Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Botanical Gardens, 2013

We got to the botanical gardens in Beijing every year, and each year, we have even more fun. Our buddy arrangement usually pairs a child with a volunteer, but this time some of the children decided that they wanted to be buddies with one another! Of course we didn't stop them, and Mollie and Zoe had a silly time together.


The Xi'an warrior replicas were a fun treat. Asher was in awe. He knows what he wants to be when he grows up now - a warrior!


...or maybe a butterfly? The poor guy is not even three and he's already having an identity crisis.


Lucy and Noah buddied up too!


This was Jonathan's first field trip and he had a blast learning about flowers and butterflies.


After checking out all of the beautiful flowers, we headed out to see the butterflies. Play nice, Joel and Wendy!


Meilin Eliana was especially enamored.



After a yummy lunch at McDonalds, most of the children crashed on the bus ride home. Tired, Henry?



Henry is learning English. Watch the video below to hear one of his favorite English words!



We can't wait to go again next year!

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Check out the photo album of this field trip on facebook!

The Forever Home: Clean Up


One day after having a messy snack time, Zoe promptly went and got the broom and dust pan and decided she'd just clean up her own mess.  It was rather adorable, I must say!




After Camilla saw what Zoe was doing, she wanted a part of the action too. Together, they cleaned up the mess with little a bit  of help from mom :)  It's the thought that counts, right?!
Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sunday Snapshot: Rachel and Tom


Sometimes we worry that the children won't like Tom, that they'll be afraid of him and that having a dog in the foster home will make the children more afraid of dogs, as opposed to more familiar with them.

But when it comes to Rachel... it seems like we may have discovered something magical. 





These two will most certainly be best friends forever


Ni Hao Yall
Saturday, April 27, 2013

Never Too Many

The three members of our Backyard School Class were hanging out on the swing, soaking in some sunshine after a hard day of learning...


...when who should join the party but Melinda and Rebecca! The toddlers had just come outside to play and thought that swinging with the big kids would be a lot of fun. Rebecca lounged, Melinda pushed.


It just so happened that this sunny day coincided with check-up day for the foster families! When Wendy saw chubby little Seth, she insisted that he join her on the bench. Wendy and Seth are foster siblings and, according to Wendy's foster dad, "She sure can look after little kids!"


There are never too many babies for Wendy, and there could never be too many children on the yellow swing.
Friday, April 26, 2013

Just for Me?

Stella's first birthday was in March, but her birthday presents just keep on coming! We can thank the postal service for such spaced out delivery - what fun it is to have your birthday last for weeks!

We visited Stella's foster family's home to deliver her most recently arrived present, and she was very happy to great us. Don't you wish that everyone you visited smiled like this when you entered their home?


Like any newly-turned one year-old, Stella was quite curious about the bag. The presents were fine, but that bag.... and the tissue paper... Oh my, too much fun!


Stella was very happy to model her new outfit for us. She seems to know that she's gorgeous... I wonder who has been letting her in on the secret?


Happy {late} Birthday, darling girl. Please, please, please don't get any cuter. We just couldn't stand it.

Just Sing to Me

Oh, what a sweet sound Sue's ukulele was as she strummed hymns to the babies upstairs. And the sweetest sound of all was the contented sighs from our darling Ella as she soaked up the sound.


The music brought a beautiful look to Ella's face, and she smiled with satisfaction.


...she even tried to sing along, making her only sound "Ahh."



Sitting nearby, Talley also enjoyed the music...


...and Wayne, never one to miss a thing, scampered quickly over to see if he could get a ukulele lesson.


Sometimes... okay, most of the time, Wayne reminds us of a little puppy. He's always into everything, pulling on your leg and sticking his little nose into anything that looks interesting.


...just another sweet afternoon with the babies!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

NDSouth: Our Darling

Do you remember this tiny baby girl that arrived so very sick the end of March last year?


It seems like just yesterday that we received a call to help this baby girl in need of serious medical care. Now, that baby girl is over a year old! 

Charlotte has gone through a lot in the first year of her life including two surgeries. She is a fighter and such a happy little girl. Charlotte always has a smile on her face and that dimple... oh my. She really is the darling of the foster home. With all of her "gie gie's" (big brother's), it didn't take her long to master walking and try to keep up!

One of her favorite things to do is pull herself up on the baby gate which separates the play room from the bedrooms and office. How can you say "no" to picking up this little dear when she flashes that grin of hers? Before we obliged to her request, we snapped a few pictures as we just knew it would make an adorable blog post!
"Here, let me help you open the gate!"
"Please, please, please let me in!"
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Yes Charlotte we will grant your request and pick you up. What a joy you are, sweet girl, and we are so very happy that we can play a roll in your life!

During the month of May, here at New Day South we are going to do a blog post series titled "Arrival & Today." We are going to feature a different child each week and show the transformation that love makes. Make sure you check back next week and join in the fun! "Bringing hope to the hopeless and the fatherless home," is what New Day Foster Home is all about. Join us in celebrating the miracle of love at New Day South.


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Boys Don't Need to be Polite


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Forever Home: Hangin' With My Sis


Camilla and Zoe have become quite close these days.  With them being the only two young ones in the Forever Home now, they do quite a lot together.  Camilla is now a big girl since learning to walk and the two of them play well together.  Camilla really looks up to big sister, Zoe.



Here they are practicing their fishy faces.  How's your fishy face?!




Zoe gives Camilla a big thumb's up!




This is what happens when you leave a kleenex or napkin in reach of Camilla!  They get shredded into tiny bits!  Looks like she's having fun, doesn't it?!  No, she didn't learn this from big sister Zoe.  This is something she completely came up with on her own :)
Monday, April 22, 2013

Getting our Wiggles Out!

It's finally warm enough to start having PE classes again! This year, our wonderful group of PE students includes Zoe, Meilin Eliana, Cara and Melinda! The girls had so much fun practising their bean bag throwing skills the other day... although Melinda preferred to walk right up to the net and drop her bag in. Don't they look like a happy bunch?


The courtyard we use for PE is located right outside of the downstairs playroom. This means that, when the rucus outside is sounding particularly exciting, the little ones look up from their toys and toddle over to the window to stare, to dream and to try and find out if looking super-cute will somehow make the glass disappear and they will find themselves apart of the fun.


We have a whole photo album of photos in our scrapbook on the website. Check them out!
Friday, April 19, 2013

Watch It- He'll Melt Your Heart

Man, this little guy! As he gets to walk. Or listen to music. Or gets tickled.. His smile just lights up the face of every inhabitant of the critical care room; you can't help but grin from ear to ear as he giggles with delight.

In a weeks time Christopher's strength has grown immensely! Not only is he working up a hearty appetite with his desire to walk every chance he gets, but he is also learning to mimic the physical actions of others. He improves so quickly!


Previously he was able to support only a small portion of his weight when someone held his entire torso. He now has the strength to firmly grasp someone's hands with his own and lean his arms on theirs as they help him walk. It is evident he is excited by this new development.


What a joy it is to be reminded of the universal power of a smile from one so young!


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This post was written by our intern, Rachel
Thursday, April 18, 2013

NDSouth: Meet the Newest Arrivals!

Exciting things are happening at New Day South! In the last week we have had not one, not even two, but three new children arrive!

We wanted to introduce you to our newest arrivals, three beautiful girls!

First, meet Laura! Laura is 3 years old and arrived in our care on April 8th. She was admitted into the hospital the same day she arrived and had successful heart surgery this past week. We are all excited to see how love will make a difference in her life and the progress she will make. As you can tell, she already appears to be pleased with her new home.


Next, meet Sadie! Sadie is 9 months old and arrived at New Day South on April 15th. We all think that Sadie has the most beautiful smile and we are blessed to have her in our care. Sadie is bright and alert and loves being held and rocked. Due to her ENT, she has had some difficulty in eating but we have full confidence that love and attention will go a long way in getting this little one healthier and stronger!


Last but not least, meet Sally! She is 6 months old and also arrived on April 15th. Sally loves to hold onto and play with her toys. One of her favorite things to do is roll over! As you can see, Sally has the most kissable cheeks! Her future is bright and full of hope.


With many empty beds at New Day South from recent adoptions, we are all ecstatic to have these three little ladies join our family.

With new children arriving, we are in need of new monthly sponsors. Would you like to play a roll in the life of one of these precious children? Head on over to our Sponsorship Page to find out how you can be involved and make a huge difference in their lives. Not to mention, by becoming a sponsor you will receive a monthly picture and update on your sponsored child!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Holly is on Reece's Rainbow!

What an incredible blessing this is... we just found out that Holly has been listed with Reece's Rainbow, which means that anyone can donate towards her adoption. Adoption is not cheap, and finances are something that often stand in the way of a family and their hope to bring home a child.

You may not be able to adopt Holly, but you can help her dream of a family come true! Lots of small donations add up, so don't feel bad about only donating $5 or $10 dollars.

Let's rally together, ya'll. Let's make this happen!

http://reecesrainbow.org/57752/holly-rose



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In other news...




...Michael has learned how to buzz his lips and make silly noises.