The Orphanage

The orphanage we visited is named Casa Hogar, Galileo. It is in Monclovo, Mexico. This orphanage is a little different because not all of the children are actual orphans. Many of them are sibling groups and they have parents they see from time to time. The parents decided to send the children to Galileo because they are so poor they cannot provide for their children. They see the children once or twice a year. The orphanage offers the children a way to go to school and provides for their basic needs. They are also very Christian based and have Bible studies for the children everyday. I am ashamed to say, I am sure those children know the Bible much better than my own.

The building we stayed in didn't have hot water, and the toilets only worked part of the time. All over Mexico, you can't flush the toilet paper, so you put it in a trash can by the toilet. There is no heat or air conditioning. It was fine while we were there, but I can't imagine how hot it must get in the summer. Here are a few pictures of the orphanage. It is more like a compound with about 7 different buildings.

This is where their pig lives. They fatten it up until they eat it.

This is one of the many communities we saw as we were driving through Mexico. These houses are tiny, and made of cinderblock. The black tank on the top is their water tank. Water is not a given on any certain day, there are many days when the water just isn't there.

The next post will have more pics of the kid, I promise, I just wanted to share where we were.

P.S. My brother and SIL are in PA right now adopting a brand new baby girl who was born yesterday!!!!!

Monclova, Mexico

We are just rolling in from our "quick" trip to Mexico. It was absolutely amazing. There are so many stories and SO many pictures (over 300) I don't even know where to start. So I thought I'd start with a few of the faces who touched all of our hearts this past weekend. There will be plenty more pictures and some awesome stories to go along with them to come!

This is Isaac and Luis. Luis is 14 and pretty much kept to himself, but LOVED having Bryce there. This is the first time they have seen American children, so I think it was a great experience for all the kids...American and Mexican alike.

This precious little girl was brought to the orphanage while we were there. The police found her wandering on the streets of the city barefoot, dirty and hungry. When we left, she still hadn't said anything so I don't know what her name is. We are guessing she is between 2 and 3 years old. It was truly heartbreaking.

This is Chewy (sp?). He is 7 years old and as cute as he can be. He has a brother named Alfredo who I attached myself to. They were so sweet and so happy we were there.



Here is Isaac again. He has two of the biggest dimples you have ever seen.

This is Chewy's little brother Alfredo (5 yrs. old). We are sitting in my suburban after church Sunday (a whole post in itself). I held him through most of the service, even when I thought my back would break. There was no way I was putting him down. (Nothing like a little Mexican boy to show you how "white" you really are :)

One of the sweet little girls here at the orphanage. I can't remember her name because it took me the whole trip to learn it. I'm going to have to think about it for a while. There were lots of tween/teenage aged girls. They were all so sweet. The language barrier was tough for all of us though. We just wanted to talk to each other.

Last but not least, Flora. Flora is 1 month old and is smaller than my boys were when they were born. She is absolutely beautiful. Richard's partner and his wife might actually get to adopt her. Some amazing things happened while we were there, and we don't know for sure if it can happen, but wouldn't that be amazing?!

I'm going to start working on some more posts. There is so much to share, but I wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the amazing children we spent the weekend with.

Is It Time To Panic?

There are no clean clothes...we leave for Mexico tomorrow...there's not one thing packed...haven't been to Walmart yet...walking out the door to go LSU's season opener (baseball)...Nope, I won't panic yet...maybe tomorrow :)

Do You Have Yours?

Have you gotten your t-shirt yet? Gwen is selling these awesome shirts to help fund her next two adoptions.

I got my t-shirt in the mail yesterday and wore it to school today. It was amazing. I have to admit I was a little nervous about wearing it to a public school because it is really bold, but it turned out to be great. The front of the shirt says, "147 million orphans in the world", and the picture is of the back. I felt like a billboard all day because it got everyone's attention, teachers and students alike. The most popular response to the front was, "really?" I think that's amazing because most people have no idea about the orphans of the world. When I showed them the back, alot of the adults said "awww". I hated that response because the shirt isn't about saying something sweet. I think it just left them speachless, so "aww" was all they could come up with. The most powerful conversations I had were with the kids. Most of the students I see are in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. I think 80% of my students read my shirt today. It was so powerful. I just kept thinking, "what if this is the first seed planted in their hearts for the orphans. What if they adopt one day...". I actually teared up a couple of times while they were reading the back. I think it's because they all read it out loud. What a blessing to be able to speak that scripture into their lives!

Gwen, what a blessing you are! Your heart for orphans is so contagious. It is spreading to hundreds (thousands) of people you will never even meet. I am so thankful our paths crossed. BTW...I REALLY need a short sleeved shirt!!!! It is awfully warm here, and I don't want to have to stop wearing my shirt!!

Signs of Baseball, and a Big Trip

There is one, sure fire way to know it's baseball season at our house...laundry!! I have been spoiled this winter because the boys weren't playing sports and when they went hunting, Richard washed their clothes at the camp. Today, it became very evident that we have entered another season :) I think my laundry has doubled. I'm not complaining, though. I am so excited that baseball season is here. Tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous day and we get to spend it outside at baseball practice! And no, I'm not being sarcastic...I really love it that much!

One other way to know, we ate fast food for a few dinners last week. I HATE spending money on those empty calories, but it's hard when you're running from one end of town to another. I am hoping to pack sandwiches this week to avoid the french fries.

We are also getting ready for a big trip next week. Down here, the kids get out of school for Mardi Gras. People who live here usually use the vacation time to go skiing or go to Disn*y W*rld. We have decided to take a trip to an orphanage in Mexico! We are very excited about it. The opportunity just kind of came up a couple of weeks ago, but we can't wait. I can't wait for the boys to see what it's like in other countries and understand how blessed they are. They are so spoiled, just because they live here and have two parents who take care of them and love them. I don't want them to take that for granted. I went on two missions trips to Mexico when I was younger, and I can't wait to go back!

Before we leave town, we are going to the first home LSU baseball game Friday night. We are especially excited about this game because it's in the new stadium. It should be lots of fun, and hopefully, I'll have some really cute pictures.

This and That

I've been around, even though it's been forever since my last post. It's been pretty much school, home, repeat around here, except for baseball starting yesterday!! I am so excited about that! We have a few weeks before the games start, so the boys will be practicing hard. I have missed all the baseball parents from Braden's team, and am so happy to see them again.

I think my computer is about to die. It is constantly flashing all kinds of crazy warnings and stuff. I made sure all my pictures were backed up on disks, and I'm just crossing my fingers. If I knew I could go buy a laptop right now, I would just finish it off myself! I can't even access my blog (or yours) from school, so I would be SOL!!

Cade has been working on his valentines for a few days now. I bought him some candy valentines to give out, but someone else in his class mentioned they had bought the same kind. There was no way Cade was going with the same valentines! He decided to make his own, and he made one for every child in his class. He then taped the candy to the valentine he made. He made an extra special valentine for his first love...his teacher! He used a red poster board, and it's adorable.

Bryce has been extra happy these days. There are three french horn players in his band. He is second chair, so he sits right between the other boys. For a while now, he's been complaining about how mean the boys are and how they cuss constantly. It drives him crazy. Well, last Wed. night, Bryce saw one of the boys at his jr. high church group. This week, he found out that this boy got baptized at church over the weekend, and he has completely changed. No more cussing, etc. Bryce is beside himself happy, and I am thrilled for him. It now puts him in the majority, and overpowers the other boy who is still so ugly. This is huge for Bryce.

I finally had to tell Braden that he couldn't run up to me everytime he sees me at school to give me a hug. He runs out of every line he's in to come and hang on me. Honestly, it drives me crazy!! I love him dearly, but can't stand for him to be hanging on me, especially when he's supposed to be with his class. His love language is "personal touch", and this is a hard one for me. I'm not a touchy-feely person, so I have to try really hard to make sure he gets what he needs. He is so unbelievably sweet, and I would never want to discourage that in him. We're trying to find a balance ;)

Hope everyone has been doing great. Unfortunately, I seem to be behind on reading all my blogs (another reason I need that laptop!) I hope to catch up soon.

Chinese New Year

What a great night! Last night we went to Mississippi last night to join in their FCC Chinese New Year celebrations. It was awesome! I met some of these ladies through our blogs and have been able to meet them in person throughout this past year. They are a true blessing in my life. Last night was the first time we had ever done anything for Chinese New Year. In fact, I checked a book out of the school library and read it to all of us on the way there. This was also the first time my boys had ever eaten Chinese food. With Richard's chicken allergy, he doesn't eat Chinese food, so we don't ever go. They were so excited to try the different foods and found many things that they loved. There were probably about 30 little girls there who had been adopted from China. I think my boys were a little surprised, but they loved seeing all of them. They also met some other waiting brothers and had a great time.

This is Jill. She has three older boys and adopted Macie not too long ago. She was the first blogger I ever contacted in "real life" :)

There was a dragon dance. Paige is a waiting mom who led the dance. Look at all the little girls following her...too cute!

One little girl, in particular, stole Braden's heart last night. My boys had started playing sword fights with their dragon wands (go figure), and Olivia asked Braden if she could play too. He didn't know what to say (I guess he didn't think girls could play that ;) He asked me what he should tell her and I told him to tell her she could play. Well, can I tell you that little Olivia and her little sister whooped up on some Doughty boys last night? It was hysterical. They were so gentle with her, but she would whack the mess out of them. We were laughing so hard. After a while, when she came after Bryce, he would lift up his hands and say, "You win! You win!" I took this picture of Braden and Olivia's little sister, and Bryce and Cade with Olivia. When we were walking out last night, Braden said, "That Olivia is funny. I hope our little Chinababy is just like her." It makes me tear up just thinking about it. Last night made them (and us) much more anxious to get ourselves to China and get our little girl.

There were goldfish swimming in the vases on the tables. Here the kids are making "fish lips".

Thanks Chopstick Chics for a wonderful night and letting us join your celebration. I can't wait until next year!!