Sunday, January 29, 2012

Oh how i long for flowers and camping!

Our camp trailer and van in Yellowstone. Oh how i long to go camping and taking walks looking at the trees and flowers. I think that is the most beautiful time of year. All those pretty colors to look at.
We were out for a walk..
Bella playing ..
Jordon waitting to play musical chairs.. How cute is that..
Jordon happy as heck to be going for a ride.. Look at that boy , he is soo soo adorable ..
But don't let that cute face fool ya. He can be awful grumpy when he wants to be.
Oh only a few more months until pretty flowers ..
What are you longing for??
More snow or beautiful flowers??
Have a great Sunday !!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Help save the Adoption Tax Credit 2012-2013!!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Help Save the Adoption Tax Credit for
2012-2013!!!
Please
help us save the adoption tax credit for 2012 - 2013. For many families the cost
of an expensive adoption is what keeps them from bringing home a child - this
tax credit helps alleviate some of the cost, but in 2012 it starts to diminish.
The Senate Finance Committee is about to vote on "S. 82, the Adoption Tax Credit
Guarantee Act" and we are petitioning for them to vote YES to save the adoption
tax credit.ABOUT THE CREDIT:The average cost to adopt a child is any
where from $25k- $35k or more. Currently, for the 2011 Tax Year Adopting
families are eligible for:• A maximum of $13,170 for 2011 returns • Fully
refundable as long as the adoption is initiated in 2011 or before, and finalized
before the end of 2012 (domestic) or was finalized in 2011
(international)But in 2012 the Tax Credit is going to change: • A maximum of
$12,170 for 2012 returns only, non-refundableIn 2013 it all goes away, no
tax credit at all.We are working with politicians and petitioning to extend
the tax credit as currently stated in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, so that more money is available to families allowing them provide a
financially stable home to the adopted child.TO HELP:1. To help save the
credit, it only takes a minute. Visit this website & add your name to the
petition:http://www.change.org/petitions/make-adoption-costs-fully-refundable-in-the-2012-2013-tax-years2.
Please consider sending this letter to your adoptive families, as they will be
greatly impacted by the success or failure to keep the adoption credit

Saturday, January 21, 2012

FAS/FAE ~100% Preventable

The Visible Kid with the Invisible Disability© 2003 Teresa KellermanHey,
look at me! Do you think I'm cute? On the outside, I look just like any other
kid - friendly, playful, and full of energy. But there's something about me on
the inside that you can't see - how my brain was messed up before birth by
alcohol. You can't see the tangled connections and all the little empty spaces
in my brain. Unless you can see inside my head, you can't see that I have -
what's it called? Static En-ceph-al-o-pathy.But what you can see is how
silly I act when I am out in public. You can see how immature I am, especially
when you compare me with other kids my age. And you always notice when I get out
of control and "lose it" when things get to be too much for me to handle.Can
you see how embarrassed I get when I can't control my behavior? And how
frustrated I get when I forget the rules - again? And my anger when I get blamed
for trouble over and over? You probably can, because you can see my feelings
plastered all over my face.You say I'm a problem. But I'm not a problem. I
have a problem. I have Static Encephalopathy. The doctor told me what that means
- my brain damage won't get any worse, but it won't get any better either. It's
forever.You can always hear me, because I talk a lot, to anyone who will
listen. When you ask me a question, an answer just pops out, whether it's true
or not. I'm good at telling you what you want to hear. I can fool people into
thinking I really understand what they are telling me. I don't want anyone to
think I'm stupid.I also act like I can take care of myself. But it's hard
for me to figure out time and money. I can't even make change for a dollar. I
can't remember what I got in trouble for yesterday. You probably think I should
learn from my mistakes. But I can't. It's not that I don't know the rules - I
do. It's not that I don't understand consequences - I do. I just can't make
myself do what I know I should do. I don't know why - I just can't.Maybe you
notice that I don't have a lot of common sense. I'm the one who goes along with
the wrong crowd, who gets sucked into doing some really stupid things. And I'm
the one who usually gets caught.My teacher always tells me, "You should know
better than that!" And I do know better. I just can't be better. The doctor says
it has to do with "lack of impulse control and poor judgment" are from damage to
my brain before I was born.My Dad says, "Just grow up." He says I act half
my age. The researchers say "arrested social development" is common in kids like
me who are alcohol affected. That means the only thing that will grow up will be
my body.Everybody can see that I'm friendly and affectionate. But nobody can see
how lonely I am. I have lots of "friends" but they never come over or call me. I
don't have a best friend. But I pretend like I do. I wish I had a dog.I'm not
afraid of anything or anybody.I'm not afraid of strangers, or of heights, or
of unsafe sex. I'm not afraid of the dangers of the real world.Should I be?
Maybe I forget. Even when people tell me things over and over, I still forget.
The psychologist says I have a problem processing information, that I have
memory deficits and attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. Yep, that's me
all right!You probably think my mom is over-protective. But she knows how
easy it is for others to take advantage of me. Sometimes I think my mom is too
strict, because she doesn't let me go to the park by myself or spend the night
at my cousin's. I guess she knows that I can't behave properly unless she's
right by my side, and she doesn't want me to get into big trouble. Like last
year when I got too "friendly" with the little girl next door. I didn't know
that was "inappropriate." (I hate that word.) Mom said I could get arrested for
doing something like that, which really scared me. But my conscience doesn't
seem to work right. I don't want to make people mad. I don't want to be
"inappropriate." I don't want to be bad.I just want to be accepted, and
understood. Not blamed and shamed. I want to be appreciated for the good things.
Do you notice those?I want you to care, even when I act like I don't. I want
to be respected. And I need you to be a good role model for me so I can learn to
be respectful too.And most of all I don't want you to say bad things about
my birth mom because she drank when she was pregnant. Maybe she couldn't stop
drinking. Maybe her doctor told her it was okay to drink when she was pregnant.
Maybe she just did what everybody else was doing. I'm not making excuses for her
behavior, or for mine. Maybe she didn't think about what she was doing. Maybe
she had Static Encephalopathy too, just like me. But nobody could see.We
live with this everyday ! It is tough for the child and for the rest of the
family..You feel like you beat your head off the wall everyday ,trying to teach
them money and time.. You just think they have gotten it and guess what it's
gone..FAS/FAE, somedays we wish we could say good bye to you ..But you will
be with us forever..

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A new look in our frontroom !!!

This is the new look.. White ceiling , brown stripe and then light blue walls. I made my own chalk to paint the walls. It looks so good.. Then the bottom half of the walls my hubby put up beadboard.. I still need to paint it white , it just has primer on it right now...
Sorry it is blurry, but wanted to show you part way through painting...Plus new vinyl lettering and sayings. I just love these...
This was the old color..It was very dark. We needed a lighting up of this room...
My hubby and I.
More up dates to come..

A great weekend with the childrens aunties!!

Jordon trying to walk in Kenzie's boots.. What ,that was big job for him..

This is little Bella.. She was not every going to walk or talk.. Or that is what they thought in her orphanage.. Look at this girl now!!!

Yes, that is Bella and her Daddy watching her...

Jordon playing with one of the therapy toys.. Put the cookie in the cookie jar..

Paris aka,Megan and her best buddy ~ niece Jenna.. They are so close...

Paris and Jenna best buddies!!

Bella , we told her she is too big to ship her back now... Boy Bella has grown so much since being home with her forever family...

Dez ,Andrew , Zab's and Adien.. hanging out..

Kenzie looking beautiful , as usual...

Dad , Jordon and Paris aka Megan... snuggling and watching a movie...


Ok !~ Yes we traveled this weekend to Bigfork,Mt to visit the Aunties.. That's what the kiddos say.. We all had so much fun.. They live in a great area..It sure is beautiful there. We made a few trips into Kalispell,Mt . We went looking for vintage and junk finds. Boy we love to go looking for treasures.. Oh i just wish we would have had more time to go junking !!! Maybe when the weather get nice here in Montana... We never know if we will be snowed in .. So we headed home today...


It was great spending time with the aunties.. It is so nice to have someone cook and clean for you... Auntie Linda is a very good cook!!! We all loved the visiting and eating time spent together..THANK YOU Aunties for the wonderful time.!!!!1

We hope to see you both again soon...



We also spent a few hours in fellowship with another adoptive family... It was sure nice to meet this family.. We spent a few hours talking International adoption talk.. Finding out what a ride adoption can be.. We have found that all adoptions are different... Some are meant to be , and some are just a stop before the kiddos find their forever family... But all adoptions pool heavy on your heart and mind as well... We have 7~seven adopted kiddos and not one of their adoptions was to easy... But it all sure makes you a stronger person... We send many prayers to this family , and many families needing our prayers.

Please pray !!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year

We would like to wish all of our family and friends a very happy and healthy New Year.We had a very hectic New Years Eve at our house, along with our seven of ten kiddos we also had 5 of our wonderful grandchildren spend the night with us. That is a grand total of 12 running, jumping, screaming, arguing kids. It was a very loud evening and I didn't think we were ever going to get all of them to sleep at the same time,but oh what fun it was for Jody and I to have about half of our grandkids together at the same time and we are very lucky to have them close by so we can see them often.We love all of you kiddos and grandkiddos

Love Mom aka Nana
Dad aka Papa