Tomorrow is the Big Day!

I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight! I hope so, because I was so excited last night after our Skype call that I got very little sleep.

We are ready to go to the airport tomorrow! See?

I really, really like Juan Camilo, the kids' chaperone/social worker from Colombia. He really seems to care about the kids and is getting to know their personalities and strengths and weaknesses. He just sent us a few more helpful updates on Jean, such as:

• He lives in a farm town outside of a big city (he is not used to the big city life and may be overwhelmed by some things). (Good to know, maybe taking him into DC to see the fireworks for the 4th isn't such a good idea, will have to wait and see ...)
• He is a perfectionist. This can be his flaw sometimes because he can get mad at himself if something isn’t done perfectly, but it is also a good thing since he tries hard and puts effort into everything.
• In order to deal with the above, the coordinator suggested that he needs to be given personal space and he will snap out of it very quickly. He likes to process his frustration on his own time. It most likely has nothing to do with you, it’s frustration with his own perfectionism. (So helpful to have this figured out already ...)
• They told us he is the most educated/cultured of the group with the best manners! All of the children struggle with table manners, which is something to keep in mind, but Jean Carlos is very polite and always saying thank you. (How nice!)
• Very funny, loves jokes, music, and singing! A joy to be around.

ONLY ONE MORE DAY!!!!!! Now, off to see if I can get a little sleep ......

More About Summer Miracles

So the purpose of Jean's visit is to find him an adoptive family. Kidsave's approach is to get these overlooked older kids here in person so that potential families can meet them and see how great they are. There are 17 Kidsave children coming from Columbia for the month of July, seven of them to the DC Metro area. During the month there will be weekly events for the public to come meet the children and spend some time getting to know them.

Here are the planned events. If you'd like to attend to meet the kids or learn more about hosting in the future, please make sure to pre-register.

Summer Miracles 2016 Advocacy Events

MONDAY, JULY 4th , Kidsave Fireworks Party & All American Picnic
TIME: 6:00 – 10:00 pm, LOCATION: The Women’s Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery
A new fundraiser for Kidsave this year and a great opportunity to see the DC Fireworks celebration from a great vantage point. More details to follow.

SATURDAY, JULY 9th: Kidsave Pizzeria
TIME: 12:00pm- 2:00pm, LOCATION: The Lab School, 4759 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington, DC
Kids and families make pizza, salads and dessert...then get to eat them all!

SUNDAY, JULY 17th: Kidsave Ductivity & Scavenger Hunt
TIME: 1:00 – 3:00pm, LOCATION: University Center - 1201 Technology Drive, Aberdeen, MD
Kids make various crafts with Duct tape, then a Scavenger Hunt sends all participants outside to find various flora and fauna.

SUNDAY, JULY 24th: Kidsave Art Studio
TIME: 2:00 – 4:00pm, LOCATION: McLean Community Center (The Old Firehouse), 1440 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, VA
Explore your inner artist! Kids and families create artwork to take home.

SATURDAY, JULY 30: Kidsave Olympics
EVENT TIME: 2:00 – 4:00pm, LOCATION: Annandale Park, 4030 Hummer Road, Annandale, VA
Our closing event where kids and families participate in non-traditional field games.

Welcome to Jean's Journey!

Many of you have been reading for some time on Facebook about how our family is hosting an orphan boy from Colombia this summer through Kidsave's Summer Miracles program. It is time to start journaling Jean's adventures in more detail, so I've started a blog.

We met Jean tonight on a Skype call - it was hard to tell who was more excited - him, or us! We have been calling him Jean Carlos all these weeks but found out tonight that he goes by Jean.

We learned that his favorite color is green, he likes to eat chicken, pizza, beans, arepas, and hamburgers, his favorite animal is "el dog", and he is super excited about getting to have swimming lessons and go to football camp. And you should have seen the smile on his face when he learned he'd get fireworks for his 12th birthday on the 4th of July!

Jean and the other Kidsave kids have been at a preparatory camp for the past 10 days and their chaperone, Juan Camilo, told us that Jean falls asleep every night holding the letter we sent him with our pictures and information about our family. He is very excited about getting to have his first airplane ride and says he isn't scared at all. Juan Camilo says Jean makes friends easily and likes to play and joke around with the other kids. He seems to be an easygoing kid who has enjoyed all the activities and likes all the food that has been served to them.

It won't be long until we meet in person! Only 2 more days!