I TRUST IN HIM!!!!!!!

I so wish my HEART could talk!!!  I wish the words for what I am feeling would just flow out!!  I wish I could share with all of YOU the most AMAZING news that has revealed it self in the last 24 hours!!  I PROMISE as soon as I get the go ahead - I will SHARE!!!  I can't wait to share!!!  I can't wait to tell the world how only GOD could of orchestrated this story line!! And so many of you have been such a huge part of this MIRACLE for a very long time!!!

The truth is - it really doesn't have much to do with our family - it is all about a Mommy, a Daddy, 3 little boys and one little girl who has my heart forever!!!!!

I have such a new understanding and appreciation for everything.  I just get it now - more than ever!!  My beautiful friend Christina shared this with me this morning:
 When we come to GOD....we do not define the requirements, but we bring our plea, our request to HIM, to His heart. We bring big hopes and humble hearts with us to HIM. We tell HIM what we wish BUT:!!! we pray, that HIS wishes, HIS will happens.
We go to GOD. We bow before HIM. And: WE TRUST IN HIM!!!!

And my wonderful friend Rebecca shared this with me this morning:

Today, keep your heart and mind open for what God wants to do in your life. He wants to bless you and increase you beyond what you could ever imagine. When you believe His Word, your faith in Him activates His promises. Receive His Word and tap in to the blessing He has for you!

It's just all so much clearer now - everything makes more sense - I so GET IT!!!!

I TRUST IN HIM!!!!!!!

Please Pray!!!!

UPDATE:  Things are looking so much brighter - Oh my if this all works out like I am seeing it now - I will be sharing the most AMAZING TESTIMONY EVER!!!!!!  Thank you for PRAYING it is soooo working!!!  And you are so right Steph - GOD'S TIMING IS NEVER WRONG!!!!  Thank you!!!!!

Our family needs prayers for an answer.  Please PRAY for us that we may have PEACE with a very difficult decision!!!

I have PRAYED endlessly for a certain MIRACLE.  Praying, Praying, Praying!!!!!!  And today - the news came that the MIRACLE was GRANTED.  This is the most Amazing Wonderful News I have ever Prayed for!!!!!  But what if the miracle happens at the wrong time????  What if the MIRACLE is WRENCHING MY HEART IN PIECES????????  I feel sick even asking these questions - I mean how can you PRAY so hard for something and then QUESTION IT????

Oh Please GOD just tell us what to do!!!!  Please, Please, Please!!!!

So now that HE has performed this Miracle - now I ask for more help????  Oh my - this is so PAINFUL!!   I am absolutely GRATEFUL I just don't know what to do now!!!  We don't know what to do now!!!

I wish I could reveal more information but we have to wait - but I just couldn't wait to ask for your HELP in PRAYER!!!!!

Thank you!!!!

Adoption Update

It is so AWESOME to know that our home study and the other required documents are headed to the USCIS for approval to bring GAVIN HOME!!!!!  Thank GOD!!!!  Please PRAY that it will be a nice quick process!!!  Thank you!!!

28 of our dossier documents have been notarized and certified - now we will send them to Albany for apostille.  We are beyond BLESSED to have a very good friend that notarizes are documents for us - that saves us some $$$$.  Thank you Kath!!!!!

It really is crazy how much it all costs!!!   It costs $3 per certification and $10 per apostille!  In NY state we have to have all documents notarized, certified and then apostilled.  Not all states do this!   So anyways,  that's $364 for these 28 documents.  And sending the application to the USCIS - well that was $890.

$1,254.00 in TWO DAYS!!!!

OUCH!!!!!

So if you have an extra $1 or $2 just laying around - Please feel free to DONATE!!!  We would so appreciate it!!!  I'm pretty sure GAVIN will appreciate it too!!!!!  

Thank You So Very Much!!!!  

He is so WORTH IT!!!!!!!!  

Don't you think??????

To Mom ~ Love, Belle

Mom,

Of course I can pull my self to standing using the couch - I am not sure why this makes you cry!

 And of course I can walk over to you when you call my name!!!!!

 Yes Mom, I can pull my self up on the couch too!!!  

I Love it when Owen throws the cushions off the couch because it helps me get up!!!!

 Well, sometimes I just want something so bad that I will figure it out myself - I am a Big Girl Mom!!!

I Love to Look Outside!!!!  It is so Beautiful!!!!!

Oh Mom I want you to know that I am so excited that you get to pick up our home study tomorrow and send it off to the USCIS for approval to bring my BROTHER HOME!!!

I want him to look outside too!!!!!

Love,

Belle

xo xo xo xo xo xo 

Thank You Catherine

Catherine, Victoria & Francesca have been home for 1 month!!!!  Victoria and Francesca were in the same orphanage as Gavin.  My friend Patty introduced me to Catherine's BLOG - Thank you Patty!!!  Oh My - you have to visit their blog and see how precious these two girls are!!!  


 Catherine while in EE posted about Gavin HERE!!!  It is such a BLESSING to know that a MOM held your son and loved him up!!!  I can't tell you how wonderful this makes us feel!!!  It is the BEST!!!!  Catherine only has the sweetest things to say about Gavin - Of course it all just makes me more anxious to go get him and squeeze him!!!  And Guess What???  She sent us some more pictures!!!!!  YAY!!!!  This is the BEST gift (I think) an adoptive family can get - More pictures of the Precious Gem they are fighting to go get!!!!  Thank you so much Catherine!!!!!!  

I WANT that little beautiful BOY to be sitting at OUR table ASAP!!!!!!  

WE LOVE YOU BUDDY!!!!!!!!

Tripp Roth

I have posted a few times about a beautiful 2 year old boy named Tripp.  Tripp has suffered indescribable pain at the hands of a condition called Epidermolysis bullosa!  I have been BLESSED beyond words to follow his BLOG!  Witnessing the LOVE between Tripp and his Mom has been life changing!!  I have no idea how this beautiful Mother makes it through each day as her son suffers before her.  I don't know!!!  But I do know that this PAIR is a match that only could of been made in HEAVEN.  Together they are fighting this awful condition with smiles, laughs and the truest of LOVE!!!  Courtney rocks her precious ANGEL for hours and hours, singing to him as he trembles in excruciating PAIN.  Courtney's FAITH is so STRONG as she waits for God's Will.

In Courtney's words:  "But of course, nothing in the world can ease the pain of watching your child suffer and knowing that "keeping him comfortable" is the first step in letting him go. 

My prayers now are for God to do His WILL- not MINE.  

My prayers are to the Blessed Mother Mary to give us comfort."  

Tripp is being covered in PRAYER by thousands of people all over our world!!  Tripp needs ALL OF US TO PRAY.  Courtney, Tripp's Doctor and Pharmacists are doing everything they can to make him comfortable!!!

Let's All join Courtney and PRAY TO THE BLESSED MOTHER MARY TO GIVE THEM COMFORT!!!  AND TO GOD TO DO HIS WILL!!!!!!

I will be forever GRATEFUL to TRIPP & COURTNEY for revealing to me TRUE LOVE!!!!!!!

Choose Your Battles Wisely

You often hear parents say that they

"choose their battles wisely"! 

So when Dave just said:

"Owen don't THROW your sister so HARD"

I assume he is not choosing to BATTLE that Owen wants to THROW his sister.


Just to BATTLE how HARD he wants to THROW her!!!!!

I am dying laughing - this is why our family works - we are all NUTS!!!!!  AND I LOVE IT!!!!!!
(For the record - Owen & Sara were dancing and no injuries occurred due to the "throw")

Dentist Today For the Little Ones

 Owen was a CHAMP!!!!  This was his first visit to the Dentist and we could tell he was a little nervous but he let the hygienist do everything she needed to do.  We were so PROUD OF HIM!!!!!

 Look at this guy!!!!  Such a BIG BOY!!!!

 Miss Sara Grace was not as cooperative!!  Poor Princess!!  I had a feeling this would be the case I so I took the picture prior to the drama!!!  She did allow the hygienist to brush her teeth and apply the fluoride treatment.  The Dentist was able to take a very quick look too!!

 And NO picture of Bellie in the chair as she was not HAPPY!!!!  But she sure is now that she is HOME!!

 Both my girls are 3 years old now!!!!

 They are so sweet together!!!!

 Bellie is still not feeling well - she is still running a fever, not eating and is a little grumpy!  We will be calling her Doctor tomorrow if she still has the fever.  She had 2 days of antibiotic injections and started the oral antibiotic today so she should be much better by tomorrow.   Poor Baby!!!  She is scheduled to have an ultrasound and a VCUG on Friday just to make sure everything is working up to par.  This girl has been through so much when it comes to medical issues and she is always so TOUGH!!!!   Please Keep her in your PRAYERS - Thank You So MUCH!!!!!!

As for Dentist Visits we would like to honor Owen with the 

BEST PATIENT AWARD

GOOD JOB BUDDY - WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sara Grace!!!!!

You were born July 22, 2008 at WCA Hospital in Jamestown, NY!!!  I met you for the first time the very next day!!

Oh My - You were tiniest little PRINCESS I had ever seen.  You only weighed 4 lbs 11 oz!!

You were so PERFECT!!  You were absolutely Heaven Sent!!!!

I brought you HOME when you were 3 days old!!  I had no idea though that you were coming HOME to STAY FOREVER!!  As it was just a temporary foster placement.

Oh Sara I am so forever grateful it wasn't temporary!!!  I have LOVED you with all of my heart since that day I met YOU!!!

Our FAMILY celebrated like crazy on August 30, 2010 - this was the day we were BLESSED to ADOPT YOU!!!!!

 I couldn't even believe the precious little girl in the pink tutu would be my FOREVER DAUGHTER!!!!!!

I still just can't believe how AMAZING things have worked out!!!

 And today we are all BLESSED to wake up with you on your 3rd Birthday!!!

 You were so excited to open your presents that we decided to let you open them all at lunch instead of making you suffer until dinner.  

 Grandma Kath sent you a bag of fun surprises!!!  You LOVED the purple Pom Pom's!!!!

 It was so AWESOME to watch you open each gift!!!  My Goodness I sure do LOVE YOU!!!!!

 Your siblings are so PROUD to have you as their sister!!!!  And even your friend Carson came over to celebrate with YOU!!!!

 You couldn't wait to get outside and blow the bubbles that Grandma Kath gave you!!!  Even if it was 145 degrees out!!!

 Your SMILE is ELECTRIC!!!!!!

 You wanted to make pink cupcakes with pink frosting and star sprinkles for your Special Day!!!!

So Of course that is Absolutely what you DID!!!!

 You had so much fun!!!!  And I had so much FUN watching YOU!!!!!

 Owen doesn't mind a cupcake!!!!  Or FOUR!!!!!

And your "Sister Belt" was storing some for later!!  She knows with 5 siblings you have to take what you can get when you can get it!!!!!

 I could watch you all day run around giggling with your balloons trailing behind!!!!

Sara Grace, I Want You to Always Know that 

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK

AND ALWAYS 

WILL!!!

Bellie is Sick :(

Our sweet little Bellie was soooooo not feeling well this morning.  So we went to the Pediatrician and she has a UTI and a high white blood cell count.  My poor sweet love had to have 2 shots of antibiotics - Ouch!!!!  Our AWESOME Pediatrician is giving us a few hours at home to try and get her to drink lots and lots or she will have to be admitted!!!!

She is drinking like a TROOPER!!!  YAY!!!!  YAY!!!!  YAY!!!!  I am pretty confident she will be able to stay out of the hospital!!  She will have to go back to the Pediatrician tomorrow for another 2 injections of antibiotic - YUCK!!!

This GIRL is something I tell you!!  This morning she was miserable, not picking her head up, not drinking, not eating, grunting and grimacing!!  It was awful!!  It was painfully obvious that she was in PAIN!!

And NOW, just 3 hours later look at her:

Enjoying some chicken rice soup!!!  

You can tell she still isn't feeling well but I PROMISE you this is AMAZING from how she was this morning!!!!  Thank GOD!!!!

So today we will just be relaxing at home pushing tons of fluids!!!!  Maybe even a nice long nap for three sweet little toddlers and one very tired Mommy!!!!!!

Please, Please Pray for The Warner Family!!!!!

We need to cover this FAMILY in PRAYER!!!!!  

Please go to their blog:

http://buildingourvillage.blogspot.com/

Read the insane unfortunate events of this poor family!!!  

WE NEED TO STORM HEAVEN FOR THE WARNER FAMILY!!!!!

Home Study!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay I was totally FREAKING out about our home study!  Our social worker had told us when she left our house that we would have it the next week.  So that would of been the week of July 4th.  So I had e/m'd her last week to check the status but didn't get a response.  I of course jump to scary conclusions that something must be wrong???  Yep, I was making myself sick with fear all weekend!!!  Something I do frequently it seems - so silly really!!!  And I am trying to work on that,  but anyways:  I sent another e/m today and she responded with the homestudy attached for review!!!!  We were APPROVED!!!!!    Oh Thank You, Thank YOU, Thank YOU GOD!!!!!!!!

So this is a big, super fat YAY!!!!!  

One BIG step closer to our handsome little boy!!!!!!!!

Mommy & Daddy are coming Gavin!!!!!

Quote For The New Bedroom & Adoption Update

As soon as Gavin is HOME a picture of him will go up on that wall with his brother & sister!!!!  

I can't WAIT for him to come HOME!!!!!

We have a few more fun pictures to hang and then this room will be done and sooooooo ready for Owen, Sara and GAVIN to move in!!!!!!

Adoption Update:

Medicals Done

Fingerprints Done

Homestudy should be done any minute

12 documents notarized and waiting for approval to be apostilled (we fax all documents for approval to our facilitator to check for any errors)

9 documents to be notarized today

So we are moving right along!!  As soon as we get our homestudy we will immediately mail it to Immigration for approval as this is what takes the longest.  We will have our dossier all done and complete by the time our approval comes so that we will be able to send it off to GAVIN'S country right away!!!!  So I would LOVE and I am PRAYING that we will have our dossier ready in September!!!  September 1st is the GOAL though because that day 7 years ago I married my BEST FRIEND and the MOST AMAZING MAN IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!  And Gavin will be our 7Th Child - so it just all makes sense doesn't it????

Why? Why? Why?

I remember entering an orphanage in Ukraine for the first time - like it was 10 minutes ago!!  I remember the smell, the sounds, and the emptiness!!  I remember the pit in my stomach knowing that beautiful blessings had to LIVE here.  Or better terms would be they had to SURVIVE here because this was not living.  I knew that I had to focus - focus that we were about to meet our beautiful daughter for the first time!!  But when her caretaker brought her out and held her as far away from her body as she could - I almost lost it!!!  Well - I did lose it!!!  I grabbed that sweet child and hugged her so tight!!!  I looked at Dave and asked him "WHY?"   I then asked GOD, "WHY?"

I never posted this picture before because I felt it might come across as too dramatic.  But today I  REALIZED after watching a video posted on Carringtons Courage and her perfect post - that I had made a huge mistake.  This is NOT too dramatic - this is REAL!!!!  The FEAR that anyone lives like this is REAL.  And this is at the baby house - can you imagine what my face would look like if I was in the mental institution?  The awful place that precious treasures are sent when they are just 4 years old.

We know in this house that our sweet BELLIE would of not survived the institution.  It is a FACT!!!  She was unable to walk or feed herself - so that means she would of DIED!!!  This isn't rocket science - it's just the hard awful TRUTH!!!!

Bellie and 500 plus orphans have been saved thanks to the huge efforts of http://reecesrainbow.org/  But what about all the others?  The children left behind?  WHAT ABOUT THEM?????  This is why we are going back!!!  This is why we donate to families in process of adopting.  This is why we will continue to advocate!  This is why we will NEVER EVER STOP PRAYING!!!!

This is not easy to watch at all but it is so important to SEE THE TRUTH!!!!

 Please visit these sites and help in any way you can:

http://www.hiskidstoo.org/

Project TLC

http://reecesrainbow.org/

Thank you so much!!  It is so important we all stand together!!!!!

THEY NEED US!!!!!!!!

I Love......

 I LOVE a LAUGH that doesn't even allow you to open your eyes!!!

I LOVE how these three look at each other!!!!

 I LOVE that Big Brother's will SHARE toys with younger siblings!!!!

 I LOVE that little girls can do anything boys can do!!!!


UPDATE:  Thanks to my good friend Patty she pointed out that Nick was wearing his Reece's Rainbow shirt!!!  So I would now like to add the I LOVE a 13 yr old boy who is PROUD to be a part of the ministry that helped bring his sister home!!!!!!

I LOVE that Owen knows everything is way more FUN in a Santa Costume even if it is too small!!!

 I LOVE that Bellie thinks I'm so funny!!!!

 I LOVE a girl that is just HAPPY to hear her Mom sing her a song even if it's not very good

I LOVE a couple that goes shopping together even if one is dressed up as Spider Man and the other will have a pacifier until she is 40!!!!

Every day I find new things that I LOVE thanks to these Blessings!!!!  Amazing!!!!

Oh - and I don't have a picture but,

I LOVE getting my fingerprints done for a special little boy that we want to bring home.

Family Picture Night

I received the best gift from Jamestown Pediatrics when I left to be a stay at home MOM!!!  They gave me a gift certificate for Elisha to photograph our FAMILY!!!!!  Elisha is not only an AMAZING photographer but she is a Wonderful, Fun and a Super Sweet Woman!!!  I just LOVE her!!!!  We have had the pleasure of working with her 3 times in the last couple years.  We first met her for a Mother Daughter shoot - Tay and I had a BLAST!!!

Just two of the many she took!  We had a Mother Daughter Album made and it is so special to me!!!!

Then I called Elisha to take some pictures of Tay for her 16th Birthday!!!  When Elisha told me she wanted to take her to the library and the Laundromat I was a little confused but after I saw the pictures - I understood and was so thrilled with the outcome.

I had started this blog when we committed to adopt Lyla last year.  I wanted a family picture as our blog header but we were saving every penny so we wouldn't be able to have one taken professionally.  Elisha though offered her services at no cost at all!!!!!  This awesome lady came to our house at like 7 am one morning and snapped away.  See why I LOVE her????  Then she even blogged about us asking people to help with donations toward our adoption.  Wow!!!!

So tonight we get to work with Elisha again and have so much FUN!!!!  I am so super excited!!!!  I can't wait to see the results already and we haven't even taken the pictures yet - LOL!!!!  I also can't wait to be able to have some pictures to bring to GAVIN so I can introduce him to his whole FAMILY!!!!!

And I want to send out a SUPER HUGE THANK YOU for the Donations towards our adoption!!!!  You guys are so AWESOME!!!!  This means so much to us!!!  We will not be doing any fundraising for this adoption as most people do not understand why we are doing what we are doing.  So to ask for money - well it's not a good idea we decided.  So when I see that donation box go up - Oh My - it is so awesome!!!  No we don't have the money just lying around but we have FAITH that it will absolutely all work out just fine!!!  Thanks to you guys it is doing just that!!!!!