Carnival Booths

Plans are well underway for our KIDS CARNIVAL. We are asking all those who so kindly offered to make blankets and hats to have them sent to me (I can also come and pick them up!!) by the 1st of June. We would like to have as many as possible to sell at the Carnival. We will also be sending enough blankets so every child at the orphanage can have their own. We need at least 30 for the orphanage and hopefully another 20-30 to sell. A HUGE thank you to the many people who have emailed about helping with the blankets!

The planning committee for the KIDS CARNIVAL (aka Mari Lynn) has come up with a great idea to raise funds and to have our community and friends be involved in the KIDS CARNIVAL. We are asking local businesses, families & friends to sponsor one of our many booths at the Carnival. We are asking for a $100 donation per booth and as a "thank you" for the contribution we will give each company/family 2 Carnival bracelets. The bracelets can be used at the Carnival for unlimited access to all our booths and carnival games! Each booth will have a sign stating who the sponsor is. We have about 15 booths. Our kids are sponsoring one by collecting pop bottles so that should keep them busy for the next month or so! :-)

You can email Mari Lynn at mldarrach@maritimechristiancollege.pe.ca if your family or business would like to sponsor a booth.

Tammy

Alyssa in her orphanage

Below are 2 pictures of Alyssa when she lived at the Fenghuangyuan Orphanage. She is about 11 months old in the first picture and 14 months old in the second one.

Alyssa is in the front on the right side, not looking too happy. (Not the child with the circle)

This is 5 months before we adopted Alyssa

Alyssa is in the pink sweater on the right (eating a cracker). This was taken about 1 month before we had our "gotcha day" and she was finally in our arms!

This is Alyssa during the summer of 2005. She had been with us for 6 months.

Alyssa with Caleb and Dylan - one year after her adoption.

Alyssa with Caleb and Dylan just a couple of weeks ago - 2.5 years after her adoption. Yep, she is definitely perfect for our family!

Look at these cakes!

A few people have contacted me about auctioning CAKES at our KIDS CARNIVAL. I'm talking VERY talented people. I am putting some photos of the awesome cakes you can bid on and you can request your design for birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, whatever you like. Look at these sweet cakes! Be sure to look for these cake certificates at our Auction at the KIDS CARNIVAL. By the way, our date for the KIDS CARNIVAL is set for June 10th from 2-5 pm. We're not sure of the location (in Ch'town) but we will let you know.

Created by Mari Lynn Darrach - Cornwall, PEI
How sweet is this?

Created by Gail Hodder - Ch'town, PEI

This is so awesome!

Created by Gail Hodder - Ch'town, PEI

Beautiful strawberry!

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We are also going to have a "Cookie Booth" at the CARNIVAL and here is just a little preview of what's in store for beautiful, DELICIOUS cookies. Gail Fodder is creating a whole selection of decorated, special cookies so this will be another highlight at the Carnival. I really wish I had some sort of talent like this. Incredible!

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We are getting a GREAT response from people all over! We have handmade blankets being shipped from the East and West of the United States, we have some coming from Toronto, some from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Charlottetown, PEI and Summerside, PEI. I can't wait to see them all - I know each one will be beautiful!

I still have material if anyone is interested in using it to make blankets. I don't have a sewing machine so I can't do them.

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The Three Muskateers!

I'll post a "preview" of what will be going on at our KIDS CARNIVAL in the next post. It's going to be fabulous! Mari Lynn is "super planner" so it's going to be a great afternoon for the whole family!

Until then....

Tammy

The Playground is a GO!

We received word from the Director of Alyssa's orphanage and she said they would be happy to have the playground put in. There are no building permits needed so we can go ahead with our plans to choose a playground, raise the funds and install it! She sent me some photos of where the outdoor playground will go at the orphanage.

The Director also selected some pictures of items she would like included in the playground area...Here they are...

It must be so exciting for them to look through books and imagine a playground they will have for all their kids. The playground will provide such fun and stimulation for the children. There are several older children living at the orphanage who will probably be there the rest of their childhood. I'm glad we can all help make it a more child friendly atmosphere! It will give the nannies a child safe area to take the children to play, interact together, laugh and enjoy being children!

ANOTHER DONATION WAS SENT TODAY

We wired another donation to our contact in China today. She will be buying baby formula, 6 crib mattresses, dolls & balls for all the children and 6 new ride on cars/toys for the kids. Thank you to those who helped with this month's contribution!! The Director said she will email photos as soon as she can.

WOW!

So far there has been an incredible response to our blanket plea! I've had emails from people all across PEI, NS, NB and even in the U.S. WOW! God is so amazing! A very talented graphic artist from Saint John, NB is going to design our logo so we can print T-shirts. The logo is going to be amazing and will represent children of the world and the love we can share.

Please continue to email me if you can help make blankets and hats. I will get material if you need it.

My friend, Mari Lynn, has been updating me on her ideas for the Kids Carnival and it's going to be fantastic. We will do lots of advertising for this so everyone can have a chance to join us! We would love to have as many adoptive Island families as possible join us so our whole community can see what a blessing our children are. I also want to extend an invitation to our Chinese community as well as they were so welcoming and supportive of us during the Chinese New Year Celebration.

If anyone has a great idea for our Kids Carnival, PLEASE leave it in the comment section or email us. If you have a talent (clown, juggling, face painting, balloon animals, etc...) and would like to help with our Kids Carvinal...PLEASE let me know! We would love to have you join us. We are also looking for talented people to make creative cakes for our "cake walk"!!!

Tammy

Calling all TALENTS

An example of the playground from the company we will hopefully be using to do the playground.

Good morning everyone!

Our family has been speaking with the Director of Alyssa’s orphanage and we have decided an outdoor playground would be an incredible addition to the Fenghuagyuan orphanage. Currently, the orphanage doesn’t have any play equipment inside or outside of the orphanage. We are working on getting more toys and play things inside the orphanage but an outdoor playground is a much bigger project. We are going to raise $4000 for the playground and have an organization in China install it. Our whole family is so excited about this.
Director Lei sounds very excited as well and we know it will be a great asset for the nannies and for all the children!

We are looking for individuals to help us make blankets and baby hats. I know a lot of you are VERY talented with a sewing machine or knitting needles!!! Our goal is to sell the blankets with 100% of the profits going towards the outdoor playground. We are looking for baby/toddler/children’s knit or fleece hats to send over to the orphanages to help keep the children warm (especially those new babies without hair!)

If any of you have a sewing/knitting talent we would love to have you join us on this project. The blankets could be quilts, fleece blankets, flannel quilts, knit blankets, etc… BE CREATIVE! I’ve attached some photos as examples. Maybe you can’t sew but your mom or grandmother can and would love a project for the Spring. Maybe friends or family could get together and having a knitting party!
I am going to try and get some great fabric very cheap or even donated if I can or if anyone has fabric they can use that would be great.
Please email me if you would like to help and need some fabric! I’m hoping to find some great Chinese fabric – maybe with ladybugs, etc… I will find lots for boys and girls both.

A lady from Charlottetown met Alyssa and became very interested in her story and her orphanage. She and all her sisters are making quilts for all the children in Alyssa’s orphanage. They’ve named their project “Alyssa’s Kids”. What a blessing they are!

My friend Mari Lynn has offered to plan a KIDS CARNIVAL with Snugglebugs as the sponsor. We will definitely advertise for this and let everyone know when it’s going to be. Again, 100% of the proceeds will go towards the playground. We will also be selling the blankets at this event. There will be tons of kids carnival games, cotton candy, a chocolate fountain (WOW), candied apples, human bingo, cake walks, door prizes and a big gift basket from Snugglebugs.

As a side note…our family always accepts donations for the baby formula needed for the orphanage. The cost is about $540/month to feed all the babies. We are sending a donation this week to the orphanage to buy 6 crib mattresses, 6 ride-on cars, 20 balls, 20 dolls and some extra money for the formula. Thank you so much to those of you who contributed!!! The children are going to be thrilled to have their new toys!!!! I will post pictures on the blog as soon as we get them from our contact!
I can’t wait to hear from those who can help with our playground project!!! The Lord has been working in our family’s hearts and has brought so many new contacts to help with our projects. All things are possible with God. He is so much bigger than any plans I can make! Thank goodness for that!

Have a great day!

Tammy

Please feel free to pass this on to any of your friends or family who may be interested as well!!!

Our friends' mother made this beautiful blanket for Alyssa. She absolutely LOVES it and has to have it on her bed at all times. These would be a huge hit as a sales item and also for the children in the orphanage.

Some examples of beautiful knit hats, booties and sweaters. The orphanage could use hats in all sizes but especially for the litte ones who sleep/lay in the cribs a lot of the day.

This is a very cozy blanket and very easy to make. I am even going to attempt making a few of these! It's double sided fleece - only two sides are sewn with the two ends being tied fleece.

Concert Rescheduled

The "Sponsor A Child" concert for Mikinduri Children of Hope (www.mikinduri.com) has been rescheduled for MAY 5th (thanks to our big snow storm!). NINTH HOUR will still be playing and it will still be at 7:00 pm at the APM Center, Cornwall. PLEASE join us and be ready to sponsor a child.

"Sponsor A Child" Concert

NINTH HOUR, a PEI Christian Rock band is hosting a concert to promote the sponsorship needs of many children in the village of Mikinduri, Kenya.

There will also be a time of worship with a contemporary worship team from Central Christian Church, Ch'town, PEI.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13th
7:00 PM

APM Center, Cornwall, PEI

There are many beautiful, special children who need sponsorship! The children are orphans because their parents have died from AIDS. Please come out and support this village and the many precious children who need our help!

Some photos of the children needing sponsorship...

Please pass this on to all your contacts, family and friends. Encourage them to come out and enjoy the concert and open their hearts to these children!

Giving a piece of our hearts

Here are several pictures of our trip to the village to visit the children. It was a fantastic day and we are already planning what other items we can bring on our next trip. For any others who are reading this and are going south, the children need shoes, socks, school supplies and they also love getting toys, sunglasses and candy!!!

Enjoy the photos...what precious children!

We passed out all the stuff to everyone on the bus. What a blast we all had giving it out to the kids! We'd never met these people before and I think they thought we were a little crazy at first but they were feeling the love by the end of the trip!

Parents with the kids running after the jeep. The driver stopped so we could talk to the kids and hand out gifts to them.

Another group of children along the way. The bus driver (in the orange shirt) and one of the tour guides (in the brown shirt) even joined in. They thought it was great fun to hand out all the gifts to the children.

The taller girl in this photo (with the light blue shirt) is a Down Syndrome child and she loved the sunglasses. Her smile lit up her whole face when we put the glasses on her. We passed out candy, tooth brushes, mirrors, combs, coloring books and markers to these kids as well.

Below is a house of one of the little children in the above photo. Basically one room without windows or a door. It had the holes for them but nothing in them.

This is a group of boys who we met at the very end of our trip. By this time we were pretty much out of everything. We had a few combs left and some suckers. Note all the combs in the boy's hair.

The Beautiful Children

Hello from Dominican Republic! What a beautiful spot! I wish I could post pictures but we are having trouble getting our pictures from our camera to the Internet. If we can't figure it out I will definitely post some when we get home.

I had bought a ton of supplies and toys for the children in PEI and had packed our bags ready for the airport. Just my luck, we get to the Halifax airpot at 4:00 in the morning and they tell me my luggage is too heavy! I didn't know there was a weight restriction! They told us it would cost $200 to pay for the extra weight. Well, Peggy, Matt, Chris and I opened up all our suitcases and carry on bags to move things around. I kept insisting it was very important we take all the stuff for the kids (it filled almost one entire suitcase and was the cause of the weight issue!). We finally got it all worked out with all of us carrying heavy bags onto the plane so our checked in bags wouldn't be so heavy. IT WAS SO WORTH IT!
We were able to go into a few villages and visit many children. We went on a Jeep Safari with about 20 other people and we had so much stuff for the kids we just kept passing it down to everyone on the jeep/bus and telling them to pass it out to the kids. We all had a ball. I had packed scribblers, pencils, crayons, markers, pens, looseleaf, erasers, pencil sharpeners, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair clips, bouncy balls, purses for the girls, hairbrushes, mirrors, combs, sunglasses, stickers and BAGS OF CANDY! Definitely a favorite with the kids. The kids would run after the jeep and we would throw stuff out the back. Quite a few times the driver pulled over so we could personally give out stuff to the kids. They were so excited and it was such a humbling experience for all of us on the jeep. I can't wait to post the pictures because the children are absolutely precious and beautiful. Chris and I vowed we would come back and bring even more stuff and stay for awhile with the kids.

I wasn't able to visit the orphanage. It works a bit different here as families are very poor so they send their children to the orphanages but on weekends the kids go back with their parents. Because it is Easter and Holy Week the kids are with the parents and the orphanages are closed. Here in Puerto Plato there is a boys orphanage and a girls orphanage. Many locals have told me there are many children who need to be adopted!

When we come back again we will make sure it's not during Easter - both the orphanages and schools were closed because of the holidy. What was good, though, is we were able to visit many children in the villages at their homes and in the streets of their village. We saw their moms and talked with them as best we could with the language barrier.

With a bursting heart,
Tammy

EXTREME MAKEOVER - PLAYGROUND EDITION

IS THIS THE SITE FOR THE EXTREME MAKEOVER? LET'S HOPE SO!

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Plans have finally been set in motion for the new playground at Alyssa's orphanage! I spoke with Amy from Love Without Boundaries and she was able to give us a great company they use for playgrounds. They have beautiful playsets - the children are going to be so thrilled!! It is going to cost between $2000-$4000 to buy the playset and install it. We have lots of things planned to raise the money and as always, we will accept donations towards this project. Our family is going to go through some of the pictures and send some to Director Lei to see what she thinks is best for the orphanage. We'll post it when we agree on one! How exciting!!!!

When we get back from Dominican, I will be wiring money to our contact for new ride on toys, ball, dolls and crib mattresses. Any money left over will be used for baby formula.

On our agenda...

We visited Crystal Palace (Moncton, NB) over the March Break - the kids had a great time!

The boys on the rollercoaster
Ready for combat laser tag

Alyssa riding the train

Chris and I are heading to the Dominican Republic this Sunday. WOW! It happened very quickly...our friends, Peggy and Matt got a last minute deal and twisted our arms until we agreed to go with them. It took a lot of twisting as you can imagine! Thankfully, my dad is coming over from Nova Scotia to stay with Caleb, Dylan and Alyssa. My mom and grandmom will join him on Easter weekend so the kids are going to be spoiled!

I apologize to those who emailed me about Love Without Boundaries - Canada. We are still going to go ahead with this but there have been some changes with personnel in the US organiztation so we've had a tiny setback. When I get back from my trip I will touch base with everyone and set up some kind of meeting - via email, conference call, skype, etc...

Chris and I and the kids may be heading to China sooner than we planned due to the Olympics. We've heard orphanages are not allowing visits next Spring so we may go in the Fall instead. If we can get our funds together this would actually work better because we are hoping to plan it with the building of the playground at Alyssa's orphanage. My friend, Mari Lynn, suggested we plan a Kids Carnival to raise money for the playground and I think it's an awesome idea! We planned one LONG ago when we were in college and it was a great success. What better way to raise awareness for a fun playground than through a Kids Carnival. We are hoping to have this in June sometime. When I get back from the trip I will be starting to organize the calendars. I'm trying to think of a cool name for them so please leave suggestions in the comments for me!

Chris and I are taking a suitcase full of school supplies, toys, books, etc... to the Dominican with us and we will be visiting a local orphanage and school while we are there. I will try and post pictures after we visit. I'm hoping there may be someone I can touch base with and find ways we can help them back here in Canada.

Getting ready for some sunshine,

Tammy

Fundraising Ideas

WOW! I can't believe it's been so long since I posted.

Our family has been talking about different fundraising ideas for Alyssa's orphanage and getting the playground built. We've decided to do a calendar featuring children who've found their forever families. We are probably going to do 2 types - one for PEI families who've adopted and one for children specifically adopted from Alyssa's orphanage. Each month on the calendar will feature one child with 1-4 photos which could include gotcha day, siblings or any other favorite picture. Each month will also have special tidbits about a family's specific adoption story, a favorite song or poem, etc...

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We think these will be great gifts for family members, friends and future adoptive parents. They will also make great treasures for the children featured in them. Once they are complete, people can order as many as they like and we'll ship them out. Stay tuned for more details...in the meantime, if you would like to have your child included, please email me at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca. We would LOVE to include them!!!

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Another fundraising idea is specifically for our children (and yours, too if they want to be involved!). We are going to do a walk-a-thon or movie-a-thon or some kind of "a-thon" and the kids are going around the community getting pledges. This is a great idea for other families across Canada or the US (or wherever you're reading from) to get involved and help support Alyssa's orphanage. We have had several people email us asking how they could help and hosting fundraisers on behalf of "Two Homes, One Heart" is the best way to help the children at Alyssa's orphanage. As always...we are open to your suggestions for fun, family fundraising ideas!!!

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I will be getting some answers very soon about how to purchase and build the playground for Alyssa's orphanage.

A Plea for TOYS!

Last year a family went to visit Alyssa's orphange and sent us some pictures. Their daughter is also adopted from here. She said we could share the photos on our blog. Thanks, Gail!

This is the "playroom" at the orphanage. I think it needs a few items...The orphanage Director has requested we raise money for big balls and dolls for the children. I had sent some photos of different toys to see what the orphanage would like best and the following pictures are what they chose (along with the request for balls and dolls!)

So, our goal is to raise money for several exasaucers and ride on cars, along with about 15 big balls and 15 dolls!

This is the bottle making room.

This is directly behind the orphanage - their backyard. Now, I've asked the orphanage Director if they would like a playground and she said they would be so excited to get help for this. Below is the picture of a playground she liked...

Wouldn't this be amazing in that empty, concrete space!!!!! Our family is currently brainstorming and talking with some organizations to see how we can raise the funds for a playground and have it installed in China. This would be such an exciting addition for the children and for the nannies!!!

If anyone reading this blog wants to help with this we would LOVE to collect donations and send it along to this orphanage. What a fun way to help the children. We are still collecting donations for crib mattresses and baby formula as well.

our family will be having some sort of fundraiser soon - we'll keep everyone posted!

With sillyness and fun,

Tammy

Squeaky Shoes & More...

This is for everyone who lives in PEI or who will be traveling to PEI...an awesome store called Snugglebugs is selling Chinese squeaky shoes! They have all kinds of styles (really cute!) and even better, the owner, Peggy Rust, is donating $1 for every pair sold. The money is being donated to Love Without Boundaries. So, come on in and grab a pair or two. They make excellent gifts for little ones. Some other highlights at Snugglebugs...

*beautiful hand knit hats for babies and toddlers...they have ladybug ones that are so cute for our chinese children since ladybugs are good luck in China. They have lots of other styles, too.

*baby barrettes...these barrettes are for very thin hair and are guaranteed to stay in! They are adorable and everyone loves to put bows in their daughter's hair!

*BEAUTIFUL crib sets (for both boys and girls)

*baby bath and wash products for babies and children.

This weekend there is a HUGE 50% off sale on their clothing (pre-snuggled clothes) for both boys and girls, sizes 0-3 months - size 12! Snugglebugs also has tons of baby items like car seats, boosters, BUMBO seats, strollers, playpens, cribs, jolly jumpers, exasaucers, bouncy seats, crib mobiles, monitors - you name it, they have it! Come check them out! They are located at 85 Belevedere Ave - right across from Superstore in Charlottetown.

The owner, Peggy, has been very generous in donating to Alyssa's orphanage, Love Without Boundaries and providing anything we need for our little chinese darling!

Spread the word...the more squeaky shoes sold, the more babies can be helped!

Tammy

Learning more about Fenghuangyuan Orpanage

Alyssa's orphanage
Fenghuangyuan Facility in Yongzhou City, Hunan

The Director at Alyssa's orphanage said I could share the following information about the orphanage. Please understand that we ask questions so we can know what areas need our support. We know the nannies are taking great care of the children and are doing the best they can with what they have.

1. Are there children who need medical surgeries?

We have children who are disabled at the orphanage. Some of them need surgery. There are 3 orphans with cleft lip/palate and heart disease who have had surgeries. The rest of the children are C.P. and congenital Mongolian. Some of the C.P. children recieved treatment when they were younger but the situation didn't improve much. Director doesn't think it's necessary to give current C.P. and Mongolian orphans surgery. Director said they may need such help in the future when they have more disabled children.

2. Are there children at this orphanage available for adoption?

Yes, disabled children can be adopted.

3. Does the gov't provide money for your orphanage or does the orphanage rely solely on the money it receives when a child is adopted?

Money is provided by the gov't for the orphanage.

4. Does the orphanage have heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer?

Yes

5. Does the orphanage need items such as blankets, crib mattresses and toys?

We need blankets, crib mattresses and toys

6. Is there a need for baby formula at the orphanage?

We need 10 pieces of formula each month. Each piece has 20 packages. (our contact called the Director and wrote us this: each package of formula is about 18 RMB so the total cost for formula is 3600 RMB each month) Our contact wrote: "The orphanage will be happy if they can get help for formula."

7. Are the children at the orphanage able to go to school?

Yes

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I'm going to try and ask a few more questions to get specifics about education, nutrition, etc... We would love to be able to provide a playground for the children as well. We have seen many photos of the outside and inside of the orphanage but haven't seen any playground or any sort of play room. This would be something fun forus to raise money for and something the children (and nannies, I'm sure!) would LOVE to have at the orphanage.

Tammy

It's Coming...

I'm off to hockey but am really wanting to post the answers the Director gave us about Alyssa's orphanage. I will try and get it up tonight or tomorrow. THANK YOU to everyone who has left comments and emailed us. This is very exciting. Those who expressed interest in Love Without Boundaries Canada - I will be in touch very soon!

Tammy

PICTURES & OUR NEW PROJECT!

Below are the pictures Alyssa's orphanage sent to us. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the Director found out she was not allowed to send me pictures of the children. They may be nervous about me posting them on the web - I did assure the Director I wouldn't post any pictures or information that she didn't want on the internet. Maybe after time, she will come to trust us more in this area.

With the donation we sent the Director was able to purchase the following items:

6 snowsuit outfits for babies

3 outfits for the children between the ages of 2-3

6 outfits for the children between 8-12

10 really cool outfits for the children between 12-20 years old.

The Director also purchased some snacks for all the children!

Snowsuits for the little ones. These look similar to what Alyssa was wearing on Gotcha Day.

The outfits for the toddlers...if you're like me you are trying to figure out how many boys & girls live at the orphanage according to the outfits bought. Unfortanately, in China, boys and girls wear the same colors and styles. They don't usually distinguish "boy" colors or "girl" colors.

Very cool outfits for the 8-12 year olds. Looks like warm jackets, sweaters and jeans.

Again, very nice outfits for the 12-20 year olds. Looks like jackets, shirts and jeans.

The snack...not sure what it is but hopefully they thought it was yummy :-)

Now...who's waiting for the exciting news?!

I have been in contact with Love Without Boundaries many times over the last year. I began working with their organization a few months ago as a Foster Care Coordinator for one of the orphanages they support. I gave up that position for a NEW, EXCITING POSITION with Love Without Boundaries. My new role is "Love Without Boundaries Canada Coordinator"! Yes, you guessed it, we are starting a Love Without Boundaries right here in Canada! There will be LOTS more information on this as we are just in the beginning stages but spread the word that we (as in Canadians) will be fundraising to provide education, foster care, nutrition and medical programs for children in China. When our LWB Canada Board is set up we will be able to choose what orphanges to work in and send our Canadian volunteers to China to volunteer in our many programs. This is so exciting!!!! I will be sending out an official email from LWB with more details and a call for any people who are interested to join us. SO STAY TUNED!

The second bit of great news:

I went to the Wesleyn Church here in Ch'town with my friend Peggy a couple of weeks ago. I met a wonderful lady by the name of Bev. She told me she had been praying for the orphans in China for SEVEN YEARS! Alyssa was the first chinese child she had met in person who had been adopted from an orphanage. She was very taken with Alyssa and with her adoption story. She called me a couple of weeks ago and said she and her sisters would love to do something to help the children still living at Alyssa's orphanage. They decided they would make beautiful, warm, fleece blankets for all the children! That will be such a wonderful gift for each of the children. To add to this already touching story, Bev and her sisters asked me if they could name their mission "Alyssa's Kids". Isn't that so nice?! I was moved to tears when she told me.

It is so exciting to see how many people are wanting to be involved with these beautiful children. Even though they have not found their forever families they are loved all around the world.

People have been emailing us about sending in donations - we are thrilled to take these and pass them on to our contact in China. Unfortunately, we are not able to give receipts for Income Tax purposes right now. We are hoping to find a way to do this through my home church in Nova Scotia so we will keep everyone posted on that status. They have been incredibly supportive with our adoption even though I haven't lived there for 15 years! In the meantime, if you would still like to send donations, we will gladly receive them and direct them to our Chinese contact and then on to Alyssa's orphanage.

NOW...FOR THIS MONTH'S PROJECT...CRIB MATTRESSES and TOYS!!!!

The Director let us know that they do need 6 crib mattresses (oh how I wish I could take those 6 babies home!!!) and they would also love to be able to buy new toys for the children. We are up for the mission!!!

Another huge need at the orphanage is baby formula. We would like to be able to provide this for the orphanage on a monthly basis as it is an on-going need. The cost each month for the formula is $540 Canadian.

We will think of a fundraiser that our family can do so we can help raise some of the funds for the formula....needing ideas.....

Tomorrow I will post the information the Director gave me about the children at the orphanage.

With lots and lots of excitement!

Tammy