Did you know.....

it would take less than one percent of the U.S. population to provide a forever family for every child in foster care available for adoption?

I posted this a month late since November was National Adoption month. However, I felt that this was an interesting statistic posted on AdoptUSKids and wanted to share. If you feel called to adopt a foster child call your local DSS. We have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful children through foster care. We may even be able to adopt our little foster daughter.

1 car versus 2

We have been debating whether we NEED 2 cars or if we WANT 2 cars. If we only had 1 car we would only have 1 car payment. We would only have 1 car to pay insurance and registration on. Maybe, just maybe, we would all be in better shape. We live in town,5 minutes walking distance from the elementary school, 15 minutes from the library and YMCA, and a short bike ride (only on non-snowy/icy days) to the local grocery store. We do have the bike trailer for Alina to put the groceries in. Even Grace's dance class is a short bike ride or a bit longer walk. And do we really need to run her there, come home, and run back??? I could just take a book and wait the 45 minutes for her to get done. Even if I use the vehicle I could save on a little gas by waiting. Mondays would be very hectic with YMCA class, Martial Arts, and Cultural dance class. That would require the vehicle all afternoon. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on your family's vehicle situation.

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! We had a wonderful day even if things didn't go as planned. My mom, stepdad, and Devon came over to enjoy a Thanksgiving day meal with us. Unfortunately my husband greatly underestimated the cook time of the turkey. We had a vegetarian meal consisting of mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, squash bread, and sweet potato casserole. To finish off the meal we have pumpkin pudding pie, apple-cranberry crisp, cherry-cranberry pie, and Sean's absolute favorite, S'more bars. They are not necessarily a Thanksgiving tradition but Sean insists I make them for everything. He had asked for these in place of a birthday cake this year. I bought a 23 lb turkey with intentions of sending ALOT home with Devon and my mom. It did not finish cooking until everyone left. We will be eating ALOT of turkey amongst the 6 of us. I did tell Devon if he needed groceries to be sure to come back to get some. My mom is guessing that when she comes over to babysit for me on Monday she will be fed turkey. I am thinking so. It will be a Thanksgiving to remember.....

Friday the 13th

While most people believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day it was a VERY lucky day on Reece's Rainbow. Only 13 days into the Angel Tree 11 children's families have found them. I am a Christmas Warrior for Artem and Kareen. I have been praying that donations come in for them and that their family finds them soon. Along with these two beautiful children there is Anna and Tanner. As some of you may recall we had committed to them and had hoped to have them home by now. Due to unforeseen financial issues we were unable to bring them home. Some wonderful person raised their grant funds up to $5,000 EACH. That is $10,000 between the two of them. I will continue to pray that someone commits to bringing them home or that a money tree miracously begins to grow in our back yard. Please check out the Angel Tree. If you are unable to donate at this time please pray for them.

Birthday Fundraiser for Jenny

I am Jenny's Prayer Warrior. For my birthday I am doing a fundraiser through Facebook. I will be turning "39" so I am asking my friends and family to donate $39 towards Jenny's grant fund. If you have not been added as my friend, please let me know. I will gladly add you. If you would like to know more about Jenny please read my last post or contact Andrea Roberts at Reece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry.

It's Almost That Time Again.....

I am just putting a reminder out there that it is almost time for the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree again. This will begin November 1 and go through December 31st. This is the big fundraiser for Reece's Rainbow. Many children receive large grants during this time but better yet, many children find families during this time. If there are loved ones in your life that have everything think about donating $35 to Reece's Rainbow in honor of that person. You will receive a wonderful ornament from Reece's Rainbow with a picture of the child you donated to. You can give that to your loved one as a gift.

If you have problems deciding on a child(ren) to donate to let me make a couple of suggestions. The first being Jenny. She has been waiting a long time and she is adorable!!! This is a much better picture than last years. She does not have any money in her grant fund. Let's change that this Christmas!! BTW - I was told that going to the foster home in her country is not a good thing.


Jenny (3)
Girl, Born November 17, 2006
Look how our little sleepy puss has grown! Little Jenny was very sleepy when one of our families first visited with her! But now she is only 2 1/2 years old, with blonde hair and blue eyes. How I can't wait to see her ringlets and ribbons in her hair!

From one of our adoptive families who visited with her in August 2008: "Jenny was so sleepy, we could hardly wake her for her picture! I don't have much information on her. She is a sweet little baby and will be a joy to any family! "

Jenny is HEALTHY and waiting for her family! These girls are at risk of being taken into a new foster care program in their region. Technically that should be a good thing, but there are still no resources for them, no place in their society, and no care for them as adults. Families who are paper-ready would be the ideal choice for these angels, but any family is welcome. Families committing to these girls must be open and aware that they may need to choose a different child at some point during the process, if the child ends up being fostered by a native family.

The second child is Kareen. She does not have any money in her grant fund either. Help me to change that this Christmas! Read about her below.


Kareen (35)
Girl, Born January 15, 2007
This pretty muffin is waiting for her family! She is healthy, with no heart condition noted in her records. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and is already up and learning to walk! Her records indicate "meiotic nondisjunction", but this is just a fancy word for what happens to create "Down syndrome" genetically.

We can't forget to add a boy!! This little guy is Artem. Isn't he adorable?!?! He was born on my husband's birthday. He has $10 in his grant fund. Can you help to build that this Christmas?


Artem (14)
Boy, Born September 10, 2008

The children in this orphanage are VERY well taken care of. They are blessed by the financial and humanitarian support of a very large aid group, meaning adequate food, stimulation, toys, and even therapeutic items. They are all being raised with the typical children, so this helps them be even more high functioning. Even more so, they are shared with us by a loving director who genuinely wants to see these angels find families. We are honored to be able to seek families for these children, and hope we can succeed in placing ALL of them very quickly!

If you have any questions about these two girls or the Angel Tree you can email Andrea Roberts at bamaroberts@comcast.net.

Fundraiser for Dane

Below you will find a post from another Reece's Rainbow member that is trying to raise funds to help find a family for one of the Other's Angels Dane. He is a handsome little guy that is need of his own forever family. Please consider donating to Dane's adoption fund AND forward the information on to your family and friends to help raise the money that is needed. If 1000 people donate $16 we are sure that Dane will be with his forver family in no time. To donate you can click on the picture below. At the end of the page is a paypal button. Be sure to include Dane's name so the money is put in the correct adoption fund. Please be kind and try to cover the paypal fees so that all $16 of your donation goes towards Dane.




From Life With Meechi's blog:

"For those of you who are unfamiliar, I would like to introduce you to Reece's Rainbow. They are a wonderful non-profit organization that helps find adoptive families for children with Down syndrome and other special needs. Take a look around their site and read about their ministry. I dare you to look at the faces of those children and not feel something!

I have been trying to find a way to help. I would, of course, love to adopt one of these special children. It is just not an option for our family right now though. Making a large donation is not financially possible for us either. I can spread the word about the wonderful work they do. I can encourage others to give and to possibly adopt one of these beautiful children. I want to do more than that though.

I was thinking about how a large donation is not possible for me to make, but a small one certainly is. It may not seem like much, but those small donations DO add up. As I was thinking this, I had an incredible thought. What if I could get enough of my friends and family to make a small donation that it added up to something really big??? That is when I came up with the idea of One Thousand Giving Sixteen.

Little Dane (the children do not have their own pages, so you will have to scroll down the page to find him) has had a grip on my heart since the first time I saw his photo. He suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. I would love to see Dane welcomed into a family of his own!

Dane is in a country in Eastern Europe where the total fees for adoption (including travel) are estimated to be around $16,000. (For those unfamiliar with international adoption... that is actually rather inexpensive for adoption from an Eastern European country.) I was thinking about the cost of his adoption and how my small donation wouldn't help much. BUT...... what if I could get others to match the donation? What if I could find 1000 people to donate just $16 to Dane's grant fund? For just $16 me, my friends, my family, and their friends and families could make a serious difference in this little boy's life. We could actually give him the gift of a family! For just $16!!!

So, I am asking you to help me. Please consider being a part of my One Thousand Giving Sixteen campaign. Simply donate $16 to Dane's grant fund. Then, spread the word and ask others to do the same. Lets see if we can give this beautiful little boy the love and attention he desperately needs. Lets give Dane a family!"