Darina

Today's spotlight is on Darina. Click here to see Darina's profile. Darina is five and has Cerebral Palsy. Her older pictures show just how much potential little Darina has. Please save her from the mental institution, as she is likely bedridden there.

 The one above is the more recent picture, and the one below is the older picture. She has so much potential.

Darina has likely NEVER received therapy for her CP. It is possible that with therapy here in the U.S. or Canada she can learn to walk.

Chase

We're currently working on saving money for our home study and commitment fees. Don't forget about our giveaway and our puzzle fundraiser. Giveaway and Puzzles

In the meantime, it's time to spotlight another orphan. It's Chase. Click here for his profile. Chase is five and does have a mental delay. He's a beautiful boy and needs a family so much. Here are his pictures.

He's in a beautiful region of the country, but he doesn't get to enjoy any of that beauty. Is he your son? If not, you can donate to his grant or pray for him. Thanks.

Mac n' Sweet Peas...: Giveaway Update!

Enter this giveaway to help bring a very precious little boy home.

Mac n' Sweet Peas...: Giveaway Update!: Huge news, friends! HUGE! The prizes for our giveaway have been donated to us! We do not have to pay anything out of pocket for these items!...

One More Smith: Black Friday Bonanza Electronics Giveaway!!!

Go to this link to enter an awesome giveaway and help a family bring a little boy home.

One More Smith: Black Friday Bonanza Electronics Giveaway!!!: That's right, in the spirit of annual mayhem known as Black Friday, we are proud to announce an Electronics Giveaway to be held on Black Fri...

Giveaway

We are having a giveaway in order to raise the initial fees we need for our adoption. The reason we have to raise this money is because my husband was unemployed for awhile, so we had to deplete our savings. However, we are in the situation where we can adopt now. So, this giveaway will run until we reach $3,000. We have three prizes, and they are the following:

First place:

An IPAD 2. You can choose white or black. The winner can choose a donation to the child or family of the winner's choice in the amount of an IPAD 2 in place of the actual IPAD.

Second place:

A Kindle Fire. The winner can also choose a donation to the child or family of the winner's choice in the amount of a Kindle Fire in place of the Kindle.

Third place:

A $100 VISA giftcard. The winner can also choose a donation to the child or family of the winner's choice for $100 in place of the giftcard.

The entries.

-One entry for every donation of $5. So, a $10 donation gets you two entries and so forth.

-One entry for sharing on your Facebook or blog. Limited to one entry per day.


Please  comment when you donate and/or share.

Once we reach $3000, I will use random.org to choose the winners. Remember, this will help bring TWO lovely little boys home to a desperately needed family.

To donate, please use the PayPal widget on the right side of the blog. It is not tax deductible but much appreciated. Thank you very much.

Puzzle for Weston

I'm drawing a blank for fund raisers, and all I can come up with is a puzzle fund raiser. This puzzle has 300 pieces. Each piece is $5. Just donate the money to Weston 9HA here Weston's Profile. Then, let me know how much you donated and what you want written on the back of the pieces. When Weston has a family, I will send the puzzle to the family. He'll always be able to see who helped him get home.

P.S. You can also still donate for our puzzle fund raiser (for our future adoption of two boys) by donating to our PayPal widget. Here's that post. Puzzles

Weston 9HA

Previously I said I would be a warrior for Kael, but Kael has found a family. Woohoo for Kael and the family. So, I am now a warrior for Weston. Look at this sweet boy. He shouldn't be in an orphanage. He should be with his forever family. Weston has a few medical issues. He is newly 3 and has hardly any grant money. We need to fix that. I don't have anything to sell in an auction, and I'm not crafty. The only thing I can really offer is this. For every $200 in donations I'll get a pie in the face. At $1000 my husband will get a pie (he doesn't even know yet.) At $2000 my mom will get a pie (she doesn't know but is a good sport and loves kids.) For every donation over $35, you get an ornament with his picture. You can donate to his profile here. Weston's Profile. If you donate through there and want an ornament you have to specify that. You can also donate on this page; however, you'll have to scroll down to his picture. Angel Tree page.

Presley

Here's Presley. He's a precious four-year-old boy who desperately needs a family. Presley has leukemia, and is said to be receiving treatments for it. Just imagine going through all those treatments with no one to love you. He doesn't have a mom and dad by his side. Leukemia usually has a very high success rate when treated with the proper treatments. Doesn't Presley look like a bundle of joy, even despite the life he's currently living? Could he be your son? If not, could you think about donating to his grant? Click here to see Presley's RR profile.

Back on Track

In my last post, I said that we couldn't start the adoption process. Well, the problem has been figured out, and we can start. Woohoo. Well, we can start when we have the money for a home study. I know it's easier to raise funds once your kids are on MFFM on Reece's Rainbow, but we will not commit until our home study is approved. Why? We don't want everyone to get excited that they have a family only to have our home study denied. It's just not how we roll. We still have our Puzzle Fund Raiser going on. For every $5 donated, you get you name written on the back of a piece of the puzzle. Our boys will be able to see all those who helped them get home. Only one piece is spoken for.

I also have bracelets. They are stretch bracelets and smaller in diameter. They fit my wrist, but my wrists are extremely tiny. So, they are great for kids. Each bracelet is $2 plus shipping or three bracelets for $5. The pattern for each bracelet will be different, but the number and type of beads will be the same.

Thanks guys. Also, I am still a warrior for Kael. My husband and I are planning a car wash in November and just figuring everything out.

I'm A Warrior

Unfortunately, we won't be able to start the adoption process as soon as we would like. So, we have decided to become warriors for an orphan. The goal is to raise $1000 for him by December 31. Fund raising is new to me, so I'm going to be a bit rough at this. OK, so you want to know who I'm a warrior for? Why, it's Kael.

Kael is a little boy in Eastern Europe with down syndrome. He's cute as a button, though, and needs a family. You can click on his name above his picture to get to his Reece's Rainbow profile. Stay tuned for future fund raisers. Thanks everyone.

Puzzles

OK, so we're going to start the process soon. The soon part is because we need some initial money. We need home study money and a payment to the placing agency.  Obviously, we're going to use some of our own money. However, this process is going to be extremely expensive, and we could use some help. So, we decided on a fund raiser. This is one of my favorite fund raisers. It's a puzzle fund raiser. Each piece costs $5, and when you donate for a piece we will write your name on the back. This way the boys will always remember those who helped to bring them home. We are planning on bringing two boys home, so we hope to be able to fund two puzzles. We would love for each boy to have his own puzzle if at all possible. The first puzzle to be completed is this one.

I think it's an excellent puzzle for a little boy. And, if possible, this is the second puzzle we would love to be able to complete.

Just donate to our PayPal widget on the right and let us know who you are. Any donation of more than $5, but in $5 increments will get you more pieces and us closer to our boys. Thank you so much everyone.

By the way, we can let you know who our boys are once we commit to them on Reece's Rainbow and send in the initial fees.

Darling Girlies

UPDATE: Natalia has a committed family that is in country now. Woohoo.

Usually I post about boys, and the reason is two-fold. I love boys first of all, and the second reason is that boys are often overlooked when it comes to adoption. It's sad, but true. However, I'm going to showcase two girls that need families today. They are both in the same orphanage (so they could probably be adopted together *wink wink*.)

It's Victoria. Victoria is nine and has arthrogryposis. Basically, she can't walk. However, I am told that this can usually be corrected via surgery. Imagine, she could get a family AND the ability to walk. What a great present that would be. She also has convergent squint. She has so much light in her face even after living in such a difficult situation for so many years. Click here for Victoria's profile.

Who i that beautiful girl with great eyes? This is Natalia. Natalia is nine. She had a bone that was set incorrectly before leaving her unable to walk. Now, I have been told she may be able to get it corrected in the U.S., but we aren't sure on that. The reason is that we aren't exactly sure what bone it involves. She has some form of epilepsy, but epilepsy can also be controlled very well (usually) by medication. Some cognitive delays have come as a result of her epilepsy, but we don't know they extent of her delays. Also, she has lazy eye (which can be fixed in the U.S.) and possible FAS. FAS is not documented, but it is a cautionary disclosure. I know that the fact that she has a number of needs is scary, but many of her needs would not be a concern in the U.S. Click here for Natalia's profile.

Both of these girls need out of their institution. Since they have been in it, though, they have been affected by malnourishment and neglect. That is something to be aware of. However, many families have brought home kids from even worse places, and the kids often thrive. They need love. Both girls are also said to be friendly and fun. Please give them a look.

Boys in Region 13

Today I am showing two boys in region 13 who need parents.

 

 First off is Dash. Dash will be seven in September, and is in an orphanage. He has an illness that can be controlled. Look at his precious face. I love his smirk. Dash 13G

Now we have Alexander G. Alexander has a brain tumor that doctors in his country will not operate on. However, it is believed he has a chance if doctors here operate. He needs a family badly so he can get necessary treatment. No child should be just waiting to die because of where he lives. Alexander G. 13G

Our Future Adoption

Please help us raise money for our future adoption. The area we plan to adopt from is very expensive, and we can use all the help we can get. Any money donated through our PayPal widget to the right is not tax deductible but very much appreciated. Thank you all so much.

Prayers

Can we have so me prayers please? The kids we wanted to adopt may no longer be available, and if so the reason is only half positive. I mean, no one died or anything, but what may have happened is not the best possible situation. Thanks guys.

Darn Government

Did you know that dealing with the government is frustrating? OK, I'm pretty sure that's not a secret. Dave's school told him he has to change his FAFSA to say that he registered with the selective service. Well, there are a couple problems with that. The biggest is that he didn't register. Why? He didn't become a permanent resident, thus able to register, until he was too old to register. What the heck? The other problem (which really doesn't matter because we're aren't lying) is that you can't change that on the application. It's one of those that can't be changed. So frustrating, but he'll figure it out.

I know that we will be really frustrated with the government when we go through the adoption process, though. Plus, we will have two governments to be frustrated with.

We keep thinking of the kids we want to adopt, but right now we can't do anything. Man, I can't wait until we move and can get a move on it.

Moving

Moving to another state is a big task. Dave has a school to go to, so he's good. That school will also help him to find a job in the industry while he's in school. That makes him doubly good. I, on the other hand, need to find a job. I have one application in for a dispatcher job, and I have a phone interview on Thursday for another job. Man, interviews drive me nutso, but they are necessary.

On top of that Dave has a $700 ticket (ridiculous California ticket prices) to pay. See, we need the money in order to put first month's rent down. If he didn't have that ticket (and the car trouble he's been having) it would be a breeze. It'll be close, though. However, we'll figure out a way to get it done.

We (well, I) can't wait to live somewhere cheaper for awhile and be near my Arizona peeps. Arizona peeps, don't get too excited, though. It will probably be temporary. We'll most likely move once our lease is up (after he finishes school and does already have industry experience. Plus, our adoption better be final before then.)

Nico

Once we really start the process, I'll post more interesting tibits, I promise. However, for now, here is today's orphan. It's Nico. Isn't he a cutie? OK, his profile says he has brown hair, but who are they kidding? He's an adorable little redhead. Nico is in the same region as Kyle, so they could be adopted together if a family so desired. Come on, this little cutie pie should not be living without a loving family. Click to see Nico's profile.

Even if you can't adopt, maybe you can donate to make it easier for the families who do adopt these kiddos. Unfortunately, Nico doesn't have a grant set up. However, you can donate for a family who finds Kyle. Also, in the post below this is a chip-in that will go to the two orphans we really want to adopt. If you can't adopt or donate, you can always pray for all of these orphans. Thanks everyone. 

Someone Please Save Kyle

This is Kyle. He has down syndrome and is now six. That means he has probably already been sent to an adult mental institution. It also means he's probably confined to a crib now. If he hasn't been transferred he's extremely lucky. Just look at this poor boy. His eyes are pleading for a family to just love him.

Love can do so much for these poor children who have nothing. Kyle is in a region that is said to usually take pretty good care of their orphans, so that is a positive. Still, he deserves a family. Also, his grant has over $4200 in it, so that will definitely help with the expenses. Please look at his profile and see if you are his parents. Click here to see Kyle's profile

This is my first post on an actual orphan, and I picked Kyle just because his picture always gets to me. He isn't the child we plan on adopting (mainly because we want to go through another country), but I just can't get past his sweet little, pleading face. I'll probably do more posts on orphans that touch my heart, too.

First Step

Well, we're preparing to take our first step in this long and scary journey. We're preparing for our move to a cheaper area. I don't know why everyone wants to live in California because it's so darn expensive. In order to afford a place big enough for a family, we have to move. Arizona here we come.

Why HIV?

People probably wonder why we want to adopt children with HIV. These children simply need families, and many families do not want them. That is extremely sad to us. It is an illness that is easily controlled with the proper medication now, but the stigma still exists. Seeing these poor children wasting away rips our hearts apart, and we must do something about it. Some people are called to adopt children with Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy, and at this point in our lives we are called to adopt children with HIV.

Hello All

Hey everyone. I'm Kimberly, and my husband is Dave. We are entering the scary world of international adoption. Not just that, but we're entering the scary world of international special needs adoption. We hope to adopt a couple children who have HIV. Right now we are in the very beginning stages of the process, so things can change. Please bear with us.