ADOPTION NEWSLETTER

JANUARY, 2003  

FROM JAN'S DESK..

 Dear Friends and Families,

 It is my sincere prayer that each and every one of you enjoyed a Christ-filled holiday season and that the year ahead of you is one where you will feel His presence and recognize His blessings. 

 This past year was an exciting one for my family and myself.   Our oldest grandchild, Tyler is old enough to really enjoy being in our company and we enjoy watching him discover his "all boy" world.  This past year, the Lord also blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter, Alexis. Jeremy and Liz are a little stingy with her right now.but we look forward to the day she will insist on her time with PaPa and GiGi.  And, our blessings just keep coming.  Our daughter, Alana, announced that Tyler would be welcoming a sister in 2003.  It is so much fun watching our children with their children!  It reaffirms that decision we made years ago to build our family through adoption.  Our family will be..forever growing. 

 2002 was an exceptional year for A.I.M.  We completed the year with a record 76 adoptive placements..which brought our total placements  real close to the 1000 mark!   The grand total is 981 (as of 12/31/02) and we expect to complete our 1000^th adoptive placement in (or near) March of 2003.  The Lord has truly heaped blessings on our agency by allowing us to be a part of His great plan for so many children. . and so many families. 

 I enjoyed visiting with so many of you during the holidays.  It is so heartwarming to spend time together, on the phone or in person, sharing the happenings in our lives.  My prayer for you is that 2003 will bring you a closer walk with our Lord,  joy in your relationships, and prosperity in all things.

                                                         Jan

FAMILY PARTY REVIEW..

Wow!  If you missed the A.I.M. Annual Holiday Party.you really missed a great time!  Over 300 men, women, and children.lots of children!.attended this year's bash.  Jan and Anne were in shock when proud parents brought over one of "our" young men (can't say child about someone is almost 6 feet tall) to say "Hi!".   Then, of course, Alysa (our "first" baby) was there talking about which college she will attend in the fall.  How did they grow up so fast?   It is so appropriate that our families continue to bring their almost-adult-children to agency functions.  What a wonderful was to tell your child that you are proud of the route she took to become yours.  That you are proud of him.  That you support her in giving her the connection she  might need to get answers to questions about her origin.  We feel that attending these functions helps your child deal with the unique-ness of growing up in the world of adoption.   What better way to let him know that you are not threatened by adoption issues.that you KNOW she is YOUR child.but that you know she would not be yours without the loving choice her biological parents made for her. 

Okay, enough of that!  We tend to get carried away about that subject!  Anyway, the party was great.   A special thank you goes out to Sherri Botker for all of her work and planning.  And, we don't want to forget Barbara Davis for bringing her Dunn Handbell Choir and Show Choir for our entertainment.  Mrs. Davis and her talented 4^th graders are always a treat.  Now, Santa!  Double Wow!  Thank you, Santa Rueben.  You've got everything.looks, fantastic clothes-sense, and personality!  See ya next year!

Another person we  want to be sure to let know how much we appreciate him.James, our own DJ.  He provided all of the music for the Spring Picnic.and came back to share his special talent for our Holiday Party.  I guess it is only fair that we offer a little free advertising.anyone needing a DJ for a special event can give Bette a call and she will put you in touch.  

Our silent auction was a huge success due to the dedication and long hours that Elizabeth and Dena put into it.  This is no easy job, folks.  It took a million calls They had things so organized that we are begging them to do it again next year!  Be thinking about what you can contribute to next year's auction.  The use of Elizabeth and John's beach house was sold twice!   Families who hold box seats to sporting events or fine arts events should consider donating tickets that they know they will not be using!  Use your imagination.

In all of the excitement of getting things together for the party, we forgot to bring the little pocket calendars that we give out every year.  If you want one, please let us know and we will send one to you or you can pick it up at the office.

EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR STORY.

We hope to add a "true stories" section to our website.   In order to get a true story, we have to approach true members of the adoption family.  That's you.  Believe it or not, your story is unique and it can bless other members of the adoption family.   We want stories.  We want poems.  We want paintings/drawings.  We want songs.   Whatever method you want to use to share your story, your feelings, your struggles, your joys.  This request is not limited to adoptive parents.  Grandparents, uncles, cousins, friends, siblings.anyone whose life, whose heart was touched by adoption are encouraged to participate.  We will not use last names unless you specifically give us permission.  We would like for you to submit a digital photo or snapshot with your contribution.  We want to be able to publish it along with your story.  The picture is not mandatory.  It can be a picture of your family, yourself, or your child(ren).   You can email your contribution to alandry@dstweb.net or mail it to 2509B FM1960 East, Houston, Texas 77073.

 STAFF NEWS.

Well, Jan figured out a new event to fill her summer and stress Anne further!  Remember, she's used heart bypass surgery for her husband, cancer treatment for herself, and a flood in the past.  Actually, she may have used the flood thing twice.  Well, she's giving us fair warning this time.  She and Alan sold her house and will be moving in May.   They are building within a mile of the Walmart on Louetta.  Jan swears that has nothing to do with her decision.  Right!

Kelly and Jerry have moved into the twilight zone.or they think they have!  Their precious little freshman daughter, Lindsey, is dating!  Not just an occasional date..steadily dating ONE boy.  She's in love.  They can't find any reason to protest!  Her grades have gone up.  She's more responsible around the house.  And, to make matters worse.they like him.  Kelly and Jerry have never been more miserable.  Yep, it's the twilight zone.

Christmas with Mickey!  Denise and Dave have been promising the kids for 15 years to take them to Disney World.  They finally made it between Christmas and New Years.  Actually, they started the New Year off right by being on vacation.  Megan and Matt thought they were much too cool and would be bored.but guess what?  They loved it.  Megan, a budding film maker, got a personal tour of Disney Features Animation. 

Anne and Ron are up to their eyebrows in performing arts right now.  Seventh and eight graders, Jordan and Emili, have been selected to be part of a special choir to perform before the Texas School Board in Dallas next September.  Alysa, a senior, has a part in the UIL one-act play and is part of a four-member youth praise band.  Zackery is in his third year with  Aldine Honor Choir.  Jordan and Alysa are part of a Christain drama group.  Three take piano.  And so on and so forth.  But, nothing amazes them like watching 9 year old Jesse dominate the basketball court!  She is truly amazing.  It helps that she practices at home against the teenage boys in the neighborhood.who don't cut her any slack just because she is 9, or a girl, or born missing her right hand and forearm.  Jesse is proof positive that God doesn't make any mistakes.  Sometimes He just evens the odds.

Charlotte and Pat have a new addition to their family.  Their oldest daughter, Kimberly married Nabil in a beautiful ceremony this month.  If you want to see pictures, the proud new "mother-in-law" has a ton of them! 

THE CLIENT HOLIDAY PARTY.

The pictures on the website say it all!  It was wonderful!  We planned for 100 but did not expect to have that great of a response because we were forced to hold the party on a Friday (when many of our clients work) because the church was booked every Saturday in December.  We were thrilled with the turnout.  We figured that we had about 175 persons attending - including staff and the adoptive parents that served and manned the garage sale.  All of this is possible through the generous donations of our adoptive families.   Several of our guests had not been to the party in several years.   Three young women who had a special relationship with each other and with Anne, started a tradition to attend together every year from now on.  Tiffany, Tiffany, Michelle, and Anne met for supper between Christmas and New Years to reminisce and catch up on each other's life.  They found they had one thing in common.besides the adoption issue.and that was that each one was a blessing in the lives of each of the others.  It was the best part of Anne's holiday and one she will eagerly look forward to each year.

WE WANT TO HELP YOU BRAG!..

And, we have two ways to help.  First, and easiest, is for you to send us a digital picture to add to our Photo Album on the website (www.AIMadoptions.org).  In the comments section of our website, we always get requests to see more pictures.  Posed photos are great.but we also want the cute ones where your little one has been caught being mischievous or with a silly look on her face. 

Another way to help you brag is to offer you a space in one of our "Family Quilts" where you can display a current 5x7 or 8x10 photo of your child(ren).  We are in the process of assembling a new quilt and need pictures.  You would be surprised how many birth parents come into the office and say, "Just think, one day this (pointing to her tummy) baby's picture will be up there.".  Or, the ones who come by the office months or years following placement and go straight to the quilts to look for their little one's picture. 

A.I.M. ADOPTIVE PARENT SEMINAR ..

See the attached flier for all of the details.  We can't say enough about how excited we are to be able to provide this particular seminar for adoptive parents.  Patricia Dorner is a very prominent figure in the field of adoption.  Her knowledge is vast and her experience is varied.  Don't miss it! 

A great bid THANK YOU to everyone that helped make our birth parent's Christmas special with the garage sale.  For months, you showed up with tons and tons of nice used things for the free garage sale.  Then you came and helped set up the sale.and manned it during the party!  Oh, and a special hug for Claire who rented clothing racks to display the clothes.  It made a  great difference in our client's ability to "shop".