Vote for Half the Sky

Please vote for Half the Sky to have 8 orphans from China help carry the Olympic torch.Here is the info from Jenny Bowen

Hello again-Our volunteers in Wuhan had a great idea. It may be possible for some of our Half the Sky children to carry the Olympic torch next year. I've entered a contest sponsored by the China Daily Newspaper and, if I can get enough votes from citizens all over the world, I may be able to have that honor. If it happens, I will run with 8 children from 8 orphanages in China. Believe me, I am no runner. But I would dearly love to give the children a place at the party.Please take a moment and vote for me right now: http://pub1.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/torch/members.shtml?mid=212
We need a LOT of votes. Please pass this on to your friends and family.Thanks and love,Jenny

Jenny Bowen Executive Director Half the Sky Foundation www.halfthesky.org Half the Sky was created in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. We establish and operate infant nurture and preschool programs, provide personalized learning for older children and establish loving permanent family care and guidance for children with disabilities. It is our goal to ensure that every orphaned child has a caring adult in her life and a chance at a bright future.Want to receive our free Half the Sky newsletter, full of stories and photos, via regular mail? Just go to our website http://www.halfthesky.org/ and click on "Join our Mailing List."

A Name for baby #2???

Well, I think we have a name for our second little girl!! The winner of the name the baby contest is....(drum roll please)......Isabella and for short we will (or shall I say I will) call her "Ella". I love the name Ella and Eric loves the name Isabella so it works out for both of us. As many of you know I'm really good at changing my mind and since it will take about 3 years to adopt Ella I might change my mind a few hundred times!!

Our little ladybug

Eric and I are really looking forward to Halloween this year. After all it will be one year ago that we officially adopted Olivia. What an amazing day that was. I still can't believe it was a year ago. In some ways it seems so long ago and in other ways it's like it was just yesterday.

I remember Halloween back in 2004 when we had just started the adoption process. Eric and I were sitting on the porch talking about how the next Halloween Olivia would be home with us and how much fun it would be to dress her up. We wondered what she would be, how old she would be and what she would look like. Fast forward to Halloween 2005. This was one of the hardest days for me, I remember the process had taken much longer then we had anticipated and I was just so sad. I didn't want to even go outside to hand out candy (very unusual for me). It began the hardest few months of our lives, another Thanksgiving without our daughter, another Christmas, birthdays etc. Fast forward again to Halloween 2006, Eric and I were in China we had met Olivia the previous day and were officially going to adopt her, on Halloween! How wonderful! I remember going to the social welfare office in Hunan and promising to love, and take care of this little girl. Our lives forever changed, it was a magical moment. Now Eric and I look forward to our first Halloween with Olivia in the United States.