Our S.P Rocks!!!!

Thank You from the Mangiapanella Family

The other day the we received a package from our Secret Pal. Thank you doesn't seem like enough to say. Not only was there all these goodies in the package but in the card they wrote "

We saw how hard the orphanages in our daughters homeland in China were doing in the Ice Storms so we made a donation in your honour to Half The Sky

!"
WOW. Thank you for your kindness and for thinking of us in such a special way. We loved it all.
Donna & Andrew

Thank you to the Raleigh family SP!!

Just a quick note to say thank you for this month's package! We received it late last week but this is the first chance i've had to thank you for it. My mom had a hysterectomy earlier this week and I stayed with her in the hospital. So needless to say, it's been a slightly hectic week. Mom's fine, btw!

I can't seem to locate my camera at the moment, but the ladybug swimming suit, hat, and coverup are absolutely the most adorable things I think I have ever seen! When I opened up the little ladybug bikini, my husband immediately said that "she'll be too young for a bikini!" hehehe...And I love the glow in the dark book...I can't wait to read the books she's been accumulating to her!

Thank you so very much!

Secret Pal

I tested my patience this month by not opening your wonderful gift too early. As always, you have such incredible gifts and thoughts. The books are awesome. You get some really good ones. Some gorgeous, some fun, always entertaining. I just love the ladybug outfit amd the plate is too cute. The soap smells awesome. I haven't used it yet, but I keep smelling it. :)

Thanks so much for everything.

The Shoemakers

Perfect for the Egg Hunt

Dear Secret Pal,
Once again, you have gone completely overboard! The Gymboree outfit you sent is just darling! It arrived yesterday, and the weather today was just right for Sofi to wear the dress and jacket to school for the Easter Egg hunt. The other moms just loved the lady bug barrettes.

The Easter treats are yummy, and you can imagine how quickly Sofia found the Dora fruit snacks in the box. Do those things have some kind of GPS in foil packets, or what!?!? I think the two bunnies are upstairs having a tea party with the jelly beans right now.

I really appreciate your kind words about the wait. I am getting pretty sad about the children that need homes and the parents and siblings who are waiting. Please do not worry about "making up for the lost box." You are such a sweet secret pal to even think you would need to do so. Who knows with the post office...it may show up one day!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful gifts!
Mary

Amys SP

Thank you secret pal for everything. The adorable, shirt, the sweet card and article, the lovely ornament and all the Chinese food. Thanks for signing my blog. You are great. NO worries about WW, all the nutrients are on the back and I can try some of this stuff. You rock!

Charis Vraniak looks apprehensive!

To the Vraniak Secret Pal--Happy Easter to you too!

What a fabulous gift to receive on such a gloomy day! It was rainy and windy all day and then I see our intrepid mailman slogging through it all with a box...and he leaves it at our door! Yea! Len is in NYC for work and I debated (briefly, but I did debate it should be noted...) about waiting until he got home a couple days later. As you can see, I didn't wait! The dress is so adorable and the bib is cute! Can't wait to put the hair clips in that wonderful hair! And who can resist Pooh! I am waiting to open the candy until Len gets here (have to have something left to redeem my impatience!).

Thank you so much for brightening our day (and our year of waiting for that matter!) Charis, our 16 year old cat, looks a little apprehensive about all of this...boy is she in for a life-changing experience!

Cheers,

Lisa and Len

Hi Secret Pal....

Thank you to Kristen H's secret pal....

I just received your January package filled with bath toys!!! Thank you... I love them!

I looked at the post mark and noticed that it was sent on Feb 28th... (to my old address) And I just got it today on Mar. 17th...I guess it took awhile for the package to be forwarded to my new home. Darn USPS!!! Did you get my new address from the moderators? If not, email Amy B., she has it.

I hope you didn't think it was lost... It has arrived safely... and when I find my camera, in an unpacked box somewhere... I'll catch up on posting photos!

Love the Spring Gift!!

Oh my, the refrigerator magnet toy is the cutest toy that I have seen. Little Miss will have so much fun playing with it, I had fun playing with it! Jim wants to know why it quacks at him every time he gets next to the frig, LOL. I just love those flap books they are really cute and I love books that are interactive it helps with more active children to get them to sit down and listen to the story. The rubber duckie is going to join the rubber froggie that I have in the bath tub, it is so cute. And I can’t forget the really cute hair bows. I love it all. Don’t worry about the theme I think your gift says spring which is what we celebrate most this time of year, it was perfect.

Cheers,

Cora

Thank You Secret Pal!

What a great Easter package! We loved the candy, St. Patrick's day sleeper, Easter etch a sketch, cute bag, stuffed chirping duck, Peter Cottontail book, and stroller chimes. Some of the chocolate isn't pictured because I rushed it to the fridge when I got the package. It was 95 degrees outside today. I think we caught it in time! As a matter of fact, I think I'll go and have some now. ;)
Thanks again! You're the greatest secret pal!
--Amy and family

Thank You to The White's Secret Pal

Happy soon to be Spring. I am sooo very ready for this winter to be over. The presents you send always brighten up the day. I Love, Love, Love the little Ralph Lauren dress and the sun shades. It is sooo something I would have bought if I saw it on the rack. Adorable. I know ( Sophie or Molly) will get alot of use out of the tights because I love dresses and ribbons and tights. The Easter bag is very cute. I will have to get her a lavender Easter dress to go with it. I for got to thank you last month for the lady bug blanket. That is my first ladybug item. It will be in her crib when she gets home.
The book is fantastic. It will become my "Bible" before and after our baby gets home. I have only glanced through it, but I can tell it will invaluable. All my sisters have the "What to Expect" books and I wondered how we (adoptive parents) would be able to use them or if we would need something different. I think you found what we need. I cannot wait to read it. Unfortunately, I have not time while I am in school for extra reading. It will be my summer reading.
Thanks again for the wonderful gifts. We very much appreciate your thoughtfulness and kindness.

Shannon and Doug White

Jannett's parcel for Feb arrived safely

Thank you very much, once again, for such a gorgeous gift! Our daughter is getting quite a collection of adorable clothes, mostly from you! OK, so Mummy has been known to make little purchases and stow them away for the future, every so often!! Well, can you believe it has been 11 months already? Let's hope the rest of the wait can pass by so quickly. I hope your cold snowy winter is almost at it's end and spring is starting to make itself seen. We have just begun autumn,not that it actually means much here though, it is still fairlywarm, just a little less humid. We will get cooler weather once winter comes but we NEVER get snow in Brisbane (or frosts or anything much). I'm a dreadful sook when it comes to cold weather! Enjoy the rest of the month, roll on 1 year! Thank you again, Jannett

Thank you Secret Pal from the MacPherson's

Wow you have done it agian, both Andrew and I were totally blown away by all the wonderful gifts. We got the first one a couple of days ago and the second one yesterday (it took a tour of Australian Customs) Much to my delight everything arrived and I can't wait to munch into those chocolate pecan cookies, I have never seen a cookie box that was so beautiful! We just love the lady bug/butterfly spinner and no you have not sent us one before. The lady bug plate and fork and spoon set are just beautiful. The bunny wrap is just so cute and the lady bug jumpsuite (onsie) I just love I carn't wait to put a little person in it. and of cause that beautiful Elephant its just so soft I could not put it down. I am just blown away by how wonderful you are, thank you so much.

Love Melissa and Andrew

Thanks secret pal, your gift arrived safely!

Dear Secret Pal,

Thank you once again for your thoughtfulness! I found out tonight that my good friend, Katherine, did indeed get your gift in Feb. Thank you for sharing with her for the month! You always send amazing gifts that are an encouragement in this crazy wait for our little ones! Thank you again!

Blessings,
Gayly Conard

Thank you to the Monroe's Secret Pal !!!

We received our February Secret Pal gift a few days ago. Thank you for the great note and don't worry about it being late. It sounds like our lives have taken similar paths lately !! I am sure everything will work out just as it should for both of our hubby's !!

The gifts were lovely. It was funny, after I opened the box, I put everything back into it and arranged it just as it was when it arrived so hubby could see it when he came home. Unfortunately, I didn't lock it up in a closet. The cats knew there was a treat or two in there for them so when we got ready to look at the box together, the cats had knocked it off the dresser, torn the box open, took all the gifts out, ate a great deal of the tissue paper, and finally found their toys. What a hoot. Things were strewn all over the bedroom. The good news was none of the gift, other than the cat toys, were chewed up !!!

The PJs are great. I can't wait to try out the bath sizzles shaped like fortune cookies !! And of course, the bibs are TOOOOO cute!! Thank you so much.

Sheryl and David Monroe
Key West, Florida

More love for the Choi Secret Pal

Last month I posted but didn't get the pictures posted. I forgot to post my name though so you wouldn't have known it was from us. I am so careful not to reveal myself to the person I am buying for, but a couple times I almost slipped. So I think I equate anonymity with the secret pal's so I forget to sign my name here so my poor secret pal must be frustrated with us. So here are the pictures from last month. The hat is too cute, the heart tights just make me long for little pudgy legs to put into them and I use the shower soap everyday, it leaves my skin so soft ;) which, up hear in the frozen north, is oh so nice.

The Choi's love our Secret Pal

Here is the scene. Nine AM, I hear a repeating beep, beep, beep. Is it my phone? Alarm clock? Electric toothbrush? No no no. I can't figure it out, I can't find it anywhere. I am on my hands and knees trying to follow this beep, beep, beep. Behind the headboard of our bed I find it! Carbon Monoxide detector. What! I didn't think it worked! Well, I feel fine, pets seem fine. I silence it. Five minutes later BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!! I run around now trying to find the cordless phone, I must be getting frazzled because it is practically in front of my face. Call 911. I am standing outside in 28 degree weather, waiting. Where the heck are they? Who arrived but the mail lady with a package from my awesome secret pal. What great timing. After the house is checked out by all the proper authorities I go inside and open this!
I wish you all could have heard my OOOOS and AHHHHS. I laughed at myself. It was funny. I love the little birdies on all the clothes, too darling. I can't tell you how much I adore the box the soap came in. I get thrilled by cool designs like that and the book is just great. Thank yiou secret pal. You are a GEM!
See next post for pictures I never got to post from last months gift.
Karin and Steven Choi

what an amazing SP

I received the cutest little heart outfit & trio of board books - 2 r Peter Rabbit ones, which ties 4 favourite with Winnie the Pooh. What is amazing is that the package arrived this Thurs., wrapped individually as usual - & this is amidst your BIG house move!!! Thanx again. I hope all is well with u.

Karen in WV

Thank you, Secret Pal! From Lisa Buckshaw

Thank you for such a wonderful collection of gifts . It was a wonderful way to bring in the Chinese New Year. I have to admit that I have not stopped listening to the CD you burned for me. Derryl Penny has such a terrific voice. Track 5 is my favorite!!!! I'll have to download it into my i-tunes for my i-pod.

The little globe is fantastic. I am always amazed at the wonderful gifts you seem to find. Thank you for thinking of me. The wait seems to be getting harder for me and I am getting more than a little bit discouraged by what seems like a never ending process.

Thank You SP!

Thank you SP for the cute bathrobe! It made me giggle, it was so cute!

It made a dreary and rainy day much brighter!

Jana

Just love our Secret Pal!!

Many Thanks to our wonderful Secret Pal!! What a joy to go to the mail box and have a package all the way from Australia in our box. It is very exciting. We love the ladybug travel table and combination carrier. What a great idea for trips in the car. It will let her be creative coloring and drawing while being a cuddle pal on a trip. We just love it!!!!

Jody and Brent

Thank you to Mary's Secret Pal

Dear Secret Pal,
The post office delayed my Secret Pal gift with a little post office box number mix-up, but it has arrived, and it is wonderful! I just cannot believe how generous you are! This box is way over the top, and it was so much fun to open all the valentine and new year’s treats. You even made the card! I think you said you have one daughter at home, and I just can’t imagine how you had time to make a card.

We both love the books you sent and will read them again at bedtime tonight when we hang the pink lantern in her room! I bet she will try to eat dinner with the mini-chopsticks – I wonder how that will work with fajitas?!?!

The three little outfits for DD#2 are as cute as can be. The cupcake shirt even has little sewn-on sprinkles! I can just picture DD#2 prancing around the house in the pink ruffled dress.

Sofia loves the purple love bug (especially the candy hearts) and the M&Ms. Candy is definitely one way to her heart. The heart socks and hair ribbons will be darling on her.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity! Any ONE of these darling gifts would have been a great surprise. Please know that you don’t have to be so extravagant to brighten my day!
Mary

Thanks from the Morrises

Thank you for honoring Hannah Grace with the donation to Half the Sky. I finally got to our home website & wrote you a message. I will try to update with photos soon.
-Charity & all the boys

Thank You From the Vraniak's!

Thank you so much to our secret pal! The doll is adorable and I'm so glad you found one that will look like here! The book and the outfit are fun and we can't wait to use them. So hard to believe that almost a year has gone by since we were LID. If the original time wait was still on we would be looking forward to a match in another few months....it's just hard to believe it could really stretch to 2010. I'm so glad to have you though--getting your gifts every month are a great pick-me-up and we really look forward to opening them up! Only a few more months until I know who you are!

Cheers,

Lisa and Len

Thank you Secret Pal

Thank you Secret Pal for Isabella..

A donation to Half the Sky was this months gift..

Have a Great Month..

Thank You, Kimi's Secret Pal!

I was so excited when I received the package. Because you included January's gifts in this package (new pal, so she was "catching up", isn't that nice of her?) I knew you were from this group and not the March one, but I didn't peek at any of the postal info. In fact, I had the lady at the post office cover the info with a priority sticker before she handed it to me.

My secret pal sent me a Gymboree bodyshirt with matching hair bows and socks, a ladybug hair bow, chopsticks in a quilted pouch and a ladybug wall hook.

Thank you very much, Secret Pal, for ready my blog and sending your condolences as well as such perfect gifts.

Kimi

Belated Thank You.

Here is the post I promised. Thank you so much for the dress and headband, I love them. I have told you before that our taste is very similar but this month proved it. I actually bought that same dress in a bigger size a few weeks ago from Robin at Red Thread Stitches. I have not received the one I ordered yet. I did not however get the adorable matching headband. It looks like Little Miss will be able to wear it for a couple years ;0). I also love the Valentine bib and book. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next month. As for your question about colors for her room, that is a tough one, since in my mind I have redecorated that room several times. I asked Jim and he said “let her pick something and we will design the room around it” (He makes me laugh.) Well, here is some direction although not exactly what you asked for: The walls are yellow. The blinds are white. My favorite color is blue and I want it to be girly but not 100% pink. Let me know if that does not help and I will come up with something better.
Cora

We have the Best Secret Pal!!!

Thank You so much for our February gift. We love everything that you have sent us so far. This month we received the cutest winter outfit for our baby and some conversation hearts candy for us, which I love. The outfit is actually perfect for the Florida winters. Believe it or not, it does get cold for us down here. Thank you for Knitting the hat for our baby too. The Stitches from the Heart Program sounds really neat. We really appreciate you donating a hat in our name.

Thank you again Secret Pal,

Steve and Joanne Griffin

THANK YOU!

I cannot say how much we enjoy getting your thoughtful gifts. You've thought of all of us. I love the pampering gifts. Nick loves Artemis Fowl. He read those books last year. (He's now reading your book again-it's one he didn't own. :) ) He gets so excited to see your package. The granola bars are already gone. The t-shirt is too cute for words. And you pick the best books. I love them all. Thanks so much for everything. Your words of encouragement have been heaven sent. Thank you.

The Shoemakers

Our Secret Pal is the GREATEST!

Happy Valentine Day and Happy Chinese New Year to you. We received your package on Wednesday, February 20, 2008. Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts. We are enjoying the fortune cookies and the tub that they came in is so cute. The ornaments are beautiful and the books are wonderful. The hair accessories are so adorable, I cannot wait to use them once our little girl(s) is home. My husband and I have never heard of Snuggle Puppy, we are looking forward to listening to it this evening.

Maria and Michael
Hershey, PA
4/17/07

~Thank You from the Seabolts~

As always our secret pal is AWESOME!! We received our package yesterday after being out of town for almost a week. It was a nice suprise. I hope that you are feeling better...there is some sort of flu bug going around the office so I hope I am not next.

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness!!

Matt & Jennifer S.

CNY & Valentines Thank you !!!

Dear Secret Pal:

Thank you so much for the Valentines gifts. I asked that you just donate to HFS, I didn't need anything. I Thank you so much. Ping Ping Thanks you too, she said "our SP is so nice".

I never formally Thanked you for the CNY gifts, which we absolutely loved.

I am going to try this pic posting thing again so let's see if it works.

I hope you enjoyed your Valentines Day and CNY.


Julie

To the White family Secret Pal

Happy Valentine's Day.
Thank you so much for the beautiful fancy dress. It can be used for Christmas, New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day. It should get plenty of use. I just need to find a little sweater and tights. Doug always appreciates the candy. He puts them on his desk at work for a mid-afternoon pick me up.
To answer your questions Doug will be 37 on August 11th. I will be 42 on May 5th. Yikes it is hard to see that in writing. And yes, I so called "robbed the cradle" He keeps me young(He He). We will be married 12 years on August 15th. And after many years of trying all options to get pregnant we decided to start the adoption process in July of 2006. We are very happy and at peace with all that has led us to this point and all that the future holds in making this decision. We have no animals. Maybe we will get a fish some day. We live five minutes from the ocean and spend ALOT of time in it or near it. We ski and just returned from a weekend in Vermont. It was great, it snowed the whole time and the skiing was fantastic. We also love Disney. We go at least once a year. I just booked a week in Orlando in June. We are going to go to Seaworld and Universal this time. It will be hard not to go to Disney being so close(maybe I can talk Doug into one day at a park).
Anyway, now you know a little about us. All I know is that you have been married for 19 years. Congratulations on that. Any big plans for your 20th anniversary? I cannot wait to find out more at the end of the swap. Thanks again, and look forward to next month.
Shannon and Doug White

Thank You Secret Pal!

Thank you very much for the Border's gift card! We love Borders, of course! My husband just got one for his birthday, so maybe when he goes to get his stuff, I'll take this one and sneak into the children's book section. I love the children's book section! Martina also loves her Nemo figurine. What fun that you read our blog and know all about our new fish!
Thanks again!
Amy and family

Thanks Secret Pal for the Wonderful Valentine!

We love our Valentine Secret Pal! Lily wore her shirt, socks and pony tail holders yesterday! I have the perfect picture for the frame! I am inspired to work on the scrapbook with my new materials and can't wait to make heart cookies with Lily and Graeme! You are the best!

Amys SP

I dont have a picture but wanted to thank my SP for the awesome box of goodies and the sweet card..OOOh it was Valentines Day central with cookie cutters, a cute outfit, a sweet card, the animal and the candy and much more than I can remember..

thanks

Hooray for our Secret Pal!

Secret Pal - Hi! We received your package on Friday, February 1, 2008, before we left for our trip. Of course, I had to open the box before we left. Again you spoil us with the great gifts. The book is so adorable and the blanket will be put in great use once our little one is home with us. The gloves, mittens, socks, and the sweet treats are wonderful. We will be enjoying our hot cocoa and tea in the great mugs that you sent us.
You do not need to apologies for the lateness of the package, we really appreciate the gifts that you have been sending us.


Maria and Michael
LID 4/17/07

February Heart Warmer!

It was great to find a package waiting on our porch after a long day (Thurs.) spent in high winds and blizzard conditions at the ski slopes. Okay, so I really spend the day in the lodge while Chase snowboards, but the trek to and from the parking lot was brutal, not to mention dealing with the iced over windshield and frozen wipers!

The art book is beautiful and we will enjoy perusing it during the wait. Chase has studied a couple of the paintings featured, and I know he will be interested in reading about all of them, as will Laken someday. It is a valuable addition to our library. The Runaway Bunny is such a sweet classic, and I can't even guess how many times I've read it to Chase since he was an infant. However, his book has been long packed away, so he enjoyed reading Laken's new copy, and pronounced it a very good little story. He didn't remember it?!!!

The Asian girl nesting dolls are just darling, and will be the first item to be lovingly placed on the new shelves we'll install next week in Laken's room. Patrick is on his 5th weekend in a row of painting her room - the trimwork has been grueling! The end is in sight though, and we expect to have her room completed in the next 2 weeks. We've painted it a light, celery green with creamy, off-white trim. I'm using a lot of pink as an accent color, and her quilt is a soft yellow with big pink flowers stitched on it. It is becoming a cheery room that feels like Spring.

It was a nice touch to acknowledge CNY with the mama mouse plus 2 babies cell phone dangle - sooo cute. Thanks, as always, for your good wishes and shared excitement. I look forward to being able to share photos of our lovely girl with you soon.

Thanks again for all of the treasures, they truly brightened our day. Enjoy your travels this month!

With gratitude,

Terri, Patrick, Chase & Laken

My Secret Pal is such a treasure to me !!

We received our January Secret Pal gift today. Even though there were only presents for our future daughter, our cat Zachary didn't mind a bit. He was thrilled with the brown paper the box was wrapped in. He carried the paper all over the house - tripping on it, slobbering on it, and even eating a bit of it before I could wrestle it away from him. The other cats just sat and watched. I imagine they thought he had gone mad.

Our secret pal sent us the sweetest little bib that says "Baby's 1st New Year". We also received 2 really cute Disney shirts and pretty little jeans. We also got two Classic Pooh body suits. It was a great gift and we were so happy to receive it after a really stressful day at work.

Thank you Secret Pal !!! I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day !!
Sheryl and David Monroe
Key West, FL

Jannett's SP sent pandas!

Thank you very much for the gorgeous little clothes with pandas on them. We just love pandas round here, think they are one of the most adorable animals on the planet! I hope your winter isn't treating you too badly. Some parts of the US (and indeed the world) have been very badly hit by colder, stormier winters than usual - I hope you are warm and healthy. Until next time, thank you again,

Jannett

Miracle Pal

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We love it all! I love the red sweater and ivory cords, Chinese New Year stamps and the Dr. Suess book. Graeme is developing quite the wardrobe and personal library. More than anything, I love your timing. Your gift brought a much needed smile to my face and to Lily's. She loves her lip gloss. Thank you so much!

Baby Lem SP

Thank you so much to Baby Lem's SP... I opened the box and found this staring at me...

Now everyone knows how much we like going to Disney - so just imagine what our little one will look like in this.... The jeans are just adorable - you can't see the detail on the onzie but it has different sceens from Pooh...

Thanks so much secret pal!!!! You made my day.... :)

Stormy delivery

We have been having some crazy weather lately. Our secret pal gift arrived on one of those days. We were running around trying to batten down the hatches. Hubby found our package, thankfully enclosed in a plastic bag. He brought it in put it in our spare room, which will be our baby room, which right now is one of those catch-all rooms that we rarely go in. Well I didn't know the package came. In all of the hullaballoo, Steve forgot about it. What a surprise I had when I went in there, days later, to get a blanket! I big package full of darling clothes and outer wear for our little sweetie! Things she will need for days wintry like these. Thank you secret pal! She will be a vision in purple! I love it. As always thanks for thinking of us too with the body wash. I will be using it soon! Wanted to get this posted, I'll include pictures soon.

Thank you Secret Pal,

We got your package last week. It was so wonderful. There were beautiful ornaments and cute ornaments. We loved them all. The books were awesome. Even my husband was amazed at how wonderful the puzzle book was. I loved the Red Buttterfly. It was beautiful. I'm sure our daughter will truly enjoy all of these for years. It's such a treat opening your package to us. Nick was thrilled you remembered him. He's adopted his dad's hometown of Seattle so he's big on the Seahawks and coffee. He also loves dark chocolate which is why he thought you must have known about him with the wonderful mocha granola bars and chocolate you sent before. :) Kids are great! I can't thank you enough for the wonderful Chinese gifts.

Thank you from the Shoemakers!!!

Charity's SP puts her to work!!!

And I am so thankful. The silk box with the photo album is BEAUTIFUL. The boys didn't care what it was, but they sure did notice the pandas on it. As always, another addition to Hannah Grace's hair collection is so much fun. We better hope that she has a head full of hair! Your note was encouraging & heartfelt as always. And to answer your question, no my pictures are NOT in order. That would be a good project to get into during this wait, but I just can't get myself started. The boys will enjoy the twizzlers in a couple of days (we've had the flu hit our house) While we are stuck inside, I'll update the personal blog. I will be sending you a specific post. If you get tired of your snow, send some our way. The boys want to make a snowman. Actually, I do, they want to have a snowball fight. ;)
I can't wait to see what you come up with next.
Charity

Thank you Secret Pal...

Thank you Secret Pal.. I love all the goodies for Isabella..
The picture holder is really cute...
I LOVE dragonflies..
I look forward to next month.. YEAH!!!
You are the best..

Happy January from the Vraniak's

Dear Secret Pal,

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful pink gifts! The flannel jammies are great--I actually have a pair myself, I love flannel jammies! Len is excited about the chocolate--great addition! Can't wait to dress her up in her new clothes and bundle her up in her new blanket--let's hope it's soon!

Cheers,

Lisa and Len Vraniak

To the best Secret Pal!

Thank you so much to our great secret pal! What a treat to receive our special gift this month. Did I tell you how much we love summer time?! The wagon filled with sand toys was so adorable. We can't wait to use it with our precious one. Gabby was thrilled with the Frisbee as were the dogs! I actually had to put the wagon up in the closet so Gabby would not open it up and start using the cute toys. She told me she wanted to take Sasha our cat for a ride in the wagon. Thank you so much you are so special!

Hugs,
Jody, Brent and Gabby Bower

Hi Secret Pal,

As you can see after all of these months I finally figured out how to add a picture to the blog. Thank you so much for this months package. We absolutely love the adorable Pajamas. The bibs are absolutely adorable too. We can't wait to read the book to our baby girl.

Thank you for the cute note too. We are hoping for a much faster referral too.

Thanks again for everything!!!

Joanne

Great Start to the Weekend.

Thank you so much for the great gift, again. The ladybug dinning set is really cute and I love the baby picture book. I can't wait to put pictures of us and the furbabies in it for Little Miss. We have not had a chance to get any of the new stamps yet, so these were a nice surprise. The animals love thier gifts also and they are so appropiate for Chinese New Year, but can't gaurantee they still be here by then, they tend to love thier toys to death :0) Don't worry about changing the months, we loved everything.

Thank you! From Lisa Buckshaw

This month, as always, my Secret Pal sent me wonderful gifts. I know the soft baby comforter will be put to good use. There was also a picture frame that reads along the outside of the frame: "ten perfect fingers...Ten perfect toes." In the box was "My first chopsticks." Where does he/she find these cool things. I think I am the one who will need to use the children's chopsticks. They look easy to use. He/She also included a little piggy bank. Perhaps I could start saving for her college education!!!
Thanks so much, Secret Pal!!!!

Thanx bunches, SP!

As usual, I have received a wonderful package - arrived on my doorstep this snowy, icy day, & was just the pick-me-up I needed. Look @ all the adorable 'loot'...I absolutely love it all!!! & everything was so well-wrapped (I am not as dedicated a SP in the wrapping department).

Never seen the 'chunky' story books b4 & they're so smooth & shiny (perfect tactile stimulation): I (I mean my little girl) got 3!!! I can't wait 2 use the family photo frame, & the 'Why I Chose You' book created a few sniffles (& I'm not the sentimental sort, believe me!!!). Love, love, love the musical Chinese doll, but HOw do u expect me 2 name it when I can't decide on a name 4 my little onel?! ;-0) The outfit & bib r the 1st X'mas-y things I have .

Thanx bunches

Karen

Thank you Secret Pal you are an Angel

Thank you so much for your package yesterday, we LOVE LOVE LOVE the bumper sticker, apron and button!! They have already been put in pride of place around the kitchen and house. Thank you so much again your little letters and gifts really make the wait feel real for this I could never thank you enough.

Love Andrew and Melissa MacPherson (we break for ladybugs!!)

Thanks Pal, you are awesome!

Thanks for the great package we got today! Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies are one of my absolute favorites, I'll have to hide those for me:) I love the Pink ribbon gifts (bag & candle) from Avon and the little lotions 7 shower gel- a woman who impacted my life greatly as a young married woman and then as a new mom died from breast cancer a few years ago so it always hits home for me.

The "S is for Sunshine" is wonderful- we have "S is for Sunflower" (Kansas) which we have used a lot as we are learning our letters, this gives us a new fun one to read! Thank you!

I really appreciate you treating my friend from time to time, I know next month will be awesome for her to receive a treat, they are hoping for a SN referral of a little boy soon:) The last surprise really encouraged her!

We are having a great year with Asem, we have learned so much and really enjoy her! Can't wait to hear where you might get a student from!

Thanks again!
Blessings,
Gayly for our crew

Here's The Complete Post

Martina wanted to pose with the new things for her "baby brother sister." Thanks so much! Everything is great! The plastic tomato was added to the picture by Martina; no, it did not materialize in the package during mailing. :) Thanks again! You've been the greatest secret pal!

Thank You SP!

It's been a crazy few weeks! On the 9th, a foster child placed with me and it's been a whirlwind of action ever since!

The lovey book with the lights was a huge hit and has been a huge lifesaver on several occassions. I heartily recommend it! I love the book on China. Thank you so much - I'm sure that it will be a much used book in the future with all the great photos!

~Jana

Back On Line and Late with THANKS!!!!

Many thanks to my Secret Pal who sent a great package for November and December!!!

I apologize for being very late to offer this thank you...My DSL was out for a while, and getting it fixed came in second to the Christmas rush.

I love the beautiful, soft blanket and the darling outfit. The outfit will be so huggable with a precious little girl inside. Sofia has already put family Christmas pictures in the Who Loves Baby album, so it isn't going into storage for DD#2....she loves to show everyone "her photos," and I love that she can't pull them out of the pages.

I hope your holidays were wonderful, and I appreciate the darling gifts you sent!

Mary

Thanks Secret Pal.

To The White's Secret Pal,

Thank you for the adorable outfit you sent for Gracie, Molly, Sophie, Maddie, ????. I cannot believe we are LID 9 months. If the time of waiting for referral was what they said it would be, we woul be only 5-6 months away from seeing our babies. I do hope we get some sort of speed up, but that is unlikey. I really have not bought much in the clothes department so any outfit is appreciated. I love the colors. She will look so cute in it! Of course you can never go wrong with anything Disney with us. She now has two lullaby C.D.'s, both from you and both great.
Have a healthy month(seems to be alot of sickness around). We cannot wait for next month. It is so exciting to get our gifts.

Shannon and Doug White

Thank You Secret Pal!

We love the diaper bag filled with goodies!! I am running out the door right now, but I took a picture of it and will post it as soon as I can download. I work late tonight, so it may be over the weekend, but before I do the complete post, I wanted to make sure you knew that we got it. Thank you thank you!
Amy and family

Thank you to the Raleigh family SP!!

I was so excited to see another package for us when I got home one night last week! And I was even more excited once I started opening up the goodies inside!! I LOOOOOOOOVE the Colts stuff!! Everytime I see something pink for the Colts, I refrain from buying because I just don't know what size to buy! What you picked out for Dorissa is adorable!!! Now keep your fingers crossed that the Colts continue to be a good team...lol...even if they did lose their shot at back to back superbowls...:(

I love the frames too! I can't wait to put pictures of us with her in them! And add another Corduroy book to the shelf! :)

Thank you again!! I can't wait to see what's in the box next month!!!

I am sorry this is late and I dont have my camera but wanted to thank my SP for my bath things for LynnMarie and the beautiful ornament and I love the card!!!!!

Thank You SP from the Winkler Gals!

SP,

Thank you so very much for the thoughtful gifts you sent! The stocking is wonderful and my girls were thrilled that they were also included!

My Alex is an avid volleyball player and my little one loves, loves to color (her version). We traveled overseas in the military and your gifts are so perfect!

Thanks again,

ME and girls

Thank you Secret Pal from the MacPherson's

To our wonderful Secret pal,

thank you so much for the calender, fridge magnet and ornaments we love them. I got home yesterday to my husband saying we got this I wonder what it is pointing to your parcel. I knew straight away it would be from you (I usually can't wait and open them before Andrew gets home) Andrew was so excited to finally be opening one!! Summer has been wonderful here I just got back to work from two weeks off enjoying the beach, sun and sand! my favorite time of the year. Thank you so much for making my day.

Lots of love
Andrew and Melissa MacPherson

Long Over due THANK YOU.

Dear Secret Pal:

This Thank You is long over due. We did receive the wonderful gifts before Christmas. Ping Ping had to be restrained from opening them, as she looks forward to the gifts every month. But she had to wait till Christmas Day.

She loved the Hello Kitty barrettes, but lost them when she went to school, just one set. Her hair is really super thin and fine.

I loved the outfit and slippers for the next new little one. Boy, I wished I had a pair of slippers like those. I had Ping Ping laughing as I was making a funny attempted to put them on. Ping Ping said,"those are not for you, those are for my sister you silly mudder".

Thank you for the wonderful notes you send every month. I enjoyed the pic of the woman walking the dog on the envelope. It was so cute.

To answer your questions. The birth dates are as follows: Andy, DH is June 9Th,
Ping Ping June 10Th and mine June 19Th. We are a house full of Geminis.
Anniversary date is May 23rd.

Thank you,
Julie We.

Thank You Secret Pal!

This is posted by Amy for Andre and Nancy who are out of town and don't have access to the blog:

To Our Very Creative and Thoughtful April Secret Pals:

We can't post to the blog right now as we are out of town looking after Andre's brother. We just wanted to thank you both so very much for the wonderful gifts that you sent us! We just loved the rice bowl and the chopsticks! The kids are looking forward to teaching their new little sister how to use them! Also, the beautiful ornament...And that you signed it, and dated it, was so very thoughtful and sweet...We just started to collect ornaments for our older daughters so it was just perfect that you bought our new daughter one. Our 10 year old is covered in Dragon tattoos...I have a picture of her that I have to send you when we get back, too funny!! She is the comic relief around here...!! She also put up the window clings in our kitchen, very pretty!! :D The Mickey vintage poster was a hit too, I am going to get it framed for her room. I couldn't get over the book with the 3-D snowflakes and other snow-themes...Just gorgeous!! and the bib, AWWW!! You guys are just too kind for words, thanks so very much!! I had asked Amy to ask you if you could perhaps make up a "fake" email so that we could email sometimes to get to know each other better, and that way your identity would stay "secret"...See if you have time, I think it might be a fun idea if we could, but see if you have time, I know we are all so busy, it's incredible!!

Thank you again for your most thoughtful and very appreciated gifts, and Happy New Year!!

Nancy and Andre

A Happy New Year for Us!

A big package full of wrapped gifts arrived this week, just in time to perk us up from our post-holidays slump. As usual, a lovely handmade card full of well wishes accompanied the goodies. Thank you so much for all of the thoughtful gifts! Thanks also for your congratulations on our match. Size 3T should be perfect for our girl.
A new book for our library is always welcome, and this is an especially fun one since it is accompanied by a stuffed bear representing the main character in the story.

Adorable and soft! If this doesn't fit our Laken, I'll tuck it away for the next one. ;-)

I absolutely ADORE this cherry blossoms coat and hat! How very appropriate. It is so soft and fuzzy inside, Laken will love wearing it.

Wow! My secret pal has wonderful taste, and a weakness for beautiful dresses! We're so lucky....

Thanks again for everything!

With gratitude,

Terri

Baby Lem Secret Pal

Sorry for the delay in posting ~ Baby Lem's pal sent the cutest gifts this month!! Thank you sooooo much!!!! It was fun to have something to open for Baby Lem this year...

The Pooh bib and hat are a great addition to the Disney collection that Baby Lem has started and the Pink Sugglesaurus book will be good reading for bedtime... However the Micky/Minnie glass ornament didn't fare so well in transport :( Tried to find at our Disney Store here to try and exchange but they didn't have any of them...

Thanks again to our SP for all the great gifts!!!

Jannett's secret pal comes through again!

Thank you so much (again) for the lovely gift. I am so sorry to hear you have had such a sad time lately - being over Christmas must make it all the more difficult. Please know my thoughts are with you. The little Christmas clothes were most apprectiated (not to mention CUTE!). Yes, having two children already does make Christmas a lot of fun - they still believe in Santa (or at least are too afraid to voice too much doubt for fear of rocking the boat) and I love all the secrecy and planning that is involved to make each year really special for them. I did however feel this year that someone was missing - you know, our original thoughts would have had our babies with us for next Chrsitmas but now it is so uncertain how many more Christmases we will have before our littlies can be celebrating with us. Am I alone in missing someone I haven't even met yet? Or is that a fairly common theme? You know, my parents gave our 'not yet' daughter her first Christmas present - a book called "Annie's Chair" (her name is going to be Annie, after my great grandmother and many decendants since). I burst into tears on opening it - partially because I wished she was opening it herself but partially because it showed me how supportive Mum and Dad are of our journey to their granddaughter. OK, partially the tears could also have been attributable to the champagne I'd had - it was Christmas!(we don't drink egg nog in the sub tropics!).

Thank you again for the lovely gift!
Jannett