It Must Be Confusing to Be a Kid

Apparently Noah and Kaleb were very excited to get to share the good news of visas to William and Marissa. They let them know that the Dodson's had received their visas and could now go get their friends and bring them home. Fantastic news!

Fast forward to today.

William just asked me, "So mama the Dodson's got their pizzas?"

I wonder if he has been thinking the last 24 or so hours, "Man we have pizza once a week, what's up with the Dodson's not being able to get it?" I'm also wondering if it all makes sense to him because we ate pizza in London, so surly you must need pizza in order to come to America.

Time to Act

I'm not trying to be a broken record here...it's just that THIS IS THAT IMPORTANT. Even if you have not adopted, or never intend to, you probably know a family that has or will...help secure their children's future in this country.

Copied from This blog

visit www.equalityforadoptedchildren.org for more information


Support the FACE and FFO Acts!
Exciting things are happening! Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to promote equal rights for adopted children.

The Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act (FACE Act) has been introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives. The FACE Act will allow American families to bring their internationally adopted children home as American citizens instead of as immigrants.

The Families for Orphans Act (FFO Act) has been introduced into the House of Representatives. The FFO Act would establish the Office of Orphan Policy, Diplomacy and Development within the Department of State and provide diplomatic authority to help the 30 million children orphaned worldwide and the 100 million plus vulnerable children who have lost one parent or are at risk of losing parental care.

What you can do:
Sign the petition here: http://www.gopetition.com/petiti... . This petition will be delivered to the U.S. Congress and Senate.

On July 7th, 8th, and 9th, call your three Members of Congress (two in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives). You can find your Representative at www.house.gov . You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov . Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff. For maximum effect, we are asking you to make these calls within this 72-hour window!

Get the word out! Send this email to friends and family. Post to your Facebook, My Space, Twitter, blog or website.

What should you say to your Members of Congress?
This is an issue that is critical to children in need, so speak from your heart. Tell them why ensuring that internationally adopted children have citizenship rights and more children have loving families is so important to you!
Ask your Senators and Representatives to become Co-Sponsors of the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act and the Families For Orphans Act.Please feel free to use the following text as a guideline when speaking with your Member of Congress. “As a constituent of we are requesting that you support the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the legislation. For information on becoming a Co-Sponsor, please contact Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator James Inhofe, Representative Diane Watson or Representative John Boozman. Thank you for representing your constituents by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act. We also are requesting that you support the Families For Orphans Act by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the legislation. For information on becoming a Co-Sponsor, please contact Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator James Inhofe, Representative Diane Watson or Representative John Boozman. Thank you for representing your constituents by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the Families for Orphans Act.”

More about the FACE Act:
Spearheaded by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and James Inhofe (R-OK) and Representatives Diane Watson (D-CA) and John Boozman (R-AR), the FACE Act simplifies the acquisition of citizenship for internationally adopted children and removes these children of American citizens from the immigration process. As it stands now, the internationally adopted child of a U.S. citizen receives U.S. citizenship once the child enters the U.S. to reside permanently. If enacted, the FACE Act would allow such children to acquire U.S. citizenship at the time their adoptions are finalized in the country of the child’s birth. The child would then enter the U.S. as a U.S. citizen with citizenship documentation in hand.

“Passage of the FACE Act will eliminate the need for an immigration visa for internationally adopted children and instead will treat these children as children of American citizens, not immigrants subject to immigration regulations,” said McLane Layton, President of Equality for Adopted Children (EACH) and a member of the Families for Orphans Coalition. “Additionally, the FACE Act classifies internationally adopted children as “citizens from birth” just like children born of Americans overseas, thus providing them with equal rights of citizenship, including the right to run for President of the United States.” “Under current law, the type of immigration visa an adopted child is given to enter the United States determines whether the child receives U.S. citizenship upon entry. Those children who do not receive U.S. citizenship upon entry and whose parents overlook the bureaucratic steps necessary to secure citizenship for their children are often later denied scholarships, passports, and the right to serve in the U.S. military. Most tragically, some young adults who have lived in the United States with loving, American families their entire lives have been deported to their birth countries -- places they have no knowledge or memory of -- for committing minor juvenile offenses.

Half the children adopted internationally each year currently enter the States on the visa that places them at risk,” said Chuck Johnson, a Coalition member and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the National Council for Adoption. “The Face Act will resolve these issues and provide U.S. citizenship to all internationally adopted children of American citizens.” The FACE Act also provides older orphans the ability to be adopted – children who were overlooked in the Hague Treaty on Inter country adoption. “Prior to the Hague’s passage, children age 16 to 18 whose younger siblings had been adopted by an American were able to be adopted by the same American family,” said Terry Baugh, President of Kidsave. “The Hague eliminated all adoption opportunities for children 16 and over. The FACE Act will fix this oversight and expand the opportunity of a permanent family to all children up to age 18.” The full press release is available here http://www.equalityforadoptedchi... . For more information, go here http://www.kidsave.org/advocacy_... .

The Families for Orphans Act (FFOA) will empower the US government to proactively address a global gap in the most basic of human rights – a permanent family for every child. Spearheaded by Representatives Diane Watson (D-CA) and John Boozman (R-AR), The Families for Orphans Act would establish the Office of Orphan Policy, Diplomacy and Development within the Department of State and provide diplomatic authority to help the 30 million children orphaned worldwide and the 100 million plus vulnerable children who have lost one parent or are at risk of losing parental care. The new office would be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to support diplomacy and policy focusing on the preservation of families and the provision of permanent families and legal, permanent relationships for orphans.


The new office will elevate the plight of children, giving the US a clear, dedicated, diplomatic authority to represent the interests of orphaned children. The office will advise the Secretary of State and President in all matters related to global family preservation and permanent parental care for orphans, as well as developing global strategy, including the coordination of all foreign policy and assistance related to global family preservation. The new office will also conduct research designed to better understand the size of the population of children living without parental care and global efforts to support these children. “The Families for Orphans Act emphasizes that activities that keep a child in the country of birth through family preservation, domestic adoption, legal guardianship and kinship care, are always the preferred child welfare methods. However, when these are not timely options, a family through international adoption is clearly in the best interests of those children languishing in orphanages or living in temporary foster care,” said Chuck Johnson, Coalition member and Chief Operating Officer for the National Council For Adoption.

It's Official

My beloved and I have officially decided to pursue the start up of a business that will sell healthy hair and skin products, with a majority of the profits going toward helping to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education, and families to orphans. We still have many details to iron out, but are hopeful to have everything up and running in a handful of months. We need lots of prayer for direction and a name for the company.

Thus the need for an official contest.

Leave a comment with your suggestion for a company name, and maybe even a slogan.

If you are chosen I will send you some hair and skin products to sample...for free.

What will you get...

I don't know..but it will be good I promise :)

FACE Act of 2009 - Petition - Sign this petition here - Signature page - GoPetition

FACE Act of 2009 - Petition - Sign this petition here - Signature page - GoPetition

Shared via AddThis

It's Been a Blessed Year

One year ago today, we landed in Houston with two very frightened little children, one very sick mama, and one daddy praising God we had all made it home.


It was one of those days that will forever be in my memory.


We spent way too long in immigration...with someone with masks and lung x-rays, coughing and hacking away. I remember thinking, great now I'm going to get TB along with everything else.


We got stopped to have our bags check THREE times. I now it was the 20 pounds of coffee that did us in. Apparently coffee is a favorite for covering drugs.


We had William and Marissa on the baggage cart, in front of all our bags. The children waiting for us couldn't see them, and for just a split second thought we had come home with out them.


While we were gone Grace grew a good two inches. So did Kaleb, in fact he surpassed me in height while we were gone. Noah's hands got bigger, a lot bigger. It's surprised me how much they had changed in such a short period of time.


William and Marissa, I think were in a state of shock...or post traumatic stress or something. They just stared at everything, no talking or eating with expressionless faces. Even though they had been looking at pictures of their siblings for weeks, it seemed to shock them that they were actually real, and going to be a part of their lives.


I had never been, nor will I ever be again, so happy to be in Texas.


These two children have brought so much joy to our family. The changes they have gone through in the last year amaze me.


I no longer get urinated on when someone is mad at me.
When they get in trouble the Ugandan mumble is mostly gone.
They eat our food with gusto, and if they don't like it, they no longer throw it on the floor.
William no longer cries at night from a vague pain that he couldn't say where it came from.
Marissa no longer has night terrors.
They love their dog.
They have learned what it means to be a part of a family.
They no longer hide food in their rooms and in the bathroom.
There is no longer jealousy of their siblings.
There are no more screaming fits when reprimanded or told no.
No more parasites.
No more fear.
No more anger.
So much laughter and joy.


In the past year they have got to experience for the first time: swimming, boating, being pulled around behind a boat, huge American playgrounds, fast food, presents on their birthdays and at Christmas, all sorts of decadent deserts, three HEALTHY square meals a day, owning their own clothes, shoes, underwear, and toys, pillows, socks, real ice cream, car seats with seat belts, snuggles from a mom and dad whenever they want, snow, fishing, the ocean, growing a garden, and so many wonderful new things I could never list them all.


They have also experienced sorrow and loss. Loosing a Grandpa they already loved and adored.


They left behind all they had ever known to come and be a part of a world where everything was new. I know I wouldn't have adjusted as well as they have.


I'm proud of them.


I'm even more proud to call them mine.