The Little Red House

He's HERE!!!

2012-01-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

Grandmothers are HAPPY!

Baby Duncan is Happy!

All is right with the world.

Welcome Baby Duncan AKA "Baby Donkey". He arrived today (1/26/12 )at 1:05pm weighing 8lbs 1 oz., 21 1/4 in. long. Mommy & baby & Daddy are resting after the whole ordeal :)

Praise our Great God!

Happenings...

2012-01-24T17:16:00.001-08:00

No, "Baby Donkey" hasn't showed up yet. He is now officially 2 days LATE!! He must be pretty cozy in there.

And in other news........ my little, just turned, 5 yr. old baby boy who was just in my tummy is READING!! He just all of the sudden started showing interest in it while I had really backed off it for a while. I saw it frustrated him and so we took a break. Tonight he started to read. I'm so proud of him I don't know what to do. Way to go Noah!

Resolutions

2012-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit behind on the "Resolution" posting for the New Year but it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about them. My first one was to follow our church plan this year to "Dig & Delve in 2012" and read through the Old Testament. Already enjoying that...... ask me how I'm doing when I get to Leviticus! Another Resolution was even one that I really thought up but just is kind of happening & gets addictive, ways to save money!! I didn't have a contract on my cell phone and it broke so I needed a new one. I didn't want to go into another contract and so we tried out the Walmart Straighttalk Plan. At risk of sounding like a paid advertisement (which would be nice but isn't happening) I LOVE IT!! My old carrier was Verizon which had great coverage so I was leary but I found out that what phone you chose determined what carrier you were on..... so drumroll please.... I chose a Samsung Blackberry which I paid $60 for and am on the same network I was but without the big price. I chose the $30 a month 1,000 minutes,1,000 texts and 30Mgb. of web. I've tested the phone and it is actually better than my old phone. So.... saving a good chunk of change and no contract.!! Yipee! Also, we are gonna dump our Dish & go with $8 a month Netflix that hooks up to the TV. I'm excited about this one b/c it will save some significant dough.

So, that's how my brains been working these days. Looking for good, easy ways to cut a few corners. Does anyone out there have some money saving tips that aren't insane? :)

PS: In my next post I just may have some REALLY EXCITING news about the little girl "Michelle" we've been praying for for so long from Laurel's orphanage (see sidebar & picture).!

Want to Make a Difference? A REAL Difference?

2012-01-10T18:48:00.001-08:00

THIS IS MIRANDA

lcot-23H MIRANDA
Girl, Born November 2008
Spina Bifida
Miranda is just stunning, and a true joy for any family. She was born with SB, but she has had several surgeries already and is doing SO well. FULL MEDICAL RECORDS AVAILABLE, lots of wonderful photos as well. Married couples only, small families only (no more than 3 at home).
From a missionary who knows her: When you meet her, you would not know that she is an orphan; she behaves like a typical girl with a mommy and a daddy and yet, she is so alone. She lives in an orphanage since birth; her mother abandoned her at birth after she learned of Miranda's condition. But after the surgery that removed her spinal tumor, Miranda made a tremendous progress: she walks, holding the nurse’s hand and supporting herself by pushing against the wall; she climbs up and down the chair; she talks in sentences; she knows colors and shapes. This progress was possible because of her strong and purposeful nature and because Miranda saw that she is needed and that her nurse cares about her; Miranda only started to walk during her stay at the hospital, before in her orphanage no one worked with her. Miranda has a very good memory, loves to put puzzles together, and loves books with pictures. Another distinguishing feature is an attempt to organize life around her: for example, she loves to help her nurse clean the table after a meal; she takes a piece of cloth and wipes the table carefully. She is friendly and shares toys with other kids easily. A few words were recorded from a volunteer who visited Miranda in one of the hospitals where Miranda is undergoing treatments for her urological problems: “Miranda greeted us at the door of her room. Then we went outside to take few pictures of her, and on a way back she said: ‘Thank you.’ After we came back to her room, she saw the books and puzzles that we brought her, and for every present she said ‘thank you’ to each of us – it was so touching. I was surprised how well she talks and how clearly she expresses her point of view, not every child of her age can do it so well. She is very attentive – she studied every picture of the sticker book I brought her, and when she came to the last page , she pointed to pictures of other books of the same series and said: ‘we must read them too.’ She is so radiant, so light, and so communicable! Her positivism is so magnetic that it was very difficult to leave her.”

$0.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!
Donations are tax deductible.
posted in: Available to Older Parents, Other Angel Girls, 0 - 5, Russia Region 23
Tags: Child

THIS IS DANA

DANA
2qnn-23HDate of Birth: August 2006Gender: FemaleEyes: GrayHair: DarkCharacter: calm TREACHER COLLINS SYNDROME
FACING IMMINENT TRANSFER!
This goldilocks princess is a favorite of the orphanage as she is very smart, calm and good-natured. She is a very kind and friendly and always there to help the younger kids in the group. Dana was left in the orphanage next day after the birth because of the facial deformities, undeveloped ears and cleft lip. She wears a hearing aid, but she can hear without it.
The orphanage’s administration is very interested in finding the parents for her and will fully cooperate with the adoptive parents. Dana needs a facial reconstruction surgery, speech and hearing corrections.
No more than 3 children at home, married couples only. Travel required. MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE!
____________________________________________________________________

OK so these 2 little girls have completely stolen my heart. They are both in the same orphanage and both are beautiful little girls who are REAL, ORPHANS & SPECIAL NEEDS. They will not get the care they need where they are and Dana especially will most likely be shunned in her country because of her facial disorder. She will not be able to thrive because she will not get the hearing aids, speech and language therapy she needs to succeed. After seeing Laurel and the love of life that she has I can't imagine her languishing and wasting her life in an orphanage. She was God's Child! He has big plans for her. I believe he has big plans for these 2 little girls.

Given the resources I'd take them in an instant. When I look at Reeces Rainbow and see the faces I feel so helpless sometimes. Yes, people say, "You rescued your one". True, with the help of the body of Christ, we were able to ransom Laurel's life and save her from a life of unspeakable misery. But sometimes that doesn't feel like enough. Once you've been there and seen the REAL faces, and hear the REAL cries, a day doesn't go by that you mentally turn your clock back and say I wonder what those kids are doing right now.

You want a New Years Resolution that will change a life forever??? Ransom a child or help someone else pay the ransom for a child. These are souls. They are real, not just pictures. Pray for these children. Take that leap of faith. Yes, it's HARD. Yes, it's LIFE CHANGING! Yes, It's WORTH IT!! They are children of God and deserve to be treated as such.

Consider one of these sweet angels to add to your household in 2012. Go to www.reecesrainbow.org (other angels girls 0-5) for more info.

Gorgeous Weather

2012-01-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

When did we get wrinkles??????? Oh yeah... about 5 years ago- enter Noah
We enjoyed and absolutely GORGEOUS day today outside. 65 degrees in January is ridiculous and awesome! We hike at a state park and the kids did 2 miles with minimal whining! Rachael's had all her baby showers so she is officially "nesting" & ready for Duncan to "pop out"- as Laurel & Noah say. Yeah, we've had some interesting conversations about that :0

I have to share a funny Noahism that happened yesterday at the dinner table. He had been somewhat sassy & I said "Noah, don't talk back to me just say yes Ma'am." He asked what "talk back" meant and I told him. Then he said "Yes Ma'am Mommy. From now on I will talk forward and tell the truth!"
I about spit my drink out it was so funny. He was dead serious & it made us smile :)

And 2011 is Outta Here...

2012-01-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

This was suppose to be Baby Jesus' manger.... apparently nobody told the cat
Christmas morning at our house
Grandaddy showing Noah how to work his new train!
The BEST chicken wings in the whole entire world.... thanks Ma!
Yep! 4 wheelers from Nana & Poppy..... I mean SANTA-look at those smiles :)
Anybody as exhausted as I am from the Holidays? They were wonderful, Christ-filled, full of family fun and lots and lots of food which leads me to my New Years Resolution. ;)
The babies had a wonderful Christmas and we love seeing it through their eyes.

I'm excited about 2012. I always love new starts, and this year our church is digging into the Old Testament. I've already started this with the kids too and they'll have a memory verse from the OT reading of that week every week. Of course, you have to begin with Genesis 1:1 and even Laurel can say that one! I'll have to find a harder one for them next week. I've enjoyed the 2 week break from therapies but Thursday we start back with everything. Oh and a breakthru with Laurel....... she is getting the "f" sound. I know this may not sound like much but we have really been working a while to get this sound. She said "knife" on Christmas Eve as we were cutting something. That was present enough for me! :)

More Christmas Fun

2011-12-21T13:23:00.001-08:00

"BEHOLD I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS, A SAVIOUR IS BORN!!!"

What have we been up to? Christmas parties, walks on the farm, Shepherds & Angels in a Christmas Play, and seeing the Christmas Lights!! Fun Fun Fun! Looking forward to seeing many of you during Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Tis the Season....

2011-12-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

Laurel & her best friend Aubrey

Riding the Christmas Train

LOTS of Hunting

(Mike & John)

Way too much cuteness! :)

Just where has the time gone? Christmas is just 1 week away and I haven't updated this thing in forever. As the Christmas season usually gets, we have been crazy busy with get togethers and fun traditional things we like to do but we've had a really good time. We've been to the Christmas train which was fantastic and so preached Jesus, singing Christmas carols with friends, seeing the Meadow lights and lots of hunting with some really good friends. We are so blessed this Christmas season to be able to celebrate the birth of our Saviour with great friends and family. Next post I'll share our Christmas pictures and the ones the babies took with Santa! Too cute.

Christmas Pictures Sneak Peek

2011-12-04T19:47:00.001-08:00

Hmmmm..... and I want a train, and a microscope and another train and...

We just MIGHT have gone to the Country Christmas Train and we just MIGHT have seen Santa!! Sorry, I'm saving the pictures for Christmas but they are awful cute!

Thanksgiving Pics

2011-11-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

Oh yes she did!! This girl loves dark meat like her mama!! :)

The babies loved playing in the newly raked leaves.

WHERE'S WALDO?

Hiking at the park-gorgeous

Aunt Rach & Laurel "helping" to feed the horses

Since Thanksgiving was on a Thursday this year, we had lots of time to play with family & friends, hike, hunt & just be together. For all of that we are truly thankful. Noah & Laurel look forward to Mike blowing the leaves in a pile so they can jump in them over and over so that was a big hit. Poppy &Nana also had a big pile to jump in at their house. Mike & some guys from church got to hunt all day Sat. Two of them missed 8 pt. bucks in the morning hunt and no one saw anything in the evening hunt. Oh well, you win some you lose some. They still had a blast. While Noah hunted with Mike, Laurel "helped" Aunt Rach feed the horses. They have the prettiest sunsets on their farm!!

So, we were very blessed to have a wonderful thanksgiving that we could share with family and friends.

"Tebowin"

2011-11-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

"Tebowin"- is defined as: getting down on one knee and start praying even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.

Tim Tebow or (Tim Tepow) as Noah calls him, is a quarterback for the Denver Broncos who we have followed since his college days at Florida. He was raised in a Christian home and Homeschooled. He was allowed to play for a public high school and was drafted by the Denver Broncos. He has a great testimony & Noah loves wearing his jersey. While teaching our kids not to put anyone but Christ on a pedestal b/c EVERYONE ELSE will disapoint, we also are trying to teach them to recognize good role models when they see them and we believe that Tim Tebow has great charachter- I know, I know, I'm sure he's not pefect. It seems he is under attack a lot these days and some high profile people have come out and said that the press especially cannot stand him because he is an outspoken, unashamed Christian. Unfortunately, that's the world we live in. So, pray for him & people like him that they will not stumble and not be ashamed of the Lord.

So, Tim Tebow performs his "Tebowin" whenever he feels called to pray on the field. Pretty cool. Maybe we should start a trend. :) Anyone up for posting pictures of you "Tebowin" somewhere cool?

Noah's First Audition

2011-11-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is his : My " Cheesy Mommy is making me smile, smile!"

So Noah has been going to this great homeschool acting class for a few months. He is a lot younger than the other kids but the teachers have been great to be patient with him and let him hang out with the big kids. Because Noah loves acting out & quoting movies at home and loves singing and being on stage, we wanted to allow him to pursue this a bit to see if it's his "thing". The class is doing a play "Henny Penny" with a spiritual twist and we would have been happy to sit and watch it but they wanted Noah to participate in auditions to see how he did. Parent's aren't allowed in the room so I really have no idea how he did (or what he said) but I was assured he did fine-an didn't do anything too innapropriate :) Anyway, today Noah was offered the part of Liddy Kitty who is a very educated cat who thinks a lot of himself. Shew! Boy was I surprised. He actually has lines and has a song to sing. I think I just became a stage mom. I must go throw up now! He won't be nervous a bit but I'll be hiding in the bathroom from my nerves. Now I know why my parents always had to leave the building when I showed horses at a horse show. :)

I have a cute Noahism for you that he said today. I was watching the Today show this morning before he got up and apparently Laurel hid the remote control b/c it was no where to be found. So, a clip from the Twilight movie came on and of course it happened to be the part where the boy and girl are in a big lake kissing. Deeming this innapropriate but of course unable to find the hidden remote I said.... " Noah, ah, let's just turn this off" and promptly did.
Noah's reply was...
" But Mommy, they were only baptizing!!". :)

Yes, being sheltered is so good. My sweet little boy.

HERE IS THE AUDITION THAT NOAH PERFORMED. The Monologue is from Foghorn Leghorn on Looney Toones and the Song is from Oklahoma "Oh what a Beautiful Morning"

For the Beauty of the Earth

2011-11-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

Oh yes they did!! They killed a wild hog (No, Noah's gun is NOT real)

Look at this little EX-orphan THRIVE!! Isn't she awesome!?

GORGEOUS

My two monkey's-do not be fooled by the innocent expressions

Pondering

Do you see my squirrels?

Today we were so blessed to be able to go over to John & Rach's to ride the gator around the farm and see the beauty that our God created. The trees were still so gorgeous and we had a blast running through the creek (Noah), having a picnic and riding a horse. We really needed a no stress filled day and so it was just what the doctor ordered.
Laurel is doing great after her hernia surgery. She's still a little sore and battling a cold but otherwise is doing fine. Noah had his 5 year check up on Friday. 5 YEARS!!! No way I have a 5 yr. old. He had an audition for a little play that he may be in coming up and I taped him doing his routine. I'll try and post that soon.... it's worth it! :)

Caching our Breath.......and Catching Up

2011-10-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

OUR NEW MANTEL AND FAUX FIREPLACE

GETTING IN TO THOSE PUMPKINS

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY MY SWEET BOY

TRICK OR TREAT WITH MARIO & LUIGI

SWEET EXHAUSTION

So, it's been a while but LOTS going on. Earlier in the week Mike put up my mantel that I painted and put up the faux fireplace we ordered. I LOVE it. In the first picture, this is what I found the kids doing while I was washing dishes. I had to snap a picture. They love it to. A great place to read and play games.

This week Noah turned 5! I simply cannot believe my little boy is 5 years old. No longer a toddler. :( I miss those days but I love the little boy he is becoming, smart and sweet. We had a small birthday party for him and in his words "Mommy, that was the bestest party ever". He gots TONS of toys and of course, in true Noah fashion is already planning his next birthday.

We also got a visit from his Grandat & Dusie from SC. The babies love spending time with them.

We carved a few pumpkins and got ready for Halloween albeit a day early. We went to a little Trunk or Treat event and let the kids go to the Grandparents & Aunt Rach's house. Laurel had to have surgery today (Halloween) to put ear tubes in (AGAIN) and have her umbilical hernia repaired so we missed real trick or treat day. Laurel did much better than I would have done having my stomach cut on. She should be good as new in a few days.

So, that's how our week went. Fun but as you can see in the last photo- Exhausting! :)

GIVEWAY FOR A GREAT CAUSE

2011-10-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

THIS PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL IS BEING ADOPTED FROM THE SAME ORPHANAGE LAUREL WAS IN. THEY STILL NEED $13,000 TO PAY HER RANSOM AND BRING HER HOME. CONSIDER GOING TO THEIR BLOG WWW.4GIVEN2SERVE1GOD.BLOGSPOT.COM AND DONATE EVEN JUST $5 TO THEIR ACCOUNT TO BE ENTERED IN A GIVEWAY FOR SOME AWESOME PRIZES..... JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!! LET'S GET THIS LITTLE GIRL HOME!
(BELOW IS HER BLOG ENTRY)

HUGE GIVEAWAY
My giveaway starts now. This is how it works. Donate to the chip in on the side of my blog.5.00= 1 entry20.00 = 5 entries30.00 = 10 entriesAlso, I need more traffic to my blog for this giveaway to work. So I am asking that you spread the word. So each time you share our giveaway on your blog or on your facebook,twitter, ect. and let me know I will also put your name in for one entry. Let me know that you have done this by leaving a comment on this post.I have faith knowing that we as believers can raise the ransom for Nellie to come home. To be honest I had to have a really deep look inside myself and spend time in prayer because I doubted that the money was going to come to go get Nellie. I know that our Lord loves orphans, and I know that He loves Nellie more than I can even imagine. She is in desperate need of being rescued, she is going to be turning 5 in November, and we all know what that can mean to a precious angel with down syndrome in an orphanage half way around the world. It pains me to think that she could possibly be transferred to an institution. The Lord has provided her a family our family for her. He has done great things, this unwanted child is now loved more than ever. I have faith that the mountains will be moved for her to come home. We are still over 13,000 short of her ransom.Please help in this unfolding miracle. More than anything else pray for us. Pray for peace, and pray for our strength, as we get closer to Nellie.More items will be listed soon, I just have to take photos and upload, so look back often to see what has been added.

1. 200.00 gift card from target
2. Apple® iPod touch® 8GB MP3 Player (4th Generation) with Touch Screen, Wi-Fi 199.00 value
V.Reader Interactive E- Reading System Vtech Electronics V-Reader Animated Reading System - PinkWith VTech's V-Reader Animated E-Book Reader children discover the joy of reading while seeing well-loved characters like Shrek and Disney Fairies in stories featuring vivid animations. While reading the story and playing eight reading games, children develop the necessary building blocks to grow from a pre-reader to a confident and fluent reader.Cartridges are age graded for 3 to 5 year-olds and 5 to 7 year-olds. Each story cartridge includes a fully narrated and animated story, 8 reading-skill games and a Story Dictionary. Additional Cartridges sold seperately.
3. The craziest, hungriest, fastest interactive pet ever createdThis loyal dinosaur comes when called, dances, and even plays catchKids will love sending him on the attackTrain him to remember up to 30 different actions and soundsFeatures over 200 sounds and animations and 8 different ways to play
4. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream [Book] by David Platt
5. The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer that Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World [Book] by Richard Stearns
6. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God [Book] by Francis Chan7yhtgfvc

ZOO TRIP

2011-10-19T18:25:00.001-07:00

Seal Watching..... my favorite!

Sweet Baby Lydia

Spider Men

That's a whole lot of cute babies!

The "Ghost Alligator"

(Elephant Watching)

So we took a trip to the zoo this week to make the most of the pretty weather before all this rain set in. We met my long time friend Crystal and her two cute babies Jacob & Brooke there and baby Lydia went up with us. That makes for LOTS of babies and strollers but lots of fun!

They did really good, kept us laughing and we all walked off a few pounds. Shew! ALOT of walking. I love these years!

My baby girl is 4!!

2011-10-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Pizza of course- true American

Some creepy uninivited guest showed up

Open those presents girl- just for you!
(and a few for Noah) :)

Happy Birthday to Laurel!! I can't believe she's 4 years old. She has now actually been here with us longer than she was in the orphanage. Is that not cool??!! This is the first birthday that she actually gets what is going on. She understood it was a party for her and she even picked the food we were going to have-Pizza. I showed her several pictures of what kind of cake she wanted me to make and she picked the Rainbow Cake. She had a blast with her Grandparents & Aunts & Uncles. Thank ya'll for making her day so special.

Mountain Air-Good for the Soul

2011-10-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

Uncle John & Aunt Rach (Baby Duncan-not yet pictured) :)

Panning for Gems- We actually found some!

Saw a bunch of Turkey's~

Climbed a few Mts..... Er, Rocks

Picked up a scary hitchiker! ;)

Explored a Cave-please excuse Laurel's paci but it was the only

way to keep her from screaming in Total Cave Darkness!

We made a trip up to the Mts. this weekend. Kind of a last ditch getaway before the busyness of the Holidays begin. Despite Laurel having a double ear infection (we only knew about 1 ear before we went), Noah on meds to prevent Pneumonia and having Asthma flair ups, Mike getting their cold & feeling crummy, Pregnancy (NOT me but Rachael), we managed to have a very nice time. The food was good, the mountains were beautiful, the company was delightful and a good time was had by all!

Updated Pictures

2011-10-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mike took this of the geese flying over the pond!

Trying to Catch Minnows

Well we're a dinosaur of course!

I have no idea what happened with the last posts pictures so here are finally some updated pictures of the last few days. Enjoy!

MIA

2011-10-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Big Brother reading to Little Sis

I do feel like I've been MIA a little this week. Sorry for the lack of updates but things were a bit busy this past week. I don't even have any new pictures to show due to the fact my camera is at home and I am not. Aunt Ruthie has been in the hospital (5 days) and I have stayed with her a few days and will return home tonight (Sunday). She's doing fine now at home and after 1 hr. home didn't even remember the whole hospital ordeal.!

Where did this cold weather come from? I admit that I am looking forward to fall, the fair and all the wonderful stuff that goes along with it but Brrrr... I've got to find my winter clothes. Noah asked me one night if we could have a fireplace and seeing there is no fireplace in my house, I set out to find a way to make that dream a reality. So, my parents gave me an awesome old mantel that I painted a little (not to much as I wanted it to look distressed) and I bought a wall mountable electric fireplace. Sound strange?? I hope not. Hopefully I'll show pictures next time of a new cozy fireplace nook to read in. Work in progress.

BE RARE....

2011-09-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to meet together with some wonderful friends who have all walked the adoption journey and all have a special needs kids who were featured on Reeces Rainbow. We get together at least once a year to share stories, laughs, woes, and our hearts. It was so nice to sit together and be an encouragement to each other. While the adoption journey has not been easy for all of us, it was part of God's plan for each of us, and what a wonderful plan it is. A big thank you to these godly ladies and thank you to Kristin who gave us our mantra which was taken from a Proverbs 31 devotion...... BE RARE!! I love this saying. A Proverbs 31 woman is rare to find and one to be treasured . It is what I aspire to be..... RARE!

2011-09-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need to take your clothes off and dance in the rain..... then slide in the mud.... then get a REALLY long bath! It rained a lot last week and we made the most of it.

That time of year again...... Hunting

2011-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

You have to get up early to get the birds!!

He's better than a retriever!~

Fall is here! Can you feel it??? I definately do. Football season is back (Mike is thrilled) and also Hunting season is back! Noah wanted to go with Mike dove hunting this year so they got up early and went. Don't worry, Noah is NOT carrying a real gun. He has a pretend shotgun that makes real shotgun noises so he's happy. They ended up shooting 7 birds. He helped Mike clean the birds and prepare them to eat. The rule at our house is that if you are going to shoot it you have to eat it, no waste here. So, we ate them and the kids loved them!!

Tonight we took the kids to the airport to watch the planes land and take off. I thought Noah would be the most interested but Laurel absolutely LOVED it. We may have a future pilot on our hands. As we were leaving, Noah told us he wanted to "be the one who sat in the big tower and told people to get out of the way because planes were landing." I can see the markings of a great Air Traffic Controller! :)

A Rant.....

2011-09-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Their eyes & ears are ALWAYS watching us!
Easy Access! REALLY????!!!!!!!
I'm warning you. This post is a bit different. You won't see pictures of my babies and hear of their latest "escapades". This post can definately be classified as a "rant". Now, usually I hate rants. I don't have enough time/energy to care enough about a subject to rant, BUT, not today. Since the weather has been a bit cooler, I have packed the babies up for picnics and we've found several new parks around to amuse ourselves in. Ooops..... I wasn't suppose to bring them into this but Oh well. Anyway, something that I have notice AT EVERY SINGLE PARK is the parents with the cell phone glued to their ear or hand. They all have it; that vacant, glassy eyed stare that one gets while looking up Google, Facebook, Blogger, Email or whatever else captures their attention. Their kid gets on the playground and immediately, without hesitation, like an addict to their drug of choice, the parent whips out that phone and begins to surf. Forget that their toddler has just learned to slide down the big slide or that their 5 yr. old just mastered the monkey bars for the first time. Forget that a bigger kid is throwing sand at their child and their child is screaming "Mommy!!" over and over to try to get the parent to look at them. Nope, none of it registers. What matters is what OTHER people are doing in their lives and can be found at the touch of a button. What matters is what so and so ate for breakfast today or who made who mad on Facebook.

It makes me so sad. I think our society is losing the ability to communicate face to face. We are losing the ability to carry on decent, real life conversations about something other than "other people's" lives. We miss so much of that critical one on one time with our kids that we can never get back. We don't look into their eyes and really listen when they are talking to them b/c we can be "Uh huhing" them and surfing our precious internet at the same time..... b/c you never know, God fobid that we miss what our old high school friend wore to her party last night.

So I've had to change some things. I don't carry my house phone or cell phone around with me constantly. If I miss a call then they'll call back or leave a message. I can't listen to everyone else's problems and miss helping my kids with theirs. I don't mind helping others or talking to other people for fun (heaven knows I can TALK) :) but I have realized that it is very easy to get wrapped up in others dramas and become not only physically unavailable for my kids/husband but emotionally unavailable as well b/c I'm so worried about someone else's problem that I can't fix and should just really pray about in the first place. I don't have the newest 4 G (whatever that is) phone that walks and talks. Why?? Because I'm ashamed to say it would tempt me. I would like to see what other "bloggers" or "friends" are doing and what I'm missing. Really??!!! Is that it? What I'm MISSING?? How about what I have right in front of me. I love my life, my husband, my family and my children. 20 yrs. from now I want to remember the look of joy that Laurel got when she learned to pump in the swing herself. I want to remember the squeals that Noah made when he was included in a game of tag with some other boys on the playground. THAT is what I want to remember. I don't want to live anyone else's life via internet. I like mine just fine thank you!
So here's to living a little bit more of an unplugged life.
End of Rant :)

Vacation

2011-08-29T17:17:00.001-07:00

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.

2011-08-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

" 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

2011-08-15T19:47:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-11T18:28:00.001-07:00

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.

2011-08-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise!

Help a Friend Out...

2011-08-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

** 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!!!

Shiver Me Timbers

2011-07-28T06:30:00.001-07:00

My little treasure hunters (they dressed themselves)

Deciphering the Treasure Map

Digging for Treasure (X marked the spot)

VICTORY!! CANDY!!

I would definately say we are in the dog days of summer. HOT HOT HOT. Last week was an incredibly busy week with Backyard Bible Clubs. Lots of volunteers came out every night in the 101 degree heat to play with the children and teach them songs, bible stories and verses about Jesus. Praise the Lord that on Friday night 12 children gave their hearts to Jesus and 5 more wanted to confess sin and rededicate their lives to Christ. We had every excuse to NOT do these clubs last week but pressed on and heaven will have 12 new voices in the choir one day.

Sunday we went to our godson Jacob's birthday party. He turned 5 and had a pirate themed party. The kids LOVED it. So, of course Monday morning I had to "recreate" a treasure hunt that they did. They loved digging for the treasure which was some candy hidden in tin foil. It has been very nice this week not having anything to go to or do. We haven't even been out of our pajamas for 3 days!!! It's been a great time of rest and reconnection. Also, Since Monday night I've been under the weather but the kids have been fine to just stay inside and play quietly. It's been just what we've all needed.

So, that's about it for now. I am so behind in taking pictures this summer so I'll snap some new ones this week.

For all,

Martha

Teri Lyn

2011-07-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am coming to you today begging for your help. This little girl is named "Teri Lyn". She is in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. She has Downs Syndrome. The picture on the left is her at the baby house where she lived since she was born. However, at the age of 4 or 5 children with "disabilities" are transferred out of these baby houses and into institutions for severely disabled kids and adults mentally and physically. 95% of Downs kids die in these institutions because they don't get the care they need. In most of these places the conditions are horrific and kids and adults that have a condition that affects their mobility are bedridden and NEVER get to even go outside. This has been confirmed over and over again by families from Reeces Rainbow going over and adopting some of these children. Many land in the States and are taken directly to a hospital to be treated for severe malnutrition and dehydration.

I say all of this to tell you that these pictures side by side are of the same little girl. The picture on the right is of little Teri Lyn just WEEKS after being transferred to one of these institutions. The picture says it all. A dear mom of many adopted kids is raising money for the grant fund of this little girl. Money should not be an issue for a family to come forward to rescue her so this lady is trying to raise a substantial grant to make it easier to find a family for her.
If the Lord leads you, please go to www.nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com and chip in a few dollars for this little girl or better yet, pray about YOUR being the family that does the rescuing. Teri Lyn is feature on www.reecesrainbow.org.

PALMS OF VICTORY, CROWNS OF GLORY

2011-07-16T13:37:00.001-07:00

It seems the harder I try to update this thing, the worse I become at it. I know you must get sick of hearing it's busy around here because I know that is the state of most people's households these days. Good things going on, just lots of them at one time.

I did want to take time to pay tribute to our dear worship leader who passed away last night from a brain tumor. To say his diagnosis was a shock would be an understatement. He was diagnosed just weeks after another dear brother passed away from the same thing. These 2 men were such a testiment to God's mercy & grace. Mr. Carson was truly excited to go home to be with the Lord. Yes, he had to endure lots of earthly suffering while waiting. Yes, I have questioned that in my mind many times to the Lord. But, the Lord's plan is not our plan and thank goodness for that. It's so much better. As awful as all of this has been, I don't want to miss what we are suppose to learn from these experiences. Through this suffering and trial, Mr. Carson taught LOTS of people how to have an "eternal perspective". In the end, it's ALL about the Lord. We will all see the King at some point. Make sure your heart it ready to meet him. If you'd like to follow the journey of the family, click on "Mr. Carson" under my friends link.

Oh, and I think he would get a kick out of the fact that Backyard Bible Clubs start on Monday. He started them at our church about 7-8 years ago and I thought he was crazy. I thought it would never work! Ha!! It's been one of the most Spiritually rewarding thing our church participates in. Lots of souls have been won. One day, they'll get to meet the man who laid the groundwork. We'll miss you Mr. Carson. We'll miss your beautiful piano playing, your quick wit and the way you never strayed from your Aim....... Aiming for heaven.

PENNSYLVANIA VACATION

2011-07-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Noah in Gettysburg getting ready for their picture

Laurel & her new doll from Poppy

The whole gang in Gettysburg

Of Course we have to stop at Hershey!

Two train rides! How lucky!

We packed a picnic, got on a train that took us to our picnic

destination. A perfect day!

Learning how to make pretzels at the pretzel factory

Beautiful People

( This face says everything- a good time was had by all)

I am SOOO behind on blogging!! It seems since we have gotten back from vacation that we've hit the ground running and playing catch up! Crazy around here. Anyway, Nana & Poppy took us to Amish Country PA again this year and we had a blast. The babies got to ride 2 trains (including Thomas), go to Hershey, Play on many a playground, learn to make pretzels, go to their favorite farm with TONS of things to do, take a buggy ride and lots of other things that I can't remember at the moment. It is so neat watching the horse and buggy's go by at night and watching how the Amish do things. Those are the hardest working people I have ever seen...... They literally work from sun up to sun down 6 days a week! Anyway, I have many more pictures but these will give you a taste of our week!

For I know the plans I have for you.....

2011-06-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Noah after playing in the river

Miss Priss at Nana's pool

Our "Mini Vacation" for our 10 year Anniversary!!

The Firedancers were our favorite

(Below)- The beautiful Hot Air Balloon that came over

our house and terrified my children... they said it sounded

like a bear. Go figure.

My goodness we are definately in the heat of summer. The only problem is that summer isn't even officially here yet. So much going on I don't even know where to begin. I won't lie, last week was a really tough week. I'll give you a snapshot of the week by just showing you what Wed. looked like.......... 8:15am- Laurel's Apt. at UNC- She needs tube surgery again ;(

10:am- Mike to get a biopsy of possible skin cancer on arm

2:00pm- Noah loses a filling and has to get a crown

7:30pm- Noah hits head on railing outside and requires 4 staples at Urgent Care

That was just one day!! As I was reflecting on it the Lord brought His perspective to me.

8:15am- Was able to share Laurel's story with Audiologist & Dr. Dr. had many questions

about why we chose to adopt and was able to share our story and the Lord's work in her.

2:00pm- Noah was able to quote his "when I am afraid I will trust in God" Bible verse

to the Dentist & his technicians. He also told them God was with him. It made

the technician cry (they aren't believers)

7:30pm- The receptionist at the Urgent Care was interested in hearing Laurel's story.

She too was adopted and wanting to adopt herself. She wants a special needs child

and very interested in adopting a Down's Syndrome Child...... Ahemm..

REECESRAINBOW!

None of these encounters were by mistake. They were appointed meetings by God and had these things never happened we would have missed the opportunity to share Christ. What a lesson for me that was!!

Oh and in AWESOME news **** The little girl Olivia that I posted about previously is getting a Mommy & Daddy. She is being adopted outside of RR but Praise God she gets a chance at a family!! ***

Make the most of the Opportunities that God has put in your path this week. Use them to glorify the Maker of Heaven and Earth and show people the Hope that we have within us.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

Wishes....

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

OLIVIA- 30L

Girl, born May 2008
One of Olivia's parents is of Asian ancestry — isn't she stunning?
This beautiful girl has a terribly sad social story. She suffered abuse as a baby and has had many surgical procedures because of it. She is officially an orphan, and doesn't have access to the further medical care she needs.

We will share her story only with families who are seriously considering her adoption.

She is described as a lovely child with a quiet personality, very smart girl, very kind and friendly to everyone. There are no physical or psychological developmental deviations for her age group. Plastic surgery is needed in the future.
She is in high percentile of her age group for weight and height, easy to communicate with and has a smile ready. For all intents and purposes it appears that Olivia doesn't recall the tragic events that befell her in the past.

$36.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

Donations are tax deductible.

Isn't she beautiful?? She deserves so much more!! Oh I wish, I wish, I wish.......

This little girl doesn't deserve to suffer any more. She needs a family!

Go to www.reecesrainbow.org, Other Angels, Girls 0-5 page for more info.

My American Idol's

2011-05-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

ME & MY TINKERBELL

JOHN WAYNE

RED RIDING HOOD

My "Scotty McCreery" look a like :)

Girlfriend Reunion at the Beach!!

Noah singing 'Train Train take me out of this town"

And they thought she'd never talk!

Shew!! Has May been out of control for anyone else out there?? I have no idea what has gone on. It seems I've been out of town almost every weekend. I have a saint for a husband. Last weekend I had a wonderful time catching up with some girlfriends from High School. I am so lucky to have a group of girlfriends that go that far back and we can still pick up like we've never been away from each other.

In other news, 2 of Laurel's therapies will be ending in a week. We'll continue one throughout the summer. She continues to make great strides, praise be to God. The last testing was done a few weeks ago and showed that her Receptive language skills were at 2 yr. 2 months and her Expressive language was on a 3 yr 2 month old level. These are AWESOME scores considering her hearing age (how long she's had her hearing aids) is only 1 yr. 6 mo. Smart little cookie.

Noah is still the best big brother ever. He has had a blast watching our American Idol Scotty McCreery sing. Because the show is too risque for him to watch we could only watch Scotty sing and then turn it off. He loved it though. He's inspired Noah to pick up his guitar and start singing. He's quite the little showman er... show off.

Well, that's about it for now. Tomorrow another busy weekend..... of to my cousin's wedding. We are looking forward to that though. Hopefully June will be a bit slower paced!

Rainy Days & Strawberry Picking

2011-05-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Rachel & Aubrey, Laurel, Noah, Amy & Lydia

We've had some wonderful rainy days lately. The kids have loved watching the rain come across the fields and then playing in the mud that it leaves behind. The rain has been great for our little garden and blueberry bushes but apparently wasn't great for the strawberry crop. Regardless, 2 women from my church and all of our cute babies went on a hunt for some strawberries. We had a blast. Girls are definately the best pickers. Aubrey & Laurel & even baby Lydia all picked and put them in their buckets. Noah however came back empty handed. He had eaten ALL of his strawberries! Such a boy. Anyway, I am so thankful God has put these girls and the others at the church in my life. I really believe that "for such a time as this" God has put us all together in different stages of life..... some Grandmother's, some empty nesters, some having "returning" children, some planning pregnancies, some struggling with pregnancies, some pregnant, and some with babies and toddlers.... to encourage each other and raise the next generation. Praise God for godly women!

2011-05-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

My Maternal Side of the Fam... Minus a few

Miss Priss LOVES to fish!

Apparently fishing is a spectator sport

(I was taking a pic of my cousin Hunter and had a surprise in the background) :)

It was my weekend with my Great Aunt again and also happened to be Mother's Day. So, we had a Mother's Day Party on the farm. We had a great time eating and then fishing. The ticks almost carried us away but A great time was still had by all. I love taking a family portrait every year (even though it's like pulling teeth) and seeing how we all change from year to year. I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend and my sweet husband gave me a beautiful heart necklace!

Goings On...

2011-05-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

EASTER PARTY AT THE POND

Hayden, Noah & Laurel in the MUD!!

Celebrating Ma's Birthday! Happy Birthday Maw Maw

Noah had to get a tooth pulled!

Laurel and her My Twinn Doll! Who is Who??

(FBC Ladies at the Beach Retreat..... minus Katie!)

Where to start?? Well, we had a wonderful Easter. The kids at church did a very moving production of "Arise my Love" and I was so proud of them. We had an Easter Party on the pond with family & friends and lots of food and fishing. Oh, and the tradition is that after the easter egg hunt the babies get to play in the mud. They had a blast!!

Noah had to have one of his front teeth pulled this week. I REALLY did not want to have to do this but he had an abcess that wouldn't go away. The only way to fix it is to pull the tooth. It is so funny how God works sometimes. I was coming home the night before praying God would make it VERY clear whether or not to pull this tooth. When I got home, Noah had infection coming from the sore above the tooth, he told me it hurt and when I flossed it half of the tooth came out in my hand!!!! Talk about a clear signal from God. I was so relieved. Anyway, he loves being called Snaggletooth, the tooth fairy did show up and he'll be toothless for probably 4 years! Oh well.

Miss Priss seems to be having a bit of a rough week with personal space and sharing. She wants to tear up whatever Noah is playing with right now so she's been in trouble a good part of the week. I was gone this weekend to a Ladies Retreat so I think that may have something to do with it.... or she's coming down with something. She's too cute with her little My Twinn Doll who we call "Nastya". This was Laurel's name in the orphanage so we thought she might like to call her doll this and she does. If you call her Nastya however she says "No, I Laurel"! She never looked back!

I had the privaledge of going on our church Ladies Retreat to the beach this past weekend. 19 Ladies got together to get away from it all, Praise God, Sing Songs, Play Games and have a blast in general. I loved getting to know some of the new ladies and renewing friendships with the "oldies". I am so happy to be a part of such a loving church body with such wise and godly women.

BECAUSE HE LIVES...

2011-04-22T20:41:00.001-07:00

HAPPY EASTER. WE SERVE A RISEN SAVIOR!

How sweet to hold, a newborn baby
and feel the pride and joy he gives.
But sweeter still, the calm assurance
this child can face uncertain days
Because HE lives

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
Who holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives

AMEN

Who Needs a Baby??

2011-04-18T09:56:00.001-07:00

Carlisle (31)

BOY, born January 16, 2009

Med info coming, please check back soon.

"SANDERS "
Boy, Born September 2010

From his medical records: Cleft lip and cleft palate (congenital). Holds his head, turns around, coos, takes toy in his hand and plays with it for a long time. Sanders will be cleared for international adoption in December 2011. ***LOOK AT THOSE BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES***

Praises to the Lord for protecting us during the Tornadoes! Lots of people lost their homes and even their lives. We are so thankful to be spared.

I am putting these profiles up of 2 sweet angel boys that I would have in an INSTANT if we could adopt again right now. For some reason I have always been drawn to babies with Cleft Palets/Lips . We even support the Smile Train who makes it their mission to go around the world and find children with these and does surgery on them to correct them. In so many countries and villages these children are outcasts and are even made to walk around the village with paper bags on their heads b/c it is seen as a curse. A 30 min. surgery can change everything but very few can afford it.

These 2 boys are in the country that Laurel was adopted from. There is not a place for these children in that society. Put them on your Facebook, blogs ANYTHING that will help them find a forever mommy & daddy and get the medical care that they need. You can find them on www.reecesrainbow.org and they are on the "other angel boys 0-5 page". Most of all, pray for these boys. Could one of them be YOUR child??

About a Tree...

2011-04-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

I love the trees in my yard. They are 75-100 yrs. old and when they fall or have to be cut down I feel like I've lost a friend. Ok Ok I know what you are thinking..... NO I am not a tree hugger. I just appreciate them and their Maker :) Anyway, one of our trees in our front yard was almost dead, and leaning and the combination does not make for a safe place to play under. My Dad called the Tree Man and he came and felled it for us. He didn't cut it up so Uncle John and Mr. Fred brought their tree splitter over and we made an evening (or two) of it. Laurel was completely mesmorized by the machine. She sat on a log and watched it for almost 2 hours!! Noah got his fill and moved on to bigger and better things:) Gotta love a boy. Anyway, the tree is gone and the spot where it was doesn't look half as bad as I thought. So, we made the best of it and used some branches for camo on the babies tractors. Noah loved playing army. It's a good thing b/c that's as close to the army as he'll ever get if I have anything to say about it! ;)

Laurel Progress Update: I thought I'd give a quick update on Laurel's progress since we've had some events lately and she's at her 18month home mark. She continues to do fantastic! We've had relatively little adjustment with Miss Priss and I am grateful for that. Yes, having a hearing impaired child is tough some times but honestly....... isn't raising children tough period?? She's my sweet girl. She LOVES her little brother and their fits of laughing at each other do my heart good. She has had a breakthru in her speech development and can finally do the "t" sound. It amazes me how much we take for granted normal speech and language development. It is SO much work for her to catch up but she blows through it like a champ! We are once again facing tubes in her ears b/c of fluid that wont go away. We aren't sure however we are going to pursue those right now due to the fact that 3 weeks ago she was put under for tubes but they didn't check her ears prior to the surgery so when she was under they found no fluid and didn't put tubes in...... Just got the bill for that one to the tune of about $3000!! So, to make a short story long we just may wait a bit to see if this fluid goes away. We'd appreciate your prayers for wisdom. Oh and did I mention that in the 18 months Laurel has been here, she has gained 14 lbs and 14 inches??? Amazing what a little love and sunshine will do for a child. Consider Adoption.

Monster Jam

2011-04-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

NOAH WITH GRAVEDIGGER (HIS FAVORITE)

WAR WIZARD'S DRIVER

HIGH MAINTENANCE'S DRIVER- HER TRUCK BLEW OUT

CONFETTI! THEY LOVED IT!

ONE OF HOMETOWN FAVORITES-SPIDERMAN

(MIKE & NOAH'S "TOUGH" FACE)

Well we are officially rednecks. We all went to see MonsterJam on Friday night. Really loud, really smelly, really redneck and really FUN! Both Noah & Laurel LOVED it. Noah wore huge earphones b/c he hates loud noises and we just took Laure'l hearing aids out and she was fine. We were able to go to the pits and visit almost all the drivers who then signed Noah's shirt. His favorite has been Grave Digger but the new Pink & Green truck that the girl drove (High Maintenance) that shot out confetti may just become his new love. Can you blame him? When it was over and we were leaving Laurel had a meltdown and said "No!! More Big Trucks". She likes them as good as Noah does. Anyway, it was a late night but then Mike took us all to Krispy Kreme for a delicious hot donut or two. He's a great Daddy.

Spring Has Sprung....and The Long Black Train

2011-03-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that Spring has finally come to the farm! It seems like it has been a LONG winter and we are a bit stir crazy. So what comes with Spring?? Baby Chickens of course. We are trying to build our flock up a bit so we can keep enjoying fresh eggs (Laurel loves her eggs for breakfast). Also, Grandaddy had this bright idea to put our garden in boxes this year to help with the weeding and watering so we are getting those ready for planting. I LOVE it being dark in the mornings longer (the babies sleep in). I LOVE it getting dark so late! I LOVE everything about Spring. New life, new beginnings, how exciting!

I was at Aunt Ruthie's last weekend and it was 70 degrees. We were able to take several walks and I got lots of pictures. The peacocks are so funny this time of year. The males spend their entire time showing off for the females. The males are so vain this time of year that they look at their reflections in my car and start pecking it, chipping the paint off the car. They do this over and over, not figuring out it is themselves. They sure are pretty but not much in the brains department.

One more reason why I am happy Spring is here. Hopefully the flu & cold season is on its way out. Laurel came down with an awful cold last week and it turned into a terrible ear infection. I'm talking 104 fevers and up all night hallucinating. It was a pretty long week. Noah & I passed a much lighter version around and we are all feeling somewhat better today.

And as for the Long Black Train Video..... What can I say? American Idol is my guilty pleasure :)

CATCHING UP....AGAIN

2011-03-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

Miss Priss & "Spice"
Bowling for Aunt Michelle's Birthday
(Above) LOVE this picture of Poppy... he almost busted it!!

"The New Recruit"
Show off

Birding at a local park
Shopping for fresh eggs
CUTEST BABIES IN THE WORLD!!!!

Do you ever just wonder where the days go?? Yeah, me too. Mike & I have made a decision to live life more purposely and actually make time to do some fun things.... Our goal is to not let life run us over. We want to stop and smell the roses. Since the weather has been nice lately, we've stayed out quite a bit.

--We've had a bowling party for Aunt Michelle. The babies LOVED bowling and we didn't even have any smashed fingers or toes! Nana & Poppy said they hadn't bowled in years but they did great!
--We went to watch Grandaddy & Uncle John at a Civil War Reenactment. Noah loved dressing up and carrying his "gun". He may be a new recruit.
--We've had lots of walks around the farm and Laurel really loves the horses. I think Noah could really care less about them, probably because he is so allergic to them and stays away.
--Last weekend we went Birding at a local park. You can check out a backpack with everything in it you need to see & track birds. The babies really got into it.
--We had some dear friends Brian & Crystal over this weekend that we haven't seen in a while. Brian has been fighting the war for us in Afghanistan and we thank him for his service. Our babies are close to the same age and had a blast dressing up and playing together.

Anyway, that's about all that is going on around here. I love being able to watch my babies grow up and learn new things. I thank God that I can stay home to watch them grow into the people God would have them be.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED....

2011-02-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

Laurel has been here almost a year and a half and I thought I'd give a bit of an update on her progress. We we first felt the Lord telling us to adopt this little deaf orphan girl in a very far away place we were excited but as you can expect we were EXTREMELY nervous. Would she ever be able to hear, how would we communicate with her, what is her mental capacity, are there any more significant medical issues, will she get along with Noah and a whole host of other question ran through our minds. We truly believed that the Lord would honor our obedience to this call and work these issues out. Well I'd like use my little blog as a place of public praise to my Great God for the work that he has done in this little girl.

Here's where she is right now.

**She's gone only being able to eat mush to: Eating whatever you put in her path (especially Candy!!!)

**She's gone from having NO words or gestures (only screams): To speaking in 3-6 word sentences!!

**She has gained 11 lbs and 12 inches in a year (from 18 month clothes to 4T's).

**She LOVES her brother. Did I mention she LOVES him? She likes to dress him and has been known to try and wipe him when he needs help on the potty (and he's 4) :) Ah, boys!

**She went from not knowing what a Mama & Daddy are to: Saying "I love you" and giving hugs and kisses freely

**She went from NEVER laughing: To giggling uncontrollably

**She went from Rocking herself to sleep up on her knees: To, a pacifier and now mostly pacifier free!

** Oh and she's now 95% potty trained.

This little girl is bright, has a great sense of humor and loves her new life. We can't imagine life without her.

BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.

RECAP

2011-02-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Michelle - Needs a family
Wendy- Needs a family

YES YES I know. It has been WAY too long since I've updated this thing. I love my blog, I really do but these days I find myself falling into bed around 8:30 right after my babies. Anyway, I thought I'd offer a recap of what's been going on around the Little Red House.

My wonderful husband surprised me for Christmas and bought me tickets to see the Ice Skating Championships last weekend. Yes, he went with me (because he's the best husband in the world) and we had so much fun on our whole day date! We ate lots of junk food, laughed a lot and watched the Couples skate and Ice dancing. It was amazing!

Noah is still quite enthused with Monster Trucks.. his newest love. However, I'm not sure if we'll be watching Monster Jam on TV anytime soon because tonight he saw one that looked like a dragon and apparently breathed fire. End of that. He almost had a stroke. He also is into the Lone Ranger. Years ago when children weren't in the picture I bought a few episodes at the Dollar Store and this boy loves them. He now dresses up and has the whole strut down and everything. Funny little boy. He is my sunshine.

Now as to what Ms. Priss has been up to. She is talking up a storm I tell you!! She has finally figured out sentences and so she's using 3-5 word sentences! All I can say is PRAISE GOD! When we committed to her we fully expected to have her be completely deaf and sign to her. We prayed for different for her however. God has been so good to us and she is responding so well to her therapies and all but one of her therapists! (Articulation in still hard for her so she doesn't do as well there). However, at her latest Audiogram yesterday, it showed her ear drums are not moving at all and she has fluid behind both ears. Her tubes(which lasted about 6 months) fell out in November and we were hoping to avoid them again but there is no way around it. She's gonna need new tubes. I can definately tell she's not hearing out of the left ear. Anyway, we'll do that in 2 weeks.

As to other things..... I am really advocating for little Michelle (6) who is on ReecesRainbow.org. She was in Laurel's orphanage and we just found out she was transferred to an institution! Very Sad :( about that. She will have no kind of life there and due to the fact that she has CP and is mostly blind she will probably be bedridden for her little life. If you feel the Lord leading you, PLEASE consider making a tax deductable donation to her grant fund for someone to go get her out of her prison! Or... better yet, someone go get her. She has $650 right now in her account (up from $150)!!. I'd love to see her get the full grant of $24,000 for a family to rescue her. Also, our wonderful faciliator Tatyiana went to Kharkiv to inquire about Michelle and so she took pictures of another precious baby who WAS IN LAUREL'S GROUPA!!! Her name is Wendy (6). Wendy is4 1/2 and in immediate danger of getting transferred. We saw sweet Wendy daily. She also has CP (seems more severe than Michelle) and is blind. Please someone consider saving Wendy as well. Laurel's orphanage was very well kept and the workers really seemed to care about the kids.

Anyway, All is well here. Hoping for some pretty snow tonight! I'll be helping my Great Aunt this weekend again so Mike will have the babies all to himself! ;)

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

Stopping at a Railroad Museum along the way...

Aunt Michelle & Uncle Nait
Grandat & Noah
Laurel, Grandat & Noah at the Zoo

We took a trip this past weekend to SC to see "Grandat & Dusie". We had a great time and LOVED the Zoo. It was a fantastic zoo where the animals were up close. We got to walk through a Kangaroo Path where the Kangaroos were all around you. Pretty cool but it made Grandat a bit nervous :) Also, we got a great up close view of the Ape or "Pape" as Laurel called him. She had a freak out moment and said "All done Pape!". She didn't like him one bit. Mike & I were amazed at the Giraffe's. They were magnificent. I wish I could have gotten more pics of the whole weekend but my camera went on the blink after this last picture. Anyway, Thanks Grandat and Dusie for a great time.

"THE TALK"

2011-01-18T17:56:00.001-08:00

So the other night I thought Noah and I were having "the talk". You know, the whole salvation, asking Jesus into my heart talk. He's only 4 but really has a grasp of spiritual concepts and has a huge thirst to know about God. For a few nights, we would say our prayers, he would tell me "Mama" I want God to take all the bad things away. I'm sorry for the bad things." I would just tell him that we can always say we are sorry to God for the things we have done wrong. OK, understanding sin..... on the right track.

Well, the next morning at the breakfast table it came.

Noah :"Mama, I want God to save me."

Me: "OK Noah, here's what you do. Pray and tell God you are sorry for the wrong things that

you've done. Tell him you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins . And then tell

him you choose to follow him and let him lead your life.

Noah: "Can you do it for me?"

Me: "No, Honey, this is something you have to do for yourself. I can't do it for you."

Noah: "Dear God, Please save me....... because I don't know how to drive a milk truck"

WHAT!!!! Apparently we weren't talking about the same kind of "saving" !!! :) I had to go into the other room and just laugh. Oh well, at least he understands he can take anything to the Lord in prayer! :) My sweet boy.

Where Oh Where have we been???

2011-01-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

THE MANY FACES OF LAUREL!

My Great-Aunt's Farm- I LOVE Peacocks.
Great-Aunt Ruthie

THE MONSTER TRUCK RALLY!-LOOK AT THAT SMILE :)

NOAH'S FIRST TIME SHOOTING A GUN

I have been absent from the internet world for a few weeks and I apologize for the lack of updates. I felt the need to disconnect for a while and reconnect with my Lord during the time I'd been on the computer. How wonderful and refreshing it was! I am so thankful for a God who will "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you!"

So... what have we been up to? Well, Mommy & Laurel have had some fun nights by ourselves just being girls (painting fingernails, makeup and playing dress up and shopping). Noah & Daddy have been quite busy themselves. Noah got to go to a Monster Truck Rally on Friday and had a ball. His favorite Monster Truck (Bigfoot) just happened to be there :) Saturday he and Daddy went to a clay pigeon shoot and Noah (with Daddy's help of course) learned a bit about gun safety and shot a gun for the first time! He LOVED it.

I have had the privaledge to help out with my Great-Aunt Ruthie who lives on a farm a few hours from here a weekend or two a month. This means Mike & the babies are on their own (well not really b/c Grandparents are a HUGE help) :). It has been working out really well and I feel so blessed to be able to get some quality time in at the farm with Aunt Ruthie who has Alzheimers but does surprisingly well. I truly treasure the days.

Anyway, that's about all from here. I'm sitting in my nice warm house, watching a football game with my husband, listening to the sleet on our windows. I love my life.

AND BOY DID IT SNOW..

2010-12-29T11:56:00.001-08:00

CHRISTMAS MORNING
NOAH FEEDING THE HORSES

MY SWEET SNOW ANGELS

Did you get any snow?? We got LOTS and the babies had a great time playing in it. Christmas was great. We went to lots of parties, stayed up way to late, ate way too much and had lots of candy!!! I knew we'd better get back to a routine when the night after Christmas, Laurel woke up in the night and got on her hands and knees (she was still asleep) and started telling Dora who is on her wall that it was "Her Turn". That same night, Noah would wake up and say part of his Bible verse over and over " And they wrapped the baby in cloths and laid him in a manger!". Too funny. They keep us laughing they do.

I guess it's time to make those darn New Year's resolutions but I haven't the time right now to think about them. I'll let you know what they are when I know what they are! :)

Once again, it was so nice to see family & friends that we don't get the treat to see a lot over Christmas. Thanks to you all for everything and all the memories made this year!

Tis' the Season....

2010-12-16T18:29:00.001-08:00

MIKE'S GRADUATION DAY FROM COLLEGE.... FINALLY!! YEAH!

NOAH & MR. BETTS HARVESTING SOYBEANS

WAITING FOR THE PARADE TO BEGIN

Shew! It's been a bit busy around these parts. We've been to Christmas parade's, an amazing Christmas train ride at the Denton Farm Park, and Mike's Graduation from College! Lots of family went with us an saw him graduate. We are so proud of him. Not many people can be an awesome husband, a great Daddy to 2 kids, hold down a full time job and a part time job in the summer, lead a Bible Study and go to school.... Oh and part of his studies were completed while in Ukraine adopting Laurel for 6 weeks. Thank you Lord! Anyway, tis the season for business and parties and such but don't forget to slow down for the simple things. Sing some songs with some family or friends, memorize Luke 2, the Christmas Story, seek out someone less fortunate and help them (you won't have to look far). These are things that Christmas time was meant for. Joy to the World, the Lord is come!

All I Want For Christmas is a Mommy & Daddy?? Will YOU Help??

2010-12-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

I know this post may make some uncomfortable. I understand that putting a face on suffering is painful and hard to watch. I get all of that, believe me. BUT, I am begging here. This little girl's name is Michelle. She is in Laurel's orphanage and we were able to observe her several times. She is NOT very low functioning. She is amazing in spite of her disabilities. Let me tell you what we observed...

We were going into the orphanage one day to have our visit with Laurel. A caregiver came out holding both of "Michelle's" hands up over her head. She was walking.... Not impressed yet? She is mostly blind and has CP. This little girl was then expected to climb about 30 concrete steps while the caregiver squeaked a toy I guess that helped her count. She was then taken to a picnic table, in the HOT sun and sat there, with no toys, the entire time while the other children played around her. By the time she got to the top of the stairs her tights were around her ankles. No one bothered to pull them up. She sat there quietly for about an hour.

So what do we do with this? I have no idea honestly. You'll never know the hours in prayer I've gone around and around wondering if there was a way to make her mine. It just can't happen now. It was so much easier to deal with this orphan crisis before I saw the faces. Before I had one in my own home and saw what ramifications to children aren't rocked, don't get enough food, don't get medical attention or much attention at all for that matter. And don't get me wrong, I am not being down on Ukraine. Laurel's orphanage was very clean and she was very well cared for. She loved her caregivers and they seemed to care for her but their job is overwhelming. Too many children and too few workers and money.
I am begging this Christmas for your prayers for little Michelle. I would love to see her get out of this orphanage and into a home. Her time is short. She is 4 and between 4-5 these children are transferred to institutions and are likely bedridden for life. If you don't believe me, google Institution in these countries. They usually do not live very long. Michelle needs medical attention, she needs love, she needs a MOMMY & DADDY. Please help make this her last Christmas without one. *** If you are unable to adopt that is ok. Please consider making a donation to her grant fund. It all goes to a family that would committ to adopt her. I'd bet you if she had a full grant ($24,000) then a family would come forward*** Here is her info on www.reecesrainbow.org (other angels girls 0-5)

*****PLEASE PASS THIS POST ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!*****

Michelle (6)
Girl, Born September 8, 2006
SIGNIFICANT RISK, PLEASE ADOPT ME SOON!!
This precious little girl is mostly blind. She has obvious cataracts and strabismus. Her medical records indicate that she is blind with optic atrophy. She has tetraparesis (limb weakness), and this is caused by diagnosed CP. A family who visited with her recently tells us she is quite low functioning right now, but goodness, how she would blossom in al oving family who could really help her overcome her lack of vision!
Michelle will be transferred to a mental institution and will likely remain bedridden for life if she is not adopted. Hope someone will consider being her “forever family”!
I have $58.5 in my grant fund towards the cost

Photo Shoot

2010-11-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Thing 1 & Thing 2

Awwww......

Yes, They really do love each other!

Miss Priss

Natural Posers

Yes, Yes I realize it has been quite a while for an update. I really do have good excuses though if anyone is interested. I have been sick with a horrible cold that has gone on for about 2 weeks. It completely saps your energy and I felt like a robot. Round 2 of my antibiotics has finally helped and I'm back to the land of the living.

It's that time of year for Christmas Cards so I decided the family needed to go for a photo shoot on the farm. I took my tripod and camera and off to the woods we went. Here are some of the ones that I like the best.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. We were sick until Thursday but managed to have a very nice Turkey Day. On Friday, I went to stay with my 92 yr. old Great-Aunt to help with her care a bit. I was gone until Sunday night and Mike had Noah & Laurel both bring me bouquets of flowers when I came in. We then celebrated with ice cream! I have the best family!

Yep, It's definately Fall......

2010-11-12T19:11:00.001-08:00

Mike & his first buck of the year (Noah was pretty excited too)

Mike & his first cayote ever!!! NO, it's not a dog! :)

Miss Priss, multitasking...walking her dog & baby while in high heels. The Ukrainians would

be proud! :)

My sweet babies a bit under the weather watching movies together

Laurel loves gathering the eggs in the morning

With these cool nights and mornings comes the realization that it is definately fall and headed quickly towards winter. I love the fall. I love the crisp mornings, football season (believe it or not), hot drinks and the changing of the leaves. Now, if I asked Mike what he liked about fall he would have a completely different list.... well football would be on it but at the top of the list would be HUNTING!! Yes, hunting season is in full swing around here and we now have some deer meat in our freezer. I also have a beaver in my freezer but that is a completely different story!!!!! Mike has even taken Noah out hunting a few times. However, Noah isn't too keen on sitting still and quite for 2 hours so he probably won't go back for a while. As you can see from the pictures above, Mike's done a good job on his own though. He shot the cayote tonight (Friday) on John's farm. They have a large pack of them roaming about and that isn't too safe for the calves. There is nothing quite so eerie as hearing a pack of cayotes howling just miles from the city limits.

That seems to be it for now. I'll leave you with a funny Noahism that he told me on the way to our small group Wednesday night. Here is how it went....

Mommy: "Noah, what song would you like to sing at group tonight"

Noah: "Hmmm.... let me think. I know, "The King is Exhausted"

Mommy: "The King is Exhausted"????

Noah: Yes Mommy, You know... (singing now) "He is Exhausted, the King is Exhausted, on the Highway"

For those of you who still can't recognize the tune the real song is HE IS EXALTED,THE KING IS EXHALTED ON HIGH. Thank goodness the King doesn't really get exhausted because I sure do.

Kids make ya laugh :)

Parties & Dress Up

2010-11-01T19:01:00.001-07:00

FUN IN THE MOONBOUNCE

Jacob & Noah with his new gun

What a great looking crew! (and everyone wasn't even in this!)

Happy Birthday Noah, Laurel & Szaffi

Little Miss Priss..... I mean Red Riding Hood

Well, you could say we had a whirlwind weekend! We had a Triple Birthday Party & Harvest Party on Saturday. It was a beautiful weekend for it and the kids had a blast. Nana & Poppy once again supplied the Moonbounce and we had a Hayride thanks to Grandaddy. Also included in the fun was Musical Haybales, Pumpkin Decorating and of course lots of food. Thank you to everyone who made this fun day possible. Lots of memories were made. Then Sunday, the kids went Trick or Treating dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and Geronimo. It was Laurel's 2nd year TrickorTreating but the first time she actually enjoyed it. Give that girl candy and she's game for anything. Noah had a blast and didn't even get scared until a horrible looking ghost came to Nana's door for candy. That was it. It was over. Why do you have to be scary to have fun??? I'm pretty sure Noah will be in therapy the rest of his life! Anyway I think it can be summed up by saying "A good time was had by all"..... I hope! :)

Noah Michael Turns 4

2010-10-28T21:08:00.001-07:00

Noah and his new owl suit from the thrift store

A racecar track from Dadat & The Logging Station from

Nana & Poppy. Just look at that smile :)

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet boy Noah. My first born. The one who makes us laugh. My tender hearted boy who loves to pray for others. My son who was born with a song in his heart and sings it constantly. We love you Noah Michael. You are so precious to us and we are so proud of the little boy you already are.

BECAUSE HE LIVES.....

2010-10-24T20:20:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I've posted on the blog. I apologize but it has been a bit of a tough week. This week, on the same day, I heard that my Aunt who has been battling terminal breast cancer, found out that her cancer has spread to her bones & that our worship leader, Mr. Carson had some type of seizure that was related to his brain cancer and has lost some function (you can read his journey under "friends" on the sidebar). CANCER. A word that I have come to despise. I'll be honest. I've asked God "why" a million times. It is no coincidence that our church theme this year is "Perservering to the End in 2010...... with JOY". Cancer isn't very joyful. It's painful and hard to watch some of my heroes struggle with their bodies. However, I'd like to share how the Lord blessed me through these two wonderful people. Saturday I was able to spend an afternoon with my Aunt. She has always had a vibrant, funny personality and that hasn't changed. She is able to laugh about some of the things her cancer is doing to her body. She is amazing.

Sunday, I had to watch our worship leader make the very hard decision that he just couldn't play the piano that day. The seizure had robbed him of a majority of his vision and it was just too much. I will be honest. It was one of the hardest things I've ever watched. His body wanted to play but it just couldn't. I was so upset. "Why God!!" He has always used this amazing gift to worship you!!" Why take it from him?""

Well, let me tell you what the Lord showed me......... While we were singing, I was able to watch this man worship. While we were singing, the Lord showed me a different way he was going to have him worship.. With his hands raised to heaven. Mr. Carson had never been able to lift his hands in our worship service before because he had always been worshiping with his hands by playing the piano. God didn't TAKE anything from him. He just changed it up a bit. That man of God who has been through so much in just 6 short months STILL singing praises to our God with his hands raised is not a picture I will ever forget.

I'll leave you with a song that has been my comfort in times such as these.....

Because He lives,I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, who holds the future.

And life is worth the living, just because He lives!

LAUREL TURNS 3!!

2010-10-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated in the morning with cupcakes with her preschool therapy class. Then they all got to go outside and see the really cool firetrucks!

She definately felt like a princess!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET GIRL!! LAUREL TURNED 3 TODAY. We started out the morning going to her FINAL Developmental Therapy that she has in a preschool once a week. They were so nice to let me bring in cupcakes for all the kids. After the cupcakes, the firetruck showed up for all the kids to look at. Noah was in heaven! That evening we had Grandparents over for cake and icecream. Laurel felt and looked like a princess. She got her first Barbie (from her therapist), a doll house, a new Max & Ruby movie, a stuffed horse, puzzles and a Dorothy from Wizard of Oz outfit (she LOVES that movie). She had a great night but had no nap and it eventually wore on her. She was a wreck by 8pm and we had to quickly stuff her in the bed with her new toys! I can't believe my baby girl is getting so tall. Her 3 year checkup and shots are on Thursday so I'll be able to see how much she has actully grown in a year.

On another happy note..... If you remember my post about Yulia from ReecesRainbow.org who needed a home then I have great news. Sweet Yulia has a home. In just 5 days, an advocate for her raised $20,000 and prayed for a family for her. Well, God answered YES and her family is working very hard to get her quickly due to her health conditions. You can follow the journey under my "friends" -- Hailee & Harper's blog.

Natural Bridge, VA

2010-10-06T18:40:00.001-07:00

I think this is Rach & John but I'm not sure

No, it's not Stonehenge but it's FOAMHENGE. How cool is that!

Believe it or not, Noah wasn't scared of this bear

Right before we went down into the cavern. Can you tell Noah was excited in his

Davey Crockett hat??

Lots of hiking and beautiful trails

Here is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the world...... Natural Bridge

The babies with Granny & Grandaddy

Feeding the fish & Water watching

Storytelling with Grandaddy

We saw this sign on our way home. Anyone have any idea what it means? It made us laugh!

This past weekend we took a trip to Natural Bridge, VA. My parents used to take us there when we were little and it is truly one of my favorite places. It seemed so strange bringing my kids there all these years later. If you haven't ever been I HIGHLY recommend it. It has Caverns, a really cool Wax Museum, Hiking, the Bridge, good food, and a beautiful evening drama/light show of the Days of Creation . We also visited Virginia Military Institute & Lee Chapel in Lexington. I wasn't sure how Noah would do with the Caverns b/c he hates dark, closed in places but he had a blast! By Day 2 of Creation in the Drama however he was sound asleep. Oh and the Foamhenge is so funny. It looks just like Stonehenge but it is completely made out of tightly packed foam. We had a wonderful time and made lots of memories! A must see for every family. God's creation never ceases to amaze me.

Help Rescue Yulia

2010-09-27T19:10:00.001-07:00

I have an amazing story to tell you. This little girl is in the same city that Laurel was adopted out of. She has lots of "issues" by the world's standards. The family that visited with her adopted 2 little girls out of the room she was in. These children never get out of their cribs, only to be fed (at lightning quick speed) and never go outside. Toys are few and far between in this room.They are special needs children, forgotten children. However, this amazing mom who visited with her fell in love with her. The Lord has placed this child on her heart to advocate for her. She is forgotten by her world but not by the Creator of this world. Little Yulia desperately needs a family. She will be transferred out of this orphanage and into an institution where there is no hope. She will not live. You see little Yulia has a condition called Cockayne Syndrome which causes premature aging. Her life expectancy is from 4 yrs-20yrs. She needs a special family to come forward who is willing to love her and hold her for this short time she will be on this earth. NO CHILD deserves to die without knowing a Mother and Father's love.

Knowing it will take a special family called by God to love her, this special mom set up a Chip In on her blog to hopefully raise enough funds for the family to have their adoption completely paid for. Well let me tell you the Lord moved in a great way!!! In just 5 days she has raised over $20,000 for this precious angel. I beg you to go to her blog and read the first post on Yulia. The address is www. nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com . God is using this sweet lady in great ways. She doesn't believe in just sitting on the sidelines cheering. Nope, she's leading the charge. I wish we could all be more like that. There would definately be less orphans in the world. So...... the challenge... pray for sweet Yulia. Pray God would raise up a special family for her, and go to www. reecesrainbow.org for more information on her or to help another precious angel get a family or a grant. What is God telling you to do?

What a Difference a Year Makes!!

2010-09-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

The first time we met Laurel

Our first day visiting her at the orphanage

"GOTCHA DAY" One year later: We celebrated with McDonald's

which is what helped us make it through the 6 weeks away from home.

Miss Priss at the Zoo for our Gotcha Day Celebration

The Big Brother- He's a working man now

Just look at them changing out those brakes!!

Never in the midst of all insaneness of last year would I have believed we would be doing a "ONE YEAR LATER" post but.... here we are. Sunday officially marked "Gotcha Day" for our family. Laurel and Mike walked out of the orphanage and she walked into a family. She has grown 10 inches and gained 11 1/2 lbs. in just one year!! I can't believe it. She and Noah wear the same size clothes!! So much has happened in that year. She really isn't even the same child. She is confident, loves to laugh, has a strong spirit and is ready to please. Did I put stubborn as a mule sometimes in that list also? :) Laurel is a true joy. I love to watch her soak up new experiences. Noah is the best big brother EVER!! They are really learning the art of communication with a hearing impaired sibling and I am so proud of him. He had to endure a lot of changes in a very short amount of time and he has been a champ.

Laurel Update: Laurel turns 3 on October 12th. SHe will transition from her Early Intervention therapies to therapies through the School System. I will admit I was very hesitant and unsure of what to expect with the school system. We have had 3 meetings with her IEP team and have had a wonderful experience! They truly get her and the issues that we want to address. I praise God for putting this wonderful team of professionals together. About 3 weeks ago Laurel had a full speech/language evaluation and a Cognitive and Developmental evaluation done by the school system to see what services she would be eligible for. Our IEP meeting was yesterday and PRAISE THE LORD from their findings her only delays are speech and language. In fact their exact words were "The sky's the limit for this little girl". She will be receiving Speech/Language Therapy once a week in home and Speech therapy twice a week at a local school. We will also continue our once a week parent session at another organization for Language therapy. So..... back to 4 therapies a week but it seems to be paying off! She won't be going to a preschool yet. We visited the one she is eligible for and it is phenominal but about 45 min. away. Her therapists and all of the team agreed that "she's in the best preschool right now..... HOME!" That was pretty awesome to hear!

Update on Noah: Poor little Noah is having some major teeth issues. He is following in his mother's footsteps of chalky, weak enameled teeth..... compounded by the fact that he LOVES sweets!! Anyway, he's already had one crown (or a gold tooth as he calls it) and will have to have another. Then he'll have about 6 more cavities filled! All this after brushing twice a day. We've now added flossing and a flouride to help prevent this from happening again. He's a trooper I'll tell you. He got a filling and a "gold tooth" all in one sitting. When we left he kept looking at it in the mirror and said... "Mommy, I want a lot of gold teeth!" I replied, well I don't b/c they are about $350 a piece!!

Noah is doing really well with learning his letters. He has become interested in what letters are and what they mean so we are going with it. He has also mastered drawing all sorts of shapes lately. Smart litle boy.

So that's about all in our camp. Busy Busy as usual but still taking time to Praise our Wonderful God who has made all of it possible....... In the words of one of my favorite songs....

"How Great is our God..... Sing with me.... How Great, is our God..... and all will see

How Great, How Great, is our God!

BEACH TIME

2010-09-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Laurel seeing the beach for the first time (notice no clothes b/c she fell in)

Noah & Dadat going boogeyboarding

He's so brave!

Baywatch here we come!

Noah learning how to fish from Poppy

Ocracoke Lighthouse- where it all began.

This is where Mike proposed to me over 10 years ago!!

Silly babies!!

We went to the beach with Nana & Poppy about a month ago and I am just now posting the pictures. Noah has had a love/hate relationship with the beach but thankfully has really grown to love it. This was Laurel's first experience with the ocean. We weren't sure how she would take it but we haven't found much that she is afraid of. I took the video of her first time seeing God's great creation. I love how she stops halfway and just stands. You can't see it very well in the video but she has her eyes closed and she is just feeling the wind on her face. I love that about her. She relishes every little thing. It made me so happy for her but broke my heart at the same time. She went 2 years never really "feeling" anything. She has just in the last month started to really even act like a silly 2 year old who does goofy things and laughs constantly. It makes me want to rescue them all and give them these wonderful experiences.

Noah loved riding the boogey board. This boy just might be a surfer! He also loves fishing with Poppy. Actually, I think he likes to hear fishing stories from Poppy better than the fishing itself but that will come! He'll keep you laughing, that one.

Anyway, please keep Noah in your prayers as we are working through some Asthma issues. He's been diagnosed and it trying to kick a yucky cough. The nebulizer works some but it hasn't gotten rid of the entire cough. Also, Laurel's IEP meeting it next week. Looking forward to a new chapter in her therapies. Thanks for visiting the blog!

TreeTops

2010-09-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

I have taken my sweet time in updating this thing lately and for that I apologize for those out there who actually read this. It hasn't been because I've been lazy but incredibly busy lately.... I know, I know no excuses.. we are ALL busy these days. :) Anyway, first things first.... sweet Madeline from Reeces Rainbow finally has a family!!!!!!! Thank you all who prayed for her family to find her. I can't wait to follow her journey home.

I still haven't put the pictures up of our beach trip a few weeks ago. I couldn't get the video to upload of Laurel's first time at the beach and it was priceless. Even though Noah has been several times, he was just as excited as she was. I promise I'll work on that update.

So, what has been going on in our house you ask? Well, daily therapies continue but are winding down for Laurel. This is her last month of therapies b/c she turns 3 in October and her therapies will be through the school system. Wednesday we had her evaluations for the school system to see what she is eligible for. Right now, I think they are leaning towards a placement in a deaf/hard of hearing preschool which is 4 days a week for about 3 hrs. a day. It is a bit of a drive for us so we aren't sure if we'll take the placement yet. However, if we don't take the placement, she will at least get a speech therapist coming into the home once a week and she'll continue with another speech therapy once a week. So far we have been very pleased with everyone in the school system that we have come in contact with and they seem to really understand our families needs as well as Laurel's needs. They were all so amazed at her progress already! And by the way, she officially weighs more than Noah now by 2 1/2 lbs. (and she's a year younger!). Please pray that the Lord will guide us and the team as we have her IEP meeting in 2 weeks.

As for Mr. Noah. He is doing great. Talking up a storm. Sounds like someone I know... oh that's right... ME! (poor child). He has been in heaven lately because we've had lots of playdates and friends his age over and the boy loves to play. We have been taking walks in the evening and today it was so nice that we went to a local park and hiked. We went about 3 miles which was about 1 mile too much but we all still had fun.

That's about it around here. Summer is winding down and lots of decisions coming up with Laurel but all is well.!! God is so Good.

Please Save Madeline

2010-08-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Madeline (31)
Girl, Born May 20, 2005
SIGNIFICANT RISK, PLEASE ADOPT ME SOON!!
Madeline is so pretty, and is patiently waiting for her family! She has brown hair and eyes. She was born with arthrogryposis and club feet. From her caregivers: Speaks separate words, begins to speak in phrases, sitting well, eats independently, likes to play, reacts well to adults, very sweet and joyful little girl.
MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE

UPDATE! (June 2010): Madeline is blessed to still be at the baby house. She is facing the institution very soon. Madeline is not able to walk, but she independently operates her own wheel chair and is mobile in that way. She is smart, speaks in sentences now, eats by herself, and is really doing well. Please don't let Madeline spend one day in an institution! She is so sweet and has such tremendous potential. Surgery for her legs and feet could offer her the true mobility and independence she has never known.
I have $2000 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

I'm begging here. This is a new picture of a little girl that I have watched on Reeces Rainbow for over a year now. I've prayed for her and would LOVE to go get her if we were able. Please consider sweet Madeline for your family. This is a BRAND NEW picture of her and she is so beautiful and bright! If you can't be her forever family, please pray that one will step forward SOON! She will be transferred to an institution very soon and they are hopeless places. PLEASE PRAY. ( Oh and she already has $2000 towards her adoption in her Grant Fund) Go to Reeces Rainbow.org for more information.

MAYBERRY DAYS

2010-08-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy last couple of weeks. Last weekend we went to the beach and had a blast. The kids LOVED the water and it was Laurel's first time at the beach. I will post those pictures and videos soon but it is very late tonight and I'll just post this adorable video of Noah singing The Andy Griffith song. We have the cd and as you can see, he listens to it quite a bit!!

Noahism: Me: Noah, I love you to pieces! Noah: "Mommy, I love you to bits!" :)

Laurel is doing great with her speaking. Last week she said "Come on Noah. Let's go get in a car!" I about fell off the couch when I heard her. We are so excited that the hearing aids are working for her. At first, with her Auditory Neuropathy, we were told she might never hear enough speech to actually talk. We prayed for this and God has answered our prayers. She is such a hard worker and we are so proud of her!

A Year Ago Today, We Met Laurel....

2010-08-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day for us. It was 1 year ago today that we met Laurel in a Ukrainian orphanage. I had dreamed of this day for years and when it finally came I was so nervous I almost threw up. We were taken to a nice room and the Doctor was brought in to go over her medical conditions. This was an interesting process b/c he was talking through a translator who himself wasn't sure how to translate some of her "conditions". We knew about her hearing impairment but some of the other conditions that were thrown at us were daunting to say the least. Half of the conditions we had no clue what they were!! We knew that this would probably happen and I just kept telling myself "it's ok" "God brought us this far". (While sweating all the time :) Anyway, after the Doctor was finished with all of her "conditions" in walks Miss Priss. She looked so small at first to me because she had on a dress that was too big for her and shoes that were WAY too little for her. She looked so scared and unsure of what to do and at first didn't want to leave her caregiver which was a great sign to me. I was actually happy to see that she had formed an attachment to her caregivers. We were also told that she was turned down by 3 other families due to her deafness. Can you imagine her going through this 3 other times and no one came back? I got down on the floor an handed her a babydoll which she promptly threw down. Hmm...... not going well, so then I went in my bag which had other toys for her. She bypassed all the toys and went straight to my blue pen and notebook. SUCCESS! She loved taking the top on and off over and over again. We saw her for exactly 5 minutes and then we were told it was time to go sign the paperwork committing to her. Before she left she gave me the BIGGEST hug ever!!

I'm being honest here. I had so many mixed feelings when I got in that car. Could we handle her issues? She looked like she had some institutional autism at first to me. Was she really our little girl. I wanted SO badly to spend more time with her and get to know her. I cried that night.... a lot. I also sought the Lord like never before. My devotion that night was Hebrews Chapter 11 which I call the Faith Hall of Fame. All of these warriors for God obeyed God not knowing what the outcome would be. He didn't show them how everything would work out or how He would reward them. They stepped out IN FAITH. Hebrews 11:8 especially touched me "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, NOT KNOWING where he was going. Hebrews 11:13 said "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." Some of these great men of God didn't see it "all work out" this side of heaven they just believed it was right to obey God. That was enough for me. I KNEW that we had been called to this journey without a doubt so I knew that God would give us the strength to handle whatever came up. Talk about the peace that passes all understanding. As soon as I gave that burden up I slept soundly looking forward to the next day with my daughter.

And what a day it was!!! How happy we were that we went forward with everything. She was such a joy and so fun to be around.Oh and about most of her "conditions"..... our Pediatrician said most of those were just made up. God had handpicked Laurel to be in our family and we had to be obedient to His calling to have that wonderful peace. So, enjoy the video. The difference in her now is amazing. She is growing so quickly and speaking so much now. PRAISE OUR WONDERFUL MERCIFUL SAVIOUR.

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY........

2010-08-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

1 YEAR AGO TODAY.... MIKE & I WERE FLYING TO UKRAINE TO FIND OUR DAUGHTER
(Noah took this picture by the way.. not bad)

WE WERE LOOKING FOR OUR SECOND CHILD TO COMPLETE OUR FAMILY

BUT.... WE HAD TO LEAVE THIS SWEET BOY FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND WE

MISSED HIM LIKE CRAZY!!!

By God's grace we made it to Ukraine. We were completely physically and emotionally exhausted but excited to start the journey. We saw our little girl's picture at our SDA appointment on August 13th. Within a few days we met her for the first time. How time does fly. It is amazing how love, patience, good food and old fashioned sunshine can change a child.

I have a friend who doesn't live too far from me who is going through the same process now. She left today to get her precious child. Follow her journey here at www.jennandchrisandkpr.blogspot.com . Pray that things will go smoothly for her and her husband in this exhausting process. It's like I get to relive the whole process through her. How exciting!

Wanna See a Cute Baby??

2010-08-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet little girl. She only about 7 months old and needs a forever home! She is the PERFECT age to benefit from Early Intervention here in the US. She has Down Syndrome and these are special, very sweet little angels who deserve a chance. She will NEVER have a chance in her home country to see anything other than the walls of an institution. Please pray for her, support her and help bring her home to a loving forever family!! Visit http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ for more information. Maeve (31)
Girl, Born January 6, 2010

Maeve is also healthy, but does have a 6th finger on her right hand. This can be surgically removed if you prefer, or not! She is a sweetie!! I have $0 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption

*****PS- MIKE FINALLY UPDATED HIS BLOG SO CHECK IT OUT AT www.travelswiththebugman.blogspot.com*******

E-I-E-I-O

2010-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Farmer John & Rach

This week we traveled to see my Grandmother

Hanging out the clothes

My Grandmother's blue bottles

John's cows

Miss Priss's first time in the creek

Noah loving the water

Amazing something so pretty can grow out of cow poop!

Preparing the picnic basket

We've had a busy but good week this week. We took a trip to see my Grandmother and the babies did great. Usually it is tough on them with the 2 hr. drive but they were so good this time. My Great Aunt who is 90 is going through some life changes and my mom has really been trying to help thing go as smoothly as possible for her..... so I thought I'd throw in 2 toddlers for an event filled trip. They really were good though....really. Wednesday pm we had a potluck/cookout with our small group at Katie & Justin's beautiful house on the lake. It is so pretty and peaceful there and we loved fellowshiping with our church friends.

Friday night we had a surprise party for "Uncle" Jimmy. It had been in the works quite a while and there were about 30 people there. We had a fun, laughter filled evening.

Sat. am, Uncle John & Aunt Rach invited us and Jimmy's brother Jason & his son Hayden on a hayride. I packed a picnic of PB&J sandwiches and off we went. We took a ride through the quarry, which is amazing, and then through the pastures to the creek. The kids (and adults) loved playing in the creek.....except for Rachael who may or may not have stepped on the Loch Ness Monster. Everyone was hungry afterward so we had a delightful picnic. Thank you guys for a WONDERFUL morning!

Blueberry Picking

2010-07-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

My cousin Matthew and his wife Rachel have a few blueberry bushes at their house on the farm and they invited us to come pick some. It was about 100 degrees and only 10am but the kids had a great time. Laurel loves to pick the berries but not many usually make it into the bucket..... they end up in her mouth. Noah is a great picker. He eats a few then fills up his bucket. We had lots of good breakfasts with blueberries on our waffles and our cereal.

Backyard Bible Clubs are over and the finale went well...... except for our friend Hayden who had a accident that involved his head and then took the ambulance to the ER but he is fine now.....

When asked to show their hands on who had asked Jesus into their heart this week about 10 kids raised their hands. PRAISE GOD! These little children and many of their parents heard the Gospel.

Well, that's about it around here. The summer thunderstorm is moving in so I must turn the computer off.

Beating the Heat on the Farm

2010-07-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Watching some lovely "new creations" being baptized

Playing "HORSE SHOW"

In the Watering Trough

Painting some of our farm animals

How are we beating the awful summer heat? Well, here are a few ways. Sunday, we had the privaledge to watch 9 children get dedicated to the Lord and 7 ladies get baptized at our little church. God has just amazed me at the raw honesty of these precious ladies and it is so refreshing to hear them ask questions about God and the Bible and not be afraid of what others may think about them. They are precious jewels that God is polishing to make them shine for Him.

The babies have been doing a lot of playing in the water at the house. Mike built the little hand pump for them and they love playing in the trough to cool off.

We have Backyard Bible Clubs this week. This year we are at 3 different housing complexes and we have a Bible story, games, snacks, crafts and lots of fun. YES, it is 100 degrees but seeing the joy on these children's faces and knowing we are doing a small part to share the Gospel with them makes it all worth it.

Funny Noahism of the week: "Mommy, will you go get my Tobacchoe out of the car so I can play with it in the dirt?" Seriously, where does he come up with this stuff?

Fun times with Friends

2010-07-11T19:01:00.001-07:00

Noah & our godson Jacob

"Bubba" & Sister

Noah & Hayden

Riding on the Handy Dandy Railroad

Grandaddy & Laurel

Noah's not enjoying the noise

Best Friends

It's been another busy week at our little red house. The weekend of the 4th, we traveled to see the Handy Dandy Railroad and ride the steam train, look at all the tractors and just generally sweat to death. The babies had a good time but after a few hours they were hot and tired and it was OVER! I got to keep our godson Jacob for a few nights and days this week and the boys had a blast together. They loved playing in a creek and throwing rocks at random things..... such boys. Laurel hung right in there with them though. Saturday, we took our friend Jason and his son Hayden to Monkey Joes to play on all the inflatable equipment. They had so much fun climbing and sliding! We are riding out the hot days here with LOTS of popsicles, swimming at Nana & Poppy's pool and playing in the little wading pool at the house.

On a funny Noahism note..... we were watching TV and a commercial came on for Chucky Cheezes. Noah said "Mommy, I want to go to Chucky Jesus!" Also, we recently had our air conditioner serviced. We kept talking about the air conditioner so Noah came out of the bathroom after using it and said "Look Mommy, I used the Poopditioner". Gotta watch that boy!

Laurel is so cute trying to talk. She has "on and off" days but she is trying to talk and the babble is making more sense and starting to sound like real words and phrases. Currently her newest ones are "Hey Mommy", "Come on Mama" and she loves to sing Ring a Round the Roses. She also is so cute when she says her blessing before she eats. She makes sure everyone has their hands clasped and eyes shut and if not, she tells you about it. You can't understand anything but "AMEN" but Praise God she is doing that. She's getting it!

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!!

Need a New Addition??

2010-07-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

Jessie (Jessica) (23)
Girl, Born October 22, 2007

Jessie is darling!!! Brown hair and brown eyes, and totally healthy. Perfect age to benefit from early intervention, and to join her new family!

More photos available!I have $187 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Wade (3)
Boy, Born December 11, 2007

Little Wade....new to Reece's Rainbow, we are so glad to be a voice of hope for him! He is in need of an adoptive family! Wade was born with a heart condition, but he has already had corrective surgery. This orphanage has a history of medicating the children, so many of them look sleepy and zoned out in their photos. It is imperative to find families for all of these children quickly. Wade can be adopted with Nikita below, and or any of the other children listed in orphanage 3.

From an adoptive family who visited with him in June 2010: Wade is ANGELIC. Honestly, the pictures do not capture just how precious he actually is. I longed to run out of there with him in my arms, together with my girls. He just captured my heart. He is so quiet and sweet. I never heard him cry once in all the time I was there. He is, very unfortunately, drugged most of the time. He has HUGE blue eyes, and his hair has a reddish tint to it. His eyes are stunning. I never saw him sitting on his own. Every time I was there he was lying down. I don't know if he is able to sit, or not. He has a bump on the front of his head, and at the back of his head, just as our daughter had. These children purposefully bang their heads on the crib as a means of stimulation. It is typical orphanage behavior for children who are so severely neglected. Wade is absolutely precious--he has such a sweetness about him. You can't help but want to scoop him up and love on him. I have no doubt that he will BLOSSOM in a family.
I have $100 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

BOTH OF THESE SWEET BABIES HAVE DOWN SYNDROME. THESE CHILDREN ARE KNOWN TO BE SUCH SWEETIES. SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE THESE BABIES A CHANCE. WADE HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART BECAUSE HE IS FROM THE SAME CITY THAT LAUREL IS FROM!!! VISIT WWW.REECESRAINBOW.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Happy 4th

2010-06-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY EVERYONE!! We have been doing great around here, busy but great. Here's what is going on in each of the babies lives.

Noah: He definately takes after his Mama in the talking department. He's a magpie these days! :) His new favorite movies are Andy Griffith (Above picture: He is Ernest T. Bass!) and The Wizard of Oz. I thought that one would scare him but he loves it.

Laurel: We continue various therapies 4 days a week. Her speech and language is progressing really well. We have a really rough week with not much speech and then it explodes the next week or two. One of her therapist hadn't seen her in 3 weeks and today was so surprised at how much more babble she was doing. Her babble has become more "conversational" even though you can't understand the words yet it is clear she gets conversation. Words come next! Also, she is showing great strides in comprehension and tone and intonation of her voice. Basically they are saying she really won't even sound very hearing impaired. She imitates any words and is adding more words daily. All I can say is Praise be to God!! UNC told us on Friday that right now she is NOT a candidate for Cochlear Implants because she is making too much progress with her hearing aids. Please pray with us that she'll keep this progress up.

Anyway, that's what's going on around here. Have a Happy 4th!

South Carolina & Pennsylvania

2010-06-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

Here we are in SC with Grandat & Dusie & Uncle Ronnie

GETTYSBURG

A gun-courtesy of Nana..... ;)

Laurel is definately an animal lover

OK John, no complaining about doing hay.... look at these guys!

Lovin' Cherry Crest Farm

An Amish volleyball tournament

Waiting for Thomas

Yummy homeade root beer and jellies!

Amish Buggies

As you can see with the lack of updates, our family has been traveling a bit these last few weeks. We took a trip to SC to see Grandat and Dusie. We had a great time catching up although Laurel got pretty sick with Croup. Hopefully next trip she will be a little more agreeable.

This past weekend we went to PA with Nana & Poppy. Now Noah just LOVES Pennsylvania. And as you can see from the pictures you'll know why. We visited Gettysburg Battlefield, Hershey (Laurel was in heaven!!), Cherry Crest Farm (so much fun for 1 day!!) and Day out with Thomas the Train. I know I've left things out but there was so much to do. Noah was so excited to see Thomas he almost quit breathing! That boy and trains. Laurel was pretty much the same way when we visited the chocolate factory..... a girl after my own heart. I have so many more pictures but not nearly enough computer space for them right now but I'll post more later. Thanks to Nana & Poppy for many new memories made!!

Can you Help??

2010-06-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

Sawyer (13xgt, Region 3)

Boy, Born June 2007

We do not have any formal medical info about this boy, other than he has some mild craniofacial disorder. He has the wispiest blonde hair and beautiful eyes. Full medical info available upon dossier submission.
2 trips
- One parent for first trip, about one week
- Both parents travel for 2nd trip, only 4 days
- One parent stays behind for 1-3 weeks, depending on whether the 10 day wait is waived
- No family size restrictions
- No parental age restrictions
- Total program and travel fees under $30k
- Fee includes a $500 orphanage donation
- Married couples and single mothers may apply

Anastasia (4)

Girl, Born June 25, 2009

Anastasia is a sweet girl who was born with arthrogryposis. We are waiting for her medical records, but she clearly has hydrocephaly as well. Hoping to find out if a shunt has been placed yet or not (this pic is from Oct 2009). Anastasia desperately needs a family.

More photos available

Time to show you a few more precious orphans who need a Mama and Daddy. I know these pictures may be shocking & even disturbing to some of you. I am one of those people who sometimes believes that if I don't see the tragedy or injustice that maybe it doesn't really happen. But that is not real life. That point of view isn't even Biblical. This verse has changed both my and Mike's life.... "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12. Mike & I have had our eyes opened to the plight of orphans in the world. They are living, breathing children just like our own sweet Laurel and Noah who hurt everyday. We long to do more to help this cause and pray for the Lord to show us ways we can help or help others in the process. For now, I can shed a little light on these precious children who need homes and medical attention. Adoption is not an easy process. For some it comes naturally and others not so much. But, it is a Biblical principle. Once again, not everyone is in the position to adopt a child but everyone can do SOMETHING for them. Pray for them daily, support someone who is trying to adopt, anything but let's all do SOMETHING.

As for our little family, we had a wonderful weekend in S.C. with Mike's Dad (Grandat) and his new bride (Dusie). The babies were a bit under the weather (Laurel has Croup) but despite that we had a really fun pool party and loved seeing everyone again. Noah thinks S.C. is a great place to live. I'll have to agree but boy is it hot!! :) We hope to see Grandat and Dusie again soon. My Camera is acting ugly right now so I can't get pictures off of it but will hopefully remedy that soon.
Last night we took the kids to a Mudcats game. One of our dear Reeces Rainbow friends, Jenn, who is adopting Milana had a fundraiser there. Noah now has a love/hate relationship with Muddy the Mudcat. Pics to come soon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER PRECIOUS GO TO WWW.REECESRAINBOW.ORG

2010-05-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Tookie Monk and Dadat - fishing buddies

Little Miss Priss "going shopping" minus her britches!

Video: Granny hit a deer many months ago but for some reason Noah

is just now talking about it and "reenacting" what he things it sounded like!!

It has been a while since an update here at The Little Red House. Things are better since last week. God is still good and in control. We had a wonderful, uplifting service on Sunday that reminded me that God is still Sovreign and working in peoples lives even in the midst of turmoil and storms.... especially then.

The babies had a busy week. Laurel has good weeks and rough weeks and this seems to be one of those rough weeks filled with tantrums and crankiness. When she's good she's good but when she doesn't feel good WATCH OUT! However, she is doing really good on the language front. In fact, when we went for our speech therapy on Wed. our therapist had met with the Cochlear Implant team about Laurel. They were all in agreement that with her progressing so quickly that they are not even talking Cochlears right now. We'll just keep on doing what we are doing! Praise God for that!!

Noah has become quite the fisherman. He and his Dadat go fishing at the pond a few times a week and Noah can now reel the fish in himself. He just laughs and laughs when he does it. Yesterday, Mike threw a fish back and it jumped back in the boat with Noah. He almost fell out laughing!! He has the best sense of humor and keeps us laughing all the time at the things he says. His newest movie love is "Milo & Otis" and he loves the soundtrack from Oklahoma or as he calls it "Uncle Homer" :0

Nana & Poppy's pool is now open and the kids would stay in it all day if we let them. Laurel wouldn't go in it until she could take ALL her clothes off. We finally figured out that she called it a "bath" and who gets a bath with their clothes on??Funny babies.

TOUGH WEEKEND

2010-05-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello All. We've been going through a bit of a rough weekend around here but are thankful for God's faithfulness. Friday afternoon our family friend and worship leader David Carson found out very unexpectedly that he had a brain tumor. It tooks us all by surprise, especially his dear family and we grieved with them. How funny it was when we found out that when his wife actually got the call and said "he has a brain tumor" that Mr. Carson said he was actually excited that he would soon see his Saviour face to face. Oh to have that eternal perspective. He is out of surgery and doing well and has a new blog to chronicle his journey to see his dear Saviour. While we are praying for lots more years with him and his humor, we are content to place his life in God's loving arms. Follow his new blog at http://www.davidccarson.blogspot.com/. Also, that same day Mike's Grandma was taken to the hospital for what is now being said is Pastuerella Pneumonia. I know I didn't spell that right. Anyway, she had a rough start in the hospital but I tell you that woman's tough!! She always puts her trust in the Lord and makes no bones about it. She'll undergo more antibiotics but will hopefully be out of their soon.

Anyway, tough weekend. It all changes your perspective on how short life is and ALL that matters is our relationship with Christ. We appreciate your prayers for these dear people.