My New Year's Resolution

...is to blog daily! Hopefully, I really do it!!

Bianca

Please pray for this family

Can you please keep Marina's family in your prayers? They have had an unusually long adoption process (17 months) and they're nearing the end. It's been one hurdle after another. It's been rough. They're anxious and exhausted. Can you pray for peace and favor for them?


Their blog is
www.savingmarina.blogspot.com

This blog

is about to get alot more interesting. ;)

Whoo hoooo!

Why adopt overseas?

Many people ask this question. Why not adopt from the US? My friend, Lori, has a blog post about this and I think it answers the question "Why adopt overseas" very well. It's very eye opening.

Here is the link to her blog post.

http://theharrisfamilyest2003.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-adopt-overseas.html

Bianca

When God's People Pray

A precious little girl, Chrissie, has been lying in a hospital bed for the past 11 days where she is fighting for life. Doctors considered her heart defect to be 'incompatible with life.' People all over the world have been praying for healing for Chrissie and God has performed MIRACLE after MIRACLE after MIRACLE in sweet Chrissie. Please go check out her mom Lorraine's blog!!!

We had our very own miracle when Linden's heart was miraculously healed last July with no need for surgery. We are still praising God for that!! Our baby is a MIRACLE and every day with her is more precious than the day before.

This song was on Lorraine's blog and I clicked on to watch the You tube video. Wow is all I can say. Things do change when people pray.

When God's People pray by Crystal Lewis:

Deep in the dark of despair
Deep in my heart there's a prayer
That faith will reign over fear
That courage and strength will be mine

My heart is heavy I don't understand
Yet I know my life is in your hands

I realize that I am incapable
Of changing alone the impossible
But I believe in miracles
Together our voices will rise

We are not powerless in the face of fear
As one we will stand and make our voices clear

When God's people pray things will change
When God's people pray all the earth will obey
My faith can't be shaken because I have seen
The amazing, miraculous happens
When God's people pray

Our defense in danger
Our light in the midst of life
Our strength in the weakest moment
Our hope through the night, the night
All things are possible when we let go
Let go of what we can't control

When God's people pray things will change
When God's people pray all the earth will obey
My faith can't be shaken because I have seen
The amazing, miraculous happens
When God's people pray
The peace that we need will only come when we get on our knees


When God's people pray you know things will change
When God's people pray all the earth will obey
My faith can't be shaken because I have seen
The amazing, miraculous happens
When God's people pray

Ridin' in the "Stain"

These pictures are so cute. Aislinn has a pink Mustang Power Wheels that she calls her "Stain" ('Stang). She drives that thing all over the yard until the battery dies. She puts her seatbelt on and makes sure that her passenger does as well.





Then, they found some caterpillars...

Have you ever seen anything cuter?

Linden has had some trouble for a few weeks now using her sippy cup so I tried the bottle. She hasn't had a bottle since she's been 5 weeks old so I wasn't sure how she would do. She did great! Sucked the whole bottle of Pediasure down! After about a week of sucking on the bottle, she can use the sippy cup. Yay! Here are two pictures of her last night watching Baby Einstein and having a bottle. I give her the bottle a little more often because it's easier to hold as she has no fingers on her left hand.

19 months old!

We went to a crawfish boil today at my cousin Jada's house. Linden had so much fun. The kids dyed eggs and later pocked them. Linden and Joe pocked and she won!!







She also got to play on the inflatable Fun Jump for the first time. She loved it.
(Look at those eyes!)




Here is she and I and you can see her two bottom teeth that came out at 16 months.


Middle sis and Little sis (Big sis was at Grandma's)


My cousin's little girl, Brooklyn, had some baby ducks and chicks.


I'm including this one because it's too funny :)


With her Paran Kip

Please help Jacob find his family!

Jacob is a 4 year old orphan boy in Eastern Europe who is already living in an institution. He deserves a chance! He deserves a family to cherish him. Currently, Jacob has $0 in his grant fund but you can help by donating via the chip-in in my sidebar. All I'm asking for is for 21 people to donate $21 each. If you'd like to donate more, that would be wonderful. His profile can be found here on www.reecesrainbow.org.



3-21-10 is World Down syndrome Day. What better way to celebrate these children than to give them the chance of a family?



What can $21 buy you? Let's see....
A quarter of a tank of gas [which won't last long]
A DVD [that you may only watch once]...
A bouquet of flowers [that will die]

What can $21 buy for Jacob?
Your $21 tax deductible donation to Jacob's grant fund will be added with other donations to equal a larger amount. That 'small' amount may be all that his future family needs to help them commit to him. That 'small' amount is subtracted from the total amount needed for them to come up with to bring Jacob home. Isn't he worth it?



Thank you from the bottom of my heart! If you are unable to give monetarily at this time, please pray for Jacob to have a family commit to him soon.

Bianca

Because it's Tuesday....

You get to look at this sweet face. Isn't this hilarious? Linden does this all the time, looks at me out the side of her eyes. Spunky girl much?!?!





One of our whole family taken after our Valentine's date

Just sad today

Giving 'it' to God, whatever 'it' may be, is easier said than done. My 'it' is adopting an orphan with special needs. I've been drawn to adoption ever since I was a little girl. Once, when I was about 7 or 8, I was told what an orphan was, a child with no parents. It made me very sad to think about a child perhaps the same age as me that had no family. I decided that I was going to set up my own orphanage where people could bring their kids to our family and we would take care of them rather than them being alone. (Again, this is a 7-8 year old's idea, keep that in mind ;) ) I straightened up my bedroom, put my toys in boxes along the wall, made my bed, gathered blankets and pillows from the other bedrooms in our house and after that was done, I started making signs for our doors. How would someone know our house was an orphanage if we didn't advertise? I put a big sign on our front door with the words "Orphans can live here." It was all set up, now, I waited. I fully expected for people to just start dropping kids off at our house. My mom probably thought that I was just playing around, but it really was all from my heart to save a child. A child saving a child.

Obviously, my bedroom did not become an orphanage, but that burden of 'saving children' has never left me. Before we were married, my now husband and I watched a Dateline NBC episode about the plight of the diabled orphans in Ukraine. It was absolutely heartwrenching to watch these people literally wasting away and forgotten. Many of the institutionalized had Down syndrome and although I didn't know much about it, I knew that they didn't deserve to be treated this way. I told my husband that I wished we could take some of those children in and love them like they should be loved, cherish them like they should be cherished. I don't think he took me seriously.

A year later, my 2nd biological daughter (technically 3rd), Linden, was born in Sept 2008, with Down syndrome. (!!!) I knew before she was born that something was going to be 'different' with her and I expressed that feeling to my husband. A mother's intuition is amazing! Through the Down syndrome message boards that I frequenced, I saw two different families with biological children with DS adopting another child with DS from Reece's Rainbow. It had never occured to me to adopt another child with DS, I didn't know that people did that. We were really overwhelmed at the time with our own children and Linden's health issues. After following those amazing journeys made by amazing families, I was really inspired to adopt another sweetie with Ds 'one day'.

I've followed many adoption journeys in the past year. I've witnessed God's hand in it all. I've seen people worry about the cost and then, somehow, He makes that burden go away by showing them that He is in control. I've seen husbands against adoption in general, finally come around to it and meet their child for the first time and wonder what their worry was in the first place. I've seen an 11 year old girl raise $30,000 in 8 days to bring home her baby sister. I've seen a family fall in love with a child on the angel tree, committing to raise money for them, praying for them to find a family, and ending up being that family themselves. I've seen children weeks away from an adult mental institution find families in the nick of time. I've seen many, many miracles.

This all leads me to the reason why I'm struggling right now. My husband is adamantly against adoption. His reasons (1.He thinks we have enough children. 2. We already have one with special needs. 3. To be honest, I think he only has two reasons..ha!) do make sense to me in a way, however, when weighed against a child like my daughter lying in a crib for their entire lives, wasting away, unloved, forgotten, alone, it is very hard for me to find a good solid reason to say no. I'm burdened with these children's faces. I'm burdened with their stories. The burden isn't so much the problem. I am not always sure with what to do with that burden. Does God want me to adopt one of these children? Does God want me to advocate and raise money for them? Is that enough? Does God want me to leave it up to Him and just go about my life while praying for His will to be done? I wish I knew what His will was..........

Giveaway winner!

Maria won! Maria, your package is on it's way! Have a great weekend everyone!

Want to win a P.S. I Love You dvd?

Got any plans for Valentine's Day? This month on Reece's Rainbow there is a project for the 'Other Angels' (orphans with other special needs other than Down syndrome) I'm doing a giveaway of the movie P.S. I Love You which is the perfect love story to watch Valentine's Day weekend. All you have to do is donate $10 or more to a chip-in that is listed on this post. 100% of your tax deductible donation will go to Reece's Rainbow and will be split equally among these precious children. I'm asking for $10 or more because Paypal charges 30% for donations under $10! This will only be on my blog for a week. The drawing will be on Feb 11 so that I am able to mail the movie off in time. Thank you!

Simple Pleasures

These are some things that just make me so happy!

Every time a family finds a child on Reece's Rainbow!

hearing a new name that I like

waking up to rain falling on our tin roof

Linden's gummy smile


Tristen's art

eating gooey sugar cookies straight out of the oven

getting to take longer than a 10 minute bath without interuption

My girls' smiles


popcorn with Ranch seasoning

getting a bag of hand-me-down clothes for the kiddos

waking up in the middle of the night and thinking it's morning but realizing it's only 2AM

getting a comment on my blog

Joe reaching to hold my hand for no reason

love letters

kisses on my forehead

cuddles with my baby girl first thing in the morning

seeing Linden have so much fun in her Jumperoo

a clean house

the smell of freshly cut grass

watching Joe so happy after his team wins

a Coke first thing in the morning

realizing that a prayer has been answered

meals made in the slow-cooker

people with Down syndrome

This picture

So, what are your simple pleasures?

Please consider Lera!

This sweet girl has lost her adoptive family. She was within weeks of being sent to the institution when they stepped up to adopt her and for whatever reason cannot complete the adoption. Little Lera is so precious and will go to a place where she cannot be adopted out of if she is not saved.



Lera (4)

Girl, Born August 7, 2005

Russia
I LOST MY FAMILY!!
Lera is a gorgeous little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 4 years old. She is quite high functioning, and doing very well. She has flat feet and a systolic heart murmur, but no major heart conditions. She is able to walk and climb, she eats by herself, dances, and understands and follows directions. She has also been transferred to the regular class, so she living and learning with her typical peers.


She will be transferred soon to a place she can not be adopted out of, so please save Lera!
Adoption requirements at www.reecesrainbow.org/waitingchild2.html
SINGLE MOMS ACCEPTED!
Upfront costs: $3000 agency fee + homestudy
For more information please contact Andrea

She has $8,605 in her grant fund!!

Please consider Lera!

Mindy only has NINE days until transfer...

If you are reading this right now and are ready to commit to a sweetie with Down syndrome, PLEASE consider Mindy from Russia.
Her time is in her baby home is running out.
She turns four in 9 days.
She desperately needs to be saved before she's transferred to a mental institution for ADULTS.
She's merely a baby.
She cannot be adopted out of the institution and will probably die within the first year.
PLease join me in praying that Mindy will be spared from that horrible place.



Doesn't she look like Linden?
Oh how I wish that my husband would say yes.....

Please Save Dennis!!!

This sweet little boy has just lost the family who was adopting him. He is going to be transferred to the mental institution on his 4th birthday if someone doesn't come for him soon. Please, please pass the word on about him. He needs a USCIS paper ready family to save him in time. He also has a $5000 grant towards the cost of his adoption. Also, there is a sweet little boy named Alec that faces the same fate in June who also has a $5000 grant. Please consider one or both of these sweet boys!!

This is Dennis


Here is his listing on Reece's Rainbow. The picture of him isn't very good. The blue dots are medicine.

http://www.reecesrainbow.com/newsite/atriskwaiting.html

This is Alec who will be transferred in June 2010 if not adopted.


Zheyna just turned 3 but is at the same orphanage and is at risk as well. He has $1629 in his grant fund.

Tortilla Margherita Pizza- A meal for 5 under $10

This is so quick and easy and my kids love it! Please excuse the not-so-great pictures. ;)

You'll need
flour tortillas (one for each pizza)
a can of petite diced tomatoes
jar of pesto sauce-I use Classico brand found at Wal-Mart for a little over $2
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese



Spread some pesto sauce on the tortillas. You only need about 3 tsp of it. A couple spoonfuls of the tomatoes is good, depending on what you like.


This is how it looks with the cheese before it's baked.


Bake the pizzas for at 450 degrees for 7-10 minutes. When the cheese is bubbling and is starting to get brown, it's done.



Enjoy! I always cut the kids up in 4 pieces.

Tristen

I was taking a bath earlier and praying about what to write about on the blog and it just came to me - clear as day - TRISTEN! Tristen is my 7.5 year old stepdaughter. She's the oldest of our three. She turned five years old one week after Joe and I started dating. She and I don't always see eye to eye and we butt heads alot. See, she has a very strong personality and is very opinionated. She really believes that I should consider her opinions-on anything and everything! Really. In a way, this is one of her best qualities and in a way, her worst. I'm in a constant battle with her:

"Tristen, I do not need your opinion on what I'm going to eat tonight."
"Tristen, I do not need your opinion on whether or not I should wash the dishes now or later."

etc. etc. etc.....

I just want to yell "JUST BE A KID!!!"

See, she hasn't always had it easy. Her mom and dad got divorced when she was a year old and her dad (my husband) has had sole custody of her since then. Her mom has been in and out of her life and this has really confused Tristen. Her dad worked alot the first year he had her alone and she stayed with various relatives. He did the best he possibly knew how to do. He didn't feel like he had time for her to be a baby, so in alot of ways, he pushed her to grow up, perhaps a little too fast. I believe that she's not always sure how to react to situations because of this. Sometimes, she is SUCH a kid about things and other times, very grown up. She has told me before with a very straight face that if I were to leave her dad and move out that they would be fine. She said it with basically no emotion. And that really hurt me. She broke my heart that day. Did I mean nothing to her? I guess I had a bit of a childish reaction. I told myself that I wasn't going to allow myself to be hurt by a little six year old girl. I was just going to shut myself out from forming any bond with her. I was just going to co-exist.

Nope. Not the right answer. Ehhhhh. Wrong answer. After muuuuuch soul searching and praying, I came to the conclusion that I love my husband very much and I love my daughters very much and even if I was scared of Tristen hurting me, she really needs me. She needs a mom. Her walls that she had up blocking me out were just defense mechanisms so that she wouldn't have to be hurt over losing someone else, another mom. And in the last six or so months, our relationship is really getting better. She sees that I'm not. going. anywhere! I'm in for the long haul.

I want her to know that I love her. I want her to know that I'll always be there for her. I want her to read this when she's older and realize that everything that I'm doing for her is because she deserves it. She's worth the crying and screaming and yelling. (I'm the one doing all of those things. HAHA!) She is worth someone sticking around and loving her for who she truly is. It's not always easy, but the best things in life don't come without a cost.

She's a bright, smiley, loving, compassionate girl who LOVES digging in the garden for shiny rocks and slimy bugs. She loves to cook. She's really getting into reading books. She's very interested in coming to mass with me and is getting really good at learning her prayers. She makes a friend everywhere she goes and is a great big sister. Here are a couple pictures of her that I'd like to share.








I love you and I'm very proud of you!

Miss Bianca/Mama (depending on your mood lol)

Our children's purposes

I'm reading this book right now and this page really spoke to me. I often for get that my children (living in my house now and children to come) are all gifts from God. They were only sent to me for a short while but they belong to God. This book was written in 1982 (before I was born) but it is very much up to date. God's word is never old.

This is an excerpt from the book A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming.

"Before I was pregnant with Matthew, I studied the lives of biblical women who had waited for a child. These women were Sarah, the mother of Isaac; Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Rebekah, the mother of Jacob; Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; and Samson's mother. From my study, I gained a conviction that every child comes from God and ought to live for God's purposes.
Each of these women were initially barren. They waited and waited to conceive a child. Since failure to conceived a child was often considered a curse, they experienced torment and ridicule. All of them endured a painful wait. Two of them- Sarah and Elizabeth- reached old age before conceiving.
Was it really necessary for these women to experience the agony of a long wait? Yes, there was a purpose.
God had something special in mind. He wanted to give each of these mothers a special child-a child with a specific purpose-and He wanted to receive the glory. Everyone must know that God did it. The awe and wonder of conception is often lost on us especially since almost anyone can conceive- rich or poor, educated or uneducated, godly or ungodly. We can easily forget the part God plays in every birth.
But God did something special for each of these barren women. Their pregnancies bore the obvious sign of his intervention. They fully realized that God did it.
Unless a sense of wonder accompanies parenthood, we may either take our responsibility too lightly or else cling too tightly to our chilren. God knows that withholding children often produces a different mentality in a waiting mother or father to be.
I wonder if Abraham could have laid his son, Isaac, on the altar if the long wait had not prepared his heart. Would Hannah have given her beloved young son, Samuel, to God's service if he had come much earlier? Did the wait produce a conviction that Samuel came from God and should live for God's purposes, a conviction that she otherwise might now have experienced?
Perhaps another reason God allowed these mothers to endure a long wait was to lay a groundwork of prayer. They knew that these children were children of purpose and promise, and undoubtedly, each of them was much prayed for.
I, too, wanted the convictions of a mother who had waited on God, even though my wait was comparatively short. I prayed, "God, please give me the sense that these women had that this child will be from you and for you."