ONE WEEK Down, A Lifetime to Go...

It's already been over a week since the boys arrived at their new home!!! Wow! They have done amazingly well. And we Praise GOd for how well they are adjusting. We have continued to go about our normal life... Here are a few NEW things the boys have seen/done...

• Walmart, Sam's, Toys R Us
• Soccer games (4hr trip)
• Dr. appt.
• Dentist appt.
• Choir concert
• Bible Study, Church
• Mommy & Me class at gymnastics
• LOTS of riding in the car

And things we have learned about the boys...

• They both follow Mama around and get stepped on often
• They love their brothers & sisters
• They both LOVE the trampoline
• They both LOVE to go barefoot
• Charlie copies everything you do & has 8 signs he uses already
• Levi looks at you like you are a weirdo, but will sign More...lol
• Levi LOVES books
• Charlie doesn't play with toys
• Neither boys are anywhere close to being potty trained:(
• Levi sucks his thumb
• Charlie sucks his fingers/thumb & rocks himself to sleep:(
• Charlie loves any song that has movements to it
• Levi loves to push the baby stroller
• They both EAT like they are never gonna get another meal
• They both choke easily
• If anyone goes in the kitchen, they think it's time to eat(even if they just ate)
• Levi likes to be naked:)
• They both LOVE to take a bath & you get one too!
• Levi likes to put lotion on
• Charlie does NOT like lotion or putting diaper and clothes on
• Charlie is Superman Strong!
• Levi likes you to tickle his arms to go to sleep
• Charlie loves water!
• And Charlie likes to take a bath in the toilet water:(
• They are both starting to like men more
• Charlie has sucessfully learned to give a hug & kiss:)

Looking forward to all the things they will learn this week!!! Working on pictures(in my spare time..lol) hope to post them soon....Love to all

FREEDOM DAY!!!!!!!!

The Long Awaited Post! LOL Just a few pictures from our "FREEDOM DAY" Otherwise know as "Gotcha Day" The boys were excited & knew exactly what was going on:) We left the orphanage about 11:30 and raced to get their medical exams done. Thank goodness for Bread & Banana's! They did great and we left there to head to our 2:00 Embassy appt. Which after ridiculous traffic we finally arrived there at 2:45 only to find out that the boys original birth certificates & the court decree were missing. Uuuugh! After a tad bit of stress containing two hungry & tired boys for almost 3 hrs we left the Embassy at 5:30 with Visa's in hand!! Whew!! By the way I loved the people at the Embassy. They Rocked!! Ha! So finally we arrived at the apartment. And as you can see below they don't mess around with eating & they loved their bath! A HUGE Thank You to every person that prayed us home:) The trip was uneventful and we hand angels with us on every leg of our flight. Thanks to our California friends for your muscles, your help, and your encouragement. Thanks to every flight attendent that helped us and thank you to all 3 airlines for being ontime & even EARLY!! Otherwise we would have never made it home!! God truly has blessed us beyond anything we could have ever imagined. It feels good to be HOME!!!!

"TWO LESS"

**VIDEO COMING SOON**

&

COMING HOME Pictures

For My Children, My Husband & My Family...

This journey to bring two little orphans, two little sweet strangers into our home has not been easy. We spent a lot of prayer & time and hard work into raising money to adopt them. And God managed to RAISE it ALL. Mom & Dad spent a lot of time away from you (missing you terribly), and wishing we could be there with you; & Yet knowing that God was leading our path and that He would sustain us. You have sacrificed not having me at your first day of school, your soccer games, your football games, your gymnastics meets, and even the hospital when you were sick. You have sacrificed not having me to help you with your homework, to hold you in my arms, to tuck you in at night, and to pray with you. All of this you have SACRIFICED for your brothers, just as Christ sacrificed for us. Because of your willingness to love these boys, they will NOT be put away in an institution where they would be left in bed for hours on end, with little to no interaction, where they would have lived out their short little lives unloved. Instead they will be welcomed in to a family where they will receive something they have never had before... LOVE! All of you are mighty little women & men of God and I am so proud of each one of you for your sweet spirits, your loving hearts, and your warm souls. Our lives will never be the same, and I am thankful that God chose OUR family to LOVE two of his beloved children. Today there are two less orphans in the world!!!!! I Love Every one of YOU... ~Mom

Passport Paradise!!!

Today's UPDATE: We were able to have our 1st visa appt. this morning to get all the neccessary documents, pictures, etc. into the U.S. Embassy. That was a relief! Then we waited, & waited & waited for a call from our facilitator with the news of whether the boys passports would be ready or not. It was not looking to promising:( But after much PRAYER, from SO MANY faithful prayer warriors, at 5:30pm we walked away with Passports in our hands!!!!! Praise God!!! And thank you Serge:)

Thank You to every person that has prayed us through this journey. We are grateful and humbled. We pray that in some way you have felt you were part of this adventure...because YOU were!!!!! Love & Blessings to ALL of you:)

Continued Prayer For:

• Medical Exam's in the morning
• Visa appt. at 2:00pm
• Our flight home on Saturday
  

We arrive Saturday Night October 9th

In Midland, Tx @ 9:35pm

UPDATE...Prayers Needed BIG Time!!!!!!

So, I realize I have not posted in a few days. It has been interesting here to say the least! Our facilitator's are trying desperately to get the boys passports tomorrow afternoon(Thurs). Which means if that happens we will pick up boys on Friday morning, go straight to medicals & then to get visa's. This will allow us to fly out on Saturday!!!!! The problem with this is that getting the passports tomorrow is not looking to promising:( This is where I insert ALL OF YOU!!!!! We need every person to be praying their hearts out like crazy that the passports will be ready TOMORROW afternoon & that the person that has to sign & stamp them is there and will sign immediately. If that happens then everything else will follow & we will be outta here Saturday!! If we do not get the passports TOMORROW then we have a problem. The U.S. Embassy is closed on Monday for Columbus day, which means we could not pick up visa's until Tuesday, and we would not be able to fly out until Wednesday!!! Total Bummer:( We are believing that God can make this happen and ask that you would join us in praying specifically for the boys passports arrival tomorrow afternoon.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. ~Philippians 4:13

Meeting Molly:)

The weekend has been full of activities. We have enjoyed time with other adopting families just starting the process, and other families holding their precious little ones:) Charlie & Levi have met their Aunt Molly (Momo) and I have seriously enjoyed having her here!!! We went to an english speaking church this morning and the congregation prayed over 5 families (including me) that are all here adopting. It was a sweet time of prayer and I was thankful for their love & encouragement. By the way, between those 5 families ~ 12 children will no longer be Orphans!! How cool is that!!!! Charlie really likes Molly. It didn't take him long to figure out that if Mom won't sing and dance and act like a crazy nut, then this lady over here will:) LOL Levi on the other hand, is a little slow to warm up to her. He lets her kiss his hand & finally sat next to her to play for a few minutes. But if she tries to pick him up he starts to cry and wants me. Too sweet!!

Tomorrow we will pick the boys up to take them to get scanned for their passports:) Yay! I am interested to see how they react to riding in a car for the first time! Fun Times!! Please continue to pray that everything goes smoothly tomorrow so that the passports will be ready on Wednesday. Still trusting in God's timing, knowing that He is working everything out just on HIS TIME:)

"This is as Close as this lady's getting to me"

A NEW playmate:)

"I Love my Momo"

Birth Certificates...Yeah Baby!!

A LOT has happened since my last post. I won't bore you with all the details, BUT Praise God we finally have NEW Birth Certificates!!!! What an ordeal...So, now that we have the birth certificates we can move forward. Yay! Monday we will be picking up the boys to take them to get pictures done for passports & then they will go back to the orphanage until Wednesday. That means WEDNESDAY should be "Gotcha Day" Then we will have their medicals done & apply for visa's. Their Visa's should be ready on Thursday & then we are outta here on Friday!!!

The best part of the day yesterday... My sister-in-law Molly arrived!!! Woot! Woot! It has been so nice having someone you love with you after 3 weeks of being away from family & I am so thankful that she could come to help bring her nephews HOME:) Please pray that the paperwork process goes smoothly, and PLEASE start praying for our journey home. Ha!!! It should be an interesting trip home...

And...Yes, It does say Charlie Josiah & Levi Preston:)

Christmas Warrior...

Jayson
Boy, Born July 2009

Jayson is a sweet 15 month old boy in Latin America. He is healthy and growing well. He Needs a Mommy & Daddy and we are helping to raise money for his adoption. This is an EASY program, with easy travel and easy family requirements/restrictions. Photos and more medical/social history coming soon. Please inquire if you are interested!
http://reecesrainbow.com/eelittles.html

U.S. families only at this time
Single moms and married couples, ages 25-55
No family size restrictions
NO CRIMINAL HISTORY
NO MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS
Both parents travel for one trip only for approx 14 days
Fast program, approx 9 months start to finish
Beautiful and comfortable place to visit
Child comes home on an IR-3 visa (meaning adoption must be finalized here in the US as well)
Total cost approx $25k

To DONATE click on the CHIP IN button on the side bar

And Help Jayson get his Christmas Wish!!!!

SNOT Fun ANYMORE...LOL:)

Update: So it has taken TWO days and 4 trips back and forth across the river to get the court decree, old birth certificates, and the permission needed to request NEW birth certificates for the boys. But it is done! First thing tomorrow morning we pick up the NEW birth certificates, go get their new tax ID number, and then take them to be scanned for their passports. Then hopefully monday we will have passports in our hand and can apply for visa's, and get the boys medicals done on tuesday... AND then fly H-O-M-E on Wednesday!!!! It's a tall order, but I'm told it can be done...Can I get an AMEN????

Most Important: PLEASE cover the boys with prayer over the next few days. They BOTH have full blown COLDS:( Green snot, congestion, etc, etc... We want healthy little boys to walk into the embassy medical exam on Tues!!!! Plus Mom is a little tired of getting smeared with Goo.Ha!

Progress IS Progress and I am HAPPY things are moving along, however SLOW they may be:)

"...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God"~1 Cor 10:31

Have You MISSED these little faces?

Since the 10 day waiting period in this region is really a 12-14 day waiting period...I am HAPPY to announce that today is DAY 13 and tomorrow the COURT DECREE will be picked up!!!! Praise God!!! Hopefully we will be able to pick up both of their birth certificates tomorrow as well, and then the following two days we will do their medicals, passports & visa's. Their passport pictures are already done:) My visits with the boys have been getting better every day. Levi is beginning to show signs of bonding which I was suprised to see so soon. He laughs and get's great big eyes and then sticks his little cheek out for a kiss:) And Charlie is interacting more with me and calms down sooner everytime I see him. He really is just so overcome with excitement when he see's me, that he can hardly control himself. Slowly I am seeing the inappropriate affection (slapping, pinching & hair pulling) disappear. The progress is truly remarkable!! I can't wait to see how quickly they learn what it's like to be in a loving family where you are loved unconditionally. Where you are held, and hugged, and kissed everyday. We forget that so many of us have had this since birth & it is amazing how different a child is that has NEVER had any of those things:( They are transforming before my eyes!!!

Sharing Mommy "Kinda"

His middle name should have been GIGGLE!

Hopefully you will see more frequent posts now, followed by "Gotcha Day" Pictures!!!

But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits. ~Psalm 5:11

Connor's Button

Please add this BUTTON to your blog as our friends The Hogg's begin their journey to adopt Connor, and help BRING HIM HOME!!!!

Grab This!

Charlie & Levi's Life...

Saturday's visit with the boys was GREAT!!!! My dear friend Marianna Peipon was able to join me on my visit. What a blessing to have someone that can understand & speak the language to talk to the boys & the nannies:) We spent an hour playing outside with Charlie and then another inside playing with Levi (he had a runny nose so had to stay in). And both boys had a good time and enjoyed Mama and aunt Marianna. The best part of the morning was that Marianna was able to ask questions about both boys & the nannies were excited to be able to tell about each of them:)

Here are somethings I learned about both of them....

Charlie:
Is a very good eater. Likes soups, bread, and apple peeled and sliced.
Is a good sleeper. Sucks his fingers when he sleeps
Can dress himself, feed himself
Likes to do puzzles. (Hmm..havn't seen that one yet)
Is NOT interested in potty training (Bummer)

Levi:
Is a good eater. Likes soups, bread, cookies:)
Is a good sleeper but rolls around a lot(?) not sure what she meant
Wears pampers all the time

I also asked if the boys both understand that they are leaving and going HOME with me and the nannies said that they completely understand:)

Then they let me take pictures of their LIFE...

Levi's Bed

Levi's Closet

Levi's towel, cup & toothbrush

The bathroom including potty seats for each child

Charlie's Bed

16 Little Beds

The Playroom

Our boys have been blessed to be in an orphanage where they are taken care of well. Where the conditions are nice and clean and they are fed well and clean. Where they each have shoes & a warm coat to wear. Not all orphanages are like this:( We were amazed at how well taken care of the boys were. HOWEVER, they are still not held, not hugged, and still DO NOT have Mommy's & Daddy's:( So many sweet faces longing to be taken HOME to a loving family! Charlie & Levi will be the 7th & 8th child to be taken HOME from this orphanage in the past 3 months!!!! The Staff is overwhelmed at how many Loving parents are coming for these kids. Let's not stop. Consider bringing home an orphan to your home. Make a difference for that ONE child!!!

http://reecesrainbow.com/waitingchildgallery.html

Giving God ALL the glory for where He has me RIGHT Now!!!

He must become greater; I must become less. ~John 3:30

The Blessing of WAITING...

Today is Day 8 of our waiting period. Every day a step closer to stepping onto that airplane, flying over the big pond, and walking two new sons, brothers, grandsons, nephews into their FIRST HOME!!! The WAITING can be brutal when you are missing home~hubby, children, family, friends, & bed. Ha! But then I walk through those orphanage gates and get the death grip hug from Charlie and the cuddle hug from Levi, I am reminded that these two little human beings that God created are worth the WAIT... The amazing part of the whole journey is the people God places in your path and the situations that you never would have had the blessing of being a part of it if you were not just WAITING. We have been blessed to meet more than 12 other families that are adopting as well. Families that are on the same page as you, families that "Get It" and yes other families that have 4, 7, 10, 14 other children! Families that share the same heart....God's heart:) I have been so fortunate to stay with sweet friends that we met on our first trip over. American missionaries that are here making such an impact for God. I am so blessed by there mission and there compassion. I have visited hospitals full of beautiful children!! Children that need a Mommy & Daddy. Children longing to know what it is like to be held and loved. I have had amazing moments with God and My heart has been blessed through praying for other families struggling through this crazy process called ADOPTION! My prayer for so many loving families is that you would step out in faith and remember that Adoption is part of God's plan, and that one of these sweet face's could be cuddled up in your home instead of sleeping in an orphanage or being sent away to an institution to live out their very short little life:(

Everyday I see these two little ones along with many others,and I long for them to have a HOME!!!

Are YOU my Mommy & Daddy????

"Antonio"

This little guy is so Stinkin cute!! He seems so cuddley and calm. He is 2yrs old and would make such an amazing son. I just wanna kiss him everytime I see him!

"Leesia"

This little sweetheart is always smiling!! She is 2yrs old. She says, "Mama" and raises her arms for me to pick her up. I picked her up once and was told by a nanny to put her down:( So Each time I pick up Charlie I bend down and tell her hello and tell her that one day her mama will come. She is such a DOLL!!!

In Hebrew WAIT means HOPEFUL Anticipation...

So many little orphans are WAITING...

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..." ~Psalm 37:7

Breakthrough!!!

Todays visit was a little different:) While Levi spent the majority of the visit unpacking and repacking my bag & dragging it around in the dirt, this is what Charlie & I did...

Instead of sitting in my lap facing out, with me singing song after song doing the movements myself.......Charlie stood facing me and did every movement to his 4 favorite songs while I sang (Wheels on the Bus, Lord's Army, Happy & You know it & Pat-a-cake) and then clapped for himself and said Yay!!!!

Instead of looking past me or at the ground and being so rough.....We practiced making eye contact & he held my cheeks gently and looked me in the eyes for the first time!!! (there IS an amazing little boy in there:)

Instead of Throwing himself on the ground when I returned him to his groupa.... He said Paka (bye) and attempted to repeat Mama Zaftra(tomorrow)

And Finally.....

Instead of being grumpy that I was leaving... I blew him a kiss and he stuck his little cheek out for me to kiss it instead!!!! Ahhhh!!! Progress:)

And... Levi:) Still unpacking my bag..LOL

Where's Dada??

Not sure what the boys think about Sid being gone, but Charlie seems a little grumpy. Levi is still just his curious, in his own little world self. Ha! They are doing GREAT! Although over the past couple of days I have noticed an interesting strawberry like texture all over Levi's tongue (that was not there before) & his tonsils are completely touching. I had noticed they were already quite large. Looks an awful lot like the strep I have seen in my house, but it is all over his tongue? It is difficult to ask them about it when there is a language barrier. If it gets any worse I may have our facilitator call and ask them if the orphanage doctor will check him. He didn't feel warm & acted like he felt well. Who knows? Just don't want a sick kid on the airplane. I am working on learning some more sign language. I am finding that it gets Charlie's attention and he will repeat them. It may be very valuable in overcoming the language barrier. Even though his speech is extremely delayed He always makes an attempt to repeat me. He will verbally repeat Please, again, more, Mama, Levi(which sounds more like Vivi) And he will sign more. Now Levi has No interest in signing. Mama is the only word I have heard him try to say other than his HI! that he says all the time:) It's probably not really Hi, but I like to think it is:) Levi is like carrying a sack of potatoes. He is very limp & his muscle tone is very poor (especially his trunk) He absolutely LOVES for you to spin around in circles which I do often. It's my new weight loss plan. Ha! They BOTH have SO much potential. I can't wait to get them home with the rest of the kids so they can see what a family is really like and feel how much love they will be showered with. I am sure it will be overwhelming. Meeting the Lewis' as they continue their journey & the Westbrook's as they begin their journey. So nice to have other adopting families to share our struggles & triumphs with:) Please continue to lift us up in prayer....Both our children and Sid at home and the boys and mama here in Ukraine. The days are very long, but I am resting in God and being still so that I might hear Him more. Blessings to everyone:)

"I Will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" John 14:18

Two Less Orphans in the World...

Here's a quick summary of the past 2 days...We started out our journey back to the boys in the Dallas airport, only to find out after over an hour delay that our plane had mechanical problems and our flight would be cancelled!!! And... there were NO other flights out that night!! TEARS:( This meant that the next flight would get us in at 1:15pm and we had court at 2:30pm. This was a serious problem. I will spar you the stressful details, but after much begging and pleading & tears we were on another airline sitting in 2 of the last 3 available seats!!!!! A HUGE thank you to Golden Rule for the info that there were in fact available seats:) So we arrived in EE at 10:30pm. Praise God for getting us here in plenty of time:) Wed. morning we were able to go to the U.S. Consulate for Sid to sign documents (and they were super nice) Plus it's SO nice when there are 75+ people and you are moved to the front because you are American! SWEET! Then we went to the notary to sign the documents which had one thing in English on them...Charlie Josiah Harper & Levi Preston Harper!!! We had a 2hr break and then we were off to court. Court went great! Every person in the court room was very nice and everything went so smooth. If you ask me what all I said, I can barely remember. Ha! Thank you God for just the right words:) We did ask for the 10 day wait to be waived and she was very apologetic saying that, "If she could she would waive it but that it is a law" :( We were sad, but not suprised. It is 10 calendar days, however the court decree can only be picked up on Wed & Fri. So, it will actually be 14 days before anything can be done. Then there will be another 4-5 days of medicals, picking up 2 new birth certificates, and several trips to get the boys passports in our hands. So It will be somewhere around the 1st week of October when we fly home. Boy, I can not wait! Missing my kids at home already!! Sid left for the airport at 3:00am and will arrive in Dallas thurs. at 2:30. So thankful for everyone that continues to help with out kiddos. We could not have done this without all of you and are forever grateful.

The best part of the whole day... We arrived at the orphange and found out really quickly that the boys (especially Charlie) knew exactly what was going on. Charlie kept pointing to the gate and saying something in his husky voice, and was ready to hit the road. We had wondered if they really understood & they do!!! Now that we have had court the nannies seem much more excited. They talk to the boys a lot (wish we knew what they were saying), and we hear Mama & Papa over & over from all of the staff. They are both healthy and doing good and we can't wait to tuck them into their own little beds:)

We've grown by 4 more feet!!!

Charlie Josiah Harper

Born August 18th, 2004

Adopted September 15th, 2010

Levi Preston Harper

Born January 2nd, 2007

Adopted September 15th, 2010

COURT!!!

We are leaving for COURT in 8 minutes!!!! Please be praying that all goes well. Will post details later:) Love to ALL....

Lots To Do:)

Only 3 full days before we leave to head back across the ocean!!!! Yay! Getting things organized here for our children and packing things for the boys to come HOME with us:) Boy that feels good to say. This has truly been like a pregnancy & we are in the final weeks. Woot! Woot! We continue to see God working everywhere and we are amazed at how He works everything out to make Him more Famous!!! Praise God that He is leading the way!! Please stand beside us in prayer and continue to pray that the waiting period will be waived!!! We have faith and believe that God can make it Happen!

Connor has a FAMILY!!! YAY!!

If you go back to my earlier posts you will see where I posted a sweet picture of Connor and asked & began praying specifically that he would find his "Forever Family" Well Guess What? He has!!!! and they live 5 minutes from us!!! Woohoo!!! Please pray for the Hogg Family as they begin their journey to bring Connor home....

Here is his sweet face so you can Pray for him

So NOW let's talk about Jayson:) This little guy is 13 months old. He is in Latin America & he needs a Mommy & Daddy... Please PRAY for Jayson to find his FAMILY soon. Maybe you are even the family that God has for this sweet little guy. I LOVE these little cheeks:)

You can find more info here:

http://reecesrainbow.com/eelittles.html