Christmas waiting for Lottie Lee

What can I say, 2011 was a very memorable year, as we have been preparing to grow our family and adopt Lottie Lee.  This year, Christmas time held a different meaning to us and we truly felt the Christmas spirit resonate throughout of lives.  It’s a time to be with family and to remember what is most important. Needless to say, Lottie Lee was not far from anyone’s mind and we spoke of her often.  And even though we have a couple more months until we get to see her picture, she is always a part of our daily thoughts.  We just cannot wait until she is here with us every day. 

This year Santa left some very special presents under the tree for Miss Lottie Lee.  I just cannot wait to re-wrap and watch her open next year.  Some of our most treasured gifts were from Grandpa T & Nana, which included the beautiful frame that made me just tear up instantly, "Angels danced the day you were born"...ahhh couldn't say it any better.  We will definitely be using this frame to display Lottie Lee's referral photo.  The Head family surprised us with some more treasured gifts, including Chinese blocks that we have been looking at, but had not purchased.  And such a fun surprise, an addition to her beautiful Alice in Wonderland themed nursery, was a beautiful Rabbit wall hanging (in picture above, left). Lottie also received her very first Cabbage Patch doll & Mulan Barbie doll.  She will be too young but Santa just couldn't resist. And lastly Nana brought a handmade baby quilt during the 2005 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, 2 weeks after Scott and I met, insisting it would be a great blanket for a grand baby (at the time I thought she was crazy).  When we opened the box containing this quilt my heart skipped a beat. 

We look forward to next year, sharing all these wonderful and meaningful gifts, and celebrating our first Christmas with Lottie Lee, it will be such a wonderful day!

Happy Holidays

Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and very Happy New Year!  From our growing family to yours.

Let Every Day Be Christmas
by Norman Wesley Brooks

Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself. Peace on Earth, good will to men, kind thoughts and words of cheer, are things we should use often and not just once a year. Remember too the Christ-child, grew up to be a man; to hide him in a cradle, is not our dear Lord's plan. So keep the Christmas spirit, share it with others far and near, from week to week and month to month, throughout the entire year!

La Mia Bella Photos with Santa Fundraiser

What a blessing and an amazing turn out. We had a blast at La Mia Bella Pet Salon. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate and participate in our fundraiser to help bring Lottie Lee home. We were able to raise a considerable amount toward our HomeStudy, which will be completed in January. We enjoyed spending time with Perry & Lisa and witnessed firsthand how connected they are with their customers.  We were busy throughout the day capturing photos of pups, kitties, children, and families. Not enough words to express our gratitude. Thank you from our family to yours.  We look forward to next year!  Hopefully, we will take photos of Lottie Lee in Santa's arms, while raising donations for another family waiting to bring home their baby.

"Believe in LOVE. Believe in MAGIC. Believe in Santa Claus. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. If you don't, who will?”

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas!

http://www.lamiabellapetsalon.com

Love Without Boundaries

We found this wonderful non-profit program that works directly with children in China, we wanted to share some adorable pictures and some of the background on Love without Boundaries, please check out their website.We just adore looking at all their cleft babies and their sweet faces.

Love Without Boundaries

LWB provides the most loving and compassionate help possible to orphaned and impoverished children in China. We provide humanitarian aid in five key areas Education, Foster Care, Healing Homes, Medical, and OrphanageCare. Love Without Boundaries Foundation (LWB) began in the year 2003, after a group of adoptive parents came together to help save the life of one tiny boy in China. Following his successful heart surgery, they realized that people with a pure love for helping children can truly make a difference. LWB incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charity in the state of Oklahoma, and our worldwide team of volunteers went to work. We have watched our foundation grow from providing a handful of surgeries and baby formula in 2003 to touching the lives of thousands of children today through our many program areas. LWB holds Charity Navigator's highest 4 star rating and has an administrative overhead of less than 10%. LWB is a worldwide group of volunteers dedicated to improving the lives of orphaned and impoverished children in China. We provide humanitarian aid in five key areas – Education, Foster Care, Healing Homes, Medical, and Orphanage Assistance – enabling children to receive families through adoption or to become self-sustaining members of their communities

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/

9 months later...we say your name at least 100 times a day

Special Thank you to Melissa Glynn Photography for capturing some beautiful photos for our Holiday cards. It amazes us that 9 months ago we began this journey and Melissa was right there taking our photos so we could announce to our family and friends that we were adopting our firstborn Lottie Lee from China. She is not only a fabulously talented photographer she is funny and Scott likes her too! She will be following us through our journey and capturing all of our big moments throughout the next couple of months! Proud Mommy & Daddy with Lottie Lee's first photos, hopefully waiting for us at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, and of course Lottie Lee's first official photo shoot.

Now we still are waiting until Winn's 30th birthday (April 23rd) to submit our dossier to China (one of the many requirements set by China's government) but it is officially paper-chase time and we are busy with parenting classes, blood work & doctor physicals, letters of reference, background checks, and home visits. It is a scary and overwhelming process but we are taking it step by step and trying to enjoy all the steps that will lead us to Lottie.

In the end we will have our baby girl and be ready to do it all over again!

Tis' the Season

Restaurant.com Gift Cards make great Stocking Stuffers!

During the Holiday Season 10% of donations received from CoupAide gift cards for the Lottie Lee Fund will be given to Smile Train to help deliver cleft lip surgeries to children in need! If you would like to be a part of Lottie Lee's Red Thread please contact us.  We have gift cards and Holiday cards(pictured above)  Place your orders by e-mail winncastagno@yahoo.com

Gift Cards are also available online http://coupaide.com/deal/lottielee/

8 Reasons why Restaurant.com Gift cards make great Holiday Gifts.

1. Your supporting cause collects $10 with each purchase.

2. Huge bang for your buck. You receive a $50 gift certificate with only a $20 contribution.

3. Instant gratification. Receive your gift certificate immediately upon purchase.

4. Certificates make great gifts and never expire.

5. With over 18,000 partnered restaurants nationwide use these gift certificates while your in our out of town.

6. Extremely easy to use. Visit Restaurant.com, find your favorite restaurant, print the custom voucher, and give it to your waiter.

7. You may break your $50 up in $10, $15, or $25 to redeem at multiple locations

8. 10% of funds will be donated to Smile Train

10 Things to Be Thankful for.....

This time of year it is always good to reflect on things for which we are thankful, and we are so grateful for many things in our lives, including these:

A person we don't even know who purchased several gift cards from CoupAide for us on October 1st.

Opening the mail and finding a donation and a pretty little tutu from an old friend of over a decade ago.

That Lottie will have such wonderful Grandparents and their on-going support to get her here.

That Winn's godmother Charmaine and mother Abbe are joining us on our journey to China.

CoupAide's help with fundraising.

Our friends at, La Mia Bella, who have included us as photographers in their Santa doggie photo shoot to also help us raise funds.

A special friend who has been all-ears and supportive ever since we started this adventure 9 months ago. Thanks for always being there.

Prayers and love from Flower Mound, TX and for giving us the best godmother for Lottie.

Our photographer Melissa Glynn, who will help us capture the next year or so with beautiful photography.

To the birth parents who will have made a difficult decision and all others who have taken care of her before us, we are very grateful.