Sweet Kisses for Hannah

I am amazingly blessed to have family and friends surrounding and supporting me throughout my adoption of Hannah! I can honestly say that not a day goes by without someone telling me that they're praying for us or, asking how the adoption is going and truly caring about the answer. Some people choose not to share there adoption journey with others but I'm am so thankful that I have shared this and for the amazing support and love that is showered on me daily. I've teased that if you stop at a red light beside me, before it turns green you'll know that I'm adopting! :o)

Today was one of those days when I was thankful that I had shared my news with those around me. Through my friend Norma, I have gotten to know a wonderful gal who owns the Tim Horton's behind our building. You know from my history that I go there occasionally all the time! The girls behind the counter ask for an update often and another huge supporter is Ann, the owner. In fact, Ann had the amazing priviledge of touring China last month and she said that during her time there she thought of Hannah.

Today Ann did something that blessed my heart. It was a little action but brought tears to my eyes. Next week is 'Send a Kid to Camp' week and one of the fundraisers that is already in progress is that people can donate a loonie and put their name on a paper tent. I filled out my tent a couple of days ago and signed it 'Hannah's Mommy.' This morning when I was ordering my coffee one of the gals said, I put your tent in the doorway so that you could easily find it. How sweet! There are hundreds of tents decorating the store but this gal took the time to remember where she put mine and tell me about it when I came in. After picking up my coffee I went over towards the doorway to see Hannah's tent and there it was. Ann noticed me and asked which tent was mine and I pointed to it. She quickly realized which one it was and she called out to me, 'Sweet kisses for Hannah!' and kissed her hand and touched the tent not just once, but twice. It was a loving gesture in the midst of their coffee break rush that took seconds but, has come to mind over and over today and caused me to smile each and every time. My daughter is already loved....and I am so blessed by those who love and care about her.

Ann, thank you. Thank you for caring; for asking how it's going and supporting me during the wait. You and the great gals who work in your store are an important part of my journey to Hannah and I cannot wait to bring her in and introduce her to you! When she's ready, you can plant those sweet kisses on her cheek!

We Don't Wanna Grow Up!

Joy-Lynn and I went out for another fun night on the town last week and it didn't take long before the antics began. :o)

She was returning this microsphone to a friend's daughter but not until we had our own version of 'Canadian Idol' in the car. We talked about taking it into the store with us but decided we might frighten small children in the store.

Before we bought the snacks to take to our 'Girls Night Out' with some of the ladies fron Sunday School, we needed to test them. We didn't want to choose something yucky did we?


We were heading to her sister's place and I'd never been there before so we were dependant on Joy-Lynn giving me directions. Ummmm...I think we were chatting and laughing a bit too much and missed a turn...what do you think?

But, look like we found when we missed our turn!! Hmmm....these pics look familiar. I wasn't going to get on the roller thingy but she 'double dog dared' me and ya just can't pass up a double dog dare!

Fun times with a great friend! I love how we don't need to be doing anything special, we just make the most of whatever we're doing and....we're always on the lookout for opportunities for fun! Love ya J-L!

3 words

Celebrating 26 Months Closer to Hannah!!

Normally today is a day of celebration but today although still one of celebration also contains much sadness. As much as I am thankful for being another month closer to Hannah, my heart still aches for the Chapman family. As I type this, this beautiful family is facing one of their first days without their precious Maria. Tonight is the visitation and tomorrow is her funeral so if you can take a moment to pray for the Chapman family I know that they would appreciate it. Their daughter is safe in the arms of Jesus yet I'm sure at the same time their arms are aching to hold the precious baby girl just one more time.

I cried as I watched this fun little video of Maria helping her daddy with the dishes just two short months ago. It's precious yet so hard to watch knowing this will never happen for them again.

The song Cinderella (video below) was written by Steven last year for his daughters. Who would have known that his little girl would not be walking into the arms of her Prince Charming but rather dancing into the arms of the King of Kings?

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

Lifting the Chapman family up in prayer....

Please Pray for the Steven Curtis Chapman family

Please pray for this precious family as they are dealing with an awful tragedy. Yesterday afternoon there was a sad accident at their home and thier youngest daughter Maria was hit by a car and did not survive her injuries. Please pray for this precious family as sadly the vehicle that hit little Maria was driven by her older brother who did not see her in the driveway.

Steven and his wife Mary Beth have 6 children, the youngest 3 (including Maria) were all adopted from China and they have a wonderful foundation that assists families adopt from China.

Please pray for this precious family as they trust God through this difficult time.

Mish Mash of Weekend Fun!

The gang. Back row l to r: me, Doris holding Daisy, K1 and Michelle. Front row: Dan, K2 and Mark.

Saturday night fun:
Last year's group together again! Welcome Zoe and Naomi!!! Back row l to r: Michelle, me, Elisa and Jarrod with Thomas and Zoe (waving from Uncle Mark's lap), K1. Front row l to r: Mark holding Zoe, Julie and Naomi, Dan, Doris and K2.


Julie and Naomi



Zoe


Zoe sharing her snack with Naomi



The guys cooking supper. Oh baby was it good!!


Mmmmm...It tasted as good as it looks. Super crisp skin and juicy, juicy in the middle.


Naomi walking around the room doing 'cheers' with her sippy cup! :o)


The guys hanging out


The girls hanging out!


Thanks for GREAT weekend friends!! Until next time......

Dragon Beard Candy

Dragon's Beard candy is a sweet treat that we were introduced to when we visited Chinatown last summer. It's a little like handmade cotton candy with a peanut mixture wrapped in the centre. It sounds a little unusual to describe but oh is it yummy!



I think that it will be easy for you to see from these pics, where the candy gets it's name. If you have the opportunity to try this sweet treat I'd recommend you do it!













A couple of other fun pics from our visit to Chinatown.

Great Friends!

It was such a treat to spend the weekend with wonderful friends! As we celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria today (which I don't really understand as it's May 24th and that's next weekend but today is the holiday?) we enjoyed a fun-filled weekend together in Montreal. Here are some pics of specdial friends.

Doris and Dan who celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary yesterday. Happy Anniversary friends!! (We didn't realize it was their anniversary until we arrived so we quickly improvised with a card and gift. What did we do? We found a card Doris had around the house and adapted it for our use and then presented it to them with a package of gum....their gum and, with a piece missing! :o) Creativitiy at it's best thanks to K1.

Happy Anniversary Doris and Dan!

K1 and K2 enjoying fresh, hot bagels that were removed from a wood burning oven only moments before we purchased them. Yumm!!!

Michelle and Mark sneaking a smooch in front of the fountain. Sweet!

3 Word Sunday - May 18, 2008

The boys deep frying our supper last night. One word...super-yummy!!

Last year we met Julie and Elisa as they were excitedly awaiting their referrals. Just a couple of weeks after we met they received their referrals for the adorable Zoe (l) and Naomi (r). These little girls are absolutely adorable and it was a treat to spend the evening with them and their mommies!!

Montreal Bloggy Bash Reunion Tour!!

It's that time again!! K1, K2 and I headed out after work yesterday and hit the road. Michelle and Mark were ahead of us and all were waiting when we arrived at Doris and Dan's for a wonderful weekend of fun!! What do 4 bloggers do when they get together? Well, blog of course!!

As you can see, Mark was not too impressed with our activities. He kept teasing us asking who we were blogging and emailing since we were all together. Who were we emailing? One another of course! LOL!

Breakfast this morning we started the day off with a relaxing, late breakfast. It's a quiet day with friends and more coming over tonight. Looking forward to seeing those we met here last year: Julie and Stephan with Francis and meeting the adorable Naomi; Elisa and Jarrod, Thomas and meeting cutie pie Zoe! There are others coming over too which will be lots of fun!

More to come....

Any Guesses? **updated with answer**

This is cute little Miss Mackenzie. Any guesses as to what she might have been doing in these pics?
Answer: Just as I was getting ready to start Mackenzie's piano lesson she hopped off the bench and began to dance! Her mom and I laughed when she said that she needed to 'Get her wiggles out as there were ants in her pants!'

Too cute! I love working with these wonderful kids and the fun that we have while learning too!!

**Pictures and story posted with permission. I would never post a picture of any child on my site without permission of the parent.

Fun with Friends

Last night my friends Japhia (l), Joy and I got together to enjoy Joy's new Mother's Day gift, Anita Renfroe's latest video, '...it's probably just my thyroid.' She may not be someone you think you're familiar with but I have a feeling that Anita's video below will be familiar to many. If you haven't seen it before...enjoy!!!

Here's a tribute to moms everywhere!

Earthquake Relief Options

As I'm sure you've heard, a terrible 7.9 earthquake and over a huderd aftershocks rocked the country of China yesterday. There are many places that offer you the opportunity to donate to help with the post earthquake relief and I would like to offer you another option.

Half the Sky is an organiziation that cares for orphans in China. Some of the children they care for will eventually be adopted and still others will live their childhood within the walls of an orphanage or with foster families. They do great work and now, they are called to minister to many more. Per their website, 'Funds will be used to provide emergency and long-term relief to children affected by the disaster. Relief will include emergency shelter, food, and medical care for children orphaned or separated from their families. It will include temporary or long-term foster care or, when necessary, temporary institutional care.'

If you would like to donate to Half the Sky to assist them with their post earthquake relief you can do so here:

Canadian Donations

US Donations

Thank you for considering making a donation to help precious little children who have already faced many difficult times in their young lives. Thank you also for praying for them, their caregivers and the many, many people of this beautiful country who yesterday, their lives were forever changed.

Waiting Mommies Dinner #10

Saturday night was our 10th Waiting Mommies Dinner. What fun! We welcomed a number of new Vietnam Waiting Moms to our dinner this month. It's always neat to see this 'little' group grow and our GTA Waiting Mommies Yahoo Group now has over 50 members! It reminds me how important it is for us to have one another for friendship, support, encouragement and also to celebrate referrals and babies brought home!!

Here's the whole group together! Whoee, this was a big pic to set up for. Thankfully one of the dads showed up to pick up his little princesses so he helped us out by taking the pics. Thanks Mike!

Who's in the pic? Here you go. (back row, l to r) Me, Suzanne, Tammy, Andrea, Liz and Ava, Ange, Leslie, Anne-Marie, Stephanie and Justine. (front row l to r) Karen with Samara and Victoria, Tracey with Ran and Maia, Bev, Julia, Renny and Leah.

This month's dinner we were blessed to share the table with 5 adorable little girls celebrating Mother's Day a little early with their Mom's:

Samara


Victoria


Ran(l) and Maia(r)


Ava


Part of our bi-monthly dinners is also a gift exchange. Since our group is now made up with moms waiting for baby girls, boys and children already home we've switched things up and each months gift exchange will now be a book theme. This month's theme was Alphabet books and I received this adorable little book for Hannah! Samara took one look at it and realized it was one of her very favourites! Sounds like it comes highly recommended! (Also, a big Thank You to Victoria and Maia who helped me out with the gift exchange! Thanks girls...you did a great job!)

I'm going to pop another special gift in here. Last week I received this adorable little hand-made bib from Kayce. Thanks so much Kayce! I'm sure it will be adorable on Hannah!

The next dinner is July 11th and unfortunately I'll have to miss it as I'll be on vacation that week. It will be my first miss since we started these dinners a year and a half ago. Oh well, the others are still planning on going so if you're in the GTA and want to come along, please email me and I'll pass on the details to you.

Thanks for another great evening ladies! These dinners are a great way to help keep our spirits up and also form friendships that will last long after our babies are home. Have fun next time and I'll see you in September!!

3 Word Sunday

Happy Mother's Day Mom! We love you.

What's In A Name?

This may be a silly question but I'm looking forward to reading your responses.

My question is:

If people call you by the wrong name, is it often the 'same' wrong name?

The reason I'm asking is that if someone is going to call me by the wrong name then almost always I will be called 'Christine' rather than 'Catherine.' Not sure why but it's a definite trend. The reason I'm asking is that we have a new guy at work who calls me 'Christine' every time he sees me even though he types emails to Catherine, my name plate says Catherine and everyone refers to me as Catherine. It just makes me laugh, and got me to thinking, does this happen to you?

PS - The exception to this rule is my great Dad. His sister is Cheri and when we're in the same room I become Cheri and she becomes Cathy. Yup....Cathy is my legal name. Leave it to me to go 'backwards' and go with a longer version of my name than what it is legally. Ahhh...explains a lot doesn't it?!! :o)

So...let me hear your names.

Signed, Catherine, Cathy, Christine and Cheri!

Girls Night Out!

Monday night Joy-Lynn, Carol and I decided it was time for a Girls Night Out and we headed to the late show to see Baby Mama. It was a cute, fun movie and we laughed through much of it.

They teased me about being a little ‘too organized’ when I showed up with Ziploc popcorn bowls for each of us but hey…you could put a small down payment on a car for what they charge for drinks and popcorn at the show!! (Rebecca, Victoria and I have it down to a fine art. We carry in totally legit bottles of water then as soon as the previews start they hand them down, I pop a Kool-Aid single serving into each of theirs and a Crystal Light into mine and we’re good to go once the popcorn is poured! :o) Movie night on a budget works for us!

Here are some pics of our fun night out!

Self Portrait


Note to self…Should have done this too before I whipped out the camera at midnight!!


Carol and Joy-Lynn doing their best movie poster imitation.


Ummm, note to self #2…Do not dare friends to pose in the men’s bathroom at midnight and after way too much laughing! They’ll do it!! (Girls after your own heart, right Doris?)

Hey girls, next night out, ‘Made of Honor’ followed by, ‘Mamma Mia!’ this summer!! Love you crazy friends!!