Happy Birthday dear Brandi!

Today, sitting somewhere in Eastern Europe in a orphanage is a little girl. This little girl turns 5 years old today. Likely, no one will give her cake or presents. Brandi, deserves no more Birthdays sitting in a orphanage all alone. Happy 5th Birthday, Beautiful Brandi! God lead me to you for a reason & I hope your forever family finds you before your next Birthday! Will you please donate $5 in honor of Brandi's 5th Birthday? Skip starbucks today & donate the money to her instead! If you can't donate please pray her family will find her soon!

My Beautiful Butterfly, Brandi

 Yay! Finally back to teamwork Tuesday & it's one of my Beautiful Butterfly's turn! I have mentioned Brandi before but I did not realize til today it's her Birthday on Friday. My beautiful butterfly, will be 5 years old. She should be celebrating with presents, cake, & ice cream playing with her little friends from Kindergarten not facing a Mental institution. Is it a mere circumstance that I have 5 lovely pictures of her? My favorite is first. She looks like such a happy girl! Yes Mommy I know I have cerebal palsy & mild hearing loss but don't let that scare you! My advocate & Guardian Angel warrior, knows some awesome adult friends both with cerebal palsy & they let nothing stop them! They are married & have 2 sons, not to mention a church for the disabled.

April 12, 2012 I wrote the following:

I was planning to write about something I was born with but will save that for later. Last year, a little girl Brandi who had been listed at least since I first found out about Reeces Rainbow became unavailable due to a new law & sadly her special needs did not make the list. I had fallen for her & "Genesis" now going to be named Sarah by her new family but felt I needed to focus on Celine & Cora Lynne since thats why I had started this blog originally. So I was sad for her & another girl who did not make the cut on that list. I had not really thought much about her since she got taken off Reeces Rainbow til my Birthday Feb 4th when with a friend that day we were discussing Zinnia the other girl who my friend had fallen in love with & I mentioned Brandi out of the blue that she also had been not available for adoption. Strangely enough I felt lead to pray for her that night, & to my shocked surprise I found her relisted the next day! She was about to the age where she could qualify for adoption even though her needs were still not on the list. (which I think now are anyway)I can only ask that God was stirring something in my heart to help this precious girl with cerebal palsy. So naturally, I asked to be her Guardian Angel warrior for that reason & the fact that I felt like I needed to focus & advocate for a child without Down Syndrome since not too many notice the "Other Angels" that have various other special needs. God called me to be her warrior for that reason & I followed what he lead me to do! If he is calling you to adopt DO IT, if he is calling you to pray for a child in need of a family DO IT, if he calls you to advocate for a child DO IT. Let God lead the way for whatever he leads you to do! PRAY, ADVOCATE, ADOPT!!! I am praying Brandis family will find her soon, in the meantime I am trying to fundraise for this precious girl that God told me to pray for!

Don't I have that curious expression?

A toy, can bring a simple pleasure. Sadly I won't get any toys of my own for my Birthday.

Maybe I would love to learn to play the Piano just like any other child

                                 
              This picture I think is most recent. She looks so sad.
                 Maybe she was having a bad day? who knows?

No little girl deserves to go without parents for her 5th Birthday. will you make sure its her last? Go donate $5 in honor of her 5th Birthday. Skip that starbucks or whatever & go donate it to her grant. I will be thinking of her September 15th, 10 days after her Birthday fundraising at my yard sale for her. Would it not rock if I could raise $500 for her as a belated Birthday gift? She has a grant of only $106.20 now which is better than what it was but still. Please pray for it to go well! Think your her family? Contact Andrea at Reeces Rainbow or go see my highlighted name for more information about me!
We are all blogging today on Teamwork Tuesday go see my friends posts they wrote about me!
Saving Emmitt and Victoria
God's will be done
Tripping Differently
Love Leaving Legacy
You will go out with Joy 

Trip of a lifetime

Last month I wrote a blogpost announcing I am going to Russia! Little did I know when I said Yes that God would provide almost all of the funds needed for a passport & visa in a month! This is a trip of a lifetime & I am praying he will provide the rest needed to go! Can you please pray for the yard sale I will be having September 15th which will benefit me going & benefiting Brandi who still is waiting for her forever family? I'm having Faith in Gods timing, as he has shown me so much this past week. Its not easy asking for help I know adoptive families go through the same thing but this is a trip of a life time to experience a new culture, new sights, & another country. Not to mention helping an awesome friend with her newly adopted daughter! I do have a "insert gulp" chipin to the right if you would like to donate but please don't think you need to.
If I get all $139 before the yard sale then I will donate part of yard sale proceeds to my original intention of helping the family I am going with. They still need funds & I intend to help them in anyway possible!

Worth all the hardwork & time spent!

Though I have done JBF consignment sales many times I want to say it over & over YES IT IS WORTH IT FOR MY BEAUTIFUL STARFISH!

Cora Lynne is 6 years old & has been listed on Reeces Rainbow for almost 2 years now. Its about time she finds a family!

Celine turns 7 years old in October, my "darling daughter" of my heart deserves a loving family.

It's been such a successful fundraiser in past years even if it is a ton of work, because to me it matters to this one! In 1 week & 5 days I will be taking all my stuff to sell there. I am aiming for at least $100 for each girl though I would love it if I could send $150-200 each for them. 89 items most of which is in this stack all ready to be loved by another child or several. What these children & parents might never know is by their purchase it brings 2 girls one step closer to their forever families.

 

Please pray for it to go well! I dropoff stuff on September 5th, Presale on September 6th which usually is one of my best days at selling, & the open to the public sale September 7th-9th. Typically I volunteer to pickup my leftover items but this time I have no option to so I will be donating everything. I get 65% of the profit since I volunteer which is good. I use to get more but they changed things around so sadly I lost that percentage. Still way better than what I could get at Once Upon a Child! I will never take my leftovers there again. I love you so much Celine & Cora Lynne that I do this for you! Your lives are worth it OVER & OVER AGAIN!!
As I said on my facebook about Celine & its for Cora Lynne too: 

1. This girl is the reason I GET POKED BY SAFETY PINS, WHY I GO CRAZY CLEANING STUFF WHICH SOMETIMES IS REALLY GROSS, & DEALING WITH ORGANIZING PILES OF CLOTHES BY SIZE & GENDER! THIS LITTLE STARFISH IS WORTH ALL THE HASSLE & TROUBLE IF IT MEANS ONE STEP CLOSER TO HER FINDING A FAMILY! THIS ONE MATTERS TO ME!!

Exhausted

I'm tired, of figuring out what to write, how to write whats on my mind. Thinking about taking a blog break for awhile because I am just crazy busy getting ready for a consignment sale & yard sale in a few weeks to fundraise for these kids. I have written some good posts lately that I would love for the message to be kept on spreading.
If you want to read some good blogposts from the past several days please read & share these posts!
It Matters to this One
Alternatives Pregnancy Center & Volunteering

Overwhelmed with Graditude

I am so thankful for my friends! Thanks to the contributions, Amazon associates link, & what I have managed to save I will likely only need about $139 for my Russia trip & I hope to have that raised at the yard sale! Their is just not more to say but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS! Its hard to receive instead of give always for me but I do appreciate it every bit! It matters to this one! My friend I am traveling with REALLY WANTS ME TO GO & I so want to so keep praying! Pray for them cause they still need funds to! Stay tune cause if I can figure out how to do this crafting thing & have enough time I will be selling stuff to fundraise. Maybe a craft auction cause I need to get rid of the TONS of supplies I have. It depends on when I will be going. Oh if your on Facebook & need some bows or zipper pulls look up Shooting Stars Crafty Corner & like it! I have very few items on that page but the proceeds go to my trip. I have mentioned this several times but it takes some humble pie to ask for help instead of giving it. I do have a way to fundraise if you love to digital scrapbook?  Want to do something like this?

1. Go order My Memories 3 software

2. Type in STMMMS49256 at checkout

3. You get $10 off the software & I get $20 for everyone 

purchased! 

Note you still might get the $20 of free digital scrapbooking kits. 

Regardless their is plenty of freebies on their website!

Stay tune later cause I am going to be pied for a precious boy on Reeces Rainbow!

Alternatives Pregnancy Center & volunteering

Volunteering has certainly changed my life for the better learning how to serve others from helping in the toddlers class at my church to helping others to fundraise for their adoption, by volunteering to help at special events like the Step Up for Down Syndrome walk to help bring more awareness of Reece's Rainbow, to being brave by volunteering 1 week every summer to lead a group of 5 preschoolers at VBS, to serving a weekend at Camp Barnabas in Oct. 2010 to a camper with Down Syndrome who had a love/hate relationship with me or volunteering 1 week at that same place to sibling campers to volunteering at Alternatives Pregnancy Center which helps 1st time moms facing an unplanned pregnancy.
I have certainly done a lot, no I am not bragging but I do have to say I Love what I have done & what I have currently done for the past 5 years serving at the Pregnancy Center. Its been a challenge for sure at times going through stacks of baby clothes to hang together & make sure its nicely kept but it certainly is worth it to see Babies getting all these cute & adorable things that their moms get to earn for them by attending Parenting Classes & using their mommy bucks. Sometimes they even can get some personal items for themselves!            
The Nursery Nook store where the moms shop. I will certainly miss the old location but looking forward to what we can do with the new location!

It's been nice to have my Mom along for the Journey & this special time we spend together.

 Can't you tell by my expression on my face how I am excited for the New location? 

Every year, I participate in their walk for life to fundraise & thanks to all my friends for their love & support I raised $200!

They also host a banquet every year in the fall & I am always so happy for my annual time with Dad. I can't wait til the Banquet in a few weeks!

Serving others truly is a gift & I am so glad my parents have taught me that. I have mentioned before I am no super hero or anything of the sorts I just love to help & God wants me to!

He certainly taught me lots when I served my camper, Gracie at Barn-a-break back in Oct 2010. Barn-a-break is/was a mini camp experience over a weekend either in the fall or the spring. Everyone I met their mouths dropped when they asked me where I was from & that I would just come for the weekend but then when I explained my grandma lives close & we came for a visit they all were like ahh I see now. From the beginning I was excited because they had put me in a girls cabin with the most adorable girls all with that extra chromosome. I knew I was experienced in what it was because of Sarah but little did I know the difference in each camper.

From what I knew the camper I got was 6 years old & probably the youngest at camp age wise. The moment I saw her in the arms of the staffer I was not sure what she thought of me. She was upset & wanted her staffer from that summer who was not going to be in her cabin for the weekend. The whole weekend we had moments where she was fine with me & loved me but most of the time she was bonding more with the staffers then I. At the end of the weekend she just started to warm up to me & I am sure if it had been a week at camp it might be different. 

Being in a cabin of girls with Down Syndrome, taught me that they are not all alike & to have patience that's for sure! I had the best time that weekend!

Serving is a great reward in it self & teaches you so much. If you have the time to change someones life why don't you get involved by volunteering?

It matters to this One

Originally I was going to post a different post I wrote but after today I thought that post can stand to wait an extra day this really can't. Today when I walked to the mailbox I was not expecting to receive a precious treasure when I least expected it & needed it the most. When I noticed a package from Joy Belle Jewelry on etsy I was confused I had not ordered anything from her in a long time & did not remember entering any Giveaways or auctions so I opened the package & was surprised when I saw the lovely starfish necklace with two little charms on it. I asked around & no one claimed to be the friend who got it for me. Then I had a thought, maybe I should see if theirs a note on the back of the business card. Well their was & this is what it said
 A gift from a secret RR (aka Reeces Rainbow) friend
I asked several people hoping one of them would say yes they sent it but clearly I am not meant to know who it was but I sure hope to repay their kindness someday. I even begged the person who made it but she said her lips are sealed.
So as my mind kept wondering what meaning the charms had & if they were the birth months of 2 children I had helped bring home I posted on my facebook & a friend suggested it might have to do with the 2 girls you love. I then realized she was right, & the tears just flowed knowing I needed to hear those words at this moment & that someone knew how much I Love Celine & Cora Lynne enough so to have their birthstones of May & October put on this special gift. I wish I could give a huge hug right now to you, my secret friend whoever you are cause I needed to hear it matters to this one! For those that have never heard the Starfish poem:
As I walked along the seashore this young boy greeted me.
He was tossing a stranded starfish back into the deep blue sea.
I said, "Tell me why you bother. Why waste your time this way?
There's a million stranded starfish. Does it matter anyway?"
And he said, "It matters to this one. It deserves a chance to grow.
It matters to this one. I can't save them all, I know. 
But it matters to this one, I'll return it to the sea.
It matters to this one, And it matters a lot to me."

What my secret friend was trying to remind me again it matters to this one

                                               And this one

                            
                                            And this one

                                           And this one

And this one

And this one

What about all these kids?

Yes it does matter

For this one

And this one

And this one

And this one

I know some of you might not get it, thinking why bother? But It does matter to this one to me.

Thanks secret friend for this precious gift! I will treasure it always, as I reminder that yes it does matter to the two girls whom I dearly love & to all these kids.

God provides

UPDATE ON SELAH PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR THIS PRECIOUS GIRL & HER FAMILY!

• UPDATE on Selah from Yvonne (blog) Monday about 12:30am:
  "Today was a very hard day. Selah had no responses till evening & that was hard for us! However as they were changing an IV she had tears and was moving her head. We were told that tears come from the lower part of the brain stem and was not really a big sign. We don't know, it seems she is here at times. Still NO gag or cough PLEASE pray for that! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! Tomorrow is a new week, she will finish the study at 5 pm and be taken off the cooling sheets. She will start physical therapy...She was started on feeds through a nasal feeding tube ( just like a NICU baby has) and is tolerating that. Her heart rate was down some around 130-140 , it still needs ot get down to 100! Please pray for our girl to come back to us! We have both...
  

  cried on and off all day.
  
  Went to church this morning and I just wept through most of the service. The words of the song becomes so much richer when you are going through a trial..."the Defender of the weak, You comfort those in need..." How Great Thou Art" etc....
  
  we went out to eat after service and the server asked how many and Jon and I both said 7, then we said 6...then we cried when we were seated. It was hard to ride in the care with all the children and have that one carseat empty. Oh God somethings are like knives in the heart!!!!! Then as we were getting ready to leave the server comes over with a gift card from a family who had just left. We just bawled again and so did our server....
  
  I can relate to David in the bible when he said "his eyes were swollen from crying" Please pray that God will see those tears and answer our prayers!!!!!!!!"

So yesterday after my "whine" blogpost after letting all my emotions & frustration through tears & words, I went to bed exhausted at how I am trying so hard to save money & just a little bit of everything stressing me out. I tried listing something on craiglist a while back & that was a complete waste of time with 2 flaky people who took a few days to reply each time so decided just to wait & sell said item at the yard sale I am going to do through the neighborhood sale. I keep debating whether I even want to do a auction cause about the time I get done I am stressed to the max making sure said people get prizes that they paid for & typically sending off prizes while worrying about the best way to pack & ship it cause I don't have tons of money to spend on shipping. Don't get me wrong I love Giveaways & Auctions, they are so successful but it takes a lot on me. So this morning at church (before service) I opened my email & there with tears in my eyes was a chip in  notification of a donation made to me from a beloved friend. I had prayed last night asking God to provide & telling him I trust him. Its not like I asked or begged to donate in my blogpost at all, she gave of the willingness of her heart. For that I am greatful, & I thank her for what she has done. Between that, a donation from my grandma, & my profit from my Amazon Associates link I should only need about $175 now! God wants me on this trip to Russia & I am sure he will provide the rest needed! Thanks for all your support, love & prayers as I embark on my 1st international adventure!

What more can I do but pray?

First of all the latest on Selah as of last night:
Selah continues to make some movements...however we have been told they are not the kind of movements we should be seeing...it's long and detailed and confusing to explain....however we feel she is reaching out to us. PRAY specifically that her heart rate will come down (still around 150ish for the most part) pray that her blood pressure will NOT go up! She is still in danger of more ...

1. 
   

   brain damage from that. Pray that she will have a gag reflex and that she will respond to pain correctly. She has started responding a little but in a way that leads them to believe she is only responding from her brain stem. She is swollen and has been given drugs to combat that. Today they had to remove a arterial line because there was a blood clot. This has been a long day of many ups & downs... pray for Jon & me....

   
   

   
   

   WANT TO HELP? RIGHT NOW THE FAMILY HAS ASKED FOR EVERYONE TO GO TO CHURCH TODAY & ASK FOR PRAYER FOR SELAH! SO ADD HER TO YOUR CHURCH PRAYER LIST, AND/OR HAVE A PRAYER PERSON PRAY WITH YOU FOR HER! I will be adding her to my requests will you please?

   
   

   
   

   Somedays I am just stuck wondering what more can I do for these kids & for my Russia trip? I wonder why people don't get it? will they see the trip as being helpful to a family? Does anyone hear me? I keep having a bad feeling that my little friend Cora Lynne is stuck in a crib all day at 6 years old & that if she has been transferred its not a good place.

   I hate begging & pleading as I know others feel the same way when they are adopting. I know their are so many that are still in need right now but I got to get on the road about this so I can help the family I am traveling with cause they still need LOTS & in order for me to go I need them to also be funded. If I somehow get more funds than I need for the visa, I will donate the extra to my friend & if she gets fully funded then I will help my awesome friend, Christina with her passport costs. I'm thinking about doing an auction but I can't afford shipping costs cause I am saving every $1 for my trip & I don't want to ask any adoptive families for anything since your already saving yourself. I have nothing to offer & if I did I would have to have the winner cover shipping. NOTE-MY AIRFARE & FOOD ARE BEING COVERED BY THE FAMILY SO THAT'S WHY I ONLY NEED TO RAISE THE $300 FOR MY VISA AT MINIMUM. MY PASSPORT I BELIEVE IS ALREADY COVERED. I WILL CONFIRM WHEN I DROP IT OFF AT POST OFFICE.

   Anyway sorry for my rant but I have been trying everything to earn funds, some successful & others being frustrating. 

   Praying, for Gods timing in everything. For the funds I need, for the process to pickup speed for the family (right now all I will say is to keep praying for this for them & for me), & for my nerves that if this happens I will be okay as I have never been to any country outside the USA so it is a little mind racking to picture. Thanks everyone from me to you! I know PRAYER IS POWERFUL IN NUMBERS SO PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS & DON'T FORGET TO PRAY FOR SELAH!

Hope for a future

Each day Ekaterina waits, is another day she does not deserve to wait for a forever family to come.

This girl is 8 YEARS OLD & MOST LIKELY IN POOR SHAPE. 
Can't you see past her photo? She NEEDS A MOM TO CARE FOR HER! NO 8 YEAR OLD NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE SHE DOES IN THIS PHOTO. For more information about me click on my highlighted name & contact Reeces Rainbow.

Update as of tonight on Selah

• "Selah has had a good day. Everything has remained stable. Her heart rate is still higher than they'd like so please pray that it will go into normal range. She has made some small advances neurologically but we have a long way to go. We have been given hope for her survival based on the fact her body has remained healthy and her organs are functionally good. Of course they can not predict where she will be neurologically. She is making small advances, she is breathing above the rate of the respirator and her eyes are responding a tiny bit.
  
  So please pray for Selah that she will remain stable and that she will respond to stimulus. We are NOT out of the woods yet but God is listening to our prayers and showing mercy. Thank you all for holding her up before the throne of grace....God is our refuge and strength a VERY present help in trouble! He is the only God who promises to be our help in trouble and He is with us in trouble....I know He is carrying us today!
  
  Thank you all for everything! We feel cared for and loved by so many people who are holding us up to the Father....thank you!!!!"

  

  
  

Update on Selah

STOP WHATEVER YOUR DOING & PRAY FOR PRECIOUS SELAH! PLEASE THIS GIRL NEEDS ALL THE PRAYERS RIGHT NOW! PRAISE GOD HER BROTHER HAS RECOVERED BUT ITS VERY SAD FOR SELAH.

1. Update...Selah's heart rate is staying too high, pray for it to come down to normal, not a good sign. Also pray that her blood pressure remains stable it's going up & coming down, it needs to stay around 120/80, Her blood sugar went really low (40) & she had to be given some extra sugar. Pray that God will heal our little sweet LaLa ...

   & give her back to us whole. Hug your kids and don't take a day for granted...you don't know what can happen! Cherish the moment!

   
   

   If you would like to leave them messages of encouragement & prayers please go visit their blog here also for a more in depth updated post with information.

   

   
   

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Yesterday my heart about sank when I saw on one of my friends facebook posted this.

                 Along with this when I directly went to Selah's moms page:
 If you've not heard, we've had a terrible accident. Jon took Sam and Selah on a walk on the Erie Canal before lunch today. He stopped for a minute on a level surface, to check the time on his phone & the stroller rolled into the Erie Canal. Jon Clanton jumped into the canal right after them. He was able to hold the stroller up & fought against the current pulling him and the stroller down. ...He couldnt' get the kids' unhooked but was able to pull them up some and evidently got Sam's head up. Someone jumped in and took him out and Jon and another lady pulled up the stroller so they could do rescue breathing on Selah until the EMTs got there. The Erie Canal is very deep, cold, and strong currents...the sides are cement with nothing to hold to... Sam is ok, put is being kept overnight since his body temp went down to 90 degrees. At this point Selah is not expected to live...our hearts are broken. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR SELAH!!! We love her so much and have loved being her parents. We are asking God for mercy! She is on life support, currently she is in a study ( the only hope they could give us) The study is to keep her temp at a certain lower than normal point with the hope that could help. But they still give us no real hope and even if she should live, they feel she won't be "Selah" anymore. Please pray that God will give us a miracle for our little girl!!!!!!!
This precious girl just turned 8 years old, has special needs, & was adopted just 5 months ago! Her moms update as of this morning: Thank you all for your prayers....PLEASE keep praying...Selah's heart rate is up (not good) and she is taking less breaths on her own....we need your prayers....please please pray for her like she was your little girl!!! This morning my hope is all gone but I am thankful that you all can hold us up to the Father.
I know God is mighty & can provide a miracle for Selah just like he did for another boy not too long ago. PLEASE PRAY!!!

Update on my Russian Adventure

Hey Everyone, Just wanted to give you an update on my Russian Adventure. So far it looks like God is wanting me to go but I need prayers for the adoptive family that I am going with for the process to pickup speed. Nothings wrong except I really want to go on this trip. In the meantime I do have good news! Looks like I can go ahead to get my passport application filled out & sent off hooray! I want to personally thank the person who bought all 4 white flowers, my friend Laurie who made the flowers & said I could use them to fundraise, & lastly to Stephanie who donated! God has continued to provide in many ways & I feel he is saying Go in that way.

Thank you to everyone who has ordered through my amazon link to the right! It may only be $6.37 earned so far but that's one step less for my visa! I was not planning on doing much more for online fundraising as I am going to send out letters to my family & friends but decided to do a facebook auction so once that starts I will post the link on here. Also the yard sale I am doing for Brandi will also help me go to Russia so please pray it will go well on September 15th. 

Family=LOVE

FAMILY, brings LOVE like no other & comes in many forms. Sometimes its not an easy road to bring together family. This family has gone to a whole new world all over again just after bringing home 2 children from Eastern Europe & decided Yes, they needed to follow Gods calling for them to bring 2 more orphans home. Now they are in country meeting those kids but in order to bring them home they still need help!
                                                                  Caleb-9 years old

                                                   
                                               And Jessa, 16 years old.

 Yes, they are both older & deserve to live the life a family can bring for them.

THEY STILL NEED FUNDS TO BRING THESE PRECIOUS OLDER KIDS HOME FOR THEIR PLANE TICKETS TO HOME!

WON'T YOU CONSIDER DROPPING $5 IN THEIR GRANT TODAY? LET'S GET THEM FULLY FUNDED!!!

GO DONATE HERE TODAY!

Stuck

Stuck, that's what I seem to be lately, what do I need to write about? Am I writing what needs to be said? Its hard to imagine the world in which I don't live in & have only heard about from thousands of families.

Just imagine this little girl trapped in a whole other world.

A world in which she sits in this highchair to pose for a picture that could change her world. Sophia K is 4 years old & will soon be 5 years old in November. She could have already been transferred to an adult mental institution. I can't imagine this precious princess being tied in a crib or spending her day in a chair rocking back & forth, back & forth cause it was the only thing to do.

Will you be my forever family? To protect, love, & cherish me for who I am?

Friends=Pure awesomeness!

First of all the whole reason behind this post is CELINE WON THE VOTING & WILL BE ON THE ANGEL TREE THIS YEAR UNLESS SHE FINDS A FAMILY BEFORE THEN!
I want to say a huge THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO VOTED, SHOUTED ALONG WITH ME TO GET OTHERS TO VOTE & FOR JUST BEING PURELY AWESOME! This week has been long & hard for me as I say Goodbye to my brother on Saturday & between all the trials my friends are enduring but our God is so mighty! Yesterday I had decided their was no way Celine would catch up & I really did not mind the top two that were there cause I wanted them to be on Angel Tree too. Only I should have trusted God & my fantastically awesome friends & family to help re boost the energy to get her there! Last I looked she was about 30 votes away from 2nd place & I was like theirs no way she will get to 2nd or a spot unless a family chooses her for the drawing or someone finds a family before it starts. Well now I say HA cause when I woke up & checked the vote count I was really close to first & a little ahead of the one who was in 2nd. I checked my facebook where I saw last minute pleas to vote for her then within 2 hours or so she was past 1st place! I crazily obsessed with checking the voting as I did my computer work for the day & instead of 1 vote per day/few hours I had seen in previous days I saw the voting keeping going up & up within minutes. The final count was 97 votes about 10 past the 2nd place girl. As always its hard to vote cause you want to vote for them all but I was very happy that Maribel who was ahead in the voting someone chose her for the drawing so heres who will be on Angel Tree 2012 from DS Girls 6-9.
#1 Celine, #2 Ekatrina (she desperately needs to be advocated for so I am happy!), & #3 Maribel
 Soon they will begin a new round for the DS boys 10+, If my handsome butterfly Heath is on there you bet I will be voting for him!
Have I mentioned how AWESOME MY FRIENDS ARE CAUSE THEY KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE CELINE!!  THIS CAN GO FOR YOU ALL TO JUST FOR VOTING!!! I HEART CELINES SHOOTING STARS CAUSE YOU ALL ARE SUPER STARS FOR CELINE!! I SURE HOPE TO MEET HER SOMEDAY & TELL HER HOW LOVED SHE IS!

YOU ALL GO BEHIND ME ALL THE WAY ANYTIME I ASK FOR HELP IN DOING SOMETHING TO HELP MY BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY!! PLEASE KEEP A WATCH ON THE BLOG CAUSE I WILL ANNOUNCE ANY UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS & ALL ABOUT ANGEL TREE! THANKS AGAIN FOR VOTING & ALL THE PRAYERS BEING SAID FOR THIS PRECIOUS TREASURE!

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE!

Its your LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR CELINE BEFORE THE NEXT GROUP OF KIDS ARE CHOSEN FOR VOTING!!!
so GO VOTE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY! Its only 1 vote per person! She is now 6 votes behind the 2nd spot! Ends today at 5pm EST! Just about 3 hours left to vote!
ALREADY VOTED FOR CELINE? THEN IF YOU HAVE $5 GO DONATE TO THE VOICE OF HOPE FUND DRAWING! IF CELINE DOES NOT WIN THE VOTING THEN MAYBE YOU WILL GIVE HER CHANCE BY CHOOSING HER IF YOU WIN THE DRAWING? IF SHE DOES WIN & YOU WIN THE DRAWING MAY I SUGGEST CORA LYNNE? SHE DID NOT GET CHOSEN TO BE IN THE VOTING ROUNDS BUT I HAVE BEEN HER ANGEL TREE WARRIOR SINCE SHE WAS LISTED. 
                                 This starfish matters to me!!!
                                       So vote pretty please?

Prayer Request

This is my friend Chloe,

 All around the world prayers are being uplifted for one special little girl as this week she starts a long journey to beat her Leukemia.
The Chloe Herrington Love is taking off like wildfire with messages of support. Her friends even holding up signs saying WE LOVE CHLOE & PRAYING FOR MY FRIEND CHLOE. I want to share with you the love that this community of extra love, extra support, & extra prayers can bring is absolutely AMAZING! I am so blessed I get to personally be in this terrific fan club & I wish everyone could be in it too! Extra chromosome=extra blessings! Please be praying for Chloe!

         I LOVE YOU CHLOE & AM PRAYING FOR YOU!!!
               XOXOX Love your friend, Leah

Teamwork Tuesday-Owen 3G

Meet Owen, he also is in the same region as Carmen & Cora Lynne. Would you not love him for a son?

For more information on Owen click on his highlighted name above.

New picture of Carmen!

Are I not adorable?

 Hi mommy I am waiting for you!

Love, Carmen

If you would like two daughters why don't you go for my friend,

Cora Lynne?

A Plea

                                   This is a PLEA for Celine!

  If you have not voted yet won't you please go vote for me & spread the word to others to vote for me?

       Go vote for Celine at the bottom of this page pretty please!
                           Voting ends August 9th at 5 EST
 VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!! ONLY 1 VOTE PER PERSON PER VOTING WEEK SO IF YOU HAVE ALREADY VOTED PLEASE SHARE WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY!

In Loving Memory of Jaxon

Their is no words to describe when you lose a loved one but today is no exception for the Jaco family.
Friday night they found out their beloved son they were in the process of adopting has passed away. They don't know when or how just that he is in the arms of Jesus. With faith they will continue this adoption path God has set for them. Please allow them this time for them to grieve with no questions asked. Though he never got the chance to know his forever family, he was dearly loved by all his friends & family. He will be in their hearts always, Jaxon Jeremiah Jaco. Rest in sweet peace dear little boy.

In Loving Memory of Jaxon & his 15 months of life, can you go donate $15 to the Jaco family as they continue in the journey.

When saying see ya later is so Hard

This next week is going to be the fastest week of my life & the most difficult, cause my little brother has graduated & is off to college in another state. I don't know why this is harder than when my sister went off to college I really think it would be easier with a brother than a sister but nope over the last few years from me down to my little sister the four of us have definitely grown closer than ever. I have had a good relationship with Matt, as he is just a good listener with a good opinion of things. This see ya later is going to be rough as you say goodbye to the good times blasting out Disney songs in "bessie", enjoying chickfila, watching movies & addicting tv shows, oh & the best hugs. How do you say See ya later? Being halfway across the USA from your brother or anyone you love for that matter is just plain ole hard. One thing for sure, I better have a stockpile of tissues cause I am certainly going to need it! Don't get me wrong I am so proud of my brother & happy for him! You don't know how hard he has worked to catch up his final year. Thankfully he is going back to our state we were born in & will live close by to my Grandma & other extended family so that reassures me he will be fine but still this sister is not looking forward to August 11th.
As children we have some great memories & tough ones but our love for each other has always remained.
                             

                                          We love you for bear hugs & going to miss you with that

                               
                                                 From the baseball all star

      To being the simply awesome super support star to Pink Princess & others with disabilities!

To being the simply adorable

                                                         
                                                  Handsome & mature

                                       
                              Making me laugh with your sense of Humor

And rocking it out on the drums

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU & YOUR GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

I so wish we could go back to these days. We have been the best of siblings but I know college will do you some good if though its going to be strange not having you around.

       Its especially hard to say goodbye when you likely won't see him til 4 months from now so all I will say is SEE YA LATER ALLIGATOR!