Thanks for Making a Wish Come True

I should have blogged about this Saturday, or even Sunday when it happened, but life got in the way. Remember my birthday wish? I asked you to help donate to bring Kellsey home. Well, she's home! She came home on Saturday. Perhaps the reason I didn't say anything is because I still can't believe it's true. Kellsey is here. It's been a year long process for the Garcia's, but now here they are a family of SEVEN...

Kellsey is adjusting very well to life in America and with a loving family. The kids adore her. She adores the kids. They are all so happy to have her here. Kellsey isn't used to the food and they have been having fun trying to figure out what to feed her. But she's eating better and better. But hey, if anyone knows any traditional Ukraine or Eastern Europe recipes that she might enjoy please feel free to share here so I can pass them along to Renee. Because she just wants her girls to eat already. This is all just so amazing though. So thank you to whoever was able to help bring Kellsey home!

Kennedy greeting her new baby sister

Kennedy and Kellsey

Kassidy and Kellsey

The Garcia Girls

You're running out of time

Frank is about to take Kellsey out of the baby home forever. They should get her passport tomorrow and do her medical clearance and visa by Monday and then hopefully be on their way home on Tuesday. They haven't quite reached their goal of a fully funded adoption. Yes, they will take her home no matter what. But really wouldn't it be awesome if they didn't have to worry about money? Especially this time of year. With Christmas right around the corner. Please, if you can help, chip in on the side bar to bring Kellsey home!

Help the Garcia's have a Happy Thanksgiving

Well, tomorrow is turkey day! A day to give thanks. We all have so much to be thankful for. Why not spread the cheer?

My friend Renee is still short of the money she needs for her adoption of Kellsey. Things are moving right along though. The 10 day wait is over. Frank has gotten Kellsey's birth certificate. The paperwork is being filed with the court for her tax ID or something like that. The hope is that all the paperwork goes through smoothly and she gets her visa and passport quickly and can be home next week!!! They still could use some extra funding though to help make this happen. I know Renee and her whole family are so thankful for every dollar that has been donated. So tomorrow when Renee and the kids sit down to their dinner and say what they are thankful for I know your donations will be amongst those things she's thankful for. So please make this a happy Thanksgiving for this family and donate whatever you can to bring Kellsey home. You can chip in on my side bar. This is all I've wished for for my birthday too so if you can help get them a little closer I'll be thanking you over my turkey tomorrow too ;).

Did you think I forgot?

My promise to keep reminding you about my My Birthday Wish? Well, I did not! Frank is still over there waiting out the 10 day wait period. That should be up on Friday. And then the fun will begin for him. The mad dash to get birth certificates, passports, and medical records and clearance. All in anticipation of bringing his little girl home to their anxiously awaiting Mom, Grandma, and brothers and sister. Funds are still making it difficult though. So please chip in on my side bar whatever you can to make this all happen before Christmas. We want Kellsey home where she belongs. Home where she can get proper medical care. Home where she can get constant love and hugs and kisses. Home where she can get spoiled rotten. Home where she can have thousands of pictures and videos of her taken just the way any little princess would want it to be. Home where she'll have two older sisters to play dolls with and an older brother to tickle her and a little brother who will surely look up to her in complete amazement. Home into a loving mother's arms. Lets give her all of this. Wouldn't you want a place like this if you didn't have it? Don't you want this sweet little angel faced girl to have that?

Week In Review: November 8 - November 14, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for November 8 - November 14, 2009

Sunday: Got up around 8. Hung around for the morning. Then went to Walmart to return something and get a few things. We discovered Halloween stuff on sale for 90% off. So I got a whole bunch of stuff for next years Fall Festival. It ended up taking much longer than I anticipated. We came home and had lunch. Joe took the girls fishing one last time while I put CJ down for a nap. I was going to start laundry, but instead laid down to nap. Everyone came home and CJ got up from his nap. Joe decided he wanted Subway for dinner. So we went out and ended up renting a movie too. We came home and ate dinner. Got the kids showered and ready for bed. Sent them to bed and I worked on that laundry. Then we watched our movie. I did more laundry. Got 3 loads done and we went to bed.

Monday: Got up and got the kids ready for school. Joe brought the girls to school and then went to check his work schedule. I made a few phone calls. One to the kids doctor about getting a lead test. One to the school fundraiser to check on it's progress. And one to the bank to figure out why they had taken money out of my account. The only one I cleared up at that time was the fundraiser. I left messages at the other two. When Joe came home we went out to get a movie at the Disney Store that we had pre-ordered a month ago. Got that and went out to lunch. Then we went to look for some pants for Joe and a few other things. We went home. Finally having heard from the doctor's office about their blood work. So I tried to call the lab to see if they had gotten the paperwork so I could schedule for us to come in, but I couldn't find a number to speak to them directly. So we went to pick the girls up from school. I spoke to the doctor's office again who said it would be ready by the time we got the kids from school. So we went to the lab. Tried to get their blood drawn. We got both of the girls no problem, but CJ was a problem. They couldn't get at his vein. So we left with a bruise and battered little boy. Came home and the girls did homework while I prepared for my PTA meeting. Got lots of interruptions from other PTA officers and my kids doing their homework. Somehow I finished the work I needed to do though. Joe fed the kids while I went to my meeting. We had a good meeting. I received an award. Got some upsetting news that our vice principal who we haven't even had for a year had left suddenly to become an interim principal at another school. Very frustrating because we really liked the vice principal. Came home from the meeting and put the kids to bed. I did more laundry. Heated up dinner. And Joe and I watched TV. Then after another load of laundry was completed I went and took a shower and got ready for bed.

Tuesday: Got up and Kaitlyn was complaining her stomach hurt. She didn't have a fever though so I told her to just take it easy and get ready. She wasn't feeling better so I told her to stay on her bed and that was where she'd be all day if she was sick. I checked on her later and she was sitting up. So I asked her if she was going to school. She didn't want to stay home so she got ready for school. We brought the kids to school. CJ had playgroup today instead of Wednesday this week. So we were enjoying the special playgroup. Got to see some critters. Then the school nurse came down and told me Kaitlyn was sick and threw up and I needed to bring her home. But I could take my time she was in the office. So I finished watching the animals with CJ and then went up and got Kaitlyn. Brought her down to playgroup for the last part of it and then brought her home. She actually seemed perfectly fine to me. I fed CJ. Joe went to a doctor's appointment. I put CJ down for a nap and Kaitlyn was playing. No more sick to her stomach or throwing up and she was wanting to eat. I did some laundry. Joe came home from his doctor's appointment. We laid down. Joe went to get Natalie from school. CJ got up from his nap. The kids did their homework. I did more laundry. Washed dishes and cooked dinner. After dinner we got the kids ready for bed. Put CJ to bed and let the girls stay up and watch TV. Sent them to bed. I finished the laundry. Fell asleep on the couch and got up and went to bed.

Wednesday: Got up late. No school though. Veteran's Day. Joe went back to work. The kids and I just hung out all day. I did some dishes. Fed the kids lunch. Put CJ down for a nap. Got a headache so I laid down on the couch. Took some chicken out to defrost for dinner. CJ got up from his nap. Joe got home from work. I started cooking dinner. I realized that I was short on tortillas. Joe got mad because he didn't want to go back out to get more. I wasn't asking him to. We got into a huge fight. He lost his temper. I kicked him out. Finished cooking dinner and fed the kids. Then Joe came back home and apologized for his behavior. We ate. Got the kids ready for bed. Sent them to bed. Stayed up and watched some TV. I took a shower and went to bed.

Thursday: Got up early. Right after Joe left for work. Did some stuff on the computer. As the kids got up I urged them to get ready. They were dragging their feet though. Finally got them to get going though. We had to walk to school. It was colder outside than I was expecting. I got them to school on time and walked back home. This was the first time I really exerted myself since I had my bronchitis. So it wasn't easy for me. I was wheezing by the time I got home. CJ was very playful. I played with him and he fell asleep on the floor just before lunch. So I decided to just put him down for his nap. Then I had some lunch and watched some TV. I fell asleep too. Joe came home from work and CJ got up a little while later. It was time to go get the girls though. We picked them up and then we went to the store to get something for dinner. We came home and the girls started homework. We had dinner and I sent the girls to clean their room. Then I ended up putting everyone to bed early. I worked on some pictures. Watched some TV. Took a shower and went to bed.

Friday: Got up early and got the kids ready to leave the house early for our weekly Friday popcorn popping. Joe went and got the popcorn started. I went down to the FRC to see if it would be okay if I left the girls down there to have breakfast while I was helping with the popcorn. Also spoke to someone about our meeting later in the morning. Then went up to help Joe. We popped popcorn and then at 9:00 I went down to the FRC for my advisory board meeting. Met with them and then went to check on the popcorn progress. Things were going well. We finished up the popcorn and left the school. We went to the bank to make a deposit and then went to Walmart to spend a gift card CJ had gotten. Got what we needed there and went to lunch. Then tried again to get CJ's blood drawn. The lab was still unsuccessful in finding a vein and I am getting frustrated. Came home and put CJ down for a nap. I called the doctor's office to explain the situation and find out what to do. We're going to try the children's hospital. I counted popcorn money. Went to the PTA bank to get some coin wrappers and find out why we were charged $2 on our bank statement. Got that all figured out and came home. Wrapped the coins and then went to pick the girls up from school. Came home and did a quick clean up. My dad came over to pick the girls up to take them for the night. Sent them with him and then Joe and I tried to figure out what we were going to do. We rented a movie. I took some pictures so I could send out thank you notes for CJ's birthday. We went to Walgreens to get the pictures printed and then we went out to dinner. Picked up our movie from the Redbox and got Joe's work schedule. Then we stopped at Walgreens to get our pictures and came home. Got CJ ready for bed. I did his thank you notes. Joe and I watched our movie. Then we stayed up and watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday: Got up just before 8:30 to CJ crying. Went and got him out of bed and fed him breakfast. Then Joe got up. I put the thank you notes out in the mail. Joe got ready for work. He left. I hung around the house all day. CJ took a nice long nap. I washed dishes and cleaned up the living room and kitchen. I folded some laundry. Then Joe came home from work and we cooked dinner. Ate dinner. Then spent the rest of the night watching TV waiting for the girls to come home. Put CJ to bed. When the girls finally came home and we got my parents to leave we sent the girls to bed. Joe and I watched some more TV. I went and took a shower and we went to bed.

Check out more Week In Review posts!

Thank a Veteran

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month the guns fell silent. And that is how Veteran's Day began at the end of World War 1. The guns did not fall silent for long so that is why we need to remember to thank those who have fought so hard for our freedom. We are truly blessed to be Americans and have the freedoms we have. And this would not be possible without all of the brave men and women who have fought for these freedoms in the past, now in the present, and who will continue to fight in the future. So here's a little poem to help remember to thank a veteran:

Take A Moment To Thank A Veteran

When you see someone in a uniform
Someone who serves us all,
Doing military duty,
Answering their country’s call,

Take a moment to thank them
For protecting what you hold dear;
Tell them you are proud of them;
Make it very clear.

Just tap them on the shoulder,
Give a smile, and say,
"Thanks for what you’re doing;
To keep us safe in the USA!"

By Joanna Fuchs

I have one military person that you can thank in a big way today too. I told you I'd keep bringing this up. My birthday wish is a chance for you to thank a current member of the armed forces. Frank Garcia serves in the Army and is still in Eastern Europe trying to bring his daughter home. You can help make that possible with a small donation to their adoption. The chip in is on my side bar. What better way to thank a veteran than giving him the one thing he wants most in this world; his Kellsey to be home for Christmas!

Don't Forget...

my birthday wish. There's still time to chip in for Kellsey's adoption. Things are moving along great for them on the paper trail front. Court date is tomorrow. That will officially make Kellsey theirs. Renee will come home while her husband Frank will stay there getting Kellsey's passport and other needed paperwork together for the next two weeks before she can come home. They still need help with funds though. So please help them out. There's a lot to worry about still. Lets not make money one of those things. We can help take one less stressor of this whole amazing process away from them. So make my birthday wish come true and chip in whatever you can to help bring Kellsey home!

Lets give a 3 year old her Forever Family

Well, like I said I'm going to keep reminding you about my Birthday Wish! You can still make it come true. And today is even more special because today is Kellsey's 3rd birthday. So now it's not just my wish, but it's Kellsey's wish too. She might not know it yet, but she needs this family. So please go chip in on my side bar. Can you really say no to this little face?

The Birthday Girl

Kellsey with her new mama

I can't say no to that face. Lets make this family complete. Help make this adoption happen. Chip in on the side bar. I won't stop posting about this until they reach their goal so pass this around to whoever you know.

Still time for my Birthday Wish

Remember my Birthday Wish? Well you can still make my wish come true. You have until December 1st. So I'm going to continue posting about this. And let me just show you why this is so very important to me:



Renee and Frank got to meet their beautiful little girl face to face yesterday. Look at how happy they all are. Lets make it possible for them to bring her home to meet her four other siblings. There's Kassidy who's 10 today, Kameron who turned 8 yesterday, Kennedy who's 5 and also has Down Syndrome, and Keeghan who's 2. Kellsey will make a wonderful addition to this family. I can't wait to see a family portrait of all 7 of them together. So please help make this possible for them. The "chip in" button is on my sidebar. Any donation is greatly appreciated. Lets bring Kellsey home!

My Birthday Wish

Today is my birthday! Or as I like to refer to it as the 2nd anniversary of my 29th birthday. And this year I have one wish and one wish only. I want my friend Renee to be able to adopt her beautiful baby girl Kellsey from Eastern Europe. She is over there right now getting to meet her and putting the final touches on their adoption. But they are still about $5000 short of their goal. So lets help them reach it in time to bring their little girl home. Just click on the link below to chip in. Any amount is greatly appreciated.

Please make my birthday wish come true and help this beautiful little girl find her "Forever Home".


Click here to read more about Renee and Kellsey's journey.

Silent Auction to Bring Kellsey Home!

Remember my friend who is trying to adopt this beautiful little girl? Well, on her blog she has a silent auction going on now. There are all sorts of handmade items and even some not handmade items for you to bid on. Lots of great stuff. So click on the link above and help bring Kellsey home!

Win a Cruise for 2!

Wanna help bring Kellsey home from Eastern Europe?

Wanna win a 4 day 3 night cruise for two?

Just go here to enter the drawing!

Wanna Help

My friend Renee over at Life With My Special Ks has felt a calling to help a Down Syndrome child from another country. She is adopting a little girl who otherwise would live out the rest of her life in a home without love or medical care that she needs. Renee felt a calling to do something to help. She's already got four super children, but her and her husband, who is over in Iraq right now for the army, felt the need to bring this child into their home. A completely selfless act. One which I wish I myself could do. She already has one child with Down Syndrome so she definitely knows what she's getting into.

So you might be wondering how you can help. Well, prayers that everything goes smoothly and they can bring home their little girl by this summer are one way. They also need help raising some funds to get Kellsey home. The adoption itself will cost over $20000. So you can donate funds to help Kellsey get adopted. And the best part is whatever funds she manages to raise will stay with Kellsey even if they are unable to adopt her for whatever reason. So if you are able and feel so compelled after reading all about Renee and her family and Kellsey to sponsor them, then you can do so here. You can follow their journey by clicking on the button below which is also located on my sidebar as well. Renee has set up this blog to keep everyone up to date on Kellsey and bringing her home.