First Donation!! Rieben Family!

We have received our very first donation!  I want to thank Valerie Rieben for being our very first contributor!! I had the pleasure of meeting the Rieben Family this summer at our first Bulgarian Adoptive Families Reunion in Cincinatti, OH.  The Rieben and my family both arrived a day early and took advantage of the time to get to know each other.  I was smitten with their 8 beautiful children, 3 of whom were adopted from Bulgaria!  Richard and Valerie are adding again to their family  and I can't wait to meet their sweet Bulgarian boys!

I would like to invite you to their blog, they have spent Adoption Month advocating in every possible way for orphaned children all over the world.  Please go to their blog and see how you can advocate for adoption: http://fromthetrenchesofadoption.blogspot.com/

Valerie, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Pampered Chef Fundraiser! Help to bring my boys home!

	Join in the fun - from the comfort of your own home! It's easy. Just visit my Consultant's Web site to browse the Pampered Chef® catalog and place your order. You can check out the high-quality products that make cooking and entertaining so much easier. Happy Christmas shopping! Items will be in before the holidays! Thanks, Yvonne NOTE: Please place your order prior to my Show closing date: Sat, Dec 10, 2011 Your Pampered Chef® Host Yvonne Villemure http://www.pamperedchef.biz/hcrobertson Orders Due: Sat, Dec 10, 2011 Host: Yvonne Villemure Phone: (734) 216-1619 E-mail: yvonne.villemure@yahoo.co m

Thanksgiving... Elina Style

Today was a wonderful Thanksgiving, well after getting over my grumps (coffee was the key) for being woken up to two little people arguing and Elina tattling at the top of her lungs.  Yipes... So off to the kitchen for a cup of java... 15 minutes later, I was looking at my Ladybug's letter she wrote me the night before and the grumps melted away. ( I am copying it exactly the same)

Family is Loveing

I love my Family evry toym. And thank you mommy from adoptiding me from Bagerya.  I am so happy dat I have a wandafill Family and Thank you God from geding a wandafil Family for me.

Just in case you have a hard time with the spelling: 

I love my Family every time. And thank you mommy from adopting me from Bulgaria.  I am so happy that I have a wonderful Family and Thank you God from getting a wonderful Family for me.  

It is so very obvious that the most important word in that letter is the one that is always capitalized: Family.  I actually capitalized God because I can't type it without it... this girl loves having a family.  I asked Elina tonight if she would like to say grace before dinner.  This was the first time I have ever asked her to say grace, it went something like this:

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Dear God, thank you for my family, thank you for this food and for us being together.  Thank you God for my family, for my mom and brother, my aunts and uncles.  Thank you for us being together today. Amen. 

I know she included Grandma and Papa in "Family" because they are her heros, this little girl has found the grace to be grateful for what is given to her and received by her.  She has found how to express that gratefulness and as a mother, I could not be more proud of her for how she has learned to be thankful and grateful.  I love her honesty and her soulfulness.  I see her teach her younger brother those same qualities and Connor resounded the loudest and most self assured: Amen.  I can't wait for Connor and Elina to welcome and teach their little brothers about Family and Thankfulness. 

Paperwork as of today...11/23/2011

I have only a few more documents to tackle before the homestudy paperwork and the registration dossier is complete!  I can't believe how quickly I pulled the documents together.  Nice when you have adopted before... Today Elina asked, "Did you really have to do all of this for me?"  "Yes, Elina we did! We had to go to all of these places and get papers."  I was very fortunate to time all of our stops perfectly... we did not have to wait in one line.  But I know the Secretary of State will make up for it when I have to sit there waiting for Apostilles.


Homestudy:
Child Abuse Clearance-sent on 11/17/2011 and waiting for it to be sent back to my agency.
Employment letter (the person responsible for this was on vacation this week)
Medicals-Physical exams are done just need the forms completed tried to do that today but the office was closed. The note on the door said they are open on Friday, so I will try again Friday.

Registration Dossier:
Agency Forms- will need to be completed when they arrive
Psychological Evaluation
FBI Clearance

Homestudy Interview

First contact for the boy's homestudy is done!  Whoot whoot!  This show is ON THE ROAD!

Now, tomorrow.... time to get down to business and get paperwork together!

I will donate...

Sunday evening we were talking and I mentioned that the cost of adoption is great, that we will not be eating out and will be saving money so that we can bring the boys home.

Elina's eyes lit up and said, "Mom you can have my DS money that I saved for my new brothers." 

What a sweet and noble gesture.  Ellie has been saving her hard earned quarters and dollars for her DS since her birthday in July.  Everytime she earns any money including tooth fairy cash she immediately comes to me and asks me to put it in her DS envelope.  She has saved $150 and I told her that if she gets all greens this week at school we will order her DS this weekend.  What an accomplishment for a 7 year old.

Brothers From Different Mothers

My family is growing! We will be keeping some details close to our hearts to protect our adoption plans.   But here goes the whirlwind again.  Please follow along and help me with raising funds for this adoption of two precious boys from EE.

These boys have life within them, they smile, they laugh, they have emotions... please help me to bring them home before the light dims...

Please give me thoughts and idea for fundraising, grants to apply for and possible loans to seek out.