Thursday, December 16, 2010

Results!

I used random.org to choose the winning entries and I will be contacting the winners in order to let them choose from the prizes.  1st place gets first pick, 2nd place gets second pick and so forth.  Please be patient as it might take the day to get in touch with everyone (in order) to find out what prize they choose.  Congratulations and thank you all so much for donating to Sergei!  I am so happy that he has SO much money in his account now!!!!!  Yay!!!!!

1. Brad  - $100 Amazon gift card
2. Cindi - passing on the prize
3. Arty - Keurig Coffee Brewer with K-cups
4. Jessica - #12 Blue scarf and hat
5. Brandy - #1 Strawberry hat
6. Doug - no response
7. Mike G.- #14 blue sparkle hat & scarf
8. Ryann M. - #11 blue 'popcorn' scarf
9. Darci - #7 purple/brown/yellow hat
10. Shirley- #8 purple/brown/yellow hat
11.Gail - #13 white scarf
12. Josephine - #2 strawberry hat
13. Gardner - Passing on the prize
14. Angela - #16 pink hat
15. Paul C. - Passing on the prize
16. Kristina - #3 Strawberry hat
17. Matt - no response
18. Kristen - #10 pink and white hat
19. Kate B.- #4 yellow/blue/brown hat MD
20. Glenn - #5 yellow blue brown hat LG
21. Leah - # 15 red/green scarf and hat
22. Joanna - #17 blue/yellow/green hat
23. Melissa - #6 yellow/blue/brown hat SM
24. Strand Styling Studio - #9 yellow/purple/brown/blue hat

Prizes are the Keurig Coffee Brewer.  $100 Amazon gift card and assorted knittery (see pics below and corresponding #s on each item.)









Tuesday, December 14, 2010

P.S.

PS- If you have donated to Sergei's grant fund directly through Reece's Rainbow by paypal or by check and would like to be included in the drawing for the Keurig, Amazon gift card and knittery, PLEASE contact me! I am only made aware of the donations made through the chipin on the sidebar or by contacting me personally (Reece's Rainbow cannot disclose donor information to outside parties) and I don't want to leave anyone out!

Thanks!

P.P.S  Chad made $330 for Sergei from his "meat sale"* at his work today!!!!  Woo Hoo!!!! 
*Instead of a traditional bake sale, he gave away pulled pork sandwiches and buffalo chicken wings for donations!

One More Day

It's time to donate if you want to be entered into the drawing!  There is only 1 day left and I will contact winners on the 16th!  You can always donate until December 31st, but not if you want to be entered into the drawing!  Please donate via the ChipIn today! 

Thanks, everyone!  We have gotten a pretty good nest egg started for Sergei's future family!  Hopefully, they will step forward soon!!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Little Whine and a Desperate Heart

Sorry I haven't had too much to say lately. My kids have been sick since before Thanksgiving! Zeze had a vomiting bug. Kai had strep throat. Zeze had strep throat. Noah had the vomiting bug all through the night Friday, Zeze all day Monday and then Kai all Monday night. Now Noah just vomited again today!! Plus we have all the IEP meetings, annual check-ups for all the specialists the kids (mostly Noah) go to, plus pre-op visits for Noah's upcoming adnoidectomy and -oscopy explorations! Oh and 2 major holidays and 3 birthdays all within 4 weeks! I guess I just needed to whine a little bit because I'm so worn out! I expect and am usually prepared for the regular busyness of November and December (holidays, birthdays, doctors, IEPs etc.), but the Strep, vomiting and upcoming surgery are tipping me over the edge a little bit! Ok, whining is all done! :) 
I have to say though, that due to all the vomiting going on this week around here, my "vomiting reflexes" have improved dramatically!  In the begininning of the week I just stood there stupidly, my reflexes slow as cold honey, watching as the child covered the entire bed, rug, clothes, teddies or whatever.  Today, however, as Noah started, I caught the vomit in one hand (yes, it's gross, but so is scrubbing puke out of a rug), scooped him up in my other arm and booked it to the sink, throwing (not really) him in just in time for the full stomach-wrenching heaves began!  In a sick (ha ha) way, I felt like a hero saving my couch, the rug, toys, maybe a cat from getting covered yet again!  Yay me!!! Hey, you've gotta find triumphs and humor somehow with a week like this!  
In all seriousness, I am very excited to be getting ready for Chad's "meat sale" at his work! He's going to 'sell' chicken wings and pulled pork sandwiches to all the guys in his shop to help raise money for Sergei! I would love to help Sergei get even more money in his adoption account! Some of the kids on Reece's Rainbow's Angel tree have recently been transferred to institutions!



Alexander and Max were recently transferred from their baby orphanage to the institution!!  (http://reecesrainbow.org/alexander-20)      (http://reecesrainbow.org/max-2h)
Gavin is at the same orphanage that Alexander was just transferred out of and he is 2 months older than Alexander, so his time is coming in the next few weeks/months!!!  Please see Julia's blog post titled "Aaron's Nothing" about the institution from which she just adopted her son, Aaron.  She is Gavin's Christmas Warrior and if fighting to raise money to prevent Gavin from going to a place just like her son's former institution.

It makes me so sad and almost desperate to do what I can to help Sergei (or any of the kids) get adopted before having to go there. It sounds awful!  I know I can't save them all and that there will always be orphans and homelessness, but I can't just sit and ignore it anymore.  It hits home to know that these kids are only there because they have Down syndrome.  They aren't murderers or savage beasts, they just have 1 extra chromosome that makes them smile more, give more hugs and take a little longer to say what they feel...just the same as my Noah.  Wouldn't you go crazy if you knew that all girls with blue eyes, or all boys with red hair were abandoned at birth and sent to hellish places to live?  It feels just as outrageous to me, that kids like my son ARE going through this!

Please help!  If you can't adopt, donate some money and spread the word.  The kids with large adoptions grants get chosen very quickly!  Please be a part of keeping Sergei from the institution!
Thank you!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Monday, November 22, 2010

New Picture of Sergei G.!!!

Hey Everyone!  Andrea at Reece's Rainbow sent me a current picture of Sergei G. today! What a cutie pie!!


 
  (Note added 11/24: I was wrong about adding the ChipIn to the Angel Tree account to get his total.  His Angel Tree $$ already adds the ChipIn amount to it, so it reflects the actual total.  However, the hard working ladies at Reece's Rainbow sometimes take a few days to update the number on the A.T site so the numbers don't always match the ChipIn amount on my page.  Sorry it's so confusing and sorry to have unintentionally mislead you all.  Whichever amount is highest is the correct amount.  *I think*!)
 
 
So now Sergei's total is:
$2290!!!
That is so wonderful!!!  I'm so happy to see his new picture, too!  It looks like he's sitting up on his own and has gained some weight!  Hopefully, this is true!  He still doesn't look like a 5 year old to me, but at least he doesn't look like an infant anymore.  Maybe like a 2 year old.  He still needs our help raising money and he absolutely needs a family to bring him home!!  Are you out there, family?  Are you feeling that little nudge like it should be you?  PLEASE respond to those feelings.  Don't push them away out of fear!!  Look what is already being accomplished for this little boy!  God can do amazing things! 

Also, here are some pictures of some more newly knitted items added to the drawing!
A matching Christmas scarf and hat
A second strawberry hat
and two more stripey hats but with purple, yellow and brown instead of blue, yellow and brown.
 
That makes 11 prizes total!  So many of you are going to win something awesome!!  Woo Hoo!  Please keep helping to spread the word about Sergei so that more people can help him come home to a family!  Please leave me a comment or email if you cross-post the "Sweet Sergei G.'s Fundraiser" so you can get credit for another entry into the drawing!  Thanks!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What 6 Months Can Do...

Go over to Adeye's blog to read this amazing post.  http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2010/11/she-rocks.html
She adopted 2 little girls with Down syndrome 6 months ago.  When she got Hailee, she had just turned 5 years old, weighed 16lbs, could not sit up by herself or barely hold her head up, like a 3 month old.  5 YEARS OLD!!!   Now she no longer has the constant wound across her forehead from banging it on the crib bars out of boredome, she can stand up, she smiles, she's growing.  She is LOVED!  Amazing changes in this girl in just 6 months.  When they found Hailee in the back room of the orphanage she "was written off as being useless, a burden on society, without any abilities, with no hope at all, a mere corpse with breath in a crib...."   How haunting! 
  
Hailee 6 months ago.      Hailee today!
Please read, learn and learn to love! 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

New Prize!!!

I can finally tell you all about the new fabulous prize for Sergei G.'s fundraiser! 

In addition to the $100 Amazon gift card
the hand-knit boys' hats in 3 sizes 

the hand-knit girls' strawberry hat

 the hand-knit matching hat and scarf (modeled and knit by my wonderful sister-in-law, Jamie)


we are adding a brand new Keurig Special Edition Brewer ($139.95 value) PLUS 4 boxes of K-cups (coffee, tea, cocoa etc., a $55 value)

 all generously donated by Keurig themselves!!!  Woo Hoo! 

Man, I want one of those brewers!!!  Haha!  But I want one of you to win it more so that Sergei can have more money in his adoption account!!! So, let all your friends know that they are helping a sweet orphan boy with Down syndrome AND entering this drawing with some AMAZING prizes!!!

Donate with the ChipIn here or on the side of my blog or by going to the Reece's Rainbow Angel Page and scrolling down to Sergei on the 4th line.  Don't forget you get 1 entry for posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Blog, but you need to leave me a comment letting me know you've done this in order to get the entry recorded.  Also, if you donate through the RR Angel Tree site, leave a comment in the PayPal instructions that you're donating through my blog and want to be entered into the drawing, or leave me a comment letting me know! 


Oh, and the total count, as of this morning, is $975!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

F.Y.I., I updated the original "Sweet Sergei's Fundraiser" post with the current prize pictures if you want to see them all together along with the details for the drawing.  Thanks!

Monday, November 15, 2010

WOW!!

My sister, Heather, raised a total of $50 at her bake sale with just one type of cookie and rice crispie squares!  See what one person can do?!!!  Awesome!

  Can you believe that on Friday Sergei only had $450 and today he has..............
$805!!!!!!

yay!!!!
Add the ChipIn on my page to his Angel account here

Great job, everyone!  Keep spreading the word about Sergei and keep donating!  Also, if you donate directly through the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree page and want to be entered into my drawing, just leave a note in "Special Instructions" on the PayPal page that you came from my blog.  If you already donated and didn't make that note, no problem!  Just email me and let me know or email Reece's Rainbow and let them know and they'll tell me.  It's all good!

Here are the finished boys' hats that my sister-in-law knitted!  They are so awesome!  Thanks, Jamie!!


Thursday, November 11, 2010

Stay tuned!

My sister is doing a bake sale at her husband's work today to raise money for Sergei.  I can't wait to see how many people donate $$ to eat her super yummy gourmet rice crispie treats and cookies!!! I'll let you all know she did and how much more $$ Sergei gets!! 




If you add the money from his RR Angel Tree account and the ChipIn on my page, he has
$390!!!

Also, there is going to be another AWESOME prize added on to this drawing!!  It's not finalized yet, but I'll let you know soon.  All I'll say is, it's something I wish I could win and could enjoy every day!!!!  Stay tuned...........!!!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Updated pictures

Hey Everyone!  Thank you so much for reading and spreading the word about Sergei!  I was thinking, and realized that most people have about 100 'friends' on Facebo*k.  If each of those people donated only $5 then Sergei would have $500 just from ONE person's contacts and friends!  That is amazing!  We can do this, people!  We can raise a substantial amount of money so that somebody on the fence about adopting Sergei might be nudged forward once the $$ hurdle is reduced.

Imagine if you all had a part in helping Sergei find a family!!!!  I already feel so honored that so many of you are reading and that Sergei already has...
 $365

raised in

1 week!!!!!

That's $170 on with my Chip-in and $195 given directly through the Angel Tree page here! (Sergei is in the 4th row down). 

Thank you so much to those who have donated!!!!!!!   Thank you so much to those who are spreading the word!  Thank you so much to those who are PRAYING for Sergei to find a family and to be cared for by somebody this day over in his country. 
Friends, please keep helping me help Sergei.  I can't do this alone and so appreciate everyone's help and concern!  Keep it coming!!!!!

Here are some updated pictures of the knitted items that my very talented sister-in-law has JUST finished knitting this week!  They look amazing!!!!!



She'll be working on the super cute boy's hat soon, so stay tuned for those pictures. 
Don't forget about the Keurig Coffee Brewer and the $100 Amazon gift card, too! 
See previous post for fundraiser details!
Thanks so much!!


P.S. To donate, Click on the "Chip In" button on the side of my blog.  It goes right to PayPal.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Sweet Sergei G.'s Fundraiser

When the twins were babies I started searching online for organizations that were somehow involved with Down syndrome since Noah, one of our twins, has Down syndrome while the other twin does not.  Down syndrome and special needs were a whole new world for me and I wanted to see pictures of other babies and kids with Ds so I could just stare at them.  Stare at them and think.  Stare at them and cry.  Stare at them and smile.  I wanted to stare, because for most of my life I was afraid to even really look at people with Down syndrome.  I didn't know how to talk to them or how to act around them.  I didn't know how they would act or what to expect....
Through my online searching I soon came across an organization called Reece's Rainbow and was captivated by all I saw and read at their site.  Reece's Rainbow promotes the international adoption of children with Down syndrome in a way that seemed very unique to me.  They create accounts for each of the children on their 'Waiting Children' pages and people can donate to a specific child.  When a family comes forth to adopt a child, the money in that child's account is used for the adoption fees.  If the adoption falls through for some reason, the money stays in the child's account so that another family can make use of the money! 

Let me give you some info that will SHOCK you!  In Eastern European countries, right now, babies that are born with Ds are immediately put into orphanages.  Their parents are told that their babies aren't capable of learning, loving or living a life and that they should be cordoned off from the rest of society.  There are not options for Early Intervention therapy, doctor intervention or even schooling.  Oftentimes the families of people with Down syndrome are shunned and find it difficult to find work and other necessities of life.  Therefore these sweet sweet babies are abandoned to orphanages FILLED with all the other children that don't look 'perfect', that have some extra special chromosomes, or had a difficult start to life because their mama drank and drank throughout the pregnancy. 

When these babies become grown and old, no wait, when they turn 3-5 YEARS old (!!!) they are transferred to adult mental institutions.  Insane asylums.  Locked up.  Left in their cribs.  Thrown a bottle of food and possibly given a diaper change.  Most of these medically fragile darlings die within the first year due to neglect and horrible living conditions.

....At the time, I looked down and stared at my own sweet Noah, who had just received open heart surgery at one of the best Children's hospitals in the country, and wept.  He was alive and with me.  He had had a team of strangers work hard to save his life by fixing his heart.  He had a large family that prayed for him and loved him while he was in my womb.  He had a church family providing us with meals upon meals so that we didn't have to cook.  People babysat, people cleaned our home, people gave and gave and gave.  Noah had a community just waiting until his birth so they could jump in and start physical therapy, oral therapy, occupational therapy so that he could become as strong and able as his twin and other typical children.  All for one boy.  All for my baby.  Amazing love!  While other 5 year-olds with Ds in international orphanages are still unable to walk, or hold their own bottle of slurry or grow to more than 18 lbs, Noah at two years old and 28 lbs,  is climbing up into his high chair to gobble down my homemade chicken soup or pizza. 

Over the 2 years since finding Reece's Rainbow I have stared at theses orphans, prayed for them and watched them grow.  Some have been adopted (!), like Nadia at http://www.seeingtheupsideofdown.blogspot.com/

some have been transferred to an institution like Ruslan who is 8:

and others have died, like Anne Marie. 

I have stared and stared and stared.  I have stared and cried.  I have stared and smiled.  I have stared and prayed.  Amazingly, with all this unabashed staring at the orphans and at my own son, God helped me to stare inwardly at my own prejudices, my own fears and at my own heart bursting open with a passionate love for people with disabilities.  I no longer stare at them in fear of how I will be affected.  I stare and wrack my brain of ways that I can help them.  Ways that I can love them.  Ways that I can help other families that are going over there to take them from the orphanages and institutions to bring them to a home of life and love.

Hence the purpose for this long long post.  While we hope to adopt one of these angels in the future, this year, I am a Reece's Rainbow Christmas Warrior for a little boy called

(The original picture- not sure of his age here)

 (This is a current picture from Reece's Rainbow received on 11/23/10)

Sergei is turning 5 this month!  An actual date is not listed for his birth because it probably wasn't important enough for someone to remember.  I imagine that his mama tries hard to forget him left in that orphanage and soon-to-be institution.  This picture of Sergei isn't just his baby picture.  This is how he looks, like a 2 year old.  He is 5!

The goal of a Christmas Warrior is to commit to raising $1000 for a child on RR's Christmas Angel Tree.  However, it costs $25,000 to adopt a child with Ds from an orphanage/institution so I set a higher goal for myself and for you all to see if we can raise $10,000 so that a family will be more willing to adopt Sergei without having to raise the full $25,000.  I have seen God provide full funding (ie $20,000+) for several children in a matter of days.  Maybe you can be a part of such a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click here to read the official details about Reece's Rainbow's Christmas Angel Tree .  In addition to my fundraiser, any person donating $35 (before 12/15/2010) will get an ornament from Reece's Rainbow with a picture of Sergei on it.

As for information on my fundraising for Sergei, all the money donated through Chip-In (Online Paypal) goes directly to Sergei's adoption fund.  I can see who donates, but I never come in contact with the money.  If you'd prefer to donate by writing a check, please make it out to Reece's Rainbow, put a notation that it's for Sergei G. on the Angel Tree, and mail it to:
Reece’s Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Now for all those people out there who like the idea of 'winning' a sweet Christmas present to either keep or give away, there's an added incentive in giving to sweet Sergei. 

You could win a brand new Keurig Special Edition Brewer ($139.95 value) PLUS 4 boxes of K-cups (coffee, tea, cocoa etc., a $55 value)!!!!!!!!!!!!


all generously donated by Keurig themselves!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Also, a $100 gift card to Amazon.com!!!!!!!  Wouldn't that make for some sweet Christmas shopping?!!! 

$100
Other prizes in this drawing are hand-knit (by my super-talented sister-in-law!!) accessories for women and children!!

A woman's light blue matching knit hat and scarf


Five of these stripey knit hats.  2 with purple, yellow & brown.  3 more with blue, yellow & brown (infant, child and adult sizes)


2 of these cutie-patootie girl's strawberry hats!  These are SO cute!!


And a matching Christmas scarf and hat!

 
With so many gift items available, there are many opportunities to score one!!!


Every donation of $5 gets you one entry into the drawing. 
A $40 donation gets you 10 entries! 

Donate through the ChipIn button or directly through Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree here.  If you donate through RR leave a note to them saying you've donated through my blog and want to be entered into the drawing.

Wait!!!  There's More!!!  Hahahah
You get 1 entry for posting on Facebook about my fundraiser and including a link to my site.  
1 entry for posting on your own blog and including a link to my site. 
And 1 entry for Tweeting about my fundraiser.

That's 3 'free' entries into this awesome drawing.  That's 3 additional sources of promotion for sweet Sergei's adoption fund!!!

While you can continue to give to Sergei until 12/31/2010, my drawing will end and winners will be picked on 12/15/2010.  That will get the prizes/presents to you in plenty of time for Christmas!!

Leave me a comment in the comment section or send me an email (email address listed over on the side)  telling me you've posted on Facebook, Twitter or your blog along with a link to such postings. 
Even if you don't want to spend anything, or don't want to write me a note, please please please pass this on and tell your friends about it so that Sergei has a great chance of increasing his adoption $$. 

Thank you so much for reading and mostly for helping Sweet Sergei!!!!!!!

Love,
Debby


Monday, November 1, 2010

While You Wait....

Please feel free to start donating now for sweet Sergei.  While you're waiting for the fundraiser to be posted here are some pictures from Trick or Treating!




To Be Continued...

I am working on a post that will introduce you to Sergei G. and other Reece's Rainbow children with Down Syndrome in desperate need of a family!  I am Sergei's Christmas Warrior which means for the months of November and December I will be raising awareness and funds for Sergei G.  Stay tuned for an exciting give-away and all the details. 

Monday, October 25, 2010

What Is Truth?

A Conversation with Zeze

Me: Zee did you put my phone in my coffee?

Z: No.

Me: Do you know who did it?

Z: It was Kai.

Kai: I didn't do it! Zeze is lying!

Z: I didn't do it. Kai is lying!

Me: Zeze, did you see Kai do it?

Z: Yes. ........No, wait. Daddy and Noah did it.

Me: Okay, did you see Daddy and Noah do it?

Z: Yes, I did! (With triumph in his voice and acting as though Mama was going to give a serious time-out to Daddy and Noah)

Me: Zeze that is a lie. Daddy wasn't home and Noah was sleeping. That isn't what really happened and it's not the truth.

Z: Oh.

Me: You need to tell me the truth all the time.

Z: But, Mama, it's just so hard! (Said with as much passion and conviction as though I had asked him to carry me upstairs.)

Me: (holding back a giggle) It's hard to tell the truth?

Z: Yes! I can't do it. Can you help me?

Me: Sure! When it's hard, you pray to God and ask him to help you tell the truth. Say, "Dear God, please help me tell the truth." Then when you're done you say the truth. Get it?

Z: Yes! (With a confident smile)

Me: How about you try.

Z: Dear God, the truth. Amen!!! ..........Oh Mama, look there's a bug on the window! He's climbing up the window!!!


I knew my point was lost, he said, "The truth." and the conversation was over, his attention span was thoroughly used up and he still might not have any idea what the words 'truth' and 'lie' mean even though he can convincingly shout, "Kai is lying!" with a tone of incredulous outrage.

I still have no idea which one put my phone in the coffee!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Copy Cat

Noah has an amazing ability to mimic people, their actions, their tone of voice (he can't say the words they are saying, but the intonation is spot on), etc.

The other morning I got him out of bed and he ran into the bathroom climbed up on the stool (a new skill learned this week which takes some quad strength to push up with one leg!), grabbed one of my barrettes from the counter and pretended to start shaving.

He watched Chad shaving one time last week and tried to copy him then, but this was a week later and Chad was not even home! Noah 'shaved' while acting as though he was looking in the mirror, doing a few strokes, rinsing the 'razor' in the sink, stretching his lip down to shave under his nose, pausing to look for more stubble, tilting his head to see the side of his cheek and then shaving a little more. I mean, it went on and on. I could have believed he was really shaving!! He was so accurately pretending to shave while using my barrette as the razor! He did all that from watching Chad ONCE a week ago! Amazing!

I think this kid is actually freaky smart, but he's trapped in a body with weak muscles with low muscle tone that won't let his face muscles form the words he wants to say nor let his body climb up onto the counter to get the real razor!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Gosh is happy?

This morning Zeze was informing me of some rules that the boys are learning. He said that we don't say, "Oh my G*d" like his friends, but we can say, "Oh my gosh." I told him he was doing a good job remembering and decided to jump on this teaching moment by adding that it makes God very sad when we say His name in an angry way. Zeze said, "I know...and it makes Gosh very happy when we say 'oh my gosh'. *sigh*

Maybe I should just teach him a cuss phrase that isn't confusing, like 'oh bloody h*ll'. It's not taking the Lord's name in vain and it's not creating another god named Gosh. :)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Child Died Yesterday

As you all know, I follow and support Reece's Rainbow (an agency that facilitates the adoption of children from Easter Europe and other countries with Down Syndrome). I daily look at their "Waiting Children" page to see who is new, who found a family, who has a new picture, who was transferred to a mental institution and sadly, who has died. There was a little girl on RR named AnneMarie (though her real name was recently published as Anya). I've seen pictures of this little girl with beautiful eyes since she was a baby and have longed to go save her, but knowing Chad and I cannot. Well, she died yesterday. Not sure from what. Adoptive parents were there a few months ago to get their own new babies and met her and she seemed 'healthy' despite a heart condition, dehydration, malnourishment and neglect. I don't often cry, but I sobbed about AnneMarie's death. She was 5 days younger than Kai. She had an extra chromosome like Noah. That was her 'crime' and why she was abandoned to the orphanage and not given heart surgery and basic nutrition.

I'm sorry to be a downer, but these kids weigh on my heart so heavily and I can't shake the fact that this will happen again and again to little kids I 'know' and pray for. PLEASE consider donating money to some of these kids' adoption funds so that a family can come forward to adopt without the burden of raising the full $25,000 or even better, commit to one of these angels today so they can know the love of a family. Thanks for reading and listening to my heart.

Here is the info Reece's Rainbow had on her and you can go to this link: http://www.reecesrainbow.com/inmemoriam.html


(they shave their heads to avoid lice and because it's easier than lovingly brushing it out.)

Anne Marie
Girl,
Born November 25, 2005
Died October 13, 2010

Look at this beautiful princess!! She is blowing you KISSES! Anne Marie has been waiting far too long for a loving family of her own. So many of her friends from this orphanage have already been adopted, and she continues to watch each of them leave with their new "forever family". Hope someone will consider Anne Marie!

Miss Anne Marie does have a heart murmur that should be checked once home.

From an adoptive family who visited with her in June 2010: "Anne Marie is a happy child, she is aware, interactive, and very sweet! She will do so well in a family. She has the most striking blue eyes!"

All, it is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of our sweetest little Anne Marie :(( Jesus will be her Christmas Warrior this year.

Her grant of $1105 of has been shared now with ALEXANDER in the same orphanage. 4 of the older children with DS have already been transferred to the institution now. I know we can't save them all, but this loss really comes as a blow for me. We have been advocating for Anne Marie for SO long.... ;((((((( Your prayers for ALL of the children as they wait and wait and wait.....

For those of you who have signed up to be Christmas Warriors for these kids....the fundraising goal is only $1000, but we all know it costs a LOT more than that to adopt, and that the more grant money a child has, the greater their chances of being chosen. So although your set goal is only $1000, shoot for the moon. Each child deserves nothing less than your absolute best. We have seen MIRACLES in fundraising these last many months, and this year's Angel Tree will be our biggest and most successful EVER with your help.

God bless each of you, and God bless and hold our baby Anne Marie.
Andrea

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Wonder Twin Powers, Activate! Form of.....

Zeze was watching me put on my make up and said that he wanted to grow up to be a girl so that he could put on make up and paint his toe nails. Not even a breath later he said, "Then I want to be an octopus and then a spider." He will be using his Wonder Twin Powers to transform into many fun things!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Fall Cooking

The drastic change in weather from high 80s to 50/60s has inspired me to cook lots of yummy Fall things! I went crazy this weekend and cooked so many meals. Usually I cook 3 times in a week and make enough for left overs, but this Fall weather helped me jump into gear. I made a GF/DF/SF Maple Apple Raisin Crisp that 4 of the 5 of us loved! Kai actually started to gag and salivate and spit it all out. Little bugger!
Here's my list of things I made:
Baked fish
Brown Sugared Acorn Squash
Cranberry rice
Apple Sauce
Apple Crisp
Pancakes and bacon
Raisin bread French toast
Pumpkin Chili
Corn Bread
loaf of regular bread
cleaned and dried squash seeds for roasting.

My family will all be shocked that I cooked that much voluntarily!! I know Chad was!

As for the squash seeds, I did an experiment. I was thinking that they could be roasted like pumpkin seeds even though I have never heard of anyone doing that with squash seeds. So today, after they were dry, I coated them with oil, sugar, cinnamon and a little salt and spread the on a cookie sheet. I couldn't remember the temp I roasted my pumpkin seeds last year and didn't feel like searching online for a recipe. So I just figured that 'roasting' is usually a high temp and set the oven to 400 and the timer for 10 mins. I remembered that the pumpkin seeds took a super long time last year and figured that I'd have to come and stir them multiple times over the next hour. I hoped that they wouldn't turn out gross (is there a reason why nobody ever does squash seeds?).
I left the kitchen and went upstairs with the boys and came downstairs when the timer read 6 mins left and it sounded like popcorn was exploding in my oven...Ping! pang! ding!!!! I then remembered that I TOASTED pumpkin seeds last year and did not ROAST them. Very different!!
I was scared to open the oven door due to flying shrapnel, but I squinted my eyes (always a good substitute for safety goggles), ducked low and peeked in. Sure enough my seeds were popping and zig zagging all through the oven. I shut the oven off and waited. Nope, they were still popping. I knew I had to get them out or all my seeds would explode and I'd never get to taste if they are better or worse than pumpkin seeds.
By now the kids are all chattering questions a mile a minute and pushing their way in toward the stove...oh wait, it was just Zeze chattering at a safe distance away (What are you doing? What's that sound? What are you cooking? Can I have some? I WANT SOME mama!! Why do I have to get out? Why do I have to stop talking? Why are you yelling at me? Why are you pushing Noah away with your foot? etc. etc.) while Noah squealed and did everything in his power to get to the stove.
Once the coast was clear I squinted my eyes, grabbed a dish towel shield and yanked the pan out of the oven while being ready to throw the towel on on top of them in case some stray poppers let loose!

In the end my oven has lots of seed shrapnel all over it and the seeds that were left on the pan tasted AMAZING! They actually were really good! Kai didn't like them, of course, but Zeze and Noah did! I had to force myself to stop eating them so I can save some for Chad.
Now I'm trying to decide when I do this again, if I should TOAST them at a low temp for a long long time while stirring every 10 minutes, or should I ROAST them at 400 for 5 minutes and just put an inverted cookie sheet on top to stop the seeds from flying about? :)
I think I like the fast and furious way best! :) :)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

a Pink-eyed, Yellow-Nosed Seal


That's Noah right now. He has Pink-eye, yellow snotty nose and has a barking seal cough. The other two are just runny-nosed hot (fever) seals.
Here's a picture of the little sick ones.

I used my awesome rug cleaner again! I love that thing, but I hate it because I always get carried away and do too much. I did the whole upstairs, the stairs, the lr area rug and two sections of couch. It started b/c Kai has a sleep-walking issue when he's really tired and he got up and pee'd in the hallway last night. It's so funny and weird to see Kai peeing inside our home (not in the toilet) and seeing no expression of guilt or remorse on his face. Just relief and a little confusion when he finally focuses on me. But it's also wicked gross to have a full bladder emptied on the hallway rug. One other time he came downstairs, dropped trou (sp?) and relieved himself on Noah's booster seat!

My arms are shaky now from all the steaming, but our rugs look great!!!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

random kid-isms

Kai and I were snuggling in bed for nap time and he was looking lovingly into my eyes and said, "Mama, do you know what color your eyes are?" I was pretty sure I knew, but told him he could tell me. He said, "They are brown, black, red and white. Why are there red things in your eyes?" How come those wonderful snuggly sweet moments only last for about 5 seconds once the kids learn to talk? Feeling old and even more tired I told him they were bloodshot and how about we close our eyes and go to sleep already!

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We've been working with Zeze on saying 'please' when he demands, I mean asks, for things. He'll often ask for something and when we don't respond he'll repeat it and then add a 'please' to the end. We are constantly reminding him that he needs to say 'please' the first time he asks for something. My literal little boy now says things like, "Can I watch Diego, please the first time?" or "I want some juice, please the first time." Think about how you would explain this to him. I've tried many different ways without success. So it remains, "please the first time." even if he doesn't remember to say it until the 2nd or third time. :)

Friday, September 10, 2010

photo catch up

I painted a big chalk board on one of our walls down in the play room. The official unveiling was this morning and the boys seemed to like it! That chalkboard paint is so cool! I was so tempted to paint a couple of treads of our unfinished stairs with it and other sections of wall. But I figured this would just encourage the boys to write on things they are not supposed to.
This was done with 'washable' whiteboard markers. They don't wash off of dry-wall.


Zeze checking out his new big boy bed, with Noah's help. No more crib for Zee!!
All snuggled in!

This was a huge smiley face frizbee type toy at the Joni and Friends Family camp we attended at the end of August. Noah loved carrying it around even though it was bigger than he is.
I thought this picture would have been hilarious if I could have gotten the picture right behind Noah rather than off to the side, no luck though. Get it? A little body with a huge smiley-face head! Hahaha! Makes me laugh! :)
Chad and Zeze walking up the road from our camp cabin to the dining hall.
Kai LOVED being on the top bunk at camp.
Of course, the other two had to try it up there!
That's about it for now!