busy busy but hi

Yes it is busy busy here and blogging is much less.  I don't see that changing anytime soon but wanted to say hi ;)

If you can please take a moment to help. Thank you!

we petition the obama administration to:

Support HR 4373 and S 3616: Help make adoption affordable; keep the tax credit and make it refundable

Help make Adoption Affordable

The average cost to adopt a child is any where from $25k- $35k or more. Currently, The 2012 Tax Credit is not refundable for adoptions initiated after 2011, which means a large number of families are/were not able to get any of the $25k- $35k back and possibly prevent people from adopting a child at all.

In 2013 it will revert back to a maximum tax credit of $6,000 for parents adopting children with special needs only and there will be no adoption tax credit available in tax year 2013.
We are petitioning to make the adoption tax credit permanent and refundable, so that more money is available to families allowing them provide a financially stable home to the adopted child.

Currently, there are two bills HR 4373 and S3616 that support this petition.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/support-hr-4373-and-s-3616-help-make-adoption-affordable-keep-tax-credit-and-make-it-refundable/GknZZR2H

Cinderella Moon

OMG I am so excited to see this!!! Half the sky blessed us and cared for our daughter until we could. I am so thankful to them! I loved when I read the below from the actress:

Click here to buy now:

One half of all proceeds from Cinderella Moon sales made through Half the Sky will be spent by the foundation to create as many real-life Cinderella stories as possible inside Chinese orphanages.

Some time ago, I told you about a new movie made by my husband, Richard Bowen. Cinderella Moon was inspired by our Chinese daughters and is dedicated to Half the Sky. This gorgeous film – a fairytale for the whole family – brings to life the world's first telling of the Cinderella story. The movie has played to sold-out film festival audiences and received ecstatic reviews..."Magical. Sheer entertainment. A richly told girl-power fantasy guaranteed to enchant tots and parents alike." – Variety

Well, we want to get the word out about this wonderful and little-known part of our children's heritage. And we just don't want to wait anymore to share it with our Half the Sky family.

So here comes Half the Sky's holiday gift to you:
For a limited time only, you can buy Cinderella Moon only in our Half the Sky store at a ridiculously low price.

Watch the opening scene (in Chinese with subtitles) here:

Watch the English (dubbed) version here.

PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON! With love,

Jenny

Half the Sky Foundation
715 Hearst Avenue, Ste. 200, Berkeley, CA 94710
+1 (510)525-3377 www.halfthesky.org

big smile to see sister already added to our family in more ways than 1 ;)

We have an LID

LID in the China adoption world is LOG IN DATE
it means finally stacks and stacks and stacks of paperwork has been completed and China has it all and they have logged it in and given you a date to celebrate that huge accomplishment.  Ours is 08-06-2012!!!!!!  I will have to post again soon about what happens next................

Where have we been, What is new

Some are asking the questions....Where have we been and what is new so I thought I would write a quick update. Dreaming of a sister is still full speed ahead. I am finding full speed is not as easy as I thought. We are buried in adoption paperwork right now. The process this time is very different and we have many hoops to jump through but all is moving along. We still don't have a date yet but that is OK we are enjoying life while doing paperwork and finding creative ways to do our best to cut corners and save money for adoption # 2. We have about 12 people asking us if we would consider another dreaming of a sister adoption fundraising tag sale. They have items they want to donate. My 1st thought is WOW that is so beyond generous. My 2nd thought is OMG another tag sale? Did you see those pictures and how much stuff we had!! The task of storing it until the tag sale was such a challenge not to mention cleaning it, pricing it and setting up. BUT ya what..................How can I even begin to mutter a complaint about the generosity of people and a challenge? I say challenge OK bring it on! We will face the challenge and appreciate every single bit of help,love and support. So the thought process begins for tag sale #2 (on a bit of a smaller scale than # 1) and at the same time the adoption paperwork for sister continues and hopefully late 2012 will bless us with a sister.

Tune in or set your DVR

NEAR and DEAR to my heart! Tune in or set your DVR. My life would not be what it is today without the miracle work of Half the Sky! Many of you know Laney is a half the sky miracle herself!

http://halfthesky.org/en/children/stories/2406?tr=y&auid=10275927

CNY 2012

Chinese New Years Day is January 23, 2012 and it marks the 4,710th Chinese New Year! This year it is the year of dragon! The dragon stands for power, good luck, success, and happiness.  Happy Chinese New Year to so many near and dear to our hearts.