TEDDYBEARS & TEACUPS

Alycat and I spent the BEST morning with her China sisters.
It was Isabel's 2nd birthday and we celebrated it in fine style with our teacups and teddy bears !
What fun .....and what a terrific idea !
( Angela ,,,,you are sooooo very creative)
See you all soon :)
Oops, almost forgot ....here is the slide show of the fun we had today ....

Ben, Alycat and I spent the weekend with Grammy and Papa ( while Dad "bonded" with the boys at the hunting camp).

It was terrific spending some quality time with the two of them. It's been ages since we did that .....

I'm so lucky to have the best mother and father in law.

I love them lots !

Ben and Aly even got to spend some time with their cousins.

Here is Aly posing beside one of her cousins who by the way, is only ONE year older than Aly.

Hard to believe isn't it ?

The picture cracks me up, I wonder what she is thinking .....

And this is another picture that cracks me up ( taken this weekend) ....

I just know this is a glimpse into the future .....

Yup, Bugsy will be the fella at the office party "hamming it up" with a lampshade on his head ....*haha*

Look out world !

ok ......well ......not today ....( due to the 100's of inches of rainfall) .......

but soon ........soon ..... the sun will shine :)

Let's hope so ....

Here's Ben and Alycat "practicing" with their chopsticks ....

Personally, I can't get the hang of it .....( even with LOTS of direction).

HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS:


Hold one chopstick between your thumb and middle finger. Position the chopstick so that it lies at the base of your thumb (on the joint) and at the lower joint of the middle finger. This chopstick shouldn't touch the forefinger.

Step 2:
Place the other chopstick between your thumb and forefinger. The side of the chopstick should rest against the tip of your thumb; the top of the chopstick should rest against the pad of your forefinger.

Step 3:
Be sure the tips of the chopsticks are parallel.

Step 4:
Keep the first chopstick stationary as you practice moving the second chopstick toward the stationary one.

Step 5:
Use this technique to position the chopsticks around a piece of food.

Step 6:
Hold the food firmly as you lift it toward your mouth.


Tips & Warnings
If you have trouble maneuvering the chopsticks, try leaning the second chopstick against your middle finger as well for extra support.
Though you may be tempted to spear food with your chopsticks as an act of desperation, spearing is considered impolite.

It's a snowday today ...and just when you think you've had enough .....I snap a few pics and it makes me grin to see these two little happy faces ....

Let it snow .....:)

Winterfun !

We spent a lot of time outdoors this weekend.

It was cool, crisp and down right fun ....

The boys even tried their luck on skates while the girls cheered from the sidelines ....
( well, I cheered and Miss Aly slept).

We then hit the pub for 2 pints of beer and a 2 pints of white milk ... *hehe*

More winter pictures later ( hard to believe we are half way through winter already )!

Chinese New Year's Celebration

Just getting around to posting the Chinese New Year's celebration pictures.

We really enjoyed the concert last week ( my favorite was the ribbon dance).

It was also GREAT to see Aly's China sisters too :)

Bugsy enjoyed it as well ( his first celebration) and thought the DRAGON was awesome!

Xin nein kuai le!

YouXian SWI

I've been thinking a lot of Alyana's orphanage these days.

Our yahoo board is lit up with posts from many families that have adopted from the orphanage.

Here is what they are saying about the YouXian SWI today.



Feb 5th:

YouXian Welfare home, Hunan

20 children (mostly babies)

Current situation:

There is no electricity no water in Youxian since Jan 28th Up to now Feb 5th. The orphanage had to pay $14 per day to hire a person to get water from outside orphanage every day. The roads are also closed due to the weather.
They need diaper and formula for the children.
They also ask for funds for a generator
Donation needed: $4000 for diaper, formula and generator( $800)
We will be happy to accept donations for YouXian through our website at www.HelpAnOrphan.org .

I think I'll call FOI tomorrow and ask what there thoughts are about how best to help this situation.

This SWI kept our little girl safe for the beginning chapter of her life. The did the best they could.

If this had have happened a year ago Miss Aly would have been there.

It's very sad .....

Weather In China

Our yahoo group is lit up with reports about the terrible weather in China and the impact that it is having on the orphanages .....

(This is information from Half The Sky)

Welfare institutions in south and central China are having the
hardest time dealing with the weather disaster. This part of the country is
simply not equipped to deal with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice.
The most common critical problems are power outages, lack of safe
drinking and cooking water, lack of fuel, diapers and public transportation. In
many places where buses have stopped running, our Half the Sky nannies
have been walking hours (in one case, 4 hours) along icy roads to get to
the children. As conditions worsen, our nannies and teachers are
remaining at the institutions day and night. They have given up the idea of going
home to their own families for the holidays. They need quilts. They need
warm clothing. They need coal, water, disposable diapers and food.

Here are the reports I have thus far, while in-flight. I will send
more soon. Where you don't see a report, either all is well or I don't
yet have information. I will tell you when we've heard from everyone.
We've also given all the directors an emergency number to call when/if the
situation changes.

Hunan Province –

Chenzhou has had no electricity or water for six days. They are
relying on coal for heat and cooking. The supermarkets and banks are
closed. Staff is using personal money for baby food, diapers, coal and
water. Costs are rising due to shortages. They have a natural well which,
thankfully, is not frozen. Even the older children are helping to
fetch water. They have perhaps six days of food remaining. The local
government is overwhelmed by the disaster and is unable to help much.

Shaoyang has seen heavy snow every day for 20 days. There is
sufficient water and, for the moment, there is power, so the children are warm.
However, 5 of 6 power poles have been downed by weather. Only one
stands and the institution fears it will fall as well, leaving them without
electricity. Much of the rest of the city is already dark. Children
and caregivers continue to work and play together. High school students
are cramming for exams and trying to ignore the cold. Everyone prays
that the power pole will continue to stand.

Yueyang also has no electricity. The one functioning power generator
is being used in the children's dormitory. They are relying on coal
heat but the price has tripled in recent days. They are running out of food
and have applied to the local Bureau of Civil Affairs for funds to buy
more. Our HTS nannies have been walking for hours to get to work, often
slipping on the ice, "even though they try to be cautious."

Xiangtan has had snow for the past 10 days. The main water pipe is
"broken again." There is no water for cooking right now but they
do have electricity, coal and blankets. They are still able to buy food but
prices have gone way up. Not all of the HTS nannies can get to work
every day. They are keeping the programs going as well as they can and
make sure that at least five nurturing nannies are there with the babies
every day, along with the institution's caregivers.

Jiangsu Province –

Changzhou has seen some heavy snows but the director reports that the
children are fine. The director says that he's doing his best to
ensure that the children do not suffer. Public transportation is crippled
by the snow and HTS nannies and teachers are waiting for hours to catch a
bus for home or even walking home in the snowy dark.

Nanjing reports no problems at all despite the heavy snows. I tried
to fly into Nanjing yesterday but it was not possible.

Anhui Province -

Chuzhou has both water and power. Only public transportation has
failed. HTS nannies and teachers are walking to work. They are leaving home
extra early to be there for the children.

Guangxi Province –

Guilin has two broken HTS heater/air conditioners in the Infant
Nurture rooms and they've asked us to replace. The rooms are very, very
cold. They ask for more soft matting for the floors and also snow boots for
our HTS nannies who've been slipping and falling in the ice and snow as
they come to work. They are so ill-equipped to handle severe weather.

Jiangxi Province –

Fuzhou lost power for a few days but now it is back to normal. The
snow stopped a couple of days ago but now is falling again. The directors
and HTS staff have gathered all the children into one big room to keep
them warm. They've bought New Years clothes for the children and will
have a party no matter how bad the weather. This year, however, the foster
parents will stay home to keep the children safe. The institution has
enough food and water. They want us to focus on those in more
serious trouble and ask us please not to worry.

Jiujiang says they've never faced such bitter weather. They
desperately need disposable diapers. Washable diapers cannot be dried. They
need warm clothes, shoes, gloves hats quilts and warm mats for the
floors. They need medicine for infant coughs and colds.

Hubei Province –

Wuhan suffers heavy snows but they still have power. Heaters are
working but there is no water for bathing. The local community has offered
to take children in for the Chinese New Year and the institution feels
this may be the best decision to keep them safe.

Huangshi reports that the freeze is so severe that all heater/air
conditioners have stopped functioning. They need quilts and warm
clothes for the children. They need disposable diapers. Several HTS nannies
have fallen on the ice on their way to work and they need medicine to
treat cuts and bruises.

Gathering these reports together makes me think about how careful we
have always been at Half the Sky to maintain our focus on nurture and
education programs. Ours is not a medical or relief organization. There are
many wonderful groups who do that work. Probably the primary reason we've
been able to accomplish so much and reach so many children is because
we've maintained our focus on our core mission -- providing nurturing care
for children who've lost their families..

But a moment like this really cannot be ignored. The tragedy of
Hurricane Katrina in the US taught us that no matter how wealthy a country
might be, its vulnerable citizens (old, poor, ill, and orphaned children) are
the ones who suffer most when disaster strikes. Even as China seems to
be entering the first world, a disaster like this is quite simply
crippling. We know that orphaned children will be among those who suffer the
damage most.

I say this because I think we should break one of Half the Sky's
rules and, if there are sufficient funds raised in the Little Mouse
Emergency Fund, we should offer relief (water, food, diapers, quilts, clothing)
to any orphanage where children need help. Let's see how this goes. If
people are as generous as I think they might be, we will work with
the provincial Bureaus of Civil Affairs in every hard-hit community, and
offer assistance to all welfare institutions where there is need.

Please lend a hand, however you can. You can donate to the Little
Mouse Emergency Fund by calling us in the US at +1-510-525-3377 or in Asia
at +852- 2520-5266 or by visiting us at www.halfthesky.org. Once there,
you can click on "Donate Now" http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?
category=Direct+Contributions or go to http://www.halfthesky.org/help/docs/usdonation-
orderform.pdf to download a form to mail or fax. Donations are tax-deductible in US,
Canada and Hong Kong.

Thank you!
Jenny

Jenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org

Daddy is away this week so the three of snuggled in today and spent the afternoon decorating and making crafts for the Chinese New Year.

Thanks to Krista who pointed me in the direction of a great craft on Nick Jr , Ben, Aly and I got creative this afternoon.

Tomorrow we take part in a celebration concert and dinner with Grammy, Papa, Auntie Gail and Uncle Georgie here with the Chinese Cultural Association.

Should be fun ....

Here are a few of today's pics ....

My Budding Artists

Little Hands Hard At Work

Some New Year's Decorations To Put Us In The Festive Mood

The Tea Cups Are Ready !!

( who by the way, is NOT too happy trying on her new silk suit)

......waits to celebrate her 2 nd New Years !

Although by that "pouty face" you'd never know it , would you ? :)