Ahh Mother's Day!

This is what my mothers day looked like:)

by Hannah

Lera woke up singing, "When I See Your Face" :)

Hannah singing with Lera :)

 from Matt :)

 from Jim, James, Amanda & Christian :)

 from younger kids & flowers from James, Amanda & Christian:)

"Happy Mother's Day Mom Mom"

Visiting at Michelle & Howards house:)

Cute card from Michelle :)

Our 10 kids! (with Michelle's camera)

The whole gang :) 

Us with our 10 kids :)

More of us with our 10 kids! (taken with my camera)

The whole gang again!

Our 10 kids again!

just hanging out :)

Matt with Mordecai :)

(Rachel & me) Happy Mother's Day!  Xoxo <3 

Heading home, perfect ending to a perfect day! :)

I'll be there in shirt! :)

Theresa, Alla, Vanya and I visiting the same baby house where Lera lived ~ 2010 His Kids Too! :)

I got an invitation to do something that made me feel a bit uncomfortable. But, isn't that just like God? Doesn't He ask us to do things that are not easy for us, so He receives the glory? When my friend, Theresa asked me if she could borrow my His Kids Too t-shirts, I was taken aback. To be honest, I wanted to be in my t-shirts!

But I get it now. God has something BIG planned for His Kids Too this Summer. A new team is coming together to do an all new, first time ever, Special Needs Summer Bible Camp in Ukraine! It's for the team to represent His Kids Too, just like I did when I was part of the team with my friend, Theresa back in 2010. I have the privilege to be there in spirit, or should I say, I'll be there in shirt! :)

In the meantime, God has not left me out at all! Instead, God has given me a different assignment, when He invited me to the 2013 WOF Conference for my very first book signing with them. So instead of being with my friend, Theresa like I was when we met in Ukraine to join His Kids Too for the 2010 Summer Bible Camp, visiting orphans, and delivering humanitarian aid, God has me working behind the scenes with Him, planting seeds, so MORE Women of Faith will know He is calling them too, just like He called us in 2007 to adopt our little girl, Lera from Ukraine. I'm so glad our daughter is SAFE and HOME, and not living in a mental institution, just because she was born with Down syndrome! SO MANY MORE ARE WAITING! So glad God has invited my heart! ~ GO ON AND TAKE IT AWAY!

Blowing wishes in the wind

Alice and Hannah walked to school together this morning. I was afraid Lera would not stay on the path, but that's another story! Waiting with Lera for the bus to come, she blew wishes in the wind with each dandelion weed she found. While she was busy chasing dandelions to blow in the wind, I spotted a bee buzzing in the azaleas, hinting Summer is just around the corner. Only four more Fridays left to go before we move on June 1st! Lera pulled the branches open on the azalea bush, inviting me to look inside. When I couldn't see what she wanted me to look at, I asked if I could take her picture before the bus came...with her arm still in the bush, she turned towards me and posed. She doesn't know my mom and dad planted the azaleas in the yard before I was born. Not knowingly, she gave my heart a hug :)

The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Ecclesiastes 1:6

Career Day 2013

It was Career Day at school yesterday. I was invited to speak to Alice's 5th grade class about being an author. The day before I spoke to Mrs. Damien, a teacher friend that tutors our daughter Rachel in high school. She encouraged me to make a brochure to hand out to the class...so I did! :) 

At first I wasn't confident enough to go because I didn't want to be known as an author as much as why I wrote my book; to bring awareness to special needs and the orphans in Ukraine. With Mrs. Damien's help and encouragement, I went in feeling confident that I am a special needs advocate author! Thanks Mrs Damien! :) 

I am interested in bringing awareness to people with special needs, their human rights and welfare, and the rights of the orphans in Ukraine, hidden away just because of their diagnosis, and at the same time aiming for inclusion and acceptance with my two little girls here in the United States. I know Hannah and Lera have a purpose. They have added beauty to my life in ways I cannot describe. I will not be satisfied until they are fully included in society and given every opportunity to be whoever they want to be! After all, isn't that what Career Day is for? 

Opening the eyes of students to the possibilities available to all of them, the students were able to grasp the concept that we should never give up on somebody just because they have special needs...it might take them a little longer than everybody else, but they can still do it!

Career Day reaffirmed my belief that my girls have abilities, just like every other child. Children are our future, with or without special needs. We need to stop hiding them away, put them in the classroom, and give them jobs in society that they are capable of handling.... 

I shared a little video with the students made by the National Down Syndrome Congress http://youtu.be/sKUkj7Pmk_0.  At the end, I passed around some things I brought home from Ukraine...some money, Lera's Russian Bible translated in English, a calendar.... I also shared some things from America...a picture of the girls first visit to see Santa, I even read them the e-mail I received that inspired us to adopt Lera! 

It was a good day and I am thankful I had the privilege of sharing what God has put on my heart. We had some good discussion and the students were able to get the message behind it. That just because a person has special needs, it doesn't mean they can't do things...Happy Career Day! :)

After school Alice told me some of the kids said they wanted to be an author when they grow up ~ YES!

"All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 NLT)

Moving Update:

Show me your ways, O LORD, 

teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 25:4-5

We found a house! The people were so nice! They graciously took our offer to come down on the price so we could afford it! The kids can't wait to move in and they haven't even seen it, yet! They heard it has a pool in the back yard and they are delighted! With beautiful wall to wall carpet, and a basement that doesn't leak!! Even Jim can't wait! 

It has been a long hard road to get to this point. At first no one wanted to leave this house because of my dad. He built an addition on the back which we all love with a fireplace that made for cozy fires in the winter and a cathedral ceiling that held our 12 ft. Christmas trees! Friday nights were filled with watching movies, eating popcorn and housed many guests over the years, including slumber parties and birthday parties for our kids. Plus three of our kids were born in this house and Lera was conceived in our hearts...Not to mention, it was the house I grew up in!

Yes, we will miss being here. Lots of childhood memories we will take with us. I am most thankful that I met God here, or should I say He met me on the top of the hill. ;-) We all have a new hill to climb, a new door has opened, and God will meet us there too! :)