Beneath The Pale Moonlight

Tonight as I think about Susan I can't help but hear the song in my head "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tale. If you were born in my era you'll remember the heartfelt lyrics sung by Fievel. I can't help but wonder if Susan knows that someone's thinking of her and loving her tonight.

Although it's bedtime here in Utah it's 7 a.m. in Susan's country. What is she doing? Is she still sleeping or is she up and ready to start a new day? Has she had her breakfast or a bath? Are her caregivers giving her the attention that she needs or is she lying in her crib wondering when someone will pick her up? I hope and pray that she is being well cared for and that she is in a good orphanage. What I really hope for is that we can get to her sooner than later. I want to be the first one she sees in the morning when she wakes up. I want to feed her and bathe her. I want to hug and  kiss her and give her the comfort and attention that she needs. I want her to be in a loving home where she will always feel wanted. I mentioned before that the process to bring her home can take approximately 7 months but we have seen it happen in 4 or 5 months for others. We are hoping that we can be so lucky. Our goal is to have her home before her first birthday but wouldn't it be great to have her home sooner? The only way we can do this is to raise the money that is needed to bring her home. Many have asked, "Exactly how much?" Well, it will take approximately 30K. Holy smokes that is a lot of dough! We know! It is a huge amount, but we are confident and have faith that we can do it. We haven't come this far to doubt that it is possible. The only way we can do it though is through the support of our family, friends and neighbors and their family, friends and neighbors. We need you! We need your to help spread the word. Even if you are not in a position to give monetarily we ask that you share our story with your peeps, co-workers, etc. Like me 16 months ago, many people don't even know that children like Susan have been rejected because of their extra chromosome and special needs and are just waiting for a family to come forward to rescue them. The more people we can reach the more lives we can save. People want to help so please help us save Susan's life.

Many companies offer a matching donation program to a non-profit organization. Reece's Rainbow is a non-profit organization so ask and your company may be able to double your donation to Susan's fund. Maybe you work for or own a company that would like to donate for a tax deduction or you need a tax deduction for your own personal taxes. All donations made through Reece's Rainbow are tax deductible. Currently we are holding an iPad giveaway. For every $10 you donate to Susan and our family you get an entry for a chance to win an iPad. We have had a few donations trickle in but we really want to see the numbers increase (giveaway ends Sat. June 16th). Maybe you have ideas for other fundraisers or have items you can donate, whatever you can do we will gladly accept! Even just keeping us in your prayers will help. We want to bring our baby home so we don't have to wonder what she is doing. Please know that this isn't easy to ask for donations. But I wouldn't ask if I didn't feel like we have the best family, friends and neighbors who can make this possible. Together we can make a difference! Together we can give Susan the life that she deserves! Love can see us through!

iPad Giveaway

A couple of weekends ago we were talking with our friends the Cox's. They were telling us that they wanted to have an annual "Pay it Forward" event on the anniversary of Mia's homecoming. They wanted to do a celebration/fundraiser to celebrate and help another Reece's Rainbow child. At the time Mark and I knew that we were going to adopt with Reece's Rainbow but hadn't made any announcements yet so as you can imagine, we were dying to say something. When we did tell them they were thrilled and so are we because we ARE the ones who will benefit from Mia's pay it forward event. So in conjunction with Mia's celebration, we are having an iPad giveaway. For every $10 that is donated to Susan and our family, you will get 1 entry to win the newest Apple iPad with Wi-Fi-16GB. You will also receive an entry to win when you mention or share this link with your friends and family on your blog, facebook, etc. (just leave a comment saying you did so). The giveaway will run for one month and the winner will be picked the night of Mia's celebration (you do not need to be present to win). We will also be having a silent auction or raffle that night and other things for sale to benefit our adoption. "Mia's Miracle Continues" celebration will be held on June 15th or 16th. There will be food, music and fun. More details to come but please mark your calendars and join us.

To donate you can use the ChipIn button that the Cox's have set up on the right side of our blog or you can use the donate button with the Reece's Rainbow logo on it and those donations will go directly to our Reece's Rainbow fund. All donations made using the Reece's Rainbow button are tax deductible. We appreciate any and all donations! We are grateful that we can be a part of Mia's miracle. It's tough asking for money but please know that not only will you be helping our family bring Susan home, you will be honoring Mia, saving a life and will have a chance to win an iPad. Also, if you have any  items that you would like to donate for the silent auction, we will gladly accecpt them. Please share and spread the word! We cannot thank you enough for your kindness and support! Good luck!

The One Who Planted The Seed

Mia Kareen is the one who planted the seed for our journey ahead. Her family found her in Jan. of 2011. Ever since the Cox's told us that they were adopting Mia I never stopped looking at Reece's Rainbow. I was obsessed and began to learn every child's name. I began to love these children and my heart strings were being pulled. I knew somehow, someday we would be travelling the same road as Kris and Kecia but I also knew I had to wait. As time went on I was drawn to a particular little girl. It ended up that she was no longer available and my heart ached for her. Although it makes me sad, I like to think that she was the one who watered the seed that Mia had planted. Eventually I was drawn to a few others but on one particular day, Easter Sunday in fact, I knew who we were meant to consider. It was Susan, sweet Susan! In a month from today, June 17th, Mia will be celebrating her first anniversary of being home. Words cannot describe how grateful I am that we were able to be involved in her journey. She and her family has forever changed our hearts and we feel blessed that they are a part of our lives. We are excited that they will be involved in our journey now. Thank you Mia! Thank you Kris and Kecia and family! Because of you our little girl will have a chance to blossom and bloom!

Click below to watch the Cox's story on ABC with Diane Sawyer.

Isn't She Lovely?

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the one who has captured our hearts! Meet our daughter, Susan. She was born in November of 2011 in Eastern Europe. Eventually we will know exactly where she is, her actual birth date and her given name. Susan is the name she was given by Reece's Rainbow so for now and throughout this journey she will be known as Susan. Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? Isn't she precious? Isn't she made from love? (Thank you Stevie Wonder.)

When we told our daughter Kate that she was going to be  big sister to a baby sister, she just grinned from ear to ear. Her face was beaming and then she said, "She's pretty!" All of our kids are excited and we can't wait to hold her in our arms. The whole process to bring her home will take approximately 7 months. Our goal is to have her home before her first birthday. We have lots to do and lots of money to raise to make this possible so let the games begin. We'll keep you posted with all of our fundraising endeavors and our progress. We thank you in advance for your support!

Tell everybody we're on our way!!

                                                          

                                    

No Such Thing As Coincidence

The description of this blog comes from one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals. "I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. We are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return." I believe this to be true and as my Grandma Joy would say, "There is no such thing as coincidence." I have experienced this throughout my whole life. Relating it to this particular stage of our lives, we would not be on this journey if it wasn't for our dear friends Kris and Kecia Cox introducing us to Reece's Rainbow. Their youngest was born with Down syndrome and it was through their DS community that they learned of Reece's Rainbow themselves. In January of 2011 they found their daughter Mia Kareen and brought her home in June of 2011. We followed their journey and somehow I knew that we would follow in their footsteps one day. 16 months later we have committed to a baby girl and as of last night, she is on the "My Family Found Me" page with Reece's Rainbow.

For those of you who do not know what Reece's Rainbow is, it's an organization that raises awareness and grant money for children who are waiting to be adopted. These children have Down syndrome and other special needs and are waiting in countries around the world. In many countries when a child is born with Down syndrome they are given up at birth, left at hospitals because of their extra chromosome. They are placed in orphanages just waiting for someone to come forward and rescue them. In most cases if they are not adopted before the age of 4, they get transferred to a mental institution with very little hope for a better life. There are many people who would like to help but the cost of international adoption is very daunting. So with the help of Reece's Rainbow and donations, families can rescue these children.  To learn more click on this link. http://www.reecesrainbow.org/

16 months ago I  had no idea that Reece's Rainbow even existed. 16 months ago I didn't know that  hundreds of children were living in orphanages because of their extra chromosome. 16 months ago I only hoped that I could help these children in need. 16 months ago I never would have dreamed that we would be rescuing one of these children. 16 months ago I never imagined we would be travelling 6000 miles to bring our baby home. So much has happened in the last 16 months. Without a doubt, we are being led by His love.

We can't wait to make this blog public so we can introduce our sweet baby girl!