Come along and follow our journey of being what we think is Normal..... just a average family, following God's calling and a life blessed with Down Syndrome

Saturday, January 26, 2008

And the winner for the Birthday bash is..............




My table!!! June/ December




I went with a Hawaiian Christmas theame and it turned out so pretty. Attached is a picture of the fruit Christmas tree I did. I had a team of 4 ladies. Some pitched in the fine china, others sewed the table runner and placemats, and others helped make the flowers......so way to go!!!! We had the whole Hawaii feel going with the palm tree and orchid placemats, the fruit and the Christmas feel with Santa, pointseta(sp) and fine china.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Please pray for these two cutie pies......


Here are two angels with Down Syndrome that are weighing very heavy on my heart right now. I am posting this so i can have all my online friends, local friends and family to please please pray for these two angels. The are both very healthy and just happen to have that something thats "a little extra special."

I contacted the agency that has the little girl listed and found out that she is in an orphanage in India. (Doesnt she look like our Bella?)
When i searched google to see if i could find anything out about this home I come across this great video on you tube. I watched it and BAM, there she was in a little yellow shirt, being held by a visitor/missionary helper. Please pray for them both....they NEED a MOMMY AND DADDY AND A FAMILY TO LOVE THEM FOREVER!
Here is the link for the video watch it and remember to pray!!! Thanks so much!

PLEASE PLEASE PRAY!!!







My online friend, Meredith and Mike Cornish, from Reece's Rainbow are currently in Ukraine right now doing an adoption of a precious little 4yr old girl who happens to have Down Syndrome. Well they have totally run into some problems, and we need everyone, everywhere to please lift them up to our Lord. They are a faithful, christian couple who have 2 biological children already one also has DS. They have stepped out in faith and started this journey to add to their family. The little girl in now aged out of the "baby house" and is currently living in a mental institution. They are trying to get the director to allow this adoption and sign the appropriate paperwork, but he is not being so cooperative. attached are some pictures of them meeting their "daughter in their hearts" little Sasha/Aleska.
The director is saying" She is not verbal so we dont know how she is going to bond with them. and I dont know if this is whats right for her. I am afraid that she is not going to have a good life and she will be discriminated against." Well HELLO MR. Director...... alot of our kids are not yet 100% verbal, and it does take them awhile to bond with us, it could take months, but she will be loved and adored....she will have a chance to life with a FAMILY and she will grow and develop. Living in an MENTAL INSTITUTION is NOT a good place for anyone.........
SO PLEASE PRAY FOR MIKE AND MERIDITH CORNISH.....IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG AS WELL HERE IS THEIR BLOG http://www.cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

Monday, January 21, 2008

you know your an adoptive Mommy when......

I seen this posted on our Reeces Rainbow site today by Shelley. An amazing mommy she is. Her and her hubby brought home their precious Xander in the fall from Ukraine and he is also an angel with Down Syndrome......thanks Shelley for this great list....It is all so true!!!


You know you are an adoptive mother (or you should be!) if:

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has ever made you lose sleep.

2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.

3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4. The fact that if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child, there would be no orphans in the world is convicting to you.

5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.

6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about your adopted child's "real" parents.

7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth (2 years!)

8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway knowing where God calls you He will provide.

9. You have ever taken a airplane ride half way around the world with a child you just met.

10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.

11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacy's you could ever leave on this earth.

12. You know what the word Dossier means and you can actually pronounce it!

13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.

14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have them in your life.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Snowing here in Alabama





























Well this morning it started snowing around 9:30 and didnt stop till around 3:30. It was a beautiful sight to see. The girls loved it. For all of them it was a first. William come running downstairs and said "Rita, have you looked outside?" Well no because it had been raining....what was so great about that...(well acutally alot since were still in the middle of a bad drought) We all jumped up and ran to the window...it wasnt just slowing coming down, it was BIG FAT Snow flakes. How exciting. Attached you will see the beautiful sight .






















Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Boy did the temperature DROP here in the south.

Well today was a good but COLD day. The girls got up and were READY for preschool. I had no idea the rain was coming in and it would be oh so cold by mid morning. Michael left this morning after a nice but too short visit. I am so glad he gets to come home to visit.

Well with this weather change, all the girls have running noses and a small cough. I hope it doesnt worsen.

Please pray for me....Sunday night my blood pressure i guess got WAY too high and i had a bad episode. Not a black out but signs of a heart attack. William asked me if i wanted to go to the ER but i said no, because i thought after awhile i would feel better. It took me a good long time to get back to almost normal, but Monday Am i woke up still really light headed and not myself....so off to the DR i went. Im so glad Michael was here to drive me around. They changed my med's and have to go back and do some blood work....please pray that I will remember each day to take my medicine and take care of myself. I started crying in the Dr's because it hit me.......how in the world will William make it without me? What will all my kids do with no mom? So as much time and energy i put into my kiddos and family.....I must help myself as well....but im terrible at that. so I ask all my prayer warriors out there...please remember me in your prayers.

Well my time to get a new cell phone has come....bye bye nextel and hello to At&t. So if you have a At&t cell or home phone its free for me to call you. william and Michael are now the proud owners of Iphones....... All our phone numbers are the same....but William did get another number as well.

Have a blessed day.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Walk Of Love for Brittany's Hope Foundation








BRITTANY'S HOPE Walk of Love 2008






DEAR FRIENDS THIS IS WHAT WE ARE SENDING OUT ON BEHALF OF THE GREAT GRANT WE GOT FOR OUR GIRLS. PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO WORD AND MAKE A SMALL CONTRIBUTION TO BRITTANY'S HOPE. THIS WILL HELP ANOTHER ORPHAN COME HOME TO THEIR FOREVER FAMILY! EVERY PENNY MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE


Dear Family and Friends,

We are excited to announce that we will be walking in the Brittany’s Hope Foundation “Walk of Love” on May 4, 2008. Our goal is to raise funds to make it easier for special needs children to find families to call their own.

As adoptive parents, we have experienced the depth of love in the work being done by the Brittany’s Hope Foundation (www.BrittanysHope.org). The foundation places grants on special needs abandoned children around the world who need loving homes and the warmth of a family.

We brought Gabriella Joy and Lilyanna Hope home from Bogota, Colombia in June of 2007. But while Gabby and Lily came home with us, so many children remained behind, wondering when their family would come to get them. Those children still wait for their chance to have the love and safety of a family. We are working to bring these children home to their forever families. Will you please sponsor us? Together, we can help children around the world.

100% of the money you donate will go entirely
to grants on orphaned and abandoned children.

I am asking my sponsors to generously contribute a tax-deductible gift based on my participation in the Walk of Love on Sunday, May 4th, 2008. Remember, every dollar donated will be used for grants on a child who deserves the security and love only a family can provide.

In Peace,
William and Rita Andrews







SPONSOR’S REPLY


I will sponsor WILLIAM AND RITA ANDREWS




I am enclosing a donation of: □ $15 □ $25 □ $50 □ $100 □ $200 Other $_________
(Please mail your check payable to “Brittany's Hope Foundation” 1160 N. Market St., Elizabethtown, PA 17022)

Name

Address

City State Zip Code
Would you like to be added to the Brittany's Hope Foundation mailing list? □ Yes □ No

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Gabriella is still in the clear


Well yesterday I took Gabby to the neurologists and he said she is still doing great with no signs that the cyst on her brain is causing any harm. The cyst is located in the cerebellum (sp) so we will watch it. We go back to him in 3 months and in the meantime I will take her back to the eye DR in Birmingham and get another MRI at Baptist South in Montgomery. So please continue to pray for our little Miss!

Friday, January 4, 2008

Sorry Ive been MIA




Here goes our run down on our crazy last few weeks:



Our Chirstmas was a good one, quiet and some what uneventfull. All 5 of my girls were here just missing our son. He did come home the weekend after Christmas for 3 days so that was great. We go the call right before Christmas that Gabby's finger had STAFF infection and so they put her on a really heavy dose of meds.....then 3 of the younger ones, including Gabby all were sick with upper resp crud and the lovely base cliic was closed. So we finally took them to a walk in clinic. Come to find out that either Gabby was allergic to her meds from the staff infection or she is allergic to Zythrimax. She broke out over the course of 3 days in this TERRIBLE raised rASH that took over most of her body. Yesterday after spening another 5.5 hrs in the walk in clinic again she got a shot of steroids and benedryl. Today she is much better, but still lots of rash left. I think it will take her a few days to get rid of it.



I pray that you all had a great holiday with your families. Now on to a new year.....I wonder what it will bring for us??