The Gifts.

So, being our second time around, you'd think I'd be a good resource for all things adoption...

uh, not so much!!

It seems my mind went completely blank (mostly because I thought we were done adopting!) after Zoey was finalized and seriously, I forgot just about everything!!

Fortunately, I have an army of awesome adoptive mamas I've met over the years who keep me informed!

But one of the main topics always at the top of list for discussion is gift giving...

Gifts for foster family members, agency staff, social workers, tour guides, the list goes on.

Sometimes I feel a little stressed as it can be a quite overwhelming...

what do you give these people, who have done so much for your family?

So I decided to try and think of something that would help these amazing people realize what an impact they have on our lives.  Namely, the staff at Holt Korea.

But I need your help!!

I would love to put together a book of Holt adoptive families with a letter of thanks and an updated picture of their family or child!

What a wonderful way to show these amazing people how they helped bring our families together, care for our children before they joined us and made sure to make our children's transition to our family as smooth as possible!

I realize that many families already send letters and updates to their child's foster families, but usually, the entire staff doesn't get to see these updates and pics, nor is the letter directed at them, so I thought this would be  great way to show the staff how much we really appreciate everything they do too!

 I'd like to start collecting now to get ready!

So, if you'd like to participate, here's what I need from you!

1.  An 8.5 x11 sheet of paper (plain white, colored card stock, scrap book paper, whatever you'd like!) with a thank you letter, in either English or Korean directed at the Holt Korea staff. (This would include social workers, office staff, doctors, nurses, etc.! Be sure to identify your family!  I think including your family's last name or child's Korean name would be great so it's recognizable by the staff!)

2.  A recent picture of either your family or adopted child, whichever you prefer, attached to either the bottom of your letter (if there's room) or on a separate sheet of paper.  (I think a 5x7 or larger would be best, but standard size will still work too!)

3.  Email me at kimbapandkimchi@gmail.com to get my address (or Facebook me if we're friends!) to mail to my house!

I'll be collecting each letter and picture and adding them to a book with page protectors.

And because I still have absolutely no idea when I'll be going, there is really no deadline at the moment, but the sooner the better to start compiling!  (As it gets closer to travel, I'll let you know!)

I'd love nothing more than to walk into Holt with books full of thankful letters and updates on the children they helped find homes for! What an amazing gift we could bring to them by showing our gratitude!

And I would be honored to just have the title of 'book carrier' as this gift is truly from all adoptive families...

and don't forget, I'm also still collecting donations to take to Holt Korea when I travel!  The current needs are Gerber Puffs and Aveeno Baby Lotion, all of which can be ordered and shipped directly to my house thru amazon.com!  Use THIS link to connect to amazon and Holt gets a percentage of the proceeds!  (again, just email me for my addy!)

And now, back to the drawing board for the list of other people on my gift list!!

Phew!