OH MY - WE HAVE A FAMILY SPONSOR PAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been waiting for this day for 45 days, since the first time I saw this precious baby girl.  Again to recap my 1st post.  I saw her on May 17th and BAM - just like that I knew I wanted to be her MOM.  BAM - I knew she would be a part of my wonderful family.  I knew she would thrive with a brother and sister around the same age and 3 of the best older siblings any one could ever ask for.  BAM - I knew that she would have the bestest DADDY in the whole world!!!!!!  THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!

Please take a look at our new little princess: http://reecesrainbow.com/familysponsorshipnew.html

Now I will call my 16 year old daughter to put her picture on our blog so everyone can fall in LOVE with her just like we did!!!

Oh, so there is no confusion - we would like to name her Lyla - she is listed as Lilliana!!

I have so many amazing stories to share now that we are officially listed!!!  I will be posting lots of good stuff so please keep visiting!!!

Can't even believe how absolutely amazing I feel right now!!!!!!!!

One Amazing & Caring Photographer!!!!!

When we set up our blog , I knew we needed a family picture that showed our LOVE for each other.  I knew just who to call - Elisha!!!  Elisha had photographed Me and Taylor for a mother daughter shoot for mothers day.  We had so much FUN!!!  Elisha had us do fun crazy things and honestly it brought us closer together.  The pictures came out so Wonderful - I was beyond AMAZED.  Then I looked at her website:  http://thatstalk.elishaorin.com/!!!  I cant believe the GIFT this woman has to capture LOVE!!!  Honestly, most of her pictures are simply breath taking. 

A couple days before my daughter turned 16 - I asked Elisha if she would do a photo shoot to with Taylor to make her feel extra special.  Well did she ever feel special.  Elisha brought her to the library, high school and Laundromat.  Laundromat???  Yes, I was a little confused too.  But then I got the pictures - AND OH MY GOODNESS!!!  The pictures were something you would find in Vogue - except the big suprise they were pictures of my daughter.  We all just kept saying "WOW" when we looked at each one.

So then, I contacted her about taking our blog family picture.  I explained money is tight due to this adoption.  Elisha came to our house at 7 am on a Monday and didn't charge us anything.  We only had 15 minutes until every one had to leave for school.  Again, she was just so fun to work with.  Even at 7 am - with 2 toddlers, a 6 yr old who didn't want to be in the picture, 3 teenagers and then 2 crazy adults.  And she nailed IT - she captured our family on film and this picture shows who we are.  Even our little Jay who doesn't ever want to be in pictures - if you look close - he is on the porch.  We couldn't be happier with this picture!!!!

Then to top it all off - she has posted our journey on her website. 

Please take a few minutes to admire her GIFT : http://thatstalk.elishaorin.com/

Thank You Elisha!!!!  Thank GOD for wonderful people like YOU!!!!

Road Block Knocked Down!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!I am so happy to report that we are able to continue with our journey to adopt Lyla.  I want to explain what has been going on.  We have an adoption pending in our home right now with little Sara our foster daughter.  Well, it was believed that it was a regulation that we were not permitted to adopt another child while a pending adoption was in place.  The regulation was misunderstood - OH THANK GOD!!!!  The regulation states that our local department of social services can NOT place an adopted child in our house since we already have an adoption pending.  I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!! 

Thank you so much for all your prayers - Thank you so much for all your support.  I have so many wonderful friends that kept me sane while waiting for this news.  I started to think this journey could end before it even started.  But a few very good friends reminded me that GOD would not allow this door to be shut.  God brought us to Lyla and HE will bring us through her adoption.  With GOD all things are possible.  Thanks to GOD we will bring LYLA home - I just know it!!!!!

So, now we hope the agency doing our home study will return this very special paper to reece's rainbow tomorrow.  Then finally - we will have a family sponsor page on the reece's rainbow website.  Then and only then can we post her picture (oh my is she beautiful) and post some information about her to share with everyone. 

Now, I will pray that tomorrow I can share this beautiful little ANGEL with all of you!!!!

Please keep the prayers a coming!!!!!!!

St. Anthony - Saint Of Miracles

I have been praying to St. Anthony!!!  Part of the prayer is "Assure me that I am not alone".  Since praying to St. Anthony I have received 2 e/m's from new friends reading my blog.  Both e/m's stating that they too have had or are having "hurdles" and  "road blocks" during the adoption process.  Thank you so much Tracey and  Patty for sharing this!!!!

St. Anthony HEARD ME!!!!!!!!  I am not alone!!! 

I don't want to seem greedy but I will continue to pray to St. Anthony that our journey to save Lyla is successful!!

I read on a friends facebook page yesterday "If GOD brings us to it - HE will bring us through it"  I do believe this and with this belief I know that I will be posting Monday that our road block has been knocked down!!!!!!

Please Keep Us In Your Prayers!!!!!!

These are the words....

These are the words of the holy one, the true one, ` Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.`



Revelation 3:7,8

My new dear friend Christina sent this verse to me yesterday.  We have been faced with yet another road block in our journey to save Lyla.  I can't explain how this feels! I am sick, frustrated and angry.  Our family loves this little girl so much and we can't seem to escape these walls trying to prevent us from bringing her home.  I am unable to explain the situation as I am afraid it will just hurt us more.  So I will just ask those of you that read this to please keep Lyla and our family in your prayers.  Please know that I will fight every inch of the way if I have to!  I will not give up!  My family wont give up!!!!!!! 

I have no words

Just another insight, please visit:  http://gardenofeagan.blogspot.com/2007/11/imagine-different-life.html

Waiting, waiting and more waiting.......

Just want to give you an update on where we are with our adoption.  Well unfortunately not too far.  Our home study that was done for Owen is not acceptable for an international adoption.  So it took me a couple days to find someone that could do the new one.  I was so excited when I spoke with Baker Victory and they not only said they could do it but they would take the info from our existing home study.  This will make it quicker and they wont have to charge us the complete fee of $1350.  This was great news!  Well - it's been a bit of an ordeal to get our home study released to them.  Finally I think we have done what we need to do to get it released and it should get to Baker Victory on Monday.  Then they will review and send us an application to work with them.  As soon as they receive application back from us and assign us to a social worker they will sign a paper that they send to reece's rainbow.  When reece's rainbow receives this we can be listed finally as "committed" to our little princess.  It will be then that I can post her picture and list some more details about her.  So this is where we stand.  It has been 9 days since our family made a commitment to bring her home.  It feels like FOREVER!!!!!!  I feel so helpless - I have a little girl that I already LOVE in an orphanage in another part of the world and there isn't anything I can do about it except WAIT!!!!  My heart just aches!!! 

How can this be true?

Please take a few moments and read this article:  http://www.worldnextdoor.org/2009/04/romaniv-boys-orphanage/.  This is just a small insight of what happens to little ones with special needs in other parts of the world.

How can this be true?  Why is this allowed to happen?

Mission: Find Conor's Gum

Special Agent Owen & Special Agent Sara 

  Mission Find Big Brother's Gum

First:  Devise Plan in Undisclosed Area - Behind Dark Shade Will Do

Search Bed Side Table

Agent Sara Is Convinced She Will Find The Gum In Here

Although She Hasn't Found Any Gum She Is Very Interested In Everything She Has Found

Agent Owen Knows His Brother Loves Music - The Stereo Is A Perfect Place To Hide Gum

Mission Failed - No GUM

Agents Quickly Realize Conor Is Going To Be Very Mad

After an Exhausting Failed Mission

Agents Must Rest

 We Now Dream of Agent Lyla Joining Our Family So All Missions Will Be Successful

So MUCH!!!

I started today discouraged - no one was calling me back - no e/m's of huge donations - no notification from a judge that we could just come pick up Lyla and not have to go through the whole process (well it would be nice).  But really today seemed to be just "yuck" as my 2 yr old would say.  I found out that the social worker that did our home study for Owen is not licensed to do international adoptions.  So I was leaving messages all over to find someone to do another one for us.  No one called me back - so yes I got a little grumpy.  Yes, maybe I was a little mean to my husband.  He is always the one I seem to take things out on - Sorry Sweetie!!  So I decided to get on our blog to cheer me up.  And did it ever!!  My daughter while at school worked on the blog and added some pictures.  I cried and had the chills  because here is a 16 year old girl who shares her house with 2 bio brothers, 1 adopted brother, a foster brother and a foster sister and she is willing to help to bring home Lyla.  She is at school and still wanting to HELP!!!  We are a team and I am so proud to be her MOM.  Ok - so my day turned around Quick!!! 
Then I checked the yahoo rr group page and I had a response for looking for help with a new home study.  The response was yet another reason to pick my head up and SMILE.  Are you ready for this????  A mom, living in the same state, who's husband works in the town I live is adopting a little boy from the same orphanage Lyla is in - for real!!!!!  http://adozenreasonsandmore.blogspot.com/2010/06/impatiently-waiting.html  We exchanged e/m's and Tracey is willing if able to take pictures of Lyla when she goes to meet her son Eamon!!!  Isn't that just the best???
I have another amazing story to tell that is a sure sign from the Heavens Above that we are meant in every way to be Lyla's family - I will be sharing that soon!!!
To end the day - I watched a video clip posted by the Sanchez family http://savingsofia.blogspot.com.  This video captures the most incredible event.  A Mom, Dad and Daughter leaving an orphanage forever.  I of coarse was sobbing uncontrollably.  I couldn't help but picture our "gotcha day" and Thank GOD for all these amazing blessings!!!!

Donations

Ask and you shall receive!  I have had a few people ask where to send money to help with our adoption cost.  THANK YOU!!!!!!

Please, what ever you feel most comfortable with:

1)  mail your donation to: Reece's Rainbow, PO Box 4024, Gaithersburg, MD 20885  http://www.reecesrainbow.com/.  please just make sure to put for the spitz family in your memo.

2)  mail to our home address:  152 Cook Ave, Jamestown, NY 14701 - and then your choice to make check out to Reeces Rainbow or Spitz Family.

3)  www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorspitz.html  You can donate your tax dedeuctible contribution right on that Link!!!!!!!

Either way - I promise your donation will help to bring Lyla home and give her a chance at the LIFE she deserves.

I know how blessed I am to know so many wonderful people that are willing to lend a helping hand no matter what.  WE THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

A piece of paper - worth so MUCH

So happy to have some followers - YAY!!! 

Today I e/m'd Andrea the director of http://www.reecesrainbow.com/ our application to adopt Lyla.  This little paper - means so much - this is the start friends - this is the beginning of a new life for our family and for Lyla.  Who knew filling out and completing one application would bring me such emotion but IT DID!!! 

I just read a post of another blog:  http://savingsofia.blogspot.com/  It was "gotcha day" for beautiful little Sofia.  Gotcha day is when a child leaves an orphanage with their new amazing family.  Sofia's mom expresses her emotions so well that you just cant help cry the happiest of tears.  I can not wait until we have our "gotcha day".

Here we come Lyla........

Wow - today is the BEST day ever.  I will never forget June 8, 2010 - it was this day - that we made a commitment as a family to bring home a little princess from Eastern Europe.  This sweet gem was born with some special needs which makes it even more important that we save her ASAP.  She has the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen, well my husband has some pretty nice blue eyes too.  I found her May 17, 2010 on reecesrainbow.com and it was love at first sight.  I found her and BAM - just like that I knew I wanted to be her MOM.  I knew she belonged with us here in this house with this family.  I knew we would love her , protect her and encourage her to be who ever she wants to be.  I knew with all my heart I would do what ever it would take to bring her home.   I have been inspired by other families that have brought home special need angels on RR.  One family in particular is the Basile Family http://angeleyesadoption.blogspot.com/ - Oh My Goodness does this family have a way with words.  This Amazing family brought home "a sassy diva" named  Zoya and she has been an absolute joy to watch thrive in her new family.  Warning if you visit their blog - box of tissues are necessary for the never ending flow of Happy Tears.  Trust me!!!! 

So now we just need to raise about $24,000 - no problem!!!!  Pocket change!!!!  We will soon have a place on Reecesrainbow.com where you (PLEASE???) can make a donation!!! 

Thanks for reading and I hope you follow our journey to bring our new daughter home.