Vacation

Cowboys & Indians

Hiking at Moses Cone

Riding High on the Ferris Wheel

The Bandit robbing the stagecoach

The Mountains were calling us this weekend. We hadn't had a family vacation this year so we decided to take a trip to Tweetsie Railroad. The kids LOVED it and the weather was perfect. The cowboys & indians gave a great show on the train and none of the babies even screamed! They road every ride about 10 times and even rode on the Ferris Wheel with Mike. No thank you, not for me. Noah likes Bluegrass Music right now so we found a bluegrass show one of the evenings-they even sang his favorite song... "Blue Moon of Kentucky". Sunday morning we hiked 2 miles at the Moses Cone house, one of my favorite places. It was nice to go away but nice to come home as well.

Wow.....LOTS of catching up.

Noah running his first 'FUN RUN' race:

He ran the whole 1.2 miles!

Laurel's first time riding a horse

Some days we just play dress up in our pajamas!

He's watching out for bad cayotes

The Chicken Whisperer

FILLING SANDBAGS AND PREPARING FOR THE HURRICANE

Hello All. Wow! What a whirlwind past week and a half it's been. To start we all had a yucky cold and of course Noah gets it and promptly gets pneumonia. We caught it early though so he's recovered well. Noah got to go on his first "sleep outside" campout with Mike. They camped out at our pond and had hotdogs and Smore's. I didn't think he'd stay out the whole night but he did it and loved it. The next morning, very early we got up and took him to run his first race. He ran 15 laps which was 1.2 miles. At 15 laps we told him it was over but he kept running. He loved it too!

Laurel got to ride her first horse at Aunt Rach's house. She had a freak out when she first got up on the horse but I got on behind her for a few minutes and then she promptly dismissed me to the ground. She'll probably be my rider b/c Noah is EXTREMELY allergic to horses (takes after me poor child!)

Laurel is also our resident 'Chicken Whisperer". I tell you, she can catch and pick up any of our chickens. I have no idea how she does it.

Here's to hoping the hurricane goes out to see. We've spent longer than usual on preparations just in case b/c we've had our tin roof blow up and ruin our kitchen ceiling in the past and one of last weeks storms blew up some tin again. So, Mike has made sure all our tin is screwed down and the kids helped fill sandbags to put on the roof...... just in case. :)

COUSINS

" A Cousin is a little bit of childhood that cannot be lost"

I was blessed to have lots of cousins. Well, 3 on one side and 4 on the other but when we are all together it sure feels like a lot! I have great memories of being little and playing with my cousins. We had adventures, did dangerous things, sometimes fought but always had fun. I still love getting together with my cousins and when my Dad's side of the family could all get together this week, I couldn't resist getting a family photo. They may think I'm crazy for making them all stand on the porch saying "cheese" but they will thank me in 20 years!! Our family is growing with spouses & children and such but it's still a wonderful family.

I love the new generation of cousins that are getting a chance to know each other and make their own memories. Cousins are the best!

Marissa

Marissa 15H

All these kids are suffering by not being with Mom and Dad, but Marissa is literally heartbroken and is crying to be taken home.
Girl, born August 2006
1zpfn-15
Lower extremities paraparesis
What a beautiful girl, with such soulful eyes!
Volunteers found Marissa when she was three years old. She could barely move and didn't speak. With the help of our volunteers, Marissa was treated at an orthopedic clinic where she was cared for by a wonderful nanny. After just a couple of months, you wouldn't have recognized this child! She started speaking (and not just speaking, but speaking in phrases!) The treatment also gave hope that Marissa will be able to walk. Marissa has learned a lot since we first met her. Most orphans are somewhat behind the children their age that are raised in families, and even more so if they have certain disabilities. Marissa would definitely blend in with kids that are raised at home; she is ahead of her peers at the orphanage. She has a wonderful memory, she loves seeing her new friends and telling them about her life.

What our volunteers said about Marissa, October 2010 "Our efforts brought amazing results. Marissa's legs are a lot stronger now, she can move them when she is sitting in a stroller and even lift them up above her head when she is lying down! Just to think that, not long ago, Marissa's legs wouldn't move at all, like the legs of a rag doll." "Marissa loves car rides. She is used to me driving her to the doctor and back to the orphanage. Recently, she has been asking me to take her "home". It breaks my heart. I am hoping that very soon it will be her MAMA, not a volunteer, who will come to hug and kiss her, and take her home." 

Full Medical History Available

$18.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

Looking for a little girl to play dress with?? This beautiful little girl deserves a chance at a family. Consider little Marissa for your family.. For more info contact Andrea at www.reecesrainbow.org.

Ways to Beat the Heat

Take your friendly chicken for a ride in the gator

Naps in the Hammock (don't be fooled-they aren't sleeping!)

Flat on the porch is pretty cool.... just like the cats do it.

Nothing like a dip in the pond- a bit smelly but oh so fun.

We've been laying pretty low these past few weeks trying to beat the heat. Above you'll see a few ways that we've done just that. We have eaten LOTS of popsicles too. Laurel is down to 1 therapy a week right now until September so we are enjoying the time at home together with no agenda!!

On another note..... hopefully Rachael will share with you her exciting news as to the sex of her baby. If she doesn't soon, I sure as heck will.

Shhh...... I know where Batman sleeps.

Imagine my surprise!

Help a Friend Out...

** Last year, a friend of mine adopted a little girl from the same country as Laurel. This little girl has Down Syndrome and is an absolute doll !! So, they are suiting up to do it again. However, it will be a different country and a very different process. They need quite a bit of money up front. Below you will find her post about an IPAD2 giveaway she will be having on Aug. 4th. Consider entering to help this great family rescue another precious child. Here is her post......

Well...we are back at it again. We are working on raising money for another adoption of a child with Down Syndome. This time we are doing things a little differently. First, we are looking at a different country in Eastern Europe. So the way adoptions are done are quite different.
In order to move forward we need to have a portion of our program fee as well as a portion of our adoption agency fee. Once we have this money we are able to send it in and documents go to the child's country to "hold" him for us. Where as when we adopted Milana there was a chance when we got there she would not be.
Ok...so on with the giveaway. We are doing an IPAD2 + WiFi Giveway. Our goal is to raise at least $5,000. This will help with the initial costs of our adoption. If we reach the $500 mark the winner will receive the IPAD2 + WiFi. Should we not earn enough money to cover the cost of the IPAD and the shipping and handling we will split the proceeds 50/50 with the winnner.
Donations are NOT tax deductible. Money donated will be going directly into our paypal account.
Here is the breakdown for donations:
$10 = 1 entry
$20 = 4 entries
$50 = 10 entries
$100 = 25 entries
You can also be entered by posting on your blog, facebook, and/or twitter accounts. To receive an entry by doing this just leave a comment on my blog and state your name and where you posted the information.
Donations can be made through the chip in on the left of my blog. It says IPAD Give away. Good luck and Thank you :)

Please follow this link to Jenn's blog to donate: http://jennandchrisandkpr.blogspot.com/

Thank you for helping out with this worthy cause!!!