Embracing Every Magical Moment..Just One Mama's Musing's From A Little Corner Of The World..

London, Tbilisi, and Isaac

2012-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

We got our copy of our I-800 package that's at the USCIS office waiting approval right now. :) It's the last step we need for our travel date. Their web site says it can take up to 90 days or as little as 2 weeks to get approval. I get excited just thinking about it all :)

London :)

So we started looking at ticket costs again last night & thankfully their still running about $1,000. each. So thankful we won't be traveling during the Summer months when the cost goes up. Mat really wants to spend a full day in London, so we started looking at costs to go there first since layover times just weren't long enough. Funny, but it ends up flying from LA to London then from London to Tbilisi on one way tickets takes the total cost for all of us to go down by about $1,800.! So looks like this is the route we might be taking :) Unlessss, we can get a better rate from Golden Rule Travel (they specialize in adoption travel) We might go through them anyway just for peace of mind. When we traveled for Isaac they we're great with us; making sure we got good seats, good deals and no penalties for having to change flight times and days. If your due to travel I highly recommend them :)

Tbilisi, Georgia

What I'm really, really excited about though is meeting him..HIM. This little boy whose held our hearts captivated for so long now. I can't wait to look into his beautiful brown eyes and kiss his little tender cheeks. When ever I think about how much love our hearts already hold for him I'm amazed all over again how God just puts this unmeasurable amount of love there..all for a little one we've never met. It's similar to when your preggers, but it's different.
I remember caring this picture around with me where ever I went of this little boy...........
From Jan. 27th, 2008 till the day we met him on July 10th, 2009.
In our hearts he was already our son. We loved him and were so excited to finally met this little kid who had held our hearts even without knowing we even existed. I remember how we had these long talks about what we thought he would be like. Wasn't he just a sweet looking cutie? ♥
Wondered if he would like us, if he would bond with us or not. Wondered how we were going to feel when we met him..would this euphoric feeling fade? What if he wasn't what we thought he was going to be at all? What if he was a total terror, lol :) In the end..he was our Isaac. Different in many ways then what we had imagined, but better :)

First time meeting our awesome monster

I know that's how it's going to be with Levi too. I carry 2 pictures of Levi around with me today and I know both me and Mat have this idea of who he is. Even the kids have this idea of who they think he is. We all wonder if he's going to a quit one, or loud. Is he easy going, laid back or tough to please with alot of issues? Here's what we imagine him to be like..We imagine he's the easy going, laid back type of guy. Kinda like our Eli. We envision this little love bug that we'll be able to sit and snuggle with (alot like we do with Eli) and who won't demand alot of attention, but who we'll have to make sure gets it. (like Eli :)

3 year old Levi ♥

6 year old Levi ♥

The truth is..we have no idea what he's really like. What he likes or doesn't. If he's a good eater, Smiley, ppassive to the point that it's going to take work to pull him out of his shell, a whiner, demanding, loud, quiet, tender, affectionate or one that pushes you away? We really have no idea, but it's totally okay..cause in the end, God knows who he is and that he belongs right here and that this little guy that goes with me every where in my wallet is one that's going to add to our family a joy. Just like each of our loves have & do. How exciting!

(♥ U Levi)

2012-01-26T17:09:00.001-08:00

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

2012-01-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”

We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
Psalm 39:4

(♥ U Levi)

"Time goes by so fast. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you." Author Unknown

2012-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

(♥ U Levi)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

2012-01-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

I know this doesn't seem like much, but Eli playing with the shower head really is a ~~BIG~~ HUGE deal (Hence my taking pictures of it :) He's always hated the sensation of the water hitting him from the shower head. It didn't matter if it was from up high or at his level. He's just not been fond of how the water coming from the shower head feels on him. But in every other way, Eli LOVES water & would live in the bath if I let him. The other day when he was getting his bath I couldn't find the little hand bucket we use to rinse his head (another sensation he hates is water being poured on his head). Rinsing his hair has become an art we've had to learn to master in our home, lol. So when I couldn't find the bucket I decided to use the shower head. In an effort (again) to have him not freak out I just let the shower head dangle in front of him for a bit. And dangle for a bit it did..without Eli touching it & making sure it didn't touch him. After about 2 minutes of water running I tried to introduce the water to him again. This time though I turned it down REAL low, like a dribble. And he reached for it, and he wasn't afraid!!! Bit by painfully slow bit I turned the pressure up until I got this...

I love this kid like there's no tomorrow!!
I love how God's used Eli to help me appreciate the simplest of things..like him enjoying the water from a shower head ♥ Who knew? :)

(♥ U Levi)

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.~ Psalm 127:3

2012-01-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Everyday is a new adventure here in our home...and I love it :) We have our basic routine that runs our early mornings up through our afternoons, but it's still done with the spirit of adventure evvvery sinnngle day. This morning we got up, did a quick clean up and while breakfast was being made ~by my Ay, and hot coco being passed out, by my Ru~ & Mama checking e-mails & getting tax receipts printed, Isaac took to capturing memories of himself & our morning :D

Camera's facing the wrong way, Uki!

Now it's upside down, silly boy :)

Ahh, and yes..this is why our early morning clean up was needed :)

Rubee with morning coco..thanks sweetie ♥

Ayla over the stove :)

Brodie boy

Nala girl

Ay sitting next to me (see the computer screen? :)

And when he was all done capturing memories of this morning on his own he came & sat on my lap and handed me the camera telling me it was my turn to capture some moments...

Children are such a gift! Thank You Lord for mine...♥

(♥ u Levi)

Finally approved..kinda

2012-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

So we've been in an ongoing battle with our insurance over the boys receiving speech therapy. It's not been pretty but being realistic, we simply can't afford to pay for private services for 2, soon to be 3 little loves who need this. So we've fought and fought to be able to get what we've could. About 4 months ago we switched issuance carriers and started seeing a doctor who is on our side and is working with us to be able to get our boys the therapy they need. In the mean time ~~we've~~ I've become the therapist. There are tons of wonderful video helps to be found on Youtube by professional speech therapists who offer there videos as helps for families just like mine. And I love Qadoshyah's blog, Got Down Syndrome?, too. Her blog is loaded with helps! Then there's the National Down Syndrome Association of Orange County. They have a really great library filled with all that a family could ever want or need. About 6 months ago they called me because I was on the waiting list to be able to check out all their resources for Talk Tools. Seems that they had a donation of an upgraded set (the one they had was all on VHS) so they offered the set they had on VHS to me...to keep! (about a $200. value if bought new, even on VHS!) It's everything I need..all the learning sessions, like 14 -17 hours worth, along with the workbooks and how to use them :) Now, if only I could find the time to set aside to watch them all. :(
So back to what this post was started for..Weeeeell, we finally got an approval! Kinda. Our insurance approved my boys to be able to receive...wait for it, waaaiiit fooor it...20 MINUIT'S A MONTH!!! Whhhhhaaaaaat?! And the worst part is that they only approved a location that's in Oceanside, almost 2 hours south of us. *Deeeeep heavvvyyy sighhhhhh. But, at least it wasn't a flat out "No" which has been the case in the past.
So, in all my ambition and drive to see how great it was going to be & what I can learn I loaded up my Isaac (O' and did I mention that they boys don't even get seen on the same days? Haaa..) and headed down south. The therapist we saw was named Sherri and she was very kind, showed a great amount of patience for my son and was horrified at the fact that he was only approved for once a month. She said she'd start a book to be kept with his file so that when he comes the therapist he sees won't have to use all the time getting to know him and about him like she was having to. That was nice of her, but I honestly don't think I'll be going back. She didn't do or tell me to do anything I didn't already know about or how to do~ and the gas in our SUV is a killer for a measly 20 min. session where hardly anything at all is going to be learned once a month. But, I did ask her questions and just picked her mind as much as I could while she was available to do so. She filled my arms with some more resources, my head with more web-addresses and said 'Good luck, and good-bye'. I guess it wasn't a total waste, just not totally worth it either. :(

*to turn off the music just scroll down to my Playlist and hit the pause, then you'll be able to hear Isaac 'talking' :)

A bit about Isaac..he's a mover and has energy bound tightly 24/7 within him. :) To start the session Sherri was trying to get him to corporate with her requests, but he's so all over the place that it made it hard. Not to mention she had about 4 different things on the table he was clamoring to get to.

After a short session at the table she tryed him out in the 'cube chair' and he did much better there along with the fact that only one thing was now in front of him to demand his attention. :)

Dear Papa..Happy Birthday :)

2012-01-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Papa, Thank you for everything you give me. Like my bed, my cloths, my home, my food, and your love. I love you...love Rubee

Dear Papa, Happy Birthday! Uhhhh, I love you...love Naomi

Dear Papa, I love you. Thank you for being my dad. You're awesome. You bring me to the skate-park and you bring me to Jiu-Jitsu classes. I kick butt for you! I learned how to kick butt thanks to you. I love you...love Zekiel

Dear Papa, Thank you for everything you do for me. Your a great Papa and I love you. Love the daughter that loves you most :D.. love Ayla

Dear Papa, Thank you for wrestling with us and letting us win. Thank you laying with us at night so we're not scared when we go to bed. Thank you for pushing us to be more then others think we can be. Your the best. ...Love, Isaac and Eli

It's not a great picture, but it's a real life one, lol :) Happy Birhday Papa!

Dear Handsome, I can be a good drama queen, a bit overly passionate about my feelings, an insecure pile of jelly, a control freak, and giddy childish at times too. I can forget to keep our home spic-n-span tidy, or be an ogar about it being in tip-top shape. I can either be a really big handful or let things roll of my back with no big deal. I can be a push-over or very manipulative to get my way. But through all my many moods of me you've stood by my side. Your my rock, your my tender arms to lay in, your my guy who holds my hand while I'm wearing sweats and looking beat as we walk through the store. Thank you for telling me I look pretty even when I know I don't :). Thank you for reassuring me when others get me down. I especially love how your gentle in a very powerfully strong way & how you love our kiddo's so tenderly and so much... . You, my Handsome, you are just one really awesome guy & I'm so thankful God choose you for me. Happy Birthday Baby!!..
♥ you like there's no tomorrow.. :) ....love, me.

Harold and Joe..go, go, go...♪♫ (i ♥ u)

Tax Refund is different than Credit..

2012-01-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

URGENT: Please Sign The Petition!
Please take a moment to go and *SIGN THE PETITION* that is being circulated to make adoption costs fully refundable in the 2012 and 2013 tax years.

This tax refund has NOT been renewed at this point. Because the wording of things is a bit tricky some people rejoiced at hearing that the tax CREDIT had been renewed. But a credit is VERY different than a refund.

Please sign the petition and please consider sharing on your Facebook and your blog.

Thank you, friends!

(♥ U Levi)

The small world of fb..

2012-01-07T23:06:00.000-08:00

Our adoption of Levi has been such an on-going/off-again thing for the past 3, almost 4 years now...& now with it being soooo close to him finally coming home we've been given more info. on him and one of those things is his bio. parents names.
When we first came home with Isaac one of the first things I did was look up his bio mom and dad's names. I've found several women who could be my Isaac's bio mom & one who could be his dad (they weren't married)
..but Levi's bio mom~Levi's bio mom is for sure no mistaken his mom~he looks just like her. It's left me feeling odd to see her, to see that he looks so much like her. She looks so sad :( & that makes me feel sad for her. Levi was her 4th pregnancy. First 2 were miscarriages, 3rd died at 8 months of heart failure & then she was blessed with Levi, but after one month home with him decided to take him to the orphanage. On his RR profile it listed that his family had a hard time leaving him there and visited with him often until his first b-day. After that it was only his maternal grandmother who came anymore. When we commitment to him he was 3 & he was moved to his foster home. We were told that his grandma started to come visit him there too. She would bring food to the family. Later we were told that his bio parents came to see him on his 4th birthday, but his mom refused to hold him or touch him, but introduced him to his little sister :( His father held him briefly and with silent tears handed him back to his foster mom. That was the last time anyone in his family came to see him that we know of. In late '09 we submitted our dossier for him for the second time (the first was in '08 before the invasion of his country that halted our adoption) when we did, we found out that in his file there was missing paperwork that was needed showing his bio mom had relinquished her rights to him. She was found & asked to sign the papers so we could move forward, but she refused. The adoption was stopped. :( Sept. of '10 we got a call letting us know that he was again available with all needed paperwork in place. We don't know the circumstances of it all..if she signed of her own free will or because his county relinquished her rights due to her not taking him home herself...but we do know they were signed. So here we are again. I'm thankful to be here, but it's heartbreaking too. My heart hurts for this women who has these big beautiful brown eyes, like Levi's, and they just look so sad. In the past we asked if we could offer to let this be an open adoption. We were told we could. If it's something she wants, then I'm looking forward to getting in touch with her once he's home. I think she'd like to know about him..I would.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18

(♥ U Levi)

GUESS WHAT WE GOT?!!!!

2011-12-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

Oh' Yeahhhhh!!

Psalm 47:1

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

I've got these crazy tears of joy that just keep welling up on me!

All last night we were praying and praying that while we were enjoying our evening together with some pizza, Butterfingers and A Christmas Carol God would be stirring in a mighty way in the officials heart that needs to sign Levi's referral for us. (Levi's country is exactly 12 hours ahead of us)

*So at 7 we prayed that as their business day was starting it would just be really heavy on this guys heart to just sign the one document we needed to have signed for his referral.

*At 9:30 pm we stopped and prayed again. We prayed in faithfulness that we just knew God was working His magic & by the end of their work day this doc would be signed.

*At 11 we prayed that this week would end on a really great note & we would wake up this morning to the email we've been just dying to read for so long now.

& GUESS WHAT? GUESS WHAT WE GOT??

O' yeah, baby..O'yeah!! Our God is a God who hears us, no doubt :D

From Giorgi:

"Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!

I want to wish all the best to you, your family and the people you love for this occasion!

At 5pm this evening (5 this morning, our time) I finally got confirmation that the document is signed!!"

We have the article 16, you guys! Finally!!!

O' no..here it comes..the welling up again, lol. What an awesome God we have and what a blessing to have our whole family see how He answers specific prayers.

So what does this mean exactly, you ask?

It means that a year and 3 months ago Levi's country accepted our dossier giving us permission to adopt from their country, with the request that we be allowed to adopt Levi in particular. But they didn't give us permission to adopt Levi specifically. That's what this is. We've been waiting and waiting for this :) This means that Levi is offically on his way to becomeing a Fox :D

You guys...How awesomelly crazy is this?

I'll have to down load the video a bit later. Catching Mat reading the email was classic :D

Full of Giddy joy you all..Totally Full! :D

Merry Christmas indeed!

(♥ U LEVI)

Hairless Wednesday :)

2011-12-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, This is the little head I woke up to find sleeping next to me in my bed. You see that bald spot right smack int eh center of his head? He found Papa's beard trimmer and during the night while everyone else was sleeping he took to 'trimming' his hair. ; / Try as I might I just couldn't hid it..

So out came the clippers and my Isaac (who looks like a little old man right here, lol) got his head shaved..He was NOT happy about this!

Until it was all done. Then he was thrilled & ran around the house showing his new due to everyone :D (his after head shave bath)

Eli was surprised to see his brother looking this way, but LOVES touching Isaac's head :D

Loves it!

My little Kojak :). I'm counting the days till he has hair again..but I have to admit, it's much easier to care for it this way, lol

A week later I've actually come to love his little bald head (reminds me of kissing top of a babies head & I missed doing that with this baby of mine)..he's my happy camper whose forgotten all about the fact that he used to have hair

And is just going about life as usual making his great art :)

Happy Wednesday all! :D

(♥ U Levi)

What's a burden?? Annnnddd A Levi update :D

2011-12-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

Uh-hmmm,

Be prepared, this post is alot of my mind ramblings and it's not really in order, cause truth be told, I'm kind of an all over the place kinda mom :D

~Left my fear by the side of the road

Hear You speak

Won't let go

Fall to my knees as I lift my hands to pray

Got every reason to be here again

Father's love that draws me in

And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You~

From HillSongs All I need is You

Psalm 119:133-135
Dear Lord.."Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes."

I don't know why this feeling is upon me. I think it has to do with a conversation I had a few nights ago. It's left this sinking feeling in my heart as I was reminded of how my son's are viewed. I guess I view life with a jaded pair of glasses on. Or maybe a God's view pair? I don't know. But, what I do know is that the way we see our family isn't the way others do. "Burden~for lack of a better word."

Now, this..THIS is a burden..

That's what others tend to say about our son's. Burden. I never thought this word would be such a thorn in my side.

Burden:

A.Something that is emotionally or physically difficult to bear.

B. A source of great worry or stress;

1. To weigh down; oppress.

2. To overload

3. Something that is oppressive, or difficult: The burden of responsibility.

Nope, No burdens here :D

I can honestly say that while my son's have other needs that my typical kiddo's don't, they in no way encompass the definition of what a burden is. Well, at least not in our eyes. They aren't emotionally difficult to bear. But do require a little more attention. Their needs, while are a source of worry, are no more so then that of my typical kiddo's. They for sure have never weighed us down or made any of us feel oppressed. ~"To overload", well, while their needs are different then our typicals needs, their needs don't overload us anymore then the needs of our other children. Do they require more? They do. More doctor visits, more direction, more patience, more cheering on. But all of our kids need each of these things, our boys just need them a little longer or a little more. Is it a little more sacrifice? It is. But one were willing to make. Is it overbearing, a source of great stress? No, no more so then any of our children's needs. We worry about each of our kids, spacial needs or not. And I really do want to clarify that while not all of our kids have physical special needs, they all have special needs that both me and my husband need to be in tuned with. Anyway. What I'm trying to say is that no matter what needs Levi will come to us with he won't be a burden. He'll be our son. What I see though my God viewed, jaded glasses are great rewards that I can't even put into words as I get the privilege of mothering one of God's great creations. We don't see the physical limitations the way alot of others do. We see our son's. We see how they add to our family. The joys they bring, the compassion that's been learned, the patience they've given us. The new view of life that we have because they need us to have it. It's all the same things we get with our typicals, just in a different package. When our first daughter was born, our whole world changed. What was important to us before her paled in comparison to her. Was caring for her a sacrifice? It was~ but a pleasurable one & one that didn't make us feel burdened. It's still the same today. How our views have changed are because God wanted us to see differently then others do. Do we worry about how adding to our family with a little whose going to need some extra time is going to effect our kids? Of course! What kind of parents would we be if we didn't? But what we've seen, what we know is that our kids are awesome. They have a love in them that runs deep for their brothers that are home now and they want Levi home too. THEEEY WANT Levi to come home. They know. They already know what it means to have a someone with special needs in their life. They're not afraid of it, so why are you? They don't see it as a negative, neither do we..so why do you? And why do you assume that they will ever feel 'burdened' by their brothers? You know what I'd love for you to do? Go visit This adoptive mom's blog. Her brother has DS. He's grown now. But it's him that lead her and her husband on their adoption journey to add to their family a child with DS. I wish you could visit her sister's blog too, but it's gone private for now. Her sister and her husband have adopted 3 children with DS & are right now in the process of doing it again. This is the impact their brother put in their life. Doesn't sound to burdensome to me. Sounds like a pretty good impact in fact. Or maybe listen to Jamie Foxx and how he views his sister w/ DS (who lives with him, along with the rest of his family) The truth is

I don't know what impact our son's or our adopting are going to have on our typical children in the future. But I do know that their going to be okay. They totally are going to be okay :D

~~~~~♥~~~~~

This morning Lord, I just need You. You are My El Shadi (My Every need met)..My Provider, My Strength, My Hope, My Comforter, My Healer, My Savior..and all I need is You.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19

So I will Trust in (You) Lord with all (my) heart; not depending on (my) own understanding. (I) will seek (Your) will in all (I) do, and (You) will show (me) which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

Thank You for being in this with us. Thank You for already knowing the outcome of all this and for allowing us to be a part of Your plan for Your beautiful little boy.

**Today's email update from in country attorney:

~"Was told offer (of Levi) will be signed end of working day today (12.20). So I

will have the document in hand tomorrow if all goes well."~ :D

O' Joy runs deep within our souls!!

How beautiful, awesome, and wonderful is our God?

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 We totally embrace this promise as Truth :)

Okay, so my ramblings are done for now & I just wanted to end on a positive note with that great email :)

*Dear conversationalist,

I lOVE you more then you will ever know. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I know you love me too & worry about me, about my family..but I just want you to know it really is all going to be okay. Come what may, we're willing...both of us. Neither one of us is going into this blindly or because the other is asking us too. We both fully want & accept this for our family..for us, for our future. We know it's not always going to be an easy road ahead, what life is? We're excited about the changes God is bringing into our family.We know it's all going to be used for His glory. You just watch. We couldn't be more over joyed to have Levi be a part of it & you apart of us. I ♥ U.

(♥ U Levi)

Right now..

2011-12-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Right now it late on Dec. 14th (Wednesday) as I start this post.

Right now I just took my blog off of being private.

Right now the MOH is having meetings about our case and a certain phone call made last week to officials that made this adoption once again be put on hold, with a chance of it NOT resumming.

Right now my feet are cold and I need to go put some warm socks on.

Right now my heart is hurting for my friend Teri who fights a courageous fight.

Right now I wish life could be more simple to understand.

Right now I'm longing for wisdom for the new year that's up ahead.

Right now I'm feeling defeated as I realize I haven't accomplished much of my New Year desires list from last year :(

Right now I'm still in the process of learning how truly valuable embracing moments are.

Right now my Rubee is wanting me to take her over to her girl friends house so she can make me my Christmas gift ♥

Right now I'm listening to HillSong's Arms open wide..

♪ Take my life

I lay it down

At the cross where I am found

♫ Take my hands & make them clean

Keep my heart in purity

That I may walk in all You have for me.

Ooooooo-Oh..Here I stand arms open wide ♪

I am Yours and You are mine

..Jeeeeesus..

Take my moments and my days

♪ Let each breath

That I take

Be ever longing for You O' God

~Chores~

(((My whole life is Yours I give it all,

Surrendered to your name

And forever I will pray

Have Your way..Lord,have Your way))) ♫

It's the first song on my playlist and I love it because it so much echo's my hearts words.

Right now my stove just peeped letting me know that lunch is done~fish stix..mmm, yum.

Right now my stomach is aching for a certain little boy who I so wish I really knew.

Right now I know this adoption is a total God thing.

Right now I rest in this promise...

In this verse that God used to confirm our adoption journey for this little boy on Nov. 27th, 2007as we sat at the kitchen table talking:

Psalms 12:5

Because of the devastation of the afflicted, & of the groaning of the needy,

⁵ “Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

⁶The words of the LORD are pure words;

As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

⁷ You, O LORD, will keep Your word.

Right now it's Friday, the 16th at 10 am

Right now I'm waiting for an email reply from our agency to see if any new news has come since last weeks stomach wrenching news of 'The Call'.

Right now I'm thankful for a God who is bigger, who loves stronger, who is capable, & who no one can stop.

Right now, for now and always my heart beats with love for you little mister & I'm thankful to be on this faith increasing, trust inducing journey for you.

Right now, at 1:50 pm, the 16th, we just got our reply..

Right now we're back in the waiting game and our adoption is ONNNN :D

Right now my heart is singing praises to the Almighty God... ♥

(♥ U Levi)

Could it be?????

2011-12-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Today's email...."Robin, I was promised to have offer this week (of Nika for our family!! Which would mean a travel date following!~Yayyy!!!), meeting with agency tomorrow and will update u after the meeting. Giorgi"
Could it really be that THIS time is THE time????? O' Praying it so!!! Please pray with us tonight about this all so important meeting tomorrow ♥
Feeling Giddy, love to you all...

(♥ U Levi)

Blessing Others...

2011-12-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Be The One To....

                                                             Acts 20:35
"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Something I know to be true...It's a lesson that starts at home. It's a lesson I want my kids to get and then to implement in who they are. It's amazing how easy it is for us to be self absorbed people who only care about ourselves and how WE feel. So I've learned it's not an easy characteristic to come by, especially now days when everything around our kids seems to scream at them to be selfish instead of selfless. You can read it on kids shirts, see it in kids shows, hear it in the music of today.. it just about everywhere..."IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!" Stated proudly, kinda in a joking manner, but being real at the same time. It's a message our kids generation is hearing loud and clear & is really good at implementing it into who they are. I know it's always existed. My generation was a pretty arrogant, rude and crude one too.
My dad was a real stickler on reminding us that we needed to always show respect to others, even if we felt they didn't deserve it. And it was something we were to do in all circumstances. Even in the movie theater we weren't allowed to put on feet up on the chair in front of us because that chair belonged to someone else, they had to pay for it and so we were to show our respect to that unseen person rather they knew about it or not. Now that's not to say we were always obedient, but if dad was around..we were :) In the end, it did teach us to think about others when we on our own & wouldn't have naturally done so. As we got older, it was something that became even more and more a natural part of our character build up. Not always mind you (can't be perfect all the time)...but I can for sure say I know it stuck with me. Well, with having a bigger family sometimes it can be a hard lesson, cause in reality, you don't always want to serve or be respectful of your siblings and their feelings. But it has great benefits too. Like plenty of practice time :D
It's nice to see that our words aren't always falling on deaf ears and that lessons can come in all shapes and sizes. I lOVE it when my kids do selfless acts for each other or me & my husband without any thought of self gain. I lOVE seeing them hug each other after an argument and give apologies that mom didn't have to make them give. I lOVE hearing them correct each other in a respectful way when one of them maybe isn't being so respectful of another. It just lets me know that they are listening and that they really are absorbing these life lessons that are O' so valuable and will carrying them far in life.
Here are just a few cute ways I've got to capture this life lesson of serving & respecting how others feel in pictures...

My sweet Isaac made me lunch one day when I wasn't feeling well.
He even brought it up to the living room for me where I was camped out on the couch :)

He had help making the coffee, but he was so cute getting it all to me
& his assortment melted my heart

My handsome Ezekiel. He got up early one morning & surprised us with a homemade breakfast of hash browns
and scrambled eggs (he even put ketchup in bowl for his brothers & sister who like it on their eggs :)

My little mommy Rubee. She's always lending helping hands.
This is just one of the times she went out to swing with Eli and waited patiently
as he climbed up onto the tire (all over her :)

My little love Naomi...She's always doing things for Mat & I that are just so touching.
This night she made us a 'date' night and set the table for us to enjoy our meal alone while she and her brothers and sisters dined in the playroom with a movie to keep them busy. ♥

My other little mommy. Ayla's our young lady who still is very much a child at heart :)
She's really good about playing with her brothers and sisters even when it's not really something she wants to be doing.
And she's big on offering helping hands.

And away goes Super Under Wonder :D (he sports his unders so much it's really
a nick name he's earned, lol)

Isaac returning the favor so Ayla can have her time of fun as Super Ayla :)

I think their doing a great job of learning and practicing these lessons here at home. But whats even better is seeing them when they put them into practice outside of our home as well. Like my Zeke opening the doors like a gentleman should, & then theres my Rubee & Ayla who are always looking to see if they can be of help to others when were out and about. There really great about being of service to strangers. Like offering helping hands to load up their car or getting something from a shelf. Even Naomi is becoming more brave as she extends herself in simple ways..like picking something up for someone when they've dropped it. Baby steps :P

On Friday we had our first ever opportunity to go visit some older folks who live in an assisted living home not to far from us. The kids made some homemade cards to pass out and we practiced some Christmas songs that we were going to be singing with some other friends. They did a great job and many hearts were touched (including this one :)

It was a slow start as my kids finished singing and now were to pass out their cards. You could see their hesitation on their faces. But it only took a moment for that to be eased by some very tender and kind older women who were so thankful for the time the kids put into singing for them. Those two women cracked the ice and made the kids feel comfortable with walking about and handing out their cards to others.

Ezekiel was the most creative in using his own art on his cards

And he made sure to make them especially for the men :)

Another card by Zeke

More of his creativity inside :)

Naomi was THEE card maker! She made in all 10 cards

And personalized them each with different messages. This one was common, the
other cute one was "Joy to you! Love Naomi" :)

One of Ayla's cards

She was so concerned that she wouldn't write the right thing..but in the end she did great :)

Rubee's card

Simply sweet and I just know she put a smile in someones face :)

Then in each card we put this 'Love letter from the Father'..you can find it here
(it's rather long, but it's really neat!)

And then came the conversations that my children began to have with these older men & women. They began to see that they really weren't anything to be afraid of and that they just wanted company. Ezekiel pushed a little old women around in her wheel chair for awhile and just talked with her (I so wish I got a picture of him, but my hands were full of Isaac and Eli and so the picture taking was sparse, lol)

But I did get this one of Ayla (in yellow) and her girlfriend Katya talking to Patty.

Patty and the girls talked for a while and they ended up pushing her back to her room where they could be in the quite and pray for her. I was so blessed by seeing Ayla being the exceptional young lady that she is and even more so when she told me about her experience with Patty. Patty was having a hard time with being along and she was getting ready to have some surgery. Ayla and Katya prayed over her and my beautiful Ayla said 'Mom, it just moved me to tears to be able to pray for her'. Thank you Lord for moving in my daughters heart through this experience. Ayla wants to now keep in touch with Patty and let her know she's not alone.
So you see...As always the Word of God holds true.
It IS better to give then to receive.
In the end it was us, myself and my kids who were blessed by this day of doing something so incredibly simple. I look forward to doing more in our community as we allow our family to be used for His glory right where He has us.

Today may you be a blessing and be blessed!

(♥ U LEVI)

♫ Christmas, Christmas Time is here...♪

2011-12-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is our newest energy burner

Got it at a resale shop here for only 75 dollars :) Balls, blower and all!

It's pretty big, in decent shape and has been well worth it's price for sure.

The bad thing is it takes up our WHOLE deck, lol

But all the kids are having fun with it so it's okay that it's a room taker upper :)

Right inside is what used to be our classroom, but never really was used for a classroom (the kitchen table always won out)

Now Naomi's little play House area is in here (you can kinds see it in the pic up above), along with an art area and the kids new Entertainment area...Isaac's personal favorite :)

We hung a curtain over our big book shelf & the other on the wall to make it look like wall paper in Naomi's play area. Hidden in the book shelves are all the puzzles, the box of dress up cloths and the other play things she likes to play with like our old rotary phone, a play type writer and an old cash register for when we play store (a great way to teach the value of money :) Any way it's been fun clearing out all our old toys and organizing our ones we kept (loads of Batman things from my girlfriend Teri & tons & tons of cars all from the movie Cars :) my boys LOVE them!!! Ezekiel's big on building things so we kept all the building things like Lincoln logs, & the way to many Lego's that have been great for using the imagination with. Lovin' having everything have a place & the easy peasy clean up job it's made. :) Why O' why did I always feel like we always needed to have so much stuff before?? If only I learned earlier on that less is indeed more :) So with that thought as the Christmas season is upon us..Merry Chirstmas to you all & may the bond of buying, buying, buying not be upon you at all!

Psalm 37:16a "Less is more and more is less.." The Message Bible translation

(♥ U Levi)

Naomi & Zoey ♥

2011-11-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

My Naomi's 8th birthday came and went so quickly this year. I never knew time could move both so fast and so slow at the same time. She's such a special little one. I love how all my children are all so unique in who they are. Our Naomi is a spunky one. Full of sass and life. She's the best with one liners that take you to the floor in stitches! This year we decided it was time to make her dream come true. See, we have this really awesome cat who we all love dearly...Sammy. He's been a part of our family for almost 13 years now & he's alot like Naomi; full of spunk! You'd never guess he's an old man :) But here's the thing about Sam...He's a total mama's boy. & I'm not his mama :D Ayla is. We got Sam when Ayla was about to turn 2 and he was all about being with Ayla 24/7 since the day he came home at 3 months old. He's almost like a dog when it comes to her. He'll come to her call, sit by the door if she's out and looks for her, mews for her to pick him up...and only does it with her. It's a pretty cool bond they share & one that Naomi has longed for with a cat of her own. Since her 6th birthday she's been asking for cat of her own. But our home is pretty full already. Loads of kids, 2 big dogs & Sam. I know it doesn't really sound like much..but we all share the same home & it's not a very big one :)
Well, after some good talks we knew it was the right time to introduce our little lady to some responsibility and her own little love to be close with.

Saying good-night & good-bye to my 7 year old

Good morning my beautiful 8 year old Naomi!

Birthday gifts for the birthday girl

A birthday letter from Ayla

Loving her birthday mitts from brother

loving her make-up from her big sisters ♥

A hug of thanks for Ezekiel

Really confused by this bag of kitten food, lol

On our way to met Papa at the Human Society

feelings of excitement setting in :D

Meeting Papa there..

After visiting 3 other rooms we come in this one...

Introducing Zoey to the family

And Naomi finds Zoey..Or maybe Zoey found Naomi?

And to her room & her new bed (Naomi's bed :)

It was a full day & both Naomi & Zoey were ready for their first night together forever ♥

So Zoey's been home with us for 9 days and so far, so good :) Naomi is an awesome Mama and is doing a great job of making sure Zoey is fed, her litter is clean and that she's getting an overload of attention. In all she's adjusted nicely to our chaos..Uhemmm, I mean enviorment :D So glad we have the privilege to be able to do these types of things for our littles ♥

It's snowing Today...

2011-11-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Tbilisi..Levi's home (for now ;)

No, not here in Cali, but where our Nika Levi is it is. Just about every morning my oldest daughter likes to check the weather to see what's going on in Kiev (Isaac's old home) and what's going on in Tbilisi (Levi's home). Today..it's 34* and will be snowing on and off though out the day :) I guess we should start looking into buying us some winter cloths, huh? My good friend Teri (Hi sweetie!) lives in New York and she's been looking for us for things for the boys to be able to wear at garage sales and such. We're lucky to have her ♥. We've been keeping an eye out on the price of travel too and right now it's not nearly as bad as it was in the nice warm Summer (tickets were as high as $1,700.!) Thankfully there down to as low as $880. and going as high as $1,200. Still costly, but much better :) Please pray with us for our decision on taking our boys and Ayla. Taking them adds up quickly. But in the long run we feel like it'd be best all around. Emotionally for the boys and easiest for those who care for our children while were gone. We'd just really love for Levi to be able to meet and start to bond with his brothers and big sis along with us so his adjustment won't be as hard when he comes home. We just think it'll be easier for him to come home to 3 unfamiliar faces verses 6. I remember Isaac being overwhelmed by all his brothers and sisters wanting to be in his face & play with him all the time when he first came home. He literally was like the new toy in the house, lol :D
~~Were~~ I'm preparing for a different adjustment time with Levi since he'll be coming to us from a family that he's been with since he was 3. I've been really praying for him and for us that all our hearts are prepared and that God will just smooth this transition time in an amazingly peaceful way that only He can. I had a bit of a hard time adjusting to life with Isaac when he came home and it was so unexpected. So this time I'm putting my mind set in God's hands. It's been a blessing as He's graced me with removing all my apprehensions that I've been carrying for far to long over Levi's coming home. I've been praying for preparation of the worst, but looking forward to the best :D In the end..I totally already know it's all going to be okay and I'm so looking forward to having our son home..FINALLY! (Still no new news on that front though ;(
Okay, I gotta go..My girls are taking pictures of all the things we'll be listing on Craig's list and eBay today :) ~love homeschooling and all the creative ways you can incorporate school :) Making this a part of Language Arts and Typing class today, lol~
Have a blessed day!

Psalm 94:19
"In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul."

(♥ U Levi)

It's Sunday~Orphan Sunday..

2011-11-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
--Psalm 82:3-4

♫ In the father, There is freedom ~ There is hope, In the name that is Jesus..
We're giving it all away, Your way ~ We're giving it all to go, Your way...
We are sold out, To your calling ~ Everything that we are, For your glory ♪

Today is Orphan Sunday and today there are so, so many children needing us to be His hands, His feet and to move in a way that makes us uncomfortable. But in Him there is freedom..there's a freedom for us as we answer that call and there is freedom for them who need it.
You can find out more about Orphan Sunday by going here ~
and if you didn't hear about it in your church today then maybe you can be the one that let's your church know about it so that next year more Christians are made aware of it and of the dire need of the children all over the world who need them. Can one person change the world? No. But you can change the world for one child.

(♥ U Levi)

Motivation (((Please)))

2011-11-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when you just can't seem to get motivated to do anything?? That's my day right now...Hence, the new blog header, the new blog background and the debate over what's for our very late lunch. Okay, I have got to get off this thing!!! Bye :)
(♥ U Levi)...Ah-ha! Motivation found :D
Lunch first & then..Where's my camera? I need to start taking more pic's of the things we'll be listing on E-bay and Craiglist for our travel tickets ('cause I just know we'll be getting a travel date soon :)
Okay, for real...Bye :)

A new Blog for Elijah..our Christmas Angle..Come & see :)

2011-11-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

*We've started a new blog for our Christmas Angel, Elijah..come & see :D
**This origianl post can be found on our Chirstmas Warrior blog, but the you can make a donation to the Kindle Fire Chip-in on either blog :)
http://fighting4elijah.blogspot.com/ (or you can click on the link to the left :)

This year our family is working as one BIG CHRISTMAS WARRIOR for Elijah. :)
Elijah will be 4 in April and I think most of you already know what that magic, or in his case, not so magic birthday brings :(
It means he'll be loosing his place in his baby house & being taken from the only home, the only brothers and sisters, only mothering hands he's ever known. He'll be taken to an institution where his life as he knows it now will drastically change....and not for the better in anyway :(
Our goal it to reach at least $1,000. dollars before Christmas (but we really want to go so much further then that) and to really just spread the word about him so that his family is able to find him. I have no doubt that their out there..they just might not know it yet. We didn't..not till our angel was 4 1/2 and today, 2 years later; I can't imagine life without our son.
So this is Elijah...Beautiful, right?

Elijah 2H

Below you'll find the description you'll find next to him: Note his character isn't really about his character at all, but about what he needs.
In other words he needs a family. Loving arms to support him, family members to cheer him on as he reaches those wonderful milestones, brothers and sisters to play with him, to want to pick him up, to make faces with him, and most of all..a family. He needs a family of his own to let him know how precious, spacial, loved, needed, and WANTED he is.

From his Reece's Rainbow description:
Boy, born April 2008
Eyes: Gray
Hair: Dark
*Character: needs some stimulation!
"Elijah really needs a loving family to help him be the best he can be! He was born with a heart condition and struggles with chronic bronchitis. He also has right side undescended testes. But he is SO cute and will do so much better with a family of his own. Please consider Elijah!"

Okay..so I bet your wondering how you can help, right? Well, there are a couple of ways :)
One is on the right hand side of this blog :) you'll see our 'Christmas Warrior' button for him. If you click it it'll take you to his page where you can make a 100% tax deductible donation. When you leave one, will you please leave me a comment so I can thank you? If you don't I won't ever know who has given.
Annnd..Reece's Rainbow is offering a great Christmas Perk: If you give a donation of $35 or more you'll get a beautiful Christmas ornament from RR with Elijah's picture on it for you to hang on your tree.
**Another way to give is by making a donation to our chip-in (also found on the right hand side of our blog) When you do you'll be entered into a drawing for the new Kindle Fire which is due to come out on Nov. 15. I've heard only good things about it! One being that it's another great tool to use with our kiddo's :D
The way it'll work:

$10. enters you in the drawing
$20. & your name will be entered 4x
$30. & your name will be entered 5x
$40. & your name will be entered 6x
$50. & your name will be entered 10x
Every 10 dollars more after $50 your name will be entered one more time. (60=11x, 70=12x ect.)

The drawing will run until Saturday, November 26th. Good luck & help me spead the word, k? Here's a link for you to take a peck at it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2/ref=famstripe_kf

Kindle Fire...

Features:

18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books
Thousands of popular apps and games
Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk
Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content
Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
Fast, powerful dual-core processor
Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice."
Proverbs 31:8-9

Oh..And I just want to say thanks now to all of you who will be a part of us helping Elijah ♥ With you, so many of the children would never be known about.

Happy National Adoption Awareness month :]

2011-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

WHY???????????????

Because this should never be acceptable to anyone...

Because you were adopted because He loved you enough to sacrifice.."He predestined (YOU) for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will" Eph.1:5 That's why I believe it's every Christan's duty to move.

New news..

2011-11-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Just a bit of the same really..

But I REFUSE to stay here!

"Giorgi spoke with Nino of the SSA and she is preparing the "offer of Nikoloz (Levi)" which I (Our soldier for Levi from Hopscotch Adoptions) translate to mean "referral". He said she is "working on it" but did not give him time frame specifically – typical – argh.... poor Giorgi trying to work with these people, but more so poor Nikoloz! :(

Philippians 3:13-14:
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

;
(♥ U Levi)

His EEG and Hearing..

2011-11-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Typical Eli all smiles at 6:15 a.m. after being up since 2:30 to make sure he was sleep deprived

What he found to do for entertainment while we waited..

He was thrilled with being able to turn the water on & off with his feet :)

Little did he know that soon he's be given a nasty tasting med to put him to sleep so all these could be stuck to his head

Chlorophyll given and Eli's sound asleep within 10 min.

And the process begins.

Sleeping so nicely that he doesn't even budge

He's ready..Now his brain waves are monitored

& while he's out let's just check his hearing too

All done by 10:30 a.m. & waking up

Still groggy, but there he is...my smiling Eli :D

The test showed that his hearing is just under normal and not needing anything to be done about it :D We're still waiting on the results of his EEG, but are prayerful that he'll have no signs of seizure activity. In all it was a long night. I woke him & put him in the tub at 2:30 in the morn..he played till about 3:30. Got dressed, drank his last bit of juice he was allowed to have and then we danced around till 5 when we left the house. To keep him awake on our 2 hour drive (& me too) I kept the inside lights on, the music nice and annoyingly loud and would blast him with a shot of cold air from the window when ever he started to nod off. It worked!! :)

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together ... Psalm 34:1-3

(♥ U Levi)

A week in our truck for Levi...

2011-10-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Updating paperwork is no fun..but...but it's finally done :D
It was a VERY long week of running around..From San Diego, to San Marcos, to Temecula and Riverside and then lastly up to Los Angles to have it all apostilled and sent on it's way. I can't believe I actually was able to get it all done :D We lived in our truck last week..well, not really, but that's how it seemed. My kids were wonderful. They were all so helpful to me, and all without complaint. We had lots of time to chat. We talked about having Levi home and how they all are feeling about it. I love listening to them talk about their hearts for him. For this little boy that they already see as their brother. This little boy who we've seemed to know about for so long, but really don't know at all. We've prayed for him daily~he really is already a part of our family. I love that they want him home. That he holds a special place in their hearts. It warms my heart to know theirs is welcoming and waiting for him too.
So we had the same people who've been working with us on this adoption help us out yet again, all of them with willing hearts. Even our local police lieutenant remembered us since we've had so many local police clearance checks :) Thankfully, due to the urging of the Holy Spirit we had our physicals done back in August. So thankful we listened..physicals aren't something that you can get at the drop of a hat. Last time we had to wait a little over a month for an appointment. Whew! Soooo, sooo thankful those were done! Everything else asked for was pretty easy to get..just needed a lot of driving, funds and big thank yous to those who worked with us.

Walking through the streets of L.A.

Many of the buildings up here are just beautiful..this is the entrance to our elevators

Going up!

Waiting patiently for our Apostilled paper work looking out over the streets of L.A.

Our golden tickets to Levi ♥

My kids appeasing me while killing time before heading back home (a 2 hour trip turned 4 due to traffic)

And back to our truck..our home away from home this week :)

So this is how the funds for a dossier break down... and how it all adds up so quickly. All that was asked for us to update were 4 items. Typically in a dossier you have about 50 to 60 items. It gets costly! This is the break down for just our local clearance letters:

Clearance letters $17. for each (34. total)
Paying a traveling notary to meet us at the station $30.00
Paying for the two letters to be notarized by the lieutenant $20.00
Paying the Riverside county clerks office to certify that our notary who notarized his signature is an authentic notary in the county of Riverside $30.00
Paying to have each document apostilled $20.00 per letter ($40. total)
Oh lets not forget the walk in fee that we have to pay for walking in our documents instead of sending them..$6. each ($12. total)

So for just our two clearance letters it cost us $166.00. I know that doesn't sound to bad, right? But that doesn't include the trip to our Tax lady to have our financial statement done, that traveling notary to meet us there, the cost of notarizing it...or to get my husbands updated employment letter and the cost of that notary (mind you all these are in different areas) or the cost of having these notary's authenticated, the apostilles and the gas..OH THE GAS!!! In all, including our physicals done back in August this small update cost us a little of 600. dollars. For 4, only 4 items to update.
God is indeed good. His promises are true. And what I've learned is that being obedient isn't always easy, usually isn't convenient, and surely is going to test you. God has been our provider. I can honestly say..I have no idea how this adoption has been paid. All I know is that when we've needed the funds, God has provided. He's used friends, fundraisers, & has helped us clear out our home by encouraging us to sell off of items not needed. Why? Because theirs this little love who needs a family and were it. :D

Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:3-5, 7a)

(♥ U Levi)

My fresh point of view...

2011-10-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Eli..5 months old in my belly :D

In 6 days my little Eli will be 5. FIVE! Before Eli I was a mom to 4 other beauties, but I can honestly say that though they changed my life and my views of life my typical blessings didn't prepare me at all for what having Eli in my life was going to do. Eli wasn't diagnosed in utero, but the moment I saw his beautiful face all scrunched up with his little tongue sticking out and his eyes blinking up at me I knew..I knew without a doubt and he was just breathtaking. I instantly felt a force of wanting to protect rise up in me like I hadn't ever had before. I knew the moment I saw his beautiful face that my life was never going to be the same. I knew that the way I mothered from here on out was going to take on a different role.
Before Eli, I had never heard of Buddy Walks..I had never known that families with children with special needs had to church hop in order to find a church welcoming & willing to accommodate one of God's special children. I never knew that adults could be so callous, so cold and so hurtful. I never knew that over 90% of mothers chose to NOT have their blessing because of them having DS. Before Eli I didn't know so many children were locked away due to shame in them having DS. I just didn't know.
What I learned by having my awesome little guy:

That Down Syndrome isn't scary
That Down Syndrome doesn't by any means mean he can't do anything
That Down Syndrome means trying harder, smiling though it, and being proud of the accomplishment done to the best their ability
That Down Syndrome means purity in a rare form that is so wonderful to behold
It doesn't mean not ever having a bad day
It doesn't mean mean life will be easy
It does mean you learn to fight in a way you never thought you'd have too
It does mean your PROUD to fight in a way you never thought you'd have too
It means being able to rejoice in the many milestones that we tend to miss in our typical children because we don't have to teach them how to reach so many of them
It means walking tall with your child's hand held in yours as on lookers stare
It means learning how to hold your tongue, hold your fury when you just want to really put someone in their place
BUT...but most of all it means lOVE. It's a love that runs a different path then it does for your typical children. Not a stronger love, not a love that means you love them more...but a different love.

Eli has taught me, my husband & our children this different love. God's used him to open each of our eyes to see a different world then you do without someone who needs you to see if differently. The impact of Eli having DS in our lives has only been a blessing and we wouldn't change him, his having DS or the hardships that go with it because the JOYs that he brings to us far out way it all.

My fresh point of view :)

I can't believe how much my life has changed in the last 5 years...& I can't wait to celebrate all the many more years ahead :D

(♥ U Levi)

Todays update on Levi ♥

2011-10-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Cause life still happens while climbing this hill, but keep climbing we do :)

From Giorgi
Robin, have passed to agency FOX documents and I assume they will come back mid
next week.

Translation: our adoption is moving forward :D

Till next time, Lysh ♥
(♥ U Levi)

Remember Josiah??

2011-10-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Josiah before being transfered about a month ago

He's sitting in an institution now & every day that passes is leaving it's mark on him. I'm so thankful God has risen up a family for him...but they need help to be able to go rescue their son quickly. If your able...please take a second of you time to read about them and if God so leads, be a financial aid to them for him. Thanks, :)

http://anangelsransom.blogspot.com/?spref=fb (his families blog)

(♥ U Levi)

As one we can..The Chirch family and Kaylee

2011-10-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

http://reecesrainbow.blogspot.com/search/label/As%20One%20We%20Can

The Chirch families little Kaylee ♥

This week I'd like you to meet the Chirch family. Their in the process of adopting a beautiful little lady named Kaylee. Alyssa and Derek have three children. Samantha whose 16, Cade, 14 and Logan, 10. Derek works for a Christian school as an Administrator and Athletic Director and Alyssa is a Case Manager for a company advocating for people with special needs. Both Derek and Alyssa had God preparing them for their hearts to be opened to adoption even before they met. This is their first adoption, but are already prepared to have their hearts ready to receive the other children God will grow their family with through more adoptions. Their excited to have Kaylee home and are in the process of waiting for a travel date. They've fund raised tons! They still have some more fundraisers going on now and right now they also have a matching grant that goes till Oct. 27. You can read all about them, follow their journey to Kaylee and read more about the ways you can help them financially by going to their blog: http://kayleeshope.blogspot.com/
To read about their matching grant & how to help by donating to it go here: http://kayleeshope.blogspot.com/2011/09/help-us-with-our-matching-grant.html
Or if you'd like you can make a tax deductible donation right to their family sponsor page.
http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorchirch

Either way,every bit of help is always greatly appreciated! :)

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2
Thank You Lord for giving us people in our lives to help us share the load ♥

*You'll find this post posted on the Reeces Rainbow blog tomorrow..Remember to share it on your fb page or you blog :)
Till next time, Lysh :D
(♥ U Levi)

Brushing Up :)

2011-10-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

So I got out our 'Learn Georgian' again :)

& quit honestly, it's making me feel a bit like this, lol :D I've loved learning Russian, but Georgian is a toughy for sure!

LEVI UPDATE!!

2011-10-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Through most of this adoption, this is how we've felt...

But then we got some good news :)

The Wright's, who adopted Levi's foster sister last year just turned in their year update report on her. It needs to be translated over the week-end. The officials told Giorgi (our in country attorney) that once they have the update from him then they will make an official referral of Nika to us. Then we can proceed and Giorgi thinks we will have our court by November!!! As in next month we'll be able to travel for our little Levi!! He could be home before this years end!!! How AWESOME IS THAT! Thank you Lord, thank you Lord!!! What a really, really, REALLY great Christmas gift he'd be :D

Lord, Thank You...Really, thank You.

Nikoloz Levi...we ♥ you tons

Buddy Walk 2011

2011-10-10T03:52:00.000-07:00

Our Reece's Rainbow Table..See Isaac's home pic in the corner by Ayla? ♥

It was a really long day. By about 10:30 both boys were ready for a good nap (-.-) Me too.

Isaac just wanted to sleep in Papa's arms

But soon they perked up & we did crafts :)

We got to make race cars :D

Naomi made a little shelf. Isn't she so cute ♥

Isaac was (is) loving his car

Eli liked the Tucan and was so gentle with it

Did I tell you we won a Esay contest and the prize was an Ipad? So cool!!

Isaac likes taking pictures. It's a good pass time when he's board.

Isaac picture :)

Isaac again..

and again...

and one more shot of the mugs :)

and yep, you guessed it...It's Isaac :)

Grandpa came to show his support :)

Waiting to start our walk

a rare family moment..all of us in the picture!! :)

and off we go

Zeke was hungry to he ate his chips while we walked

Eli couldn't finish the walk so Papa was his legs

Our little man just done and wanting to go home

Naomi made sure to collect all the goodies being offered :)

One last stop before packing up till next year..the boys lOVED the porcupine

Isaac kept trying to get as close as he was allowed to :)

This years Buddy Walk was held at San Jancinto Collage. Not my favorite spot :( Normally it's in a park where there's tree's, nice green grass, a fun play ground and other people around who aren't there participating in the BW. But not this year. This year we were in the parking lot of the collage and so doing our 'walk' was around the parking lot..like in the parking lot. No nice green grass, shade from the big trees or fun play ground (but we did have bouncy houses and such). Just big hot parking lot concrete. The other bummer part was that there was no one else there but those who came to participate in the BW to be able to see us walking or see our gathering..so I don't really feel like we rose awhole lot of new awareness for Down Syndrome acceptance. Bummer.
But on the up side~Our Reece's Rainbow booth was a real crowd drawer! I got to share with so many people about RR, what it is, what it does and share some of the faces of the precious children who are still waiting for their families to find them. The thing that most people were awed by was the before and after shots of some of the children. It was such a joy to be able to share how our children just blossom once they have the support and love of a family. Amazing how we can tend to forget how important family is. How we sometimes start to become to comfortable and maybe start to take for granted that each other is there. Looking at the pictures of all the children is a good reminder of how blessed we are to have each other and a good reminder that no matter where the Buddy Walk is, it's important to spread the word for them, after all...we're their Voice of Hope.
So till next year, and till next time..that's all for now, Lysh
(♥ u Levi)

TODAY AND ALWAYS..WE'LL CELEBRATE THE WONDERMENT OF YOU ♥

2011-10-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Love these two like there's no tomorrow!

My Extra something boys..

Our Eli ♥

"I can't change that I have Down syndrome, but one thing I would change is how people think of me. I'd tell them: Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. Most important, just be my friend. After all, I would do the same for you."
~Chris Burke

Our Isaac

HAPPY DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH!!! :D
"I have heard it said before that God has bestowed a "special look" upon His most beloved children. A look so distinct that upon first glance one would know how special this person was to Him. And, that He has entrusted these earthly angels to only a few select families. Special parents. Special families. When I think of the families I know, I believe this to be true. "

I must say...I fully believe it too, lol :D

Thank you Lord for making me aware in such an awesome way ♥

I can't wait for the day when we'll have 3 extra something boys to celebrate :D

(♥ u Levi)

Till next time, Lysh

As one we can for the Renee family & Ethan..

2011-10-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'd like you to meet Scott and Connie. They've been married nearly 24 years and have five daughters…Their youngest, Sophina, has changed their lives dramatically. She has DS and had 6 procedures in her first six months of life, including open heart surgery and a feeding tube being put in. She has taught their family what their priorities SHOULD be about-Jesus and people.
God has changed the whole family’s lives.
While looking at all the children, praying for them and post their faces on Facebook for others to see, Ethan kept coming up. The family had been praying about this and they finally agreed that a boy would be a blessing for their family! Scott, Connie and the girls cannot wait to see Ethan and Sophina together as they are fifteen days apart from each other! They are both special treasures from the Lord and the family can't wait to have Ethan in their arms.. The Lord has already taught them SO MUCH through the process this far. They have already done their home study and they pray they get Ethan home before his birthday. They are completely living by faith that the Lord will take care of the needs that are there and would love for people to follow their story, pray for them daily and give as the Lord leads.

The Renee family's love..Ethan

You can follow the Renee family on their journey to Ethan and see their current fundraisers on their family blog
http://godsadoptioncall.blogspot.com/
Or you can give a gift of love via their FSP
http://reecesrainbow.org/category/sponsorafamily/compilingdossier

Please help us spread the word for the Renee family by posting this link on your family blog and as your fb status..Many thanks for all your help :)

A Plea for you to join our famiy in prayer..

2011-09-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

As we watch this day dwindle away we know what the new day in Levi's country holds. Soon, Giorgi will be meeting with the officials..or at least that was the plan the last time we heard from him. Will you please join us in prayer for this adoption to totally be in God's hands. For our faith to be sustained in this time. So much time has gone by & at times it just seems like an imposable thing..you know, that Levi will ever come home. We think "Oh, we're so close!" But yet...in reality, we're really so far!
It's hard to love someone from a distance...but we totally do. We've been praying for him for so long.

Levi~June 2010

At night, when I look at his picture in my bible I find myself wondering...
what does his voice sound like?
Is he soft & mushy feeling like our Eli or solid as a rock like our Isaac?
(I think soft & mushy ♥)
I wonder what milestones he's reached?
I wonder what his laughter sounds like?
What his cry sound like?
Does he sleep though the night??
I just wonder....who is this little love? And I get all excited with the idea of one day knowing all the answers to the questions that rumble around in my head about him.
Would you please pray for his health too? Levi deals with respiratory issues like our Eli and while I love the cooler months, they always prove to be harder on his body & health. Please pray that Levi stays strong and is protected from illnesses of any kind.

*Lord, We know you are in control. We know what seem like mountains to us are but specks of dust to You. You are mighty to save!!! You are King of kings, Lord of lords and Thee Official among the officials that hold Levi's referral. We pray for Your will to be done. For our families hearts desires to be in line with Yours for our family & for this adoption. Thank You for all you've taught us & continue to teach us on this journey. In Your name...Amen.
Thanks you guys ;)
Till next time, lysh
(♥ u Levi)

October Challenge..

2011-09-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

So I'm in...I love challenges to get me motivated! :) & what a great challenge..what a win-win challenge! So won't you join me? Let's grow in our love of our Father together while making our home a haven :D...lOVE it!

http://womenlivingwell.org/2011/09/making-your-home-a-haven-fall-challenge-is-back/

The challenge starts on Monday, Oct. 3.2011
Till next time, lysh
(♥ u Levi)

Gabba Babies..

2011-09-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Isaac loving his Gabba Gabba babies ♥

Putting Brobie in his cuddle bag..

Proud papa showing off his baby. :)

Plexes turn ♥

How I love this little boy!
Till next time, Lysh
(♥ u Levi)

Fall's Here!!

2011-09-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally back :D

It's Sept. 23, the first day of Autumn :D I just love this season!! Love, love, love it! There's just something about the coolness, the crisp air, the changing leaves and so on. It a good time for fresh starts, wouldn't you say? So we're starting fresh..in diet changes that is. We're trying to cut out as much animal product in our diets as possible..I know, crazy right? But..This meat & potato family is serious about this change. Little by little we hope to be on a plant based diet only. (Yeah, wish us luck!) We've been working beef out of our diet for the past 6 months & the past 3 haven't had any in our diet (at home anyway :). Turkey became our meat of choice. It's good, versatile, not costly and is hormone & antibiotic free. Our other meat is pork. But it's eaten only every couple of weeks or so.

The documentary that has changes our lives..Watch it!!

So why the change? This...This documentary: Forks Over Knives.
If you haven't seen it, you should. It's compelling and very much worth watching. Especially if like my husband and I your a little more prone to things like heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and so on. My dad passed away 2 weeks after his 46th b-day. When I was 16 I didn't realize how young that really was. Now that I'm about to be 40 though, well let's just say I don't feel old :D My husbands dad has had a couple of heart attacks, all which started in his late 40's. Yikes, right? It's like we've just got all this bad stuff waiting for us. & lets face it, we're not getting any younger here! Anyway, after seeing this we knew our health is in our hands. So many people end up living off of medications as they grow older (my father in law being one of them) and if he stops taking them, his life is in jeopardy again. Mat & I don't want to live like that then, so right now is the time to change. Not to mention it won't hurt us to get ourselves back into shape.

Our new 'milk' :)

This butter spread is WONDERFUL!

So last weeks shopping was a bit different, a bit more costly, and dinners were a bit of an experiment :) We are a milk loving family and easily go thru 8 or 9 gallons in a week. There's this great dairy not far from our home & they have thee best milk EVER!! I'm gonna miss it ;( But we've been drinking Soy milk now for a solid 2 weeks and you know what? It's not half bad. We like the original over the Vanilla. & my husband and kids are lOVING the chocolate (very rich in my opinion, but they love it!) We tried Rice milk but it's just not as close in consistency. Last night I got the opportunity to use it in our mashed potatoes, along with our new 'butter spead', that's not butter at all :) And I was so thrilled (as was my family) that you couldn't taste any difference! My other change is in my coffee. I've finally been able to give up the caffeinated coffee that I sooo love, but have been way to dependant on (something talked about in the movie). My new coffee is actually something I've drank for a while now, but still using regular coffee as well. What I've changed is my foo-foo creamer that I have no doubt is adding to my extra poundage (I'm up to 160 lbs.!!) So I found vanilla flavored Stevia to use in coffee and am using just basic old non-dairy creamer...& it tastes soooo good! (she types as she sips :)

My new Barley, Malted barley, Chicory & Rye foo-foo drink :)

Great & Great for you kefir

This cheese is great! It's base is rice.

I've read alot about soy vs. other dairy substitutes and have concluded that we won't be using everything soy. To much soy has had links to cancer. So our other substitutes have been things like coconut keifer, coconut yogurt, rice cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and rice pastas too. So anyway, those are just some of our changes..so far. Truth be told, it's not that bad, but it's not that easy. I like beef. I love beef! But what I know is this..parenting takes all kinds of sacrifice and if this is one that will keep my husband and I around longer, our children being more healthy, then it's totally worth it :D So...Enjoy your dinner tonight while I experiment with mine again, and oh yeah, Happy Fall!!
Till next time, Lysh
(♥ u Levi)

A Year...

2011-09-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Levi in 2008..he was 3 when we started this journey to him the first time..

So a year ago we got an email saying that Levi was back on the adoption list and they were wondering if we were still interested....
Still interested in this little boy who we've been though so much for...
For this little boy who doesn't know we're out here...
Still interested in trying again...
Still interested in wanting to be this little loves family.

Have you had your stomach ball up in a knot? Felt the blood drain from your head ALL THE WAY down to your feet?? Ever just been side swiped by hearing news you weren't expecting??? I've had them all a few times; This email was one of them.
I can't explain the mixture of joy, sadness, fear, giddiness & uncertainty this email gave..but it's been
a year. We knew, had no doubt God was in this. We'd never stopped praying Levi. Never gave up asking for those doors to be re-opened if it was HIS will for our family to have Levi be a part of it.
A year.
We frantically struggled to put together our dossier as quickly as we could, and to update both our homestudy and our USCSI approval. Finally, in December we were ready! Yayyy!!!
Our dossier complete we submitted it.
And then....
since then, we've waited, and waited, annnnndddd waited.
We've been waiting for one step so we can take the next. It's the official referral giving us permission to move forward for Levi specifically.
In all honesty, this adoption wait has been ~~really~~ VERY hard.
It's put doubt in our hearts at times, it's rejuvenated our faith at times, it's caused us to wonder if we should keep pressing forward at times.
This time, this time right now....it's caused us to look up & to remember that this battle isn't ours. To remember that we're not fighting for us, but for a little boy who has no idea we even exist. Who has no idea that he is being fought for. The battle isn't between us & the officials in the ROG. But between the enemy and our faith, our hope, our trust that this battle is already won.
Our attorney is scheduled to meet again with the officials (who seem to always have an excuse why the referral isn't ready) next week. I love that our attorney is persistent. When it takes him to long to get a new appointment, he just shows up and waits outside the door & presses them for an appointment. We know alot of this is political stuff :( ..and in the mean time, Levi has to wait. All the progress that he could have been making..has to wait. Strengthening his legs to learn to walk..waits. Treatment & or surgery for his strabismus (his eyes don't properly aligned with each other) ...waits. Learning that he's loved, longed for, prayed for & dear to this families heart..waits.
BUT! I have no doubt those things will come.
I have no doubt that the Lord knows Levi's every need. He knows & loves, and is watching Levi. Our faith is being tested, but we know our character, our faith itself will come out stronger. In the end, like my dad always used to say when doubt clouded my vision.."It's all going to be okay. ."
We're prayerful this meeting will be The One.
Till next time, Lysh

Levi last year. He's 6 now..and still as beautiful as ever. I can't wait to one day kiss those precious little cheeks!!

(♥ u Levi)

icky..

2011-09-14T23:30:00.001-07:00

School's back in session & of cours I'm getting sick.. No fair! ; /

He can't wait..

2011-09-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

LOVE that it's getting cooler now..This Summer was just soooo hot!! With the new school year comes the first big holiday...Halloween. It's what Ezekiel waits for. He's got this odd obsession with the goolies & such. The creepier, the better as far as he's concerned. I try to not to be a bummer about it & put his likes down, but I've got say...it kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies! : / Mat says it's just a boy thing & I'm not supposed to get it. Okay, good, cause I don't, lol. Today, in class when he finished his assignment I told him to draw me a picture while he waited for his sister to finish. This is what he drew. It's one of his tame pic's :) He does draw well though, don't you think? ♥
Till next time, lysh
(♥ u Levi)

Zeke's Jack...Sept. 13.2011

Piano Lesson's

2011-09-14T14:39:00.001-07:00

My Uki~ How I love this boy..

So yesterday was the first day of piano lesson's. :) Everyone one, except for our Eli, is getting them. I found out that our piano teacher has a grown nephew with DS & it's one of the reasons she was not willing to, but wanting to take on instructing Isaac. She's really, really great! Very tender and sweet...with patience like I wish I had. She's a homeschooling Christian mom and just so sweet. As for my stinker?? Let's just say that maybe I was over shooting just ~~a tad~~ in a big way thinking Isaac would be ready for something like this. He totally ISN'T! I gotta laugh though, (or cry out of embarrassment) cause it was just a site to see my little man sitting there, with fists, pounding this nice women's very nice piano. She was sooo kind about it and didn't even flinch. So for now, while my other's are learning, Isaac is just going to come with us. She wants him to just get used to being in her home and around her. Then she said we'd try again. LOVE This women!! ♥ Everyone else does too :D
Now it's time to clean....(I think in our home, it's always cleaning time :P)
Till next time, lysh ♥
(♥ u Levi)

3 a.m. Musings..

2011-09-14T14:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, So what?..So it's 3 o'clock in the morning and I'm still up : / So what that I still haven't gotten the work done that I was supposed to get done oh, I don't know, umm...months ago! I'm gonna go do it right now, well, not right now; but as soon as I'm done here. I promise.
I've got charts to make for school. I've got books to put together for Isaac and Eli's speech. I've got to make a new job list for each day, for each blessing...& HAVE to start implementing all of thee above!
Things I ~~stongly dislike~~ HATE about myself:

I'm never on time :(
I'm not great with making plans & then following thru :(
I seem to always find time to do things like this...but not what I'm supposed to be doing :(
I have a hard time sticking with our schedule :(
I stay up way to late at night (case in point) and then have a hard time functioning in the morning.
I can be mean. :(
I have a tendency to like coffee to much :(
I'm not as organized as I like to pretend I am :(

Things I lOVE about myself:

My family
That I want to do better
That I want to make a difference
That I know that even with all my faults...I'm a good mom
That starting right now....I'm gonna work really hard to change all the things listed in my HATE category. Which means it's time to go.

Till next time....Embrace what God has in store for you, Look to Him & only Him for the guidance you need & remember to..."Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 So thankful He's still working :)
(♥ u Levi)

A Change of ♥..

2011-09-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I gave the other blog a really, really short go..but I quickly learned that I simply don't like 2 blogs. This is my blog..this is where I can write about my everyday musings :) So the other blog is gone & on here is where I'll do my musings of the mundane blessings in my life & the not mundane, but the awesome (that'd be my kiddo's :) So for any confusion, lol
Till next time, lysh♥
(♥ u Levi)

Just in case you ever wonder..

2011-09-14T01:57:00.000-07:00

You are wonderfully made.
You’re formed by God’s hands,
dreamed up in His heart,
and placed in this world for a purpose.
There’s no one else like you...
... You’re one of a kind, irreplaceable.
God has given you everything you need
and created you just as you need to be
to make a difference
in your own wonderful way.
So go for it, friend.
The world is waiting
and heaven is cheering you on

Feel Heart Strings Being Pulled Again??

2011-09-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

This is the picture I've seen of this beauty for what seems like for forever now on Reece's Rainbow.

& then I saw this one...Her updated picture. Isn't she breathtakingly beautiful?

http://reecesrainbow.org/victoria-f
This is Victoria, a.k.a Vika. She's been waiting for so long :( She's 6 years old...just like my Uki. It's a wonderful age to be found wouldn't you agree?
*Vika has $19,116.63 in her adoption fund. That means her adoption is just about FULLY FUNDED!!
She's described as affectionate, social and by a caretaker..'normal' (meant with the deepest love♥)
Please help me in spreading the word for her...she so needs a family!! Share about her on you fb page & your blog & let's help her family find her...
(I'm pretty sure Vika is in Russia, large families welcomed & single mama's too!)

What? Another blog??

2011-09-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

I know, I know!! Yes...I've started another blog...Why? You ask...Not really sure. That's not true; I do know why. I started another blog to blog about more of my everyday life. This blog was started when we first started our adoption journey to our Levi...so it's kinda become more of a blog that I blog on sometimes, but more to keep tabs on what that journey has been & is being. (It's also become one that I like to spread the news about our As One Families on) But for what ever reasons I don't feel like it's a place to really blog about our everyday life....or My everyday life, my real, not perfect, not always on top of things, everyday life ;) But my life...So, if your interested, swing on by. It's only got one post so far..not much to read, but that'll change :) If you click the fox pic over to the left it'll take you there. Or you can click here :P
http://boundasone.blogspot.com/
Till next time, Lysh ♥
My sweet love...You are always on my mind, in my heart & in our prayers. I love you little mr.

As One We Can..The Burlingham's and Andriy..

2011-09-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Amanda and David just sent their dossier in for Andriy..It's should be in country on Tuesday..THIS TUESDAY. That means they can be submitted in as little as one week and be given a travel date very shortly after that. Here's the honest truth out of Amanda's own heart....Her last blog post reads in part... ''I am begging. (We) don't have a back up plan. Nothing is hiding up (our) sleeve. Just share about me, about Andriy, about my little blog. Please share anywhere, I am not picky"".....So I ask you~Will you donate if nothing is offered? If I don't have an iPad 2 will you still donate? I can say that without people I have never met we would not be at over $10,000.(raised)!!! Every single donation big or small has gotten us this far..."
Because even though they DON'T have all the funds in place just yet, they fully trust the funds will come...They have to trust...it's called blind faith. They are in need of a pretty great amount still. They've fund raised all that they could. Had tons of people rally for them in offering things to donate. It's been a huge blessing to them! HUGE! But they simply still need more. Loads more..thousands more. They've sent in their dossier out of faith, because time is running out for Andriy & he's been without his family for far to long.
Amanda and David have been married for 11 years. They grew up together. David owns his own restaurant and Amanda's a stay at home mom. They have three children at home. Kyah 8, Aiden 5, and Braya 2. Their excited to welcome their second son into their family. Andriy will be their first child through adoption.
This is where you'll find Amanda's plea: http://justonemore4us.blogspot.com/ It's the blog she's asking you & me to share about. Share about it on your blogs, spread the word for this family as your fb status, not once, but keep it up so that Amanda's plea's for help are heard...not for her, but for her son, Andriy. This is where you can give a love gift at to help them raise the funds they so desperately need RIGHT NOW...Any amount is one that will bring them closer to being able to bring Andriy home.
http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorburlingham
I've seen child after child be saved by families who start their journey's with nothing...but come to the end of their rainbow with their child in their arms. We, as one, are the family that brings these children home..Now let's bring Andriy home.

2011-08-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Eli just walked in the room wearing one Ugg boot, his unders and a his sister's to large on him T-shirt. Sometimes, I just can't wrap my mind around how blessed I am by what I have :D

The Roger Family And Their Two Blessings...

2011-08-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'd like you to meet Mel and Erika. They met while Erika was attending Bible college and Mel was in the Army. Now days these two are blessed with 7 children and one grandchild. They are getting ready to add to their brood by adding two more blessings! Having adopted 3 children from the foster system they are no strangers to adoption, but Clare and Malachi (known as Christine and Oscar on RR) are their first international adoptions.

Handsome Malachi

Beautiful Clare

Erika always knew that she would mother a child with Down Syndrome..God had put in her heart. But she didn’t know if that child would come through birth or adoption. And then one day she came upon Reece's Rainbow and new exactly why God had lead her to this web-site. With their hearts ready to adopt again, she instantly knew this was where their children were. When Mel got home from work, Erika had him look at the website. After feeling like this was God’s calling, they told their children about the choice. To say the kids are overjoyed would be an understatement!

Mel and Erika with 5 of their blessings

Today, the Roger's family is really excited to be almost at the end of this rainbow. They've submitted their dossier and are waiting on a travel date. They are so close!!! They've worked hard to raise the funds they would need for this adoption. But as you all know, adoption is costly. The Roger family still needs help to be able to make this dream come true so their children can come home.
You can help by donating to their FSP: http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorrogers.
Another huge helper is sharing this link on FaceBook and your personal blogs. By spreading the word, more love can pour in.
You can follow the Rogers on their journey to bringing their children home on their family blog here: http://www.arainbowfamily.blogspot.com/
*And most importantly, pray. Pray for God to lead the way in His perfect timing, for all provisions to be taken care of for their children while they travel and for Malachi and Clare's hearts to be prepared for the wonderful changes that soon will take place in their lives.
Till next time, May you feels Gods love gracing your hearts ♥
and remember this...
"In you the orphan finds mercy."

Hosea 14:3

After No Levi News..We Just Got Some :)

2011-08-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

We got this email later in the day yesterday from our wonderful attorney overseas who works so incredible hard for the children of his country..Nothing great, but at least it's something :) So we'll pray that September brings us the joyous news that our referral is given :D
"... The delay is sadly only bureaucratic, incomplete G***ian procedures and not flexible and child oriented approach of G****ian Agency. Hope in Sept, we really get official referral again and this long story ends soon."

Giorgi...Thank you for fighting for our Levi, for not giving up and waiting hours at a time just to make your presence known for our son. Someday..I'm gonna hug you VERY tight! :D

Till next time....♥, Lysh (♥ you Levi)

Trust and Obey...For There's No Other Way..

2011-08-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our Levi love, June 2010

Forgive me Lord for doubting..for fearing the unknown, for being hesitant to grasp Your truth. How can I have ever doubted??? My heart crys out to You Oh Lord for our son. So much time has gone by with no words of assurance for my heart to hang onto. No word from our agency or from our attorney over seas...But you Oh God are faithful and true. My flesh looks to them for confirmation that things will be okay, that Levi will come home. Forgive me for trusting man. Your grace is enough for me & I fully trust and embrace Your truth for our family, and for our son...for our Little Levi.
If You are with us, and we are walking in Your will then who can stop us?? We can move forward in faith and in pure confidence because You Oh God go before us and You have already conquered the battle and broken down the barriers.You Lord will provide EVERY SINGLE need that we have for us to be able to accomplish what You've asked us to do. The enemy will stir our fears (he has mine, for sure!) He'll rise up anxieties in our hearts...(he's done that too :( ..But You are bigger!!!!!
Lord, in Your name I entrust our adoption and in faith I will trust Your will for our Levi. Hold him close until we can. Whisper sweet 'I love you's' to him until we can. Thank You Father...
♥, Me.

Our Levi love..June 2010

*little man, mama loves you & I'll see you soon.

My Twin (but not twin) Monster's...

2011-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

They love each other...

They really, really do!

And when they just get to be too much to handle..

My Mathew knows just what to do to keep them in place :)

And he's good at multi-tasking too...Holding the two monster's down & watching the other kids...gotta love him!!

That's all for now, till next time... ♥, Lysh

CUTIE PIE, ERIN ♥

2011-07-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is Erin...She caught my heart this morning as I was looking though the sea of the many, many faces still lost & waiting. Sometimes, certain children just jump out at'chya. They make this impression on your heart. Leave a stamp of their face in your mind. Then you start to pray for them, start to pray for the family that God would raise up for them. Sometimes God blindsides you as He gently whispers in your ear that this is your child...that your the family He's rising up. Erin is 9 and has no idea what 'family' is :(. Isn't that a sad concept to grasp? Imagine never having a family. No one to do everyday, mundane things with...like just vegging out in front of the TV with & sharing a bowl of popcorn while you watch a wonderfully pointless show to laugh at. Or running to the market for milk with mom or dad & getting a shake on the way home to share. She has no one to celebrate her birthday with so that when she wakes up everyone is yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" or no one to get frustrated with cause they don't want to let her borrow their shirt. How small all these things are. So small that they don't even seem like big deals in our lives. These are just the things families do in everyday living... the things that we just take for granted. We have our moments of joy & laughter, our moments of frustration, our moments of wanting to share our every moment with someone else & our moments of just wanting to be alone. But in the end...we have our family to do all of it with. How sad to not have those simple joys that most of us don't bother to count as blessings because their so common place in our lives.

This is Erin's info. found on Reeces Rainbow.

1680b-1C
Erin

                                                         Date of Birth: January 2002
                                                                 Gender: Female
                                                                     Eyes: Gray
                                                                Hair: light brown
                                                           Character: calm, social

***SHE'S ELIGIBLE FOR AN OLDER CHILD GRANT

Erin is in Russia, in a orphanage. Waiting. Simply waiting while we enjoy our mundane everyday lives with our families. While I enjoy MY everyday mundane life with MY family.

http://reecesrainbow.org/category/waitingbycountry/russia/1region

Please pray with me for her family...I KNOW & TRUST God has a family for her. He never intended this life for any of His beautiful children.

"In you the orphan finds mercy."

Hosea 14:3

Thanks all..& may you be a blessing & be blessed today with everything your doing with your family...Me? I'm getting ready to do our Saturday Clean sweep so our home is once again in order :)
Till next time, Lysh
*love you Nika ♥

From the Inside Out...

2011-07-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the only words I can seem to articulate from my heart are ones that have already been spoken by another.

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in Your grace
Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart and my soul, I give You control

                                                    Consume me from the inside out, Lord

Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord, my soul cries out

                                                           My soul cries out to You....
                                                            My soul cries out to You

And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise.. from the inside out and my soul crys out....My soul crys out

Prayers & A Plea of Help for The Warner's..

2011-07-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

Proud new dad..Dave Warner with Joshua

**This full post is copied word for word for the Warner family adopting Joshua...it's taken from Welcome to Taylorville: WE MUST RALLY:
Lisa Warner is landlocked in the Ukraine. She and her husband traveled overseas to ransom a child and bring him home. Fundraising was ALWAYS a struggle for the Warner's. I am begging you now, for all you know, to share this story and donate ANY AMOUNT to their FSP.

*yes, I know their FSP looks good and hearty...looks can be deceiving. When they traveled they had less than $10,000 in their FSP (adoption costs more than double that). They have now paid for one round of travel, the adoption, and all paperwork to come home. They paid for return tickets and LOST $350 for having to cancel those flights. I personally would love to their FSP hit $15,500. Lisa has not asked for ANY OF THIS. This is on my heart alone*

Joshua, their son, is sick. The Embassy doctor will not release him for travel. She believes he has pneumonia--however, she will NOT treat him for pneumonia and neither will any other doctor they have seen because they do not believe he has pneumonia.

They contacted the CDC with the xrays and doctor's reports they have---CDC is giving the doctors a few options. Wait it out (6-8 weeks and retest) or surgically obtain sputum samples to test of TB and risk Joshua's life.

The Warner's are in a very precarious situation. Lisa's sister was found deceased in her apartment by Lisa's mother. Lisa's mother has been caring for their other young boy, Jacob, at home in Michigan.

It is very likely Lisa and Dave will allow the surgical procedure to test for TB and rule it out. This is not an easy decision, nor is it safe for Joshua. The doctor who refuses to let them leave has said she does not want to do this test because it puts Joshua in danger. The doctor is consulting with her team but will ultimately leave the decision up to Lisa and Dave.

They need funds. I would love to see $6,000 more raised for their FSP. Dave has been without income for over a month now. Dave could lose his job over all of this. I pray that does not happen; but it is a real fear and one that needs prayers.

I have nothing to offer you, nothing to entice you with. No fancy cameras. No iPad. No Kindle. Nothing except the comfort in knowing you have helped bless the Warner's in a much needed manner.

You can donate directly to their FSP here http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorwarner

You can follow Lisa's blog at BUILDING OUR VILLAGE

Please do anything you can, share, donate, PRAY.

There are literally stranded in a foreign country with little assistance at this point.

~Christie~*writer of this post

"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:2-3 (NIV)

Our Fundraiser Has Ended Today And The Winner Is....

2011-07-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

..dumm ♪ dumm ♫ dummm...Mrs. Naomi Woods from my homeschooling family!!! Yayyyy!! :D Thanks to all of you who showed your love & support to our family and for advocating with us for Levi....Such a humbling blessing indeed!!

**Prayers too please for Giorgi, our faithfully fighting attorney in country as he prepares to have a meeting today with officials to find out our status & when we will be able to expect Levi's Article 16.
Your will be done Lord!
***Little Mr., We lOVE you soo. XOXO, Mama ♥

It Was The Count Down To Isaac....

2011-07-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today we boarded this plan & were on our way to meet this cute little guy that we'd only seen a picture of. We carried his picture with us, had it hanging in our home, even used as our screen saver on our computer :) I was scared & excited all in one. What would he be like? Would he like us? Would we bond with this little fellow that we were flying across the world for? Would it all go smoothly? What would his needs be? Would we be able to handle them? Would our other kids be okay while we were gone? What would my reaction be the first time I met him? Would our kids bond with him? The questions went on & on & circled in brain over & over. I felt dizzy with anticipation. It was such a powerful, peaceful, wow! flight. With my handsome by my side all was right in the world & we were doing this together....we were going to go get our son. ♥

This is the plan that flew us across the world. We went from Los Angles to Germany....I had a massive headache, a really grumble tummy from hunger & was soooo thankful for those beautiful golden arches of Mc Donald's that we found during our 3 hour layover. In only about 6 more hours we'd be in our sons country & I need to fuel my self now to be ready for the big moment :)

We faithfully practiced our Russian print off from Meridith so we'd be ready for our time in Ukraine. Boy did we fool ourselves!! There was so much more we should of learned to be prepared : P
*Note to self..keep practicing Georgian for when it's our time to go bring home our little Mr. : D

Finally, after 17 long hours from the moment we left home we got off our plane in Kiev, Ukraine. Amazing how little time it takes now days to go around the world. In Ukraine we had a set of stairs that was pushed to the door of our plane & there we unloaded to get onto a little bus where a kind fellow traveler offered to capture the moment for us. This was it. We were really there & it was only the beginning of our grand adventure that still continues today.

Our sweet little Mr.,

As our day comes to a close & your day begins I hope your able to feel the love we have for you. Your picture has been hanging in our home for a mighty long time now & it's your enduring face we see every time our computer is turned on. We pray that it won't be long now till we get to board a plane to travel for you...our next big adventure : D

Good night little love. Mama loves you.

A Tale Of Two Farmers & Us...

2011-06-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there were two farmers, both needed rain for their crops to grow, so both were praying for the rain to come. One farmer prayed daily & went out to check the skies to see if it looked like rain outside; Then he went back inside to pray some more. The other farmer didn't wait to see signs of rain coming, but in faith he plowed his field & prepared for God to answer his prayers for he trusted God would indeed provide and when He did this farmer wanted to be ready.

Slowly thou it may be our adoption is proceeding :) . But there are political things at play in our adoption process that are out of our hands . In faith that things will start to progress again quickly we're plowing our fields . When our adoption fell though the first time back in 2009 due to Levi's country being attacked God let us know Levi would come home , but it would be later . Since then we've been in this spot were in now 2 other times . The doors to Levi have never been sealed , they've been closed ...but never sealed . We totally trust that God wants us to press forward for Levi to come home until He Himself seals those doors & there is no possible way for them to open back up . We know the enemy's goal here is for Levi to not have a family. We know too that anytime a family says 'Yes' to God's call to step out of their comfort zone, the enemy is going to magnify the sacrifices having to be made. But in the end...we know God's got this. He's totally already won the battle, we just have to trust that as we fight though the war for Levi . We don't think it coincidence that his country as sought us out to offer Levi to us again & again . We don't know if now is the later God gave us , But in faith we are plowing our fields for we trust God will indeed provide the way . It's been another 6 months since our dossier was submitted . It's time to update it again . We've decided to go forward with updating it now instead of waiting for the skies to look like rain . We want to be ready when God does bring the rain . :) Part of that process is being financially ready . I'm sure many of you already know , Dossier's aren't cheap . It's costs a lot to put all that paper work together . We need bunk-beds , a new Van since our Suburban won't hold Levi when he comes home and we know travel will cost a pretty penny too . (last check tickets were $1,600!! Yikes!!) There are SO M ANY other families in need & I'm used to advocating for them . But now we're in a position too were help is needed & we need your help to be able to do this again (this will be our 4th time putting together this dossier :( Lord's willing our little Mr. will be home before our homestudy & our I-171 will expire (not till June of next year) We made sure to be approved for a little boy with DS between the ages of 6 -8 years old this time . Wow . The last time we put our homestudy together for him it was approved for a 3-4 year old boy . My how time flies when your having fun : P.
So here's our 1st Fundraiser! It's for....Dummm, dummm, dum, dum..

THE NEW FLIP SLIDE HD

*This fits in the palm of your hand & makes capturing all those fleeting moments so easy!! You can shoot up to four hours of HD video on the portable SlideHD , you just have to press the big red button on the sleek touchscreen to start capturing high-quality HD video . It has a 3" wide screen and can store up to to 12 hours of videos and photos . After using it you just have to connect the built-in USB arm to your PC or Mac. & it'll upload your video's in a flash . How cool is that ?? Think about how easy this would be to take along with you to capture all those sweet moments that we alway wish we could catch, but don't have a camera with us to do so. Or how about taking it with you if your on an adoption journey of your own?? You can capture that first moment meeting your new little ♥ I'm so sad that I didn't get to capture meeting Isaac :( We didn't even take a video camera cause our small one was just to big . This is as simple as it gets ...

THE JEST OF IT ALL:

Every $5. donation will get your name entered into the drawing. We're going to be running this fundraiser for 2 weeks..we'll end it & see who our lucky winner is on July 13th :) You can make your donations to our Chip-in that we loving call Plowing Levi's field :)

All your support is sooo appreciated! Would you / could you also be so kind as to help us spread the word by posting this as your fb status? : ) Thank you all..... ♥

Two Years Ago Today...

2011-06-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

This is the first pic we ever saw of our son. He was listed as Vincent on RR.

.....We got our email letting us know our appointment date was in 10 short days . 8 days from now we boarded a plane and flew across the world to another world.....Ukraine . Our little boy was there . He'd been there for 4 and a half years waiting for us....and we'd only known about him for 5 months . I love this little boy with a passion I honestly didn't know could exist for a child not born from my body . Our world changed forever today 2 years ago . We we're really doing it . We were going to go bring home a little boy and call him ours . God already knew he was ours. I'm sooooo happy God choose Isaac for us . Our family wouldn't be complete without his smile, his charm, his laughter, his mayhem, his mischief....without him . Thank you Lord for my beautiful son!

Our Isaac standing in front of his orphanage . We saw this pic & knew without a doubt we we're looking at our son . This picture says it all....it screams his character though the photo : D

Our stinker today . His character still shines though ! I can't wait to see how God uses this wonderful life....my son...My Isaac .

Thank you Lord for this blessing. He's awesome!! :)

Today is the 1st time Isaac said 'I Love you' back to me...

2011-06-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Using his beautiful, chubby hands. ~I LOVE Sign Language!!!!!!!!!!!! ~
*said with a heart felt smile : D

Liam's been waiting so long...& now his family needs our help to get him home...

2011-06-26T15:54:00.001-07:00

http://reecesrainbow.org/spon

Amy is a single Mom to four sons. Amy’s oldest son Jimmy (24) was born with Down syndrome and Amy’s life was changed forever. After Jimmy’s birth, Amy was inspired to become a special education teacher. She is currently a middle school special education teacher, a job that is so rewarding for her. Amy’s next son Ben is 19 and he and Jimmy are very close. When Jimmy turned 18, Amy had the desire to adopt. She had always wanted to have more children and decided now was the time. In 2005, she adopted Caleb 8(then 2 years old) from Russia. Caleb also has Down syndrome and he is the firecracker of the family. He has added so much love and fun to the family, that Amy just had to bring another little one with Ds home. In 2009, Amy adopted Elijah 4 (then 2) from Russia. Raising children with Ds is the best part of Amy’s life. They bring more joy into her life than she could ever have imagined! Even though Amy thought her family was complete, her heart ached for the orphans left behind. And then God spoke to Amy by placing another little boy on her heart, and Amy is more than excited to begin the process again to bring another son home. Although the financial piece of adoption is great, Amy has faith that God will provide.
www.amyandsons.blogspot.com

Here I Am..

2011-06-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just can't find the time to blog. Or I have it, but I'd rather sit & watch a T.V. show or read a book. Those moments are much like this one..they come late at night (it's mid-night) while everyone else sleeps & my body screams at me at how tired it is, but my mind just refuses to shut down. I've been told by many other mom's that my late nights up are nothing unusual. I personally don't like them. Well, I mean I do.. I like the quiet, I like not having to do anything for anyone for the moment...But...I lOVE to sleep!! Wish I had more time to do it :D In a bit my eyes will finally droop. But when they do it'll be to late for a full night of peaceful, restful sleep. I'm almost sure I haven't hit the REM state of sleep in years. Instead I'll steal 4, maybe 5 hours of shut-eye if I'm lucky before my Isaac or my Eli wake me up with their loving chatter, their kisses good-morning & their jumps on my bed. I can't complain, I'll take their wake me ups over some noisy alarm clock any old day :) For now, I'm done with this post..Think I'll read instead (Healing ADD..not very exciting, I know, but hey..maybe it'll put me to sleep while it gives me more insight into my Zeke's world :) So here's to being asleep soon...
& for you my little Mr. As your day is about to begin I pray your safe, your healthy, you feel loved & that soon I'll be able to cover your sweet soft cheeks with big mama kisses. Good night my love~ XOXOX, Mama ♥

Prayers please

2011-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

God is at work in our adoption..I fully, whole heartily trust this to be true. Please just pray for us, for our adoption process & for Levi. Many thanks sweet friends! ♥

Little Mr. I love you. VERY, VERY much. XOXOX, Mama

happy, happy mama's day :)

2011-05-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

I love this job & am so beyond thankful God saw me fit for this role. May all you mom's out there have a really blessed day! ((Hugs ♥))

One Last Time..

2011-04-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I put my little Uki, with his beautiful folded ears, to bed for the last time as a 5 year old.

Happy 6th my sweet little monster who I love so much. ♥

Finally! News :D

2011-04-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Short thou it may be..it was a great read :) Found this in our email from our agency on Friday "Official referral of Nikoloz for Fox family granted today.." :D Yayyyy!!! See, what'd I tell you? Great read, right?! (smiling from ear to ear over here) :D Now for more waiting via the US as our I-800 approval for Nika to come home to us is given. Waiting is hard ;( But I soooo can't wait for the reward at the end of this rainbow! :D

Mama loves, loves, loves you Nika Levi ♥ That's all for now, till next time :P Lysh.

Now I Know~The Story Of A Boy & His Leash..

2011-04-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

Now I know why these leash things were made, lol. I used to HATE seeing kid's on these leashes..Why don't they just teach their child how to be obedient & Not run off?? What I never took in to consideration was the children who don't comprehend how to Not run off. Or that it's not safe or okay. Isaac is a runner. I've let him go in the past to see what his reaction would be once he realized he wasn't with us anymore & I've watched him from a safe, hidden distance; & you know what? He never hit that point. Oh , he looks around..but fear never sets in the way it always did in a matter of minutes with my typical kiddo's. He just kinda gazes around & starts to look scared....but then he gets distracted from even his own fear & he's off & running again to his new adventure. So I invested in the dreaded boy leash. He's a hoot with it on! He drags whoever is holding it like a big ol' dog drags it's owner, lol. He's slowly learning what his range of movement is with it on & it's slowed him down some. (he had to learn the hard way by running & being pulled to the ground when his line went taunt, poor baby got a nice knot on the back of his head a couple of times before in sank in) We don't put it on him all the time..usually we don't have it on him at all. Like at church or the grocery store or just out with the family. Those times he's on his own & practicing self control. But we went to Disneyland not to long ago & anytime he was out of his stroller he for sure had on the leash. So this is him on his leash, lol. I just love him. He's a handful, but he's our handful...and it's a blessed handful at that :D Sorry to all you who use the leash & my snobby view :( I'm a thankful mama for the leash now day's & it keeping my son safely with us :D Welp, that's all for now. Till next time, Lysh ♥ Mama loves you Nika.

My Little Miss Naomi..

2011-04-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

She's one of the spunkiest little girl's I've ever known & I'm sooo lucky she's mine :D She's got this really big personality that's just chalk full of charm. She's either smiling & making you laugh or she's ready to bite your head off & it's a really rare occasion that there's an inbetween. Thankfully...

she's usually being spunky, witty, charming & making us laugh & smile vs. the later :) I know she's one whose going to want to branch out in some big way when she's older. She's just got adventurer written all over her. I look forward to seeing how God is going to use this little bit of spice to season the world.

Welp, that's all for now..Till next time, Lysha ♥

Night my little Nika. Mama loves you

It's A New Day Folks!

2011-04-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, " Oh shoot, she's up!" I read this today & thought ' Wow! That's just what I need today...I need the devil to know whose on my side & to be afraid...be very afraid!!' lol So today, I'm ready...Bring it on!! I've got myself prepared, got my armor on & there ain't nothing you can throw my way today that's gonna knock me down :D 2 Samuel 22:33 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect"!!

lOVE HURTS..

2011-04-06T00:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes don't the days just seem to drag??

Today was a hard day. Today was a day that my Ezekiel just had to challenge EVERY thing. I hate these days...the days when I'm forced to be the mean mom, the mom the means business & won't take no you know what. I know he tests me because it's what he's supposed to do. He's just keeping me on my toes & I know I need these days to make sure I'm on my toes. But, non-the-less, I hate these days with a mighty passion. I hate the way I feel after I've had to discipline one of my children. I remember my dad telling me every time he was put in this position by me...."this hurts me more then it's going to hurt you" I remember thinking what a load of bologna that was...but now I know...now I know how that hurt lingers. I love my Zekiel...lOVE him beyond measure, but boy does he know how to get my goat! lol :D As long as he needs me to prove to him I love him enough to always be there to put him back in order I'll do so. Even though it hurts me, more then it hurts him. ♥

So looking forward to God's grace of a new day tomorrow.

My Nika Levi...I love you & think about you all the time.

Till next time. Dancing in His grace, Lysha

Fleeting Moment's..

2011-04-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

So many times days at a time will go by that I seem to miss being able to grasp each wonderful moment I shouldn't be missing..or that I don't want to be missing. Our little's are little for such a short time. I look at my Ayla, who'll be 14 soon & I so wish I could just go back in time already..I know there's so much more I wanted to do with her.

Now, it's my Rubee. My Rubee whose starting to go threw her changes. My little girl Rubee is just around the corner from being my young lady Rubee. I miss my Ayla being little...& even though I still have my Rubee little for a little bit longer, it just doesn't seem like long enough & I already miss her being little too. :\

My Naomi & my Zeke I luckily get to breath in for a moment longer before to many more changes come to them. But...I know soon enough there time to leave their young selves behind will come..& yes, I already dread it.

One of the many blessings to Down Syndrome is that I've had the chance to cherish my Eli & Isaac kinda staying younger for a bit longer. I know it may seem odd to some, but I rather enjoy my 4 year old still clinging to me like a 2 year old. I love that he's still in that age of wonderment over new discoveries. I love that he's starting to talk more & that just like a little one whose just learning he parrots everything we tell him to say & it all sounds so darn cute! I love how he puts his hand up for a high 5 cause he said whatever we asked him too :P

I love that my 5 year old Isaac is this bright boy who seems to be stuck in the 3-4 year age range of taking it all in and finding something mischievous to do with it all. I love that he's adventurous & knows exactly how to get his point across without the use of words...he's so dang creative!!

When my dad past away is when I realized how fleeting those precious moments are. I became hell bent on trying to savor each moment that I felt was special to me. One of the ways I was able to "hang on" to a moment was through my camera. In high school I started taking tons of pictures. But...when I had my first blessing? Watch out world, mama coming through & she's armed with her camera! I have trunk fulls, literally, trunk fulls of pictures of my children & these past 13 & 1/2 years. Someday...someday,I'll put them all in photo albums. For Christmas the year that our Rubee was born my father-in -law bought us a video camera. Now I have tons of video tapes that I need to get transferred onto disc's for safe keeping. *deep sigh* Someday. :]

These are just a few of my fleeting moments that I want to cherish for a bit longer. There not these big moments, just moments that make me feel good & then I quick, run & get my camera so that if the memory I've etched in my mind someday isn't as clear as I wish it would be...well, then I've got back up :D

levi...Mama loves you. ♥

Till next time, Lysh

Because I want you to know...

2011-03-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Isn't it weird how certain people you meet though out life can have such a big impact on you even if they weren't aware of it..Maybe you didn't even know them very well..but still, they left their mark on you. Then there are the people that are in your life for just a mere season, whether others thought they should have been or not. Maybe friends from high school, maybe boy friends or girl friends. Maybe co-workers or collage classmates that for a brief moment in time they were there & they helped shape who are you today. Then you have your constants...usually family. The one's who've seen all the different stages of your life, the one's who maybe warned you against certain people; cheered you on with others & also left their own mark on you & shaped who you are today. It's just weird how we impact each other so very much & I don't think half of us know how much we do so.

To all you other mom's who sit in this cruise with me floating though the ocean of Motherhood..thank you. Most of you don't even know me. You've never met me, or even talked to me in real life...but you have most defiantly left your mark on me & whether you know it or not, you been a part of shaping me. I've honestly gained more wisdom from you all then you'll ever be able to know. So, thanks..Thank you. Thank you for the uplifting words, the bible verses to spiritually encourage me. Thank you for letting me know that our families version of normal is normal in many other households. Thank you for showing your imperfections so I don't feel like a total failure when my days look much like most of yours :P Just thank you...

Blessings till next time, Lysh

My levi..I love, love, love you. ♥, mama.

Dossier...

2011-02-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Our Dossier is on it's way for our Nika...Yayyyyy!!!

♥ It's been a painfully slowww process this time around, but it's all been in God's hands & in His perfect timing. We were blessed with an amazing gift by God through Lifesong for orphans that made it possible to send our dosseir forward. Due to their help we're now praying about taking our Isaac, Eli & Ayla with us when it's time for travel. Ayla is wonderful with her little brothers. We know that the last time we traveled for Isaac's adoption it took it's toll on our Eli with him not being able to comprehend why we were gone, why he was staying away from home & why we were gone for so long. We think it would be a blessing all around for our boys to be able to meet each other & start to bond in Nika's country. We also think it'll be a blessing for people (especially his foster mom) to be able to see the difference therapies, hard work & so on can do in the lives of children with DS. Our Nika will be six in May. He's exactly 1 month younger then Isaac & still isn't walking, has no form of communication & is very loved on but never encouraged to do more then exist in his walker or play pen ;( Isaac on the other hand (as well as Eli, whose a year & a half younger) communicate by using over 80 sign's, they walk, run, jump, use scissors, know their colors, body parts & so on. Isaac is fully potty trained & Eli is on his way. They love to be read too, love to color & climb on the play ground..I can't wait for Nika to be encouraged by his brother's let alone everyone else! :) This has been on amazing test of faith. We've had plenty of discourages along the way but thankfully, God's soft whispering voice has been louder then them all. Now we're really coming towards the end of this journey & I for one am giddy with joy! :D

Mr. Nikoloz Levi..You, little man, are one loved little boy!

Blessing to you all...Till next time, Lysh

Be Encouraged~In Courage..

2011-02-08T23:44:00.000-08:00

I was sent a link to this blog post today..a perfect day for me to be reading it. So many times I question myself & what I'm doing in this job position. Most days I feel like I've failed miserably in some area. Other days are days I'm glad the Lord see's all :D These are rare days indeed though :P So read..read on & be encouraged by one mama who was inspired to encourage us other mama's..

Its early morning and I’m not dressed yet. The phone rings while I’m taking stock of last night’s dishes piled in the sink, coloring books and crayons scattered all over the living room, and several hooligans running about in underwear and tangled hair, shouting for breakfast. Its easy to feel defeated today before the day has even begun.

I answer the phone and, as if by magic, something changes. Because someone on the other end encourages.

I don’t do well with compliments. I’m never sure how to respond. Who, me? I’m shyly scuffing my toes and casting eyes down as the words roll over me. “We’re proud of you. We are thankful for you. You are doing a beautiful job. You are a wonderful Mother.”

A thousand thoughts rush to the forefront of my mind – ” I yelled at my daughter for no reason this morning. I sent my kids to bed in a huff last night. Have you seen my kitchen? My bathrooms are a disgrace and I hardly smiled at my husband last night. I’m not who you say I am.”

Why is it so hard to accept encouragement?

Ah, there it is, the answer that steals so much from us: perfectionism. That little lie that snakes its way into many a mother’s mindset. “Other mothers have cleaner houses. They speak sweetly to their kids. They cherish and serve their husbands. They have perfect lives.”

Somehow we slurp down every lie and ask for more.

The only way to combat lies is with truth. And here it is, mamas:

You are doing a beautiful job. No, I didn’t say perfect. I didn’t say spotless. I didn’t say sinless. I said beautiful. Broken, messy people can be beautiful, and the way that you try, try and try again, that is beautiful.

Every day that you wake up in the midst of your mess and resolve, every day that you try, and yes even every day that you fail, your heavenly Father is proud of you. Think of how proud you are of your littles when they try, and even when they stumble and fall amidst their attempts.

You are a wonderful mother. You love your children more than yourself. You are being remade into a better person because of the sacrificial love you have for these precious gifts you’ve been given. And that makes you wonderful.

Compliments and encouragement, they are not for the perfect among us…because who among us is perfect?

Motherhood is historically “thankless.” Small people are not always great at making us feel validated and appreciated, and even harried husbands coming home to the giant task of family, they can even forget at times.

Encourage one another. I see what other mamas do, because I do the same. I see how hard it is. If there is some way that I can encourage another in the way I have been encouraged, I know that it will bolster her, give her strength and hope in this daily battle we call life.

That’s why we should encourage. Not because we are perfect, but because we are not.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 NIV

“Therefore, encourage each other…”

Did you read that? You are wonderful!..Each of you & I'm so thankful to hold this job given by the Lord Himself :D

You can read more from Lydia here:

http://www.incourage.me/2011/02/the-why-of-encouragement.html

Till next time, Lysha
*Night my Levi Love...♥

Words for Wednesday... :)

2011-02-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

My heart yearns for you Lord. May the words of my mouth be from my heart. Search me & know me...that I love you & long to follow you where ever you may lead.

Isaiah 29:13

"And the Lord said, this people come near to me with their mouths, and give honour to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is false, rules given them by the teaching of men.."

It can become so easy to talk the talk, but not walk the walk. But...He knows..He knows the state of each of our hearts. Today, may each of us worship from our hearts. May we be willing to sacrifice all that stands in our way of living life to the fullest with Him in the driver seat. May we find peace in trusting that He knows..He knows us, He knows our situations, He knows our longings & our fears. He knows...& He'll take us where we are free of all those chains. It may not always be an easy walk to walk, but we never walk it alone.

To mama love Rubee

2011-01-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

YOU ARE THE BEST IN THE WEST IN THE BIRDS NEST I LOVE YOU~ YOU,YOU,YES YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Mom thank you for every thing you make me laugh. You are so nice and cool and funny. You have a vary special attitude. Mama I want you to know that I will always love you no matter if your mad or sad or happy. Threw thick and thin I will love you. Mama I love love love your smile :D. Mom I'm sorry that the House is a mess.

Mama thank you for keeping us in order :D I love♥ you♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
You are so PRETTY! I love ♥ you!!

Mama you are the best mom in the WORLD I love you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much

One step closer to our Levi..

2011-01-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Got our finalized copy of our homestudy today! Yayyy!! Out goes our I-800a application tomorrow..Prayers for a quick turn around ♥...

Words for Wednesday...

2011-01-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

~Instead of wordless Wednesday..Words for Wednesday~
More then most of us will never, ever even come close to being able to comprehend what it means to be an orphan. What is means to not have a home, your own family, your own bed, your own cloths. Not knowing who you belong too or who you got your eye or hair color from. Knowing instead what it means to never be loved, to not have anyone to let you know how special you are, to not have a safe place to run too or a special someone in whom you feel 100% safe & secure with . To literally just exist..day in & day out. (this is my Isaac at 3 months old..)

When we chose to adopt we never realized the amazing depths of the impact it would leave on us. We knew of the impact having a new child in our home would have, but we didn't know of the impact seeing in real life what a child's life is like when they have no one.
Remembering who my son was before he was my son breaks my heart. My little Uki is so vastly different then who we met a year and a half ago. My little Ukrainian prince who then didn't want to be held, who didn't smile unless he was tickled, who wouldn't hold my hand, who wouldn't let me comfort him when he was hurt. My son who I thought had scars from being fearless; not from someone hurting him...my son who would grab the hair on the back of his head & dunk his head in the water whenever he was given a bath. My little boy who never had a full belly so he dug in every trash bin we would pass in hopes of finding more to eat. My little guy who then was a mere 22 lbs. at 4 1/2 years old, who wore shoes to small for his feet & girl cloths because it was what they had. He had a bad case of impetigo all over his cute little face and a bloated belly that never got full. He had no idea how to interact with us so he just moved about around us. But...he liked us. He wanted us & looked for us out the gate to see if we were coming. He knew we were different & he liked that we came to see him. By the end of the two weeks of having two, two hours alone time with us each day he came to trust us. He let me hold him on the 8th day. He held my hand when we walked & kissed it on the 10th. It didn't take long at all for him to realize he liked being wanted. When I first saw the video above it moved me to tears because what you see above is an orphanage in Ukraine just like my Isaac's. There's a very heavy hard feeling that comes with visiting an orphanage. It leaves this mark on you, like a strong stench that you can't get rid of. It's one that shouldn't be. I hope you take the time to watch the video above & let the realness of what these children's lives are like leave a deep mark on your heart. I pray that it moves you to want to do something about it. You don't have to be the one to adopt..you can be the one who helps another family by supporting them. You can donated directly to a particular child. You can donate to ministries that support families in need of funds to adopt. You can be a sponsor to a child on your own. There are so many options out there to be of help.

My son today is this happy little boy whose belly isn't bloated, who doesn't look in trash cans anymore for food, whose impetigo is all gone. He loves to be held, loves to be with his family, loves to be loved & we love loving him. I'm so thankful God gave us Isaac. I can't imagine life without him. He has so much to offer this world! He's smart, driven, funny, lovable, exploratory, and just cute as can be. I love this little boy beyond measure.

Levi's dossier is done, our homestudy is done. We're waiting on our finalized copy of our homestudy so we can submit our I-800a application. Once we have the approval back we'll be able to submit our dossier to Nika's county. It can take up to 3 months before we'll have a travel/court date. He'll be 6 in May. Praying he's home by then. We totally look forward to celebrating him! I look forward to knowing who he is. I can't wait :)

..May the needs of the children weigh on you this night & tomorrow & the next day & the next day & the next...

Websites where you can go to help:

http://www.reecesrainbow.org/

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/

http://www.life2orphans.org/kiro.htm (this is a site were you can see Isaac's old home & help the children there directly.)
Till next time, ♥ Lysh

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-01-25T09:11:00.001-08:00

Naomi feeling like a princess 24/7

Rubee wanting to have a picture with her brother.

Our gentle Nala playing dress up with Naomi

Friends playing dress-up together

Him & me together...♥

Zekiel comforting his little sister after she was scolded for hitting him ;)

Eli practicing writing his name (all scribbles really, but he proudly holds it up & says "Li" :)

Changing sheets & finding love notes to me written on Naomi's mattress ♥

My beautiful little lady with her red hair she so loves :)

Old man Brodie cuddling up with the stuffed animals :)

lOVE YOU LEVI..Your a mama's favorite too :D

Till next time. Lysh ♥

What's cookin'...

2011-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Living on a tighter then usual budget has been an amazing (& hard) blessing. It's taught me things that in the past I've prayed to learn, but never really did cause I wasn't forced too. Contentment is one. Knowing how to say "no" is two. And learning how to make some really mean meals with what we have is three. :) There's more...but for now, I'll stop & visit here.With learning how to be make good meals, I've had some things that had to play as main factors.

For one, I really want to stick with foods that are healthy for my family.

I for sure have to be able to fit all the ingredients in my budget without it hurting.

I don't want to sit in the kitchen all day nursing the meal along..it needs to be an easy fix.

They need to be meals I can make in large quantities.

It's helpful if their filling. :)

Oh &...They need to be meals my kids will actually eat!

So here's a really good recipe I wanted to share that pretty much covers all my wants in one big pot. This one comes from a book I have called "The healthiest meals in the world" :D I've had it for years, don't know when or where I got it from or why I haven't used it in the past, but no worries...I'm using it now :) This is Turkey Chili and it is DE-LISH!!!!! Really great for the cooler season & beyond filling. Wonderfully healthy, really easy to prepare and great on the budget. Just so you know, I'm not one to follow recipes to a tee..I like to tweak 'em a bit to fit my likes. I strongly encourage you to do the same :) The amounts below make enough for my family to enjoy for two days..including a lunch too. Yup, it's that good...my kids will eat this for both lunch & dinner the following day (makes for a really easy day & you can't beat that!) In all, this meal costs about $14.00; Doing the math that's about $1.75 per person..divided by 3 meals? That's .58 cents per person... not counting having second helpings at each meal :) Love this one!

Turkey Chili with Cashews & Kale (Mama's tweaked version)

A splash of extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 or 4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced

2 lbs. of ground turkey (I buy the individually wrapped 1 pounders at Costco..4 lbs. usually runs about $12.00)

a pinch of oregano

2 pinches of chili powder

a pinch of cumin

a small pinch of ground cinnamon

(be careful with this one...too much & it becomes an overpowering taste~the perfect amount & it's an awesome hint that adds much. I found this out the hard way ;\

some cayenne pepper, salt and a bit of pepper

about 3 cups of chicken broth (low-sodium, fat free for added benefits)

about 1 1/2 cups of dark beer (I buy the cheapest one at Trader Joe's..a bottle-neck for $1.20..don't even know the name, ;)

about 2 Tbls. of tomato paste

4 cans of Kidney beans, drained

2 cans of white kidney beans

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

and now for some veggies...

2 red bell peppers, diced with no seeds

2 green bell peppers, diced with no seeds

3 zucchinis, diced

2 yellow squash, diced

2 bunches of Kale~torn into small bits & steamed (it equals about 1 1/2 cups when it's steamed...if your not keen on the earthy taste of Kale you'll be okay~ when it's in the chili you can't even taste it :)

and lastly..a good amount of cashews for a great crunch.

Wow...when it's all listed it looks a little daunting, but trust me, it's not..not at all. You brown up some meat, open a bunch of cans, cut up some veggies & your good to go. Takes maybe...20 min. to get it all together (including browning time) and about 1/2 of cooking.

Here's a better detail of preparing it:

Make sure you use a LARGE pot..

saute the onions & garlic till the onions are clear (like 3 min.). Add the turkey & brown. Mix in all the seasonings. Pour in the beer, the broth, & add the tomato paste. Stir it all well heating it over a medium flame. Add all the beans, the diced tomatoes & lastly all the veggies. Stir it all again. Let it all simmer, then turn the flame lower, cover & just relax & smell the goodness fill you home. Once it's all done add the cashews. Now, your ready to chow-down! :D

I'm telling you...this is a really, really good chili! Just try it. My husband wasn't wanting the cashew's in it, but once he tasted mine with the cashews he was all for it. My kids eat this up like there's no tomorrow & because it's a heavy meal it fills you up really well on a small amount.

So there you have it. Hope your family enjoys it as much as ours. ♥

Instead of wordless...here's some Words for Wednesday :)

2011-01-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

Psalm 78:4-8 (translation from The Message bible)

1-4 Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears to what I tell you.
I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb;
I'll let you in on the sweet old truths,
Stories we heard from our fathers,
counsel we learned at our mother's knee.
We're not keeping this to ourselves,
we're passing it along to the next generation—
God's fame and fortune,
the marvelous things he has done.

5-8 He planted a witness in Jacob,
set his Word firmly in Israel,
Then commanded our parents
to teach it to their children
So the next generation would know,
and all the generations to come—
Know the truth and tell the stories
so their children can trust in God,
Never forget the works of God
but keep his commands to the letter.
Heaven forbid they should be like their parents,
bullheaded and bad,
A fickle and faithless bunch
who never stayed true to God.