Thursday, June 30, 2011

Bad Blogger From EE

So, I was reprimanded by Renee for not posting in several days and figured I better do an update for everyone who has been following along.

Things are just kind of ground hog day... ish. Same sounds, same images of the same dogs in the street, women in high heels, cats screeching outside our window every night, same food for breakfast, same trip down the same road to the Nicolaev Baby House, same familiar sickish feeling in our stomach from eating different foods everyday.

Same comical sights and whatnot. Like...
"Does this chicken wrap smell like feet?"

"why is there mayo and ketchup smeared all over the fries?"

 "is that raw chickens on buckets at that babushkas feet?" Can that be okay???

"is that white sauce mayo, sour cream,  or kefir maybe??? whatever it is..its warm..don't eat it!"

"look at that sign..the picture has a goat on a skateboard on it with a strike through it...no goats on skateboards allowed???"


We have learned to chalk all the little quirks up to it being what it is..Ukraine. And we wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe the toilet paper.



We are thankful for one another, for humor and honestly, for the time we have spent here. Yes, its groundhog day..ish but we will likely never return here.

Well, never say never.

 We are in a routine but trying to soak as much in as we can. We walk everywhere and try to venture out and see new things. Our perspective on walking places is completely different now. "how far is that pizza place? a little over a mile? oh, thats not far - lets go!" We walk everywhere except for to our visits to the orphanage.


Our routine is mostly the same but our visits with Sveta are not really the same everyday. She always wants to do something different. Somedays its playdough. Somedays its sit and be quiet..ish. Somedays its play hide and seek, slide, seesaw and run like a maniac. She is calling us mama and papa and today we almost cried...because she said "UH OH!" and "AGAIN!" when Eli was tossing her into the air.

 But...more importantly she is seeking us out to help her with things, to comfort her. We are learning what makes her tick and she is learning who we are. We know there is a long road ahead for all of us.
We have fallen more in love with her over the tiny bit of time we have known her.

We look at her, with tears in our eyes and say "she is our child"

Somehow, by his grace God in heaven made us her parents.

Giving daddy kisses.


 We laugh over Sveta's daily hairstyles. She is always sporting some kind of multi pony tail, hair bow fiesta. This one hairstyle was particularly festive. And always, she is the cutest little thing in her orphanage couture.


                    Bobbing her head to a hannah montana song Paige had on the ipod. So cute!

When she smiles, laughs, wraps her little arms around our neck we are reminded of why we came here.

For Sveta. To take her home.

Our home. Her home.

We have four days left of the ten day wait. Four days. On Tuesday, July 5th we hope to say goodbye to the orphanage. It will be bittersweet - she has been there since she was five months old. Many of her cargivers have taken care of her since she was a baby. Everyone knows her name.

But it will be time - time to begin our life as a family.

Almost there.

Hang on Little One...not too much longer.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The 10 Day Wait Begins!

You know if you have been here, done that...that after your court hearing you have a mandatory 10 day wait before you can pick up the court decree. Well...ours has officially begun! After 10 days we can take Sveta Josie out of the orphanage! We had planned on returning home for the 10 day wait but now realize it will actually be easier (believe it or not!) to both stay and all come home together.

So...we have NOTHING for Sveta! We had clothes, pull ups, toys for the plane, etc. at home but didn't bring any of it on this trip. We have ventured out to try and buy her clothes. We are going to try to wrangle her into them this afternoon to see if they fit....will let you know how that goes...ha! !/2 a day over and no one has yelled at us today or laughed at us. Well...we did get followed in a toy store because I guess we look very suspicious. The sales girl was practically on our heels the entire time we were in the store.

Flip flops and capri pants seem to put folks on high alert here.

I have to say THANK YOU for your comments and emails. It is our link to HOME and we are so thankful to have your support. THANK YOU to everyone who donated to help with plane tickets...this has been a tremendous blessing to us.

This one is gonna be short and sweet....ending with Miss Sveta....I think Masha was saying something to her about her mama and papa...look at Sveta's face! Kind of like "Really, okay let me drink my juice?!"

Friday, June 24, 2011

Foresight

  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."


Born May 29, 2007. Five pounds, 17 inches. She spent the first six months of her little life as a tiny, sick baby in a hospital. After six months she was sent to the baby orphanage and has since lived her entire life within the same walls.

Today, in a courtroom in Nikolaev, Ukraine nervously standing before a judge and jurors we we became her parents, her mommy, her daddy, her FAMILY.

Today she became a daughter, a sister, a grandchild. Loved, cherished, never, ever given up again.

Held in our arms - For LIFE.

Today this tiny little person with shy eyes and hands which always want to be wrapped in her mommy's became........

Our DAUGHTER. Svetlana Josie Houser. She will be called Sveta. Our Sveta Josie.

The Lord gave me her middle name as I was staring at her photo months ago. "Josie"

The next day I looked up the meaning on the computer.

Josie - "The Lord will multiply. God will increase"

Oh, and how He has. He has multiplied our love for Sveta, he has increased our family. He has shown His glory in this long journey to her. The Lord led us to people here in Ukraine who are doing His work in the orphanages and we are in awe that He led us directly to them and brought us all together.

Last night at dinner we met with these amazing people and learned more about their work here and how they have been praying for so many children, and for Sveta to have a family. They have known her since she was a year old. We found out things we never would have known. Tears filled the eyes of almost every person and God's presence was powerful at that table.

Never, ever give up on the adoption journey. It is a emotionally draining process. At times you wonder why in the world you are doing this. But continuing to look UP at the one in control and we can regain focus. There are so many children here who need and desperately LONG FOR a family, the love of one mommy, one daddy.

Today there is one less orphan in the world.

She is our precious, spunky, yet shy little girl.

She is cherished. The Lord placed us on this journey and some called us crazy. We knew all along He holds the foresight and knew the outcome. He has planned the lives he wants us to touch, the paths he wants us to take, the gifts He wants us to use for His glory.

And sweet Sveta - He has set her apart and made no mistakes in her creation or the path which led her to us.

And so today, Friday, June 24th, 2011 Svetlana Josie Houser was adopted into our life, our family.


We look upward, praising God and say "Father, we thank you"

Oh how we thank Him. The author of all salvation.

Our ten day begins tomorrow and we should be able to take Sveta out of the orphanage around the 5th or 6th of July. We will continue to keep everyone updated!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Humor. Must have humor.

Court is actually tomorrow at 11am! Somehow the dates/days got mixed up. So, when everyone in the US are sleeping we will be having court for Little One. We are so thankful for your comments on the blog, for your emails, prayers and support.

You can't imagine how much it means to have this link to home. I have been trying to comment on other people's blogs but it won't let me.

SO. If you are reading this...Renee..why are you moving?! I am having trouble with email also but can somewhat get email at our gmail account. And Michelle - I miss talking to you everyday!!!
The past two days have been rough I suppose. Just missing the P's and home. It's worth it for Little One but homesickness has set in big time.

We have to get by with humor though. Today we entertained an entire store of young girls simply by being complete idiots and not realizing we were buying conditioner when we needed body soap. The whole store of workers came up front to laugh and giggle when Eli picked up a bag of mason jar lids and said "whats this?!!!" They were colorful and had a big smiley girl mixing something in a bowl. I just kept repeating to myself "only two more weeks, only two more weeks."  We did manage to buy some shirts yesterday and the girls in the stores were really sweet, tolerant and helpful. I have no idea what Eli's shirt says though. Something like "Long Gone" but is spelled "Goun"

WHO KNOWS.

I ate an entire bowl of cabbage for lunch. It was delicious but...it's cabbage.

I am not dead.

Yet.

My allergies/sinues have been horrible so our driver took Eli to get some herbal remedy he said would "cure" it.  I believe I squirted some kind of tree leaf up my nose. Our driver kept saying it would work. He kept referring to a koala bear. How this all relates to my allergies I don't know.

Have mercy.


Must. Have. Humor.

At least we haven't been yelled at by a babushka.

Yet.

Hey, we have two weeks. Who knows what will happen.

We missed our morning visit today because of my horrible sinus problems which seems to be turning into a head cold. The cigarette smoke is everywhere and is doing some major damage on me! Okay enough whining. You want pictures or a video right???

Pray for our court hearing tomorrow. Eli will be doing the talking. I will be trying to not keel over from being nervous!

This is Little One leading us to where she likes to have snack and play. You will hear a little of her ummm...leadership qualities in this as she tells me to "sit!" 


Remember us tomorrow - around 3am central time! Hope to have wonderful news in the next post...and...

Little One's FULL NAME!!! (which we again debated until literally an hour before Masha had to turn in the paperwork!)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Praising God

Praising God everyday for His mercy, His guidance and for the beautiful moments we are making here in a far away land. For the friends we have made along the journey and for God's fingerprint on every snapshot of this walk. We are still on track to have court on Thursday! We will know for sure tomorrow (wednesday) around 3pm our time. Our interpol has come back, just waiting on one more paper to be signed!

We have been having some good visits with Little One and are finding out more about her personality.

Spunky.

Opinionated.

Sweet hearted.

There is not one single reason I could ever come up with that would be an excuse for not saying YES to bringing this little person into our family. After coming here we are completely blown away at how God has worked to bring this little person so full of promise and love into our family.

She is a shining little star.

People tell us she is lucky.

No...WE feel lucky. That God chose US to be her mommy and daddy. Chose Peyton and Paige to be her brother and sister.

Most of the time I am in shock of how huge His love is. His love is what brought us here - to this place, over 4,000 miles away from our home.

His love is carrying us each and every moment, through the incredible reality of missing our other children, to the day we will someday leave the gates of the baby house with Little One for good.

For now though, we are taking our days very easy. A quiet routine is settling into place as we get to know Little One and as she gets to know us (without getting too mad at us for not knowing how to play playdough correctly!). Yes, she speaks very well and quickly when she is ticked off at us! I believe she may have called us big dummies yesterday in her native language.

She even threw in a bit of hands on hips, head shaking and foot tapping.

But in the cutest, most adorable way you could ever imagine, of course.








She is slowly becoming less "hyper vigilant" - meaning when we first met her she always seemed almost on guard as to what was happening around her. She would be engrossed in an activity and would hear something - a car, a baby crying - anything and would stop what she was doing. Her eyes would widen and she would watch/listen/wait to see what was going to happen.

She is now asking Eli to help her with things in her little voice...she will say "papa..."(and then alot of words we dont understand!) But we are learning what she wants and together we are learning to understand one another. She does say mama alot but we know the kids call most any female "mama" at the baby house. She is very, very protective of us though and will literally growl and push at other children in her groupa who get near us. Eli has nicknamed her "alley cat" because she is so fiesty.

We understand though.

She has waited a long time for a mommy and daddy.

We are yours Little One.

Forever.

To end...we are so excited because we got to eat lunch with two other American families, the Krulik and Evans families (Danil and Vera's families)! It was sooo good to talk to other people in English! You simply don't realize how much you take for granted until you are in a foreign land. So amazing at how God has placed us all on this path at the same time, from the same area. Danil and our Little One knew one another well from the baby house and the first time I actually saw Little One she was in a short video with Danil. Amazing how God has weaved this journey for our families.

Everyday we get to see precious Vera with her mama and papa. She has a smile that lights up the world!

Here is a pic of us from today - the Evans and Krulik families, adopting Vera and Danil! It was so fun to talk to them and enjoy a meal together. Praising God for his mercy every day.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Energy!

Little One has lots of it! We are getting our exercise and coming up with all sorts of ways to entertain her during our visits. She loves to try just about anything but especially loves bouncing balls, drawing with sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles and RUNNING!!!

WHEW!

We have a court date next Thursday IF all our documents come back. Pray for interpol clearance and one more paper. If they are not back court will be rescheduled. Which would be fine of course.

Okay...off to see Little One. I am going to end with a short video. I turned the camera at some point so you will have to turn your head sideways to see, lol! I am not sure what is going on with some not being able to leave comments..if it won't allow you to leave a comment feel free to email us at the address under "contact"

 Blessings!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Never Letting Go

On June 16, 2011, our lives changed again. Your picture had captured our heart for months but as your tiny hand took our hands - we knew in an instant we were meant to be here at this exact time.
                                  
                                   We are Never Letting You Go Little One.


Friends reading this blog - we have been without internet and finally got it working last night. I promise...more details later. But it is going well. There is so much to wrap our minds around and we are just focusing on Little One and bonding. She is a precious little soul and we are so thankful God brought her into our lives.

She is smart...before we went in we told her it was time to go back to her groupa...so she shoved almost an entire cookie in her mouth before going back in. She is a spunky little thing!
She will hold her little hands up to me and ask me to hold her. I think most of the time Eli and I are on the edge of tears. It's difficult to explain how you feel once you get here. Thankful God placed us on this journey, bombarded with sights, sounds, and experiences and always remembering we are to continue following His footsteps with every decision we make.

 Please pray for continued bonding and attachment.

We are HERE!!!!!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Lukewarm

Friends - my heart is full, my head is swirling with thoughts. We had our SDA appointment - this is where we met with the officials in charge of adoption files in Little One's country. At this appointment we talked to a social worker to get the official referral for Little One.

The appointment went very well - we were asked a few questions and given information on Little One. Some of it we already knew but it was the things we didn't know which we found out today, that have left my heart broken for a tiny little child I have yet to meet. I love this baby girl as if she was born right out of my body. Beyond a shadow of a doubt we know God showed us His heart for orphans and for one child in particular. What happened in the past with Little One will remain in the past. We only move forward, praying the Lord will continue to guide us and lead us to the point we can bring her home.

And the cold, hard, harsh fact is - SO MANY CHILDREN have a much similar story as Little One. They ALL need a mama and a papa to say YES we will go. YES we will embark on something that seems impossible and crazy to others but is in perfect alignment with what God has directed us all to do. And that is why we said yes.

He didn't ask us what we wanted.

He has commanded us to GO.

We are not Little One's Savior. He is. We are simply here to bring her into the fold of a family, to love her, to never, ever let her go. To spend the rest of our lives showing her our love for her will not end. We are not here to bring a child home which we hope to change - we accept her for exactly how she is.

As I have said all along - it's not about us. It's about Him. Continually following his commands even when we can't see the road in front of us.

Trust.

We are not "extreme", "extraordinary", or believe what we are doing is a radical thing. So many times I asked God "why" is this happening to so many children - why is there this crisis? So many children unwanted, unable to be cared for. WHY God? Ahhh...but God asked me what I thought people on earth should be doing.

What we need to be doing is continuing to open our eyes and hearts to what He has already shown us is important. It's right there - in words, numerous times in the Bible. He said it over and over - care for orphans, needy and poor. 

Its so easy to hear the stories and feel sorry for children then go about our daily lives - until you get here - till its right here in your face.

I have been reading the book Crazy Love and something stuck out today - this passage -

 "Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers."

Folks...I laugh because Eli and I are the epitome of average.

 And we are here. Opened hearts. Opened eyes.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" James 1:22

I am not saying every single person is in the position to adopt. But we can all do SOMETHING. I pray more will rise up and ask God to show them what He is commanding them to do. I am sorry if this sounds harsh - but it's truth. For too many years our own family lived in a shadow of believing material things were most important and that others who did wonderful things were extraordinary Christians who must have been "called". We were "lukewarm" people. I am thankful God opened our eyes and brought us to this place.

We pick up our referral letter tomorrow and head out to Little Ones region on an overnight train. More to come...keep following! Soon we will have pictures of HER!

Monday, June 13, 2011

4.000 Miles From Home!

We made it here Sunday afternoon - 12 hours in the air, who knows how many time zones and a plane ride from h. e. double hockey sticks.

Apparently a week 1/2 notice to get half way across the world will book you the nicest seats in the back of the plane on a transatlantic flight.

Can you say HOT. Smashed like sardines? I won't go any further...because...

We are doing GREAT!!! We are truly loving it here in EE. The culture is different but not in a bad way. We got in yesterday afternoon (which was around 5am for us) and hopped (okay so we stumbled off the plane in a jet lag haze...) onto a tram to the terminal. Had a funky issue with customs and thought we were going to get deported (not really) but then got picked up by our driver and took off at a high rate of speed after somehow getting out of  parking lot with no rhyme or reason..just a jumble of cars all mashed up together pushing to get onto the road. It was nuts.

We were prepared though and just took it all in. The quirky little things. Just wait ...if you are not here yet..you will see!

Our driver got us safely to the Hospitality House where Karen greeted us with a welcoming smile. We are so thankful to her for her help and generosity. We are staying in a neat part of town with tons of little shops. The apartment is lovely..really! We have wifi, english speaking cable stations, plenty of utensils to make food, a dvd player and its close to everything.  We met an awesome lady and her girls yesterday, Traci with Project Hopeful and they took us on a trip on the metro. Yep...less than three hours here and we joined the chaos and jumped (literally!) onto the metro and headed to the square for dinner. Had the most awesome pizza..Eli and I both ate for less than ten bucks. Incredible! We got to know Traci and her sweet girls better. They are so charming and they even took us grocery shopping afterward. Oh, at the metro stop we used, we had to take a ginormous (yes thats a word!) escalator.

I hate escalators. No, really.

And this one was taller than my house. Its a good thing I was in a jet lag haze. Once I realized how freaking high that thing was I started getting sick. I would rather walk up and down the huge hill than get on that escalator.

When you hear the women are beautiful....believe it. There are many beautiful women and I have no idea how they walk on the cracked sidewalks or the cobblestone roads in the stiletto heels. Its quite umm...interesting. And they make it look effortless. They have 0% body fat...but when you see how much people walk and the huge hills you understand why. We have seen many intersting choices in clothing including completely see through garmets. Its only disturbing if a babushka is clothed in this...but I digress...the women take great pride in their appearance and they are lovely.

We are loving being in EE and all that entails. It is good to learn about other cultures and we are having fun. Even if we have not a clue what anyone is saying. Ha. We were exhausted today after sightseeing and only managed to head to the store for groceries. I have no idea what kind of meat we ate. It could have been ox for all I know. But we made spagetti out of it and haven't died yet. Eli says there is a uniqe odor here but I havent picked it up yet...anyone else ever notice a smell??? My sinuses are so bad I cant smell anything! We got out with Traci and her girls again and they showed us the SDA.  We head there tomorrow morning! So, when you guys are sleeping we will be meeting to learn more about our Little One.

We have heard she is a little bit of a wild child and we cant wait to see for our own eyes.

I will end with a few pictures...sorry for the delay in posting....we spent today sightseeing and sleeping. More tomorrow...keep following us...WE ARE HERE!!!!

Little One...we are so very close.


Eli at Independence Square area...I didnt even notice the girl in the high heels in the background...look...there to his right!

The view outside our apartment...its beautiful...the street is very busy and pigeons live in the top of the apartment building.
The pizza place we ate at with Traci...yummy! We ordered pizza with some kind of meat...sort of looked like ham...

The elevator. Teeny. Tiny. Okay...so if you know my husband you know he kind of sticks out...I laughed when I saw this elevator...we can fit in there together but not us, the driver and our luggage. The driver started laughing too when I pointed to the elevator, then to Eli.

Our breakfast and snack! Cherry juice (suk), bread, eggs, cheese, butter, chocolate (of course), water and that's a beer in there! (no thats not breakfast..or a snack!)
water...a big thing it seems for our american friends...if you dont get the right one it will have "gas" in it. We get the bonaqua with the light blue cap. No gas! When you buy you can just ask for no gas...
Okay..its late here and we have a busy day tomorrow.
Praising God for placing us here at this exact time...when Traci was here and getting to meet her and her beautiful girls Sveta and Hannah. We are in awe of the Heim family and admire all the work they are doing for Project Hopeful. Their family is beautiful.
Stay tuned....
The best is yet to come! oh...sorry if there funky words...the spell check wont convert to english...so its saying all words are all wrong...!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Kindle and MORE GiveAway Ends TODAY!!!!!

We're leaving on a jet plane TOMORROW to travel halfway across the world.
Following the path God placed us on just seven months ago.
A journey we never imagined we would be on.
To Bring Little One HOME.


Our friends have a "Love Takes You In" Giveaway going to help us with airfare which is SKY HIGH!
Sorry, couldn't resist. I am giddy with being excited and nervous.

The giveaway ENDS TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT!!

Go HERE to donate and be entered in the giveaway! For each $10 donation you get a chance to win! Be sure to leave a comment on Michelle's blog so she will know how many times to enter your name!

Not everyone is in a position to adopt but there are still ways to help.
Every $10 donation gets us a little closer to Little One!

Up for grabs:
 
All-New, High-Contrast E Ink Screen – 50% better contrast with latest E Ink Pearl technology


Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6" size reading area
17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
Battery Life of Up to Two Months – A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off
Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 books
Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi


Custom Outfit #1


Becky creates such beautiful outfits...She will create your princess one of these beautiful, one of a kind party ensembles...complete with matching hairbow.  You will be seeing the Enskat cuties rockin these little party gowns later this month as we celebrate their first American birthdays...but here is a sneak peak...

                                                          Alina in the flower shirt and Nina in the cake shirt...
too cute girls!
A custom doll

Becky will create a custom doll that your little princess is sure to love...
Check them out...they are precious!















Custom outfit #2

Becky is one insanely talented and generous person...she is offering a second custom outfit
for one of you lucky readers.

Alina is getting good at the modeling thing...she's a natural!
Wait...there's more


A collection of hair pretties

Becky will create a collection of hair accessories for your little lady.  Really, no outfit is
complete without a hairbow






White Chocolate Toffee

If you have not indulged in Renee Tam's toffee...you are missing out.  It is sinfully delicious and Renee is going to send not one...but two lucky people some of her mouth watering toffee straight from Paisley's Pantry
Yum...



Nope...not done yet


Up next...

A $50 Target Gift Card

It's Target...Need I say more?



And last but not least...

A $25 Gift Card from Olive Garden
Yay...you can take your sweetie out to dinner and no...a babysitter is not included

Here's how you can get in on all these awesome goodies...
1. For every $10 donated...you will be entered in the giveaway
2.  Purchase a t-shirt or car decal and you will also be entered in the giveaway 1 time
3.  Post on your blog, facebook, or twitter and you will be entered into the giveaway 1 time per day

YOU MUST GO TO MICHELLE's BLOG AND LEAVE A COMMENT SO SHE KNOWS HOW MANY TIMES TO ENTER YOU INTO THE GIVEAWAY!!!

Go HERE to donate and remember to leave a comment!!!

The Love Takes You In Giveaway starts today and ends Friday, June 10th at midnight.
Becky's daughter, Alina will draw the winners on Saturday, June 11th

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE through Circle of Hope.

And just in case you haven't seen it enough...

Click HERE to donate/enter through the Chip In Button on Michelle's blog !!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Everyone Wants A Mama and A Papa

I awoke this morning thinking I need to remind everyone the giveaway some of my incredible friends have set up ends tomorrow. I wanted to scream for joy that we leave in two days.

Then I checked the blogs...you know which ones...the adoption blogs.

The ones we follow from beginning to end. The ones where we see God's handiwork unfolding in living color.

There is one family I have been following which is very important to me because their little boy is so closely connected to our Little One...

You see...last winter God placed us on the beginning of a journey to Little One and through a series of events we were led to a video, a short 20 second clip of two little children singing. The little boy, blonde, blue eyed, the little girl dark hair and big blue eyes. Both bundled as if they were in a blizzard. The little boy sang and sang..to someone. Who we didn't know at the time. What he was saying we had no idea. But there was sadness in his voice. The little girl in the tiny red car sang along quietly, curious about what was going on. She gently beeped the little horn on the red car as the little boy finished singing.

She was our Little One. The one God had been preparing us for.

But who was he? Was he ours too? We prayed over it and heard No. We prayed for his family to find him. I would cry asking God to lead his family to him. He had waited so, so long.

Danil has the sweetest spirit - you can tell from just 20 seconds of video. We found out he was singing a goodbye song to someone. And that soon after that video, he was transferred out of his safe baby house. We learned details about his life which were heartbreaking. About his desperate longing for a mama and papa.

One day we got great news! His family had found him!!! And without a doubt we knew THEY were the family the Lord was preparing to envelop Danil with love. Yesterday, half way across the world their family came full circle - they met Danil.

When he met them he said "everyone wants to have a mama and a papa"

Reading the account of them meeting Danil had me in tears. Tears of joy and tears of sorrow. There are so many children who desperately need a mama and papa. Who dream of a mama and a papa. Watching the doors everyday wondering if their mama and papa are coming.
Needing to be held, rocked and sang to, wrapped up in love.
So many are little boys just like Danil.
Praising God for bringing one more little boy into the fold of a family here on earth.
Thankful one more family said YES to God's command.

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.

I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-

everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

Monday, June 6, 2011

We Leave in Five Days! Love Takes You In Giveaway!

Please click HERE to donate and be entered in the giveaway! The chip in button on my blog is not showing up for some people!
 
We leave in FIVE days!!
 
The Love Takes You In Giveaway...

Up for grabs:
 
All-New, High-Contrast E Ink Screen – 50% better contrast with latest E Ink Pearl technology


Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6" size reading area
17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
Battery Life of Up to Two Months – A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off
Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 books
Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi


Custom Outfit #1

 
Becky creates such beautiful outfits...She will create your princess one of these beautiful, one of a kind party ensembles...complete with matching hairbow.  You will be seeing the Enskat cuties rockin these little party gowns later this month as we celebrate their first American birthdays...but here is a sneak peak...

                                                          Alina in the flower shirt and Nina in the cake shirt...
too cute girls!
 
A custom doll

Becky will create a custom doll that your little princess is sure to love...
Check them out...they are precious!

 














Custom outfit #2

Becky is one insanely talented and generous person...she is offering a second custom outfit
for one of you lucky readers.

Alina is getting good at the modeling thing...she's a natural!
 
Wait...there's more


A collection of hair pretties

Becky will create a collection of hair accessories for your little lady.  Really, no outfit is
complete without a hairbow






White Chocolate Toffee

If you have not indulged in Renee Tam's toffee...you are missing out.  It is sinfully delicious and Renee is going to send not one...but two lucky people some of her mouth watering toffee straight from Paisley's Pantry
Yum...



Nope...not done yet


Up next...

A $50 Target Gift Card

It's Target...Need I say more?



And last but not least...

A $25 Gift Card from Olive Garden
Yay...you can take your sweetie out to dinner and no...a babysitter is not included

Here's how you can get in on all these awesome goodies...
1. For every $10 donated...you will be entered in the giveaway
2.  Purchase a t-shirt or car decal and you will also be entered in the giveaway 1 time
3.  Post on your blog, facebook, or twitter and you will be entered into the giveaway 1 time per day

The Love Takes You In Giveaway starts today and ends Friday, June 10th at midnight.
Alina will draw the winners on Saturday, June 11th

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE through Circle of Hope.

Click HERE to donate/enter through the Chip In Button on Michelle's blog !!