How to Catch a Butterfly

Step1
Look for butterflies during the warmer months. May to August are the best times to spot a beautiful butterfly.


Step2
Know their favorite environments. Butterflies can be found in places like fields, mountains and wildlife refugees. They can also be seen in gardens, near ponds or right outside your door.



Step3
Take a walk around your vegetable or flower garden and look on the flowers or low plants. The butterflies love nectar and are very important pollinators in our ecosystem.




Step4
Spray your hand with sugar water. Butterflies love this sweet substance and will often land right on your hand to take a sip.


Step5
Raise a butterfly from a caterpillar stage and let it hatch. That is the best way to watch it go through it's life changes. Take photographs and keep a journal of your butterfly while you have it contained.


Step6
Buy a bug kit and it usually comes with a net. Slowly approach the butterfly keeping the net behind you or at your side. When it lands quickly sweep your net over the butterfly and catch it. Place it in a container with air holes to study it. Don't keep it too long, the average butterfly only lives about 2 weeks.
Step7


Make a butterfly garden. Grow plants and bushes (like the butterfly bush) to attract butterflies. Look through small binoculars or a magnifying glass to see each spectacular detail. Next time a butterfly flutters by, catch one if you can.

Sarah's going to ride the bus

We visited the special kindergarten for kids that have speech delays. Sarah loved it! They did a speech evaluation on her. She is VERY DELAYED. It is very important for her to go there. They have small classes (about 11 kids) with 2 teachers per class plus one aid. They do speech therapy with the kids 2 times a week. The day is very structured around language focused themes. They also do fun activities with the kids (for example they go swimming once a week). Sarah will ride the bus to school. She was there all day today in a class for observation. She really loved it. She would switch today if she could! She begins in the fall. This kindergarten is run by the city so it is free. We only need to pay for her lunches. I am so happy she has a place in such a great school!!!

A new daughter

My on line friend went to China to adopt Lexi. Lexi ended up having some very serious undiagnosed problems. It was not likely China would even let Lexi be adopted right now because of her present health. It was a very long and sad week for Amy and her husband Derek. Anyway, they refused Lexi's referral and did not adopt Lexi on medical grounds. It was so sad! Then because they had done everything correctly and with the correct attitude China gave them a new referral. They now have a very healthy and beautiful girl named Presley Claire Xue Ries . I am so glad this worked out. I have to believe God places orphans in families. Presley Claire Xue Ries was hand chosen for Amy and Derek. She is really cute and smart! I am so happy for them!!!

My favorite boy still waits

The small boy with the orange colored pants is Seth at New Day Foster care. He is still available for adoption. You all know I want to adopt him...but there is that wonderful husband of mine standing on the side of sanity (as compared to my crazy side of the fence). If you want more information about this majorly cute 3 year old contact me by e-mail and I will be glad to tell you what I know. It boggles my mind! How could such a cute kid be waiting for a family?

amy_heymann @ yahoo. de (remove the spaces)

Maybe it's the age? Tell me it's the age!

I love this one scene in sleepless in Seattle where they are at the airport and Jonah is being really obnoxious with the girlfriend he doesn't like and Tom Hanks says, "He's 8" and the girlfriend says, "He's good at it"!
I talked with a good friend of mine who also has a 10 year old son. Thomas is so critical of everything I say, cook, and do. He gets really obnoxious. Some times I think it's a bounding issue...but other times I think it's just the age. Please tell me it's normal for a 10 year old boy to act like he is the center of the universe. I just want to scream..."It's not all about you"!!! There are other people in this world!!! I could not find the airport scene from sleepless in Seattle, but I love this scene.

Sarah's speech

Sarah came to us barking clear and perfect Chinese. I thought language would be a none issue. One year later and she can not speak a clear sentence in English or German. Now the fact we are speaking 2 languages at home may be the real issue. Learning her 2ND and 3rd language may just be too much. She seems to understand both languages just fine. You just can not understand much of what she says (and she is trying to speak in German like most everyone else). We had a meeting with her kindergarten teachers last night. They love her very much. Sarah does very well there. They want her to stay. We have an appointment at the language kindergarten on Friday. This is a kindergarten that is greed towards kids with language delays. I hate to switch her out of a class that she loves...taking her from such wonderful teachers. I hate to do it but I am almost 100% sure that is what is about to happen. We basically kept telling ourselves Philip only needed more time. He would out grow his delays. He would catch up. He did not catch up. His lack of language skills hurt him socially and academically. Kids are so nice in kindergarten. You are so loved and accepted there. But in grade school, kids can get mean. We are not doing her any favor's waiting until grade school to address this. I just hope we make the best decision for Sarah.

Guatemala and Vietnam say corruption, baby-stealing at heart of crackdown

Here is the CNN article. What can you do if you want to adopt? Part of the problem is the desire of parents wanting to adopt new born babies that are healthy. If parents would choose to adopt older children that are waiting/ and with special needs then they could avoid the whole baby selling thing. It takes time to confirm a child is really an orphan. If people would simply get in the waiting child program instead of the waiting parent program we would see much less of this kind of thing.

devastating day ending with a bit of hope.....

You should read the post of my friend Amy. They need prayer.

Art of life

Seth at New Day is still needing to find his forever family. He is a real treasure. His SN is ToF, this is a heart condition. He already had a surgery, and is scheduled for the final repair in the Fall. If your interested in adopting this little artist, contact Great Wall of China agency.

Bibles in China

Christianity in China is thriving, as Chinese people search for answers amid turbulent times in their country.

" I beg for milk from my neighbors."

-Poor rains, soaring global food prices make children mute, skeletal
-Bizunesh, 3, weighs less than 10 pounds, can't walk or speak
-126,000 severely malnourished Ethiopian children urgently need food, medical care
-Aid agencies appealing for more money to support regular feeding programs
More Here

AAI runs a really wonderful private children's home in Ethiopia, and is also a great adoption agency!

Just keeping our Mexican House need before you

Amy is in China

My on line friend Amy is in China and will be getting her new daughter Lexi tomorrow. It is such a great blessing to see a child adopted.

we are back

It rained the whole time! Sarah was a very good traveler. The boy's on the other hand were not so good. They just have so much energy to burn. It's very hard to keep them happy in a small rental house. We had hoped to be hiking all week. Finally on the last day of our vacation we hiked. It was still cold and wet, but not pouring rain. I was disappointed...but Oh well! Here are some of Sarah's photos.

Sad news

Maria Sue Chapman, adopted and youngest daughter to Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday night in a tragic accident in the family driveway on Wednesday evening.(more Here)

On vacation

Our family will be taking a vacation in the Alps for a week. If I can blog it will be on our family blog. I'm not sure our vacation house has Internet access? We hope to go on allot of hikes, do some swimming, roller blading, and eating apple strudel with real whip cream. We are happy to just get away and have some good family time. Hopefully I will be back in a week.

Half the sky update on China

This letter comes from the director of Half the Sky about the situation in China.

Dear Friends, As word comes of the hundreds, maybe thousands of children lost in the
earthquake, I am finding these emails almost too painful to write. When I think of so many parents who have lost their only child - so many children newly orphaned - so many families destroyed - there are no words..
Still, I will continue to write daily with any new information that has been given to us and confirmed. Again, please do not contact us to inquire about individual institutions. We will give you all of the information we have. If you do not hear from us about a particular place,it likely is not affected. At any rate, we don't have any information beyond what I am passing along to you. As of now, Thursday afternoon in China, there are 14,866 people confirmed dead, 14,463 in Sichuan Province. There are 22,438 people reported missing - 21,020 of them in Deyang alone. There have been 3,300 aftershocks and they continue. Here is the confirmed information we have regarding children in welfare

institutions:
Chengdu: The city continues to experience aftershocks and the institution
director is afraid the water supply will be cut off again, so has
requested disposable diapers. They are having trouble finding sufficient
supplies of milk and formula. All children in foster care have been
located and are fine. The institution has structural cracks but was built
to current earthquake standards and is fundamentally solid. All the
children remain on the first floor of the children's building, mostly in
the cafeteria, and, weather-permitting, outside while awake. We've posted
a few photos on our website.

Chongqing and Yibin orphanages are fine - no building damage, no shortage
of supplies.

The orphanages below report problems. However, please note that not a
single child has been injured; all are fine:
- Zigong CWI needs bedding, powdered milk, crackers and disposable diapers
- Neijiang CWI has suffered some structural damage; one or two children's
dormitories, office building and laundry room have cracked walls.
- Nanchong 2nd SWI has cracks in walls, substantial damage to the ceiling
of a staff building, needs tents
- Mianyang Zitong CWI has severely damaged walls. Children have been
moved to a military base. Urgent need for diapers, bedding, powdered milk
and purified water
Hanzhong CWI (Shaanxi)- Quite a few water pipes burst, the water tower had
cracks. Children have been evacuated and there is need for more tents,
bedding and purified water. We've posted a few photos on our website.
Dujiangyan SWI has evacuated all children. They have no tap water or
electricity in their temporary shelter. They urgently need food, purified
water, diapers and powdered milk.

We are still unable to reach these institutions: Deyang CWI (78 children),
Abazhou CWI (52 children), Guangyuan SWI, Mianzhu SWI

One of our HTS Beijing staff, Ma Lang, is a native of Mianyang, Sichuan,
close to the epicenter. HTS' Director of Child Development, Ma Lang is
both a pediatrician and a child development specialist. She is on her way
home right now to make use of her skills both medically and to help
children traumatized by this disaster. We are so proud of Lang and wish
her safe travels. She has promised to share her journey with all of us.
So soon you'll be hearing from us both!

Usually just before June 1, China's Children's Day, Half the Sky announces a special appeal to help us fund new orphanage programs in the fall While we are committed to starting those new programs and know we will need help to make it happen, we just don't feel we can ask for help improving lives while children in Sichuan are losing theirs. There must be a Children's Day Challenge this year but not at this time. Please do what you can to help children in trouble now, and remember to help the kids of HTS a little later this year.Our hearts and prayers today are especially with the parents who have lost their children in the collapse of schools - Muyu, Xinjian, Juyuan, Liangping, and the rest. Please give what you can to help the children who survive go on with their lives.If you would like to donate to Half the Sky's Children's Earthquake Fund, it would be great if you would do so at Global Giving. The Ford Motor Company announced today that they will match every gift!
http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/2100/proj2086a.html
If you prefer to donate directly to Half the Sky, of course that's fine.
Here are the various ways:
You can donate by calling Half the Sky (+1 510 525 3377) or on our
http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Children%27s+Earthquake+Fund
If you would like a Canadian tax receipt, please donate at
http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s86248
If you would like a Hong Kong tax receipt, please call us at +852 2520
5266 or online at
https://www.paydollar.com/b2c2/eng/charity/payInfo.jsp?charityId=4947
We have been so moved by your support already. Thank you!

with love,
Jenny

Jenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org

Advice to Amy

One of my blog friends will be traveling soon to get her new daughter Lexi. I am calling this post advice to Amy. Amy get a panda phone. We had a panda phone when we first got to China. They deliver it to your hotel. You leave it at your hotel when you leave China. For some dumb reason I left my phone in Shanghai and didn't have it in Guangzhou. Juergen went crazy trying to reach me in Guangzhou (he had returned home early). Get a panda phone. It's so worth the small price! If you bring a laptop, get Skype. You can call everyone back home for pennies. My mom came with us, and she could talk to my dad for an hour a day. Bring snacks...you will eat them! Tea and hot soups, instant oat meal, and peanut butter and crackers are great to have. Sometimes you will need to skip meals because of a child needing a nap or paper work. Small kids love bubbles and play dough. You can buy a plastic place mat to do play dough on. Music calms kids. A small tape player or CD player, or Mp3 player with sweet lullabies can help calm a sad scared child! Take melatonin to help you get over the jet lag. Bring a children's cold medicine because the hotels have air conditioning. It is common for the kids to get a cold. Bring cold medicine for yourself too. I also think Vicks vapor rub is great for a stuffy noise. Sarah had sensitive skin. Try to bring soaps for sensitive skin. Remember to take lots of photos. The number 6 and 9 are lucky in China. Any tips you give should be with a 6 or 9. The number 4 is unlucky. Many hotels don't have a floor 4 or 14. So don't tip someone with a 4. 3% is the normal tip rate. If you like it, buy it. You may not find it again...and you don't have that much time to shop. Think about stuff to give Lexi years from now (perils and even silk for a wedding dress). I had a very stressful trip and did not shop much. If I could do it again, I wish I had bought stuff to give Sarah when she grows up. Never leave your important papers in a bag people can steal. Make a copy of all your important papers (passports and TA's, and visas). Give the copy to a friend who can fax it to you if something gets lost. A women I know of had her back pack stolen. It took days and lots of stress to replace this stuff. It is better safe then sorry! Bank of China is the place to get money. Bring a real credit card and make sure you have a good amount of credit. I brought a debit card, and it didn't work. I had to use my moms credit card. Juergen had one credit card but we maxed out the limit. I never use a credit card at home. I always pay cash, so I did not realize my debit card would not work in China. OK, this is all I can think of now. I am so happy for you! Have a great trip...I will be thinking of you!

3 year old available for adoption

This beautiful boy they call Seth is available for adoption at Great Wall of China. He is the boy dancing in the you tube video a few posts back. I also captured his photos from New Day Foster care. His SN is ToF. This is 4 heart conditions. Seth has had the first surgery for this, and is scheduled to have the second surgery in the fall. My first born daughter Jessica was born with Tof. It sounds really awful, but it's correctable and easy to manage. Juergen will not even look at the slide show or video. I guess that means no. So I'm sharing this with you. I have gotten e-mail from someone who has met this boy. They say he is really sweet and perfect!

All hands on deck

This morning I was watching Reinhard Bonnke speak at a conference on God TV. He was talking about his evangelism video series "Full Flame". Juergen was with Bonnke in Africa for a week a few years ago. Bonnke showed Juergen clips from this series before it was released. The man has amazing passion. He uses his whole self to reach a lost world. In one of the videos (I wish I could show it to you) there are two ships. One ship goes down, and the other ship is signaled to rescue the sinking ship. The ship that is suppose to rescue the sinking ship is full of very "fine" people. They mostly refuse to go out into the rain and help. So 6 crew members go to man only 3 life boats. It is not enough. One passionate crew member jumps into the ruff sea to try to rescue a girl that is about to drown. It made me think about what I would be willing to die for. Is there anything or anyone you would dive into a ruff sea for? I see orphans all over the world going down. They have know one to feed them, give them a good home environment, an education, or love. Millions of children at risk of being exploited. We have a mandate from God to care for the fatherless. Most of us have children that have too many toys, and too much food (our kids are fat). Our children are overly entertained. Our hands are clean...and to be honest we are all a little too "fine". The world is sinking, the call is there. Who will dive into the ruff sea? Some times it really gets to me. I see the need ( and the children of this world are so wonderful and so worth helpping) and I hear the call "All hands on deck"...but so few people are willing to go meet the need. I realise adoption is not right for everyone ( my children are a gift to me...not a missions prodject). What are you willing to give "all" for? The world really is sinking and the needs are overwhelming. We can not "play church".

"The church of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a pleasure boat, but a life boat for saving souls...and every hand is needed on deck".
- Reinhard Bonnke

Traveling families

I just read on a yahoo group that there are adoption families traveling in the area of the earthquake. There are also Heritage groups there (families and kids traveling back to China to learn more about their heritage). Please pray for a safe travel. The situation is unbelievably hard. When I was in China, Juergen could not reach me by phone for a few days. He was so afraid. I hope everyone traveling can contact their families so that no one needs to fear.

Twinkle Twinkle

These are kids at the New Day Foster care center in China.

18,000 people trapped in one city

This is CNN's headline. My heart is so sad! 18,000 people trapped in one city, this is just one of many cities impacted by this tragedy!

Half the sky orphanages are OK

I read this on one web group....


"We have reached the three
orphanages where Half the Sky operates programs: Chengdu, Chongqing and
Yibin. All is well. At each place, the children were all evacuated until
the tremors passed. The buildings suffered no great damage. And no child
was injured."

-Jenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org

7.9-magnitude earthquake in China

China has had a really bad year. The weather has been extreme, and now this earthquake. Oh my! The troubles in this world seem to mount. God protect the people. God protect the children. I know families that will be traveling soon. God bless and keep the traveling families. God protect the waiting children. God, cover all of us with your wing.

The death toll rises.

China says at least 10,000 people are dead but it expects that figure to rise. Rain is hampering the rescue and the aid efforts in worst-hit area. Nearly 900 children were buried when a school building collapses, 50 bodies have been found so far. Some of the kids have managed to pull themselves out from the rubble.

What Mom's say

Mother's day a million miles from yesterday

I remember last Mother's day. I woke up and walked past Sarah's little bed (she was still sleeping in my bedroom). She saw me and screamed for Papa. I said to myself "happy mothers day"!!! I taught Sunday school last year on Mother's day. We made gifts for every ones moms. Nicole made a gift too, but decided to give it to a friend. The only one who said happy mother's day to me (I have 5 kids) was Jessica. She wrote something nice for me at school. All the others, even Juergen forgot. The stress Sarah caused was pretty intense. After church I just went to my bedroom and cried. Today it was so different. Thank God it was so very different! I was able to sleep in. Then Juergen came and wished me happy Mother's day and called me to breakfast. All the kids had a gift. Philip wrote me a card that made me cry (he is academically challenged). It was so much better then those dark days. I want to encourage you. If you don't like the valley you are in...keep on walking. Eventually the scenery will change if you just keep walking! Happy Mothers day!

A song for Mother

cool cuts

I put this on our family blog, but I don't think you all read that blog. Philip and Thomas (now 10 and 9 years old) got a cool hair cut this week! It goes really well with the rollerblades and skateboards!

waiting child

I saw you meet your child today
You kissed your baby joyfully
And as you walked away with her
I played pretend you'd chosen me.

I'm happy for the baby,
yet inside I'm aching miserably
I want to plead as you go by,
"Does no-one want a child of three?"

I saw you meet your child today
In love with her before you met
And as I watched you take her out
I knew it wasn't my turn yet.

I recognize you from last year!
I knew I'd seen your face before!
But you came for a second babe.
Does no-one want a child of four?

I saw you meet your child today
But this time there was something new
A nurse came in and took MY hand
And then she gave my hand to you.

Can this be true?
I'm almost six!
And there are infants here you see?
But then you kissed me and I knew
The child you chose this time was me.

by Debbie Bodie

One of my favorites

There is a waiting girl on the "shared" list with Hep B. She was born in 1998. She is really cute and looks totally healthy. They will not let anyone even look at her file unless you are almost paper ready. I hope someone reading this is interested in adopting a 10 year old girl with Hep B (a totally easy SN). She looks like a real treasure!!! (her ID number is JXX-14-). There are so many waiting treasures. I wish I could show you her photo. She has such a look of strength and confidence. What a great daughter she would be!

I'm Pro China!

I do not agree with all the policies of the Chinese government but I love the Chinese people. Philip is a Thai born Chinese, and Sarah is Chinese. I can not be neutral on the worlds attacks on China...I am pro-China! A line of world leaders and "stars" are lining up calling for the boycott of the Olympics. The Olympics do not belong to the government of China, they belong to the people of this great nation. I will not be silent! I applaud the women who brought the Olympic torch to the top of Mt Everest today! I applaud the effort and thought that went into this amazing act! I applaud China's growth, and steady transformation. It makes mistakes, but it deals with such large problems. So many mouths to feed, educate, employ. Do you think we would do it half as well? I think the West is throwing sticks at a lion! The angry protests will never yield the results it is seeking. It is foolishness! We should continue to bring prosperity to China, the people of China will force the changes we all hope for over time. It can not be forced from the outside...that only closes China up more. If China feels the world is against it, it will become very nationalistic. Do we really want an "Us" against "Them" kind of thing? As far as I'm concerned China has a smile. It sat down with me and eat cereal with blueberry yogurt for breakfast. China gave me Philip and Sarah...it is a great people!

Bunk beds

I had Sarah on my lap today. We were looking at my blog. She watched the you tube video on the center bar "We are ready". She always gets a little nervous when she hears Chinese. I told her I think Chinese girls are so beautiful! She hugged me. Then I asked her if she wanted a Chinese sister. She said yes! I told her they could share a room with bunk beds. Then I asked her how old her sister should be? She said 5 years old. Oh, and she wants the top bunk!

Note: Juergen has not said yes! God gives the man a certain amount of caution and wisdom. Somehow my heart and his judgment keep us in good balance. I'm glad to wait for whatever is right. This is just my heart speaking...nothing more!

the cry of every waiting parent