The Darya Project and a Wish

So, I heard such an amazing story the other day about a little girl who is eleven years old and fell in love with this sweet little face:
Isn't she a doll baby? This is Darya. She's an orphan in Eastern Europe. Can you believe that once she turns four years old, she was going to be put into an institution and left to die? As it is, nobody picked her up or gave her attention. The reason? She has Down Syndrome. That's it. That's the only reason. Once children age out of their baby homes in these Eastern European countries, they're sent to institutions and forgotten. Most die within a few years. How horrible!

Back to Darya's story. Eleven year old Lydia fell in love with her. She already has two siblings with DS. She asked her mom that if she could raise $20,000 dollars--the cost for an international adoption-- (yes, twenty THOUSAND) in EIGHT days, if they would adopt her. Her mother agreed to it, thinking it would be impossible and if she raised the money, it would be obvious that it was what God wanted. Not only did Lydia raise $20,000 dollars, but she raised another $6,000+ by Thanksgiving morning. Now the extra money is going to fund another adoption for another family. Wow!!! :)

You can read the whole story HERE at Reece's Rainbow Blog. I can't get enough of this. God's pretty amazing. I've also been following Renee's blog as they've been trying to bring little Kellsey from Eastern Europe. She's almost home! :)

Which brings me to something that I want to share with you all... I know family reads this. I have felt that I've been called to adopt since I was very young. And I feel that I should adopt from RR. I'm not sure if I'll adopt a child with DS... other children with other special needs are on Reece's Rainbow. There are blind children, children with HIV, children with CP, children with missing limbs, Little People, etc. I'm not sure where God will lead me, but it's pretty exciting. As it stands, we cannot adopt. We are far below the required income, but since we're both in college and working hard, that time will come eventually. And when eventually comes, I hope to bring another little face into our family through a Paper Pregnancy.

Pictures: Anna & Family

My sister's kids. The oldest boy is Tell. He's autistic and didn't like the attention from the photographer and the lights. Poor kid. He's going to be 14 in January! That makes me feel old! The next oldest boy is Cade. He's a bit of a monster, but I love him like you wouldn't believe. :)
Alayna is a love bug. She has attitude issues, but I always want to kidnap her and keep her as my own lol. Anna loves her and asks for her constantly when we're in Oregon.
Case is the youngest boy. He's a sweetheart and a cuddlebug. We cuddled for a while when we visited them yesterday. :)

Anna a few days after her 3rd Birthday! She's my dollbaby... my Shirley Temple! :)

Anna's 3rd Birthday Pics

She loved her soccer presents: a ball & shin pads.

My hubby's so good at making cakes. :)

Happy Third Birthday, Anna Daisy!

Born November 19, 2006
8:10 PM
7 lbs 11oz
19 inches long

{3 year picture yet to be added}

(Above) 2nd Birthday

(Above) 1st Birthday

Newborn

Daughter, you bring us so much joy. You make life unpredictable in the most amazing ways.
Today you turn three and I still remember the teeny little baby that I birthed and nursed. I miss those days sometimes, but I'm so excited to see you turn into an amazing woman. Strong. Knowledgeable. Funny. Obstinate. Sweet. Loving. Silly. God-Following. Mom-Correcting. And eventually... Maternal.

Every year, every day, every step is an adventure being your mother. Thank you for teaching me what true love is. Thank you for teaching me the meaning of motherhood. If ever I had a purpose in life, I know that it is to be your mother. I have no doubts about that. You make me proud to be called Mama. I tell everyone that I'm a mother. Because it is a privilege to be your mother.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am for you. I prayed for you before you were born. I prayed for you while you were in my womb. I prayed for you. You were the child I prayed for in every way. I am blessed by you. I look forward every day to be hugged by you and to kiss your little lips. My prayer, sweet girl, is to someday earn that unconditional love you so easily give to me. I don't deserve it, but I promise to try every day of my life to deserve you.

You are my greatest blessing.

~Mama

Wedding Weekend

This weekend my brother-in-law got married. Here are some pictures. Just a few! :)

Blast from the Past

(Above) Geek Day at NU... actually, it was COLLEGE then. I'm second from the left. These girls rock.

(Above) I'm somewhere on the right. Camo day?

(Above) Some of the girls on my floor. I was not pictured.

BIRTHDAY TWINS! I had totally forgotten what this was all about until about a second ago, but this was my birthday and Kortney's birthday (the other girl holding the cake). October 5, 2003

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Don't you love social networking? One of the girls who was on my floor my freshman year of college posted these photos. Wow! I do not even remember some of these things! It was six years ago now. Yikes! I've been in school way too long. Actually, I've taken lots of breaks to be a mommy and marry Paul. hee :)

Some Photos...

(Above) I found her in front of her bathroom's mirror checking out her reflection today. She knows she looks cute when she wears bows and dresses.

(Above) I asked her to smile and she's smiling... at her reflection. lol

(Above) My cuddlebug.

(Above) She drew and I labeled. She drew the shapes first and then I asked her what they were and she told me which was the circle, the square, and the triangle! *proudmama*

(Above) This is the tree Anna drew. I was impressed. There are limbs and foliage! And it actually looks like a tree. This kid inherited daddy's artistic gene.

Anna Daisy is now just 9 days away from being three years old. I recently taught her her middle name. Sometimes she gets it mixed up with the age question, but it's cute to see her reply to these questions. I ask, "How old are you?" and she'll say, "Um... fwee" and hold up three fingers. Then I'll ask her, "What's your name?" then she sometimes says she's 'fwee' to this, but then when I clarify, it's cute to hear her say, "Anna Daisy". :) She's so cute... OK... here are some pictures...

Hectic Schedule to Come

Thursday Nov. 12... Lesson Plan Due for a final...

Friday Nov. 13... traveling to Oregon...

Saturday Nov. 14... Brother in Law's wedding...

Sunday Nov. 15... Traveling back to Washington...

Monday Nov. 16... I have to teach a PE lesson...

Tuesday Nov. 17... Coffee/Tea with a friend...

Thursday Nov. 19... Anna's THIRD BIRTHDAY...

... a multitude of assignments and classes ensue...

Wednesday Nov. 25... Thanksgiving Break, then traveling, then Thanksgiving, then celebrating Anna's birthday in Oregon...

*facepalm* *headdesk*

Did I mention that I watched "Julie and Julia" today? It was a great movie. I don't care so much for food, but I identified with Julie's character... wanting to write. I loved it. So, go out and watch that movie! And in the meantime, you can check out Julie Powell's blog here:

http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/

Totally worth the click in case you were curious.

Halloween

(Above) Anna tried on a boy's robot costume. She loved it!

(Above) Anna is fearless. She basically trampled kids to get to the top and slide down this thing.

(Above) Princess Anna. I had to force her to stay dressed up this time. Weird. Guess she wanted to be Pooh or Lightning McQueen instead! lol

We had a fun Halloween. We did a little Trick-or-Treating and then we went to a Harvest Party and let Anna run around. It was great to just sit back and relax. It's now November and Anna will soon be THREE YEARS OLD. I can hardly believe it. I should probably do my homework, but I'm procrastinating. hehe :)