I've Been Awarded!

September 26, 2008
I just realized a real blog dates your posts for you but for the sake of consistency (and I'm too lazy to edit my former posts) I'll just keep putting the date at the top of my posts.

I got 2 awards both from Noah's mom Tami! She virtually presented me with an 'I Love Your Blog' award and a 'Smile' award. Thank you Tami! I love that you love my crazy-mamma blog! And thank you for the Smile award even though I spend most of my time complaining. I got to *know* Tami through her blog which I found on a mass list of people adopting from Taiwan. I recognized her angelic Noah in a picture on another Taiwan adopting blog and emailed her. Since then we've been in close contact and even though we live thousands of miles apart (me in California and her in Louisiana) I had the honor of meeting her little man in Taiwan when we were picking up our baby girl. Tami has been incredibly supportive and alway quick to offer kind words to any and all situations. So thank you Tami for being such a wonderful virtual friend. I hope we meet someday.

The Smile Award

Sadly I am disqualified from the Smile award because I don't have Characteristic #7 below. :-) In all honesty, just about everyone I'm in contact with has already been selected and bestowing it on people who don't know me may permanently classify me as lurking whacko and result in me being banned from their blogs. So I'll do my best to find 5, previously unselected, recipients who know me and are known by me.

Here are the Smile award rules:
1. The recipient must link back to the award's creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive this award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Here are the Smile award characteristics:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times - we're all human)
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes (Ahhh - I see now why I got this award!)
4. Must learn from others.
5. Must be a positive contributor to the blog world.
6. Must love life.
7. Must love kids.

I Love Your Blog Award
I think I only need to select one 'I Love Your Blog' recipient but since I follow SO many blogs, I couldn't stay at just one.

So here goes!

1. 'I Love Your Blog' award to Kimberly at Watching Rachel Grow. Kimberly doesn't know me from Patricia but I've been following her blog since way back when we first signed on with our agency (we both used the same agency). I even went back and read her Gotcha Day posts when we were in Taiwan because our situation seemed so similar. I almost emailed her while there for some support! Kimberly - I'm checking back often to check on your next referral!

2. 'I Love Your Blog' award to Sophie's mom at Bao Bao in Brooklyn. A blogger who doesn't know me from LaShonda and, I'm embarrassed to say, I don't even know Sophie's mom's name but her blog was the first one I added to my Google Reader list so it's the first to appear every morning when I check new posts. Sophie's sweet little face has been a wonderful image to start my day. She's so adorable and I've loved watching her grow.

3. 'Smile' award and 'I Love Your Blog' award to Tamara at Journey to Jia Lyn. Tamara was the first to congratulate us when we were matched with Jaden and has been a support to me ever since, PMing me to let me know my house isn't the only war zone out there. Tamara's family has recently been matched with their baby girl in Korea so I'm glued to her blog as I watch for progress towards their Gotcha Day.

4 & 5. 'Smile' award and 'I Love Your Blog' award to both Jennifer at Preteens, Toddlers and Newborns Oh My and Andrea at The Good, The Bad and The Crafty. I met these lovely ladies nearly 3 years ago when our now 4 year olds attended a parent-toddler program together. Now they're all in preschool together and the 3 of us are on our 2nd batch of parent-toddler kiddos. The sacrafices they make to be involved in their children's lives has been very inspirational to me. I love following their blogs and have forever been promising to send them a link to mine. Well, here ya go!

There are so many more that I LOVE but they've already been selected (Jackie, Lora, Marina, Tiff, Lori) or have private blogs (Nancy, Eryn, Susan and Holli). If I can come up with 2 more 'Smile' award recipients, I'll post them tomorrow (gotta get back to work!). Again, thank you so much Tami. I'm feelin' extra special today. :-)

In honor of my 'Smile' award, let's hope this puts one on your face. When Mike went to fold the laundry (yes, yes, I know. He's a keeper - does the laundry and vacuums) he found an extra surprise hunkered down inside.

He love love love's the fact that she's a Daddy's girl.