After playing a couple of shows in London, England and then one in Paris, France, Madonna packed up her newly expanded family and made her way out of Paris by private plane in order to make her way to Belgium for the next stop of her newly revived Sticky & Sweet Tour … here are pics of the Maddy Bunch gettin’ out of town yesterday afternoon:

Madonna will be on tour up until early September so she and the kiddies have plenty of private planing ahead of them. It looks like little Miss Mercy James is getting a crash course in luxurious living now that she’s officially part of Maddy’s family. Here’s hoping it’s a successful tour … in every respect.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

After completing her first shows in London and Manchester, England, Madonna has packed up her tour (and family) and has made her way to Paris, France for her next round of Sticky & Sweet Tour shows. Here are cute pics of Maddy and her kiddies — Lourdes Maria, David Banda (in the arms of Maddy’s manager Guy Oseary) and Chifundo Mercy James — upon arrival in Paris and checking into the Ritz hotel:

If Mercy James looks a little bewildered, it’s simply because she’s come such a long way. And not just in miles. The little girl who started life in a spartan African orphanage found herself checking into the sumptuous splendour of the Ritz when Madonna brought the family to Paris. Its five-star luxury could offer no starker contrast to the life Mercy left behind in poverty-stricken Malawi when Madonna won her battle to adopt her last month. And her wide-eyed wonder as she arrived at the historic hotel with the 50-year-old singer showed she is still adjusting to a way of life her friends back home would never even dream of. Clutching her new mother’s hand, four-year-old Mercy insisted on stopping in the street as they got out of their car in front of the hotel. Still holding tight for reassurance, she twisted around to take in the beauty of the Paris street and the imposing facade of the Ritz. In a pale pink hooded jacket, jeans and matching pink pumps,she looked like any little girl dressed by a fashion-conscious mother … Mercy is going to have to get used to travelling – albeit in luxurious style – as her pop star mother shows no signs of slowing down her career. Also in the travelling party were Madonna’s adopted son David, 3, and daughter Lourdes, 13. Only son Rocco, who yesterday attended the Harry Potter premiere in London, could not be seen. Meanwhile Madonna is said to be in talks with Simon Cowell about performing on this year’s series of The X Factor. A show source told The Sun: ‘The last series proved anything is possible when Beyonce performed with Alex – the final got 15 million viewers and that is enough to entice the biggest stars onto our stage. “This year is going to be bigger than ever – we are planning to get the best names in music. Madonna would be so sensational.”

Aww … Mercy in pink — so cute!! Yes, I believe that Rocco was not with the rest of his sibs because he stayed back in London for a bit of extra time with his father Guy Ritchie. It must really be a huge shock to the system for little Mercy to go from an orphanage to the most luxurious places in the world. She is absolutely a beautiful child. Madonna is so lucky to be her mother.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

New reports today insist that Chifundo Mercy James, the precious little Malawian girl that Madonna has been allowed to adopt, boarded a private jet in Malawi that was bound for London, England … presumably to meet up with her new family. The only problem is, no one is completely sure where Madonna is at the moment. She flew in from NYC with her children in tow earlier this week but then left the UK late Friday on another private jet. If Mercy is flying in to London from Malawi, where did Madonna fly off to?

Mercy Chifundo James, the 3-year-old toddler adopted by Madonna, was secretly flown from her home country of Malawi into London early Saturday morning. “A private jet flew in from South Africa and collected her at five minutes to six last evening,” an airport source tells PEOPLE. “She connected to London from Johannesburg at 10:30 p.m.” Mercy, who will be joining big sister, Lourdes, brothers Rocco and David Banda, – also a 3-year-old from Malawi – was accompany by a nanny, a child nurse and another aide. Madonna has homes in England and in the United States … Madonna, who was seen leaving London by private jet Friday afternoon after earlier flying in from New York’s JFK airport, was still expected in Malawi, but no one could confirm when she would arrive. “There are still preparation for her coming,” said a source at Raising Malawi, the charity the singer set up in the African nation. “We still have a two-week booking at Kumbali Lodge.” The Lodge is an exclusive ranch Madonna has been staying during all three of her visits to Malawi. Owner Guy Pickering confirmed his place has been booked for two weeks but could not divulge more. “We don’t discuss our clients; that’s private information,” he said.

HMMM … all of this seems … wrong. My guess is that the report that Mercy left Malawi is a ruse to throw people off track. It seems more likely to me that the little girl was flown to the Kumbali Lodge to meet up with Madonna and co. to begin the bonding process. If the family is scheduled to be in Malawi for a couple of weeks then I’m sure that’s where everyone is meeting up. Whatever the case may be, I am happy to know that the adoption process is moving forward and things appear to be on track. Mercy will return home with her new family soon enough … but for now, bonding. Sounds like a good plan to me.

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Madonna bundled up her kiddies for their weekly sojourn to the Kabbalah Centre in NYC this weekend and she ended up getting her Jesus on too … Jesus Luz, that is, who was spotted escorting Maddy’s eldest child (and only daughter) Lourdes Maria on their way out of their place of worship. Later on in the evening, Maddy left the kids at home and stepped out with her manager Guy Oseary and Jesus to attend the Lady GaGa concert at Terminal 5 in NYC … here are a few pics:

It is plainly obvs that Jesus has fully ingrained himself into Madonna’s very small inner circle. If you are allowed to hang out with her children, you’re in like Flynn. It’s nice that Maddy was able to spend some downtime chillin’ with her family this weekend as her adoption case goes before the Malawian Supreme Court tomorrow. She is not required to be there but I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up going anyway. I imagine she is very stressed but I’m still hoping for the best for her. Fingers crossed.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Earlier today we learned that Madonna suffered an accident in the Hamptons, NY after she fell off a horse she was riding there last evening but earlier in the day, she and her family (including her newly returned toyboy Jesus Luz) were having a grand ol’ time together getting their church on at the Kabbalah Centre in NYC. Here are a few photos of Madonna and her entire brood — including original babydaddy Carlos Leon, daughter Lourdes Maria, eldest son Rocco John, youngest child David Banda and eldest child friend Jesus Luz — making their grand exit from the Centre yesterday morning:

Passers-by outside New York’s Kabbalah centre must have performed a double-take when Madonna and her entourage turned up yesterday. For the Material Girl not only brought her on/off toyboy Jesus Luz, but her ex Carlos Leon also came along. Fueling rumours that the 50-year-old is back with the Brazilian model, 22, the Queen of pop left the centre with Luz and her three children in tow. Leon, is of course, father to Madonna’s eldest child, Lourdes, 12. Also in attendance was her adopted son, David Banda, and Rocco – but his father, Guy Ritchie, was noticeably absent. It’s the second time Madonna has been spotted with Luz since she announced on Twitter that the pair had split. The singer split from the model, who 28 years her junior, days before flying to Malawi in a failed attempt to adopt the three-year-old child Mercy James. It was reported at the time that Madonna had been told there was disquiet in the country about her lifestyle. But since her request to take Mercy James back to New York was refused, it appears Madonna has rekindled her romance with her ex. She is currently appealing after her bid to adopt orphaned Mercy was rejected by the Malawian courts.

Talk about an entourage … that’s quite a happy family she’s got there. It’s a shame their happy togetherness had to be marred by her accident last evening but at least we know that her day started out much better than it ended. It appears that Jesus Luz is back in full swing as Maddy’s companion and, barring interference from Immigration, will likely be spending a lot of time together. I suspect Chuy is currently keeping vigil by Madonna’s bedside in the hospital like a good little toyboy should. Again, I do hope that Madonna suffered no serious injuries and that she will be back on her feet very soon.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Here is our first look at the first photo of Madonna with the young girl, Chifundo Mercy James, who she is hoping to adopt in Malawi. As you may be aware, Madonna has journeyed to Malawi in order to begin the adoption proceedings so that she can add little Miss Mercy to her family (as well as bring her adopted son David Banda back to his homeland to be reunited with his biological father Youhane) but up until now we haven’t been able to see Maddy and Mercy together. While touring the orphanage that has been home to Mercy for the past few years, Madonna was able to spend time with the little girl who is likely to become her daughter … behold:

LITTLE Mercy James looks back at her orphanage home as she walks away to prepare for her new life as MADONNA’s adopted daughter. The Queen of Pop was pictured with Mercy for the first time yesterday as authorities began finalising the adoption arrangements. Four-year-old Mercy held the hand of new sister Lourdes, 12, as she enjoyed her first family outing. They were surrounded by a posse of minders, but Mercy — wearing a blue dress — was seen laughing and smiling as she joined her new family. Madonna spent over an hour in Malawi’s High Court on Monday, when she told Judge Esme Chombo she would be “a deeply loving mother” to Mercy, whose Malawian name is Chifundo. In adoption papers seen by The Sun, Madonna says: “To deny Chifundo the opportunity to be adopted by me could expose her to hardship and emotional trauma which is otherwise avoidable.” The judge will give an official ruling on Friday — but Madonna, 50, has already been told that her application will succeed. The pop queen is due to fly to Britain on Saturday — and has told staff at her London home to “prepare for the arrival of my new little girl”. Madonna celebrated Monday’s successful meeting by throwing a dinner party at her luxury lodge. A charity worker who attended the bash said Madge was drinking wine and hugging her staff — while her adopted son David held Mercy’s hand and ran around excitedly telling guests: “This is my new sister.” The source said: “Madonna looked incredibly proud and happy, and David was so funny — he couldn’t leave Mercy alone and pulled her around all the guests.” Eight-year-old brother Rocco — Madonna’s son with ex-hubby GUY RITCHIE — has also been helping to welcome Mercy into the family by playing with her in the gardens of the lodge. A senior Malawian official yesterday confirmed that Madonna had been told Mercy was hers. The official told The Sun: “This is all very confidential, and Judge Chombo must still make her ruling — but that ruling will be in favour of Madonna. “Madonna is a very good mother and ambassador for Malawi. She has improved the lives of thousands of orphans.” The approval comes after The Sun told how Madonna had recruited two of Malawi’s leading politicians to help secure her second adoption.

Whether or not this report of Madonna’s adoption being a “done deal” is true, I think it’s very telling that Madonna and her children are being allowed to spend time with Mercy James. If officials are fine with the little girl getting to know and spend time with her prospective new family then it seems to me that they’re pretty much on board with approving the adoption. I can’t believe that they would be OK with letting the little girl get close to her possible new family if there was any chance that the adoption might not go thru. Not that I really doubted that Madonna would be approved for her adoption but the photo says more to me than this report does. This may be the first photo of Madonna and Mercy but it surely won’t be the last. What a beautiful family Madonna is making for herself. Madge and her children are very lucky to call Mercy James one of their own.

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Last week we learned that Madonna was planning a trip to Malawi in order to move ahead with the adoption of a Malawian girl named Mercy James. She is said to be currently petitioning the court in Malawi to hear her adoption case. It was reported that Maddy was planning to be in Malawi this weekend and that her case might be heard as early as Monday. Madonna has, in fact, made her way to Malawi and was seen with her eldest child, Lourdes Maria, in the village of Magwelo on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi yesterday afternoon … but she refused to talk at all about the adoption when queried by reporters. Here are a few photos:

Madonna dashed from the airport to an impoverished Malawi village to discuss a school she is planning to build, saying nothing to the hordes of reporters on her trail Sunday about whether she is planning to start the process of adopting a second Malawian child. The singer, casually dressed in a white fedora, walked in Chinkhota, a village near the capital of this AIDS- and poverty-stricken southern African country, holding the hand of her 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes. Dozens of reporters looked on. The 50-year-old Madonna refused to answer questions about reports that she was in Malawi to adopt a 4-year-old girl. She said it was “amazing” to be back in the country where she runs a charity organization and from where she adopted her son David, 3, last year. Then she rushed away in a convoy of at least three sport utility vehicles, as crowds of shouting, waving children ran after her. Madonna was expected to appear Monday in court in Lilongwe, the capital, to sign adoption papers. A security guard with the convoy said Madonna spoke to villagers about building a school, and she was seen looking at an artist’s impression of the proposed building … It was not clear if the school she discussed Sunday was her proposed Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the adoption proceedings have said the girl Madonna is hoping to adopt is about 4 years old and her unmarried mother died soon after she was born. The girl’s father is believed to be alive but no other details were available. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is considered sensitive. A U.S. government official has also confirmed that an adoption bid by Madonna, an American citizen, is under way. Madonna has faced harsh criticism for years over David’s adoption. Children’s advocacy groups accused her of wielding her immense wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption. But locals were not so condemning. Wilson Kalibwanji, a resident of Chinkhota, said he would willingly place his own son in her care to ensure the boy a better life. “We are poor people,” he said Sunday. “If a child’s mother dies, it is hard for the man to bring the child up.” Austin Msowoya, legal researcher with Malawi’s Law Commission, played down concerns that a second adoption by Madonna would violate any laws. He said the best interests of the child would be taken into account — whether that was staying in an orphanage in Malawi or getting “an education with Madonna.” “When you look at these two options, then perhaps it becomes in the best interests of the child to allow the adoption if the parents and the guardians consent to it,” he told Associated Press Television News on Saturday … Madonna told Malawi’s The Nation newspaper that she was considering another adoption but would only do it if she had “the support of the Malawian people and government.” If the adoption goes through, Madonna would become a single mother of four. She also has an 8-year-old son, Rocco, with former husband and British film director Guy Ritchie and her daughter Lourdes from a previous relationship.

I suspect that despite the criticism that has been drawn by Madonna’s desire to adopt again from Malawi, she will be successful in her bid. Again, it is my personal belief that she should be allowed to adopt again from Malawi. As mentioned in the article, I imagine it is extremely difficult for the impoverished people of Malawi to care for their children when one of the parents dies. It would be amazing if all of the orphans could be placed in loving homes that could care for them. I totally understand where the criticism comes from but I cannot help but believe that an adopted child would life a very happier life in Madonna’s care. Despite what anyone thinks of her, I’m convinced she is a loving and caring mother. I hope she is able to bring little Mercy James home to live with her family.

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