Silly Girls Swinging

The chattering you hear, that's all Ruby. You can hear her say, "Lala" to Lilya, and then she talks about swings, and then she says, "okay!"




These girls are so much fun!

The Laundry Fairy

The Laundry Fairy came to visit yesterday.

I switched the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer, and walked out of the room. About half an hour later, I went back in there and discovered the washer was full of dirty clothes.

Either Ruby or Lil had taken clothes from the hamper and put them in the washer! It was a mix of Brian's work clothes and bedsheets, but it was so cute!

Perks of being tiny...

Stuck, part II

When Ruby doesn't like what's on TV, she's discovered she can climb up & reboot the entertainment computer.

But then she had to call for help to get back down.

Albina's Matching Grant

 Remember earlier this month, I wrote about Albina?

Albina's grant is growing -- she's almost to $3000! At the end of May, her grant will double, thanks to a generous sponsor.  If we can reach $5000, Albina will get a total of $10,000.

Please check out the fancy new camera my friend, Patti, is giving away, to help raise funds for Albina.

You can donate to Albina on my blog, on Patti's blog, or on the Reece's Rainbow website. Just $10 will get you entered to win -- leave a comment on Patti's blog if you donate, so she can enter you.

Money is the number one obstacle for most people who want to adopt.

Adoption is expensive, but it's so worth it.

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This girl is amazing

I love when I can actually see how far Lilya has come since we've met her.

We were outside, watching her swing the other night, and I told Brian, "She swings so high, it scares me!"

He said, "Yeah, isn't it great!?"

Really -- she swing like a 6-year-old. It's one of the most age-appropriate things she does ... and I suppose terrifying her mother is included in growing up.





When we met Lilya last year -- she enjoyed swinging on the orphanage swing. It had a secure back, and we would push the swing. You can see that video on Lily's adoption blog, if you're interested.

Stuck

See that shopping cart in the background?



The other day Ruby was cranky ... and then she got stuck in the cart...


so, I did what any good blogging mom would do -- I grabbed the camera :)

Back-up Glasses

Lil's wearing her back-up glasses in this picture...


The glasses we picked up for her last Saturday.


Just in time, I think ... since Ruby did this to Lil's regular glasses:

They look much, much worse in person :(

One Year Later...

A year ago today, we met this little Lily-bug:

Lilya didn't like the flash very much, but she sure liked me :)

Lilya really liked my hair, she started petting it right away.

And today ... this beautiful girl is our daughter!

Cheesing for the camera

Giggling

Signing "Happy"

How has it only been a year!?  It seems like she's always been a part of our family!

We love you, Lilya!

Spring Flowers

These beautiful flowers came home from school!

Other fun art the girls have brought home from school this spring

Winners!

The best part of this giveaway was having FOUR winners!

• Fares Masri
• Jill Birschbach
• Melissa Moos
• Christine Wanless

Thank you to all who donated --

And Thank You again to my wonderful friend, Gretchen, who made these key fobs -- which raised over $300 for Oksana's grant!

One Year Ago ...

A year ago, we had our SDA Appt for Lilya!  This was the official start of our adoption process in Ukraine!

Money Monday for Oksana

Today's the last day to donate and get entered in the key fob give a way for Oksana!  So far, 15 people have donated, and Oksana's grant has grown by $320!


I'll draw names late tonight and announce the winners tomorrow!

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A couple weeks ago, I put an old jogging stroller on Craigs List.  We have so many strollers, and I figured I would donate the funds to Oksana.

Well, it didn't sell.  I didn't even get a single call about it.  I was pretty surprised...

Then, yesterday, I realized I never completed the final 'publish this item' step on Craig's List.  I did -- and the stroller was gone in less than 2 hours.

$25 more for Oksana!

It's my goal to think of little ways to keep donating to her fund, without it being a hardship for my own budget.  Slow and steady, hopefully help her grant grow -- and hopefully help her find a family along the way.

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I have a new, fun giveaway for June .... a fun electronic toy for moms (or anyone, I just know I really want one, too!)

A Day at the Zoo

A few pictures from our trip to the zoo last weekend ...


The peacocks were out, strutting their stuff -- and NOISY

We fed the giraffe!

Lilya did not want anything to do with that bear.  That's as close as she was going to get!

Braden gave him a bear hug.

Karly & Lily checking out .... something in a cage.  I think this was the wildcats!

I didn't see this at the zoo, so going through pictures this cracked me up!

The drive home was pretty quiet ....

even Lil zonked out.

Extended -- Key Fobs Drawing

Since Blogger has been down most of the past couple days, I'm going to extend the Key Fob Give a way for Oksana through the weekend.

You can donate through the donation box on the side that says "Oksana" -- or directly on the Reece's Rainbow website: Oksana.

Lydia's Balloons

Every year on Ruby & Lydia's birthday, we put purple balloons in Lydia's tree, one from each of us. This was the first year we had SIX balloons in the tree.

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Please consider donating to Oksana, in Ruby's honor and Lydia's memory.

There are 4 sets of super cool handmade key fobs to win -- and only about 10 people who've donated to enter so far! I'll hold the drawing this weekend.

Today

... is Ruby & Lydia's birthday.

Four years ago our twins were born.  It seems like just yesterday.

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Ruby went to visit a local school as part of their "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign -- a whole school of 5th & 6th graders sang her Happy Birthday!   She loved the attention -- and I think the students were pretty smitten with her, too.

We then walked class to class with a group handing out information, and she got to meet many of the students.  It was a pretty awesome day!

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Please consider donating to Oksana, in Ruby's honor and Lydia's memory.

There are 4 sets of super cool handmade key fobs to win -- and only about 8 people who've donated to enter so far!

Happy Mother's Day!

We took the kids to the NEW Zoo this afternoon, stopping for lunch at a diner along the way.  Brian & I were talking about how great the kids were -- especially Lil, who has only been in a restaurant a few times, ever.

At the end of our meal, Brian was getting money out to pay, and the waitress walked over, scooped up our bill & walked away -- without taking his money.  She brought our bill to a neighboring table, where an older couple sat.  They had asked her to let them pay for our lunch!

We thanked them, and they said they were so impressed with how well-behaved our children were!  What a nice Mother's Day gift -- especially hearing how wonderful my children are! 

Lil & Ru each painted me a flower pot at school!

Birthdays

We're having a little birthday party for Ruby & her friend Logan, today.  They are only a few days apart in age, and the whole local Down syndrome group was invited.  Here's hoping it doesn't rain...

Ruby & Lydia's birthday is on Monday.

Lately, when Ruby is outside playing, she visits Lydia's tree.  I know she doesn't understand what the tree is there for, but it's small and she likes to try to climb on it.

It's just nice to see my girl, who doesn't ever slow down, take a couple quiet minutes with her sister's tree.

Ruby has a dresser bursting with clothes -- hand-me-downs from Lilya and friends and cousins.  We have a house filled with toys and children's books -- so many toys, I keep reminding myself that sometime in the future I'll miss this stage when the children are older.   We have wagons, and trikes, swings and slides. for outside play.  

There is really nothing Ruby NEEDS for her birthday.  So, we've asked friends and family to donate to Oksana in Ruby's honor, instead.  

I would love to see Oksana have a family by her next birthday.

Giveaway for Oksana - Key Fobs!

We had a set of these key fobs for our blog auction for Lilya's adoption in 2009, and they were so popular, we ended up adding 3 more sets! 





So, I asked Gretchen if she's help me out again, and of course she readily agreed.  I mean, who could resist this sweet face?





These key fobs are great --  I have one, and it's so handy - I don't worry about losing my keys when I'm walking both girls through a parking lot out to the van.  It's also great for when you don't have pockets.

But this set is so much more than that - because you can keep your favorite one for yourself - and give the rest away as unique, fun gifts!  These were handmade by my talented friend, Gretchen.

WHAT YOU COULD WIN:  A set of 4 handmade key fobs - these would make a great end-of-the-year teacher gift!   Teachers would especially appreciate a note attached explaining how they are the "key" to your child's education.   Also, it would be really easy to punch a hole through a gift card & attach to the fob for a larger gift.

Made with 100% cotton webbing, keeps keys close at hand (on your wrist) & easy to find!

HOW TO ENTER:  

Simple! Make a donation to Oksana -- every $10 you donate will get you entered in to the giveaway; 3 entries for $25; 6 entries for $40!


You can donate through the chip-in in the upper corner, or directly on the Reece's Rainbow website: Oksana.   I added a chip-in, so you can see how many people have donated!

For an extra entry -- spread the word on your blog or Facebook, leave me a comment & let me know.

The giveaway will end at midnight on Friday the 13th!

These are the other 3 sets you could win:

I don't care where you donate -- here, on Reece's Rainbow -- you'll still be entered in the drawing.  Thank you!

Oksana

This little sweetheart needs a family. Let's find her one, shall we?

Oksana breaks my heart. She was listed when we found Lilya -- and still, she's listed.

I have a huge issue with the "Older Children" adoption stigma.

My Lil is 6 years old. She came home in July, a month before she turned 6. And, so, she's considered an older child adoption. But let's look at that, shall we?

• Lilya has recently outgrown her 3T clothes and is wearing a 4T
• She loves to give giant hugs
• She loves to SWING
• She's just starting to go down slides without us holding her hand. Usually we have to hold her hand the first time, and then she's find on her own after that -- but that first time can be scary
• She loves to bark at dogs passing by, but falls over backwards if a new dog gets close to her
• She cheers when the school bus pulls up for her
• MUSIC -- oh my goodness, she loves music
• and Dancing!
• When things are hard or new, she can get frustrated, but watches intently so she can learn
• Lil can't really run, but she'll walk really fast and throw her arms in the air
• She can jump, with both feet!
• She knows the sounds that all the letters of the alphabet make

My point is that Lil is just a little girl. She enjoys her pre-kindergarten class, loves playing with her sisters, adores her big brother, and loves attention from Mom & Dad.

Lil is just a little girl .......... and so is Oksana.

Oksana deserves all these things, just as much. She should have a Mama to hold her when she's scared or gets hurt, and a Papa to read the same book to her 4 times in one day.

Vocabulary

The other night at dinner, Lilya & Ruby were sitting on the bench together at the table.  Ruby was all wound up, and Lil was keeping a leery eye on her, like she was wondering, 'what is up with you?'

At one point, Ruby very slowly leaned waaaaay in over by Lilya ... got in reeeeaaally close ..... and then poked her, saying, "tickle, tickle!"


Braden turned to me and said, "Well, that was awkward."

Random Updates

Albina received 10 donations yesterday, totaling $121 -- which will double!

I'm attempting to blog every day again.  (Dad, you're welcome.)

Ruby's birthday is next week. Instead of gifts, we'll be asking people to donate to Oksana or Albina (More on Oksana's fundraiser coming later this week!  Remember my sneak peek?  That's for Oksana.)

I'm also looking for ways for me to donate to Oksana each week this summer.  It might be challenging, but I have a few ideas to start with.

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Karly's been working at our local Goodwill store one afternoon a week, for one of her high school classes.  She really enjoys it!

Last week, she brought home a flyer for the Goodwill friends & family sale -- 50% off all donated items.  So, Sunday evening Braden, Karly & I hit the sale -- and the kids each came home with a stack of books!  Braden was bummed they didn't have any Magic Treehouse books (Not a single one -- someone must have cleaned them out before we got there) but he was pleased with his Star Wars books.

These books seem to be written especially for Braden -- Star Wars Science Adventures (we got book 1 and book 2, and sadly a quick Amazon search is leading me to believe those are the only ones in the series.)  He was reading them at breakfast today, and exclaiming, "There's so much SCIENCE in these books!" which was cute.

We also picked up a little planetarium gizmo at the sale for $2, and Braden held a star show us in the darkened hallway last night.  It's pretty fun watching his mind at work.  Next, I need to get a book on constellations for kids -- anyone have any they'd recommend?  Because once you get past the dippers and Orion, there aren't many I know ... good thing this planetarium has the constellations labeled, at least.

Four

In one week, this beautiful baby girl will turn 4 years old.

How is that possible?

Where does the time go?

And how are we so fortunate to be her parents?


Please celebrate May, the month of Ruby and Lydia's birth, with us.


I've got big things brewing.

Plans to raise funds ... and find families. For two beautiful little girls, thousands of miles away -- Albina & Oksana.

Albina

Recently, I received an email about a little girl listed on the Reece's Rainbow named Albina.  A woman contacted me to ask for ideas -- she wanted to help Albina's grant fund grow.  She (let's call her Mrs. B) doesn't have a blog,  and wanted to know what she could do to spread the word that Albina needed a family.

Now this is not really ideal timing for me.  In a few days, Reece's Rainbow will start their 5/5/5 fundraiser, and they're trying to raise $5000 for each of the 5-year-olds listed on the site, waiting for families.  I signed up to fundraise for a little girl.  Albina's not even 5!  She's not in that campaign!  

But, when Mrs. B. first told me her plan, I was so excited -- I told her I would help her, and try to recruit others to help spread the word, too.  Because this generous woman and her husband want to donate $5,000 to Albina -- in matching funds.  

The least we can do is TRY.  The best we can do is put these faces out there, and find families.

I asked Mrs. B why they picked Albina, and this is what she told me...

Neither of us can explain why one night we came across Reece's Rainbow or how we ended up on Albina's picture captivated by her big dark eyes that simultaneously express sadness and determination. We think Albina somehow found us. As days passed, [my husband] nor I could stop thinking about this lonely, sweet baby who seemed to be calling for us to help her. We prayed for her and asked God how we could help. [My husband] and I decided we could hopefully raise enough money with the match campaign that somewhere a family who really wants this sweet baby, who is perhaps financially unable to adopt her will now be able to bring her home. This family would be the answer to our prayers and hopefully this assistance would be the answer to th theirs. 

We will pray everyday that everyone out there will donate, that somewhere a family is preparing to bring Albina home, that Albina will stay healthy and strong and that one day all of these children will have a place to call their forever home.

Really, don't these sad eyes make you want to scoop her up & snuggle her? 

So, if someone makes a donation to Albina's fund this month, they'll match it -- and double your money.

If you can spare $10 for this little love, she'll really receive $20.

Albina's profile on Reece's Rainbow says she was born in September, 2007.  She's a few months younger than my Ruby ... and that little frown makes me think she may be just as independent-minded as well.

This past week, we received an update picture of Albina for the Reece's Rainbow website!  Still no smile, still those soulful eyes.


Please, if you are willing to help -- spread the word!  Link to Albina from Facebook & your blog.  You can donate directly on Reece's Rainbow or here, on my blog, in the sidebar.