HERE is the information about a new book I'm definitely wanting for Christmas. It's called the faces of Layla and it is photos of the orphanage in Ethiopia Juergen and I love to raise money for. I believe a large amount of the money from this book will go to the Layla house. You can buy this book HERE.

Kim just wrote in a comment about this family adopting from Ethiopia. You can also read the really great blog called Owlheaven. They also adopted from Ethiopia. If fact I read about this book on their blog. And if you think you may want to adopt from Ethiopia, AAI is a wonderful agency to work with. We used them when we adopted Philip and Thomas. I just noticed AAI has a very cool new web page! Very cool!

Here is my 2ND slide show. It's called your love makes me sing. I tried so hard to fit everyones photos in, but I just couldn't do it. I thought I had gotten all the photos in the show when I discovered my spam folder was full with over 20 extra pictures. OK, I now have a folder marked Slide show 3! I have spent far to much time in front of my computer, and away from my family this week. It's been a real joy to see all your beautiful children! I got some great e-mail this week. Thank you so much for the feed back. I got one letter today that really touched me. The women wrote...
"Thank you for putting this together (the first slide show). My husband has been rather reluctant, and I was watching
it just as he came in the door from work. Knowing that this wasn't random abstract adoption experiences, but real children with a real home for Christmas, struck a chord within him. God used you in a powerful way in our decision, and he was very moved by your work of art. Thank you for taking the time to do this, moreover, putting it out there to champion kids who need a home."

If we get just one more kid home it would be the greatest blessing! Nothing sells adoption like your beautiful, happy, wonderful children. I'll make number 3 (and maybe even number 4) in time for Valentine's day. If you sent me a photo and you didn't get into this show, you will be in the next one. Until then, I hope you enjoy this show.

Sarah is my nutcracker. Isn't she sweet!

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music. ~William Stafford


I found some music I love for my next slide show project. It's called "Your love makes me sing". It's not a Christmas song but I think it will make an extra special slide show. I want to start with the above quote, and at the end of the slide show write something like "help a child join in the choir...open your heart to adoption". If you want your child's photo in this slide show, then e-mail a jpg to me at my yahoo e-mail address, and put slide show in the subject line. One photo per child please. Also I would love kids from all over the world (domestic and international). Also, only adopted kids please. If you want your biological kids in the show, send me a photo with the biological kids with the adopted child. This is an adoption slide show...I'm sure you understand. Oh, I will need your child's first name. Thanks


You can e-mail us at our Yahoo address.
amy_heymann @ yahoo. de (remove the spaces)

01 Hallelujah(Your...

Other thoughts from today...
First I got an e-mail from the organization Shaohannah’s Hope. They liked the video and I guess as long as I don't use the video for a commercial purpose it's ok that I use the music of Steven Curtis Chapman. It is BTW a very good Christmas CD. We love it! Sarah falls to sleep listening to this CD every night now.
I've gotten some great feedback from the slideshow. This never hurts a persons self worth! Thank you for the great feedback! I've also gotten extra photos. I am thinking I should make another slide show. I need to choose some new music (Christmas music). If you didn't send me a photo in time for the last slide show, go ahead and send me one now. Please just one photo per child. Send it in jpg format and try to send an everyday life kind of picture. A close up looks better on you tube. Please post it to my yahoo mail on the side bar. I just love seeing your beautiful kids.

I don't think I really wrote much about Sarah's first play date last week. Sarah was pretty tired, and Philip and Thomas ended up playing with the little boy. She was suppose to go to his house this afternoon. I met his mom at the kindergarten. She looked stressed and afraid. She can not go home. Her husband beat her up. In fact, she was in the hospital last week. Now she is living in a women's home. My heart hurts for her. Please pray for her and her two beautiful children. Please pray for their protection. Her name starts with M, I don't even want to publish her name. I shake when I even think of such an awful thing. I'll be trying to help them but she also needs legal help and protection. I believe she has plans to move. Her children are beautiful and they deserve so much more!

I lost my links. If you would like me to add your blog link to my new list of links then please leave me a comment. We will rebuild... BIGGER,BETTER, STRONGER, FASTER, ...will will rise up from these ashes like the mighty Phoenix!

Well, I did it! I tried to change my blog templet and I backed up the HTML code. Somehow I managed to lose all my links and side bar information in the process. I'll try to recover the important stuff. Sorry!

I have had two people e-mail me today and they both wrote they do not know how to post a you tube video to their blog. I figured if two people don't know how to do it, at least 20 others don't understand how to do it. I am living with a husband that has a PhD in computer science. With out him, I wouldn't know how to do it either. There are no dumb questions! Here is the blind leading the blind...

1. Watch the video. At the end of my video, or any other you-tube video you watch there will be a message that reads embed.

2. You want to copy and past this information(the embed information) to a new blog post. How do you copy and paste? Here is a website that tells you how to copy stuff. It's a cool trick. If you don't know how to copy stuff...you'll be so happy to learn.

3. Leave me a comment if you decide to post the video to your blog. It's good for my ego!

I spent most of yesterday working on the adoption slide show, but I also made some time to do art work with the kids. We used glitter glue on plain coloring book pages. Once the glue is dry, I'll cut the pictures out and put them on colored paper for nice cards. The boys loved the glitter glue. Sometimes it's hard to get boys to sit down and do some arts and crafts. The glitter glue was a hit! Nicole did her own thing with paper plates (she is writing a book on paper plate crafts). Yesterday she made the cutest big mouth fish.

I just finished my Christmas adoption video. I was surprised it only took one day to make, but I received such great photos from families everywhere. Feel free to add it to your own blog, and tell others about it. The simple message is our kids are our greatest treasure...open your heart to adoption. I want to thank Juergen for letting me spend so much time in front of my computer today. He is such a great dad and husband!

I love the song by Steven Curtis Chapman-All I Really Want for Christmas. I would like to make a slide show of adopted kids using this song. I would post it to youtube. If I can get around 40-50 photos of adopted kids I would make this slide show. I want all sorts of kids pictures. Not just nice portraits, but action shots. In the park, pool, first day of school, Disneyland, eating, birthdays, holidays, sleeping. I only want one photo per child. I also want kids adopted from more then China. Domestic, and international. I would only put the child’s picture on the slide show, and maybe their first name. So if you have an adopted child and you want to be included in this youtube slide show, please send one photo (please just one photo) in jpg format to my yahoo address. Label the mail adoption slide show. Please add your child’s first name. I will post when the slide show is loaded to youtube. Thank you.

amy_heymann @ yahoo. de (remove the spaces)

When I was a child I remember a Christmas my brother got a football helmet, shoulder pads, a Dallas Cowboys jersey, and a new football. All I got was a new night gown, house coat, and slippers. I was so jealous. Last night I was kissing the boys good night. I noticed Thomas had a page of the Lego catalog taped to the wall next to his bed. I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. He said he wanted the whole page of Lego. After all, you just know "so and so" is going to get the whole page of Lego for Christmas. I said I'm not spending that much money on you. It was like $300 worth of Lego. Even if I have the money, I think that is way too much to spend on each child. There are far too many children in this world going to sleep on dirt floors with empty stomachs for me to justify such a purchase. You could see the look of disappointment on his face. I know what's going to happen next. Thomas is going to try to convince Philip and even Sarah they want the other pieces of Lego on that page. In his own way he is trying to keep up with the "Jones". That has everything to do with self worth. Thomas was not adopted until he was 7 years old. He still thinks it's his cool stuff that makes him worth something. The other kids at school re enforce that idea. I want to give him Jesus, but that is one gift he doesn't want...at least not yet. I don't think he will truely understand his worth until he sees himself the way God sees him. He is worth everything.

Philip had his MRI this morning. It will take awhile to take a close look at the 100+ photos, but it seemed to be clear of any obvious abnormalities. Juergens mom is dying from brain tumors so you can imagine how relieved I am his brain looks normal. Still, we are stuck with the question of what now? His memory is very poor. He has very serious learning problems. We are checking into the possibility of ADD-HD (Attention Deficit Disorder /Hyperactivity Disorder). If any of you know anything about this then please leave me a comment or e-mail me at my yahoo address located on the side bar. Thank you for your prayers. I did not sleep last night, I was so afraid of what they may find. I'm so grateful to God he doesn't have a brain tumor.

I made turkey soup for Thanksgiving. The kids wanted noodles and Chinese cabbage instead of corn and potatoes. I also decided to save my pumpkin pie mix for Christmas. I'm fasting sugar until Christmas and I love pumpkin pie. I am also doing some early Christmas decorating. Juergen will probably be spending Christmas week with his parents. His mom, most of you know is very sick. I want to enjoy as much of the season with him early.
Please pray for Philip. We have been worried about his development. He really can not remember anything. He will have an MRI tomorrow. We hope they don't find anything, but on the other hand we don't. It is frustrating not having any cause or treatment for his very serious learning problems. I think if they found something that could be corrected, that would be a blessing. It's been kind of worrisome. He isn't just a slow learner; skills he had learned are being forgotten. He is losing ground. He also stops in mid sentence, like he forgot what he wanted to say. He does this all the time. We need some answers.

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Germany. This is always so strange to me. I'm going to try to bake a pumpkin pie with my kids and cook turkey soup for lunch. I miss my family back home. I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to hug you all this year. I thank God I could also see all of Juergens family too this year. I thank God for all my friends both here and there. I thank God my mom traveled with us to China. I thank God Sarah loves me and owns me as her mama. I thank God for Philip, Thomas, Nicole and Jessica. Most of all I thank God for Juergen. He is the greatest gift God has ever given me apart from his own son Jesus. I thank God for his love! Have a Happy Thanksgiving America. I miss being there today most of all!

Deadlines near for overseas holiday mail deliveries (hint, hint)!!!

Nov. 13: Parcel post to APO/FPO and AE ZIP codes beginning 090-098, 340 and 962-966.

Nov. 27: Space available mail to APO/FPO and AE ZIP codes beginning 090-098, 340 and 962-966.

Dec. 1: Parcel airlift mail to APO/FPO to ZIP code 093.

Dec. 4: Priority mail and first class mail to Africa, Central and South America; parcel airlift mail to APO/FPO ZIP codes 090-092, 094-098, 340 and 962-966; first-class and priority mail to APO/FPO ZIP code 093.

Dec. 11: Priority mail and first class mail to Asia and the Pacific Rim, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East; first-class and priority mail to APO/FPO ZIP codes 090-094, 094-098, 340 and 962-966.
Dec. 12: Express mail to Africa, Central and South America.


Dec. 17: Express mail to Asia and the Pacific Rim, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East.
Dec. 18: Express mail to Canada, APO/FPO ZIP codes 090-092, 094-098, 340 and 962-966.

Dec. 19: Global Express Guaranteed to Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East.
Dec, 20: Global Express Guaranteed to Canada.

Last night I had another strange dream. I thought I would write it down for you. It might entertain you as you are preparing your mega Thanksgiving feasts. It was almost Halloween, and Microsoft Billionaire Bill Gates and his family decided to go trick or treating with our multicultural family. They sent a team of experts out to set everything up. The day before this event, a huge team of house cleaners arrived and cleaned my house (only a mom would dream such a thing). Then the day of the event, a chief came to cook the meal. I was certain they never eat anything prepared by someone who doesn't have the correct security screening! Finally people came to cloth my children in designer Halloween costumes. We of course were accompanied by special agents as we went trick or treating with the Gates family. None of the children were allowed to eat the candy we received. They did get a very generous bag of candy that had been through security. We had a lovely dinner together. Thomas showed off his Lego. Nicole showed off her art. Both received a full scholarship to the University of their Choice. A few weeks later the Gates family surprised us with an extreme home make over. While our house was being renovated, we were treated to a 5 star vacation in Hua Hin Thailand. You know it is winter because I am always dreaming of being in Thailand!

Sarah has her first play date with a little boy from the kindergarten. I had a really hard time waking her up this morning. She had a vaccination yesterday. I hope she is OK. I know the little boy has been counting on coming to our house. I wouldn’t want to disappoint him. Nicole’s best friend in kindergarten was also a boy. The photo was taken at Toys R Us. I took Philip and Sarah there after the doctor’s appointment. Sarah rode a bicycle. I told her she could get a bike for her next birthday. That’s in February. It doesn’t make any since to buy a bike now; it looks like it’s going to snow!

I'm totally in love with a very lovely 2 year old on CHI's new waiting list. Juergen doesn't show any sign of bending, so I'm going to tell you all about her. Who knows, she maybe meant to be your daughter? She just turned two years old. Her SN was ToF, this is 4 different hear defects. Jessica was born with this heart defect. It is correctable. It has been corrected in this beautiful girl. She is now healthy and normal. I can hardly believe she is still waiting...if only Juergen would bend! Oh well, my loss could be your greatest gain!