Madison Adoption Associates- Camp Ox Trip

Camp Ox- The scoop

2009-07-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope everyone is well! There is a lot to tell you about but Im sorry- it seems like there is never any time to post!!!!

The main thing is that we found out today that day 2 of our camp was cancelled. It seems that there have been many swine flu outbreaks in Guangdong, and so the Civil Affairs decided to halt all the camps effective immediately. (This goes for the adoption camps as well as regular summer children's camps). Since there are 2 adoption agencies already here in China (their camps were scheduled for next week), a compromise was made and they allowed the one agency to meet with their group of kids this afternoon, and the second agency will meet with their kids tomorrow morning. As of tomorrow afternoon, all camps are totally done. We are thrilled for the kids (and the agencies) that they will get to see these kids face to face. I think the first hand description of these kids really helps in finding them a home!!!

So, on that note, I am sad that we didn't get to do all we had planned and further "bond" with our kids, but I feel very blessed that we had a full day with them. On that note, I am happy to tell you how WONDERFUL they all are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been uploading pictures ALL DAY.... Lots more to go too!

Please check them out at www.oxcamp.shutterfly.com password is maaoxcamp

There are so many special kids here.... We will be writing up summaries on all the kids, but please look at Eric... He is a 13 year old boy and is VERY VERY VERY special. In addition to be strikingly handsome and sweet, he has the best attitude in the world. He is brilliant, and honestly, the boy never stopped smiling. He wants a family more than anything in the world and we are 100% committed to finding his... He is totally healthy and simply amazing.

I will be posting more soon, but right now my priority is getting the pics up for you. More soon!

Blessings,
Diana

Tech probs again!!!

2009-07-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hi! More probs again... Wont bore you with details, but my last message (taking over an hour) didnt post. I will give you update tomorrow, I promise. But please know, kids are great, we are great, camp is great, and we cant wait to get busy placing these angels!!!!

More tomorrow~

Camp Ox 2

2009-07-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day!!!

2009-07-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hi!!!

We got to our new hotel, Yan Ling at about 5 pm. For those of you familiar with the city, it is abouot 30 minutes north of Shamian island. We met the orphanage officials, Civil Affairs officers and the CCAA and had a nice dinner at the hotel.

After a fun evening, we met with CCAA to go over the plans for the next 2 days. It is already 12 am and we begin at 7! YIKES! I will keep this quick, but they have added 5 kids, but we found out 1, maybe 2 from our original list, have already been placed. Louis definitely has a family, and we are checking on Dana. If they do, that is great! This whole project is about these kids getting families... It doesn't have to be through our agency necessarily! We are hoping all these angels will soon be in the same position!!! ;)

All files have been received by CCAA and are currently in translation. We should have them posted in about 2 weeks. In the meantime, we will collect as much information as possible about each of these wonderful angels so we can match them asap when we get the info.

Tomorrow will be a late day, but I know that I will be so excited to share it with all of you, so definitely stay tuned!!!

Wish us all luck and please pray for a successful camp and families for these kiddos!

Love to all,

Diana

PS to last post

2009-07-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have about 300 pictures and 100 video clips of each child. I only posted a few that were on Ming's camera. I will download/updload/whatever (lol) mine tonight. THANKS!

Monday

2009-07-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Monday was a great day, but exhausting!!!!!!!!!!

We have been with Connie, a local guide who helps lots of MAA families. She took us to "Safari Park" in the morning. In addition to having wildlife within reach, we got to feed a baby white tiger!!!

After we left and headed to lunch, Ming (our China coordinator) called and said that plans had changed, and we needed to leave immediately to visit Dongguan orphanage (2 hours away!) to meet a group of children from the shared list, or who would soon be on the shared list. We have a great relationship with this orphanage and started sponsoring them a while ago with donations. It was great that we were going to meet them!!!

We thought we were going to meet 10 children, then they called and told us there would be 18. When we got there, we ended up meeting 30 kids!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God Aleda is a packrat and brought enough gifts for everyone!

Here are some pictures of these angels! Rachel, a MAA social worker who is now doing some office work for us, is sorting through the shared list and finding which of these children are currently available. When Sara or Rachel has a chance (HA HA), they will also be posting information about these children.

We got back after 2 am and I slept in (PRAISE GOD) this morning. Time now to shower as we are leaving here in 30 minutes to transfer to new hotel to meet with CCAA. Tomorrow is our Guangzhou camp! YAY!!! We can't wait!!!

I will try to upload more pics tonight.

Thanks everyone for your prayers. We are tired, but happy, and having a great time. It is such a blessing to be here and doing this work!

Love, Diana

Boys will be boys!

2009-07-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Alec

Bryan

Dean

Eric

Jeremy

Lance

Louis

Matt

Oscar

Roman

Tyson

Girls are first!

2009-07-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Vanessa

Rhonda
Paula

Natalie

Misty

Melanie

Maryanne

Libby

Judy

Jenny

Heather

Gina

Dana

Claire

Chelsea

Becky

Bridget

Beth

Abby

Sunday, July 19, 2009

2009-07-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope everyone is well! Things are great here but we have run into
several little glitches....

The good news is we are happy, well and VERY, VERY EXCITED to meet our new group of waiting children. I apologize for my lack of communication. At first I thought my
computer was melting (it was above 110 degrees in Hong Kong), but I found out I
just had connectivity issues. We missed a typhoon that was supposed to hit us
(they reported it to hit Hong Kong and Guangdong province, but my husband said it was just Guangdong according to CNN). Anyway, we did not know what to expect though, as we kept hearing mixed information. In the end, there was some wind and rain,
but nothing big. If anything, the temperatures cooled off about 20 degrees so
we are happy!

Internet in our Hong Kong hotel was intermittent at best. I was not able to
access the blog at all and thought it could be just because of the bad
connectivity! Now we are in Guangzhou at Victory hotel and I STILL cannot get
on the blog!!! Sara will be posting information as I send it to her via email.

Tomorrow we will go to the Safari Park, a popular Guangzhou tour for MAA
families! Then we will have lunch and Ming is due to fly in from Beijing.
Tuesday, we will travel to Guangdong orphanage and meet with several kids that
are on (or soon will be on) the shared list. Then on Wednesday and Thursday we
meet our kids in Guangzhou SWI. We have photos but no medicals yet. Sara
will start posting them as soon as we have info. They are simply beautiful kids and we can't wait to hug them like crazy!!! You all are going to love them when you see them!!!

Love and hugs from China,
Diana

Getting ready to leave for China...

2009-07-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all! We are final phases of getting ready to head off. The last two weeks since we found out we were going have just flown by! We are excited beyond words, but absolutely exhausted at the same time! It will be nice to rest a bit before we meet the kids. I filmed a little video today that I am posting for everyone to see. Every time we go, we always take as many donations as we can carry. I have had several VERY generous donors of late and we have more clothing and toys than we can carry in 10 trips! Hope you enjoy the clip of my little Dani and I sorting and packing. She is such a girly girl and had so much fun trying on all the clothes, and of course testing out all the toys!!! The camp will be next Wednesday and Thursday, the 22nd and 23rd. I will be working remotely from China and will post the kids as soon as I have them. We will have 30 children this time... The age range is from 3-14. I am told that 19 of these children are girls, and 12 of the 30 are healthy!!!! We are so excited and hope you are as well! We are going to try to take a lot more video on this trip. Our goal is LOTS of short clips so it wont be too cumbersome to share files with families. Please everyone pray for us that all will go well and this camp will be a success like the original Camp Ox. We had hoped to stop in Tianjin on the way home to see our babies (we are flying through Beijing) but unfortunately, we will already be gone so long, and it will not be possible on this trip. They are always with us in spirit and our constant thoughts!!! Thus, this will be my final post until we are in China. I wish all of you a great week and can't wait to talk to all of you about our kids when we get home! Love, Diana

Garage sale fundraiser!!!

2009-06-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you all had a great weekend! I know my family did as we were camped out with the Schwartz family this weekend for the MAA yard sale. Both days could not have been more beautiful and the kids had a ball! My daughter Dani, had fun shopping for all her toys that I had just cleaned out, and I think my son, Charlie, and Tessa Schwartz have developed quite the love affair! (Nate and I were talking arranged marriage!!! lol) Most importantly, I am proud to report that we raised almost $800 for Camp Ox 2!!!!

First of all, I want to give a heartfelt thanks to Donna and Nate Schwartz and their wonderful family for making this possible. I cannot even tell you how tirelessly they worked to put this all together. Thanks to our wonderful families' generosity, there was a ton of stuff, and going through it all was no small feat! They were so wonderful in not only spending the entire weekend "working" the sale. but also organizing, pricing, picking stuff up, searching out donors, making signs, etc etc etc. Late yesterday afternoon, in addition to feeding MY kids, Donna was taking calls from other families, advocating for other SN children in China. I think they make coffee tired with all the wonderful things they do to help children and families. I thank them so much for everything and am so lucky to call them my friends! God bless you guys!!!

To all our wonderful families, Marie, Kathryn, Nikki and everyone else who donated (forgive me for not knowing all the names!!!), THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP US OUT! We appreciate you more than you know!!!

Finally, because we have so much leftover stuff, the Schwartzs have graciously offered to host another sale next month!!! (Yes, they are unbelievable, aren't they???) That means for all of you that wanted to donate but didn't have time to go through everything, please consider doing so for next month's sale. We can provide write offs for taxes and I am happy to pick up if I can. Also, personally speaking, I head out with my 3 year old almost every weekend to garage sales. A lot of the sales we have gone to, we have told them we would be happy to pick up their leftovers if they would like to donate them for our sale. If you are a "garage sale junkie" like me, and would like to offer this option to local sellers, please let them know I can arrange for pickup.

Again, thank you so much for all your help! Between this sale, the sale of the Ox camp videos, and the direct mail campaign, we have made over $3000!!!! We are trying hard to keep going! Please keep us in your thoughts if you know of a good fundraising opportunity! We are determined to do what needs to be done to get back to China!

Thank you and God bless!Diana

Update on Ox Children

2009-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends- It has been quite a while since I have made a post. It seems there are so many things happening, our heads are spinning! I just want to give an update on our children. As of today, May 5th, 20 of our Ox children are matched or on hold! We are so excited!!! BUT- it is not enough! In going over there, we made promises to these children that we would do whatever we could to help them find a family. We HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH! We literally lie awake at night and wonder what we can do to help get these kids a home... We did establish an agency grant program, but we are realizing that the possibility of a grant is not enough to make people look. THUS, we have decided, that MAA will offer an addition $2000 grant for all remaining waiting children. This is in addition to our automatic $1000 grant/fee reduction for all waiting children. Additional grants may also be available for our 12 and 13 year old boys...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ADVOCATE AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE FOLLOWING CHILDREN WHO ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Here is a little blurb from me about our still waiting angels...

Wayne- 12 years old- Awesome singer! Kind and handsome! Very sweet- Bilateral Cataracts

Gary- Just turned 13 on Saturday!!!! Let's give him a present!- Loves to swim and make new friends. Gary is the type of kid you can always count on~- Left eye cornea blockage

Kenny- 10 years- Loves sports- A true angel- This is the boy that asked me to adopt him... Oh how I wish I could! He is SO SWEET AND KIND!- Cerebral Palsy

Jimmy- 9 years- Smart, active, loves outdoors and Operas.. 5 kids said HE was their best friend- meningocele- post surgery

Toby- Just turned 11- LOVE HIM! Incredible friend- loves to share- very witty and friendly. ADORABLE BOY!- Cerebral Palsy

Michael (aka Tim) -10 years- A true class clown! Loves to goof around and laugh- Lights up a room with his laughter and bubbly personality- Cerebral Palsy

Brad- 8 years- Serious and intense- Loves sports and helping others- spinal meningocele

Trent- 8 years- Beautiful, sweet child!!! Quiet and timid, but lots of friends! We ALL fell in love with Trent!- Repaired Hydrocephalus

Josh- 11 years- A true performer! Very talented and outgoing. Incredible singer. He and Dottie are the regular emcees at performances- Cerebral Palsy

George- 11 years- Shy and sweet. Very artistic. Loves meat and trying new foods! (A boy after my own heart!)- Meningocele- post surgery

Chet- 11 years- Loves to draw and read comics. A true animal lover- Gentle and kind, smart, mature and creative- Deaf/non-speaking

Marty (HOLD)- 12 years- Shy, sweet and gentle. True intellectual- loves chess!- Repaired imperforate anus

Alan- 13 years- Kind, honest, loves to sing and perform. Very polite and gentle- Sequelae (Cerebral Palsy I believe?)

Eddie- 13- TURNS 14 IN NOVEMBER- PLEASE LOOK AT EDDIE- Intelligent, kind-hearted, has a "grateful heart"...- Deaf/non-speaking

Patsy- Turned 12 last week- Artistic, happy, kind, beautiful- LOVE THIS KID!- Cerebral Palsy

Tammy- 9 years- Extroverted, helpful, kind and honest. Loves to dance and sing- Sequelae from brain injury

Emmy- 12 years- Quiet, sweet and shy, but loves people- Smile that lights a room- Spinal meningocele- post surgery

Carrie- Turned 11 YESTERDAY!- VERY SPECIAL CHILD!!!!- Smart, incredible artist, beautiful. Kind and very special.- CCAA and the Civil Affairs Director has personally requested we find an incredible home for Carrie. Please look at her- See for yourself how special she is! Cerebral Palsy

Lynn- 7 years- Had surgery during Ox camp so we did not get to meet her. We hear that she is doing great though and that she is WALKING! We have requested new medical and photos- She loves dolls and games- Meningocele- post surgery

Kristy (HOLD)- Kind, active, lots of friends. Loves basketball and team sports. An adorable tomboy!!!!- Neural cystostomy- post surgery

Derrick- 5 years- Sweet, tiny, adorable! Active and polite- The photos of this little guy do not do him justice! HE IS ADORABLE!- cl/cp repaired

Hank- 11 years- SO SWEET! Loves hugs and affection! He was always hugging and loving on our group. Has lots of friends and is very well liked by all. Again, the photos do not do justice to this child. He is a total love bug!- Delayed mental abilities.

Please take a look! We are Madison are committed to finding homes for our children. If you are interested in a child but something is holding you back, please call us to discuss. We make no promises, but will help with anything in our power.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

Also, we are still selling our DVDs and books from Camp Ox for a reduced price of $30 to fundraise for our next trip this summer. Please consider purchasing a DVD. It will make an incredible gift. The fee is fully tax deductible and will help kids such as these in Tianjin find a family! Please help our cause! Donations can be made through paypal at http://www.paypal.com/ . Just enter the email address donate.maa@comcast.net to make your donation. THANK YOU!

God bless! Diana

Hi and beautiful Haitian girl

2009-03-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all- I am posting this message for my friends at Kentucky Adoption Services. They are in need of a family asap for a beautiful little girl in Haiti.

Please contact Emily at the address below if you are interested. THANK YOU!

As for China, it is official.... WE ARE GOING BACK THIS SUMMER!!!! YAHOO! Please stayed tuned for updates as we get them!

As for Ox, people are still asking about our kids every day! We will not rest until they all have families!!!!

Blessings,

Diana

*************************

Kentucky Adoption Services is seeking a family for Bernadine (born on 10/9/07) in Haiti. Her mother relinquished her rights as she is raising five other children and does not have the resources to parent Bernadine. We are needing to match Bernadine with her forever family ASAP. If you are interested in receiving additional information, please contact our office at 270-684-2598. We have additional photos and medical labs available.
Thank you,

Emily-- Emily Shellhorn, MSWDirector of Missouri OfficeKentucky Adoption Services, Inc.http://www.blogger.com/

Camp Ox Update- One month later!

2009-03-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

Hi all! Hope everyone is doing great! We are incredibly busy here but are enjoying every moment as our kids are finding homes and we are basking in the glory of doing God's work!!!

I know things have been quiet. A few wonderful families have been on me to keep the blog and excitement going. To those wonderful individuals, I say a big THANK YOU! I am so overwhelmed but do understand the need to remain proactive in our search for families for these children.

As of today, I am happy to announce that Shayne, Dusty, Randy, Tiffany, Hope, Vince, Kellie, Martina and Cole have all been matched with their forever families. Caleb, Tristan, and Gretchen are also on hold as we await their medicals and review of their files. So, one month later, there are most likely 12 children (most older!!!) who hopefully will be matched and home within the next 6 months. It is all so exciting. I think I have been too busy to sit and take it all in until just now. I have shivers, as we have literally have fallen in love with all of them and am so happy for them and their families!

There are also many children who families have asked about. To those families, whatever you need to help you arrive at your decision, let us know! To those who have been following along, I beg you to please advocate for these children. Many are older and only have limited time. Other have needs that would be so much better addressed in the states. All of them just want to have a family of their own. It is so hard to describe, but I literally hear their voices in my dreams... "Please, Nanny, find me a family. Give me your word. Give me a guarantee," (Toby) to "I just want someone to love me" (Tiffany and Vince), to "Can they [my children] be my brother and sister?" (Kenny) These are words that I will never forget as long as I live, and our agency is committed to working as hard as we can to help bring these children into loving homes.

Please spread the word about our angels. We NEED to find them families.

So, here is my challenge to all of you. (Thank you Maggie!!!)
Please tell 5 friends about these angels. Please ask them to do the same. The more people that know about these children, the better...

Please post to 2 groups about these children. Please share the link to our yahoo group and to the photos.

Please pray that each and every child will find the loving home they deserve....

On another note, CCAA is very happy with the success of the camp thus far. While in China, we met with them several times and discussed holding these camps annually. Last week, our China In-Country coordinator received a request from CCAA that we come back this summer. (GULP!) We are currently digesting this as we do not want to take the focus off of the Ox kids and I don't want Sara bald from stress if we leave again so soon. CCAA said that these children will be younger and possibly more minor SNs which may mean more kids will come home quicker. YAY! However, we would also need to fundraise like crazy (about $10,000- last time we used funds from the Charitable contribution fund).

So, here is the deal, I have been looking into several fundraising options. A client who has a business doing fundraising has also graciously offered to help. I will be rolling out some fundraisers in the next 2 weeks. (Things you buy where MAA gets a portion of the proceeds). Another client is going to do a Creative memories photo book of Camp Ox that will be for sale. She will also complete life books for any family that wants them. We also will be doing a slide show/movie of Camp Ox which will be for sale. The MAA movie of all our China families are also for sale, along with Camp Ox Tshirts we had made for the kids in China. So lots coming. If we can raise the money, we will most likely do this. I will keep you posted in the weeks to come, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you have any other ideas to fundraise. I am totally open to things where families could share a portion of the proceeds with MAA such as Mary Kay, Candlelight, Jewelry companies, etc. This way there will be more options for familiies wishing to help. Please send me your ideas as I will be rolling this out soon.

We are thrilled from the support of our families, friends and CCAA and are so excited for these children and the children we can help in the future. However, again, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE advocate for the Camp Ox kids. Every child deserves a home. If you are interested in a child, but do not think you can complete an adoption due to needing a waiver or finanical help, CONTACT US ANYWAY. We will do all we can to help.

Thanks everyone so much for everything! I also promise I will be better with the posting! ;)

Diana

Somebody STOP me!!!

2009-02-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

OK- CCAA has sent a lot of the medicals... AWE-SOME~!!!! This means we are closer to getting a lot of these kids home.

However, like an addict, I started fishing on the shared list again.... There are 12 HEALTHY OLDER CHILDREN ON THE LIST!!!!!!!!!!! Here are 3 I fell in love with.

The two girls are born in October 1997 and March 1998.

This adorable healthy boy was born May 2000.

Age is the only documented special need....

Please let me know if you are interested in these children. I can share info with families who have submitted an info sheet. I would need an official MAA application and fee to "lock" either of these files. Families would then have 3 months to submit a dossier through MAA.

Families wanting us to search for them may submit a family info sheet and MAA application.

But there are 9 other healthy children too!!!! If you are interested in an older child, please contact me with any questions. Diana.MAA@comcast.net

I am so excited about these kids!!! Thanks!

Love and blessings,

Diana

Photos from Ox

2009-02-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Hi all! All of the photos from our trip are up on shutterfly. You can access them at
http://oxcamp.shutterfly.com/ The password is maaoxcamp

I am still sorting through video.

I am anxious to pour out all my thoughts to you but find myself too preoccupied at this point with finding families. Every one of these children's faces is forever imprinted on my mind.... my prayers are that they will all be adopted in the US and be able to come visit us some day with their new families!!!

Please email Sara or me if you are interested in any of these children.
Diana.MAA@comcast.net
Sara.MAA@comcast.net

Thank you so much!!!

Love and blessings,
Diana

P.S. Photos attached are Brad and Carrie; Toby; and Ali and I with Kenny, Gretchen and Toby. Toby was the one that asked me to "promise" and "guarantee" that I would find him a family. Kenny was the one that asked me to adopt him to my family. No one has yet asked about any of these children (expect Gretchen who has several families waiting to review her medicals). All of these children are waiting and praying for families!!!!!!!!! Please take a look at these angels. They are SO VERY SPECIAL!!!!!

Aleda's Angel- Down syndrome baby girl

2009-02-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

Hi- I just posted this message to our yahoo group, but wanted to show
photos of this very special angel. Aleda fell absolutely in love with
her while Tianjin, and CCAA has allowed us to find her a family!!!

Here is the message in full.... Thanks!!!

MAA has been given the opportunity by CCAA to place an infant girl with
Down Syndrome. We met her while in China. She is beautiful and happy
and we will have medicals on her soon. I will post her photos on my
blog and when we have her official referral, we will post to this
list. We would love to get her home asap, so interested families,
please let us know.

We are also officially on the shared list, so please contact us if you
want us to search for a certain type of child. Many children (younger
especially) must have families with dossiers already submitted through
our agency. However, many toddlers and older children have 3-6 months
to submit a dossier. This means we may already start searching for
families with an application and SN preference sheet into MAA. This
will give you a chance to completed your HS and I800A approval while we
find your child.

Please contact Sara Lang if you are interested. Sara.MAA@comcast.net

Many thanks,
Diana

WE ARE HOME AND IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2009-02-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hi all- I am so happy to tell you all we are safe and sound and resting in our own homes. This trip was literally the trip of our lifetime, and we are proud to tell you that CCAA has already asked us to host another camp!!!!

I am excited to get to work tomorrow and to begin finding homes for these children. Again, if you are interested in a particular child, please send Sara your family info sheet asap. We will begin going through everything tomorrow, sending medicals and "matching".

I also didn't previously announce this as I wasn't sure it would go through, but MAA, along with Bridge of Love Adoption Services (Travel and Translation part of CCAA) will be providing a unique opportunity for families to participate in a similar experience to what we just went through. No details yet, it will basically be a cultural/homeland/humanitarian tour. Like a regular cultural tour, there will be a fee per person, but you will receive a donation receipt for a portion of the cost(to write the cost off your taxes) for each person. Sound good? It gets better...

You will spend 1-2 days in a particular orphanage meeting the children, holding the babies, and doing some type of humanitarian project for the orphanage/orphans. This will be much like what you all just experienced through us. The orphanage will also prepare a show/activity to show you about them... Much like our talent show!!!

This trip will cater to those interested in adoption, those wishing to show their adopted children their homeland, humanitarian/religious groups, or just regular travellers. There will be a little for everyone. We are also looking at possibly doing breakout sessions... For example one day half of the people will go to CCAA, while those not interested in adoption can do another tour.

We are thrilled about this opportunity and being able to work with Bridge of Love and hope to give you all a taste of the most incredible experience of our lives!!!!

We are looking to set up these tours on an ongoing basis, but hope to do the first trip later this year. Please email me if you are interested and I promise to post more details soon.

I will be posting more about our trip and more children very soon. Just need to catch up on a little sleep right now. This was literally one of the busiest and best weeks of my life.

More soon!!!

Diana

Gary

2009-02-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

Gary is 12 yeas old and is articulate and happy. Gary's SN is a cornea macular blockage in his left eye. Like Wayne, he has no problem getting around and taking care of himself. He loves to build and create things. He loves playing with legos and singing. He is a poet, and loves to memorize and recite ancient Chinese poems. You saw the stage in the room where we are, but what didnt see is the big screen behind it and the multi-media system including a karoake machine for the kids!!

Gary is a very good boy and is very neat. He prides himself on a tidy space and enjoys household chores. He wants to be a policeman when he grows up because he wants to help people.

Gary loves to be with his friends and said his best friend is Jimmy too. (About 5 kids named Jimmy as their best freind). He has a friend that was adopted by a US family, and asked me if I could find him a family too.

He is a sweet and kind boy who is easy going and laid back. He is so kind that he volunteered to by Tammy's dance partner when she couldn't find another girl. He is very thankful and constantly expressed gratitute to us for being there.

(These kids are all just amazing!)

Wayne

2009-02-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Wayne is a sweet and loving 11 year old boy whose SN is bilateral cataracts. Though his sight is impaired, it certainly doesn't stop him. He signs, dances, and is ALWAYS happy and smiling. He gets around by himself and does not seem impaired other than some squinting and looking at things closely. Other than the cataracts, he is completely healthy.

Wayne loves to play games. He loves to be with his friends. Although he is a bit shy, he makes friends very easily and would not fear a new environment. When asked if he wanted candy, toys, whatever, he would always ask for a few extra to share. His best friend is Jimmy, and you see the two together in the skit photo.

He likes school and is a diligent, obedient and enthusiastic student. He LOVES music. Sound too perfect??? He is... Please spread the word about Wayne.

Photos from Day 2

2009-02-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all! It is Sunday morning here (5 am) and it is our last day in China. We will spend the last morning seeing some sights, then will be heading to the airport for our 5pm flight back to the US.

I have too many thoughts to summarize right now but plan to keep the blog going for a little while... I have so many photos and videos to share. Literally, we took over 1000 photos...

As for the post right now, I want to share pictures from Day 2. Here are some of the kids doing their craft projects and of the talent show. I will then make seperate posts featuring each child that needs a home, with their pictures, describing their personality, talents and what they said in their interview.

As for the MAA interviews we started on the way here, they kind of fell by the wasteside as we were all too emotional....

ANyway, please enjoy the photos of our children.

Love to all,
Diana

Day 2 Ox Camp

2009-02-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Words can never described what we just experienced in the last 48 hours...

As it is 11 pm and we just got back to our hotel in Beijing, I am going to try to quickly recap the events.

Yesterday, there was an opening ceremony where CCAA, Aleda, Civil Affairs officer, and the orphanage director all gave speeches. THen the kids all did a 1 minute intro about themselves. We knew then that we were in love with them all!!! After, Aleda (wiht translator) read them the book she wrote entitled "Our Two Cultures".
We then showed two movies about MAA children that were adopted. THANK YOU LISA AND CHRISTEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey Christen- Chet asked if he could live in a house just like "Jacob's on the movie"!!!!

We then answered questions and the kids did a talent show in the afternoon. We then dressed up as clowns and played games with the children. We had a ball. All the kids loved us but one... Poor little Gretchen was terrified!!!!!!!!!

After camp, we interviewed the children who travelled from Guangdong at our hotel. (Martina, Blake, Lorie, Amy, and Zack) They were right down the hall from us!!! Martina is a tiny, sweet, gentle angel. She really got to all of us. Amy is a FIREBALL! The biggest ham Ive ever seen. I think that girl is going to be the next American idol! She loves the stage and is an incredible dancer!!! She is a total cuddle bug and LOVES having her photo taken. She is always jumping in front of the camera. (Quiet families BEWARE!!!) Blake and Zack are peas in a pod. They are always together. Both are sweet, outgoing, kind and extremely loving toward each other, their nannies and the girls. Lorie is shy and first and quickly warms up. She is sweet and kind. She also loves to dance and perform and takes Amy's lead often, while Martina quietly watches and smiles for a while before then joining in as well.. You really should all see the dance routine they did. It was amazing.

Today- we did interviews with the kids all morning, while they did arts and crafts we brought. They painted masks, painted their own jewelry boxes, made jewelry, and played with play-doh. They loved it! The interviews were extremely emotion and we had to take a few breaks to compose ourselves... Basically, EVERY child asked for a family of their own, Toby asked me to "promise" and "guarantee" that I would find a "family to love him", and Kenny asked me if I had any children... This led to a conversation where I showed him pictures of my Charlie and Dani. After studying the photos for over a minute quietly, he asked me if they could be his brother and sister... THAT IS WHEN I TOTALLY LOST IT...

Aleda, Ali and I all say this is one of the most incredible and emotional experiences of our life. Just so you all know, we made only one promise to each and every child... That we would share with our families how wonderful they all are and try our best and our hardest to find them the family they deserve.

I will talk about some more kids each day becuase I have so much to say about every one. Also, instead of 39, we had 42. We had the two 12 year old girls I told you about and another little boy (already with an American name) called Caleb. He just turned 7, is adorable and smart as a whip. He also speaks some English and yelled at the translator's help at times. His SN is he is missing most of his left hand. You would never know it though... Like most limb difference children, they know no better and simply adjust. He is a gift and I am attaching some photos of him.

We are so filled with so many emotions... In a word, these children are simply amazing. The whole time, we would forget that they are children with special needs and we would just see happy, beautiful, smiling, playing, well adjusted, incredible children. These kids get around by themselves, take care of themselves... I have to tell you, I was really scared at first as these needs seemed so overwhelming, and our staff was wondering how we would ever find them families. I am convinced now that when people see these children playing and talking and dancing and running, you will realize that there is nothing to fear. I think these children are an incredible gift to anyone who is lucky enough to adopt them.

I ask anyone considering adoption to just take a look at these kids. You never know... Aleda and I will be happy to talk to you about questions... We will be writing up summaries of our observations, and I have already gotten a lot of paper medicals from CCAA. I also have tons of photo and video on each child so you may see for yourself what we see.

Please forgive me if I am all over the place, but my eyes are literally crossing as I type. I haven't slept more than 3-4 hours a night since I got here. Now that it is over, my thoughts keep racing.. "Who do I know that may love this child???"

I am going to go now, brush my toofers, and pray for these children and for us to find their families. Please take a look at our angels... You never know...

XOXO
Diana

Ali's Post

2009-02-12T15:37:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!
As Diana has said, our schedule has been VERY busy, but the excitement and thought of seeing the children keep us going! So far, this experience has been one of the best of my entire life. A few post ago you read about Lu Lu, the little girl with down syndrome. I can honestly say that when she wrapped her arms around me the amount of emotions that ran through my body was something I've never experienced. I was scared, happy, sad, excited, nervous etc. all that the same time! It was INCREDIBLE and she instantly had my heart. Needless to say we were only there five minutes and I was already hysterical!

As for the children in Camp Ox, they are also soo amazing! These children are very well cared for and it shows. As a nanny myself, I can understand and appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into loving a child that is not your own. I admire these nannies so much and they are the ones we especially need to thank for taking such good care of these children!

As, Diana said we have TONS of pictures and can't wait to share them with you all!
Keep reading and keep spreading the word about these children. I hope all of you are falling in love with them just as I am!

-Ali

My girls...

2009-02-12T15:15:00.001-08:00

Please pass the word about these beautiful girls... No time but I have TONS of photos..

Internet is up!

2009-02-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

I am going to have one heck of a cell phone bill, but Carl walked me through fixing my connection!!!! It JUST came up and I have to be out of here in an hour... Timing has been like this the entire trip, but we are loving it!!!

I didnt realize how big this was to CCAA. There was quite a reception! Dr Lu (CCAA Director) and MANY other officials there, including civil affairs... These people are all incredible!!!

No time for an update, but here are some pictures. THis is one of the most incredible experiences of our lives....

Also, there are 3 VERY special older girls here. THey are perfectly healthy, BEAUTIFUL, and talented. (They dance and do gymnastics!) Also, Miranda on the list is so special..... She takes care of all the little ones and signs to them. She wants to be a sign language teacher when she grows up. The all greatly desire to have a family and will age out soon. They are not part of the 39 Ox children, but have participated in all our activities. They personally went up to Dr. Lu yesterday and asked if MAA could try to find families for them. CCAA then came to us. I am absolutely in love with these girls adn MAA is committed to find them homes. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THESE 12-13 YO HEALTHY GIRLS.... I have tons of photos and videos of them, and every other child.

They are the first three pictures. (Ali and I are the clowns!)

Many blessings,
Diana

Camp Ox Day 1

2009-02-12T06:12:00.001-08:00

This is Diana's husband Carl and I am posting for her because she's having problems connecting to the internet from Tianjin. She called in this post to me via cell phone. She told me to tell you that the day was incredible, the kids are incredible and she can't wait to share their information with all of you. She is sorry to disappoint those of you who are closely following, but is currently unable to upload any pictures or video. They are returning to Beijing tomorrow night and will have some pictures uploaded by then if they can work out the technical difficulties.

Thanks for following and thanks for the prayers!

OMG- one actually uploaded!!!

2009-02-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

We are in Tianjin!!!

2009-02-11T07:42:00.001-08:00

This has to be a short post as we are SO TIRED and have a big day tomorrow- actually it starts in less than 6 hours, but.... We made it!!! We met with the orphanage director, had dinner with some orphanage staff and CCAA, and got a bit of a chance to peek at the kids.

We were bracing Ali before we got there that there are always 1 or 2 that get in your heart and always 1 or 2 that pick you. The first child I saw was Shayne. He is just incredible... He saw me in the hall and stopped and waved.... I went down the hall a bit to see if he peeked again, and a nanny comes walking with a beautiful down syndrome girl. I went up to her to say hi. By that time, Ali was following behind me. As I walked toward "Lulu", she walked toward me, put her arms out, and went right past me into the arms of Ali!!!! Lulu hugged her, wrapped her legs around her, kissed her and stroked her hair. All of us just went hysterical, especially Ali. It was a moment we will never forget and unbelieveably, one we caught on video. (Too big to upload but I will try to cut all my videos down)

These kids are amazing!!!!!!!!!!! I met a few today. Dusty can talk! (the info we got said deaf and mute), Cole is just adorable, Derrick is so sweet and shy, I can't tell if a little guy I saw was Lucas.... Also Shayne... Another DOLL!! We will meet them all tomorrow, but just got a bit of a bonus today.

We also spent a lot of time with Martina, Amy, Zack, Blake and Lorie, the children from Shenzhou. Those kids are so full of life and energy!!!! They took turns one after the other dancing and singing for us in the hotel room. Martina and Lorie were a bit shy at first, but Amy is a TOTAL HAM!!!! THey all gave us hugs, kisses, and talked to us in ENGLISH!!!! THey are learning it and are very impressive!!!
Please take a look at them on the yahoo group. You will not believe how cute they are!!!!

Ive been on this blog for over an hour trying to upload video, but sorry to say that they are not working. I think they are too big. I will try tomorrow with photos too!

This is honestly one of the most incredible experiences in my life. I cant wait to share more with you all....

We will be at the camp all day tomorrow until very late, but I promise pictures then!!!

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Diana

Diana's recap of Tuesday

2009-02-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hi all-

As Ali said, I just crashed last night. The trip has been incredible but grueling.... Never before have I been so exhausted, and so excited at the same time. You would think I could sleep through the next week, but am unable too manage more than I few hours at a time. This last stretch got me to 4 am China time! (Whoopee, right???!!!)

As Ali said, we met with all CCAA officials yesterday. We are thrilled to tell you that many of them, Director Lu included, will actually be attending the camp!!! (NO PRESSURE, RIGHT?) We are thrilled for their confidence in us and have worked very hard to not only give the children the best time possible, but seize the opportunity to learn as much as possible about each and every child in an effort to place them.

We are currently unsure how much info we will be able to post on each of the 39 children. However, please email Sara if you are interested in a particular child and we will do our best to get everything to you asap. I was initially told that I would be carrying back their referral info to the US, and it is true that they are giving me information, but their traditional Chinese referral that those of you familiar with Chinese adoption are used to seeing, will be sent to our agency through the online system. (Does not mean though that you have to have a LID)

There is also a possibility that MAA may be able to establish an ongoing connection with the children from this orphanage (I'm told there are about 700 children!!!), so additional, younger children may also be available. Again, I probably sound like a broken record but I am strongly advising families interested in a waiting child through MAA to submit their dossier asap. We will have ongoing access to the shared list, our individual list, and possibly Tianjin. They have already asked us (I KID YOU NOT!) to do another camp in Guangdong this year. I don't think 2009 will be an option due to finances unless we find a benefactor or Corporate sponsor (hint hint) =), but based on how this program goes, we are considering fundraising for a camp this time next year. (If you would like to make a donation to the Tianjin children, please do so by sending checks to our agency, by our website, or by the icon on the bottom of this blog.) Our In-country China coordinator has already been to one particular orphanage we are looking to sponsor in Guangdong and has a TON of children of various ages- many VERY YOUNG! (Including a set of twin girls!!!) We are hopeful this will work out, but again, ask you to help make this possible. We are considering a "Sponsor a child" program, much like you see with other non-profits... I am anxious to hear any feedback on this from families. Is sponsoring a particular child, possibly with the opportunity to adopt, something families would be interested in? Let me know..

I am getting WAY ahead of myself right now, but the day could not have been more exciting for us. We are so blessed that we can do such fulfilling work and that we have the faith of those we work with. We have the opportunity not only find families for these children, but also make an impact we can have on those children that will never be adopted... We are realistic as we know many of these children will be VERY HARD if not impossible to place, but we justice are we doing the children if we do not try???

In terms of photos, I don't have pics from today posted (SORRY!) because Ali was the photographer today and does not have her USB cable to import the pics. (SORRY Al, threw you under the bus! lol) However, we will share all of them with you on our website when we get home. Also, I promise will be snapping pics like crazy with my camera the rest of the time.

Two more things- I just want to send thanks to Ali whose presence on this trip with us is such a gift. She is a breath of fresh air and shares the same wide eyes and enthusiasm as I did on my first trip. And to Sara at home- the only thing that is not perfect about this trip is that you are not here to share it with us. As many of you know, Sara is back in the DE office holding down the fort for us and already working with families, getting them prepared so that these children may come home sooner. Sara, we love you and miss you and thank you so much for all you do for us and the children. "Above and beyond" is the understatement of the year!

OK, now that I have counted just a few of my blessings, it is time to try to go back to sleep.... Another big day coming up.

Love,
Diana

Day 3 with CCAA....

2009-02-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

It's Ali, filling in for Diana tonight. :)

As most of you know, this is my first time in China! I am soo excited and having a great time!

Today, we met with the CCAA all day. Our first stop was to meet with the women from the Raising Children Department. Aleda and I spent some time here showing the videos Diana and MAA families prepared for Camp Ox. The women loved them and were very impressed with MAA's organization! (Sara, your name tags were a hit!)

While Aleda and I were here, Diana was two floors up, learning how to use the Online shared list for special needs. She says there are 344 SN children on this list waiting for families!

After lunch, we met with Mr. Lu, the head of the CCAA and two other VIP Directors. They were all very interested and impressed to see what MAA has planned for the camp, especially since MAA is the first agency to have a camp like this.

Next, we met with Bridge of Love to discuss Heritage tours. They showed us a beautiful video they had made which highlighted the first ever Reunion Heritage tour. It was held this past November and from the footage looked like a huge hit! Diana will be posting more info about what these Heritage Tours entail later on.

Our day ended with a traditional Chinese neck, back and foot massage! It was AMAZING! According to Diana it was "Heaven"; definitely a great way to end the day!

As you can see, today was another very long, but very successful and exciting day! Aleda and Diana have left me and gone to bed. We have another long day tomorrow since we will be doing some sight seeing in the morning, then heading to the Tianjin Orphanage around 12pm.

Talk to you all soon!

Ali

Fun day of touring, and Holiday dinner

2009-02-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

Hi All-

Today was so much fun. Ali and I braved the Great Wall, and I think we got our exercise for the next week. It was just incredible. Aleda did her favorite thing in the world while we climbed... SHOPPED! (Just wait til the Tianjin kids see how much she enjoys it!!!)

It is the last night of the Chinese New Year today so the streets are covered in red lanterns and there are fireworks wherever we turn. We had an incredible traditional Chinese dinner and I have fireworks going off outside our window as I type. We really picked a great time to come.

The Chinese are as polite and welcoming as ever. We had about 3 people grab Ali and I to take our pictures. We decided that they must think we are Allison Hanigan (How I met your mother & American Pie- Band Camp girl) and a chubby Natalie Portman. Well, this is what the Americans tell us anyway....

We truly had so much fun fooling around in stores, just being goofballs. I am posting some pics and am thanking God it is not video as you would all think we had lost our minds. You will probably think that anyway, but who cares? Life is short, laugh hard!!!!

Tomorrow we meet with the CCAA all day and have dinner with the directors. It is a big day for us so please pray hard for us.

That's it for tonight.

Good night, God bless...

Diana, Aleda and Ali

Two more videos

2009-02-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Its 4 am and we are ready to go!

2009-02-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hi- It is 4 am here. We are all awake and STARVING! lol! We slept through dinner last night so are ready and waiting for a nice big breakfast this morning...

I probably sound like a broken record, but we are so excited. The orphanage we are going to actually has about 700 children! We thought we did great by packing 4 FULL suitcases (using the space bags!) of all clothes, shoes and toys for the kids. Now Im thinking we will need 40 more! I will have to take pics later of all the stuff. It looked like Macy's blew up when we were packing. Sara told us we were crazy before we left. When you buy it a little at a time, you don't realize how fast it adds up. For our families that will be travelling in the near future... Please carry donations for us!!!! (May as well get that request in now!!!) My hubby is freaking that I am going to shop so much to refill the suitcases. (Don't worry, hunny! I promise I wont bring back too much. Maybe just a child or two.... hee hee)

So, today will be our first full day in China... Here's what we are doing!!!

7:30 Breakfast (come on 7:30!!!!)

8 am- Visit with Chinese Dr.- We are going to see what we can do naturally to take better care of ourselves. There has been WAY to much stress in our office the last few years... I am thinking we are on an upswing now though! ;)

9:30 Shop for MORE stuff for the Camp- we need to buy paint for arts and crafts, more clothes for the older girls (we have a ton of little stuff and older boy stuff), try to find a pinata (couldnt fit in my suitcase-dag gone it!), and whatever else we find for our angels.

Afternoon tour of Great Wall

Chinese Holiday dinner with CTS (China Travel Service)- This is the last night of the lunar new year and we are attending a special dinner celebration with traditional sweet dumplings. (YUM!) We are going to meet with the officials who arrange our travel for our families. We are going to talk about our ongoing relationship and how our clients can be better satisfied!!!

Coming up tomorrow... Our first day with CCAA and Bridge of Love. =)

We will post tonight as I have told everyone we are NOT going to bed before 9 pm as we need to get on a schedule. Thanks everyone for following along! Enjoy some videos of our trip! (We have pics too but took them on Ali's camera and we don't have her USB cable to upload them. So we will take lots of pics today with my camera!)

Lots of love,

Diana, Aleda and Ali

PS I read the book "Fireproof" on the plane. (THANKS KIM!) It is a good read if anyone is looking for a Christian, inspirational, appreciate your spouse more novel. I am now reading "The Shack". These are the first books I have read in almost a year! I REALLY miss my kids, but I have to tell you, it was great to actually get to read a bit. I also have "China Ghosts" and "Silent Tears" to get through as well before I come home. Anyway, anyone read any of these and have any comments?

I gave Ali "Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son" and have to buy her "The Lost Daughters of China" to read too. These were probably the first China adoption books I ever read and LOVED them. It is great to see the same wonder and excitement on Ali's face. She is wide eyed and taking it all in, just like I was when I started.... Pretty cool!

WE ARE IN CHINA!!!!!!!

2009-02-08T03:35:00.000-08:00

Hi all! We are here! Tired and exhausted, but happy. Ali and Aleda are already snoring, but I just wanted to write and say hi. We are so excited to be here!!! I will get more details about the Camp tomorrow. I will also post some of our goofy travel pics! (No sleep will do that to you!)

That's it for now. Thanks everyone for all the prayers. Just wanted to let you know we are here and are safe.

More tomorrow, now off to sleep...

Diana

OMG- Three more kids!!!

2009-02-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

I am so happy but holy cow!!!! I would like to introduce you all to Shayne (4 year old/ CL/CP repaired), Gretchen (4 year old, "spinal column disease"- will get info on what this is), and Hank (11 year old, "brain disease")!!!!

We are up to 39 kids!!!! HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My hubby is warning me "Dont fall in love... Dont fall in love!" Fat chance, Carl!!!

Also, our MAA movie/slide show is done. We are selling copies for a $25 donation. It is 20 minutes long and I think EVERYONE who sent me photos is in there. Thank you everyone so much for sending them. Sara thought I had pink eye because Ive been crying so much making it! lol

We leave tomorrow morning... yay!

Meet the children of Camp Ox!

2009-02-05T09:54:00.001-08:00

Meet our angels!!!! We are currently at T minus 2 days until we leave for China... Our flight leaves Saturday morning to Newark, NJ, then we head to Beijing that afternoon!!! After some R&R, we will spend 2 days with CCAA, see some sights, shop (YAY!), and head over to Tianjin!

If you haven't done so already, please visit our yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MAAWC/ We currently have posted as much info as we have on each child. Of course, we will be bringing back info while we are there! If you are able and willing, please consider bringing home one of these children. This is possibly their last opportunity as they will not be posted to the online list. (For my non-adoption friends, I will translate our "adoption-speak" at a later time...

Thanks for reading and I will be writing again soon!

Love,
Diana

A Personal Post- Happy Birthday Dani!

2009-02-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

Many of you may remember my 4 month labor last year which ended on 2/3/08... Yes, can you believe it? My little angel, Danielle Aleda is 1 year old today! Just a pic to share of the birthday girl!

Also, thought you may enjoy the photo of my son, Charlie as well. I've been a bit rushed and uptight the last week or so... In an effort to kill his bathing procrastination tactics, while I was getting his clothes for the day, I yelled, "Charlie, you better get in that bath right now or your in big trouble!"

I guess he REALLY didn't want to get in trouble...

Kids are so funny, arent they?

Schedule for Camp Ox!!!

2009-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

CAMP OX SCHEDULE

Hi all! Here is our schedule for the Ox camp! We are so excited!!!

Feb 12th
8:30-9:30
Opening Ceremony & Parties speech
Please help me! They want me to give a speech! UGH!

9:30-11:30 1. Self- Introduction (1 minute each child)
1. We will be taking copious notes and recording these intros for possible families.

2. Overview of U.S.-Story time with Aleda
*Aleda, once an elementary school teacher, spent the last several weeks researching
China and has written a children’s book celebrating our two cultures. Sara has
also made a coloring book for the kids with photos celebrating our countries.

3. The living situation in U.S. of adopted children
*We will be showing two films created by MAA families who have adopted Chinese children. “Journey to Katie Mei” and “Jacob’s Story” will be shown. We will have lots of tissues on hand! (God bless and many thanks to Lisa and Christen for sharing your journeys!!!) There will be a question and answer period after each film.

11:30-12:30 Lunch

1:00-3:30 Children Talent Show
We hear the kids have been rehearsing for us for weeks!!! We are so excited!

4:00-5:00 Interactive activity (MAA)
Diana and Ali will be dressing up as clowns (No comments please! ;) )
and will be playing games with the children (Pin the tail on the Ox, “Freeze
dancing” (You have to freeze and be still when the music stops), and others! After, we will be doing arts and crafts including painting wooden jewerly boxes and decorating a photo frame that tomorrow we will fill with the photo of each child with the clowns! We will also be making jewelry and having treats from a piñata!!!

5:30-6:30 Supper

7:00-9:00 Communication & Evaluation This is where we will get to spend one-on-
one time talking to each child. We have an interview form ready and will be learning as much as we can about each child!

Feb 13th
8:30-11:30 Communication & Evaluation This will be time to finish our interviews
with each child, or for more one-on-one if possible. When done, the kids have more
play time with us!

8:30-11:30 Play room (MAA) Today we will be decorating their boxes they painted yesterday and will get to put their photos in the frames they made! We also will make more jewelry for their boxes and play with Play-doh!!!

11:30-12:30 Lunch

1:00-2:00 Movie (MAA) This is the slide show that my dear hubby
has been helping me with!!! It is only going to be about 30 minutes but will defintely leave an impact!!! These will be available to anyone who wants to buy
one!!! All proceeds go to these children. Thanks to all who contributed photos!

2:30-4:30¬ Closing Ceremony, Performance & Group Photo
Another performance from the kids. We can’t wait!!! It will be so sad to say goodbye!

Hope this helps to get all of you excited as we are!!!

Love,
Diana

Please help Camp Ox!

2009-02-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

4 More Angels in Camp Ox!

2009-02-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Cole

Lucas

Tristan

Derrick

Hi all!

It is Monday afternoon (almost) and I just got a wonderful surprise from China! They sent the pics of the 4 additional boys that will be attending our Camp Ox! I am just in love!

Anyway, here they are!!!

Cole (M)
1/20/2004
(5 years)
This child’s pediatric examination found no obvious abnormalities.
Development on par with same age healthy peers.
Attending Institute’s kindergarten

Lucas (M)
3/20/2004
(4 years)
This child’s pediatric examination found no obvious abnormalities.
Development on par with same age healthy peers.
Attending Institute’s kindergarten

Tristan
3/20/2005
(3 years)
Speech development delayed; ability to distinguish color poor.
Currently, intellectual development, motor development on par with same age healthy peers.
Attending Institute’s kindergarten

Derrick (M)
1/28/2004
(5 years)
Congenital cleft lip and palate; post-repair surgery.
Development on par with same age healthy peers; speech ability relatively poor.
Attending Institute’s kindergarten

I will be getting medicals of all the children as well as TONS of photo and video. Interested families are urged to submit an application to MAA asap and begin the I800a process. Please see waiting child procedures on our website if you have any questions. Interested families, please contact Sara Lang.

Thanks so much!!!!
Diana

Can you believe it? IM BLOGGING!

2009-01-31T20:04:00.001-08:00

For those of you who know me well, Im sure youre just scraping your chins off the floor! YES, I am blogging! (This is actually very empowering! Emma- can you believe I even did this myself??)

I warn you now, I am far from technically saavy, but this is my best shot at making you all a part of this trip! Also, I am not a writer. I would much rather chew on rocks than write, but I feel that this is too important not to share, so please bear with me! If it wasnt for the love, support, and prayers from all of our families, this opportunity to meet these incredible children would never be possible.... Thus, I invite you... Please share Camp Ox with us!!!

Aleda Madison, our awesome intern from last semester-Allison Wager, and yours truly, will all be making the incredible trek to China just six short days from now... I am so exited I can hardly contain myself. At the same time, I am scared to death... You see, the last time I was in China was in 2004, and that was pre-children!!!! I hate the thought of being away from my two babies, but as my 3 year old, Charlie, put is so eloquently, "You have to go hug the boys and girls who don't have any mommies and daddies". If that didnt already break my heart, his next question was, "Can I come too?" Thank God for Skype (we can talk via computer for free) and to my awesome hubby for going out and buying a webcam for me! I can now have the best of both worlds!!!

Just to recap, over the last few months, we have been scampering to get ready for this trip. I want to put a heartfelt thank you out there to everyone who has been helping us. (This covers everything from not ringing my neck for not returning calls right away, sending pictures, dropping stuff off for the kids-Thanks Rosemary!- and praying for us. Also, a VERY special thank you goes out to Christen and Lisa for sharing such a special, personal part of their lives with us so we can show CCAA and these children what life here is all about . I am in awe of both of you- your talent and story telling is simply incredible! Thank you so much for taking the time to help us show adoption in such an incredible light!!! Words are not nearly enough....

I will be posting a detailed schedule of our trip over the next few days so you can look out for waht is happening. Plan is that I will do a blog update each night! (I PROMISE I WILL TRY!!!) However, the big camp is actually scheduled for Thursday and Friday (2/12 and 2/13) so make sure to check in to see all the pics of the kids!

As many of you know, in addition to meeting up with CCAA, this trip is a humanitarian trip,as well as a chance to meet and interact with these children in an effort to help them find a forever family of their own! Sara will be busy holding down the fort (office) for us, but if you find yourself wanting to open your heart to one of these angels, please contact her asap.

In addition, we know the economy is awful, but we are going to give these kids the time of their lives!!!! Initially, we wanted to fundraise, but CCAA had some special requests and we found ourselves too busy preparing to raise funds, and thus, the entire trip has been funded out of the general account. In recent years, this was the norm, but with temporary Hague putting the business on hold as well as the closing of Guatemala, times are tough. Dont worry, we are not going anywhere! (Not anytime soon, anyway...) but if you can please find it in your hear to help us with this mission, we would be eternally grateful. All donations are 100% tax deductible and we promise (and you will see), that all funds are going directly to the children, their orphanage, and to CCAA to continue to sustain them. Please give anything you can... even if is is $5. And if you feel this is a worthwhile cause, please pass this message on, and invite others to share this journey with us. We thank you so much for your support!

Well, I guess that is it for now. I will be posting more info on what we will be doing over the next few days, so please stay tuned and keep checking back! We ask you all for your prayers for a safe and successful trip. We cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love and blessings,

Diana