Friday, December 2, 2011
Half way there baby!
Now that I've gotten to the halfway mark for Stacy, I feel the need to help some of those who are having a hard time fundraising. So I am going to direct donations from Stacys store to other orphans for part of the next month. I've asked warriors on my Facebook group to let me know if they want my help. I will just ask that they spread the word on the store, and try to get buyers. I feel like the way it's gone for Stacy, I'll be left with all my stuff at the end of this, and I'd rather the money go to someone. So watch for me to announce who will be the first orphan to benefit! If you haven't donated yet, please consider doing so, even $5 makes a difference, believe it or not!
Last but not least, my little Kellan is making BIG progress in the walking department! His PT is going to put him on the treadmill next week! So watch for photos there too!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Christmas Angels
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
To save Lilly and Vanessa
These two girls have a whole lot in common. They are both beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls who happen to have Down syndrome. They both have heart conditions and need to see a cardiologist ASAP. They both are listed on Reece's Rainbow. They are both in the same region in Russia. They are very close in age, Lilly is 4, Vanessa is 2. They both have very little money in their adoption grants. They are both living on borrowed time. They both have no mommy or daddy to call their own. They both have no one to love them, tuck them in at night, cuddle them when they are hurt, sick, or scared. But the biggest and best thing (I think) they have in common, is a whole lotta people who pray for them, love them from afar. I have encountered many a momma, and sisters, who love these two and want nothing more than to see them find a home, yesterday.
Now the problem is this: none of us have an iPad or fancy camera, or lots of gift cards to give away. And most of us have blogs with not too many followers. We don't have the traffic, but we have the voices. Together, I believe we can be heard. I believe that people will give, even without the prospect of winning a prize. That being said, I know that great prizes also help alot, so if anyone has any to donate, contact me!! I would love to put together an awesome give-away, or help someone else host one. I believe the key to finding their forever family is to pour money into their adoption grants. I believe their forever family's are already out there, and already know it, they are just trying to figure out how to pay the ransom. That's where we come in. I am asking, no begging, for your help. I am putting Lilly's picture as my profile picture on Facebook for the next week or so, then Vanessa's, then back to Lilly's. Will you change yours too? I am adding a chip-in to my blog. I am starting with just Lilly, frankly because I am scared, scared no one will donate, scared no one will share. But I am even more scared for these girls, that they will not live to see a family if someone doesn't do something soon. Never done this before, but I am taking a deep breath and jumping in. I am donating the first $10, will you give too?
(all chip-ins go to Reeces Rainbow via paypal and are tax-deductible).
BTW, there are 2 awesome girls that are working hard to help Lilly as well, http://www.handiworkforelijah.blogspot.com/. Check them out!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Look what Kellan can do!
http://youtu.be/oix93-p5qLM
We are SO proud of him, and as you can see, he's pretty proud of himself! It makes me sad, in a way, because it means he is growing up, and I rather enjoy this meandering through babyhood! As I type this, he is cuddled up next to me in my bed, sucking his thumb and running his blankie through his fingers, drifting off into dreamland! He's so darn sweet! He was a rockstar at speech this week, imitating almost everything miss Vicki would do. He has picked up on putting his finger to his lips like he's saying "shhhh"!!
That started the other day when he was talking on his pretend phone and Justin was trying to get his attention. Kellan turned around to him with his finger on his lips, it was so funny! I tried to upload that photo but it's not working for some reason, but it's on my Facebook page under mobile uploads.
As July is already half over, I can pretty much say I did not do so well on the 5/5/5 warrior fundraising. My Tupperware fundraiser went good, it should bring in almost $200, but the rest did not. I will try again at Christmas time. I have my eye on a little peach named Lilly at Reeces Rainbow, but I feel like I should probably continue to raise funds for Miss Kaitlyn. Who knows, maybe they'll both have families by then!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Little help here!
Good night!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Pillowcases (and more) for Katelyn
Friday, May 13, 2011
5/5/5 Warrior
Monday, April 4, 2011
18 months?!?! Really?
Monday, February 28, 2011
A day to save Olga...I got it published! thanks, Patti!
So many of you already know this beautiful little face....
Olga turned five last month. She has spent the last five years in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, without the love of a mommy and daddy- simply because she arrived in life exactly as God designed her. One chromosome too many, and her fate was sealed from birth.
Sealed, because in Eastern Europe, babies who are born with Down syndrome are deemed unacceptable at birth. They are discarded as cast-offs of society, and when they turn five they leave the only home they've ever known...
And I wish I could say that for most of these children, leaving that home means going to a place of safety, a place of happiness, a place where they would finally know the love of a family...know what it means to be cuddled or sung to or read to, tucked in at night, prayed for, loved.
Instead, they are taken to a place that most people wouldn't leave their family pet.
A place of living hell, where they will never know the tenderness of a parent, never know the security of being raised in a family, and there they will stay, one ugly, pain-filled day at a time...until they die.
I read a post last December that stayed with me to this day. It was called from baby dolls to bedstraps.
The blog author wrote about Elizabeth, an orphan on Reece's Rainbow who had been transferred to a mental institution, waiting for a family to step forward for her. Her words still haunt me.
I wonder where she thought she was going as they led her out of the orphanage that day. Did she think that maybe it was finally her turn? That they were taking her to her forever Mommy and Daddy?
And when they instead took her inside that dreadful place, when they shaved her head and tied her to a too-small metal crib
when they turned their backs and
walked
away…
when they left her confused, terrified,
in a room where the wails of schizophrenic adults echo through the cold air
what was going through her young mind?
Did she wonder if she was being punished?
How long did she hold out hope that this was only temporary?
That any minute, they would come and take her back to the baby house
to her baby dolls and teddy bear,
to her best friend, Angelina?
Did she long to free her arms from the restraints
to cover her head with her hands to drown out
the scary noises
the scary sights
the scary smells?
That could be my Lily….
It could be your child.
And what if it were?
What if you woke up one morning
and by some hellish, twilight-zone twist of fate
your child wasn’t still tucked into that warm bed down the hall,
what if your child was trapped
across the dark sea
in that nightmare that is
the institution?
What
would
you
DO?
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. Proverbs 24:11
Elizabeth is being rescued today, thanks to the efforts of that blogging mama, and others like her.
Olga is being rescued today, thanks to so many of you...you gave so much and created such a large grant that a family was able to step forward and start the process of adoption.
The Abells have done so much already, towards rescuing Olga. I can't even imagine all the paperwork and prayer and emotion and finances that goes into an international adoption. They have done numerous fundraisers, and will continue to do so until they can bring Olga home.
Through the help of so many, a grant of over $13,000 has been raised for Olga's adoption. That grant is set aside for the final travel costs and fees that it will take to bring Olga home. It will take every penny of that and then some.
Right now the Abells are in need of raising the $7,000 that is needed to submit their dossier for Olga. Without that dossier we don't even know if Olga has been transferred yet. Here in America you just pick up the phone and ask these questions. But here in America we don't tie five year old girls to cribs to keep them from climbing out.
The Abells need to submit that dossier as soon as possible- at the very least to find out if she has been transferred already- because I know an army of prayer warriors who is going to want to know that piece of information as well. And at the very most, it could be able to hold Olga at the baby house until the Abells can rescue her. I wish I could say with certainty that she won't be transferred- truthfully we just don't know that.
Olga has been so heavy on my heart for months- friends, I want you to know that I DO trust that God has a plan here.
I prayed like crazy for a way to help the Abells. I truly believe that there is a network of people who love Olga here in blogland...a net that is woven by God and is stretching out across this blessed country we live in, and even beyond to generous hearts in other nations. I really cannot express enough how thankful I am to be a small part of what God has already done for Olga, Peter and Kareen. But I don't think our job is done.
Olga needs us.
I don't want her to spend one more forsaken day in that place than she has to.
We're not doing a giveaway here today. I don't even think we need to do one- I know so many just have a heart to help and to give, and prizes were never the real reason we all gave anyway.
So I'm just asking- for one day- for you to do whatever you could to help Olga. Whether that's $10 or $20 or even a hundred...if you are able to help raise this money for the dossier, please do so HERE... This is the Abell's chip-in.
This is the link for the Family Sponsorship Page on Reece's Rainbow...every single dollar goes to the Abell's adoption fund, and every single dollar will help.
We're calling this A Day to Save Olga, because there are about 17 of us blogging mamas and one blogging grandpa who have set aside this day to blog, post on Facebook, pray, give and spread the word to SAVE OLGA.
Will you help us?
I know you will:)
Love,
Patti
A day to save Olga
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A Home For Riley: What Do Riley And The 2010 Emmys Have In Common?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
MASHA HAS A FAMILY!!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
MASHA
http://stclairadoption.blogspot.com/2011/01/crazy-in-love-with-masha.html
http://psalmsixtyeight.blogspot.com/2011/01/tale-of-two-birthdays.html
Monday, February 7, 2011
True Love Giveaway
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Home For Riley: Update On Masha
Sunday, January 30, 2011
More than $500,000 in adoption grant funds available
Friday, January 28, 2011
Kareen's Journey Home: iPad Giveaway
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Patience...and repetition.
I've written before about how much patience Kellan has taught me. Well now I've discovered the other key to success with Kellan...REPETITION!!! He is a very smart cookie, and really does learn quickly. His speech therapist can work with him and in 45 minutes have him doing something new. Every week she does this! She is amazing, I believe she has a gift. Kellan is now consistently doing "so big", giving "five", waving hi and bye bye, clapping "yay", giving kisses, and signing more and eat! I almost can't keep up with him! Now we are working on signing all done, and blowing kisses. He also will roll a ball or truck back and forth, but his favorite game is "I drop it and you pick it up and give it back to me, and repeat game"!