We have a winner!!!!!!

Bradley Arnold -congratulations!

Thank you everyone. This was an amazing giveaway and we raised ready for this....$720 in two weeks just for people that wanted to participate in the giveaway! The bracelet was donated to us so every $1 counted towards bringing Talia home. We are so thankful to everyone that passed on our e-mails and web address as well as posting on facebook, not once, but twice, as well as, those that donated twice! You are all angels on earth. Moreover, thanks for having fun with the holiday cheer and all its twists and turns! It really showed us the power of prayer and "our village" working together towards the goal of saving an orphan's life.

We are beyond amazed at God's hand in all of this. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and stay tuned for our next fundraisers and posts about our tales of two!

God Bless you all and Happy New Year!

In addition to the excitement of the giveaway, this week, we received a new picture of our baby girl! She looks so good and is finally gaining weight. At 2 1/2 she is 22 lbs., which is much better then the 18 lbs. she was at for a year! I find the picture priceless and the best Christmas gift ever!



Look how big my smile is Mommy!



Merry Christmas From Our Home to Yours

May your house be blessed with the spirit of Christmas all year long!

It was a great Christmas and I tried my best to keep my joy levels up but really wished Talia was home with us now.  Although my heart was here with Harper, my mind was with Talia. I know every adoptive parent that has a child waiting for them in China feels the same way.

Harper had a wonderful day and we can not wait until next year to have our house filled with even more laughter, love and chaos!  Here are my top five favorite moments from the past few days!

Baking cookies for Santa!
We actually found a gingerbread cookie that Harper can eat. She has a milk allergy so she was excited to have some cookies that her and Santa can enjoy! She is very meticulous. After she put the dough in each holder she would exclaim, "Perfect"!

Dance Party on Christmas Eve!

After our traditional Chinese food Christmas Eve meal we got comfortable and had a dance party with Harper's Music Together CD. It showcases music from different countries.  She loved playing with the instruments and having mommy and daddy dance beside her! As you can tell she is quite the dancing queen!

My Beautiful Princess
Harper loves to play with my make-up and always wants to get ready with me! She now has her own special collection and table:) A little girl that had nothing now has a lifetime full of make believe and make-up! A dream come true for our little princess.

Celebrating with Family
My parents live a few states away so it is always a treat for Harper when the grandparents come to visit especially because they shower her with gifts! What little girl wouldn't love that?! She was so excited for Christmas Day because she knew they would be flying in the sky just like Tinkerbell! The smile on her face when she saw them just brightened our whole day.

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus

Harper enjoyed baking a birthday cake for Jesus and singing to him to honor his birthday! Pardon our beautiful (ha!) voices...ha!

A Time for Giving and Receiving

 

In order to hear the song you have to put our playlist below on pause.

 Here are the words to this beautiful Christmas song.

Merry Christmas -Third Day
There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
Where the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep,
I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

      Next year our baby will be home and I will be adding her "Chinese Stocking" to our mantle!  For now we are surely missing having her here with us and we pray that God continues to keep her safe and she can feel the peace and joy that we are sending to her on this cold December day.  It seems the cold illnesses are spreading throughout my house and while Harper got antibiotics, orange juice, a warm bed, frozen treats to ease her sore throat and cozy pj's to make her feel better, my mind can't help but wander to Talia and all the other children without these items when they are sick. Moreover, my heart sinks to think about the kisses and hugs they are missing out on.  Can you imagine to never have felt your mother or father's love when you were sick?  I remember growing up thinking my parents knew everything and could totally fix any problem, including when I had a stuffy nose or sore throat.  That homemade soup seemed to do the trick every time! Unfortunately, many children don't even know that type of affection exists.  They sit tied to cribs all day long longing for food or even a look from a nanny in the orphanage.  They would give anything just to be touched or smiled at.  I read a book a few years back that described a scene out of a typical orphanage in China.  The orphanage could only afford medicine for one child and three were terribly sick.  They had to decide who they felt would live and survive and that child would then be granted the small bottle of medicine. Can you imagine trying to make that decision?  

     Since we have been married, Todd and I have made giving back to various charities as part of our financial picture. We live off of one income and a good portion of our yearly income goes to charity. In fact it is our first item on our budget. In addition, we make Christmas donations (yes even though we are fundraising we still do this!)

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

    This year we cut out all Christmas gifts and put it towards our adoption expenses but still kept our Christmas tradition of supporting adoptive families and orphans. Here are a few of the charities I would like to showcase this year. Of course everyone has a charity that is dear to their hearts so please add to the comments section the charities you supported this holiday season (even if it was just through prayer) and also include a link! Let's bring back the true meaning of Chritmas! I know with each donation we receive for Talia's adoption we feel enriched in God's grace and tremendously blessed by the love and support of you all! Thank you.

1. Brittany's Hope Holiday Gift Guide: https://www.brittanyshope.org/Gift/
-$15 donation sponsors a child in Vietnam for medical check-up's for the entire year
-Harper's pick: $10 donation to give to an orphan in Ethiopia for their first Christmas present. Can you imagine the joy on their face when they see something just for them?!
2. Brittany's Hope-surgery for an orphan This child is in extreme pain and needs emergency surgery. See Asalafew's story here.  http://www.brittanyshope.org/Projects/Medical/Asalafew/
3. Madison Adoption Associates: Our amazing adoption agency
http://www.madisonadoption.com/Donate.aspx
-In the the notes section tell them what you would like your donation to be used for. Examples include: Where most needed, set of coat, hat and gloves for an orphan in China, Toys for orphanage in El Salvador or Bulgaria, Clothing for orphans in the Philippines. $10 may not mean a lot to you but it can mean the world to an orphan.

No matter how hard things may seem for everyone in this economic climate it is even tougher for those that wait with no food, clothing or a mommy or daddy to call their own.  I never thought I would quote Brad Pitt but his words oh how they ring true!

"Let us be the ones who say we do not accept that a child dies every three seconds simply because he does not have the drugs you and I have.  Let us be the ones to say we are not satisfied that your place of birth determines your right to life.  Let us be outraged, let us be loud, let us be bold."

Through his holy name we can make a difference this holiday season.

Harper's first view of the newborn king, baby Jesus (Dec. 2010-her first Christmas home)

Our Holiday Giveaway-Tiffany's "Joy" Bracelet

All donations help to bring home our little girl in China!
Giveaway ends Dec. 30th! We are halfway to our goal!

This bracelet is exquisite and what woman doesn't love Tiffany's! And for all you men out there, think about your mom, girlfriend, sister or sister in law! Anyone will treasure this piece of jewelry!

Tiffany Olympian Charm & Round Link Bracelet:

Retail Value: $350

Tiffany’s exquisite Olympian charms are based on Tiffany holloware designs of 1878. This Cherubim double-sided charm in sterling silver is engraved with a message of inspiration "JOY."

The charm is attached to a large round link bracelet in sterling silver, 7.5" long.

So to add some holiday cheer to this giveaway! Here are the details:

The 5th person that enters the giveaways gets 5 extra entries, the 25th person that donates gets 25 extra entries, the 50th person gets 50 extra entries, the 75th person gets 75 extra entries. Should we hit 100, you guessed it -- 100 extra entries! Now that is inspiring! Should you be one of these lucky four folks, I will e-mail you!

Now to Enter. There are a few ways!

1. $5 for 1 entry, $10 for 3 entries or $20 for 7 entries to win this Tiffany's set. Just click on the donate button to the right. Please specify "donation" on paypal. You can also pay by credit card on the donate button. For those that rather not pay via the website but want to join in on the fun please contact me at mjpost32@gmail.com for other payment options.

2. Post about the fundraiser on your blog, receive 2 entries!
3. Post about it on facebook, receive 2 entries! (You can do this more than once!)

4. Become a follower on our blog, receive 2 entries!

5. Send an e-mail to your friends, receive 3 entries (just cc me on the e-mail)

Just e-mail me if you do post it to your blog or facebook so I can add you to the giveaway list.

As a reminder for those that love jewelry, our Stella & Dot online jewelry party is still on from now until the end of the month. You can purchase via this link and then click on my name, Mary Jane Postiglione, as the hostess. www.stelladot.com/MeganHarkin

The last day for Christmas delivery is Dec. 21st but you can order up until Dec. 31st for us to receive the 10% proceeds from each order.  If you also contact Megan: megan.e.harkin@gmail.com you can receive free shipping over $75!

Thank you all for your support! Even though Talia Mei is 12,197 miles away she can surely feel the love this holiday season!

Wishing you all a joyous and blessed holiday season!

From a Child once an orphan

To watch Xiaoyun talk puts into words why we chose adoption to build our family. Won't you help support our cause to save an orphan this holiday season (and always)?

Xiaoyun has scoliosis just like our daughter, Harper. Xiaoyun was adopted days before she would have aged out of China's adoption system. In china children can only be adopted until the age of 14 then they are suppose to survive in the world by themselves with no money, no food and no family. Xiaoyun's scoliosis was so severe that it was impairing her lung function and eventually she would have went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, beginning in January she will start a series of 4 surgeries within a 6-8 week timeframe that will allow her to live a long life. Please keep this phenomonal young lady in your prayers.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ouradoption#p/a/u/0/SXSGhpVRiUY

A Little Peace and a Little Joy

Some days that is all we can ask for.  

When you step out publicly and boldly about your faith you are at your weakest self.  True or not true?! Think about it. Religion is one of the topics you are supposed to avoid, right? Well, is it we are afraid we are going to insult another person with our religious views or do we not believe enough in our views to let our thoughts about God be told loud and clear. Well I can tell you that on this blog there will be lots of faith talking! After all God has lifted me up in so many ways throughout the years. He restored my health when all the doctors told me that I would probably never get better or feel “normal” again. He brought me two beautiful babies out of the depths of hell so that we could care and love for them. He made the most perfect partner for me that loves and cherishes me for who I am. He held my family’s hands during deep sorrow and sadness. All this He did for me so in return I am listening to Him and His whispers to my heart. Maybe you are reading this and have felt that whisper but didn’t want to do what He was asking or maybe you did listen but didn’t follow through and so He cast you another stone until you listened. At the moment the stone is cast, it may just feel like a ripple in a pond or sometimes it can feel like a rip tide in the ocean. It can turn your cozy little world upside down. It can lead you down another path you never thought you would ever be on and quite possibly a path you never believed in or supported. This week a close friend of mine confided in me a secret she had been keeping. She had kept this secret for a very long time and just one day it overcame her and she spilled it. The interesting thing to me was that the “secret” was actually something I use to support and my thoughts on the topic have changed throughout the years. It doesn’t matter what the secret was or what the topic was. What matters is that when she told her secret she was worried about being judged, as any of us would be when we have kept something private.  There is a reason why we keep things private. Some things should be kept private such in the case of sincerely hurting another person’s feelings or sharing information when your best friend in fifth grade swears you to secrecy :)  I am probably as open as they come. There is no question that I will not answer and there is no topic that I won’t talk about. However, it also makes me an easy target. Many people can feel well, let’s just say uneasy on some topics or situations. But that is the beauty of living our true self. No matter what has happened in my life I have always stayed true to myself and it has made all the difference! We should be able to state what we are feeling and more importantly live through our hearts, not our minds. This beauty of this blog is that they are my words, my thoughts and my heartfelt song. I believe there are no barriers except those that we create for ourselves. As for this moment in my life, when I look to the side I see that vine and it seems daunting, but I also know that I am doing God’s work and His love for me and my family will see us through to the top of that vine. Sure fundraising and applying for grants is out of my “comfort zone” but through Him I find my strength and through Him we will see the glory in our daughter Talia’s eyes when we meet her for the first time. So for this week, step out of your comfort zone try to find that peace and joy you have been searching for. It is there and at your weakest moment this week pray for that peace and joy to be a part of your life and in it you will find restored hope.

This week was filled with surprises, some good and some life changing, but what I learned from everything is that God never leaves us for one moment. You know the old saying when one door closes one door opens. If you add prayer into the equation when one door closes you are doubly blessed and in our case this week, we were overwhelmingly blessed.