realization.

For all the years that I have cried over orphans, and agonized over the desire to help.

It was never real.

It was as if the faces of the photos were inanimate objects. My mind was convinced they were needy little photos. Not the warm, sniffly, cuddly, whiney, eating, drinking, pooping, hugging, crying, mess-making real live children.

I know, you probably realized it long before I did.

But today as I sat rocking my Peter, and smelling his hair (that is doused in essential oils for Ring Worm) It hit me. This is a person. A human Being.

And there are still so many out there suffering, alone, disposed of, discarded, forgotten.

It nearly breaks my heart.

As much as the constant NOISE and MESS irritate me.

It really doesn't matter.

The entire bag of tortilla chips that were crushed into the floors today.

not Important.

Not in the least. The fact that we will not have the money to improve the house or the yeard again this year. So silly.

The sacrificing of luxuries so that one. <1> child will sleep with their belly full and heart full. So worth it.

So Important.

I complained to my husband that I was not getting anything done, he asked me what I *had* done.

I listed it off;
Breakfast
7 loads of laundry
33+ trips to the potty
Rocking and hugging new baby (even though he is 4, he is still a new baby)
Baking goodies
Making lunch
Changing diapers.
Empty Trash.
Hugging big boys.
Hugging medium sized boys.
Play outside in the sunshine.
Watch the littles explore the yard.
Plant a few plants
Make dinner


and you know what he said to me?

"Sounds like a perfect day"

yep. It was.


Notice i did not mention a SHOWER?! nope, these days are just like after having a baby, there has not been time every day for the luxury of a shower. Maybe tomorrow.

If you see a photo of an orphan, next time close your eyes and imagine this child's life without someone LIKE YOU stepping up to say. "Why Not?"

ChipIn Widgets!

technology is so fascinating. here is a cool widget that will help us keep track of how much we have collected!



I will have to see if it allows me to adjust the input amounts. Have to add the $282 we JUST got from the Bake Sale!! (can i get a woot woot!!)

Auction for Peter?

I have had 3 people offer items to put up for auction to benefit our Adoption.


I am looking for a volunteer to organize an ONLINE auction where people from ALL OVER the Globe can donate arts, crafts, goods, services, anything and we have a time frame (usually no more than a week) where these items are auctioned off.

All the proceeds will go to our savings account for the Adoption expenses.

If you feel like this is something YOU would ENJOY organizing. Please let me know!!

THANKS

( Just a few Ideas, Hotel discounts, donated services, cleaning, hair cuts, coupons, design work, legal work, chiropractic care, baby items, crochet items, Photography sessions, Print works, Original Art)

One day closer

We are SO EXCITED the ladies at Hageland/Era Alaska have organized a bake sale!

Wesley said his cookies were sold in the first 5 minutes.....THAT I believe! They are magical!

And now we wait for the final tally!

Alaskan's LOVE their baked goods.

Thank you Alice & the rest of the crew... Peter appreciates all your efforts in the kitchen....and for your love all the way from the Frozen North!

Pennies and How you can help!

Peter is from Liberia. He came to the Orphanage because his family did not have medicine or food. He was special from the beginning.

Our family heard about Peter's needs and after lots of consideration our whole family decided that we wanted Peter to be part of our family.

In order for that to happen our family needs to raise a lot of money to pay for the adoption and to help Peter get the medical care he needs. (another $14,540)

We have decided to collect pennies for Peter, that way everyone can help us help Peter. Collecting pennies is easy to do and pennies add up quick!

We hope that collecting pennies for Peter will help others realize that it’s the little things that count in life.

When lots of people give a little, it can make a HUGE difference in someone's life.

Everyone can do something to make a difference in other people's lives! You don't have to be rich, famous or even be a grown up to serve others. We can all give a smile ... a hug... say a prayer... share a laugh... give some pennies.

Instructions and Labels for "Pennies for Peter" Cans

Print, cut out and attach this table to a strip of poster board then glue and tape it to the back of a coffee can. Buy a 11x14 in pack of 5 poster boards. Fold it over length wise three times to make three equal strips. Cut the strips then cut out along the outer black edge and using a glue stick or a little bit of Elmer’s Glue adhere it to the poster board at the top of the strip. The bottom of the strip get glued and taped to the back of a coffee can.

Label 1A

Cut out this table and tape it to the front of the coffee can by putting a piece of tape along each side edge.

An alternate label:
Cut out this table and tape it to the front of the coffee can by putting a piece of tape along each side edge.

The dream to Adopt

For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of adopting.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for the unwanted, the neglected or the outcast.

Probably has something to do with my personality ;)


I can not do this alone. Someone once said "It takes a village to Raise a child"


So exactly what does it take to fund an adoption? TEAMWORK!

The ideas, suggestions and SUPPORT have been awesome!

I will share some of the ideas,
5-k Walk/run selling T-shirts

Selling chocolate bars

Pennies for Peter donation cans

Write a Book on our Adoption Journey

Tupperware Fundraiser

Parking Assistance (KC Royals games)

Spaghetti Dinner (turned into BBQ fundraiser)

Yard Sale Fundraiser

Bake Sale in Kotzebu Alaska (THANKS LADIES!!!)

Now I will share with everyone what WE As a FAMILY are doing, independent of the fundraising.

Our family vacation this year will be a stay-cation, in the bus in our driveway ;) (you all know we put over 12,000 miles on our bus doing road trips right....we LOVE TO TRAVEL!)

Our Slush fund is being dedicated to the savings account every month until the adoption is finalized.

We are eating everything from scratch to save on grocery bills. Home made bread, buns, tortillas, soups, rice, salads are home grown too!

We have paid application fees to 5 Fairs to sell our wares (BBQ & Shaved Ice)

We are selling Shaved Ice all SUMMER to earn extra $$

Wes is working 2 jobs! Flying in Alaska during his scheduled shift and working the concessions BBQ sales when he is home.

We are staying home. No extra driving or outings. (this is a HUGE sacrifice for our clan, we enjoy going out to movies, museums, parks, swimming....)

lest you feel like we are asking YOU to sacrifice MORE than we are.....
Now you know.

Peter at Home

Hurdles and Hugs
Peter had a great day today. He has enjoyed the sunshine, and all the fun running around with Zeke & Eli.

Each of the boys had a tick tonight at bed time.....can you imagine me trying to remove a tick from Peters arm-pit...he thought I was simply TORTURING him!!!

But the bath made it all better. He LOVES water, he washes his hands faithfully after every potty trip, just so he can have time in the water. Then he helped Shaun do dishes for nearly an hour....for the pleasure of playing in the water....He is so fun.

He ate 4 HUGE bowls of Baked Ziti for lunch. This boy eats.... Now if only we can get him to start gaining weight. He lost 7 lbs from the flu last month, he is so underweight any little illness just takes it right out of him.

I shudder to think of the worst case scenario, where we are not able to raise enough $$ to finalize his adoption and he is forced to return to Liberia.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent money. The amount we have to save/raise is HUGE and every little bit helps. I never want any one to feel like I am guilt tripping them, I sincerely hope I am not sending that vibe....My cousins near and far and my friends that have sent money to me....I just can't put into words how amazed I am.

Madi's preschool teacher from 1998 gave a paypal donation. Amazing.

Thanks again everyone.

Oh...we took the CUTEST photos of the boys all dressed for church. I will share tomorrow. Even though Peter did not attend church, he sat and watched a session of Conference in ASL with me on the computer!

GOTCHA!

What a day.... March 21st 2012
Yesterday was our "Gotcha Day"

The plan started this way:

Shaun and I had an apt. to get our fingerprints done. (for the 4th time....don't ask)

These apts are only made once a week, and if we did not make it to this, we would have two choices, drive 3 hrs to the next location, or wait a week. I was anxious to get them done, as this is the most essential part of the home-study.
The plan was, as soon as we were done getting that done, we would jet out to the airport and pick up our boy!


On our way to Liberty, Denise called.... She and I understand one-another when we use our 'free flight privileges' they come with many many kinks. Denise had been trying to get out on a flight since Tuesday afternoon. They had been full, and the Wed. flights were not looking any better.

When she called and told me the chances were getting slimmer for an arrival we made a hasty decision to drive and meet each other in the middle somewhere.

So once we finished with our fingerprinting appointment, Shaun and I drove 3.5 hours to Fort Dodge Iowa.

We arrived in Fort Dodge and met up at the McDonald's. Melvin is such a cheerful easy going boy, he happily jumped into our car, got himself buckled and we were on our way.

We arrived at home late last night. the older kids were up waiting to meet their new brother, and after greetings and smiles everywhere, we crashed into bed.

At 7:30 a.m. we got breakfast made and said goodbye to Madi & Shaun who had to go to school. Zeke & Elijah woke up and came for breakfast, Eli was surveying Melvin and was rather unsure of his stance, after lots of hugs, and kisses from mommy reassuring him all was ok, he jumped right into playing and sharing everything with Melvin.

The day is nearly half way over, and I am still in a state of disbelief. The kids are all getting along, everyone has been prepped as much as possible, and we appreciate your prayers to lift us along the way.

Did you see the Fundraiser Thermometer? Did you see we are at $1185.00!?

THANK YOU! and thanks to the many who have volunteered to sell chocolate bars in our behalf as well. (pics to come soon!)

Move your Feet!

Move your FEET
Most of the time people are supportive, loving and kind. To our face. When I tell the story of our life, or I share the portion of the journey we are currently walking, they say things like "You are so adventurous!" or "Your much braver than I"

Occasionally I get people who are real. and they say exactly what they feel to my face. In one instance someone who I admire greatly asked why in the world i would adopt kids when I was capable of having them biologically (I think she said the easy way)

Well......

What do you say? My un-restrained thoughts are "Because God commands us to care for the needy, and an orphan fits that bill"

but my politically correct reply was, "We feel this is our calling"

For those who CAN NOT care for more than they have, you should not feel guilty. Your Quiver is full, and you are fulfilling your role. Please do not think I am referring to that situation.

The frustration comes to me when ADULTS address their concern and or unapproved opinions to my CHILDREN, who then have to defend ME.

IT IS WRONG.

if an adult has an issue with another adult, then the grown-up thing to do would be speak to that person, not through their child, or neighbor or friend. Because frankly, if you do not know me well enough to offer friendly advice, then maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself.

I do not judge others who have EXCESS, who can travel the world, buy brand new cars every few years, Pay cash for every whim, fancy or idea. They earned it, and they have a right to spend it how they see fit.

But why do others seem to think it is their place to question, comment or gossip about my choices, goals, life and intentions.

People the commandment is to LOVE one another.

Comfort those that need Comforting

Support the poor, Widowed, needy and Orphaned.

and Love thy NEIGHBOR as THYSELF .

Here is a thought that resonates in my mind.
"If not me....then WHO?"
"If not Now...then WHEN?"
"If not this....Then WHAT?"

Adoption is not convenient, cheap, or easy.

the negative comments that are made about me wasting my potential, or how we must be really wealthy, or I must have super powers that they lack...are not true.

When I see someone with a flat on the side of the road, I can think....."Awe, someone else can take care of their needs"

or I can MOVE MY FEET and REACH OUT TO HELP!

What can you do?

Who needs your hand?

Who needs your love?

if not adoption...then what
it not you...then who
if not now....then when

MOVE YOUR FEET. Do not judge the path I travel, and in return I will smile and nod as our paths cross.

FundRaiser Ideas

Movers & Shakers
I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends who support my crazy life.

This morning I received a call from Susannah. I consider her one of my closest friends. She had a GREAT Suggestion!

Sam's Club Warehouse carries boxes of chocolate candy bars. 52 bars in the box. The boxes COST $20 (apx) The idea is to sell (peddle!) the bars wherever you can, selling them for $1-$2. These bars come with a $1 off coupon for Subway.

If everyone who is willing to pay for any amount of boxes, and sell the bars you could triple the investment! If your kids go to school, and are allowed to sell, they could sell a box in 3 hours easily!

I will create a flyer explaining our needs and you can use that as intro to the pitch.

I love it!

Who is in?