Princess dress & superhero cape fundraiser

NEW FUNDRAISER: I have been given the opportunity to sell princess dresses and superhero capes to help raise money for Qing Qing's adoption! These are very high quality items and would make great Christmas gifts! So if you have kids/nieces/nephews/grandkids/neighbor kids/students/etc, check these out! Be sure to choose "The Cloutier Family" on the pull-down list to ensure that the funds will go to Qing Qing's adoption. Thank you!!
Capes: tinyurl.com/capesforacause
Dresses: tinyurl.com/dressforacause

And in case you need any more convincing...look how gorgeous Christina is in one of her new princess dresses!

Bracelet & Christmas Ornament fundraiser

I am SO EXCITED about the ApParent Project fundraiser I just launched on Wednesday night! I love this fundraiser because not only will it help me bring Qing Qing home from China, but it also helps Haitian families stay together (and you know I love Haitian families)!

{Soapbox warning!} Way too frequently in Haiti, families turn to orphanages to raise their kids because they don't have the means to provide for themselves & their families, often due to unemployment and/or lack of skills and education. This is a huge problem in Haiti and has resulted in far too many children growing up in institutions, separated from their parents who love them & who wish they could raise their children themselves. Not only that, but only a very small percentage of kids in Haitian orphanages (even those who are "true" orphans with no living parents) will ever be adopted. In recent years, as this problem has become more visible and better understood, more and more organizations in Haiti are turning their attention to this root of the "orphan crisis" in Haiti -- moms and dads who love their kids but need someone to come alongside them to help them get on their feet, through health care, education, skills training, and jobs.

ApParent Project is one of these organizations. From the AP website: "Our focus is on our mission… to “make the needs of Haiti known,” to offer opportunities for the Haitians be able to provide for themselves and their families, empowering them to rise up out of poverty… to be able to keep their families together… to avoid relinquishing their children to orphanages." One of the ways AP does this is by employing artisans to make beautiful handmade products -- not only jewelry and ornaments, but also coffee mugs, purses, wall art, dolls, and more. By providing jobs for these men and women, AP is helping to keep kids out of orphanages & with their families...thereby helping to ensure a stronger and better future for not just these families, but also for the generations to come.

So. All that to say, I am so excited to get to do this fundraiser & to be a small part of what AP is doing for families in Haiti while also working to bring Qing Qing home to our family! Here is a short video that shows more about how ApParent Project works:

This fundraiser is mainly happening on Facebook (so if you want to check it out there, search for "Becoming Forever Cloutier Adoption Fundraising"), but I wanted to post about it here, too, in case anyone who isnt on Facebook is interested in purchasing. I'll try to keep it updated here (when items sell), but there may be a bit of a delay (so just be aware when you request an item, there's a chance it may have already sold on Facebook). Here is how this will work:

To claim your item, comment on this post (or email/text me) with the item(s) you would like & how you plan to pay.

Payment options are:
1. Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BethCloutier
2. Check (let me know if you need my address)
3. Cash (local buyers only)

Each item is $10; if you need me to ship your purchase to you, please add $5 (total, not per item).

Let me know if you have any questions! Happy shopping!

SOLD OUT

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Meet Qing Qing

Qing Qing's hosting profile -- hers was one of about 10 that I
received of kids who were still in need of host families when
I started thinking & praying about hosting in late March 2016.

This is a bit overdue, considering I'm already about a month and a half (give or take) into the adoption process, but for those of you who didn't have an opportunity to meet Qing Qing when she stayed with us this summer, I thought I would give a little introduction (though if you've followed my posts on social media over the last few months, you've already gotten to see a glimpse of how amazing and sweet she is)!

Qing Qing just turned 11 at the beginning of this month, and she loves coloring, reading books, Disney princesses, playing in the pool, dancing, popsicles and Goldfish crackers, and folding laundry (yes, really)! She also is an excellent car napper -- she usually fell asleep in the car within 10 minutes while she was here, no matter where we were going! Like Christina, Qing Qing is very good at "going with the flow" -- although so much of the three weeks she spent in the US was brand new to her, she pretty much took everything in stride, even the insane July Texas heat! She also is very smart & quick to catch on to things, even in a new culture and a new language! She loves to be a helper & was my little sidekick for everything from cooking meals & making beds to helping Christina with her shoes & putting groceries in the shopping cart. And best of all, she and Christina became fast friends; the bond that developed between the two of them even in such a short time was absolutely beautiful to see. I am so excited to see this relationship grow even more once they're officially SISTERS!

Medically speaking, Qing Qing has Down syndrome and also had surgery when she was seven to repair a hole in her heart. Currently, she is very healthy and isn't under any medical restrictions, though we'll follow up with a cardiologist when she comes back to the US to make sure her heart is still doing well! She is somewhat delayed developmentally, but as I already mentioned, I was very impressed while she was here at how quickly she caught on to things and her overall independence in doing tasks and "ADLs" (activities of daily living). 

Currently, it's looking like the adoption process will likely be complete sometime between the end of

next spring and maybe the middle of summer, if all goes well. I'm nearing the end of the first big stage of the process -- compiling everything for my dossier -- and after that my dossier will go to China for the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption) to process and decide whether or not they will officially approve me to adopt Qing Qing (I received "soft" approval at the beginning of August). So for now, it's lots of prayers, paperwork, fundraising, and more prayers & paperwork! :) I'm so grateful for all of the many people who have supported me time and time again through prayers, participating in fundraisers, and sending a note (or text or email) of encouragement along the way -- I could not do this alone! I wish there was a stronger way to say "thank you," but since that's the best I can do, how about I also throw in the Kreyol and Mandarin: Mesi & 谢谢 (Xièxiè)!!!