Luggage For Foster Children!!

So after a sweet women from our church made and gave my sister over 65 handmade quilts from several women to be taken to our local CPS for foster children when they are taken from the home in the social service cars to be put in foster care!My sister's family delivered them today and I know she will be posting so that's all Ican say:) well I couldn't help but to think to myself "Lord how can I do more to help these precious foster children waiting for forever families"This is so close to home for me and after seeing Marilyn give those sweet and precious quilts to my sister I had to come home today from Lillie's therapy and look up the needs for children in the foster system and I came across another post on the same adoption site I has posted about"Should you Adopt?" and I read it and I want to start collecting luggage! and what this women had to say really touched my heart because when my niece and nephew came into there new home well several days later Wendy had picked up there belongings from the foster home they had been living and in one black trash bag was there clothing and in another black bag was there toys! I was thinking it doesnt have to be luggage Iam thinking even just hand bags that are like overnight bags or even duffel bags!Just something other then grocery bags or trash bags!

Foster children have to move fairly frequently. Some are lucky and don’t have to move often, but that’s not normally the case.
Many foster kids move with their things packed in garage bags, grocery bags, or whatever happens to be handy. I hate this, and I know many other people do as well. What a horrid message to send a child. Your life is garbage. You are garbage. You’re not worthy.
Sammy came with some of his things in suitcases, but most of it was in garbage bags, some things not packed and at all and so on. When Kory came, everything that he owned fit into a bag about the size of a garbage bag, but came from a retail chain around here called Fleet Farm. If you live in the Midwest you know that big orange back that I’m talking about. Hannah was a different story. She came with her life nicely packed. Love was put into this move. She helped to pack her things so it was done nicely.
When Kory and Mackenzie moved from our home, I very lovingly packed all their things into luggage. They were not going to move with their things in trash bags. They were worth more than that to me. I became very angry when I learned that my cousin’s wife dumped all their things into trash bags because it was “easier to pack into the car” and kept the luggage for herself. (Yes, I have blogged about my dysfunctional family before).
I’m not the only one who feels this way. details of how you can organize a collection for foster children just by A quick internet search will tell you where you can donate luggage, how to organize a drive, or what types of things you can donate. I love this headline from a commentary in Kentucky:
“Kids have baggage, they need luggage.”
Whether you call them bags, suitcases, luggage, or anything else, donate them to a foster child.

Sammy still has a hard side suitcase that was used when he moved here. I would never throw it out or donate it. It means a lot to him. He can’t verbalize why, but the fact that I know it’s important is what matters. It will be his whenever he moves out on his own as an adult.
Many social service agencies will accept donations of luggage or suitcases to help kids have appropriate things for packing their clothes and toys. If you have luggage that you do not need but it is still in good condition, consider donating it to a foster child or agency.
If you don’t know how or where to donate luggage, call your local social services agency. Do not just show up with a car load of bags. Most agencies do not have enough room to store what you might show up with. Be sure to ask first.
If you want to take things one step further, you can take a key from this article from Capital University. They took the luggage and hand painted it. They did the same thing in Decatur, Alabama.
Help a child move with dignity by organizing a drive, or making your own donation.

Thanksgiving at my grandparents cabin !!!

Were all about to eat some very yummy food :)We enjoyed being with eachother!
I love this picture of the clouds and the snow!

This is my grandparents cabin

Daddy and Anthony riding the dirt bike in the snow while it was snowing and boy were they all wet when they were done!

Lillie also wanted to ride with her daddy and it was so funny cause she got off and her little nose was so red from the cold!

Snow fight with uncle Tony

Kawika and Tony blessed us all by making us breakfast and they even did the dishes to!or should I say they didnt let me in the kitchen lol so I thought I would just take a picture of them doing what I wanted to help do but it was a blessing to relax!

Some of the kiddies eating there Thanksgiving dinner!

Dad and mom playing cribage together and Kawika enjoying the snow falling!oh and so was the little one in the back!

Can Tabs For Sick Kids !!!!!

So I wanted to share something with you that is one of the things Iam very passionate about!To me its like with anything really!If God has allowed you to have gone through something that affects your family It has a big impression in you life and heart!whether its Adoption,family member with cancer, A loved one dieing,losing a job and so on!One thing I Thank God for is that had we not gone through something like our child being sick how could we encourage or even understand what one has gone through? Before I had Lillie I never thought twice when I seen a child in a wheel chair or a parent walking with a child with physical problems ext !I would just think too myself "Awe" and would avoid because I felt uncomfortable because I had no idea what to say thinking I wouldn't have the right words to say!I cared but just didn't grasp the whole understanding of a medically special child! but now that I have Lillie and have gone through alot with her I actually love to start a conversation with parents when I see that there child is medically special! I want to be able to possibly share Christ if I have the opportunity and plus it is nice to relate with others .I find myself feeling what that parent may be feeling:)All the stress of a sick child and all the effort it takes to care for a sick child defiantly something our family have all made it through with Christ and him alone!God taught us so much and gave us everything we needed to make it through and to still make it through each day!He is always faithful when we for a moment take our eyes off him and thank God We where surrounded by great family and friends that had been so encouraging to our family He is so very faithful to us :) So here is a little info on what my title of the post is all about:)

Many families travel far from home to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children. The treatment may last a day, a month, or even longer. It's a long time to be away from home, or to divide a family.
Ronald McDonald Houses around the world offer families a way to stay together, in proximity to the treatment hospital, and be comfortable and cared for during their stay.
Allow Families are stronger when they are together, which helps in the healing process. By staying at a Ronald McDonald House, parents can also can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed.
Allow Children to Get the Best Care
When your child is sick, you want the best care possible - even if it is hundreds or thousands of miles away. The Ronald McDonald House allows families to access specialized medical treatment by providing a place to stay at little or sometimes no cost.

Can tabs for kids and there family!

Why?
Ronald McDonald Houses collect pop tabs instead of entire aluminum cans because the tabs are pure high-quality aluminum, unlike cans, which consist of aluminum and other alloys. Tabs are also easier to store than whole cans.
Where?
If your local Ronald McDonald House participates in the program, it’s likely cardboard collection containers in the shape of a house have been distributed to schools, community and civic groups and other organizations in your area. Collect pop tabs to drop off at one of these areas, or contact your local House about getting a collection container that you can be responsible for filling through one of your own groups.
How much?
After the tabs are collected, the local RMHC Chapter brings the collection to local recycling centers, where they are weighed to determine their value (values can vary significantly). The recycling center then sends the local RMHC Chapter a check for the total value.
RMHC at Work
Twelve new Ronald McDonald Houses opened in 2007. Thirty-four more are undergoing expansion.
Here is the site link
http://rmhc.org/

SHOULD YOU ADOPT

Tony and I have been very encouraged seeing my sister and our brother in law adopting the two little ones and just watching the whole process from the day we found out they would be adopting has been one of the biggest blessings I have seen in my life!The day these little ones came into there new family was one of the best days of our lives!For me it was no different then the excitement when Kalani and Kawika were first born.These babies are precious to us and we have seen the blessing of adoption and we have seen the reality of adoption as well!It has been so neat to walk the adoption journey with my brother in law and sister and I couldn't imagine my life without all my nieces and nephews!So in saying this tony and I have been talking alot about adopting lately and we have been praying about it and we are are waiting on the Lord to see if this is his will for our family!I did come across a adoption site a while back and came across this women talking about ''Should you adopt" when we were first wondering if this was something the Lord wanted for our family and I really liked what she had said !!

Throughout our journey to adopt our sons from the foster care system we have encountered many people who, in conversation, volunteer their lists of reasons why they cannot adopt. I am often surprised at how many of these people are Christian. They will tell us how wonderful they think we are because we “saved” our kids. They tell us that we are special, that it takes a special person to adopt. They tell us that they don’t have enough money, enough space, enough time to adopt. They even tell us that they don’t feel “called” to help, to adopt these kids. I cringe at the mere suggestion that one could be excluded from the call to help the orphans.

James 1:27 says “Pure and undefiled Religion before God and the Father is this:to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” I think this verse is often overlooked by the Christian community. To me, there are very few ways to interpret this statement. There are over 100 million children in the world who are orphans. In the US there are more than 150,000 children at any given moment who have been waiting some time to have a forever family. Our oldest son waited ten years. I look at him and at the pain he endured and ask myself where we as Christians are in all of this. What is our role? Does this passage in James tell us to look away? Does Jesus ever ask us to focus on our own comfort?

So often our desire for children is centered around our own wants, our own needs, our own ideas of what family should be. We focus on what it is we want and discard what it is that God wants. I really, really want the baby growing inside of me to be a girl. It is a bit ridiculous how badly I want this baby to be a girl. But no matter how hard I wish for a girl and no matter how much pink I buy, this baby will be whomever God wants it to be. I cannot request a healthy child with beautiful blue eyes. I cannot request a child who is easy to get along with, one who brings joy and peace wherever she goes. I can’t request that she be slender and tall. The only option I have is to trust that the Lord is leading our family and that He will bring us the child He means for us to have. In the same way, I cannot ask that He rearrange His word to suit my desires. Caring for the orphan is hard, hard work. Adoption will never be easy for any of us. It is an amazing blessing but at the root, there is heartache for someone, often most of all for our child. I cannot run from the call to care for the orphan because it is hard. I cannot run from it because it isn’t convenient. I cannot accept the excuses that my mind creates and allow them to turn me from pushing forward toward the call my Father has laid out for me. I must read this verse and make it my mantra. I must know in my heart that a call from God is never put forth lightly. He doesn’t mince His words. We are all called to care for the kids who hearts ache with the loneliness of waiting to be loved. Don’t ask yourself IF you are called to these kids, ask HOW you can fulfill the calling God our Father has set forth. Then pursue your calling to help the orphans in their distress. It is true that not all of us can adopt for a variety of very valid reasons. So help the orphan in another way. Find your state’s photolisting of children who are waiting for a family. Print out a picture of a child or children who wait. Hang them on your fridge and pray for them daily. Pray for the family who will be matched with that child. Find a reputable Christian organization that offers child sponsorship and add a child to your family in that way. Find an adoptive family that could use some childcare and step up to the plate. So often, so many of us are tired and weary and don’t want to ask someone to take on the task of watching our difficult children. Go to your local Children’s Home and volunteer your time to read to children who have been brought in from abusive situations. Go to the store and buy a pile of diapers and deliver them to the mom who just brought her beautiful bundle of joy home from China. Send a note to a child in your church who was just adopted welcoming him or her into your church family. There are a million and one ways to care for the orphan. There are just as many ways to care for adoptive parents. Decide HOW you can be a part of God’s call to the orphan, and then pursue that task with your heart invested. We are ALL called.

Big Changes For Our Lillie Girl :)

Well in case some of you may not know Little miss Lillie has attended speech and physical and occupational therapy since the age of 4 1/2 months old!We drive twice a week to these therapies and it is there that Lillie started out learning to eat Kelly is who has been with her since the beginning this precious lady has been such a sweet blessing in our lives!She loves Lillie like her very own and I mean that!In fact we actually have built a friendship with her through the 2 1/2 years we have been going to therapy with Lillie girl.Kelly has worked with Lillie and has helped her in alot of ways!She has taught her how to eat better and that took probably a good year and a half of training her mouth and strengthening the muscles in her mouth and has taught her to talk to the best of her ability in bribing her with food lol ! Kelly knows Lillie well and knows how to get her to do what is asked of her Kelly has been stern but gentle and that's what I love about Kelly.

Therapy has been our life in a sense that it was 4 times a week as of 3 months ago and it got put to 3 days a week!It is the first thing my older children ask me when they wake up"mommy do we have therapy today?" We do school there and Kelly put toys out in the waiting room for my kids:) Our kids are the only ones that come there because they turned the children's north bay rehab into a adult therapy place.Actually it was a children's place and they had shut it down because of the economy and they had to let all the kids go and I mean all the kids parents had to find new places for there children to go.It was really sad to see all the parents you related with and could talk to and encourage go away. Kelly actually couldn't let 8 of her kids go and told her boss that she wanted to please keep these kids and so Lillie was one of them she had chose to keep!and actually Lillie is her last child of the 8 she wanted to keep the others have been discharged from therapy.

So we actually have a place called Regional center that took over paying for Lillie's therapies1Its a government benefit to parents with children with disabilities and it doesn't matter what your income is its because of the disabilities the child has that qualifies the child.well after 3 years old they don't cover any more because the school district takes over and well November 30th is our very last day with Kelly!Lillie turns 3 on the 27Th of this month and I cant tell you how hard it has been for me the last 2 weeks to say good by to Kelly and seeing her 2 times a week and its just weird to me to think that going to fairfeild to therapy is not going to be part of our life any more!When we first brought Lillie in she was 4 1/2 months and 7 pounds and had a NG tube in her nose and was so tiny and sick looking.She is now 3 and weights 21 pounds and is still small but is full of life and Iam so thankful to be able to go back to that time when she was sick and then to today.

I know that change is good for Lillie it means she is moving on and going forward and I know it is good.It means that she doesn't qualify in disabilities and that's great!this means development is doing better and that physically getting a little stronger so I thank God for that.

December 2nd we meet with her regional worker to have a transition meeting because they feel it would be good if Lillie went to the preschool for children with development delays at the public school in our town!They feel that it will challenge her to be around other children and that being around other kids her age would encourage her to do things she may not know how to do in her development!So this little squirt might just be going to preschool starting in January! So we will see what happens.

Iam very iam very excited to see what God has planned for this baby girl!Its exciting to see her moving on and sad at the same time.I cant think of dropping off Lillie at school then picking her up.So I think God is doing something in all these new changes and Iam thankful for that.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and hope.

Jeremiah 29:11-12

NORMAL YET ?

So our family of 5 was sick for a total of two weeks with every symptom you can think of !I have never been so sick in my whole life it was not fun at all and I hope I never ever get it again! Iam sure we had swine flu at least that's what the doctor told Tony we all had.We went through 2 bottles of fever reducer for the kids 1 bottle of extra strength Tylenol and 1 bottle of NyQuil:)Oh and 4 boxes of tissue nuts ha!!!We also went through a total of 5 gallons of apple juice and 2 litters of 7up!I think we checked our temps over a hundred times lol:)I do thank God though for allowing us to get better in our comfort of home and that none of us ended up in the hospital.We were blessed enough that we could hook Lillie up each night with pedialyte to keep her hydrated and that in fact was a huge blessing in its self because we were able to put her meds through her tube as well and Lillie and Anthony were actually the ones that were least sick out of us 5.
Although we were sick we were so encouraged by family and friends that took care of us the best way they could without putting there own family at risk of getting sick. We had meals made for us for most of the time we were sick!
I actually had a sister in Christ call me a week into being sick and she is the one who organizes meals for others with our church when families are in need and well she ask if we needed any meals and you know what I had the nerve to say to her " No we are actually feeling alot better" I know she must have thought I was crazy as all heck to say that and the thing was YES I was crazy and what is really funny is that this lovely women is a family doctor so Iam sure she was seriously thinking CRAZY WOMEN. I actually thinking that I didn't want people driving all the way from vacaville to drop off a meal to us!What I was not thinking of was the fact that I was robbing others of blessing our family in a time of need and I was infact being prideful:( YUCK!!!!! I was feeling better then what I had been feeling but I was far from feeling better lol.
So knowing what I had said God quickly humbled me and I called her back and told her "I was sorry and that our family in deed could use meals. looking back I was not feeling great at all.
We were so blessed and I can not explain how much we needed meals!It allowed us to heal and get rest without stressing about food for ourselves and the kids!It was so encouraging to our hearts because everyone was taking care of us when we really couldn't and everyone really helped us to get better! SO WE SAY THANK YOU AND WE LOVE YOU!!!!

We do feel normal again and I actually forgot what it felt like feel normal again.The Lord has allowed me to have the energy to get the whole house back to standing lol I mean I must have done 13 loads of clothes,blankets,sheets ext from being sick and all that good stuff.My hubby is back to work and he actually missed 4 days of work!Someone from his work signed up for over time and actually called my hubby and told him he could have his over time day if he would like since he missed 4 days of work and so my hubby took it. I tell you what talk about trusting God in the mist of the "not knowing" God always provides no matter what and Iam so thankful to Him for that. My hubby was also able to cash in 2 pch's (personal choice holiday) and thankfully he had them to cash in.

We are also trying to get caught up on Addison's schooling since she was out for 2 weeks!So my sis reminded me that our charter school has a week off for thanksgiving so we are going to just work right through that week and then there is time off in December to so we are going to work through that week as well:)Iam telling you God is faithful to see us through everthing even when we dont see our way through something like being sick for 2 weeks.I cant help but thank God that we can see God and his blessings in them even in times of trials!

I just had to post the picture of Addison because it kinda reminded me of myself and how I felt when I was sick :)

The blessings of being sick !!!

So along with my last post "FEAR" my Little Lillie girl is sick along with her mommy!She has the fever, cough, and you got it .... the poopy to:)Today Anthony woke up from his nap with a fever as well and now we are just waiting to see if Addison and Daddy will be joining us this week as we celebrate being sick with all our meds and tissues lol!!Addison has informed me that " she is so glad she is not sick"I told her " Don't be surprised if you get sick sweet heart" she just smiled and said "okay mommy" I know she doesn't want to get sick and she really feels bad for us she has been drawing pictures for all of us and wanted to have a surprise party to make Anthony feel better:)Anthony is her side kick and its interesting to see one of them down because they are two peas in a pod.


It never fails though that when I get sick like this I always have to thank God for my health and that my sickness is only for a time!I have to think of those people who's sickness is not just for a short time.

My husband started his 4 days off to taking care of his sick family:)Iam so thankful to the Lord he allowed my hubby to be off and not needing to take days off to take care of us.

As you can see in the picture my husband has been hard at cleaning and taking care of his sick family!He has been taking our temps,giving us meds and making sure we have been getting the rest we need to get all better.So I very much appreciate him loving and caring for our family.

We also have been blessed with my mom and sister making us dinner these last 2 nights and it has been very yummy:)Thank you for your thoughtfulness !!!!So I would have to say that there are blessings in being sick:)

Yes my hubby has been doing our laundry as well while I have been sick.Iam so thankful for him!

And this is my hubby crashed out after working hard although he is recharging to finish the huge loads of laundry on the couch lol:) He has been getting the kids dressed, and feed everyday not to mention putting them to bed at night baths and all.In times like these his cleaning obsession does come in handy and doesn't bother me as much when Iam sick compared to when Iam feeling well :)