The Boys we Left Behind.

I thought I should update, even though there isn't really much to say !  We are still waiting to be invited over to meet the boys - I am anticipating getting travel dates within the next 10 days - and think we will probably have our appointment at the adoption office in the first week of July (this will be the first of three trips).

Of course, this is all speculation - it is all out of our hands right now, and I am estimating our dates by seeing where those just ahead of us in the process are at !   

So many things could happen to affect our timeline, though - after following so many adoption stories over the years, I have learned that nothing goes the way you expect it to - so we are trying to prepare for anything and everything - as we found out when we lost Sealey.

So - while we wait, I would like to share some children with you.

These are the boys who made the short list, when we were trying to choose our new son.  I went through every child on Reece's Rainbow who met our criteria, and came up with 15 boys.  I showed just their pictures, separately, to both my husband and our 14 year old son - and asked them to pick out 5 boys each.

I then compared their lists.

THREE boys were on both lists !

Vijay

Bert

Noah

As you know, we chose Vijay - at the time, we were only planning on adopting one boy.  I cannot tell you how incredibly hard it was, knowing that, while we will be bringing Vijay home, we will be leaving the others behind - I have a lot of guilt about the ones we did NOT choose.

The other boys on our short list are shown below.
Please see them - they are all just as deserving of a family as Vijay and Athens - they ALL need a family to show that what life is truly about.

PLEASE see them - share them - let's get them seen and get them found !!!

Cameron

Thomas

Easton

Shadrach

Kayson

Liam

Preston

Jordan

Christian

Clayton

Brody and Auggie (brothers)

Of course, Athens was also on the list !

These boys are all so so worthy - and so so desperate for a family.
They are the least likely to be chosen - they are older, they are disabled, and they are boys - they have a triple whammy against them.

Please, please, please - see them - share them - adopt them ??

You can click on their name to see their profile on Reece's Rainbow - so you can share them all or just one or two of them !!

THANK YOU !!

Sealey's Puzzle

Mother's Day.

I could write a lot of sappy sentimental stuff about the day, but I won't.

We all know what Mother's Day is about.

Yesterday, my heart was all over the place.

I have Newt here with me - I have celebrated the day with him since he was born almost 15 years ago.

I have my own mom, who at 80 years old still lives in England - I talk to her every week, and my only hope is that I am still as active as her when I am her age !! 

I have Sealey, always in my heart, forever my son. 

And then I have the boys who will, all being well, be my sons before the end of the year - Vijay and Athens.

It's very weird to celebrate a day when most of the pieces are missing !!!

Last year on this day, we had absolutely no plans to adopt - we were a one child family, enjoying having a teenager around, planning a summer of soccer and vacations.

NEXT year on this day, we will be a family of five !!

We are getting closer every day to bringing them home - our dossier has been submitted to their country's adoption department, and we are now waiting to be invited over to meet them - this will probably happen within the next couple of months !!

According to my estimated calculations, we are only about $3552 away from being fully funded for both adoptions !!  Of course - this is only estimated - we have to take three trips to their country, and until we travel we won't know the exact cost of flights etc. - but having a ballpark figure is extremely helpful !

I will be running an online auction in the next couple of weeks, selling some amazing handmade cards made by my sister-in-law, as well as some cross stitch items I have made - a small selection is pictured below - watch this space !!

In the meantime, we still have our puzzle fundraiser going on !!

Just before Christmas I started a puzzle fundraiser for Sealey - we "sold" 215 pieces, and raised over $2000 for our adoption fund !!

When we found out we had lost Sealey, I put the puzzle aside. However, I am now determined more than ever to get a name on every single piece.

 

It will help bring home both Vijay and Athens, and it will serve as a memorial to Sealey.

The puzzle will hang above their beds, along with Sealey's photo - we will always be reminded of Sealey AND everyone who helped bring the boys home.

I have added the names of everyone who has donated in any way - either to our Paypal or FSP (Reece's Rainbow adoption grant)  - by buying t-shirts or dresses - by sponsoring goals - or by sending a check.

There are still 178 pieces left without names on.

A $10 donation to our FSP or Paypal will get YOUR name (or the name of your choice) on a puzzle piece - be sure to let me know that you donated, and which name you would like on your puzzle piece. If you donate to our Reece's Rainbow grant, please comment below, as I don't get notifications of who has donated to that account immediately.

We are SO close to getting these boys home - they should be with us by the end of the summer - and it would be truly wonderful to know that we are fully funded, and don't have to worry about the adoption finances !

Thank you for reading - thank you for caring - and thank you for your support and help in bring home our boys !!