Whooo Hooo

The families of eight children have been approved!!!
Peyton, Tara, Daniel, Caitlyn, Rachel, Zach and Tessa are now officially matched with their families. Today is a great day! We are elated for each and every family.

We especially celebrate for Daniel. His story is moving and inspirational. Daniel was not originally scheduled to be in the journey of hope program. However, his desire for a family was so great that he approached the orphanage director with a special request. Daniel did not really understand what the program was all about but he knew another child who had been adopted through it. He understood that it would give him a better chance to find a family. After deliberation, the orphanage staff decided to include him. Daniel talked with me candidly about his hope. He also told me that he hoped for lots of brothers and sisters. I promised Daniel that I would try my hardest to find him his family. Several of us cried after we met with Daniel. From our experience, we knew that it was a longshot. Daniel is nearing the age of unadoptability. We would only have a short time. To our delight, Daniel's family found us! He was one of the first children matched! This experience has humbled us and reminded us that we are not the ones matching these children but something greater than us.

We also rejoice for Zach. Zach is blind. In the adoption world that translates into a phrase I really dislike "hard to place". However unpleasant the phrase, statistically it is true. You would be amazed at the number of children on the shared list with vision problems. They are the children who stay on the list the longest too. However, once again, Zach's perfect family found him. We couldn't hope for a better family. In their loving care he will grow to his fullest potential.

We also are thankful for another small miracle (although not small for the family).
Rachel and Caitlyn will be sisters! Not only do these girls have the same medical condition but they have been playmates. They will transition into their new family together. I suspect that they will be a blessing to each other and their bond will be strong. =)

So as we rejoice for these children, we are still praying for the remaining 14 children from our camp. Could you be part of one of these children's story?
Please take a look at the descriptions of these children on our website www.aacadoption.com and below in previous posts. Also stay tuned to this blog for future child of the day postings.

The Karate Kid Part 2....Avery

Introducing The Karate Kid part 2. Well actually it's Kung Fu not Karate. Avery is Gabriel's foster brother and they both take lessons. If I had to describe him in one word, I would pick "charming". His sweet smile and charismatic personality won us all over immediately. He is a good learner and is very talanted. Here is his video from the talant show.



I love this picture of him. I think the way he is standing shows a little bit of his personality. Soo confident and charming.


Avery is now in the first grade and does very well in school. His teachers say that he is very smart. He is very friendly and gets along well with the other children. When I asked Avery what his favorite subject was in school, he told me snack time. =) He's a boy after my own heart LOL. Avery also told me that he really wants to go to America. This little guy is doing well in his foster home, but is ready for a family of his own, one that will love and care for him forever.


Check out this smile....TOOO cute!!

Avery's cleft lip and palate have been repaired. He has attended speach classes and has progressed wonderfully. He is a healthy child who is very active. Avery also has a scar from scalding on his buttocks and leg. He has had two surgerys to extend the skin as he grows. As you can see in the video, he has excellent mobility and is even more coordinated than other children his age. Other than itching, it doesn't affect his life at all. He may need additional surgeries as he grows though.

This boy has so much potential. With a loving family he could really flourish. We would love to give you more information on Avery. Please email info@aacadoption.com or call 970-532-3576.

Gabriel- The Karate Kid!

I'd like to introduce to you an absolutely wonderful little seven year old boy, Gabriel.

This little guy is such a sweet boy. He is in a foster home where he is growing and learning what it is like to be part of a family.

Gabriel is very friendly and full of smiles. When we met him, he impressed us with a few stories that he made up. Gabriel is very imaginative. During game time, he was eager to participate in every activity. He is very creative and made an awesome bracelet at the bead station. During the interview Gabriel told me that he enjoys playing games and riding bikes. He is currently in first grade. He likes school and his friends there. One of Gabriel's favorite things to do is draw.

Gabriel also enjoys practicing Kung Fu. He and his foster brother are taking classes. They are both quite good actually. We were all very impressed at the talant show.
Check out the video below. Awesome!





Gabriel's "special need" is deformity of the genitals. It is not a severe deformity and it is clear (in my opinion) that he is a male. Children with this issue are given a genetic testing just to make sure. It confirmed that he is a boy. He has no issues with urination and is otherwise healthy.

If you are considering adopting a waiting child, I ask you to consider this child. Get some information from your doctor on this specific special need. It is something that effects more people than you would guess and is more minor than most initial notions.

Ask yourself, is this a child you could love?

Travel update

This past weekend we had much to celebrate. Two AAC families returned home with their children while two other's had their gotcha day in China.
Congratulations everyone!!!

Child of the Day- Bundle of Fun- TJ

Little Mr. TJ is such a cutie pie. When we first met him he was more than ready to play. Like many boys his age, TJ is very energetic. Larry really enjoyed playing ball with him. For a little guy, he's really got an arm on him. He is so silly and fun.

TJ enjoys lots of activities. He told me that some of his favorite things to do (in addition to playing ball) are play with cars, watch cartoons and go fishing. He was really into playing the fishing game during the activities. In fact, he even brought the fishing pole with him to the interview.

TJ is not shy at all. He gives high-fives and hugs freely. He really is a wonderful boy. His cleft lip and palate have been repaired and he has no other medical conditions.

If you would like more information on this child, give us a call 970-532-3576 or email us at info@aacadoption.com.

To the world you are one person, but to one person you could be the world!!!

More to Celebrate!!!

Congratulations to Leah's family and Landon's family. They have recieved approval and are officially matched with their forever families.

Please check out the children that are still in need of a family! Maybe your child waits for you there!

Upcoming Event

Hey Colorado Families! Don't forget about our next family gathering. This year we are trying something new. Saturday, June 12th we will be having a fun filled day at Boondocks Fun Center in Northglenn.

We will meet at 10:00 am. After some great food and awesome company, enjoy miniature golf, go carts, bumper boats and laser tag with your family.

This event is open to all AAC families regardless where you are in the process. So come one come all. Families who have been home for years, come and reconnect. Families who are waiting for their child to come home, bring your other kids or come be a kid yourself. Families who are considering adoption, come and talk with others who have experienced it.

See you there!

More Hope Being Fulfilled

Congratulations to Cadance and Riley!

Their journey of hope will be fullfilled. Their families have recieved approval! We are overjoyed for these children and for the families too =)

Please everyone, keep spreading the word for those children who are still waiting!

Child of the Day- The AMAZING Sam

After finishing the posts for our girls with Thalassemia, I had to decide who to post about next. The first one who came to my mind was Sam.

All of the children were wonderful and they equally deserve the love of a family. Naturally though, each of us (the four of us from AAC who had the privilege in going) were drawn to some children more than others. During lunch and dinner we would rave about them and wish that we could bring them home with us. Sam was one of the one's I raved about the most (and still do). If I didn't already have six children at home, I'd be filling out an AAC formal application packet for this little guy!

Sam is 6 years old and has a deformity of some of his fingers and one of his feet. He doesn't let this slow him down one bit though.

I first met Sam that morning in the classroom. He ran up to me and grabbed my hand and brought me to the playdo station. We played there for a while and then moved on to puzzles. I noticed his finger deformity because we were doing things with our hands. However, Sam has totally learned to overcome this. He still has great fine motor skills.

That morning I never noticed the deformity of his foot. He had a shoe on so it wasn't visible. He ran and jumped like any boy his age so it never occurred to me.

Later that afternoon Sam sang a song in the talent show. He was a natural! He is very expressive and comfortable in front of a crowd. During the group performance, we were amazed at Sam's outgoingness and leadership qualities. He left his spot in the crowd and came to the front, facing the group of children with his back to the crowd. He was leading them! Amazing =)

After the show, we played a few games. Sam eagerly participated in every activity that we had. This is when I first noticed his foot. As Sam ran and played his shoe would sometimes fall off. But this is a boy on the go! He would just run back, grab it, put it back on, and keep playing.

I was amazed at all of the things that this boy could do in spite of his "disability". I was even more amazed by his attitude. He didn't seem to be bothered by his differences at all.

I had the privilege of interviewing Sam on the second day. Once again I was in awe of his spirit. He is such a playful boy. And like most kids, he loves candy. After talking with us for a bit (and he was quite talkative) we gave him his gift bag. Sam immediately found his ringpop. Yum! We talked with him for a bit and took a few pictures of his cute little self. I wanted to make sure that we had good pictures of Sam's foot for prospective adoptive families. So, I timidly asked our translator to ask Sam to show us his foot. Some of the kids were more shy showing there "special need" than others. Sam is definitely comfortable with who he is. He had no problem with us taking pictures of his foot. With the sucker still in his mouth, he kicked off his shoe, leaned back and plopped his leg up on the table =) I had to laugh! You know allot of these kids must be used to having doctors and orphanage staff examine them. But I tell you this was not what led Sam to be so comfortable. It's just him! Confidence radiates through his outgoing personality.

We wanted to be able to show how capable Sam is, so we asked him to walk around and jump while we video taped him. We even took him out into the hall and had him run around. I remember thinking to myself "All we have to do is find a family who is open to a boy his age. He will capture their heart as soon as they see this video." Unfortunately the disk that we recorded this on is damaged. I could just scream! Really!

At the end of the day we were all wowed by Sam again. Representatives from CCAA, both orphanages, and AAC were all brought to the front of the room. Larry, the president of the Board and founder of AAC was asked to speak. The director of each orphanage and the CCAA Journey of Hope director also gave short speeches thanking every one involved and stating their hopes for the success of the program. Then, to our delight Sam gave a speech! I'm not sure what all he said but it was adorable!

Do you think that you could offer love and a home to help this amazing boy flourish and grow to his full potential? Do you think your family has room in their hearts for the joy this child could bring to your life? Contact us for more information about this outgoing and loving boy.

More Than a File

The Journey of Hope Camp was an experience that no words can describe! Yet here I sit and try. Well...it was an emotional kaleidoscope; feelings of joy, sorrow, amazement, worry, love all mixing together. We enjoyed the time that we spent with these kids so much! In the short time that we were there, we came to care for them deeply. The responsibility of finding families for these children weighs on our hearts heavier than ever because we have met them. We have seen their smiles, felt their hugs and know how much they could flourish in a family of their own. They are more than files and a couple of photos. Time and time again we would be smiling over how wonderful they were and then holding back the tears as our hearts broke for them. The most powerful moment I had while I was in China happened when I was back in my hotel room talking with my kids. They were all missing me (I missing them as well) and wanting me to come home. I explained to them that I would be home very soon but that it was important for me to be there. I told them that I was there to help find families for children who didn't have a mommy or a daddy. In that moment the reality of it hit me like a ton of bricks. I've worked at AAC for more some time now and never has it been so raw to me like it was in that moment. Here were my children, missing their mommy. Wanting their mommy to be there to tuck them in a night, send them off to school in the morning, and hug and kiss them. Then there were these loving children who had never known that. I will never forget that moment of clarity.

Many of you reading this post now are already considering adoption (or adopting again). I urge you to consider these waiting children. They are so much more than the words that we can say about them. Please take a look at our website www.aacadoption.com, click on waiting children from the drop down menu and view their profile. If you feel the strings of your heart being tugged by one of them, feel free to call 970-532-3576 or email info@aacadoption.com anytime. I would love to tell you about my experience with that specific child.

~Nicole