Van Nice Family Journey

An Adoption Fundraiser

2012-01-13T17:07:00.001-06:00

My good friend Briana Elliott has offered a wonderful opportunity to add to our adoption fundraising! She sells Thirty One Gifts and has come to me with this wonderful offer! For every one that is sold.. our adoption fund gets $5.00…. I should have been more proactive and got this out last week, but I got sidetracked by a cute little girl and didn’t. The party closes on January 23rd so I will need orders along with checks or Paypal funds by that time.

Please see the “Fundraiser” tab at the top of this page or go here to see the details.

Thank you all for your support!!!!

Our Adoption Story

2012-01-13T07:15:00.003-06:00

Many of you are asking questions about our adoption and how things came about/is Evelyn in addition to both boys etc. I am here to tell you the entire story… this might get long.. maybe…definitely….Gods plans are NEVER simple and to the point are they??

So this journey all started about a year ago… with my decision to attend a Down syndrome Conference in Bulgaria as a parent speaker. On March 16th, 2011 I boarded a flight bound for Sofia. I went with specific instructions from my better half “not to fall in love with any kids” because we were not adopting again. I was strangely ok with this request and assured him that I had no intentions of doing that…..we already had 4 kids and that was PLENTY!!!!

While in Sofia, as part of our trip, we visited an orphanage. We went from room to room looking at children and then we went into the baby room. My friend Angie and I immediately gravitated towards two tiny ones in their cribs. A little girl, Nicole (not her real name) and a little boy, Ian (not his real name). Angie held Nicole and I held Ian for the entire 15-20 minutes we were allowed in that room… everyone else was playing with the older kids, but we were smitten with these little ones..both with DS and cute as buttons. We took note of their names and their dates of birth on their cribs incase we or anyone wanted to inquire, but we were then whisked away as our time there was over.

When we left, Shelley and Angie looked at me and said… you are going to bring him home aren’t you??? My answer NO…. we were DONE, however I was going to find him a family…I had fallen in love but not as a part of our family, but rather as a part of A family.

Finished our time in Bulgaria…. came home…..sitting with Joe at dinner a night or two later sharing my AWESOME experiences in Bulgaria. Told him about Ian at the orphanage…he looked at me and said…”I am sure he will make a great addition to SOME family.. but NOT ours!” I know… I know… I was just sharing my experience, not that I wanted to bring him home. And at this point that was TRUE.

Later that night, looking on FB, I came across photos of Carrington Bruman and her story. I know her mother Shelly as they adopted three little ones from Jakes orphanage just after we came home. We had gotten to be friends during her process. They had just returned from Ukraine for a second time with Carrington and her sister. Carrington was just 11 lbs and I believe she was 5 years old at the time. I showed Joe because I was just sick that she had gotten to this condition in an orphanage not far from where we got Jacob from. It apparently spoke to Joe’s heart.

The next day after a flurry of text messages… phone calls….prayers, prayers and more prayers…. we decided that we wanted to start the adoption process. We at least wanted to inquire about this little 7 month old that I had met in the orphanage, Ian. At that point, we had no idea if he was registered for International Adoption or not…..or if he ever would be, but we had to find out.

We were told that the paperwork had been started and that in about 6 months he would be available or so we thought. We were excited. He was going to be our son! I was thrilled at this new journey God had placed in front of us. Called our social worker and started moving forward. This would have meant that end of November, or beginning of December his file would be available. We drug our feet a bit on getting stuff done because we were having to wait for him to be available anyway and didn’t want our documents to expire.

During this whole time, we had also been tossing around the idea of bringing home another child, but weren’t actively looking…Then we saw Landon’s photo on FB. He was adorable and in desperate need of a family to commit to him. He had just turned 5 and would face going to an institution if he didn’t have a committed family. We prayed about it and talked A LOT about it. God said “Go”. Very clearly to me, it was almost like he was talking into my ear. Joe said yes by saying “I guess we are in the market for a larger vehicle!”

We committed to Landon… so now were were going to be parents of two boys… Landon (5) and Ian (1) at this point. We were so exited. We were still waiting on word that Ian was going to be available and everything would fall into place. This was August.

Fast forward to early November… we were working on finishing up our home study…getting dossier requirements going etc. I received an email from Toni, our attorney and adoption agent in Bulgaria with some terrible news…. Ian, the baby, had not ever been registered for International Adoption as we had thought in August… in fact there were some issues with the director there and another director had recently taken over her position. It was now one director that was overseeing Ian and Landon’s orphanage. She had verified that the paperwork that we had thought was done in July was in fact never done and she would be doing it to get him registered, but the 6 months started ticking when that paperwork was file which wasn’t going to be sometime into November… so that meant that Ian wouldn’t even be available until AT LEAST May… Landon couldn’t wait that long…. we couldn’t wait that long …. if we wanted to bring the boys home, we would have to do back to back adoptions….though some of our fees wouldn’t be charged a second time, it’s still a significant cost and nearly as much as one adoption. We were so sad, but decided to move forward with Landon and see when and if Ian became available and decide at that time. My heart hurt…. I thought it was because I felt like I was leaving Ian behind. That’s what I thought… I think I was wrong about what I was feeling.

It became more and more apparent to us that we financially could NOT do back to back adoptions… there was just no way. That would entail 4 trips to Bulgaria….2 costs of adoption and everything that comes with the stress of adoption and we knew that our family could not handle that. We were content with just adding Landon and advocating for Ian when and if he became available, however my heart still hurt. I couldn’t figure out why.

Enter Evelyn… several weeks ago, I saw her picture… she was so adorable, but in the picture she was laying down and looked very very delayed for her age. Now I realize that picture was old. But at the time, I didn’t know that. Though I was in love with her, I didn’t know if she was the right fit for our family… we prayed about it… talked about it… went over her medical info.. hadn’t decided no and hadn’t decided yes either. Just hadn’t decided anything. New picture of Evelyn showed that she was thriving and she was walking, looking alert…..pictures do make the world of difference. Joe and I talked about it… I already knew what I wanted to do… Joe looked at her pictures not realizing that it was Evelyn.. he said “it’s too bad she’s not in Bulgaria” and I told him it was Evelyn and he looked at me and said “Make it so Obi-One”. And we made it so.

6 kids… three boys… three girls.. 4 with DS…. 2 boys…2 girls… our family will be COMPLETE!!!
AND WE COULDN’T BE MORE HAPPY AND AT PEACE!!!!!!

I realized my heart wasn’t hurting because I thought I gave up a son…. but rather because I had not found my daughter yet! I love how God works… sending me to see Ian but because we were supposed to be parents to Landon and Evelyn! Blessings…Blessings.. I love them!!!!!

Poor Katie… LOL

2012-01-05T07:12:00.001-06:00

So yesterday, I went to pick the girls up at the After School Program at the YMCA. Katie and Josie spot me when I arrive and run to me for hugs. (I LOVE that part of the day—It won’t last forever for sure) I notice right off that Katie isn’t wearing what I sent her to school in. I sent her in black sparkly pants and she now has on gray sweat pants. Which ~~she detested, I am sure,~~ looked pretty good on her! I didn’t ask until we were out of the room why she had on different pants because I was sure the answer was going to be “I had an accident” and I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of all her friends.

The answer I got was HILARIOUS and I ~~laughed hysterically on the inside~~ tried to support her and not laugh.

“Mommy – I bent over in class and my pants ripped… RIGHT..UP…THE…REAR!! I was so embarrassed!” I let it slip .. a little giggle..and I caught myself…she wasn’t laughing yet. What a bad mom… Then the hall filled with the most hysterical giggle from Katie, me and Josie. She said at first she turned red, but then laughed and laughed about it.

Not sure if there was a hole there and it just ripped or what, but I KNOW they were not that tight when she got dressed in the morning. It must have been those sweet potato fries she had for lunch! I am still chuckling about it!!

I <3 Tennessee……

2012-01-02T17:49:00.001-06:00

There are things that I like about Tennessee…. let me tell you what they are…

1:: I like that their winters are soo mild… I mean almost 60 on New Years Eve is amazing when typically it’s so cold in Iowa.

2:: I like that there is so much to do and so many things to see.

3:: I like that it’s closer to some things that we love….family and friends.

4:: I like a place called the “Slick Pig” that has the most AMAZING BBQ known to man!

5:: One of my nearest and dearest friends and her family live there!

Lyndi Shupp invited us into her home for 5 days! We had such a great time with her, Bill and the kids. We stayed for New Year’s Eve and had a great time – Thanks Jordan for sitting for all the kids for us!!

Here are some pictures of our time in Tennessee…….

This sign is on the side of Joe’s Crab Shack in Nashville…..Figure it’s appropriate!

I am sure it would be too much to ask for all four to look at the same time right?

Even better with looking… At least one of my kids will look at me!

Someday when we go back to visit… Lyndi and I are going to go line dancing at Cadillac Ranch!

Oh if the kids hadn’t been with us… and if there wasn’t a line from here to kindom come to get in!!

Joe and Owen went to an NHL game on Wednesday night….Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild…Predators won in a shootout. They LOVED it… Here is the arena!!

The kids thought this big guitar was cool at the Hard Rock!

Some wonderful Mississippi State fan offered to take our family picture. (Mississippi State and Wake Forest were playing in the Music City Bowl the next day!)

BB Kings… We walked by it several times, but it was closed for a private party!

So wanted to go down there and see it… 4 kids and a stroller.. I don’t think so!!

Another cool place we passed on our walk!!

Late lunch at Dick’s Last Resort.. Waiters are less than friendly and that is the fun of it… Our waitress was EXACTLY the right mix of sarcastic and HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Camie!! I love that girl!!!

Jessie was LESS than impressed with our lunch choice.. What set her off is that the waitress forgot her Sprite for about 10 minutes and there was no bringing her back! She’s a tough cookie!!!

Patrick was enjoying himself! He is such a sweetie….. We have the wedding for him and Josie already planned! LOL

Kylie with her awesome smile!!!

There’s Katie.. enjoying her new hat!!!

Joe.. the cool kid!!!

Josie was so excited to get her hat! She even helped our waitress sweep after we were done eating! Wish she would do that at home!!

GIVE ME MY FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jordan was such a good sport! He enjoyed his hat too! It said..”I am the reason for the hard socks in the laundry!” Too funny!!!

Lyndi’s hat because of the 6 kids that were with her… Easier to get into than a Community College! LOL Hilarious!!

Owen THOROUGHLY enjoyed his BBQ at Slick Pig….He had in these specific layers… bun, pork, bbq sauce, corn flapjack, beans, pork, corn flapjack, pork, bbq sauce, top of bun.. he ate the WHOLE thing and loved it!

Our crew at the Slick Pig.

More Slick Pig!

Guy F should come here because this qualifies as a DIVE for sure, but sooo good BBQ!!!! Too bad they were out of Chess Pie… really wanted to taste it!

Josie and her BESTIE in TN… Jasmine.. she came over to visit and her and Josie picked up right where they left off last time!!!!

Awwww..time to say goodnight!!! Josie cried when I put her to bed.. so did I and so did Jasmine!!!!

Josie playing on Patrick’s Taco Swing. Based on how much my kids played on this, we might have to get one for our house.

On the way home, we took a detour and took a drive by the Arch in St Louis! Too cool!!!

We had a great time in Tennessee.. now we are home again…..and school is starting tomorrow and we are back to reality. Thank you Shupp family for having us in your home! We Love you!!!!

New Look… again…..

2012-01-02T14:51:00.001-06:00

I have gotten comments on that the blog before was too bright… mostly from my husband! LOL So we have made a change… As you can see, there is also new link tabs at the top. Let me explain what that new blog is all about.

My friend Bethany challenged me to create a new blog and post a picture about my life every day in 2012. Since this year will be full of changes for our family, I was very anxious to do this. It will help me document our lives this year and the fun to come. It will also allow me to use my new camera and document my progress on my photography! So there you go… you can visit my 365 blog every day for a new picture about our lives.

Stay tuned… we just returned from a vacation in Tennessee for a few days and I will be putting up photos later today of our great time with the Shupp family!!!

And the Winner’s Are……..

2011-12-03T22:27:00.001-06:00

I finally have all the entries in and have drawn the winners for the awesome prizes!!! Drum Roll Please…………………………………

The winner of the Kindle –

Congratulations -- ANGELA PROCTOR

The winner of the Olympus Camera --

Congratulations – KELLY MAYDEN

The winner of the Don’t Dis My Ability Shirt --

Congratulations – KATHY MOUNTS

The winner of the Tastefully Simple Basket --

Congratulations – JOEY PETERS

The winner of the Jump Start Advanced Preschool CD Set for the computer -

Congratulations–

GILLIAN MARCHENKO

If you have won, please email me at vannice6@gmail.com with your address of where to send your goodies!!!!!!!!!

We can’t even begin to tell you how much we appreciate every single donation! Thank you so much. We were able to raise approximately $1200 from this fundraiser! Thank you again!! Be sure to check out our Tastefully Simple Mystery Hostess Party we have going on right now and more fundraisers to come!!! Love to you all!!!!!!!

Mystery Hostess Fundraiser–Tastefully Simple

2011-12-03T19:34:00.001-06:00

This is another Mystery Hostess Party to help us bring our boys home from Bulgaria!! --- If you place an order, your name will be put into a had and a winner will be drawn to spend the hostess incentives!! Also in addition this time.. IF you book a party (can be an online or catalog party) you get any item of your choosing for 1/2 price (plus the cost of shipping). You will need to message me directly after you have put in your order. The 1/2 price items will not come until the party is closed!

The last two times we have done this.. the mystery hostess has been able to use between $50 and $100 in hostess credits!! You can either use the link directly below..

http://tinyurl.com/7p2qrvq

OR follow the instructions below:

Go to: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/bvannice

You’ll see “Your consultant is Brigitte Van Nice, Consultant ID #0108784”
Click “Shop our Products”
Put everything you’d like to order in the shopping cart. & gift-giving!
At Checkout:
You’ll be prompted: “Do you want to associate this order with a host or event?
”Click “Find host/event”

First Name: Bulgaria
Last Name: Adoption

Payment on a Credit/Debit card on a "Secure Website" and all products will be shipped right to YOUR DOOR!!

If you have any questions or any problems ordering, please call me at 319-961-1537 or email me at TSBrigitteVN@gmail.com

Share this with everyone you know who loves Tastefully Simple!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!

The Van Nice's

A little prayer request !!!

2011-11-29T13:30:00.001-06:00

So as most of you know we are quite familiar with the process of adoption in Ukraine. Not only have we adopted from there, but I have been a state-side helper with Reece’s Rainbow for the past 1 1/2 years with the Ukraine program. I would do the paperwork with my eyes closed. Not the case for Bulgaria. It’s a much different process.

There was one thing for our HS that fell through the cracks due to lack of communication and now it is going to push our HS (that we thought would be done next week) another 4 weeks. At least we are hoping it’s just 4 weeks! I am so upset by this news. Not only is it something I didn’t realize was required for the home study, but its something that is in the hands of the government… which we all know could take forever! Please pray that this LAST thing gets back much faster than 4 weeks so we can stay on track with this adoption.

My goal is to send the dossier by the end of January and once the HS is approved we have to wait for the I800a to be approved as well.. so that doesn’t leave us much for time! We are also looking at another $5,500 due at the time our dossier is sent to Bulgaria. Please if you are able, post about our fundraiser (that ends tomorrow night) so we can get these funds together and not have to scramble for them at the last minute!!

Thank you for your prayers.. they keep me calm (for the most part) during this whole process!

Family Pics

2011-11-12T17:43:00.001-06:00

Most of you have seen these, but incase you haven’t… here are some pictures of our family!!! Taken by Dannette Kenneth Photography! She did a great job!!! I can’t wait to get the new boys home and our “train” will be even longer! LOL

85

2011-11-08T12:06:00.001-06:00

I don’t think I have ever been daunted by a number before. But the number 85 is etched in my brain right now. This adoption has been difficult so far..to some extent. We have found out that we will have to do two back to back adoptions to bring both our boys home. The little one has just been registered with the government and the earliest we’d be able to submit paperwork for him would be April or May. So we have decided to proceed, as quickly as possible with Landon and then see where we are at with his adoption when the little guys becomes available.

So why does 85 stick in my mind so much??? Because every time I go to our FSP on Reece’s Rainbow, the amount is $85.00 and has been for months! I just keep hoping that when I visit there, it might change… even if only by $5.00, but it doesn’t! I have wanted to send $10.00 so I wouldn’t have to see that number any more, but I can’t. I am not allowed to contribute to my own FSP, which I get. So there it sits… at $85.00.

I keep hoping that someone will read our blog or see our fundraiser and spread the word and we will start getting more donations, but right now that hasn’t happened.

What God leads you to, He leads you through, right? I have faith that the funds will come..I am inpatient, I know that..and it’s not about my time, but about God’s timing. Sometimes I wish though he would clue me in just a little bit about His greater plan. Maybe this is His way of teaching me patience? Hopefully I can take a breath and relax about the funds, but it’s hard when I know where we need to be. I do have Faith that we will get there… Through Him. Until then… I am still TIRED OF 85! LOL

Oysters on the 1/2 Shell

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

If anyone of you know me… I mean the REAL me…you know that I am not one for raw fish of any kind. I don’t like Sushi..as a matter fact, the one time I did try it, it was more like a Fear Factor moment for me! YUCKY!!

That being said, I am now 41 – at the time these pictures were taken I was still 40. Feeling every single day of 40, I vowed that I was going to make this a new start for me and begin to try things I didn’t have the guts to try before. Put me out of my comfort zone so to speak!

While I was in Minneapolis for the Tastefully Simple National Conference, I had the opportunity to try something new… two things actually, but I only have photo evidence of one. The other thing I tried was Aahi Tuna and it was GOOD!

We went to McCormick & Schmick’s for dinner! It was YUMMY! My friend, Karissa ordered oysters on the 1/2 shell and I tried one…. Enjoy the pictures of my experience.

Trying to psych myself up for the experience!

Here we go!!!

The face wasn’t because of the oyster, but the splash of vinegar that I put in it to make it taste better! LOL

Proof that I really did it!! EMPTY!!!

The verdict – I might not order an entire order of these, however, I would eat them again and even the fact that I had to bite into it, didn’t ruin it for me! Watch me spread my wings….beginning with baby steps of course!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:07:00.001-06:00

We had an interesting Halloween this year. Jacob was sooo tired that he cashed out before Trick or Treating even started so he stayed home with Daddy and I took the other three around the neighborhood. I felt so sad that Jake didn’t come along, but he didn’t care. He slept through the entire evening!

So we had a Skeleton Princess -- Optimus Prime – and a Pirate Princess (Jake was supposed to be a Ninja!) Here are a couple pictures from our night!

We only went around about 5 blocks and they made a HUGE haul! We started at 5:30 and were home at 6:30 and passed out candy until 7:30. I was afraid that they would be up all night from the 5 pieces of candy that we let them have last night, but they were all fast asleep by almost 7:45 pm. Apparently that long walk over-ruled the sugar in the candy! Thank goodness!

First thing up this morning though, they wanted more candy! UGH!!

Busy Busy Busy…..

2011-10-30T18:50:00.001-06:00

It seems as though the older the kids get, the busier we get in our house! I know that’s the way it is, but it seems just CRAZY this past month! We’ve had….. 8 dr. appointments, 1 surgery, 8 hockey practices, 3 school fundraisers, 2 birthdays, 4 costume decisions, 3 conferences, 1 book fair, 9 days of work, 5 flu bugs, 6 colds and coughs, 1 Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk/Dance, 1 5k, 2 registrations for cheerleading, 1 child’s school pictures, 2 kids picture order forms, probably 20 trips to Cedar Falls/Waterloo, 1 preschool snack day, 2 anniversaries. I think that’s about it, but I can’t be sure. Sometimes it just starts to all run together!

One of these days I will post a week in the life with 4 kids 7 and under! Right now, I am too tired from our weekend! LOL

Adoption Fundraiser/Giveaway!!!

2011-10-24T20:15:00.001-05:00

HELP US BRING OUR BOYS HOME!!!!

See this cute little face??? I look at it every day and can’t wait to bring him home to his forever family. Don’t you just want to snuggle him??? I certainly do!!!! I am hoping to have pictures of the other little guy in the near future, however for now, we’ll have to just show you Landon! He and his brother want to come home… CAN YOU HELP US??? HERE IS HOW …. (see below)

HELP US BRING OUR BOYS HOME!!!!!!!

How would you like to win a……….

Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology….. (THANK YOU to our DEAR Friends Leann and Chris for this gift…We love you)

OR AN OLYMPUS CE-PL1 Digital Camera…. (Thank you to my Mom and Dad for this awesome camera – also comes with LOTS of extras)

OR A DON’T DIS MY ABILITY SHIRT (Thank you Amy Flege for this AWESOME SHIRT!) The Kiddo’s look so darned cute in these!!!

OR A TASTEFULLY SIMPLE GIFT SET…..

OR A JUMP START ADVANCED PRESCHOOL 4CD SET FOR THE PC???? (Thank you to a very dear friend who shall remain nameless!! You know who you are!! Love you)

Well you can win one of these wonderful items. One of our lucky donors to our adoption, will have the opportunity to have their name thrown into a hat to received these fabulous things.

You name will be put in the hat as follows:

$10 – 1 slip in the hat

$20 – 3 slips in the hat

$50 – 10 slips in the hat

$75 – 20 slips in the hat

$100 – 30 slips in the hat

You can contribute one of several ways!!

1. You can contribute to the Chip-In on our side bar… THIS IS NOT Tax Deductible and will go directly into our Paypal account and will be used for our next step in our adoption process which will be when we submit our dossier.

2. You may donate directly to our FSP (Family Sponsorship Account) through Reece’s Rainbow. You may do that at this link or click on Landon’s Reece’s Rainbow Picture link to the right….under the chip in.

3. You may do a cash or check donation directly to us and if you leave a comment with your email address, I can email you our address for those donations.

All donations must be received between now and November 30th. On December 1st, we will pick the names from the hat for the winners. All slips of names will be put into the same hat to select winners. So you could win one of these wonderful prizes or more than one…depending on your donation!

The other way you can get more names in our hat is IF YOU DONATE AND then share this on your blog, on your FB page or via email. You will receive one additional slip for each way you share this. Please leave a comment if you blog about it.. include me in the email if you email it ( vannice6@gmail.com) or tag me if you post it on Facebook so I can be sure to get your slips in the hat!!!

HELP US BRING OUR BOYS HOME!!!!!!!

FYI….. Those that previously donated to our adoption when we had this going the last time, your names will be added into the drawing as well. I have this information and won’t forget you!!! I PROMISE!!!!

Coming Soon…..

2011-10-23T09:28:00.001-05:00

I will be starting our Giveaway again next week to help raise the funds to bring our boys home! We are going full force with our paperwork.. finishing up our home stud…submitting our paperwork to USCIS for approval! We are so excited to be making progress!

We are hoping to know the status of our littlest one in the next few weeks… his status on his adoptibility and hoping that is coming soon so we can officially commit to him as well as Landon!!

If you are interested in donating something to put on our Giveaway, please message me and let me know! Any donations would be greatly appreciated. So far we have some nice things, but more is always better!!

A Community I love…….

2011-09-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

I grew up in a small town..went to college in a small town….lived in two more small towns. I craved a “big city” experience but never got one. The largest city I have lived in ever was Waterloo. Now, I have some attachment to Waterloo because that is where my children were born and where they came home. It’s where I met and married Joe and it will always hold a special place in my heart, but I was never truly happy there.

We lived in a house for 7 years after we got married and Joe had lived there for 5 years before that. We knew exactly one neighbor…one neighbor that we were friendly with and would talk to. 12 years!! Either the neighbors would come and go like the seasons OR they just plain and simple weren’t friendly. Now we lived in the “less than desirable” part of town so getting to know your neighbors could possibly become a liability so we just didn’t.

When we had Josie and then soon after Katie. we decided we needed to start looking outside of Waterloo for our new home. We were quickly growing out of our small 900 square foot, 2 bedroom home. Then I found myself pregnant with Owen and we knew it was time. We looked in several small communities very close to Waterloo. We didn’t entertain the idea of moving almost 30 miles away.

We had a friend (THANK YOU SHANNON) who has a daughter, Josie’s age also with Down syndrome who lived in Grundy Center and had such great things to say about it. We actually came down one Saturday afternoon to look at houses and had lunch with Shannon and her family. I never in a million years thought that Joe would move here, but after we were done with lunch, we was convinced that this was the place for us. We put an offer on a house that following week and 6 weeks later we were getting ready for our big move. Not an easy task with three kids aged almost 3, almost 2 and 4 months old. But we did it.

It was apparent from almost the first day that this was a unique community. Within the first two weeks, we had 4 gift baskets dropped off at our house by neighbors welcoming us to the neighborhood and two other neighbors that came over with a complete dinner for us. It was amazing. Another week passed and several people stopped by to say hi and brought us bread, cookies, apples etc. It was surreal. Since then, we have gotten to know ALL our neighbors and they are great. The kids have a safe place to play and wonderful neighbor kids to play with. The schools here are wonderful and I couldn’t ask for a better place to live. We love it here. We feel so at home here…. in just 4 years that we never felt in Waterloo in 12 years there. Thank you Grundy Center for welcoming us with open arms!!!!!!

I challenge you to blog about your town and WHY you love living there!!!!

:-(

2011-09-05T18:58:00.000-05:00

So, as you know we have been having a giveaway of a Kindle, An Olympus Camera, a Tastefully Simple Gift Basket, and a Preschool CD set. Well it didn't go nearly as well as planned. I have contacted the 6 people that donated on our chip-in and have gotten the OK from 5 of them and am waiting on the 6th one, but since I know her personally, I know what her answer will be. We are stopping the giveaway for right now. We will start it back up sometime in October and the people that have donated will still be put in the drawing for the amount of $$ they donated.

We raised just under $250 and had we had to purchase the Kindle, that would have barely covered that cost. So I just didn't feel right drawing for 4 gifts between 6 people. I am hoping that the next go around, we might be able to add some stuff to "sweeten" the pot or something, but I have FAITH that it will go much better next time!

Please pray that it does! Thank you all who have assisted us thus far! You have no idea how much we appreciate it!

We are having a Tastefully Simple Mystery Hostess Party now through September 25th and if you want to read the details, please see my FB page OR email me/comment on this post and I will get you the information!!

God Bless

Did you know??

2011-09-04T13:19:00.001-05:00

I get this question quite often actually…… Did you know that will make 6 kids?? It makes me chuckle because I am quite sure we have done the math. The second most popular question when I tell people about our adoption is……You know that will be 4 kids with Down syndrome? Yep, again, I’ve done the math!

Doesn’t that scare you?? Well, if it didn’t scare us a little bit, I think we’d be questioning it more. Of course, it makes us think..”What in the world is God thinking?”, but then we realize it’s not our question to ask, but rather to follow HIS call and what plan He has for us!

Where are you going to put them? Um…. they are not a herd of cattle…they are two more boys.. We’ve thought about all our options where this is concerned. We have several ideas in mind. First though we are going to get them home and assess their needs and go from there. We are not moving, have no intentions of moving to a bigger house. This one will do just fine with a few minor adjustments if they are needed.

Trust me , we have thought about everything that comes along with adding two more to our family… how it will affect the kids, how we will go anywhere, how we will afford everything, how much we will be paying in daycare etc, etc , etc.!!!

It all boils down to the fact that we are excited…super excited to get on with the process and bring the boys home! For those people that think we are crazy.. we realize this… Tell us something we don’t know..!! LOL

You know, in life everyone makes decisions that not everyone agrees with… it’s not for anyone to judge our decision. I am not asking for everyone’s blessing, because when it comes time to answer to someone, it certainly won’t be my peers. We are going down the path that God has carved for us and that is who I will answer to someday. I do ask for your support, as much as you can give us! Prayers, prayers and more prayers that our process goes smoothly. If you are so led to support us financially, then we certainly appreciate that as well… Bringing Landon and Baby I home will be much more difficult if we don’t have your support… however that may be given!

An Update on our Bulgarian Process

2011-08-25T17:38:00.001-05:00

An email from our attorney in Bulgaria… Our initial paperwork has been translated and submitted for authentication. It should have been picked up from authentication today and then will be submitted to the MOJ (Ministry of Justice) when they have their next meeting. Not sure when that is.

Our last home study visit will be this coming Tuesday and we will just be waiting for a couple more things to come to her to be complete! YAY!! It will be at least 30 days though before that is complete and released to us!!

That is our status right now.. We are making progress!!!

Do you LOVE it?????

2011-08-16T19:48:00.001-05:00

Do you love our new look???? THANK YOU TO Mandy over at The Luck 7 Blog for getting me up and running and the new design! LOVE IT!!! Now I don’t have to worry about outdated pictures!! OH LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

What do you think?????

Adoption Fundraiser/Giveaway!!!!!

2011-08-09T20:34:00.001-05:00

How would you like to win a……….

Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology….. (THANK YOU to our DEAR Friends Leann and Chris for this gift…We love you)

OR AN OLYMPUS CE-PL1 Digital Camera…. (Thank you to my Mom and Dad for this awesome camera – also comes with LOTS of extras)

OR A TASTEFULLY SIMPLE GIFT SET…..

OR A JUMP START ADVANCED PRESCHOOL 4CD SET FOR THE PC???? (Thank you to a very dear friend who shall remain nameless!! You know who you are!! Love you)

Well you can win one of these wonderful items. One of our lucky donors to our adoption, will have the opportunity to have their name thrown into a hat to received these fabulous things.

You name will be put in the hat as follows:

$10 – 1 slip in the hat

$20 – 3 slips in the hat

$50 – 10 slips in the hat

$75 – 20 slips in the hat

$100 – 30 slips in the hat

You can contribute one of several ways!!

3. You may do a cash or check donation directly to us and if you leave a comment with your email address, I can email you our address for those donations.

All donations must be received between now and August 31st. On September 1st, we will pick the names from the hat for the winners. All slips of names will be put into the same hat to select winners. So you could win one of these wonderful prizes or more than one…depending on your donation!

Help us bring these boys home!!!!!!!!!

Q & A Post #1

2011-08-03T19:55:00.003-05:00

Well this is the first – of I hope many-- question and answer posts. I only have a couple to start out with so here goes:
1. What does your bedroom situation look like now, and how will you accommodate two more? We have three bedrooms upstairs right now. So we will make due with those. Boys in one room, girls in the other. Right now the girls have the bigger room and the boys have the smaller room. We are going to switch them so the boys are in the larger room. We will have a bunk bed and two cribs in that room. Then bunk beds in the girls’ room. Then next summer we will put two egress windows in the rooms in the basement so we will then have 5 bedrooms. We’ll split them up as they get older and figure out how they will be together at that point.
2. Have you found any great bed ideas for more than 2 in a room? I am looking at these bunk beds for the kids. We were going to build some, but we aren’t incredibly handy and I really like these because of the extra room for drawers as well as the regular steps since the kids are so little still. Katie likes them anyway so we will see..what I can get on sale! LOL

3. I had a questions blog once, too - but nobody asked anything! So I answered questions that I knew people had - they were just afraid to ask! So here's a question...how in the HECK do you find time to do your work with Reece's Rainbow?! Amazing! Well I find that having email on my phone really helps with keeping up with things. To get to Wal-Mart it’s a 30 minute drive so when we go as a family and Joe is driving I have time to keep up on emails. I try to designate time during the day to take care of business and then when I am not doing that, I unplug completely. I check my phone throughout the day to see if there are pressing things that need my attention! It all works. Somehow, it all works!! By the Grace of God really some days!!

4. How did bonding go with Jacob when you brought him home? It went pretty well, but I think that was because he was developmentally like a 3 month old and was almost the same size as a 3 month old. I had a bit of a hard time with it at first. I think what was the most difficult is coming home after being gone for so long and jumping right back in to being a mom of now 4 kids. They had been without me for 5 weeks and they wanted me 24/7. I hadn't been around them for 5 weeks and I needed a break at times and I wasn't getting it at all (and understandibly so) but I felt very overwhelmed. Jake also did not want to be held or have any contact with anyone at that point (just like life in the orphanage). We adjusted, but it took several months for us to work into a routine and fall in love with eachother. At first it was like he was a neighbor kid that wouldn't go home. But we got through it and we are bonded now. He knows we are mommy & daddy and we love him exactly the same as the rest of the kids!

5.How many bedrooms is your house? I talked about this above some.. right now it's 3 and when we are done next summer it will be 5. It could be 6 if we absolutely needed another one!

6. What are your meals most commonly cooked for dinner? It depends on the season really... during the summer, we grill a lot.. hamburgers, chicken, brats, hot dogs, veges -- occasionally we order pizza if we are feeling lazy! In the winter, we eat a lot of casseroles because those tend to go the farthest with our family. I love lasagna and I make a mean lasagna if I do say so myself! LOL. We are carb lovers at heart so sometimes panni's or pasta quite a bit. Kids love grilled cheese, chicken, and the trend right now is peanut butter & jelly! lol

7. What do you know about "Landon"? We know A LOT about Landon. We know the surgeries he's had...every time he's been in the hospital, that he wears glasses a few hours a day. He walks, runs, follows commands, is partially potty trained, dresses himself, self feeds and is spoiled at his orphanage. Which can be good and bad at the same time! We know much much more about him than we did about Jake at this stage in the game. It's nice knowing exactly... well as exactly as we can... what to expect.. for the most part anyway! I can't wait to meet him and snuggle him... Soon.. I hope!!!!!

8. Are you going to let the kids help choose with Landon's name? Or are you going to keep it a secret from them? We are including them in on naming the boys. They have come up with some pretty "off the wall" names. They will know the name we pick... however we are going to try to keep it a secret until we have raised the funds for our adoption. That will be our "reward" for being fully funded is making the names we have picked public!

Well there you go.. our first Q & A… not so bad.. I will continue to do one whenever there are more questions for me!

Questions??

2011-07-28T21:41:00.001-05:00

I want to answer some questions here on our blog.. no one ever seems to have any… So PLEASE ASK ME A QUESTION?? What do you want to know about me…. my family…..my home… our routine…etc…etc!!!

Ask away!!!!!!!!!!!

My Kids!!!

2011-07-28T15:19:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share these random pictures!!!

Jacob!!! What a big boy!!!!

Owen – Not sure what he was doing with the ice cream bucket!!

Katie – 5 going on 15!!!

Josie.. smiling for the camera!!! LOL

Our Company!!!

2011-07-27T21:53:00.002-05:00

At the end of June (yes I am really up to date on my blogging), we had some awesome company at our house!!! Lyndi Shupp came up for a visit and to assist with our garage sale fundraiser! She and 4 of her kids make the 12 hour drive up here to have almost a week of visiting! We had a blast!!!!
Also during that time, Linda Karas and her family stopped here on their way to Michigan on vacation! Oh what a joy it was to finally meet Linda in person!! She is my true ALMO (that is LMAO for those of us with a little OCD and need things to be in order!!)
Also on that same night, Amy Flege and Mayson came up for a visit and dinner! A great time was had by all!! Here are some pictures of our time together!!

The Kiddo’s with a little something extra!! 5 of them!!

The mama’s –acting like the kids!!!

There were 17 people at our house for dinner.. 15 of those stayed overnight!! It was so much fun! Here is the crew.. minus the dads, Ted and Joe and of course Jake.. he was wiped out and overstimulated!

Patrick – he’s so darned cute!!

Chase.. LOVE HIM!!!!!!

Linda enjoying her first EVER Dilly Bar!!!

Lyndi .. enjoying her Dilly Bar too though it wasn’t her first one!!

Patrick and Josie.. Oh the LOVE!!!

Just some of the kiddo’s!

Amy – you are a nutball!!!

Me and Linda!!! BFF’s and ALMO’s!!!

The three of us!! Oh the fun!!!

Linda and Jake.. it was just a second later that he was pulling her hair!! LOL

Owen and Kami – Friends forever!
I can’t wait til the next time!!!!!!!!

Fundraising!!!!

2011-07-23T14:10:00.002-05:00

We are still continuing to fundraise though the initial funds to commit have already been received. I have reflected this on the side bar. Please email me at gittevan4@gmail.com if you would like to donate to our adoption and I will give you our address or our paypal address. I will be posting other ways we are going to be raising money here very soon!!! There will be some giveaways coming where one or two or three lucky people will have their name drawn if they make a donation to our adoption.

Stay tuned to see what the details for that entail!! I am hoping to be blogging much more often now. Tomorrow.. an update on our family and how the kids are doing!! We're having a pool day tomorrow as well so hopefully I will have some good pictures to post!!!

P.S.. As you can see.. everyone will be able to see our progress on the side bar. When we have another fundraiser, we will post another chip-in!!!

Here HE IS!!!!

2011-07-21T09:19:00.003-05:00

Well this is Landon... he is going to be our son! His name on RR is Landon but we are not sure we are going to keep that name!! Isn't he a cutie??? We don't have a picture of the other little one yet.. after he is registered for adoption we can get a photo! Can't wait to get him in the mix!!!!!

PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD!!

2011-07-19T21:25:00.004-05:00

Because only through God could what I am about to tell you have happened.

Last week when Joe and I decided to commit to this other little boy... we decided that we'd officially commit to him and add the other little one as soon as he becomes available! We made the decision on Tuesday night to commit to him..... Wednesday night after work and a couple phone calls, I realized how quickly we needed to do this committment. Not only was his file going back to the government in a few weeks, but he is in danger of being transferred and without a committment, that would surely happen!

It kicked our fundraising into high gear. We had raised a little bit -- $500 between a garage sale and a couple other things, but we had so much further to go to get this done quickly!!

I put it out there and asked people. Very quickly we raised over $1,000.. we were 25% there and I was happy but we still had a long way to go and not much time to do it in.

Then on Friday night I received an email from a friend -- who shall remain nameless-- whose husband was out of town, but they wanted to help us. She would talk to him when he got home and she'd be back in touch with me. On Sunday afternoon, appeared in our paypal account $500 from this friend. I messaged her immediately to express our thanks! What an amazing gift!! We were so Thank ful... The response I got from her... "Just keep watching". It was followed by an email about 1/2 hour later that said her husband was home and they had decided to make a donation to our adoption for $5,000 !! Yes, you read that right ----- $5,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't even believe it. I had no words. The tears flowed.... I was pointing to the screen and couldn't say a word when Joe thought I was losing it! LOL I kept pointing and he came and read it and had pretty much the same reaction. There was our answer... There was our "Yes my children.. this is what I want you to do!" It was like God was reading that email in my head! Both Joe and I said at the same time...."It's like this weight had been lifted off our shoulders"

God does provide when you need it ... if you believe that he will. If He leads you to it....He leads you through it!!! Thank you to my friend .. you know who you are and I appreciate you so much! You are doing Gods work! I promise you are!!!

PRAISE GOD!! We will be able to share our little guy's picture and information TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

Expenses!!!!!

2011-07-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

Agency fee due at committment: $1,500
Program fee due at commitment: $2,000

These two things above is what we are raising money for right now along with $500 to be paid to our SW for our Home Study downpayment!!!!

I-800A fee: $890
Fee to home study agency for signed dossier forms: $1500
FBI background checks: $36
Local background checks: $12
Dossier authentication: $150
Program fee due with dossier: $4,000
Agency fee due with dossier: $1,500
Program fee due at travel: $4,000
Plane ticket for trip 1: $1,200
Plane ticket for trip 2: $1,200 for me $800 for Older Boy, $200 for younger boy
Hotel expenses for trip 1: $500
Hotel expenses for trip 2: $500
Food for trip 1: $200
Food for trip 2: $200
Second I800 for second child: $720
Visa: $404.00
Visa for Second Child: $404.00

For a Grand Total of $22,216

2011-07-14T17:03:00.002-05:00

Today was a great day!!! I got pictures of our new little guy!! I SURE WISH I COULD POST THEM!! And Video's as well!! Want to see them??? Make a donation to our Chip In to the right and when it get's to $4,000 we will post all the pictures and videos!!! I PROMISE!!! We are at just $400 raised in 24 hours! YAY!!! Several people who have told us that checks are in the mail! We can do this.. GOD can do this!! If He leads us to it... He leads us THROUGH IT!!!

Can't say much YET!!!

2011-07-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

Ok so here is the deal.. we are committing to two boys.... one now and one later from Bulgaria!! The problem herein lies that the older boy that we are wanting to commit to is facing being transferred if we don't commit to him SOON!! As in this week or next week! We DON'T want that to happen! We were thinking that we had much more time because our other little guys isn't available yet, but now we are in a quandry!! We thought we had a few months to come up with the initial costs, but now are facing a few days time!! Ideally we'd be able to raise these funds by tomorrow! :-) However I know that may not be possible!

God laid this on our hearts and he will lay that funds in our hands.. He always has provided for us in the past and he will now! I can not share who our boy is until we have made that official committment which can't be done with out the funds. Make sense?? SOOOOO as a incentive... when our Chip In gets to $4,000 or 100% we will share who it is that we will be welcoming to our family!!!

Please use the Chip-In on the right to make a donation if you are able!! Prayers are welcome too!!! I know God will make this happen.. He's never let me down before!! Praise Him!!!!!

Happy Birthday Owen!!

2011-06-19T20:13:00.004-05:00

Today my boy turned 4! I can't believe he is getting so big!!

We had a great time with some relatives, a BBQ and the sprinkler.. oh yes.. and the cake!!!

30 Days of Blogging – Day 3 or is it 20??

2011-04-26T13:53:00.001-05:00

I know I am a little behind.. but we are starting where we left off!!!

Day 2: Take a photo of a random part of your day and tell us about it

It’s completely random and meaningful at the same time. If it were up to me, we’d get a new dining room table because quite frankly this one is outdated and getting old! It doesn’t really match our house or the things we have in our home. I prefer a rectangular table with heavier chairs and a bench for the kids to sit at. The chairs have been glued I can’t even count the number of times. This is as big as it gets with two leaves in it and with soon to be 7 of us, there isn’t much more room for company around this table!

Why do we keep it you ask? Why haven’t we gotten a new, prettier, more durable table?? Well there is one simple reason. The greatest Mother-In-Law ever bought this table and sat at this table for hours and hours and thought about her family and her life. The very moment I met this lady, she was sitting at this table holding Boss (their dog) by the collar so he wouldn’t scare me! This table is full of memories when Karen was still around. She has been gone for just over 8 years and we miss her every day, but having this table that was a part of her in our home, makes the fact that I don’t really like it, my very most favorite thing in our house! So it stays in our dining room for now.. reminding us nearly every single day of my husbands mother, Karen! She was an amazing woman!!!

Jake Has News!!!

2011-04-22T10:45:00.001-05:00

Yes, it’s true!! Jake is going to be a big brother! NO I am not expecting the “typical” way! We are starting a journey of another paper pregnancy to a little boy in Bulgaria who happens to have a little something extra! I met him while I was there and we are feeling the “CALL” to bring him home to our family.

Yes, I did go with specific instructions from Joe NOT to fall in love with a child because we were DONE. However something spoke to his heart after we came home….. It was the story of Carrington Burman who recently came home from Ukraine! She was a very sick little girl! Go to the link above and read her story and her fight for her life! Well, this little girl touched Joe’s heart and he sent me a message that we should bring this little guy home so he didn’t end up in the same situation!

We are just beginning our home study in the next couple weeks and hopefully by the time we are ready to submit out paperwork, he will be ready for adoption and he can come home quickly! As our process progresses, I will keep you updated. We will have an FSP through Reece’s Rainbow in a few weeks and I will post the link at that time.

Unfortunately we do not have a picture of him yet, but we are hoping that we do in a few weeks as well!! Prayers for a smooth process would be appreciated!!!

Sofia Bulgaria – Conference

2011-04-01T09:05:00.001-06:00

Well finally getting around to this post…. The CONFERECE was AWESOME!! There were over 200 people there and there were LOTS of questions… LOTS of information and I believe there were DOORS OPENED that had either been closed or only open a crack! I truly believe that this is the beginning of HUGE change in Bulgaria! Not just because of the conference, but because of the PEOPLE there and how READY they are for change! It was truly inspirational to see these people so hungry for information and wanting things to be better!!! It will happen.. I am sure of it!!

Here are some pictures of our day!!!!

30 Days of Blogging – Day 1

2011-04-01T02:14:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I am a little behind. This week has been CRAZY!! So now I will start my 30 days a couple days late!! Better late than never right???

The meaning behind our blog name --- that’ pretty easy actually. I was looking for a blog name and my friend Leah came up with this! I LOVED it! Living our life so-to-speak! A little glimpse in to our lives – what do do – what we don’t do – adoption – Down syndrome – Reece’s Rainbow – our normal – our busy life!

That’s really it! For now anyway!!!

30 Days of Blogging ~~ Day 0

2011-03-28T14:00:00.000-06:00

So as you probably already know, I am easily taken off task. The task I am talking about is blogging! I struggle coming here every day to fill you in on our life. It’s not that it’s not interesting on a daily basis, but sometimes by the time I explain WHY it’s funny, it loses some it’s “funniness”, if you know what I mean!

So I have seen this on other blogs recently and it will prompt me to have a topic to write about AND open my life up to more questions if anyone has any! I will do my best to answer these questions and let you know the real “me” through these posts!

Enjoy!!!!!!!

Day 0: The 30 Day Challenge Explanation and Description
Day 1: Meaning behind your blog name
Day 2: Take a photo of a random part of your day and tell us about it
Day 3: Photos from your wedding
Day 4: A weird hobby or collection
Day 5: A song that means a lot to you
Day 6: A random picture that makes you happy
Day 7: Favorite books
Day 8: A place you've traveled to
Day 9: Your favorite quote
Day 10: Something you're afraid of
Day 11: TV shows that your currently addicted to
Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without
Day 13: A photo that makes you laugh
Day 14: A website you love to visit
Day 15: Share a Bible verse
Day 16: Describe your dream house
Day 17: What’s in your purse?
Day 18: Photos from around your town
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Favorite Movies
Day 22: Share the oldest photo that’s saved on your computer
Day 23: Something you fear
Day 24: A photo of somewhere beautiful
Day 25: 3 things you hope to accomplish by the end of the year
Day 26: Something that stresses you out
Day 27: Your favorite poem
Day 28: A photo of the inside of your car
Day 29: 5 things you are thankful for
Day 30: a picture from today

Sofia Bulgaria – Saturday Evening

2011-03-27T22:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday evening, we met with some of the parents in Sofia.
This was a time for them to share their concerns, specific issues that they are struggling with and for us to ask questions to get a better idea of the situation in Bulgaria.
They provided us with some really great information on what typically happens in the hospital after a baby with Ds is born (for the record: just like in the US, each families experience is very different and one mom DID have a positive experience at birth). They also talked about the medical care available, what therapy services look like in Bulgaria and how the school system works. It was very interesting to hear about all the cultural differences from what we experience (though us moms did assure them that we too have to advocate with doctors and schools!).

The overwhelming theme that we kept hearing was:
1.) Families need support and accurate information when the child is born
2.) Early intervention is a huge need
3.) School is a challenge
(education is needed on inclusion, how to provide support for children with Ds in the classroom, etc)

It was fabulous really! These parents are so WANTING change and WANTING directions! NOW is a PRIME time for CHANGE in Bulgaria! If we can just keep this momentum going and keep that door open and let EVERYONE walk through it!

THIS was the highlight of my night however!

Her name is Gerri and she is 5!

She’s been educated with her peers in what is like our preschool!

She’s a ham for the camera and was teaching us a thing or two. Some of us broke away from the discussions and talking to play with Gerri!!!! She taught us some of the alphabet!

Loved that girl!!

Maybe I will get to see her again someday!!!

Sofia Bulgaria – Saturday Afternoon

2011-03-27T20:00:00.000-06:00

Are you getting tired of reading yet?? Well just two more posts left and I will be done.. I think?? Hmmm maybe more! LOL

After the visit to the orphanage, we decided it was time to play “tourist” for a couple of hours. So Valentina took us downtown Sofia for a little lunch and a walk around. I have noticed that people don’t just grab a quick bite anywhere (unless of course you are eating at McDonalds and even then it’s not all that quick sometimes –haha!) I think we spent 1 1/2 hours of our time eating lunch. Now don’t get me wrong, it was GREAT company AND it was wonderful food! So all was fine!

We walked around quite a bit… for a couple hours I think. I say, I think because little did I know, I was getting sick and I had the chills. While I enjoyed our afternoon, I could have slept right through it! THANKS to Heather and Bessie for filling me full of good medicine so I was back to myself by late that night! I was feeling great by the time the conference started.

Here are some pictures of our “tourist” afternoon!

This is Valentina on her phone!! It’s really the only decent picture I got of her.. although you can’t really see her face!

This was a tribute/memorial for the Tsunami Victims. This is only a small part of what was in the trees! They were pretty!

I wish I had been feeling a little better to get more pictures, but we did have fun and I have some great memories from that afternoon!!!

Sofia Bulgaria – Saturday Morning

2011-03-27T16:00:00.000-06:00

Well, while this was almost the highlight of my trip, I am sad to say that there are only a couple of pictures of our adventures. The day started early again with breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Then 6 of us loaded into Tonja’s car again and we were off! Off to visit an orphanage in Sofia!

When we arrived, we were met by Valentina (President of the Sofia Parent Group), Frank , Phil, Becky, Tonja, Amy, Bessie, Angela, Shelley, Heather (who joined us for the weekend then) and myself. It think that is it.

I was sad that we were not allowed to take any pictures besides in the room where we met the interim director, a nurse and a social worker. Here is the group and the tiny room where we spent a couple hours talking.

We talked a lot about the care the children receive at this orphanage. They also have a daycare here for kids with special needs. It was interesting to say the least. We were then taken on a very specific orphanage tour. There were (from their words) over 100 children in this orphanage. We saw maybe 15 of these kids.

We did get to see three new babies that are there. I got to hold a little guy who is just over 7 months old. I was in love! Oh he was precious. Another little girl was a couple months younger and just the cutest thing ever! The other little girl was in need of heart surgery, but in the couple minutes we got to interact with her, she was full of smiles etc. I would have never guessed that she was scheduled for heart surgery in a little over a month! It was hard to gauge what the level of care was when there weren’t visitors, however the kids looked like they were well taken care of for the most part. Understaffing is a problem in places like this especially. So many kids, so few workers. But all in all it was a productive day. I vowed that when I knew these 3 babies were available for adoption, that I would find them homes so they don’t have to spend any longer there than they have to! Hopefully we will find out that these kids are registered or are going to be registered very very soon and I can start to advocate for these three littles.

Sofia Bulgaria – Friday Night Dinner

2011-03-27T12:32:00.001-06:00

Our ride arrived at 5:40 – reservations at 6 pm. What I find so funny is that people driving in Sofia sometimes have NO idea where they are going, but they will find it! (And they did) I rode with Toni and her brother! We had a great chat while trying to find out restaurant. It was literally in the middle of nowhere and had I thought of it, I would have gotten a picture of the outside. It was in what I would call a “central park” sort of place in Sofia. Really and seriously, we turned off this busy busy street onto these dirt paths through this park that seemed to go on for miles! We drove around and around and FINALLY found what on the outside looked like a shack… BUT when we walked in, it was truly a Bulgarian Experience. There were 12 of us when we sat down to dinner. Here are the pictures!!!

All of us when we arrived at the restaurant (in three different cars) From Left to Right :

Amy, Bessie, Angela, Me, Shelley, Becky, Phil, Toni (seated), Frank, Valentina, Tonja (the 12th person was Toni’s brother, Marty who wasn’t in the picture)

This was the platter of appetizers… Two of these on our table. There is a mixture of cheese, meat, dip (yummy cucumber and sour cream), some other dip, I didn’t taste but reminded me of salsa, whole tomatoes and pieces of cucumber. The white stuff under it all was flat bread which we cut or tore off to eat with the stuff on top.

Main Dish Platters (we also had two of these) Chicken, Pork, Beef, Lamb and I think maybe duck, roasted veges, potatoes and the best beans every. Again on a piece of flat bread for us to tear off and eat. It was interesting to say the least! LOL

We weren’t sure what to do with our hands. It was fancy, but not really really fancy, so we didn’t want to offend anyone with out elbows on the table or not showing our hands at all! It was quite the discussion at our end of the table!

Toni – she is the director of the Bulgarian Agency that RR works with or AAC works with for Bulgarian Adoptions! She is absolutely wonderful and IF you are adopting form Bulgaria, you will meet her and she ROCKS!!!

The inside of the restaurant. When we arrived we were really the only people there, but by the time we left (almost 4 hours later) the place was PACKED!!!

Not sure how long this meat had been on the spit, however it must be tradition.. Music played and two men got the spits and carried them to the middle of the restaurant and put them on a stand and cut them off. You can kind of see it in the next two pics. They were kind of dark because the restaurant was very dimly lit.

(BELOW) Then the entertainment ensued. First there were three men in tux’s with instruments came out and danced. Not sure if they were really playing the instruments or not. Hard to tell. Then the dancing girls came out. We enjoyed them at first. As the night progressed, there was a belly dancer. This was about 10 pm and Valentina told us that if we stayed much longer the girls would be dancing on the tables. This was our cue to get out of dodge!

It was an interesting evening to say the least. Great company, good food and entertainment. I think we not only got a very authentic Bulgarian Meal, but also some entertainment…..whether that was truly of the Bulgarian Culture or not, I am not sure. It was interesting, but I am glad we got out of there when we did! Who knows what may have happened! LOL

Sofia Bulgaria – Friday Morning

2011-03-26T16:31:00.001-06:00

Well I arrived in Sofia Bulgaria on March 17th! It was go, go, go from the time we landed.

We were picked up at the airport by Toni and her brother, Marty. They drove us to our hotel and we had lunch. Yummy club sandwiches and fries. We then got settled into our room and started thinking about the conference and trying to put things together in our heads.

About 9 pm that night, Steve (an American missionary in Sofia) brought the supplies for the conference that had been printed in Bulgarian and shipped to Tonja and Steve’s home. We stayed up late pulling stuff out and counting to make sure we had what we needed.

Friday morning started bright and early with breakfast at the hotel then off to a Privately Run Special Needs Center in Sofia. Here are some pictures of our visit! It was amazing really that in a country where there has been little progress that a facility like this is doing everything so right.

The name of the center is Pompalina – not sure if that is spelled right, but here is a picture of the sign!

Down stairs in the what I called the “Autism Room” this was the clock on the wall. The stickers represent when during the day certain things are done. Some kids visually learn the by the clock and others digitally, so below the “hand” clock is the same schedule with the times in writing! (see below)

One of the evaluation rooms!

A group of preschoolers putting together puzzles with their teacher. There is one little guy with Down syndrome and the others were I would guess autism and FAS.

Just another angle of the “school” room. I was so very happy to see that the playpen in the middle is for “stuff” and coats rather than kids!

More very hands on teaching!

Tonja’s little guy, Jayden, doing “his thing”!

Toys are mostly wooden!! LOVE THEM!! I know we have them here, but they are soooo expensive. They hold up so well and clean up so nicely!

This one is for when they are working on fractions!! AWESOME!!

They were doing an evaluation here on the left and the boy on the right spoke to us in English when we came in! So cool!!

Individual work space in the “Autism Room” Very separate areas so they kids know exactly where to go for each activity.

Sensory corner. There was a bouncy ball also in this corner that they could sit on and bounce when they were feeling overwhelmed or over stimulated. It was pretty cool. I would go NUTS sitting in this corner for too long, but the kids feel soothed being here.

This was the art project that the kids had made earlier that morning.

Group corner and working on group activities. 4 kids and two teachers!

They try to make things themselves as well which saves on expenses. These canisters are filled with all different things for sensory exercises.

These balls are scented. These were mint I think. I have never seen wooden balls that were so soft AND scented.

The director told us that there was a girl with autism who’s sense of smell was amazing. She didn’t read or write. In looking at how she learned, they realized that she could distinguish by the smell of something. The alphabet was written on note cards and each letter was scented a different scent. She could then pick out the letter by how they smelled. In turn she learned to recognize the letters and now can read and write very well. AMAZING!!!!!

This center is a private center. There is a cost associated with bringing your children here for therapy. There are sessions available from one hour a week to all day 5 days a week. Depending on what the family can afford. We were told that approximately 5 days all day would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 a month. That’s not too bad when you think about what child care costs are here. They could run that much easily AND the child is getting therapy while there as well! So what would be EVEN BETTER is if in the near future there were centers exactly like this that were funded by the government and everyone would have access to no matter their income! Some day.. Some day!!!

Well that was our Friday morning. Friday afternoon I spent going back and forth to the airport with Steve while Shelley had a meeting. I will post about out dinner Friday night tomorrow! Don’t want to overwhelm you in one post!!!!

Bulgaria

2011-02-20T07:18:00.001-06:00

In just a little over three weeks, I will be landing in Sophia Bulgaria! I am pretty sure if you’d have told me two months ago that I would be doing this, I would have told you you were crazy! HOWEVER, all the stars were in alignment! Typically I would not have been able to find someone to watch the kids. That is taken care of. And in our house with three different schools and 4 different schedules, that is a feat in and of itself! Luckily the kids are on spring break the first days I am gone and we have a great sitter who is coming to stay with the kids!

I am so excited about this opportunity! Being able to interact with people who have CHOSEN to keep their children with Down syndrome in a country where doctors still advise new parents to sign the paperwork and forget they were born. We’ll have the opportunity to talk to those doctors. Put the ideas in their head that maybe, quite possibly, absolutely this is not the right decision for their patients. That in fact, children with Down syndrome and other special needs actually ADD to a family rather than take away from it!

I will have a chance to talk about getting Josie’s diagnosis of Down syndrome. I will get to talk about how we grieved the child we thought we were having and how we came to love her even more; diagnosis and all! Then I will be able to tell them that we love her so much and her DS that we CHOSE to adopt another child JUST LIKE HER!! If I can change one person’s mind, just one, the entire trip will have been worth it!

I WISH I was Superwoman!!!

2011-02-15T15:25:00.001-06:00

But alas, I am not. Our days are full, typically, and I like it that way. I thrive on having something to do even if it’s something small like looking for office desks on the internet.

Recently, I have had several people ask me how I do it! What?? How do I raise 4 kids? How do I work part-time, volunteer, get laundry done, cook meals, keep up with 6 schedules, clean the house, go on vacation, keep my sanity? Hmmm… well the easy answer to that is that “this is our normal” I don’t know any different. I do what I have to do! Sometimes I get frustrated and lose my temper. Sometimes I sit down in the evening with a “Parrot Bay and Diet” and try to forget the very trying, very busy day we’ve had. I am human, I need a break ~~all the time~~ sometimes! There are times when I sit and look at my family and wonder “How did I get to be responsible enough to be in charge of these kids? Who thought THAT would be a good idea? “ LOL

So, if I don’t blog for a week, or I don’t answer your email the second you send it, please understand, I am just doing what I do! I promise I am not ignoring you, I am just living my life, playing taxi, cooking dinner, doing laundry, cleaning or one of the many hundred other things I do during the day! I don’t have my hands full, I have my heart full and I wouldn’t trade my “normal” for anything!!

EPIC DAY

2011-02-09T19:05:00.000-06:00

It was an EPIC DAY at our house yesterday! By that, I mean that for the first time in over 6 years, I didn’t have a child home with me! Well it has happened a few other times, but it’s really been a fluke. Yesterday Owen started Preschool!! My last baby isn’t a baby any longer, but a big boy who is going to preschool two days a week!

I can’t even tell you how excited I am for this phase of our lives! I have dreamed of a day where I would have all 4 in school and it wasn’t until my sister potty trained Owen during our trip to Cancun that I even thought this was possible!

People asked me if I was sad or if I cried?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? He got out of the car with his teacher and I breathed a sign of relief! Maybe not how I should have reacted, but it is what it is! I am real.. a real mother who needs a break now and then!!

He had a great first day! Our neighbor’s little girl is in his class and that helped ALOT, I think! I was actually shocked when his teacher told how well behaved he was! REALLY?? MY OWEN?? You have to be talking about a different child!

The highlight of his day was that he brought a cookie home with him AND he had goldfish for snack! Oh and last night now just in time for Valentine’s Day parties, I did almost 75 valentines between all 4 kids. Is this when it gets expensive?? LOL

Here are some pictures from his first day!!! ENJOY!!! I know I was!

Look at that cheesy grin!

Mr. Cool posing for the camera!

He wanted a picture of his cool backpack!

Ready for the freezin cold!

Katie, you’re a dork! LOL

Mr Serious!

One last good picture of my boy before his teachers comes to get him!!!

Man, I love that boy!!!!!

A Trip to Bulgaria

2011-02-08T17:09:00.000-06:00

Well, I know that I have been absent for awhile, and I really have no excuse except for the fact that life with 4 kids aged 6-3 1/2 is hectic at best. I have been busy with my work with Reece’s Rainbow, helping couples adopt from Ukraine. I am also still involved with our local Down syndrome group and am running for President of our group beginning in April.

What I am posting about today though is a different kind of opportunity that I have been presented with. I have the opportunity to go to Bulgaria for 4 days. I know, a quick trip, but it’s the opportunity to speak with parents of children with Down syndrome who have chosen to keep their children is HUGE when you are talking about an Eastern European Country! The goal is to eventually run Reece’s Rainbow out of a job! Wouldn’t that be wonderful if keeping your child with Down syndrome was the rule rather than the exception?

I am so pumped about this trip because I will get to talk to parents about finding out about Josie’s diagnosis and how we felt and how we dealt with that!

This trip is coming up fast… Leaving March 16th and Returning March 21st. That doesn’t leave me much time to come up with the $1,000 for my airline ticket! As you will see there is a Chip-In to the right of my blog! If you so feel led you can donate towards my airline ticket. Every single penny raised will be used to pay for my ticket! I will keep you updated on the progress of our trip.

If you would rather, I have a Tastefully Simple party going now as well. I have listed Josie as the hostess and you can order from this link www.tastefullysimple.com/web./bvannice If you go here and would like to order, 30% of your order total would go towards my trip! Be sure if you order that you select Josie as the hostess because at the end of this party, I will be drawing one lucky person to be the hostess and receive the hostess credits!

I thank you for your support! I truly do!!!

I will be back tomorrow to post pictures and fill you in on my last child’s FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!! Yes, Owen started Preschool today.. It was an EPIC day at our house and I will fill you in tomorrow complete with pictures!!

Jake on his car!!

2010-11-11T07:03:00.001-06:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We’re HOME!!!

2010-10-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

We are finally home from the hospital (as of Friday) and we are on day TWO at back to normal! Well at least what our version of normal seems to be. Josie is back to kindergarten where everyone missed her so much! I bet she got 15 hugs on the way in to school yesterday and today both!

Jake has been back at school now for a little over two weeks and he’s doing good! He’s pretty tired though when he comes home, but he’s doing good!

Katie is back at preschool this week and had her school pictures yesterday which she was so excited about. Later this week she has her Halloween party and is looking forward to wearing her costume to school!

Owen is well…. Owen! He’s home with me all the time and we’re having fun. Sometimes he gets into trouble, but for the most part, he’s a good little boy! If we could just get this potty training thing down. Beginning November 1st, we are going to really start attacking that so he can start preschool! I know he would love it actually, if he could just get the potty thing down.

Joe and I are doing good. Busy with the kids’ schedules, but we make it work! It’s good to have such a great partner to help out when he’s needed!

Stay tuned for pictures of Halloween costumes! They will be CUTE!!!!

I’ve been MIA!!!

2010-10-21T18:07:00.001-05:00

Well I had the greatest intentions to blog every day of October! Well that quickly came to a halt with the chaos that has been happening in our family!!!

Our month began with our local Buddy Walk on October 2nd. I was the chairperson so as you can imagine I was running my butt off trying to get stuff done. It was a long weekend, however it’s so rewarding and I LOVE IT!!! Pictures to come later.. I promise!!

Then on Monday, October 4, I had out-patient surgery. On our way out of town to the hospital, Jake’s school called and said he had a 102 fever. So, Joe dropped me at the hospital and went to pick up Jake… then he met my parents to make the exchange. We thought he was teething and didn’t think much of it.

Surgery went as planned and I was in recovery by 3:00 and at 5:00 pm, I was still in my room waiting to be released and I called my parents to remind them that Katie was going to be on the 5:00 news for the Buddy Walk! My mom said that Jake was warm and his face was pretty red. I told her we’d be home soon and assess the situation.

Well, probably nothing could have prepared me for what we came home to. Jake looked horrible. Joe took one look at him and scooped him up and out the door he went to the ER. Ended up being ambulanced almost 40 miles to a larger hospital with Influenza A and a Bacterial Infection – also a fever of 105!! Holy Cow. Joe was on vacation that week and so he stayed with Jake in the hospital for a few days. Ended up staying in the hospital until October 9th! UGH!!!

Came home feeling much better –THANK GOODNESS!! Then on Sunday night (the following day) we went to IHOP for dinner! Josie was feeling a bit under the weather and she was a little warm. She didn’t want to eat and that should have been my clue right there. After we were done with dinner.. Josie coughed twice and then it happened….. PUKE EVERYWHERE!! I couldn’t grab anything quick enough and the only thing I could do was try (unsuccessfully, I might add) to catch it in my hands. She and I were covered in mess and I scooped her up and out the door we went. Cleaned up with baby wipes and we drove the 30 miles home! Of course she couldn’t go to school on Monday though she was feeling a little better. Tuesday, off to school she went. I got a call at work that she was sleeping in class. Then that she had a 103 fever. So off I went to pick her up. She didn’t hold anything down all the rest of the week! She slept and the fever was on and off (on when she wasn’t on Motrin or Tylenol)! Then on Friday she started breathing funny when she slept (which was pretty much all of the day).

Monday, Joe took her to the dr and they ambulanced her to the same hospital that Jake and I were in the week before! She had pneumonia! GREAT!! Three hospital stays in two weeks! We are still here now and Josie is on room air finally. We’ll see how she does tonight and maybe we’ll come home tomorrow! Please pray for these things….

1. That we can get the heck out of here tomorrow.

2. That Josie is well and can enjoy her birthday next week! She’ll be a big girl of 6!!!

3. That this is not an indication of what our winter is going to be like.

4. That I can keep my sanity until we get out of here!!!

Thank you all for your help during this CRAZY time and also THANK you for your prayers!!!!!

October 6 – 31 for 21

2010-10-06T06:45:00.000-05:00

I wonder………

Today I turn 40. I know.. it’s old. Some people my age have kids in high school or are even grandparents already. We however are just beginning our journey with kids. Josie will be 6 later this month and she is the oldest of the 4.

It really amazes me how much ones world chances in the span of a few years ago. 10 years ago I married the man of my dreams… we had 4 years of infertility then Josie came along. We were so excited to have our first child. Then a bomb was dropped on us 1/2 way through my pregnancy. Josie would be born with Down syndrome. Where did we begin?? My dreams and hopes for my oldest child seemed to fade in the distance and came crumbling down around us, or so we thought! How would we survive this diagnosis?? After all, I didn’t know anyone with Down syndrome. I had no experience with individuals with special needs. I was so afraid of what she would be.

She came and she was perfect! She was my daughter. She taught us more than we could have ever imagined. How not to take little things for granted. She worked so hard to achieve her milestones, every step forward was a blessing and we cherished it. She is who she is… She’s Josie. We love her. Yes, she happens to have Down syndrome, but while that is her diagnosis, it is far from her prognosis!

We love her and everything she is so much, we wanted another child just like her… therefore our adoption of our angel Jake from Ukraine last year!

So while today I celebrate my birth…I also celebrate the new birth that my two children with a little something extra have given me! I am not quite sure where we would be without them in our life!! I am not so sure I want to know! Things are great the way they are!

October 5 -- 31 for 21

2010-10-05T06:45:00.000-05:00

God Sent to Me an Angel

Written by Paul Dammann

God sent to me an angel,
it had a broken wing.
I bent my head and wondered
"How could God do such a thing?"

When I asked the Father
why He sent this child to me,
the answer was forthcoming,
He said "Listen and you'll see."

"My children are all precious,
and none is like the rest.
Each one to me is special,
and the least is as the best.

I send each one from Heaven
and I place it in the care
of those who know my mercy,
those with love to spare.

Sometimes I take them back again.
Sometimes I let them stay.
No matter what may happen
I am never far away.

So if you find an angel
and you don't know what to do,
remember, I am with you,
love is all I ask of you."

October 4 – 31 for 21

2010-10-04T07:16:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Jacob!! Our Ukrainian Prince that we adopted from an orphanage in June of 2009. He’s been home now for a year and a half and we can’t imagine our life without him!!! His journey in pictures!!!

The only picture we have of Jacob as a tiny baby!!!

Our first meeting with our new son!!

Mommy’s sweet boy!!!

Leaving the confines of the orphanage walls for the LAST TIME! June 3, 2009 – Gotcha Day!!!!

First Bath….. Didn’t go so smoothly!!!

Out of the orphanage and FREE!!!

Enjoying time with new friends in Kyiv! Taking in the sights!!

We’re home!! Meeting Grandma and Grandpa!!

First trip to the mall…. Meeting our great friend Amy!!

At home… he was so tiny for a 2 year old!!

Jake’s First Birthday Cake!! He loves Chocolate!!

Jake’s first visit to the pool. Didn’t like it much then, but now is another story!!

First Kids Professional Pictures

What a big boy!!!!

He looks like the Godfather! LOL

Jake – LOVING Hockey!!!

Jacob trying to self feed!!! A little OT at our house!!

Jake’s First Day of Preschool!

Jake having his play time with Owen!!

Pretty good progress for a boy who didn’t like toys a year ago!!

WE LOVE JACOB!!!!!

October 3 – 31 for 21

2010-10-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

Down syndrome facts have changed a lot since the terrible days of institutions and short life spans. No longer is the word “mongoloid” accepted. People who happen to have DS have rich, full, and happy lives, and their parents do, too.

Down syndrome is NOT:

Being institutionalized
A life of pain
Sadness
Never going to college
Not getting married
Suffering
Not able to comprehend life

Down syndrome IS:

Early intervention programs
Speech, physical, and occupational therapies
Full or part inclusion in typical schools
Having friends
Can and does go to college
Can and does marry
Many opportunities
Holding a worthwhile job
More and more public acceptance
Happiness
Loving life
Achieving amazing things
Having fun!

So, you may be asking about now--just what is Down syndrome exactly? That’s what we asked when Josie was born. I knew very little about it other than they were people who looked different. Growing up, I never knew anyone with Down syndrome. I wasn’t even aware of what the causes of Down syndrome were, or what my daughter would be like.

The nurses kept talking about something called a simian crease but I looked and looked at her hands and never noticed anything different. She does have some characteristics of DS but looks a lot like the rest of our family, too.

The hospital gave us a list of what to expect medically, but... that cold and sterile paper didn't tell us how much we would love her...and how much she would change our lives forever.

October 2 – 31 for 21

2010-10-02T06:45:00.000-05:00

This article was published by the Mayo Clinic. While I don’t agree with all the wording, the content is extremely informative if you know little about Down syndrome! Please read this and learn about my two children… Educate yourself!!!!

Down syndrome — Comprehensive overview covers causes, risk factors and diagnosis of this genetic disorder.

Definition

Click to enlarge

In humans, the egg cells and sperm cells have 23 chromosomes. The rest of your cells normally contain 23 pairs of chromosomes — one from your father and one from your mother. Kids with Down syndrome usually have three copies of chromosome 21 — called trisomy 21 — instead of two copies.

The genetic basis of Down syndrome

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes lifelong mental retardation, developmental delays and other problems. Down syndrome varies in severity, so developmental problems range from moderate to serious.

Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of severe learning disabilities in children, occurring in one in every 700 to 800 infants.

Increased understanding of Down syndrome and early interventions make a big difference in the lives of both children and adults with Down syndrome.

Symptoms

Children with Down syndrome have a distinct facial appearance. Though not all children with Down syndrome have the same features, some of the more common features are:

Flattened facial features
Protruding tongue
Small head
Upward slanting eyes, unusual for the child's ethnic group
Unusually shaped ears

Children with Down syndrome may also have:

Poor muscle tone
Broad, short hands with a single crease in the palm
Relatively short fingers
Excessive flexibility

Infants born with Down syndrome may be of average size, but typically they grow slowly and remain shorter than other children of similar age. Children with Down syndrome also have some degree of mental retardation, most often in the moderate range.

Causes

Human cells normally contain 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome in each pair comes from your father, the other from your mother.

The cause of Down syndrome is one of three types of abnormal cell division involving chromosome 21. All three abnormalities result in extra genetic material from chromosome 21, which is responsible for the characteristic features and developmental problems of Down syndrome. The three genetic variations that can cause Down syndrome include:

Trisomy 21. More than 90 percent of cases of Down syndrome are caused by trisomy 21. A child with trisomy 21 has three copies of chromosome 21 — instead of the usual two copies — in all of his or her cells. This form of Down syndrome is caused by abnormal cell division during the development of the sperm cell or the egg cell.
Mosaic Down syndrome. In this rare form of Down syndrome, children have some cells with an extra copy of chromosome 21. This mosaic of normal and abnormal cells is caused by abnormal cell division after fertilization.
Translocation Down syndrome. Down syndrome can also occur when part of chromosome 21 becomes attached (translocated) onto another chromosome, before or at conception. Children with translocation Down syndrome have the usual two copies of chromosome 21, but they also have additional material from chromosome 21 stuck to the translocated chromosome. This form of Down syndrome is uncommon.

There are no known behavioral or environmental factors that cause Down syndrome.

Is it inherited?
Most cases of Down syndrome aren't inherited. They're caused by a mistake in cell division during the development of the egg, sperm or embryo.

Translocation Down syndrome is the only form of the disorder that can be passed from parent to child. However, only about 4 percent of children with Down syndrome have translocation. And only about half of these cases are inherited from one of the parents.

In these translocation cases, the mother or father is a balanced carrier of the translocation, which means he or she has some rearranged genetic material, but no extra genetic material. A balanced carrier has no signs or symptoms of Down syndrome, but he or she can pass the translocation on to children.

The chance of passing on the translocation depends on the sex of the parent who carries the rearranged chromosome 21:

If the father is the carrier, the risk is about 3 percent.
If the mother is the carrier, the risk is about 12 percent.

Risk factors

Some parents have a greater risk of having a baby with Down syndrome. Risk factors include:

Advancing maternal age. A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. By age 35, a woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is 1 in 400. By age 45, the risk is 1 in 35. However, most children with Down syndrome are actually born to women under age 35 because younger women have far more babies.
Having had one child with Down syndrome. Typically, a woman who has one child with Down syndrome has about a 1 percent chance of having another child with Down syndrome.
Being carriers of the genetic translocation for Down syndrome. Both men and women can pass the genetic translocation for Down syndrome on to their children.

Complications

Children with Down syndrome can have a variety of complications, including:

Heart defects. Approximately half the children with Down syndrome are born with some type of heart defect. These heart problems can be life-threatening and may require surgery in early infancy.
Leukemia. Young children with Down syndrome are more likely to develop leukemia than are other children.
Infectious diseases. Because of abnormalities in their immune systems, those with Down syndrome are much more susceptible to infectious diseases, such as pneumonia.
Dementia. Later in life, people with Down syndrome have a greatly increased risk of dementia. Signs and symptoms of dementia often appear before age 40 in people with Down syndrome.
Sleep apnea. Because of soft tissue and skeletal alterations that lead to the obstruction of their airways, children with Down syndrome are at greater risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
Obesity. People with Down syndrome have a greater tendency to be obese than does the general population.
Other problems. Down syndrome may also be associated with other health conditions, including gastrointestinal blockage, thyroid problems, hearing loss, skeletal problems and poor vision.

Life expectancy
Life spans have increased dramatically for people with Down syndrome. In 1929, a baby born with Down syndrome often didn't live to age 10. Today, someone with Down syndrome can expect to live to 50 and beyond, depending on the severity of his or her health problems. Life span continues to increase because of early interventions and better care.

Tests and diagnosis

Screening for Down syndrome is offered as a routine part of prenatal care. A mother's age has traditionally been a factor in the decision to screen for Down syndrome. But now, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends offering various screening tests for Down syndrome to all pregnant women, regardless of age. Your health care provider can help you weigh the pros and cons of these tests for you.

Screening tests during pregnancy
Various screening tests can help identify whether you have a high risk of carrying a baby with Down syndrome. Blood tests typically have been offered around the 16th week of pregnancy to screen for Down syndrome, spina bifida and various other chromosomal disorders.

If you want an earlier risk assessment, the first trimester combined test, done in two steps from the week 11 to week 13 of pregnancy, may be your best choice. About 5 percent of women who undergo the first trimester combined test have a false-positive result, meaning they're identified incorrectly as having a high risk of delivering a baby with Down syndrome. The first trimester combined test includes:

Ultrasound. The doctor uses ultrasound to measure a specific region on the back of a baby's neck. This is known as a nuchal translucency screening test. When abnormalities are present, more fluid than usual tends to collect in this tissue.
Blood tests. Results of the ultrasound are paired with blood tests that measure levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Abnormal levels of PAPP-A and HCG may indicate a problem with the baby.

If early assessment isn't your first priority, you can have full integrated testing, which is done in two parts during the first two trimesters of your pregnancy. The results of the two parts are combined to estimate your risk that your baby has Down syndrome. Only about 1 percent of women have a false-positive result with full integrated testing, so fewer women require more invasive testing.

First trimester. Part one includes an ultrasound to measure nuchal translucency and a blood test to measure PAPP-A.
Second trimester. Done at 15 to 20 weeks of pregnancy, the quad screen measures your blood level of four pregnancy-associated substances, alpha-fetoprotein, estriol, HCG, and inhibin A.

If a screening test indicates a high risk of Down syndrome, a more invasive test may be used to determine whether your baby actually has Down syndrome.

About one in 20 women will have a positive result with any of these screening tests — far more than those who eventually deliver a baby with a chromosomal abnormality. In fact, most women who have a positive result from a screening test deliver healthy babies.

Diagnostic tests during pregnancy
If your screening tests are positive or worrisome or you're at high risk of having a baby with Down syndrome, you might consider further testing to confirm the diagnosis. Diagnostic tests that can identify Down syndrome include:

Amniocentesis. A sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus is withdrawn through a needle inserted into the mother's uterus. This sample is then used to analyze the chromosomes of the fetus. Doctors usually perform this test after 15 weeks of gestation. The test carries a one in 200 risk of miscarriage.
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Cells taken from the mother's placenta can be used to analyze the fetal chromosomes. Typically performed between the ninth and 14th week of pregnancy, this test carries a one in 100 risk of miscarriage.
Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS). Blood is taken from a vein in the umbilical cord and examined for chromosomal defects. Doctors generally perform this test after 18 weeks of gestation. This test carries a greater risk of miscarriage than does amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. Generally, this test is only done when speed of diagnosis is essential.

Each of these three tests is 98 to 99 percent accurate in diagnosing Down syndrome before birth.

Diagnostic tests for newborns
After birth, the initial diagnosis of Down syndrome is often based on the baby's appearance. If your child displays some or all of the characteristics of Down syndrome, your doctor probably will order a test called a chromosomal karyotype. This test is an analysis of your child's chromosomes. If there's an extra chromosome 21 present in all or some of the cells, the diagnosis is Down syndrome.

Treatments and drugs

Early intervention for infants and children with Down syndrome can make a difference in realizing their potential abilities and in their quality of life.

Early intervention programs
Ask your doctor about early intervention programs in your area. These specialized programs — in which children with Down syndrome are stimulated at an early age with appropriate sensory, motor and cognitive activities — are available in most states.

Programs vary from location to location, but they usually involve therapists and special educators whose goal is to help your baby develop motor skills, language, social skills and self-help skills.

Developing a team
If your child has Down syndrome, you'll likely build a team of specialists that, depending on your child's particular needs, will provide your child's medical care and help him or her develop skills as fully as possible. In addition to your primary care pediatrician, your team may include:

A pediatric cardiologist
A pediatric gastroenterologist
A pediatric endocrinologist
A developmental pediatrician
An audiologist
A physical therapist
A speech pathologist
An occupational therapist

What to expect
In general, children with Down syndrome usually meet developmental milestones, but it may take them longer than it does a child without Down syndrome. For example, children with Down syndrome may take twice as long to sit, crawl, walk or talk. However, early intervention programs, started as soon as possible, may give kids with Down syndrome the best chance of success.

Prevention

There's no way to prevent Down syndrome. However, if you're at high risk of having a child with Down syndrome or you already have one child with Down syndrome, you may wish to consult a genetic counselor before becoming pregnant.

A genetic counselor can help you understand your chances of having a child with Down syndrome. He or she can also explain the prenatal tests you will be offered and help you figure out the pros and cons of testing for you.

Coping and support

When you learn your child has Down syndrome, you may experience a gamut of emotions, including anger, fear, worry, sorrow and guilt. You may not know what to expect, and you may worry about your ability to care for a baby with a disability. The best antidote for fear and worry is information and support. Prepare yourself:

Find a team of trusted professionals. You'll need to make important decisions about your child's education and treatment. Build a team of doctors, teachers and therapists you trust. These professionals can help evaluate the resources in your area and help explain state and federal programs for children with disabilities.
Seek out other families who are dealing with the same issues. Most communities have support groups for parents of children with Down syndrome. You can also find Internet support groups.
Don't believe misinformation about Down syndrome. Some people believe that children with Down syndrome must be placed in segregated special education schools and that adults with Down syndrome usually live in institutions. Not true. Many people with Down syndrome live with their families or independently, go to mainstream schools, read and write, and have jobs. People with Down syndrome can live fulfilling lives.

Last updated 2010-08-03
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October 1st – 31 for 21

2010-10-01T06:34:00.001-05:00

I know there are people that read my blog that have no idea what this 31 for 21 is exactly, so here you go!

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month .. During the month of October, I will be blogging every day about Down syndrome. The reason for this is to bring awareness to Individuals with Down syndrome and their families. I want to show you that every person with Down syndrome is just as much the same as other people as anyone else! Sit down, buckle in and get ready to get educated!!!

Look at this Face…..

2010-08-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

This little guy’s name is Sasha! He is in an orphanage in Eastern Europe and is available for adoption through Reece’s Rainbow !! He has just turned 3 years old as of July but is facing life in an institution if he is not adopted by the time he is approximately 4 years old. He had a family that had committed to adopt him and due to some unexpected health issues in the family, they had to let him go. There is currently $4,000 in his grant account to help with the cost of traveling etc associated with this adoption.

I look at this face every single day. I typically don’t advocate for any child in particular because I can never choose just one child at a time, however this face….. I think that’s all I really need to say is …. this face!!!

Please if you are considering an International Adoption, please consider Sasha! I will do whatever I can to help you in the process. I promise! He would make a wonderful addition to your family!! Give this little guy a chance to have a real family!! If you aren’t able to adopt him, please consider donating to his grant fund at this link (click on the paypal link at the top of the page… be sure to put SASHA (2) in the comments section). By helping to increase his grant fund, it makes it easier for a family considering him to get him as soon as possible!

Look at that face and then do something.. don’t just look at this post and not act! Help give this little boy a chance!

The Bracelet

2010-08-28T12:10:00.001-05:00

Look at this bracelet! It’s the newest trend among kids, and it made. me. cry!!

You are probably wondering just WHY a stupid bracelet could make this mommy cry??

I have worried about Josie making friends in Kindergarten since she has been very very little. It’s something that has always been in the back of my head. Well, my fears became reality last week when Josie started Kindergarten with her typical peers. I was nervous to say the least, but so far so good! I wasn’t sure though that she was making friends, but I figured there was plenty of time for that!

To make my worry even greater, I have enrolled Josie in the YMCA after school care program they have at school. After school is over, she goes to the YMCA, which is in the Elementary school and plays with kids who are in Kindergarten and older. This worried me because I don’t think they have kids with special needs very often. She has been there all week and again, so far so good.

Yesterday I went to pick her up and she was sandwiched between 4 2nd or 3rd graders! They were all chatting and Josie was joining right in. They were all coloring and the two girls on either side of her were helping her color a picture. I signed Josie out and she came running to me and gave me a HUGE HUG as she does everyday! We collected her backpack and walked back over to her spot at the table. She had neglected to put her colors away so we were on a mission to clean up the mess. All the girls on that side gave her a high 5 and told her to have a good weekend. “See you on Monday Josie” I heard from about 10 different boys and girls. “Are you Josie’s mommy?…. You are a lucky mom” I heard from another.

That’s when I noticed it… Josie’s new bracelet that I hadn’t bought for her. I immediately asked where she got it (I didn’t want her to have taken something that wasn’t hers) and she walked over to a little girl, probably a 2nd grader and with a huge smile, pointed at her. The little girl turned around and gave Josie a big hug and said to me “ I gave her that bracelet for her to keep…she’s so sweet and I just really like her! She’s one of my new friends” We thanked her and off we went… with mommy crying all the way to the van! Why was it again that I was worried about Josie???…. She’s doing just fine!!!

Lost Her First Tooth!!

2010-07-24T15:07:00.001-05:00

Josie lost her 1st Tooth yesterday!! What a big girl!!!

They were so happy for her!!!

The Tooth Fairy brought Josie a Gold Dollar!!

Team Edward?? or Team Jacob??

2010-07-22T21:18:00.001-05:00

So until recently I did not fully understand the obsession with the Twilight Series! I must say that I really do appreciate a good vampire story (almost to the point of fixation) but what I saw of these books and movies, didn’t appeal to me…. at first!!

I know I am behind the times.. but we rented the first movie a couple of weeks ago. I loved it so much, the next night, we rented New Moon! I sat through both movies on the edge of my seat and felt such emotion when they were over… it was strange, yes, but when I am really into a movie, that’s what happens!

Now I want to read the books and want to order them very soon! So my question for you is ….

Are you Team Edward --------

or are you Team Jacob???

I must say that ideally, I would very much appreciate Edwards head on Jacob’s body… but since I can’t have everything I want, I have to vote………

TEAM EDWARD!!!

Where do you stand??

Goodness…

2010-07-20T22:09:00.001-05:00

I can’t quite believe that I will have 4 kiddo’s in school this fall! Seems like just yesterday we had tiny little ones around the house! I think had I thought through the swiftness that we had 4 kids, I might have done things a little differently! Like quite possibly spacing them out a little more! We will have kids in 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st grades (not this year, but in a few years!!) Our kids aren’t going to private school… there isn’t one in town AND we could never afford tuition for 4 ! As it is, just purchasing back to school supplies and clothes is going to break the bank! So far we have backpacks, and Josie’s school things that we got in a package from the school! Saved me having to go purchase them and the kit comes with stickers with her name on them to label her things!

I shouldn’t get ahead of myself thought, because if Owen can’t get this potty training thing down, then he won’t be starting preschool this year either!! Any ideas on motivating him to use the potty? I know they say don’t push him and he will do it when he is ready, but you all don’t know Owen! He has his own agenda and I could see him being 5 years old and still wearing diapers because he just doesn’t care to go on the toilet! So I need some serious motivation. We are going to print off a potty chart tomorrow maybe that will motivate him if we get a hockey stick for a week of potty going! Think that will work???? I am open to ideas!!!!!

This makes me SICK!!!

2010-07-18T13:08:00.001-05:00

40 killed in Iraq, suicide attackers had Down Syndrome

2010-07-18 20:30:00

At least 36 members of the Sahwa militia were killed Sunday in a suicide bomb explosion believed to have been carried out by a pair of attackers with Down Syndrome, security sources told DPA.

If confirmed, that would mark a new low in Iraq's recent bloody history. Security sources said the two bombers set off their own explosive belts.

The attack - which left a further 28 people injured - took place in the Sunni-dominated area of al-Radwaniya in southwestern Baghdad, where Sahwa members were gathered to collect their salaries.

The leader of Sahwa in al-Radwaniya, al-Haj Abd, and four of his brothers are among those killed, the security sources told DPA.

Separately, in Baghdad's Abu Ghreib area, one Sahwa leader, Amer al-Tamimi was killed when a bomb attached to his car went off.

Al-Tamimi is the brother of the government advisor to the Awakening Councils Abu Azzam Al-Tamimi.

In Anbar province, four Sahwa fighters were killed, including Sahwa leader in the area Khelief Ahmed, were killed in a suicide bombing.

Six people were injured in the attack on meeting for Sahwa in al-Qaem area, some 500 km west of Baghdad, police said.

The Sahwa tribal security forces, or Awakening Councils, are made up of former Sunni insurgents who have been supporting the government in its fight against Al Qaeda and helping restore order in the country.

Mohammad al-Anbari, leader of Sahwa fighters in Abu Ghreib, told DPA that the attacks are to 'revenge from the tribal forces after they have helped in achieving security and stability in areas that were controlled by Al Qaeda'.

Although the level of sectarian violence in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion has fallen sharply in the past two years, political tensions continue amid the unresolved problem of forming a new government after the March parliamentary elections

~~From ABC News

Kid Funnies!

2010-07-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Josie – While we had a day at the pool.. It was time to go and of course she didn’t want to.. Our friend Erika was there with her kids and told Josie that her mommy and daddy were going to leave without her “So” Josie said. Erika said again, that it was time to go home “ I don’t want to go” Josie said again with a little more frustration. Erika said that she better get going because Leilana (our sitter and an aid at Josie’s school) is coming to your house tonight. “FINE” and she got up out of the water and was ready to go!! Guess she loves her sitter! LOL

Katie – As we were walking to swim lessons – we walked by a house. “Mommy, the big bad wolf is NOT going to blow down that house”. “Why is that Katie” … as she looked at me like I had 2 heads. Then with her 4 year old attitude she says “ because it’s made of brick MOM!” Well ….. I guess she was exactly right!

Owen – As we were getting ready to go out for the evening, Joe put his cell phone in the little pocket in his carpenter pants. Later, Josie bumped into him and Owen was on the other side of him. While we were driving, Joe reached for his phone to make a call and pulled out a toy Barbie phone! Josie had gotten his attention and Owen lifted his phone out of his pocket and replaced it with the Barbie phone! Little stinkers. Then he proceeded to hide it under Katie’s bed until we were gone! We are in so much trouble! They are starting to conspire against us already!!

Jake – While we were eating dinner one night, Joe and I were talking about our day and I wasn’t feeding Jake as quickly as he would have liked me to! He started fussing and I turned to him and said “Is mommy not going fast enough for you? You are going to have to start to learn some patience” and I’ll be darned if that little stinker didn’t flip me the bird! Joe and I laughed so hard! He fits right in here!!!! LMAO!!!

I am back!!!!

2010-07-16T08:04:00.001-05:00

I promise this time!! I really need to start blogging again because – well… 1.. I miss it and 2… I have so much to tell as the kids are getting bigger! So much going on in our lives right now, but we’ll get you all caught up!

I wanted to start off with some pictures from this summer! ENJOY!! I will be back later today with and update on what is going on in our life…. (after I make breakfast for some very very hungry kids and maybe grab a shower if I can sneak 5 minutes for myself!)

On our way to my family reunion in Wisconsin!

Owens 3rd Birthday Cake!

Having fun in the sprinkler with the Allen’s!!

Our first SLEEPOVER!! Three extra girls.. two nieces and one neighbor! Fun times!!

Katie took swimming lessons! She passed Level 1! WTG Katie

My Name is Brigitte…..

2010-03-26T20:44:00.001-06:00

and I am a blogging slacker!! Isn’t that the first step.. admitting you have a problem??

I have been out of the loop for awhile now as you can see by my lack of posting! Here is briefly what has been going on in my life: (pics to follow tomorrow)

Took a trip to Tennessee for Spring Break—Amy and Mayson rode along with myself and the kids. 5 kids and 2 adults for a 12 hour drive. Quite interesting to say the least! We had a marvelous time and were so blessed to stay with my friend Lyndi and her family!! Oh if the walls could talk, right Amy and Lyndi?? (I will post pics of our trip tomorrow)
While we were in Tennessee, our kitchen and living room were painted some new, beautiful colors. (Before and after pics to come tomorrow as well)
I got called back to work at the Clerk of Courts office. 16 hours a week. Two full days so therefore the need for daycare. We have been searching and have found one that will do for the time being. It is in a different town, so we are hoping to get into one here in town in August when school starts again! Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
I am the chairman for two Buddy Walks taking place in September and October so we are coming into full swing for those event planning sessions! That is keeping me on my toes!
I am still doing my post adoption care for Ukraine for Reece’s Rainbow I get in touch with each family adopting from Ukraine when they come home and make sure they file the necessary paperwork with the Ukrainian Consulate and try to answer any other questions they have. Things have been pretty quiet on that front, but since the SDA has opened back up for submissions on Feb 1st, we are starting the spring rush and I believe there are over 60 families in process for Ukraine right now!
I am also doing the Polar Plunge on April 10th. Getting my head wrapped around that. Although it really isn’t much of an “Polar” Plunge since it’s supposed to be in the 60’s this next week! If you would like to help out and sponsor me, you can follow this link!
I am slacking on my Couch to 5K. I haven’t run in a few weeks. I went to the dr the beginning of March and found out that I am anemic and b12 deficient again! So I am doing IV Iron Infusions weekly for 6 weeks then I am also giving myself B12 injections weekly for another couple weeks and then monthly for the rest of my life. I have been rundown trying to find energy to just do the normal stuff. I am hoping to get back at it next week so I can do my 5K in May!

I think that’s about it… isn’t that enough for right now?? As I said, I promise pictures tomorrow!

Making New Friends

2010-02-25T13:40:00.001-06:00

It amazes me how new great friends come into your life at the most unexpected times. Two and a half years ago we moved to this town and knew no one except for one family basically. We came from Waterloo where I lived for 8 years and Joe had lived for 12 years. We didn’t even know most of our neighbors let alone have a conversation with them.

Upon moving here, we were quickly introduced to our neighbors. They brought over dinners, welcome baskets, cookies, cakes and pies. It was wonderful. We have become real friends with all our neighbors and even had a block party here two summers ago and had a wonderful time. Looking forward to another one this year!

The one family we know when we first moved, has now changed a bit due to divorce, but we have remained in close contact with both of them and their kids. Shannon, Todd, Joe and I met at a support group meeting just 5 years ago now. Our daughters are two months apart and both have Down syndrome. Shannon and I have become wonderful friends and enjoy spending time together when we get a chance.

Because Shannon has lived here almost her entire life, she know A LOT of people. In tagging along with Shannon to outings, I met Steph and Gary. What wonderful people! I can’t even tell you! Gary, Steph, Joe and I ended up spending New Year’s Eve together at a hotel in Cedar Falls. We saw a band and had a GREAT TIME!! Then in January we all went out for dinner… I thought there was going to be three couples, Shannon and Jeff, Gary and Steph, Joe and me! Steph called to tell me that she had invited two additional couples. I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know these people, but just minutes after Mary and Brent arrived and Mandy and Ben arrived, I felt like I had know them for years. They made me feel comfortable and we had great conversation and many many laughs!!

Amazing how you can find the best friends in the most unexpected ways!! Here are the girls having fun on our night out! Cant’ wait ‘til Saturday so we can do it all again! YOU GALS (and guys ;-)) ROCK!!!

13 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You:

2010-02-16T15:16:00.001-06:00

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste...and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If a decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job
Protection for you and your home

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.

Wasp Spray

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.
The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.. Thought this was interesting and might be of use.
Wasp And Hornet Spray
On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.
Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.
"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

Maybe even save a life.

Please share this with all the people in your life.

My Sweet Son!!

2010-02-13T08:00:00.001-06:00

The kids woke this morning early… as usual!

UGH! When will they start to sleep in on the weekends??

They have been on a nerve since the day began. In my mind I am thinking “Only 12 hours ‘til bedtime!” Not a great attitude to have at only 7 am!

Then Owen, all 2 1/2 years of him, comes sauntering over to me, with his hockey stick in hand. His San Jose Sharks jersey hanging on him like a sack, he snuggles into me, give me a HUGE hug and then asks for a smoochie!

As he toddles off to play more hockey… he turns to me and says “Mama, I love ya!” and smiles!

All is right with the world!! Maybe this day won’t be as long as I once anticipated!!

The Enskats

2010-02-10T15:18:00.001-06:00

Look at these sweeties!!! Some amazing people, The Enskats have committed to bringing home these three beauties from Eastern Europe! They have gotten some difficult news regarding their little boy, Timofey! He is in the hospital right now, in his country and they suspect that he has Leukemia! So time is of the essence! The sooner treatment can begin, the better his chances!

The Enskats are hoping to submit their dossier by the end of this month, but are still approximately $3,000 short for travel expenses! Please, if you feel so led, click over to their blog and read about their family and help them by donating and get these kids home as soon as possible! Timofey’s life depends on it!! You CAN help make a difference!!!!

If you are unable to help financially, please add them to your prayer lists! They can use all the prayerful support they can get!

Repeat of Week 5

2010-02-05T10:27:00.001-06:00

I just completed Week 5 of Couch to 5K!

These are my random thoughts:

beginning of the week was OK.
end of the week (20 minute run) was bad!!!
I am over 1/2 way done!!
I can’t believe I have stuck with it and actually LIKE it!
so glad I got some running shoes.
am going to repeat week 5 again next week!
don’t think I am ready to move on quite yet.
signed up to run a 5K on May 15th.
need to find one to run sooner!
wonders what people will think whey they see me run.. it is definitely NOT pretty! LOL
needs to find a few more pairs of running pants!
NEVER thought in a million years that I could run 1.8 miles!

Before and After – Dining Room

2010-01-29T16:40:00.001-06:00

So they came yesterday to paint my dining room! Here are the before:

Now the after – remember, we haven’t decorated anything yet!!

I can’t wait to get stuff up on the walls.. I am going to have her come in March and paint out kitchen and living room as well!

I LOVE IT!! What do you think??

Makeover!!!!

2010-01-27T14:20:00.001-06:00

Not on me, but on our dining room!

When we moved in here, we were so anxious to get out of our other house, we didn’t have a chance to paint or really do anything before we moved in. I liked the colors for the most part so we just went with it. We have talked about painting all the rooms but with 4 kids, we just don’t have the time or the energy to do it ourselves!

Before Christmas I was talking to a friend of mine. Her daughter and son-in-law live in Alaska and were coming right after the first of the year with their 7 month old daughter. She asked if we had a car seat and a pack and play that they might be able to borrow for a couple of weeks while they were here! Are you kidding me?? I have multiples of each of those?? Anything else you want, I can find in our garage for sure! LOL

She called me on Saturday and wanted to come over to return the things she had borrowed. She said that she was trying to decide how to repay me for the use of these two things. Ummm no payment needed as they were just sitting in my garage!

Here was her idea--- when she was here picking up the items, we talked about our dining room and that the people who lived here before us didn’t have little kids because they painted in flat paint. I can’t get that clean without taking off the paint! So in order to repay me, she and her friend (who paints and decorates for a living) wanted to come over and paint our entire dining room and hallway with a satin or semi-gloss paint.

My chin about dropped to the floor. No one has ever done this for us before. Unbelievable! I was a bit resistant at first, however after a bit of talking, I decided that I was probably not going to get this done any time soon and I could really use this change right now! They are starting the painting tomorrow!

I can’t ask for better friends!!! Thank you Karen and Sandy!!!!!

I will post before and after pictures when it is all done!!!

Couch to 5K Progress

2010-01-25T11:35:00.001-06:00

So I am still on track! I have been motivated to continue and it gets easier with every workout! THANK GOD!!! LOL

I just started W4 yesterday! It daunted me on paper….5 minutes of running (x2)! I have looked at it for the first three weeks thinking “I will NEVER be able to do it!” Well I DID!! I CONQUERED!

It does get easier with each workout! I am still in the basement on the treadmill because quite frankly it isn’t safe to run outside in Iowa in January! Ice, snow and winds…not to mention the below zero wind chill!! I don’t need a broken leg or ankle because I HAD to run outside!

Then, amazingly enough, on Saturday, Joe asked me to print off the schedule because he wanted to start as well! YAHOO!! So while I am a few weeks ahead of him in training, he is going to do this with me!

Still on the road and loving it so far. I actually am looking forward to my runs AND I have lost almost 5 lbs since I started! Getting there. By the end of next week I am supposed to be able to run 20 minutes at a stretch… that is daunting me now, but I know I can do it!

A God Day!!

2010-01-19T14:47:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had one of these? I mean, I didn’t start the day thinking that it was going to be one of those days, but it definitely was!

Last week, I had a free day! Respite worker came to watch the kids and I was kid free from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm. Originally, I was supposed to shop with my very best friend, but because her work picked up (Yeah for her!!) she was unable to get away to meet me. So my day was wide open.

There were two things that I HAD to get done – First – I had to go to the Social Security Office and apply for Jake’s SSN! That in-and-of-itself could take me all day. Well low and behold, I walked in and was out 10 minutes later! I couldn’t believe it! This was the FASTEST I had ever been in and out of a governmental office EVER!!

Second on my list was getting fitted for my running shoes. But that would have to wait until after my discount store stop! While I was there, it was around 11:00 am and my friend that works there goes to lunch at 11:00 am. I called her to see if she wanted to have lunch or if she had plans! Nope, she didn’t so we met at Subway for a quick bite. This is where the first God Thing appeared!

She walked into Subway --- came right over to me, hugged me and began to cry! She said that my calling her for lunch could not have happened at a better time. She is dealing with some difficult family issues right now and she just needed to talk and have some support! We ate lunch, laughed, cried! I was so glad that I could be there to support her on that difficult day! Love you!! (God at work, put me there!!)

After my lunch, I was off to get fitted for running shoes. I was nervous because I had to run on a tread mill in front of people! I hoped that no one would be there during my fitting! WRONG! I walked in and there was another lady there, getting fitted as well! As I talked to the sales lady and she went to get me a pair of shoes to try and run in!! While I was waiting, the gal that was sitting there asked me if this was my first time getting fitted and I said yes. Hers too!

To make a long story short, she is a member of a church that is involved in a program called Potter’s Hands! It is a foundation that helps families wanting to adopt. They give financial help! AMAZING! She and I have been in contact via email since then and they are having a 5K in October to benefit this foundation. I will be running in that for sure!

God had his hand on my day for sure! How else would all this have taken place?? PRAISE GOD for changes in plans and being where I NEEDED to be that day!!!

Fundraiser for Reece’s Rainbow Angel

2010-01-17T08:12:00.001-06:00

Some of you may remember my post at the beginning of November about Lera in Eastern Europe. This was an urgent call to a find her a family. You see, Lera was weeks/days from being transferred to an institution where she could not be adopted from.

PRAISE GOD!!! A family for Lera stepped up and committed to adopting her. Tracy V and her family are working diligently to bring Lera to join their family!

That is where you come in!! You have the opportunity to help this wonderful family bring this beauty home AND in doing so have a chance to win a Dell Mini Net Book, Awesome for everyone involved. Every single $$ helps, but $20.00 will get your name in 3 times for this awesome giveaway!!!! Please take a minute and read more here .. or read below and then hop over to their blog to donate! Lera has spent WAY too long in the orphanage already and we want her to meet her Mommy & Daddy as soon as humanly possible!! I challenge you to donate at least $20.00 TODAY! I know that I am on my way there right now to help out this little girl get to her FOREVER FAMILY!!!

**Copied from Tracy’s Blog**

Happy New Year! Our family so stinkin' excited as to what this New Year is going to bring!
We need to get fired up about fundraising!!
We have decided to host a 30 day challenge.
Our goal is get 100 people to donate $20 to Lera's homecoming.
We know this can happen for her because her mommy and daddy know a whole lot of people and there are a lot of people that care!
We realize that it is the "poor" month but Lera needs to come home and soon!!
To encourage my blogging friends and family, we are offering ONE lucky person a....

DELL MINI NETBOOK!!!

Please visit http://www.dell.com/home/netbooks to learn all about Net books and what you could win. Also, YOU pick the color of your choice and I will have it delivered straight to your door!
$20 will get you THREE chances to win! $10 will get you ONE chance to win!
You will notice that I did not put an end dollar amount on the Chip In. This is because on my last giveaway, many people paid by cash or check. If you want to do it this way, feel free to send me an email at tracyvelander@yahoo.com and I will give you the address to send it to.

Get fired up Blog world and LET'S GET LERA HOME!!

11th Hour Crisis for Dennis!!!

2010-01-15T08:53:00.001-06:00

11th Hour Crisis! - Dennis

All, regrettably, the family who was hoping to adopt Dennis and Anna will not be able to complete the adoption.

The most difficult part is that Dennis is literally WEEKS from transfer to the institution, one he can not be adopted out of. We are desperately seeking a paper-ready, USCIS ready family who would be willing to specifically request him so he can be saved. Other photos available, we have had several families adopt from this orphanage previously as well.

Dennis (9)

BOY, Born March 18, 2006

I LOST MY FAMILY!

Dennis has lost his family at the 11th hour, and is in crisis need of a paper-ready, USCIS approved family to save him from an institution he can't be adopted out of.

Dennis is a darling little boy with blonde hair and big blue eyes. He is not very active, and he struggles with pulmonary artery stenosis and rickets. He needs to get HOME, so he can have adequate medical care, sunshine, nutrition....so he really has a chance to achieve his true potential. He is an orphanage favorite, but he won't survive a transfer to the institution. Please consider rescuing this munchkin!!

Regrettably, this orphanage is one of the poorer ones, with very little outside aid and very little hope. All of the children are tiny and undernourished. These children are immediately transferred at 4, and have little chance of survival where they are sent. All of our waiting children need families, but these have a critical need. Please consider one of these children soon!!

Contact Andrea for more information
I have $3231 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Further donations are helpful, but the crisis now is to find another family.

Dennis is in the same orphanage as ALEC, who is also still waiting and faces the same fate in June. If there is ANYONE out there who is ready for Eastern Europe, please contact me ASAP at bamaroberts@... Parents must be no more than 45 years in age difference from Dennis.

You can see all of the waiting children in orphanage 9 at www.reecesrainbow.org/eelittles.html and www.reecesrainbow.org/atriskwaiting.html

Thank you for your prayers tonight, for this little boy who has no idea what March 18 holds for him...for this family who must so very sad to not be able to save him...and for a new family to be ready in the wings and waiting to save Dennis.

Andrea Roberts, Executive Director
Reece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry
www.reecesrainbow.org

Do You Wonder???

2010-01-11T21:02:00.001-06:00

I know there are a lot of adoptive moms that read my blog. And I want to know if you wonder?

Do you wonder if your child’s birth mother thinks about them and how often? Do they remember their kids on their birthdays? Do they think of what it would have been like to spend a birthday with them and watch them unwrap presents? Do they still love them deep down in their heart? Do they hand a special ornament on their Christmas Tree in memory of the child that they couldn’t keep? Do they care? I wonder!

I don’t know what got me to thinking about it… maybe it was the huge smiles I got tonight and the kisses that Jacob is starting to give. I wonder if his mom thinks about the kisses she is missing out on? It’s not like she really had a choice! In Ukraine, the government and society make it almost impossible to keep children with disabilities. No programs etc, but how do these women feel about their kids? Do they wish deep down in their heart that they could keep these children and experience life with their children or are they happy to just get rid of them because they are not “typical”??

……I wonder!

I heart Iowa!!!

2010-01-08T10:11:00.001-06:00

WINTER Poem

It's winter in Iowa
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Iowa
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Iowa
I'm frozen to the friggin' ground!

Have a great day...

This is how I woke up this morning!

2010-01-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last night I noticed my eye was getting sore. A sty was brewing. I haven’t had these for years and then probably a month ago I got one in my right eye and it was nearly swollen shut! Today I wake up with one in the left eye and while my eye isn’t swollen shut, it is swollen quite a bit underneath my eye! Lovely! Good think today is a snow day and no one has school! We don’t have to leave the house! Yeah!!

It looks like someone biffed me only without the bruising!

Love it!!

Gah!!!

I Admit It!!!

2010-01-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

I admit it, I am human and occasionally I have to say enough is enough and say “no” to something. So I wanted to explain why a bit of my blog looks a little different today!

When we adopted Jake, someone made a button for our blog and for others to put on their blogs. The link would take you to our Family Sponsorship Page at Reece’s Rainbow! It was a God send and we had LOTS of people contribute to our adoption solely from that button!

This year alone, during the months of November and December there were over 35 children committed to on Reece’s Rainbow. I had been trying ~~failing~~ to keep up with the buttons on the side of my blog as to give you all the opportunity to go see who is bringing these beauties home! Well, I have come to the decision, that I just can not keep up with them any longer!

As some of you know I am doing Ukraine Post-Adoption Care for Reece’s Rainbow. I help families coming home with their children to get the correct paperwork filed with the Ukrainian Consulate and the yearly updates as well! That keeps be busy trying to figure out who is coming and going and making sure that I email everyone after they are home in order to make sure I can help them through the process!

Long story even longer… If you would like me to feature your child at any point or a fundraiser that you have going, I will surely promote it, you just need to ask! I would be happy to help you in any way that I can!

Thanks for understanding!!!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T10:57:00.001-06:00

A few random pictures taken this morning!!

Look at those cheeks!!! Don’t you just want to kiss them??

I love kissing him!! Like I am making up for the two years he didn’t have kisses!!

The three that are home today!! Owen, Katie and Jake!!!

So ALMOST Wordless!!

Stop Misspelling!!

2010-01-04T10:29:00.002-06:00

ETA: Sorry about the original posting! I fixed it... guess I should have posted something about "How to post to a blog!" LOL -- Again Sorry it was so large!!

I got this from two places.. My Friend Kristin posted this on her FB page and then the original spot was from The Oatmeal. I have trouble with a couple of these, but I am working on it!!! LOL

W1D1 – I did it!!

2010-01-03T18:42:00.001-06:00

Well today I began the Couch to 5K training! I did it. I survived! I am a little bit sore, so I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring, but I did it! One day down…..69 more days to go!!! LOL

Biting the Bullet

2010-01-03T08:11:00.001-06:00

About 4 months ago, I decided that I should get in shape! I searched on-line about something that I was interested in. It was the Couch to 5K web site. With this program, you are supposed to be able to go from a non-runner to a 5K runner in just 9 weeks! Don’t ask my WHY I am all of a sudden interested in running, but I am!

Really? I have always been envious of those that LOVE to run! It seems like such an outlet for a lot of things! So many people I know enjoy it so much! I always WISHED I was a runner…sort of how I wish that I could actually carry a tune! I am sort of one of those people who is a jack of all trades, master of none! I don’t have anything that I do exceptionally well or that I absolutely LOVE to do as far as a hobby is concerned! I guess running is hobby so I owe it to myself to give it a try!

I haven’t done anything about it though, I think about it often. Often when I am either watching Biggest Loser OR eating a cookie…sometimes both at the same time! LOL

As some of you may or may not know, I had weight loss surgery back in 1998. I tipped the scales at just 425 lbs the day I had surgery. After the gastric bypass, I lost 250 lbs over the course of the next year and a half! I have gained back about 15 of those lbs and now hover around 190 most of the time. ( I know, shocker…I told y’all how much I weigh! Oh well.. there are worse things in the world! )

I don’t think I am “in shape” though and I think I could weigh less! So that is why I was so EXCITED to read Bethany’s blog this morning!! She is challenging people to join her on her Couch to 5K journey and I am in it! She is also doing a special giveaway for anyone that wants to join the journey!!

I will be blogging about my progress that I am hoping to start later today or tomorrow! I really want to do this for so many reasons, but mostly to prove to myself that I CAN be a runner and finish something that I start! Anyone care to join us?? Would love to be able to run a 5K by St Patrick’s Day!! I would also love someone sort of local to run with as the weather gets warmer if anyone is game!!

Jacob Laughing!!

2010-01-02T19:09:00.001-06:00

You have to see this! I am not sure how much he laughed in the orphanage, but he is sure making up for it these days!! He is IN LOVE with this hockey stick!! Every time he has it in his hands, he is laughing!!

Our New Look for a New Year!!

2009-12-28T15:07:00.001-06:00

Well what do you think? Pretty cool huh?? A HUGE THANK YOU to my friend Bethany for taking time out of her BUSY BUSY life to give us an update on our blog!

It was about time that I made a change since Jacob has been home now for 6 months! Time sure flies when you are having fun!

We are enjoying some time off with the kids and Joe and I will also be enjoying an ENTIRE evening out on New Years. Our sitter has graciously agreed to stay overnight with the kids so Joe and I will be spending the evening at a hotel. Prime rib buffet, a few cocktails, a killer band, and some great friends to share the evening with. Can’t wait!!

Christ’s Birth

2009-12-23T19:30:00.002-06:00

Let us REMEMBER the REASON for the SEASON!!! Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!

Luke 2: 1-20
The Story of Christ's Birth

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David), to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord come upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this king which is to come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Just My $.02

2009-12-19T19:13:00.001-06:00

THE DUGGARS!!!!!!

Ok, so I have read blogs, forums, emails etc from people who are on both sides of the fence when it comes to the mega family of 2009. As many of you know, Michelle just gave birth to their 19th child, Josie, born December 10th, at only 25 weeks. Michelle was admitted to the hospital with gallstone issues and then the doctors discovered preeclampsia and did an emergency c-section. Josie weighed a tiny 1 lb 6 oz. She is in the NICU, but doing well. The first 30 days will be the most crucial. God Speed, Michelle and Jim Bob. Our prayers are with you as you face a long-term hospital stay with your daughter.

Now, to the other reason I am here talking about the Duggars. In this day and age, it does seem strange that these two people would continue to have children until they are just not physically able to any longer. Well let me just say “WHO CARES??” I have heard on several forums -- “Maybe this will be a sign that it is time to stop!” or “Someone tell Michelle that this is a vagina..not a clown car”. While I chuckled at this last one and I do find it a bit amusing! What these people do with their life…. is THEIR CHOICE and THEIR LIFE!!! If you don’t like the show.. DON’T WATCH and if you don’t agree with how they are raising their children (which I might add can’t be so bad… good kids… good ethics and excellent morals) then keep your nose out of it. I am sorry, but to each their own. I am sure that if people came into my home and taped what I do with my kids every day, I would get a million emails from people that don’t agree with what I am doing and I would basically say….”You don’t live in my house, you don’t live my life”.

I do believe that Reality TV has gone to far for the most part. HOWEVER, I believe that Michelle and Jim Bob are just doing what they need to do to provide for their children! They make their living by investment properties and by doing this show. Everyone needs to make ends meet and believe me, their ends meet further than we could ever imagine. Have you ever seen them at the grocery store? Good Lord!!

Could I have 19 kids and be sane? Absolutely NOT (God Help Me!)

Would I do a reality show to try to provide a better life for my kids"? Maybe, although Joe says NO! LOL

Do I wish that Michelle would just have one good SCREAM at her kids so I felt a little more “normal”? Most definitely.

I believe that God should determine how many children you have….. We were meant to have 4! That is all I can handle, but it seems that Michelle and Jim Bob were intended to have a large family and WHY should we fault them for that!

I say – You Go Michelle and Jim Bob and keep making babies til you can’t make them anymore! More power to you! I would rather have 20 Duggar children living next to us than some of the people we had living by us when we lived in our old house! Drug dealers – in and out of jail – stealing -- yeah, I would so have rather had the Duggars!

That’s all I have to say about that!!!!!

Conversations with Three of My Kids

2009-12-18T09:55:00.001-06:00

I will start with the youngest and go up from there:

Yesterday with Owen:

Owen: Mommy – I love you! (As he lays his head on my lap)

Me: Owen, I love you too!! (Kiss him on the top of the head)

Owen : Don’t kiss me mommy – Nuggle me up!

Me: Ok, come up here and snuggle with mama!

Owen: (after about 10 seconds of snuggling) Can I have a cuppie?

Me: Is that why you were snuggling with mommy so you could get a cuppie?

Owen: YES! Now get up and get me a cuppie…. PLEEEEZEEEEE!!!!!

What choice did I have? I had to get it!! LOL

Conversation with Katie last night as she was drifting off to sleep:

Katie: Goodnight mommy! I love you!

Me: Goodnight Katie, I love you too! (Kiss)

Katie: You are the BEST Mommy EVER!! I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!

Me: Thank you Katie – You are one of my two favorite girls too!

Katie: You mean I am not your FAVORITE Girl? Who else is your FAVORITE girl?

Me: Well Josie is my other FAVORITE girl!

Katie: (After a couple minutes of thinking) WELL DADDY is my other FAVORITE daddy so because I have to share with Jo-Jo, then you have to SHARE with Daddy!!

Hmmm---- Guess that’s Fair!!! LMAO!!

Conversation with Josie this morning before school:

Me: Josie we have to get you dressed because the bus is going to be here in a few minutes….We’re going to be late!

Josie : NO I AM NOT GOING TO SCHOOL!!

Me: But today is your last day before Christmas Vacation then Santa comes next week!

Josie: NO I AM NOT GOING! I STAY HOME AND PLAY!

Me: Josie, you can give your bus driver his Christmas Present and your teachers get their presents from you today too!

Josie: NO I NOT GOING !!! NOT TODAY…. I TIRED!!!!

Me: Did you know that today is your Christmas Party and Miss L is going to have cookies and you get to decorate them!!!

Josie: I can eat cookies?

Me: Yes!

Josie: I want to get on the bus NOW!!!!

Guess I know what her motivation for the holidays is then huh?? She is too funny!!!!

Wedding Pictures

2009-12-11T14:42:00.001-06:00

I know.. you all came here expecting to see pictures of our wedding… those are for another day. This morning, Owen and Katie were in her room playing and I didn’t think much of it…now looking back, maybe I should have checked on them.

Apparently, they were having a wedding ceremony and though we don’t live in Kentucky – and even there I believe it’s illegal to marry your brother/sister – they came out and announced that they just got married.

I thought as a mother, I would have at LEAST 20 years to prepare myself for this moment and although I PRAY that they NEVER want to take each other to prom, I am glad they do love each other and this too shall pass!!

Introducing Katie and Owen Van Nice……good thing that they already have the same last name because judging by the pictures, Katie wears the pants in the family. (Although neither of them is wearing ANY pants at all!) Guess I really need to teach Owen what is appropriate “wedding attire”. Katie did a great job though.. crown and all!!!

And what wedding ceremony would be complete with out “You may kiss the bride!!”

12 Days of Giving Day 10

2009-12-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

In our fast paced, impersonal world, we take so much for granted and we are run, run, run all the time. Back in a slower and less hectic time, my parents would have friend over for coffee. We are lucky to even know our neighbors let alone associate with them. We have been so fortunate since moving here to be blessed with some wonderful neighbors who we not only associate with, but really like as well. This entire town is wonderful to live in!! Friendly people everywhere! Today I invited a friend over for coffee. Something that people don’t do anymore…..something that people should do more often! We had a great talk and enjoyed some good coffee!! I am looking forward to doing this much more often!!!

Snow Days

2009-12-10T08:25:00.001-06:00

Another snow day today.. this marks #3 this week that Josie hasn’t went to school. We have about 20 inches of snow on the ground… I think and in some places it is much much more due to drifting! We had a 3-4 ft drift on our front porch alone! Joe did a great job clearing paths before he completely froze out there!

Today it is –20F with wind chill and is far too cold for the kids to go out and play, let alone even go out of the house at all! UGH! They are going stir crazy but it is what it is! We are keeping busy playing and watching the SAME episode of DORA Christmas OVER AND OVER!!! I am going out for a little while tonight and really need to get out of the house even if it is for only an hour. We haven’t been out since Sunday!!

Here are some pics taken Tuesday night (when it was snowing, but much warmer) and yesterday!! Brrrrr, but the kids had fun playing in the snow and making angels! I even made a snow angel!

12 Days of Giving – Day 9

2009-12-09T08:18:00.000-06:00

Well today we stayed home again as a result of a massive blizzard that is hitting us now! Joe did end up going outside for almost an hour to try to make a dent in our drive with the snow blower! IT WAS COLD!! By the time he came in the house, he looked like this:

Poor guy! When he came inside, I had a HOT coffee ready for him, just the way he likes it!

12 Days of Giving Day 8

2009-12-08T08:14:00.000-06:00

Well not going out of the house has really put a damper on my 12 days of giving! But today I called some friends that I haven’t talked to in ages!! It was nice to reconnect with them and see what they were up to! We would like to make plans to get together sometime soon and really catch up! I hope it made their day as much as it made mine!!

12 Days of Giving – Day 7

2009-12-07T14:30:00.000-06:00

A little over 10 years ago, I met my husband! I met him at my cousins wedding. He was one of my cousins friends. At the wedding dance, my aunt drug me over the the pool table and said “Brigitte, this is Joe… Joe, this is Brigitte…Go Dance!” Well we did and a month later we were engaged. Today, I will send my aunt a THANK YOU for introducing me to my best friend!!!!

12 Days of Giving Day 6

2009-12-06T22:00:00.000-06:00

My gift back today was spending the whole day playing with the kids. I did no dishes or laundry until after the kids were in bed. We spent the day snuggling and watching Christmas movies/Cartoons! We don’t get to do that often because there is always something to do. I need to do that kind of giving to my kids more often!!!

12 Days of Giving Day 5

2009-12-05T07:11:00.000-06:00

I don’t really know if this constitutes as giving back, but as I was driving to meet a friend for dinner, I let three cars go in front of me and stopped for three people to cross the street in front of me. It was cold outside, so I am sure they appreciated the fact that I was in my warm car and they got to their destination quicker because I stopped!! I know I would have much appreciated it!!

12 Days of Giving -- Day 4

2009-12-04T07:08:00.000-06:00

So today, I cleaned out my cupboards and took my extra canned goods to the food pantry here in town! Someone who really needs it can benefit from the things I took!! I am sure of it!!

12 Days of Giving – Day 3

2009-12-03T15:17:00.001-06:00

So today, I met a good friend for lunch. I met this gentleman about 6 years ago at a continuing education class for my insurance license! We became fast friends and us and our spouses have went out a few times over the years. They (Ken and Darcy) have become great friends to us! Ken kindly paid for our dinner. It was so sweet of him to do. I saw an older couple sitting my themselves and they kept looking at the boys and smiling. When our waitress came back to our table, I gave her some money to help pay for their bill and asked that she not tell them until we left! It was simple and I hope it made their day!!!!

12 Days of Giving – Day 2

2009-12-02T15:12:00.000-06:00

On the 2nd day of 12 days of Giving – I decided to write a letter so a friend who I haven’t seen in a long time. In this day of email and technology, when is the last time you got a letter in the mail?? I real letter written by a friend about their life and what was going on? Heck, even for Christmas I do a mass letter to update everyone. But today I sat down and wrote a letter to my dear old friend!!!

12 Days of Giving

2009-12-01T13:56:00.000-06:00

Thank you Bethany for this hosting this great idea!!! We shall participate.

Click on the button above to see how it works if you would like to participate!!!!

Here’s our first for 12 days of giving:

Recently, I lost my job with the State of Iowa due to budget cuts. Not only was I affected, but also another woman in our office lost her job as well. We have spoken on the telephone several times over the past couple weeks and she was having trouble getting her resume formatted the way she wanted so that she could send it out to apply for new positions!

To make a long story short, she emailed me her resume, I tweaked it, set the formats, fonts etc and emailed it back to her. She was so grateful! It was the least I could do to help her out! I was glad that my “talent” (and I say that quite loosely) could help her!!!