Fetching Angels

More LOVE for Victoria!

2012-02-10T11:22:00.001-05:00

Here's a post I borrowed (with permission ;) from Leah Zander. Lots of people love this little girl, and I'm praying we can all get the word out and encourage someone to take the next step and bring her home soon! She will absolutely thrive with the love of a family and treatment at a place like Shriners! If you'd like to other families of kids with Arthrogryposis, I'd be happy to put you in touch with some!

VICTORIA

Adoptive parents often talk about seeing their child and “knowing”. With one glance, they are utterly captivated, completely certain that this is their son or daughter. They know. Just like that.

Not all children are so lucky. Some languish on the list for years, waiting for someone,anyone, to see them and know. They wait for the person who has been waiting for them. They wait to be chosen. Unfortunately, some weren’t chosen in time.
Victoria is a nine year old girl with arthrogryposis. She lives in Orphanage (1). While there is no such thing as a ‘good’ institution, (1) is infamously bad. It is, quite simply, a place where children are sent to die. Given Victoria’s age, it is likely she has been at (1) for quite some time.

While other children were going to school, playing with their friends, and celebrating birthdays, Victoria was lying in a bed.

While other children were running to their parents with a scraped knee or stubbed toe, Victoria’s legs were withering away underneath her.

While other children were loved and cherished, Victoria was banished to a dark corner of an institution and forgotten.

Victoria has endured a level of deprivation and neglect that is difficult to imagine. Despite this, she has the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. In every one of her pictures she seems lit from within by a joy that is so at odds with the grimness of her surroundings. She is an orphanage favorite and adored by her caregivers. This is not surprising, as she is described as “smart”, “very pretty”, “happy and affectionate”, and as having “a glowing personality”. Incredibly, though Victoria has never lived in a family, “she loves to play with her dolls and to pretend to be mommy”. She plays with her dolls and pretends to be their mommy! I cannot imagine a more eloquent plea for love.

When I look into her eyes, I see hope.

It’s easy to look away children like Victoria, or not look at them at all. When I first stumbled upon Reece’s Rainbow I wouldn’t visit the pages of the older children. I knew that I would find one who, like Victoria, would utterly break my heart. I don’t understand, will never understand, why these children have been passed over so many times -- by their first parents, by their society, by the government that was charged with their care and has given them anything but, and finally by prospective adoptive parents. Why not Victoria? Her lovely pixie face, her fuzzy little eyebrows, those ears a size too big for her (though perhaps proportional to the size she should have been), and most of all that luminous smile -- why wasn’t she chosen?

Oh, I understand intellectually. Older child adoption is difficult, adopting from an institution even more so. Victoria is so tiny, so delayed; her challenges will be so very great. Logically it makes sense to pass her over.

But when has adoption ever been logical? It’s an exercise of the heart, not the head. After all, wouldn’t it make more sense to choose a child without any special needs? Or better yet, an infant. In fact, the sensible thing to do would be to not have any children at all!

And yet. Every day people visit Reece’s Rainbow. Every day people fly to faraway places to collect their sons and daughters. Every day people choose to love children with enormous challenges. Every day we prove that when it comes to children in need, we’re just not very sensible people.

Victoria is waiting. She waiting in deplorable conditions. She is waiting for a family who will look past her shaved head, her missing teeth, her crooked legs, and know. Just like that.

Is she waiting for you?

***

There are more pictures of Victoria here. Fortunately Life2Orphans is working with her and the other children at (1). They are receiving individual attention, improved nutrition, and physical therapy, which have helped Victoria’s mobility. I was told on the RR forum that she now has enough upper body strength to move herself using her arms and as a result is no longer completely bed-bound! This just goes to show how much these kids can achieve when they are given a chance.

Once Victoria turns 18 (if she turns 18) all this will change. She will be transferred again, this time to an adult institution. From here there will be no redemption. All of her gains will be lost. Her smile will fade, and then disappear altogether. She will die lost and alone.

Adoption is Victoria’s only chance. Please don’t leave her behind.

Happy 19th Birthday, Hayden!

2012-02-07T12:20:00.001-05:00

Last night we had a big dinner in honor of Hayden's 19th birthday. We had lots of company, including two of his best friends, his girlfriend Ashley, and her family. His request: pineapple chicken and banana bread. So I made a banana sheet cake for him.

Gosh, where to start? I LOVE this kid! With every fiber of my being. I am so proud of him! At times he's put us through the wringer, I won't lie. But for every gray hair he's given us, he's done something else to make us go, Yep, that's our boy!

I wish I had time to write the story of Hayden's life for you. He was born early. Due Feb 19th, but arrived on the 6th, impatient to get on with LIFE!. I remember how proud I was to have two beautiful little boys. And how I wondered what in the world the future would hold for our (then) little family.

I wish I had time to upload the videos of him growing up. Every time I watch them, tears run down my face. What a kind, gentle and curious little boy he always was. My heart is so full of memories of the little boy that he was.

I wish I had time to tell you how he puts his whole heart into a thing. If he's going to do something, he's going to do it right. He's got high standards for himself, and he expects the same from others. I see so much of his dad in him!

Nineteen years ago I was holding a baby boy in my arms and today he's in Williamsport taking his ASVABs, hoping to go into the Air Force and later become a state trooper. If I know Hayden, he'll give it 110%.

I wish I had time. Just a little more time. To hold the boy he used to be. People love to tell you they grow up fast, and I took that to heart since the day each of them were placed into my arms. I believed the years would go by in the blink of an eye. So, I did look close while they were growing up. I paid attention to every little thing about them. Their eyelashes and their freckles. Because even as a young mom, I knew that someday I'd be here today, looking back on it from the other side. A not-as-young mom, watching them become men.

Immediate adoption need in China! Fees waived!

2012-02-05T10:42:00.000-05:00

My friend Jill Dietrick posted a video of this smart, capable young girl in China who will age out in just over a month. She desperately needs a family before it's too late. Lots of great info about her (& an amazingly talented boy named Abraham :) below. Contact Annie at 5puppies@comcast.net
PLEASE share about her on your blogs and Facebook... thank you so much!

Hi Sherry, YES! There is a wonderful child named Kate whom a group of us have been trying to find a family for before she ages out on March 18^th. She needs a family who already has a dossier in China or at least almost in China, to be able to reach her in time. Please tell anyone who is interested in her to email me. Did Jill send you the video that another wonderful advocate put together for her? I will include my post about her in this email.

Abraham is the 12 year old boy who is blind. We have video of him playing the piano and it is wonderful! I would be happy to talk to anyone about either of these 2 precious kiddos!!

Here is Kate’s post on my site:

UPDATE: Kate's orphanage will waive or reduce her orphanage fee if formally asked by a family's agency!!!!!

Please watch this very moving video that another wonderful advocate made for Kate - WOW! - please watch and have your heart moved. http://youtu.be/y6RRyZsMXzg

This beautiful, polite, and shy young lady has an extremely limited amount of time left to be matched with a permanent family. She came into care at approximately 10 years old when she was found alone in a park, and her birth family could not be located. In August 2008 she received a blood transfusion after caregivers noticed her deteriorating appearance, spirit and appetite, and in March 2009 she was diagnosed with beta thalassemia. At that time she weighed 22.7kg and was 127cm tall. She developed healthily at the institution and adjusted to her new environment, and began receiving monthly blood transfusions.

She had not received much formal education but began to study knitting and embroidery, which she learned quickly. She also would help the caregivers at mealtime and with younger children. In June 2010 she entered into a foster family and began going to school every day, reportedly receiving high marks. She adjusted well to her foster family and enjoys helping her foster mother with housework. In December 2010 she weighed 28kg and was 131cm tall.

She is getting a medical check every 3 months. She is noted to be meeting developmental and social expectations, though she is still catching up educationally and has trouble remembering what she learns. She listens well to her teachers and gets along well with classmates, whom she often invites to her home. She also is stated to enjoy making paper cuts and collecting dolls, as well as dancing, singing, taking photos, and playing outdoors with her younger foster sister. Her favorite foods are chicken legs and fish. She hopes to be adopted into a family of her own, who should be patient and understanding of older child adoption and the impact on behavior and learning skills.

UPDATE:

She now lives with her foster parents and a twelve-year-old younger sister in one of the local foster families. Her sister is from the same orphanage, affected by Cerebral Paralysis, she can't talk yet can walk by self.

At home, she gets well along with all family members. Sometimes she helps mom to take care of her younger sister – she could help to dress her up. Sometimes she helps to buy vegetables in the local grocery store and she knows how much change she should bring back home. Taught by foster mom, she knows how to cook rice and make simple dishes for both her sister and her when mom isn't able to make it. On the weekend, mom usually takes her sister and her to the neighborhood to join the group dancing. She can learn to dance as well. She likes her foster mom the most as mom would buy her new clothes and teach her how to dance. And, she also likes playing with the dog of the neighborhood. In the morning, sometimes she wakes up by herself while sometimes foster mom has to wake her up. It takes her around ten minutes one way to walk to the nearby elementary school every day. She knows how to cross the street with the help of traffic lights. Usually she takes her younger sister to the kindergarten first on her way to school as well as picks up her sister on her way home.

At school, she has around ten good friends including boys and girls. Sometimes she is their leader while sometimes she listens to them. She can catch up with study at present and she just got 90 out of 100 in examinations of both Chinese and maths. She likes music and art in school. Sometimes she helps teachers to hand out exercise books or carry things.

She can finish her homework at around 8:30pm every day. Sometimes she can does it by herself while sometimes she needs mom's help for some of her homework.

When asked if she wanted to be adopted by some foreign parents one day, she said yes. When asked if she minded it that there were siblings in her future family, she said no. When asked if she had seen any of her friends from the orphanage being adopted before, she said yes. When asked if she had any worries regarding the adoption, she said no. She said her foster parents love her so that she enjoys staying with them. However, she would also like to live with foreign parents as long as they love her.

Here is wonderful Abraham’s post:

Please watch this wonderful video, http://youtu.be/ehWCqB6nNWI!!! This is 12 year old Abraham who is blind! A very dear friend of mine met this precious child while she was in China adopting her daughter. Sweet Abraham is not paper ready yet but the director was very excited about getting him paper ready for an interested family! My friend seemed very impressed with the level of care and love that these kiddos received. The director really wants these children to find families. When they were video taping him, the director leaned over to Abraham and told him that "some Americans were filming him so that he might be able to find a family and for him to play like he had never played in his life!!!!!"

Oh my heart!!!! Please consider this wonderful, talented child!!!!!

Sherry, please send any interested families my way and THANK YOU!!!!!

Annie

www.wonderfulwaitingkids.com

www.cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com

www.ourlittlelizzie.com

Is there a "Vanya" waiting for YOU?

2012-02-03T16:28:00.003-05:00

Remember The Boy from Baby House 10?? How your heart ached for little Vanya, imprisoned behind the walls of an orphanage, living a life no child should have to live? Feeling like he was forgotten by the world? He was forgotten by most of the world and would have stayed that way, but for the grace of God who sent him the most precious gift... a mother. And with that the keys to a new life, full of hope and promise and opportunity. John Lahutsky's story ends happily, but what about the rest of the "Vanyas" still waiting???

There are thousands of them. Holding out hope that someone will see their worth and bring them home. Please go to the following blog
http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2012/02/fatherless-friday.html

and read about some of these precious, deserving, older kids. There are some amazing pictures of Victoria that I'd never seen before and I'm guessing you may not have either. Here's one!

Every day I fall more in love with this little girl. I'm making plans to have a Scentsy party and donate the proceeds to her and Lauren's grant funds. I'll post more about that when I know the date.

And Tyler! Read about Tyler from a family who adopting from his orphanage right now.

http://butbygraceitcouldbeme.blogspot.com/2012/02/dead-man-walking.html

This young man can go SO FAR in life!! If someone would just take the initiative to bring him home. That goes for Igor and Laurel and Alexis and Emmitt and the thousands of other older kids who have been passed by time after time.

Pray for them, share about them, and search your heart to see if you might just be the person to finally make one of these kids' dreams come true. It IS possible! We did it x5 and we're not rich, not even all that smart ;) But God used us anyway. He can use you, too.

You know the saying... c'mon, say it with me now...
If not me, then WHO? And if not now, then WHEN?

Our Yard is Fixed!

2012-02-01T17:33:00.000-05:00

No one will care about this except me, but I wanted to document it for posterity because it's one of the times in life when things just turn out right.

With all the flooding we had back in the fall, the creek beside our house ate a big chunk of our yard beside the driveway. I wish it had occurred to me to take a pic of what it looked like, but who thinks of that stuff. But trust me, it wasn't pretty!

So, we were glad when a contractor came to our door the day after New Year's and said they were contracted by PennDot to repair it. Morgan showed him where our yard had been, and was assured they would reestablish our yard and reinforce the creek bank with armor rock.

The next day they spent the day working on it. The boys loved watching them out the window as they dumped load after load of boulders in our yard.

I couldn't see what they were doing from the house, and should have gone out and looked. Because when Morgan got home he freaked at what he saw...

The hole in our yard wasn't repaired at all, they just lined it with rock! It looked awful!

So we started making calls. I'll spare you the details, but it was a HUGE run around. If you've ever been given the run-around you know just what I mean. It didn't look like we were going to get anywhere... I felt sick thinking this is what we'd be stuck looking at forever. It was going to kill the value of our home.

Then I thought of someone.

Remember when our passports were stolen the night before we were to leave for Ukraine to meet P, J, & A? Our state representative, Matthew Baker, had gotten the passport office in Philly to open up on a Saturday and issue us new ones the very next day!

I decided to contact him again, since PennDot had used tax payer dollars to create this riprap masterpiece. He forwarded my photos to the state engineer, and the NEXT DAY Morgan got a call at work that it would be taken care of!

And today, just a week later...it's FIXED!!!

Incase you were wondering, the weird green, manna-looking stuff is hydroseed (to grow grass) that they had put on the yard when the job was first "done". They're having someone come back and do the pretty new fixed yard soon. I can't wait to post an update in the spring! :) I love my yard.

Meet Victoria & Lauren!

2012-01-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

I just signed on to advocate for these two beautiful little girls. I realize to some they're just 2 little girls in a sea of little girls and boys who are waiting in orphanages and institutions... but now they're MY little "other angels" to pray for, fund-raise for, and share about. My hope and prayer is to help get enough money into their grant funds that a family will be encouraged to take that next step toward bringing them home for good! Please join me. PRAY for Lauren & Victoria, SHARE about them, GIVE generously! They deserve to have a LIFE, a real life, outside the walls of an institution, a chance to WALK for pete's sake! Shriners will help these girls for FREE! They both have SO MUCH potential! But they have no voice to reach out and ask for help, all they have are their smiles... which I think are pretty persuasive, don't you?? :)

To give, please click on the donate button in each girl's profile. And to learn more about how you (yes, YOU!) can adopt, visit Reece's Rainbow. Please share this with your friends on Facebook, your church, etc. God has big plans for His little daughters! :)

Lauren

Girl, Born January 22, 2002

Lauren says "HI Mama!! I'm here waiting for you!" (in this photo she is riding a rocking horse!)

Lauren is a super-sweet and active little girl. She is very social and affectionate, and will do well in a family setting.

From her medical records: achondroplasia

As with all children living in these difficult conditions, this child's cognitive development has regressed significantly since he/she was younger. It is of crucial importance that any family considering the adoption of an older child from the mental institution setting be well prepared for what to expect with regards to how the neglect and lack of adequate medical care and nourishment has affected this child. These children all have TREMENDOUS potential for improvement, and deserve to have a life outside these four walls.

These children are truly living on borrowed time, and families should be home study approved before an official commitment can be made for this child.

Victoria

Girl, Born December 12, 2002

I can't wait to see Victoria with long, flowing hair!

Miss Victoria was born arthrogryposis, which only appears to affect her legs/feet. She has a glowing personality and is a caregiver favorite. Will be wonderful to see her, after surgery and therapy, walking on her own!! If she is not adopted, she will spend the rest of her life bedridden.

From her medical records: congenitalarthrogryposis, divergent squint.

From our facilitator: Victoria is happy and affectionate. She loves to play with her dolls and to pretend to be mommy. She is a very pretty girl. She is a rather smart girl, the care-givers love her. She cannot support herself and needs assistance. She does not walk but she is a very active girl. She is moving herself somehow, using mostly her hands.

These children are truly living on borrowed time, and families should be home study approved before an official commitment can be made for this child.

Hannie's Little Party

2012-01-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

Since Johanna's birthday fell on a Wednesday, we waited til the weekend to have a little party for her. Nothing fancy, the kids were already in their pj's since we waited for Babushka to get home from work.
Earlier that day, Morgan and Keegan stopped to pick up her cake. Keegan even handed the lady the note I'd sent that said, 'Happy 4th Birthday Johanna'. But we still got 'Johnna'. The lady even asked Keegan if the cake was for a boy or a girl. That in itself should have been a clue... Oh well, the birthday girl didn't mind. And it made me smile b/c I'm in love with the book "Cake Wrecks".

Keegan went and picked up the pizza and wings. Jessa was VERY happy to see him!

Hannie looked very proud to have this pizza in her honor.

Then it was cake time. Do you think she's excited??

Blowing out her candles...

She said "Did it!" and signed "Great!"

Jessa making sure they're good and out.

Time to open presents...

This sweet little book was written by a Reece's Rainbow mommy named Rachelle Evensen! She and her husband Derek are in the middle of adopting 2 beautiful boys, Gideon and Micah (formerly Eddie & Edwin on RR). These little boys were transferred to an institution together over a year ago. They've waited so long for a family to come for them! I hope you'll visit the Evensen's blog, pray for them, sew into their adoption. I can't wait to see these boys enjoy their first birthdays at home with a loving family!

Keegan gave Hannie a Justin Beiber CD. Jane Daulton, if you're reading this he said it was because of Emily and how much she loved her CD's and took them everywhere. He said Johanna needed to get started on her music collection! ;) She was pretty happy, even tho she had no idea who Justin Beiber is.

And what is this??

A BIG baby!

Checking out some new coloring books... Gavin loves to color, and has been putting these to good use since Johanna got them. She doesn't mind sharing (usually.)

She even shares Big Baby with Peyton ;)

Jessa is reading Finn's Marching Band with Daddy.

Mimi reading with Babushka...

Had to share this one. Hayden would kill me, except... he doesn't read my blog ;)

He'd just finished a 20+ hour shift cleaning frac tanks. But he made it to Johanna's birthday party. Did I tell ya she was his favorite? ;)

Johanna's Story

2012-01-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes that disappear when she smiles.

That song took on a new meaning for me when I met Johanna Cait. Her name then was Lesia Shandrovska, and she lived 4000 miles away, in the same orphanage as three little ones we'd gone there to adopt.
I'd seen her face before, even had her pictures on my hard drive at home, but I didn't realize it yet. Only God knew the plans He had in store for Lesia and our family.
A lot of you know the story of how Johanna came into our life, but I'm going to tell it again once more, since today is her 4th birthday. Her first real birthday. Next year when she's 5 I'll just put a link to this post, because I'm sure I'll have a lot more remarkable things to share about the year ahead with this AMAZING little chick! :)

Like most people, Johanna's story began in a hospital. And like most babies born with Down syndrome in Eastern Europe, it was the last place she would see her biological mother. I don't know anything about her birthmom except that she left her baby girl due to "characteristics of Down syndrome", and soon after signed paperwork allowing her daughter to become a ward of the state and free for adoption, domestic or international. She soon went to a baby house where she had surgery to repair her heart. This would be her home for the next 3 years. That's the director, Dr Alexander, aka "Dr Sasha", holding her in the pictures above. He's a kind and gentle man, and truly loves the children under his care.

About 2 years ago Mandy Rohrer made my day by sending me 15 pictures of a baby girl she met while visiting an orphanage in Kiev. At the time we were adopting a little girl the same age with Down syndrome, and she looked so much like the 2 pics we had of Jessa, we were sure it was her.

We didn't even know about Johanna at the time. But when we found out there was another little girl with Ds just 6 months older at the orphanage, we realized the pics weren't Jessa after all, but this little mystery girl.

We had NO IDEA that once we adopted Jessa (and Amelia, and Peyton) we'd turn around and go back for this little muffin as well. Having these baby pictures of her on my computer was the icing on the cake!

These are pics of Johanna with 2 women who visited the orphanage on a mission trip with Mandy. The other baby they're holding is Micah Ray, I believe. They were in the same groupa until going home with their new mommies within hours of each other last summer.

This was the next picture of her I would receive... from Michelle Zoromski when they went to meet Lilya. We were still thinking this was Jessa. I remember Michelle describing her as a bouncing ball of sunshine! :0)

Later when we were there adopting "Real Jessa" we would see this little monkey

every day in Peyton's groupa. They looked like brother and sister,

but we had yet to imagine that they really would be someday.

She'd break my heart by reaching for us and crying when we'd take Peyton off to play. She so badly wanted somebody to play with her, too! Most of her days were spent in one of the raised wooden playpens outside, leaning over the rail, lonely and bored.

I remember watching her in the stroller one day as they rolled her past a cat that was sunning itself on the window sill. I'll never forget her sweet smile as she waved hello to that kitty with her chubby little fingers. That was the moment she stole my heart for good.... there was so much inside this little girl. So much love waiting to be shared, but no one to share it with. I think I blogged back then how I could feel love welling up in my heart, like God was telling me This is your daughter. Which, while I would have loved that, seemed ridiculous... impossible! We were already undertaking what felt like an astronomical task in adopting a baby and two toddlers. I had reeeally wanted a little girl and now I had two. How did I dare even think of being so greedy as to try for THREE?!? In my mind it was out of the question. But of course God knew better... After I went home, Dr Sasha's parting words, I will take good care of Lesia for you rang in my ears.

We talked about trying to go back for her. Remember our pact, Michelle? We couldn't stand to think of her not in one of our families. But after we came home with the 'Original Crew', and it didn't look like the Zoromski's would be going back either, we hoped someone we knew would adopt her.

I remember thinking how happy I'd be if she could only live in the same state as me...
Remember Peyton's shirt from the Buddy Walk that fall?

And ya'all know that we did end up taking the scary leap of faith and going back for Miss Pee Pants after all. How when we got back she was SO much bigger. And how her chest rattled with each breath. She wasn't quite the same little girl we remembered. But she was our girl now! :)

Within a couple of weeks of coming home, the big McDonald's arches smiles came back!

And the coughs and rattles went away. All the scratches and bruises from defending her reign as queen bee of the groupa healed. I loved washing her with Dove soap, conditioning her hair, lotioning her up. Smoothing away all the rough edges and letting her be the baby soft little girly girl she truly is.

She's a loving little mama to her babies. This one is her favorite. She'll twirl with Baby in her arms, then stop and ask, "More? Okay!" then twirl her some more. My heart about bursts with love when she does this! :)

.

Three days a week she and Jessa go to preschool. Yes, usually in matching outfits. I waited 20 years for little girls. Don't judge me.

If you know Johanna, you know that elbow means she's about to get her dance on.

You know the one, where she trots around smacking her booty. I did not teach her this, she came home from the orphanage with that classy move. ;) All 3 girls also love ballet and will watch mesmerized, lifting their legs, and twirling with their hands above their heads. Then cheer for themselves and sign "pretty dancing"!

Every single morning when I wake her up she says, "School?" Then runs to the bathroom saying "Hurry, hurry! BUS!" A refreshing change after (what is it now, sixteen years??) of pokey boys who would (and have) gladly let that bus roll on by.... But I digress.

I'll always be a little sad that I never got to hold that baby in the blue pajamas. And sad for the woman who carried her for 9 months only to leave the hospital empty-handed. I pray for peace and comfort for her today if she's thinking about her daughter, now my daughter. I know she must be...

I wish for Johanna's sake and ours that we didn't have to miss the beginning of her story... but I'm so grateful that God allowed us to be here for this part!

We love you, Hannie!

Gavin & Peyton's 1st Hockey Game

2012-01-17T15:10:00.003-05:00

So, time marches on and it appears I'm not going to get around to the rest of those Christmas pics after all. But I've got a quiet minute (yup, naptime ;) and I wanted to share what the boys did on Sunday...

We'd gotten them all Jackals tickets for Christmas, so the big boys took the little boys to their first hockey game! :) Morgan was sick, so Keegan took his friend Brendan instead.

I admit, I was a little nervous letting the little boys go without Morgan or me. But Hayden assured me they'd be fine. And knowing Ashley was going helped put my mind at ease.

They did GREAT... got to hang out with Blade, who they'd already met at the Buddy Walk at Eldridge Park last summer. Ash said Gavin especially loved him.

Going out on the ice to pick up pucks.

So we have 2 more Jackals fans in the family...now to get them on skates! :)

Christmas, part 2: Babushka's House

2012-01-09T15:36:00.001-05:00

Later on we went to Morgan's mom's for Christmas. She and Ozzie had bought these great little cars/4-wheelers for the grandkids - all 8 of the little kids! :) Ozzie had been really excited to give them to the kids, imagining that he'd have to make a path in the snow for them to ride outside... Anita said he was so tickled looking forward to Christmas. But none of us could have known that Ozzie would be celebrating Christmas in Heaven this year.

So Morgan & Ozzie Paul put the cars together.

And the kids were so surprised! They LOVED them!!

The little blue one in the middle is Nolan's. He was napping :)

It struck me when I took notice of something behind Keegan.

Instead of Ozzie standing by his pinball machine watching the kids, a wreath from his grave was in his place. It was bittersweet to say the least. More than once my eyes blurred with tears while I took pictures of the kids.

I wish so much that Grandpa could have seen how much the kids liked his gift. His absence was felt heavily. Here we were in Grandpa's garage, with Grandpa's Christmas gifts... but he wasn't here. Even though we know He's in Heaven with his Lord & Savior, it's hard not to feel sad about all the years ahead we don't get to have him with us. It hurts that our kids won't have him in their lives growing up. He would have really gotten a kick out of seeing them riding and riding around his garage! I can just see his smile. He really loved his grandkids.

At first the kids were all over the place, learning how to steer and yield :)

There were some fender benders.

Then Uncle Ozzie had the smart idea to put some boxes in the middle so they could remember to go in a circular fashion.

All the excitement tuckered Mimsie out :)

Daddy parked Peyton for a second while they helped the boys get lined up to race. Poor buddy must have thought it was time to park it for good and he started crying.

But once he understood the rules, he was his happy self again.

That concludes part 2 of our Christmas blog series ;) I still have some more pics I want to share, but time's up for today, and tomorrow I take Peyton to Geisinger. So, maybe Wednesday....

Too late for a Christmas post??

2012-01-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

I think not.

Since it was Sunday we opened presents in the afternoon after church. I thought to myself, How perfect! The kids will already be dressed up nicely and I can get a good group photo of them in front of the tree!

Alas, it was not to be! Ah well!

My little man, thinking his thoughts. So adorably pensive. I just want to bite his face.

Last year Dylan and Cait spent Christmas morning with us from Turkey via skype. This year they shared it with us from England. The little ones, esp Johanna, enjoyed going up to the tv and showing them each gift they opened. Dyl & Cait ooh'd and aah'd over item.

Even with all her new toys, Johanna still had to go get Baby. She's quite the little mama.

Look how Mims has grown!

Stockings were a big hit! Gavin instinctively knew to gather all his goodies back up and hang it by the fireplace again where he could return to it throughout the day. You learn a few things when you have 4 little brothers and sisters! ;)

His first official Christmas present. Sniff.

Hayden helped him get it out of the package.

Jessa: the reason Gavin knew to put his candy up out of reach. She was on a serious candy-hunt all afternoon,
sniffing out other people's stockings like a little sugar fiend. I can't tell you how many times we thought we had it all out of her reach and we'd see her again with her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk with someone's Hershey bar!

For a little girl who's never had a present, Johanna was a fast learner when it came to opening them! Here she's helping Ashley discover her new Uggs.

Mimi needed some help getting the idea...

but was thrilled to see there was a toy in there! :)

This one's just b/c I was liking my hair that day. So sue me.

Waiting patiently and taking turns like little angels ;)

Ash, just b/c she makes my blog look pretty. And if I haven't said it before, she's just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I'm very thankful to have had her as part of our family for the last 2 years!

Aaron likes Parks & Recreation :)

Gavin and Peyton are big Davy Crockett fans! So I was happy to find a sequel to their much-watched favorite movie on ebay. And who couldn't use another Signing Time video??

Almost like having them home for Christmas! Much nicer than just talking to them on the phone like when he first enlisted. My little kids are growing up in SUCH a different world than we -or even our older boys- did.

This thing is GREAT! No pieces to come off, and the play with it FOREVER! Gonna write an Amazon review on it. As soon as I remember what it's called.

Johanna was Little Miss Christmas spirit. She enjoyed every minute of it!

While Amelia, on the other hand, grew weary even of undecorating the tree. She's two, but still a baby in lots of ways. She likes her naps :)

Keegan & I are Liz Lemon fans :)

That's all the pics I dare put in this post for fear it will take years to load. I think this is an all-time record for me. BUT...stay tuned for Christmas at Babushka's!

Happy 6th Birthday, Gavin!

2011-12-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Gavin's birthday last night because Keegan and Babushka both have to work today. Plus, Morgan & I were just really excited to see our boy have his first-ever birthday party!

He was pretty happy about it, too!

Now that's he's speaking English so well, I love to ask him questions about life at the detskii dom. I want to know what it was like from his point of view, so I can write it down for him while he still remembers. He said he never had a birthday party, or cake, or a present. Which I can understand, with all those kids it's always someone's birthday and there just isn't the money for something like that.

But I can't help it, I'd like to think that last year someone at least gave him a hug and said, "Guess what, Kolya, today is your special day! You are now five!" But when I asked him how he ever knew it was his birthday, or that he was a year older, he said "I not know. I just get bigger."

We let him open his big present last night, the Toy Story 3 landfill playset.
(He and Peyton LOVE Toy Story!) And we saved the second present, the garbage truck that goes with it, so he'd have something to open today - on his actual birthday.

One of the fun things about having a big family, is there are lots of birthdays. And everyone gets to have fun! Even Jessa & Mimi had a blast with the box! :)

We always let the birthday-person pick where to go out to eat... and Gavin only really knows about McDonald's and Pizza Hut, so... I admit, I steered him toward Pizza Hut. They're great about making room for big families and the kids always do really well there. Plus, I love me some breadsticks! ;)

Pics for Dr Sasha

2011-12-15T22:06:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I already posted it on Facebook...but just incase you missed it....

Actually I was just checking to see if I could post to my blog straight from Shutterfly, and guess what...
you can :)

Anyhow, this is the little book I put together to send to the detskii dom (children's home) with the Bittermans when they go meet Pasha right after Christmas. (I still get all giggly when I think of it! Pasha's finally going to see that I wasn't lying when I said he had a family on the way!! ;)

It was so much fun to make. I can't wait to do more of them -especially since I finally, finally got a new camera! Yes! Santa came early in a big brown truck and brought me my fondest wish. Now I have no more excuses not to blog. Well, other than that only 24 hours in a day thing. But I can work around that ;)

Gavin's birthday is Saturday, so that will certainly warrant a post, I think :) I don't know which of us is more excited about the big day!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.

Christmas Card Guilt

2011-12-12T13:57:00.001-05:00

I have so much respect for people who send Christmas cards. I love getting them! But I haven't done real Christmas cards in years. I always used to, but somewhere along the way I gave it up. There were a couple of years that I bought them, addressed them, but never got around to mailing them. Then a couple of years I bought them and never even opened the box. Then I just stopped buying them altogether. I suspect this would likely be proportional to the growth of our family ;)

I feel a little bad about it, especially when I remember my Gram always sending her cards. "Got to do my Christmas cards!"-she'd say. We'd pick them out at Ben Franklin or Cooke's then go through her address book, and she'd write a little note to each person, telling about what kind of year it had been, how the deer hunting went on Pisgah, many cows Pop was milking at the time, etc. My Aunt Weezy always got a school picture of me.

And we always got a ton of cards in return. I loved when I got old enough to tack them up on the wall in the kitchen, and read them just for fun. I still like to stick them up in the doorway of my kitchen (I use tape nowadays, not so much into poking holes in my house as Gram was ;) But I always get a twinge of guilt when someone sends us a card, b/c I know they probably won't be getting one in return.

I do usually manage a Christmas picture, but the only people who get them are 1) my Gram 2) my in-laws. I love my mother-in-law, she puts it on her fridge and there it stays until the next year. Some have been there thru several Christmases. I just like that for some reason :)

So, here's this year's pic. Dylan & Cait were home on leave from England, for Ozzie's funeral, and it was the first time since we adopted the littles that I've had all my kids in the same place at the same time. Not sure when we'll get another one of these, with Hayden on his way to the Air Force and Keegan not far behind him. I wish Hayden's gf Ashley had been in the pic with us. She's part of our family, too. But she was sweet enough to volunteer to take the pic. What was the big hurry that no one thought to use the timer?? - Maybe b/c we were on our way to the Chinese buffet ;)

Dylan (21), Peyton (4), Cait(21), Johanna (3), me, Gavin(5), Morgan, Jessa (3),

Aaron (13), Keegan (17), Hayden (19), Amelia (2)

And just for fun, here's a pic Ashley took of me and Aaron. Just because I love him, and the big kids aren't in the blog all that much. I was just sharing with someone today about what a neat kid he is, and how I wouldn't mind having more like him ;)

Hope you all are blessed as you get ready for Christmas. Keep those in your heart who can't be with their own families for whatever reason <3

Please pray for Danyl

2011-12-09T16:36:00.002-05:00

Remember Gavin's orphanage brother "Owen"? He's about to be adopted, but there has been a new development....

Please read this post by Vera Cooper, who is working and praying to be his mom.

Please pray God's perfect will for this dear little boy.

See this face??

2011-12-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

95×5-9
Girl, born July 2006

Eyes: Brown
Hair: brown
Character: friendly, happy, orphanage favorite

The orphanage asked an adoptive family to please find a family for this sweet little girl! She is described as loving and kind.

$1622.60 is available towards the cost of my adoption, including $215.00 from Angel Tree donations!

I see this same beautiful face every day. The same brown eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows. The same button nose. The same silky light brown hair. The same little ears, and tilt of her head. She's looking right at me from her highchair across the kitchen this very moment.

Except that my little girl... and this little girl.... aren't the same little girl. But try telling that to my heart right now. I know I'm totally projecting, but I can't help feeling that Jessa is right back in the orphanage again. My heart aches so much thinking of all that Abigail is missing out on... all the things that my little girls get every day. Abigail deserves to be treasured like Jessa is treasured.

I'm praying someone will look at this face and see what I see. And will decide she's worth moving Heaven & Earth for. Jessa sure was!! I'm going to go get her out of that highchair and snuggle her now.

Abigail 9HA

95×5-9
Girl, born July 2006

Eyes: Brown
Hair: brown
Character: friendly, happy, orphanage favorite

The orphanage asked an adoptive family to please find a family for this sweet little girl! She is described as loving and kind.

$1622.60 is available towards the cost of my adoption, including $215.00 from Angel Tree donations!

Abigail 9HA

Naptime! And I'm leaving the dishes in the sink so I can blog! ;)

2011-12-05T17:11:00.002-05:00

It just hit me that tomorrow will be SIX WHOLE MONTHS that Gavin and Johanna have been with us, and almost EIGHTEEN months that we've had Peyton, Jessa and Amelia! Where does the time GO?? I remember being in the process of the adoptions, everyday working and waiting for one more piece of paper, one more piece of the puzzle that would comprise "The Beast". The anxiety of letting those precious documents out of my site (sleeping with them in reach incase the house caught fire!) All the while staring at a handful of pictures of the children that, Lord willing, would eventually be mine. I look back to the first time I clicked on the link to Reece's Rainbow, and saw all those precious, precious little faces...and asked myself... COULD we?? Could WE??... I had no idea the journeys that awaited us. The friends we would make. Or how God would take our hearts and just absolutely rework them. Readjust our whole lives to fit not one little girl, or two... or even an extra little boy to boot ;) But FIVE new children, eight trips across the Atlantic... a bazillion dollars more or less... and the capacity to love, feed, wash, bandage, teach, referee, read to, sing with, sign with, dance with, discipline, dress, wrangle, slow down and listen to, defend, brag about, admire, and praise God a hundred times daily for the absolute miracle that they are in our home, with our name, their sticky little fingerprints all over the front of our fridge....God has been so very good to us!!

These pics are from an old SD card I just found in a drawer. This was last fall when the OC (Original Crew) had only been home a few weeks. They were just babies! Amelia couldn't even sit up on her own, and I honestly feared she never would.

Just look how they've grown... and now they even have a big sister! :)

And Peyton was my itty bitty monkey man...

Nowadays he's such a GUY! Always outside doing guy stuff with his best buddy, Gav. Coming in long enough to grab a slice of pizza, then back out to the fort. (he's still little enough to snuggle on my lap in his footie pj's at the end of a hard day of being a big guy, tho ;)

It's funny, he reminds me SO MUCH of my grandfather who passed away back in 2003. They never had a chance to meet this side of Heaven, but the similarities are amazing.

Most of you know that he and Johanna (then Lesia) were best friends. When we left her behind at that orphanage, it tore my heart out.

That little girl wanted so much for someone to love her. As they all do. I had that same feeling as when I first found Reece's Rainbow... could we?... really? It seemed so impossible. But yet, how could we not? If no one else came for her, then who would she ever have?? What would become of her? My heart cried out for her, I prayed God would somehow allow me to be so greedy as to return and make her my own. Yes, I already had three beautiful new little ones in addition to the 4 awesome sons we'd been blessed with in our marriage. But I wanted to be Lesia's mommy, too. So sue me ;)

The shock of it was, that Morgan actually agreed. I knew that it was God's will when weary as we were, and so relieved to finally have the adoption behind us... that he was willing to jump back in and go through it all again to not leave her among the fatherless. He said he knew she was meant to be his little girl.

I've always had the utmost respect for Morgan. But I don't think I've ever been more proud of him as through these adoptions, especially when he signed on to do the hard thing and go back for Johanna...

and not only Johanna, but Gavin.

I thank God so much that he opened my eyes to this boy. (And that's not a pun b/c my eyes are closed in this pic... tho it did make me giggle. )

We had spent time with him and his friends. The older boys I advocated for often in my blog. But going back for Johanna... and knowing those boys had waited so long and were about to age out... could we? Should we? I remember waking up in the middle of the night after praying for those boys... thinking, WHY NOT US??? How many other people 1) Even knew they existed. 2) Had actually met them. 3) Were qualified to adopt one of them. and 4) Were actually ON OUR WAY to their orphanage. It was like God hit me over the head with a book. Yes, a Book! ;)

And we knew it would be Gavin, somehow. We loved Pasha, and Sasha, and Danyl. But Kolya... I think it was Jaime Hosford's love for him that made him especially special in my eyes. **Now I know God had already ordained just the right families for each boy!** Pasha's parents are traveling in weeks to meet him, and Sasha and Danyl's aren't far behind! But Kolya came home with us, and has become so much a part of our family with each passing week.

Well, naptime's just about over... the dishes are still in the sink and there are still pieces of chicken nuggets, broccoli and apples on my kitchen floor. But this is my life once again! :) Not at all how I used to imagine my life at 42... I thought I'd be able to finally have a clean house, a fun little car, time to pursue other interests... I'm so glad God had something so much better in mind! :)

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T14:05:00.001-05:00

Hope you all had a nice one!
We went to the Morgan Family Thanksgiving at Morgan's Uncle Kelvin & Aunt Irene's in Mansfield last week. Got to see everyone, all the way from Papa Morgan to new baby, Brileigh! Then to my family's on Thursday afternoon. My Gram is living with was my parents now, and it was the first time she's seen all our little kids in one place at the same time.(I usually take them in 2's when I visit ;) They climbed all over her and she kept saying how sweet/pretty/well-behaved they all were.

We read lots of books about the first Thanksgiving, watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Mouse on the Mayflower numerous times.

And on Wednesday while the girls were napping, the boys made pilgrim hats and turkeys! :)

These guys love to make cool stuff! We're already looking forward to decorating for Christmas!

Okay, I'm off to make a turkey sandwich now ;)

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T19:40:00.000-04:00

As I said, it just wasn't the same without PopPop, but here are the little ones at Grandma's (or Nina's, or Babushka's, depending which kid you talk to :) My camera is the worst...but from right to left we have Benjamin as Spiderman (**cute story!**he saw another Spiderman at Woody's and I heard him growl at him from behind his mask ;), Jessa (a red hat lady), Amelia (same thing), Peyton (Robin), Evan (Capt America), Nolan (Superman), Gavin (Batman...thanks for taking time to make the mask, Uncle Ozzie...very resourceful! :), and Johanna (red hat lady #3 :)

Hayden... our driver for the evening ... Got paid in candy, of course ;)

Goodbye

2011-11-01T18:41:00.002-04:00

This pic was taken this summer, a few weeks after we brought Gavin & Johanna home. I just really love it.

Especially this part...

Morgan's dad went home to be with the Lord on October 9th. We're still in shock. So much I could say about Ozzie, if I only had the time. I loved him. We all did. When you needed anything, you just knew Ozzie would be there for you....

Like showing up to fix a flat tire when I was stranded on a back road with the kids. I was so happy to see him!

He was a good father-in-law, a good grandfather, and a wonderful friend. So much I could tell you about him, if I had a few hours to sit here and write my heart out. We're still reeling from the shock of him being gone so suddenly. Halloween just isn't the same without Frankenstein doing the monster mash :( We miss and love you so much, Ozzie.

Sunny Day, Sweeping the Clouds Awaaay!

2011-08-15T01:59:00.002-04:00

We had a church picnic earlier today, and then it rained like crazy. Daddy, Aaron & the girls came home and took a nap, and Keegan, Gavin, Peyton & I ran to Mansfield to pick up some dish soap and socks for the little boys. When we got home it was sunny & beeeautiful out, so we went out to play and I wanted to get some pics of the kids...

The grass was still pretty wet when we first went out so I had them them sit on the rock wall by the poolhouse. They were very good sports about letting me take their pictures when I knew what they really wanted to do was PLAY! :)

*Siiighhh* Aren't they beautiful??? I'm not bragging, I didn't create them. I'm just bragging about the God who did! Every time I look at them I'm so humbled and grateful that He chose our family to be THEIR family! :)

Talk to the hand Momma!

Some of you may not know this, but Amelia was born on Keegan's 15th birthday. We had already committed to Jessa, when this little baby girl was listed at the same orphanage... and when we saw that she was born September 15th, we knew she was meant to be our baby :)

Gavin took a liking to Kacey's bike. He didn't seem to mind one bit that it was pink.

Then I remembered, he wore pink on a daily basis. So, what's the big deal, mom?

Still, I'm pretty excited to get him his first bike all his own. A nice red one, or black...;)

Remember the little girl who couldn't sit up by herself?? That's my Beanslie! ;)

Way to go little big girl!

Dump truck Dolly (Paula ;)

John Deere Girl (thank you, Sawyer! It's getting lots of use! :)

Poor Jessa had a run-in with every toy she played with today.

Gavin's first time riding a bike and he starts on the hill. Sounds like his older brothers!

Dad teaching him how to stop ;)

He was yelling, Mom! Mom!

I thought he just wanted me to watch him ride, but he was

trying to tell me that something was wrong....

Do you see it?

His shoelace was caught in the chain!

Thanks, Dad!

Jessa decided to ride bike too...

But apparently it didn't play nice, either;)

Peyton was just happy to have his dump truck back! :) Oh, and notice the backpack? He & Gavin got them at WalMart today, since Gavin is starting school soon, and Peyton likes to be just like Gavin!

He's got all sorts of treasures in there.

Keegan had been giving the littles rides around the yard in the stroller and Amelia LOVED it!

Here she is telling Gavin she wants More!

Hmm, Josie & the bike got along just fine. Not sure why it was fighting with poor Jessa ;)

Our First Buddy Walk of 2011

2011-08-14T23:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our Buddy Walk at Eldridge Park in Elmira, NY. There were 500+ walkers in attendance and we met some of the nicest people and got to share about Reece's Rainbow and our adoption experiences. We filled a huge board with pictures of children who are still waiting without a family of their own to love them, and were able to tell people, "These aren't just pictures, they're real children... MY children were here, and look at them now!" :)

I just want every child to have that chance, to get a balloon, to eat a hot dog, to pout and be naughty like Miss Jessa was at times ;) Just to be a child and be loved as God intended. I'm praying some hearts were touched yesterday. I know mine was! It was so great to be around all those other kids and adults with Down Syndrome and other disabilities. I saw so much kindness and thoughtfulness among friends & families. I smiled all day :)

Just a small part of the walkers who were there.
My friend Pam and her daughter Tiffany and grandson Trenton came and walked with us, and were a huge help with the kids. I'm bummed I don't have a picture of them. They really helped to make the day extra special.

Gavin didn't have great luck with his balloon animals. But he was a good sport when they popped. His favorite thing was the greyhound rescue area. He LOVED those dogs! I wish I had a picture of him with them.

Babushka even took the day off to come walk with us! This is the woman who told us we were crazy to adopt kids with special needs at our age. She says she still thinks we're crazy, but adores her grandbabies! She swears Amelia will be the one to take care of her when she's old. (Morgan says, Ma, you're 60 now and she's 2, just how long do you think you're going to live??") I joke that Mimi would probably feed her PopTarts 3 times a day ;)

Having Gavin & Johanna home is still new to me in a way. I caught myself looking at her a few times, thinking, "Lesia, whose picture was on Peyton's shirt at a Buddy Walk last year (pleading for a family) is HERE WITH US this year! My very own little daughter!!! :) Thank God we did the hard thing and went back for our dolly! And thank God He allowed us to be Gavin's parents, too! Sometimes I think my heart will burst. I love these kids so much.

Do you see what Amelia kept doing??? She loved touching the wheel on her stroller and getting her hand all black. I was afraid she was going to get her hand stuck, and we kept making her sit back up, even reclined the seat but she 'd be right back at it again! Even Peyton kept telling her to stop it :) Morgan ended up doing a big wheelie with them for the last part of the walk!

Doesn't she look innocent?

The kids loved the big Jackal!

Our Reece's Rainbow table! "Ask Me How YOU Can Adopt a Child with Down Syndrome!"

Johanna was a social butterfly the whole time. Jessa was ready for a nap.

Every family should have a bundle of pig-tailed joy!!! :)