Mr. T's Cupcake Shop is Open!

Hey local friends (Local = Orange County CA)!  This one is for you!

 

I exchanged a few emails with Mr. T’s social worker last week – she is with the kiddos in this orphanage almost daily.  She told me the hardest part of her job is when the kids get lonely – “what they need most is a mom’s love…”  We are so happy to be able to bring Mr. T back for a California Summer – so he can experience some mama love (and daddy love, too!).  Hosting can be expensive – but it is so worth it.  To help us raise funds for Mr. T’s summer, we are opening up Mr. T’s Cupcake Shop! 

Our love of cupcakes starts early, y'all.

 

Ordering is easy!

 

Pick your cake: Chocolate Banana Vanilla Carrot

Pick your frosting: Cream Cheese Vanilla Buttercream Chocolate Buttercream Peanut Butter

Pick how many do you want! You can mix flavors … in case picking one seems impossible. 2 Cupcakes: $10 6 cupcakes: $25 12 cupcakes: $50

 

All donations are tax deductible and can be made online through our YouCaring page: https://www.youcaring.com/b1171b-524026; you can also  pay by check made out to NHFC and dropped off with me.  Cash donations are cool – we just can’t get you a tax receipt for those.  Everything we raise goes to T’s visit – flights, paperwork, insurance, and chaperone fees.  Comment on the blog with your order.

 

We are unable to offer shipping - sorry to my non local friends!  San Diego Friends - if we collect $250 in orders from SD - we will deliver to you! 

We will be accepting orders (and payments) May 4-12.  Goodies will be delivered on Monday, May 16. 

Happy Birthday Mr. T!

Happy Birthday Mr. T!

We are so excited to make plans and arrangements for Mr. T to come back for another hosting season.  We are stockpiling leave time at work, we started buying him some clothes (I might have a problem), and we are really looking forward to taking him the beach at a more seasonally appropriate time ... though the "chill' of December couldn't keep him out of the water. The first full day Mr. T and I spent together - I took him to the beach.  Within 15 minutes he was knee deep, and within 20 minutes his shirt was soaked.  Throughout the entire time he was with us, he impressed me with his willingness to try anything we were doing and go anywhere with us.  Except for vegetables.  He wasn't always willing to try those.  He was up for everything else, though.

To answer a few questions ...

1. Does this mean he is here to stay?  No, it doesn't.  Mr. T will just be spending his summer break with us and then he will return to his home country. 

2. Why host him if he can't stay?  Hosting programs provide a way for kids to experience life in a (mostly) normal family doing family like things like sharing meals, playing games, being loved and taking a break for what can be a stressful living situation.  Kids who participate in hosting programs are more likely to have a stable adulthood.  Also, Mr. T is awesome.  He blessed us in ways he may never understand.  Our family feels a bit more complete with him. It is a short term stay with life long implications.  For Mr. T and for the four of us.

3. How can I help?  Well, thank you for asking.  We have a YouCaring page set up to accept tax deductible donations that go towards our hosting fees.  The hosting fees include Mr. T's flight, paperwork, chaperones, meals while travelling, and transfers in his country.  We have been saving and selling and saving and selling and we are so grateful for the support of our friends and family that give to help make this summer possible.  You can donate here - https://www.youcaring.com/b1171b-524026.

I asked the girls how they would celebrate Mr. T's birthday if he was in California for it.  Aubrey said we would celebrate by singing and making him a cake.  And a pie.  And giving him toys.  Dylan agreed.  And then both of them took off to go make him something.  Brad and I made 120 cupcakes to share with our coworkers.  This kid is definitely worth celebrating.

Two months ... What could possibly happen in two months?

 

The month of November came and went ... quite quickly.  I don't remember much of it between the prep at home for Mr. T's arrival, the holidays, and a terrible Charger season. I do remember the amazing sense of relief that poured over me when I saw that all our hosting fees were paid due in large part to some very generous families members, friends, and co-workers.  I may have cried more than once.  Having the support of so many while embarking on this surreal and terrifying adventure means the world to us. 

Fast forward a couple of weeks - and Brad and I found ourselves at the San Diego airport, hanging around Terminal 2 with two other families waiting for their kiddos to arrive.  All three kids and their chaperone were on the same flight from Atlanta.  Each of us checking our phones for the latest information ... "five minutes early!" and "ten minutes late!" and "back to on time".  Our airport host, a volunteer coordinator with NHFC, stayed with us at the airport and waited anxiously with us to see the blue NFHC shirts coming down the escalators to the baggage claim area.  I saw Mr. T and started making my way quickly to him - only to be cut off by another waiting family.  It certainly didn't hamper my determination and I called out his name - he flashed me the biggest smile and came running in for a hug.  This kid - he has guts!  Nine years old and flying 24 hours across the globe to vacation with a family he has never met.  He worked on pronouncing our names and we worked on charades and Google Translate.  We made our way to the car - three very smiley faces - ready to face the two hour drive home.  Mr. T let us know he was hungry ... and thankfully In-N-Out was still open to accommodate us after midnight!  Mr. T nailed his cheeseburger and fries! 

Mr. T is great.  He is so easy going and out going.  He is happy to introduce himself to our friends and family, he willingly takes a bite of anything I put in front of him (and is not afraid to tell me he doesn't like something), and he has seemed to enjoy every outing we have ventured on.  He is all boy - a climbing, jumping, farting, fearless little man who rolls his eyes when I announce it is time to take a shower and fights with his temporary sisters like he has been here forever.  He is bold and smart and has fallen asleep with his head in my lap more than once.  Adding a third munchkin to the house has been a bit chaotic  - but also very awesome.  He has stretched our ability to love and serve.  It has been amazing.

The hosting season was so full for us - celebrating Christmas five times, Knott's Berry Farm twice, a day trip to Santa Barbara, the zoo, a couple kids museums, the beach (holy cow does this kid love the beach!), lots of pizza, lots of shopping, and lots of video games.  I usually don't mind a high paced crowded calendar - but I am tired.  And sad.  Just a few more times to tuck this guy in at night and we have to  say goodbye and the five of us all resume our "normal" life.  Whatever that is ...

Thank you .. and announcing our gift card winner!

This picture was taken approximately 11 years, two husbands, handfuls of children (bless), thousands of miles and one left turn ago.  Not only is it rare because of it's age ... but we are at Wrigley.  And if you know me, you know I only go there for very special occasions.  Or free tickets.  But I digress.  Both of these ladies have generously supported us in our journey to meet Mr. T.  And that beautiful lady in the middle is the winner of the Target gift card give-a-way!

Thank you SC!  Happy Shopping! 

It's a good week to give something away!

Our formal request to Mr. T's country was sent and the wheels are in motion to get all the paperwork in order for Mr. T to come visit - this includes his passport, visa, and plane ticket.  And while I wish I could jut sit back and relax and let the magic happen, I just can't.  There is so much that goes into hosting.  We are collecting clothing, bedding, and recipes from his home country and attending trainings.  And I would like to invite you to join with us as we work to collect the last of the fees we need for the hosting program.

We are hosting a Give-a-Way - with the winner getting a $50 gift card to Target! 

Entering is easy -

1. You can get one free entry for sharing our blog on Facebook and you can get another free entry for commenting below (a positive comment!). 
2. Then we will give you ten entries for each $10 donation to our YouCaring page. You can let me know of your donation by leaving your name on YouCaring or sending me a message.
3. Monetary donations made through our YourCaring page are tax deductible.  We can't award entries for donations made outside of our YouCaring page.
4. There is a limit of two free entries per person.
5. We will be selecting a winner on Friday, October 30.
6. Winner will be chosen at random using an online number generating tool. 
7. This sweepstake is limited to residents of the U.S. Winners must be 18 as of the first day the sweepstakes opens.

Thanks for all your encouragement and support!


Side note - happy birthday to this guy! 

It's What Our Family Does

Since Dylan was born, Brad and I have tried several scheduling options to get the most time together while also still working some very full days.  For a season, we made it a point to get bagels on Fridays with the girls before taking them to school and before Brad and I headed in to our offices.  It is what our family did ... and we still so sometimes. 

Over the last couple of months, we have been able to help a few other families out through Safe Families for Children (you should really check them out here http://www.safe-families.org/).  I picked the girls up from school one afternoon and shared with them that there was a family that needed help, and one thing we could do was to have the children stay with our family while their mama did what she needed to do.  Dylan's eyes glimmered a bit - the kind of spark that comes when something clicks - and she said, "oh, so she needs help - and we will help her - because that is what our family does."

That is exactly right sweetheart.  That is exactly what our family does.

After some deliberations between both me and Brad and me and God and Brad and God - we have signed up to host a little boy currently living in an orphanage in a Eastern European country.  We will be a family of five for four weeks.  We will be going on adventures and staying home and trying new foods and celebrating Christmas four times (because that is what our family does).   Our visitor, Mr. T, is a nine year old boy who is in the third grade.  He likes playing cars, Minecraft, and running around.  Aubrey has already pulled out a tooth brush for him, and is proudly telling everyone that soon there will be five people in our family.  Hopefully I can get in front of that before people start looking at my belly for signs of life.

We know that this Christmas will be awesome.  We also know it will be crazy hard.  Mr. T is in for a wild ride - as are Miss D and Miss A.  If you are the praying type - we would love if you would join us in praying for our time together - that we would get used to each other quickly, that we would have patience as deep as the ocean, and that we focus on loving and serving and making the day great - because that is what our family does.

There are many factors that feed into Mr. T coming here - if you would like to help us in this journey - that would be awesome!

• If you have gently used boys clothes in size 8 - we will take them!  Mr. T will need a winter coat when he returns home, as well as the other warm and cozy things like sweaters and pants.
• We are hosting a garage sale to help raise funds for Mr. T's program costs (travel, visa, insurance).  If you are local and have some stuff you would like to donate some stuff with the proceeds going to Mr.T - please let me know!
• If you would like to make a tax deductible financial gift to Mr. T's program fee - you can do that here: https://www.youcaring.com/b1171b-451115

We are thankful for this opportunity and look forward to the madness.