in your heart to make a donation to the postage fund, that would be so wonderful.

Anyone who wants a Sat Chat Sidebar Link, just let me know and I'll e-mail one over to you.

Good Friday...

Starfish Update! Our First 6 Boxes Arrived at Starfish Today...

Great news everyone! Our boxes made it through customs and arrived at the Starfish Foster Home today. Below is an e-mail that I received from Amanda. I can't wait to see the pictures!

Dear Kimberley:

Thank you so much for everything. That was so awesome. I was so happy with all the things that you sent. The clothes were so beautiful and the babies are going to look so wonderful. I have to take some pictures and I will send them as soon as I have some time. I want to take some more pictures with the kids wearing the clothes. I have to leave for Shanghai tomorrow so I hope I get it done before then. I have to go back and delete all the sleepers I put on my wish list at amazon. You sent so many and that was just wonderful. I am also working on the Easter pictures, I hope I get that all done. I loved the bags you sent the clothes in. Those are wonderful for storage from season to season. Please thank everyone involved and I will send a better thank you soon.

Life, Love and Laughter,

Amanda
Starfish Foster Homehttp://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com/http://www.chinesestarfish.org/

THEY WON!

They won! It was a crazy exciting game. My throat is still a little tender from cheering. Both teams were definitely playing a great game. There were quite a few penalties though on our side. Zach was in the box once. The final score was 5-7, but really, the last goal was scored very close to the end and if it had been the other teams goal the game would have gone into overtime. I am very proud of all of the players. What amazing season!
I will hopefully get to posting some great game photos today. We didn't get home until late.

Starfish Boxes in Beijing!

Latest update from Fed Ex shows our first 6 boxes have arrived in Beijing!