Reflecting back 1 year ago-"Lost"

As I was thinking about what to blog about or if I should let my post sink in from Monday I decided to glance back to posts from last year. Tomorrow, one year ago I wrote my post titled Lost. I glanced back into the land of despair that I was in when I wrote that post. Though I still do go back to that land from time to time I have learned so much since I wrote that post. I guess I needed to reread what I wrote so I can appreciate all what God has done all these past year. It aches every breath in my soul to see those words saying it's Cora Lynne's last year on Angel Tree & that I thought she would find a family by this year. I trust in God's plan for her life even if waiting is not so fun. Some days, I just don't know if I can blog anymore but then God gives me the strength to keep going. I know Cora Lynne's family is out there & I just need to keep spreading the word about her cause she is counting on me. I am so thankful that he provided for her & that she reached her angel tree goal of $1,000 last year. It's very hard for me trying to be happy Celine gets the opportunity to be on Angel Tree but yet my heart is torn for Cora Lynne not being her angel tree warrior this year. That's rough when I look back on the posts from November & December of last year & when I glance at Celine's grant I get a little sad knowing Cora Lynne is not on Angel Tree not getting the chance to be seen or fundraised for. You shout for joy when a child goes to the magical world of my family found me page but when you have one or several particular kids you have "fallen" for & they keep not appearing on that magical page your heart is let down. Even though she is not on Angel Tree this year I want to spread awareness for her cause this advocate is ready to see one of her "kids" on my family found me! Now we just need to find her forever family!

The girls of my heart

The girls of my heart, Cora Lynne her picture said please help me.

Lord, oh please bring me a family. I thought she would not be waiting for long. Two years later, with a new photo & now 6 years old she still waits.

Her smile captured my heart & I just knew I needed to help her.

She started with more than one photo but no new updated photo til 2 years later. Yet Celine also still waits.

I thought I was finished with just these two girls but then God broke my heart for another precious girl. It was a God Story & I just knew I could not abandon his request of me to help Brandi.

Then even though she had been advocated for, though I could not do much for her fundraising wise I decided to add Carmen to my family of beautiful butterflies to advocate for.

All these girls, have been waiting for years. All longing to be cherished & loved by a family of their own. These girls all on my heart everyday. Almost all I look at their previous years angel tree ornament on my bulletin board praying every night they will find their families. Are you their family? Please contact Reeces Rainbow if you are!

Thankfulness

Today as I am thankful for all God has blessed me with may I share a few faces with you that don't have a reason to be thankful this thanksgiving. They are all on the Angel Tree this year so please share their need! Meet Abbott, he has already been transferred & is only 5 years old.

Next is precious Angelina who is 4 years old. Both her & Abbott can be adopted together or be adopted with Cora Lynne.

Well you already know my angel tree girl, Celine & since I have written plenty of posts just about her I am not going to say anymore but just share her photo yet again.

Another precious girl, Carmen who also can be adopted with Cora Lynne, Abbott, or Angelina. Mom, where are you?

Colton, a precious boy who is dearly loved by a friend of mine who longs for him to find a family. 

And lastly, Pacey who is only 5 months older than my new nephew & has only $121 in his grant. 

Can you be a blessing to them this thanksgiving? Please take a moment to share their faces as you just never know if they will find forever families just by sharing! If you have an extra $5 to spare can you go drop it in their buckets?

Lost & Forgotten

I feel really bad, I have more then one child I have been advocating for & I have been so focused on Celine that sometimes I forget about Cora Lynne or the other kids I have advocated for on this blog. Today, I am going to blog about Cora Lynne.
For you see I started this story advocating for her Two years ago this December. As you recall back in Oct. 2010 I signed up to be a christmas angel tree warrior to Quinton. Quite naturally I assumed he would wait awhile before finding his family. He got snatched up the day Angel Tree Campaign 2010 started Praise God! My 1st choice had been Celine, but thankfully someone else decided to be her warrior then cause God chose Quinton for me. His eyes & sharing my Birthday captured my heart. I did not know what to do, all the kids had christmas warriors but I still wanted to play a part in helping a child. So I tried my might to raise funds for Quinton's family. Then I think about part way into December, a bunch of kids get added on Angel Tree all needing warriors. I skimmed the new ones added unsure how I was going to choose when I saw her.

Cora Lynne was her name on RR. Her eyes had caught mine just like Quinton & pulled at my heart strings. So I signed up to be her warrior. I did not do much for AT that year but so thankful her grant still managed to grow. The following year, 2011 came & I worked to try best to fundraise for her & Celine. Before my eyes knew it was Angel Tree 2011 & so no their was no doubt who I would be a warrior for. Celine could not be included in the Angel Tree since she was over 5 years old. It was Cora Lynne's last year to be on it so I was determined to help. Little by little I did half of my babysitting funds to her, wrapped gifts, & did an online auction for her. What's amazing is I don't even know where most of the funds came from! God Provided! This year, though she could have been given the chance to be voted onto this years angel tree even though she is 6 years old, sadly she was not so no being her warrior again this year :(.
Don't get me wrong I know their are many kids on RR, sometimes we notice some more than others for various reasons but in all the time I have advocated for her I have barely seen others share about Cora Lynne or even mention her. So many times advocates know how much I love Celine but not too many know how much my heart aches seeing Cora Lynne without a family to love her. I know Celine is well loved at where she is at but I always have this bad feeling that Cora Lynne is not in a good place and/or that she is kept in a crib all day. I was so happy to hear she had a new photo this year but yet sad at the same time cause I know she is desperate to be loved. 

Two years have gone by since she got listed, Lost & Forgotten. She will turn 7 years old sometime in May & it will make me sad if she has to wait much longer stuck in a crib somewhere. God has also done miracles for Cora Lynne taking her from zero when I first became her warrior two years ago to over $5,000 today but still a long way to go from being fully funded! Some kids even with large grants can go unnoticed. Cora Lynne's is not large (at least not yet hehe!) by standards but yet she still waits unoticed & unloved. All I ask today if she is not your daughter will you please share her cause you just never know who might fall in love with her!

To her future Mama, I loved her from the moment I saw her precious eyes. If I were older nothing would stand in my way of getting her. Something about her just made my heart burst full of Joy that even with her sad faces in her photos that their is still hope for her. Just like Celine I say a prayer for her every SINGLE NIGHT & blow kisses to her saying how much I love her. Her stocking still hangs til the day you find her with wishes of love.

Dear Cora Lynne, Somedays I like to wonder what you are like. Do you have a caregiver that loves you? What's your personality like? I so long for the day when your hair is all grown & You have a mama to love on you every day for the rest of your life. It pains me to see you waiting still for a family. God has a plan for you & I am so thankful he opened my eyes & heart to you. Love you very much precious girl & I hope your family finds you soon.

ALL I REALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A FAMILY! ARE YOU THAT FAMILY? 

GO HERE TO LEARN ABOUT HOW YOU CAN ADOPT ME OR OTHER KIDS ON REECES RAINBOW!

DID YA KNOW I CAN BE ADOPTED WITH ANOTHER BOY OR GIRL? MY FRIEND & ADVOCATE LOVES ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL, CARMEN WHO COULD BE ADOPTED WITH ME! Their are others too!

Happy Birthday Mom & Pink Princess!

I have been so incredibly blessed by such a wonderful family but today I want to say how much I appreciate my Mom & older sister. Today, is Pink Princess 25th Birthday & also my Moms Birthday. It's so sweet that they can share their special day together. Last year, I did 24 reasons why I am thankful for Pink Princess but this year I have decided not to. Their are just so many reasons that I can't put them all into words.
Plus very often I feel my mom gets kinda "lost" in the shuffle cause she is always helping Pink Princess with her Birthday plans. So I am going to start by saying I love my mom dearly. Next to God she is one of my greatest friends who listens to me, cares for me when I am sick, & gives me good advice! Having a mom who has raised us, 6 kids helps when I have hard times knowing what to do in certain situations when babysitting. From taxi driver to teacher, to helper, to supporter she is the best mom I could ever ask for! Mom, I love you so much & am honored to be your daughter! Proud of you mom! Happy Birthday! Yes, I decided to be nice about your age for once lol. I also like to say she has done an amazing job at spreading the word about Reece's Rainbow!

Though I kinda did an early post about Pink Princess I do want to say I love her so much & am proud of her accomplishments! She has truly make remarkable strides & I just wish all people would see her ABILITY not disability.
Dear sis, I want you to know how proud I am of you! You shine for God in your dancing skills! Happy 25th Birthday! I still can't believe you are that grown up. Seems like yesterday we were little kids right? I love you so so much!

I wish kids in other countries could have the same opportunities as my sister does.

I wish I could tell parents who get a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome your child is a blessing.

I wish I could tell families in Eastern Europe that these kids CAN be accepted & Loved. 
I wish their were resources & support for families with special needs children overseas.   
Though, I can't do much about changing those things I do want to say CHANGE CAN HAPPEN. We need to spread that awareness! I am so thankful for the 25 years my sister has lived & I can't wait for the years to come! I am truly thankful for these two in my life!

A Teamwork effort like no other!

As I struggled awhile back how to best help Celine I wondered if their was anyone out their that loved her as much as I did. I decided to form a private group, Celines Shooting Stars. Over time I found several new found friends who wished they could adopt her but could not for various reasons so they were added to the team to help! We all started working together as a team to help her grant grow in any way we can. Our ultimate goal would be to have her grant fully funded and/or she find a family by Christmas! Well, I can certainly say we kinda got one of those accomplished. Though her grant is HIGHER then most, she still IS NOT fully funded according to the cost to adopt from her country but still awesome progress from where she was at when I first discovered her on Reece's Rainbow. Soon, we got it to over $10,000 then that's when the fabulous news happened! A $5,000 matching grant was to be offered! Oh what glorious news! So we all prayed & shared, prayed & shared hoping Celine would meet her match. When she did we all shouted with Joy! Then the unexpected additional funds came in & we all were purely blown away! I soon discovered where part of that came from. Now I have to take you back to April when Celines grant jumped by $1,000 unexpectedly. I don't remember how I found this new friend exactly but I soon discovered how awesome God was to provide through pure simple homemade pie. I want to tell you that this friend did this again & $2,400 came in which was HUGE after the matching grant was met. Thing is I take no credit at all for the miracle of Celines grant these past few months! It was A TEAMWORK EFFORT TO BRING HER GRANT FROM $8,500 9 MONTHS AGO TO OVER $27,000 TODAY! TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE PLAYED PART IN WATCHING THIS MIRACLE UNFOLD I THANK YOU!!! CELINES MOM, WHOEVER YOU MAY BE KNOW YOUR DAUGHTER IS DEARLY LOVED!! God has still work to be done on behalf of Celine! 

Life as a Sib: A life worth living

Some days I wonder why this world deems down syndrome the end of the world? Yes they may be a bit different but to me we are all different in our own ways. My sister may look different but she is normal as you & I can be. I'm not going to make this a debate about my views but I want to take a chance to share a bit inside my world of being a sibling. Though I have written about her several times I feel the need to share yet again. Some people, when faced prenatal diagnosis with the words Down Syndrome get wrong information from doctors, some thinking its the end of the world, my other children will suffer & this new child will be a burden later down the road to them. I am here to tell you all the wrong information the doctors give you their is HOPE WITH THE RIGHT INFORMATION, NO IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD,  & I can testify to the fact I DO NOT SUFFER OR FEEL BURDENED BY MY SISTER! 
I am not going to lie their are days when I just want to yell at my sister but what sister does not have arguments?
Their are days where I just want to cry at her issues not related to Down Syndrome at all.
Days when I say God why do you have to make her so stubborn? 
But you know what as her Birthday draws near, I am THANKFUL FOR THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN. GREATFUL TO BE BLESSED WITH HER SMILES & TICKLES, HUGS & GRATITUDE FOR THE UNEXPECTED TIMES, & MOST OF ALL HER GRACEFULNESS IN HER DANCING SKILLS. Chromosomes or not she is the person GOD CREATED HER TO BE. And I love her no matter what! She has changed my life for the better 100% & so honored to call Pink Princess my sister! I just can't imagine the life she would have lived if she had been born here when institutionalization existed or if she had been born in another country. She loves being an auntie to her new Nephew, J. 

Also this was a video we did last year, it was for a contest but did not get it done in time. Please feel free to share it! I want the whole world to know what us sibs think! Here it is on youtube if you want to share the link.

Step Up for Down Syndrome walk 2012

Saturday, we had our annual Step Up For Down Syndrome Walk. If you may recall last year I lead a table for Reeces Rainbow for my 1st time doing it. It went amazingly well last year! This year I signed up of course to do it again with my awesome friend, Christina. I was frantically getting ready the night before always worried its not going to look that good but I was blown away how amazing it looked!!! It was a gorgeous day & besides the sun in our eyes & the posters/banner/balloons blowing over it was a great day!

We got tons of people looking at our table with the balloons, magnets, & bracelets being the most hit! A friend through RR sent me binders of kids waiting & had lots looking through those. One little boy even stopped to look at our table & asked what was the photos in the binder of & I replied with kids who don't have families & he walked away telling his mom about our table. Well, I will quit jabbering & let the pictures do the talking!

The most precious gift

As we approach the upcoming holidays, first thanksgiving then Christmas I want to reflect on the most important gift of all. God sent his son to die on the cross for our sins willingly & sacrificially. Would we not do that for someone else? Christ lovingly gave his live for us, what a precious gift that was. Its like the orphans, he has adopted us into his family why not the same for them?

Want to know what I really want for christmas? A family for "my girl" Celine!

I mentioned this before but I had gotten these stockings made by friends with love. Unsure what to do with them I had a thought. How about using them for Celine & Cora Lynne? So I stuck notes of love in them praying it would not be for long til those wishes came true. 1 year later the stockings still hang in my room waiting for the day(s) both girls find their forever families.

I have been truly blessed seeing the miracles of Celines grant this past month & THANKFUL FOR YOU ALL WHO SPREAD THE WORD & DONATED! I TAKE NO CREDIT AT ALL FOR WHATS UNFOLDED THIS PAST MONTH CAUSE GOD DID IT WITH THE HELP OF ALL OF YOU!!! You all have played part in being Celines Shooting Stars team! 

Thankful for all the wonderful blessings God has given me, this Christmas all I ask if you want to give me something to my friends that know me in real life is to make a donation to Celine here. If you make a donation of $35 or more you will receive a lovely ornament with her picture on it. Cause this girl means more to me then a gift card or yarn or anything else! Her life I consider more important than the "stuff" of this world. 

Never Give up!

Today, is the day when the biggest campaign for Reeces Rainbow begins. Angel Tree 2012 runs Nov 1-Dec 31st. As you may know I begged & pleaded for votes for Celine to be on Angel Tree & she won a spot! So excitedly I announce I am her angel tree warrior! The goal is to raise $1,000 but God has shown me so much this past month that I think I can get her grant raised $2,000! So far I don't know how, I have a change drive going & I may do a few other fundraisers online stay tuned! As I get excited about being Celines Angel Tree warrior I reflect back to this day two years ago when I saw my 1st Angel Tree child find his forever family. He is doing so well with his family! I never gave up on Quinton & I will continue for all my butterflies especially Celine & Cora Lynne!
Speaking of not giving up DID YA SEE CELINES GRANT?? DID YA? DID YA? I PUT MY TRUST IN GOD & HE HAS DONE SOME AMAZING THINGS!!! I NEVER COULD HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOUR PRAYERS, & SUPPORT!!
To all my warrior friends NEVER GIVE UP!! Even with the going gets tough, even if you think your failing, if you think your not making a difference YES YOU ARE & PLEASE NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!! If you know God TRUST HIM IN EVERYTHING! I have learned SO MUCH this past month about trusting in his provision & struggling to not give up. 

Celines mama, whoever you are & wherever you are knowing that I am praying for you. I am praying for Celine everyday & know you have a HUGE SUPPORT TEAM!!! God, please bring Celine a forever family soon. (even if she does not live in CA hehe)
I am fighting for Celine til she is home with her forever family! If seriously interested in Celine contact Andrea at Reeces Rainbow.