New Project

So earlier this year my sister and I began to lay the ground work on a new project we want to build. Things were put on the back burner for a while due to being so busy with Wetherby's adoption. It is no joke that paperwork and fundraising is a job and a half in itself!! 

We have started a NP called, Peace, Love & Birthday Cake! I can't tell you how excited I am about this. We live in a community outside of Orlando and right here in our own back yard there is a Missions Home where displaced families sleep, eat and take the positive steps forward to get back into their own homes. I've done a few hours of volunteer work with them and I can't explain how important this organization is for our community. 

Last year, just before Thanksgiving the mission took in 21 new families. TWENTY ONE families... Fathers, Mothers and their children. How heartbreaking is that?  

The goal of PLBC is to come in and help make their children feel they can still be kids that have fun and celebrate the milestones in their lives, regardless of their living situation. I want to go in and throw little birthday parties for the children, ice cream socials all while raising awareness in the community and help raise funds for the mission to keep them going. I have dreams of expanding and taking on more projects but for now, this is our goal. I believe in it and I see the good in these children and their families. I want a community that supports everyone. I want a community my children can believe in. 

We are still working on details and ways to raise money and so forth. We will apply for 501c3 this upcoming year. I don't know how to build websites or anything like that so we are starting small. We do have a Facebook page we just started so please find us, like us, and share us!! 

Cheers--

Merry Christmas

I know I am late, but Merry Christmas to all from The Chinchak Family. 

I must admit that all I wanted for Christmas was my travel date but that has not happened yet. I'm trying to remain patient and know that they are coming at any moment. A moment when I least expect it and I will be super excited. 

It was a wonderful day spent with my family. It is 8 am the day after and I get the joy of listening to by Hub snore. He has today off as well which is rare!! :) I guess I can deal with it for a little while! 

This will be Wetherby's last Christmas he spends in an orphanage and that is the best gift I could ever be given. I can't wait to love him and squeeze him and tell him he has a family!! 

To each and all, prayers for you for continued well being and happiness during the season. 

This Dog is Hunting!!!

We were officially submitted to the courts today, 12/10/15. The last day for submissions before the winter cut off. Thank the Lord for such an awesome team! 

Today, my heart hurts....

Everything is going well with our process and soon we should be submitted to the courts. From there we will wait for an appointment for our referral for Wetherby. 

A little earlier we had considered adding a second little boy, Charlie, who happens to be in the same orphanage as W. Such a handsome and sweet little man of 11 years old. We waited and waited on our social worker to send us our amendment approving us for 2 children. It never came; still hasn't. We decided we couldn't wait and pressed forward. I learned today that Charlie has been transferred to a boys home that is hours away from where he was. They also transferred a little girl, Rebecca. The worst part is that the two of them aren't together anymore either. They have been pulled from their friends and are now in a village where adoptions are less likely to happen. 

It breaks my heart to know this. I should have pushed harder to get the right paperwork and I didn't. I feel terrible and sick over it. I know I could not have 100% prevented it, but maybe there is something I could have done. I pray the Lord will find them their Momma and soon. They shouldn't have to wait so long. They deserve better. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a blessed year we have had as a family. Today was a great day spent with family. We cooked, laughed and had a great time. 

I am so excited for next year when our Wetherby will be home with us as well. We took a little time to reflect on what we are thankful for and said a lovely grave before chowing down. 

We hosted a turkey coloring contest and finally chose our winner. Congratulations to Jack from Nevada!!! We can't wait to get your prize out to you. 

Love is Greater

Immigration Approval

Holy Mackerel!! When I first submitted our USCIS application I was so worried about the time frame. I did not submit right away like I was supposed... Just slipped my mind. I submitted our application in September 19th and didn't expect to hear anything until December and I anticipated them asking for several additional items. Call me paranoid, :)

Well folks, it's November 9th and we received our approval today. APPROVAL!!   In less then 2 months we received approval from Immigration to bring this little boy into our wonderful country. 

We are still plugging away with our fundraising. We need between 6-7,000 more at minimum. If you have any good ideas please let me know. We are still taking orders for Santa Letters as well! 

Did I mention already that we have USCIS approval? 

I managed to get a really awesome picture of my kiddos while at Hobby Lobby recently. 

We love you from every mile between us, sweet, sweet Wetherby! 

Angel Tree Fundraiser

Each year, the wonderful people from Reece's Rainbow do a fundraiser called, The Angel Tree. Warm hearted folks pick a child (or five!) to warrior for. The hope is to raise as much funding as possible to be held in a grant for this child which will in turn be given to their adoptive family while in process. These grants are so so important. They are there to help the adoptive families and the funds are used to pay orphanage fee's or visa's or whatever they need to get them home. 

This is tough work! The goal is $1,000 but really anything is appreciated and goes a long way. There are a few kiddo's I want to bring attention to. Please keep in mind there are SEVERAL children listed with RR; These are only a few! 

My family has signed up to be a warrior for Zeke. Look at this kid! Sweet, handsome, active... He has waited for a family for 6 years. Let's help make this his last. 

http://reecesrainbow.org/38452/zeke-l

I have heard Marv is smart, sweet and wants a family. His grant has grown and will continue to grow until his family arrives. He has an entourage of followers and you can check him out here! 

https://m.facebook.com/comment/replies/?ctoken=10206879022627465_10206881353725741&ft_ent_identifier=10206879022627465&gfid=AQAE_Xcf9VQzzK-j&ref=m_notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply&actorid=1034170099

This last little boy has stolen so much of my heart. I wish, wish, wish I could bring him home. He is in the same orphanage as my W. From what I have heard he is very much the big brother to my little boy. My heart melts every time I look at. Those big eyes and that beautiful smile. I will do cart wheels the day I see he has been brought home. 

http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=Charlie

I am begging each and everyone of you who read this to please consider a dollar to each of these boys. The cost of one day's coffee. That is it, $3. Think about it and DO it! :) 

Buddy Walk DeLand and more!

It has been a super busy few days and I am whooped! :) 

We were honored to be present for our very first Buddy Walk and represented Reece's Rainbow while we were there. I had no idea what to expect but I was able to speak with several people about the foundations mission and it was awesome! 

We have begun work on our beautiful Festive Blocks and are going strong at about 20 orders! Shooting for shipping them all by the second of November. 

We are only waiting on our USCIS a approval and then we are on to our Country submission! 

Humbled

As everyone knows, I have had a few periods of utter stress during our process of adopting W. I know this is very normal. I know there will be days that I will question every tiny decision that gets made because in essence, each of them will effect this process in some fashion. I've had days where I just thought I was absolutely crazy and some days where I felt... Is this how Mother Teresa felt? (No, I am not comparing myself to her.. no where near that!)

The last few days however, I have felt wonderful. I feel good about things. The time is coming closer and closer. I am mailing off our last document needed for USCIS and that will likely be resolved and done in the next 2-3 weeks and then it will be time to submit our dossier to Ukraine and wait for a court date. This could move quickly or it could drag out. I don't know and it is out of my control and I have accepted that. 

I was very humbled this week during church service. I feel the Lord just laid it out for me that I am a lucky woman. I have an amazing husband whom would clearly do anything for me. I have two beautiful, healthy and intelligent children who may drive me crazy sometimes, but they are mine and they are here. Last week a church family had a SIX year old daughter die. Suddenly. To my knowledge she was not sick from anything. She was a happy and gorgeous SIX year old. I didn't ask for details, maybe I don't want to know or maybe I don't need to know. But I do know a family had to bury their daughter. I can only pray I don't ever have to do this in my lifetime. I have Parents (we butt heads about a lot, but they would do anything for me), Sister's and niece's that I care for so much. I have a lot of love that surrounds me and I am grateful for this. I have Angels in Heaven who I know fly down I-4 with me to protect me from all the crazy Florida drivers. 

I went to service last week with a Hard heart. I was upset that the church wouldn't let me use their dining hall for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser. I spoke with the office director and even though I felt her answer was a little snide, I can understand they have to be fair to everyone. If they let me use it then they have to let everyone use it. I was so angry they wouldn't give me the opportunity. Sunday morning I went back and forth, "Do I really wanna go today? I'm tired. I could use the sleep.", but I mustard it up and went. I enjoyed this week's service and so I went to my Pastor and told him. He began speaking with me a little about W and that he was sorry, but he did welcome me to print fliers and let everyone know the date and time. That was encouraging for me. He then said, "Let's Pray Together" and so he prayed with me right there in the front of the alter under the large Rose Window. I felt so blessed in that moment. He said to me, "The money will come. If it is God's will for you to be this boys Mother then it will happen". It is hard to feel so positive all the time because there is so much fighting against you. I know I am working hard. My family knows, and my friends. More importantly, God knows. 

This is what I have to trust in. I have to put my Faith out there and let the world know I am fighting for this boy. If someone feels led to help me then so be it and it will be appreciated far more then I could ever say. I believe in this boy and our decision. I believe we are meant to be his parents and his siblings and this is what is important. 

Blessings! 

Farmer's Market

This weekend the Hubster and I tried our hand at the farmer's market downtown. This was our first attempt and I had no idea what to expect. So Friday night I asked my Momma to take my two kiddos so I could prep and they wound up spending the night with her (say whaaaat? WHOOP WHOOP). Around 8 that night I began baking. Now I'll be honest... I can not cook worth a diddle, a few things, sure but for the most part Im terrible, BUT I can bake the crap outta some cookies and muffins! 

While I was slaving away in the kitchen my husband was in the garage with some last touches on his beautiful flags... Just wait to see them! We finally laid down to rest around 1 AM. Saturday we were up bright and early and headed downtown! 

We got all set up and say and waited for our first customer!!! .... And waited and waited. 

Things picked up around 11 and we sold some Banana Nut and Pumpkin muffins and a few other things. No sales on his flags which did honestly surprise me. He worked so hard on this and I know he would have been so proud if they would have sold. All in due time! 

I was so proud of him and the way he kept saying, "our son". He went on and on to people about Wetherby and how he was ours. I'm not sure I've heard him actually say it out loud to people and it just made me melt. So even though we didn't sell a lot we got to spend some much needed time together! Here are a few photos of other items. Feel free to message me with any interest! 

USCIS

Today's fingerprint appointment went very well. We showed up for our appointment and checked in. Then waited for a while for our number to be called. There were so many people there being printed for various reasons. Some were there to adopt like us and some are applying for citizenship status. Living the dream! We also watched a few moments of a documentary about being a citizen, but I did not catch the name of it. In the film they were traveling the states to interview folks working towards citizenship. There was even an interview with Gene Simmons, who is originally from Israel. 

I can't even describe how excited we are.  This is pretty much the last thing we are waiting on. One other document for USCIS and we will be approved, then off to Ukraine for translation and submission. My heart and brain could burst from pure joy and the usual stresses of fundraising. We still have $7500-$8000 to raise and our time frame is fast approaching. It will happen! The Lord will move mountains to see this through; I know he will. Since we could not take pictures inside the USCIS building here we are in the parking lot! 😁💜

Santa Letter

One of the ways we are raising funds is by working on our Santa Letter's. 

This is a great way to celebrate the Christmas spirit with your children this year. Each letter is personalized to your child or family by completing our form with a few pieces of information. 

Each letter will be signed, sealed and sent to the North Pole for mailing. Yes!! It will be stamped from the North Pole. This is a great stocking stuffer, and would be a great first thing to do in the morning after waking up. In past year's I have had my son open his letter a few days earlier by giving it to him like his own piece of mail at the mailbox. 

Each letter is a donation of $10 and each letter after that is reduced in price by $3. So the 1st is $10, 2nd is $7. 3rd is $4 and each after that is $1. Or you could do a family letter for a donation of $15 and it will be addressed to the family (The Smith Family for example). 

This is a great tradition and it is great to keep these as a momento for years to come. 

Please complete our order form to get yours ready to go! 

​https://docs.google.com/forms/d/167QmAXYA5pBapxWPOvPgjtvikDGN7Ut6WGHFEhgGvsE/edit

Fingerprints!! Again

We received our appointments for finger printing yesterday. So this means Immigration has received our application to adopt and they tell us when and where to go to get scanned by the government! ☺️ We are moving further and further through the process and (knock on wood) everything has been smooth sailing. We are still at least $9,000 away from being fully funded, and at this point, only about 2 more months until travel time. We ask that if you are feeling led to help us, please make a donation of any size to get us a little further. 💜😊

Christmas with the Chinchak's

Great Morning to everyone! As I am sure the world knows we are working so hard to bring home our sweet, "Wetherby" and with each day that passes we get a little closer! 

I have been working on a couple crafty ideas and we are so excited to hopefully start receiving a few orders on these. We are having a lot of fun with some of these and we pray they will bring your family happiness. 😍

We have our fun Santa Letters which are written to your littles from Santa, signed, sealed and stamped and sent all the way from the North Pole! They are personalized to fit your little one's personality and they will love getting their own mail. Perfect for stockings too! Just use our form to order! We can also work out a price to get a "family" letter as well. $10 for the first, $7 for the second, $4 for the third and $1 each after that. 

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/my-drive?gl=us&source=mog&rfd=1

Next up, our beautiful ornaments personalized for your family! Tell me your child's country or state and I will hand cut from cork and pin their region or city with a heart, my favorite verse will grace the front, Samuel 1:27 and your family name and year on the back. Glitter and twine wrap up the outsides. These are only $15 each (again, discounts for multiples) and will last a lifetime. These would be beautiful gifts to friends who have adopted and you could pass them on to your children when they have their own trees too! 

Lastly, and my favorite!! Our book, "The Christmas House", that my son and I wrote this time last year. We are so proud of it. I wrote the words and he drew the pictures. I have always wanted to write a children's storybook and I finally did it with his help! He was always the inspiration and encouragement. In our story, Cody learns the holiday season is more then presents and candy; it is about your family and their presence too! For $12 we will sign and ship your copy to you ☺️

We will combine shipping on multiple items as well. You can always email me at hoperenea@rocketmail.comwith any questions! Thank you and Be Blessed! 

Christmas Country Ornaments

Alrighty Ladies and Gents it is time to start gearing up for Christmas time! It will be here before we realize and it will be time for me to travel to get my sweet boy, Wetherby. 

I am working on some cute and sweet Christmas ornaments that are personalized to your family. Inside is a hand cut outline of your child's birth country (made from cork), a heart in their region, Samuel 1:27 and on the back, your last name and 2015. I can also put glitter or jingle balls inside. 

$15 to our FSP or a paypal invoice and I will ship direct to you. 

These will be great for your families OR a sweet gift to send to some of the friends you have made inside this group. Here is a photo of one I have made for my new friends, The Wierenga Family.  

I am a Warrior!! (In my best Patti Smith voice)

Great Morning Everyone! It is Monday and I don't know about ya'll but I sorta dread Mondays...always, but I am trying to stay a little more positive.

I announced the other day that in addition to fundraising for my sweet, Wetherby, we have also received the privilege of being Zeke's Warrior for the Angel Tree (Reece's Rainbow) this year. I'm excited as all get out and crazy nervous too.

How awesome is the idea of the Angel Tree? Each year for about 2 months folks can choose a child on the tree and commit to raising money for their grants. $1,000 is ideal, but honestly, any amount is appreciated and will help that child as a family commits to them. This is such a relief to prospective parents.

Our hope is that money is never the standing barrier that makes a family feel adoption is not possible.... and I know ton's of families feel that way, because I FELT THAT WAY! It is so intimidating to know that money is a huge aspect of adoption and it pretty well makes and breaks a decision.

We have some great fundraisers happening (see Halloween Candy Hands) to assist us with the cost for Wetherby's adoption (about $10K more to go) and I am adding a new one to not only help with him, but a portion will be donated to Zeke as well.

We are putting together Letter's From Santa this year and I am very excited. This is something I started doing with my children about 2 years ago and they LOVE it. I have them printed up on pretty stationary and send them off and then they are stamped and sealed and sent from the North Pole. How awesome is that? They will make great stocking stuffers or super cute to have the kids trot down to the mailbox with you. Seriously, their little faces are the best!

I am offering discounts for families with multiple children (Pricing on the form). Order them for the neighborhoods kids, your nieces and nephews and so forth!!

To purchase use the link below or message me on Facebook! Thank you to everyone for your support so far, all is appreciated!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/167QmAXYA5pBapxWPOvPgjtvikDGN7Ut6WGHFEhgGvsE/viewform

Mail Run!!

The sweet Lady behind the counter at the post office is tired of my face!! Lol.. She is very sweet and I finally told her why she is seeing me All the time now. I've mailed out Shirts and tons of other goods to help with our fundraising. She was so excited and pulled out her phone to show me her nephew and in turn I pulled out a picture of Wetherby! I love sharing his sweet little face. 

We have a ton of mail going out this week! 

Grant applications!!! 😁 the King will keep them safe in their travels!! 

We are continuing with our fundraisers as well. Keep an eye out for upcoming events!!

Halloween Candy Hands

I know some of us don't like to think about it but the first Holiday that gets the ball rolling is quickly approaching. That's right... Halloween is around the corner! Do you like to put together treat bags for your children's class but don't have the time? I will do it for you for a flat donation to our Adoption donation link or PayPal invoice. This year I am making candy hands for my children and I will send some to you as well. All I need you to do is let me know the amount of hands you need. The donation amounts would be as follows:

1-18 $25

18-30 $40

30-50 $55

Each hand will have treats and gadgets and you can decide if you want them

Popcorn filled or with wrapped candy. These will be made using the NON Latex gloves. Let me know what day you need them by (school parties) and I will UPS. All money earned assists us with our adoption of a little boy with Down Syndrome 😊

Tough Day

It has been a tough day... Heck, it has been a tough couple days, couple weeks. The atmosphere of the work place has gotten a little tougher over these past several weeks and I have this great urge to waltz right out the door most days. Still, I remain there because I know it will just complicate things if I do not. Let me say though that while most Mom's count down the Friday's until Christmas, this Momma is counting down the Friday's til she boards a plane and can say, "See ya Never" to that office!

 I've been a little more emotional lately then I have been in a while. Stress, Fear, Worry... they are all things that are plaguing me at the moment. I am stressed about the money, of course. We have so far to go and the waiting on answers from grant decisions. How stressful! We have only applied for one so far and there are more we can hope for, of course, but even then the "What if's" are enough to drive someone insane!!

The fear of getting him within our reach and just not being able to stretch my fingers far enough to meet his... It is so vivid in my dreams. I see him. He is sitting there looking at me. Those big eyes. Those big cheeks. I am longing to kiss them and hold him in my arms and tell him his family has made it. We have made it to you and we are bringing you home, but suddenly, I can't take another step. I am so close and so far away in that instance, just standing there. That is terrifying!

I have great faith in EVERY aspect of this journey. I would not be here if the good Lord did not want me to be. I would not have found Reece's Rainbow and certainly, Wetherby would not have tugged on my heart the way he does. I pray for a Full Heart and Clear Eye's (Friday Night Lights shout out right there!) to lead me further down this path. I know WE can do this. WE will do this.

:)

Brax Fundraising

We are starting a two week campaign to sell these awesome travel cups that feature NFL, MLB, NHL and college teams. Please take a look. We will receive credit from all sales using our specific link. Thanks!!  

https://www.braxdirect.com/participant/id/2022843/hopechinchak

Up, up and away!

Coming off a roll tide of bad days with life in general, yesterday seemed pretty amazing. 

A couple weeks back we held a fundraiser night at a local Tex-Mex where they allowed us to help work and earn a percentage of the nights profit. I was there busting tables, sweeping floors and greeting guests for about three hours.  I heard back from the wonderful people from their main office yesterday and they are writing us a check for $246!! That is awesome without a doubt. 

The Hubster also surprised me at work with some sandwiches and a coke and sat with me for lunch. That is always a nice surprise. 

Say, what is this thing......

I'm not so sure yet. Let's take a closer look......

Well it looks like a bunch of Official looking documents to me. No way... could it be..... Our paper baby? YES!!! Paper baby is on his way to Wisconsin where a beautiful family is going to snuggle him up in their bags and fly him over this weekend. This isn't every document we need over but this is really happening. This is the start of translations and all things official!

I packaged it up, gave it an awkwardly huge kiss and whispered "I love you" and a prayer. I walked him into the UPS drop off and said these words to the man behind the counter, "this has a paper baby inside. Don't lose it and don't be late!" After an awkward moment I explained and he laughed so hard, and promised he would see it safely to the truck! 

Now I am off to stalk the tracking number! 

Cheers!! 

Painting with a Purpose

What a fun night! The sweet people from the Hubster's workplace wanted to get together and do something to help with the adoption. Isn't that sweet!?

So I called up The Winey Wench and we set a night to fundraise by gathering some folks up and coming in to paint a picture. Best part, we painted GROOT  and had a blast doing it. 

We spent a few minutes introducing Reece's Rainbow and their mission. I spoke about Wetherby a little and described him from what I know and let them know I would have to travel to his country and get him. 

This was a huge blessing for us and it is amazing that sometimes the kindest and most helpful are those you may not know yet! A huge thank you to Joe's work crew and their families who selflessly came out in support!! 

Isn't he cute? 

Updated Give - A - Way Info

We have extended the Deadline for the Donation Give-A-Way to this Friday, August 21. We really hope to have a few more participants for a chance to win our adorable clutches. 

Each item inside was hand picked by Yours Truly, and many were created by other Adopt Mother's. This clutch and all it contains comes full circle in the adoption world... hand made by Mom's and helping Mom's with the proceeds. 

There are two families that benefit from it's raffle.. The Chinchak Family (me) and the Turner Family who is already in country and needs funds to make it home. Will anyone offer their support, prayers and the spread of word to assist them?

http://reecesrainbow.org/93490/sponsorchinchak

http://reecesrainbow.org/86887/sponsorturner

Donation Give-A-Way

Happy Sunday Morning Everyone!!

 

I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go this morning! I feel like things are progressing quickly with our Home Study which should be completed this upcoming week and I feel like everything is going to zip right along, which is wonderful. My family still has an incredibly long way to go before we are fully funded for our adoption of Wetherby, but I am not going to let anything stand in our way.

 

This process has opened my eyes to the amount of good people still in this World. The news and media always keeps focus on the negativity in the world, but I am determined to remember and teach my children that for every bad thing that happens in the world there is a good thing to offset it. It may be small, but it does exist, somewhere.

 

I have always been a believer in doing random acts of kindness, doing things without expecting anything in return and so forth. I've tried to assist fellow adopt families in ways that I could because I believe in all things good. I have been touched by several families in the Reece's Rainbow community over the last year. I have promised myself that I will always be an advocate for those who can not speak up for themselves and I will always help other families.

 

The Turner Family has touched me as of recent and I want to do something to help both our families get a little closer to the thing we are fighting for, our boys. The Turner Family is adopting Jonathon, a sweet young man from Eastern Europe who was at risk of aging out of the orphanage. They met Jonathon while on a mission last year, it is a beautiful story and you can hop over to their blog for all the sweet details.. beleivinginfaith.blogspot.com

 

So I started putting together these clutch purses to use towards a fundraiser and then I thought, "Let's do it a little different!"

 

 

I have two of these clutches, one Rose Pink and one Turquoise and both are filled with some sweet little goodies that are perfect for Mom, Grandma, even a teacher's gift. Want to know one of the BEST things about them? Many of the items I purchased to fill these came from little shops owned by other Adopt Momma's! So it has come full circle; how much better can it get? Inside are things like tissues, organic lip balm, handmade magnets, coffee and tea, bible/ planner clips, and more. In all each clutch is valued around $30-$35 and will arrive to you already beautifully packaged.

 

 

 

It is a super easy entry and does not take much time at all and an automatic entry is easy peasy! All you have to do for one FREE entry is share this blogpost with everyone. You could share it on Facebook and be sure to tag me so that I will know! Your post has to be public to maximize potential views!

 

You can also make a set donation to gain more entries... the more entries, the better your odds of winning! :)

 

$10 = 5 entries

$15 = 10 entries

$20 = 15 entries

and so on....

 

Pick which color you hope to receive:

Turquoise is the Turner Family, http://reecesrainbow.org/86887/sponsorturner

Rose Pink is the CHINCHAK Family, http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=CHINCHAK

and donate the appropriate amount to their FSP and email the receipt to me so I can tally and add your entries. Yes, you CAN donate to both! :)

 ** If you don't email it or PM me the receipt, I do not have a way to track your entries-- hoperenea@rocketmail.com**

 

The giveaway will start today, 8/9/15 and run until 8/13/15 9pm PST so get your donations in!! I will add the entries and video the drawing of the winner and post to Facebook and announce here as well.

 

Good Luck to All and Bless those that are able to participate! If you can't participate this time, please pray for our families and all of the families adopting. :)

 

 

 

 

My beautiful family

I love my family. Have I ever mentioned that? Well I do. A lot.

My son is the sweetest person who has ever walked in this great world. He is compassionate, smart and quiet as a church mouse, oh but when he laughs, it is big. 

My beautiful little lady is mean, talks from sun up to sun down and I love her like no other. 

My husband.... What a man. He loves me, truly and completely. I don't know where I would be without him in my life. 

Lastly, our huge bear dog...Cooper. What a sweetie pie. ❤️

We are so excited to bring home Wetherby. What a joyful addition to our crazy bunch!!! 

Always

When I was younger adoption was something that always intrigued me. I never knew much about it, but I always said that instead of having biological children, I would adopt children from Vietnam. I don't know why Vietnam specifically; I had a weird (still do) fascination with the Vietnam War and I am thinking that is why. 

Either way, I always knew that was what I wanted. I did not specifically like children, but I knew they were in my future in some fashion, and that was what I would do.

Things change, plans change and maybe life gets in the way of those plans. I got married very young and had two children biologically and I did not give adoption much thought over the years. I never thought it could be in our cards we were dealt. My children's biological Father put a lot of strain on us in various ways (different post, different day) and it just never came up. 

I'm a big believer that the Lord steers us down a path that doesn't always make sense. It can be messy, confusing and darn near impossible to see at times, but it will all work out the way it is meant to. 

Fast Forward down the road a little bit and here we are... Myself, wonderful husband, Joe and two beautiful children, and our huge bear dog, Cooper. We are adopting a beautiful and intelligent little boy from Eastern Europe.

I guess what I am trying to say is... you won't always see the light, but it is there. Always keep your Faith. 

Happy Wether Day! 2015

Saturday is the day of our outdoor play day and fundraiser to help us bring Wetherby home to us. I am looking forward to hanging out with good friends and their children, eat some tacos, and talk about Reece's Rainbow. I have had folk's sponsor a Balloon Baby to be flown and given away on Saturday. Each balloon has a photo of an RR kid and the link to their profiles, and hopefully this will bring some awareness to these kids and this group that works so hard for them. I will take lots of photos and post when I have a free moment. 

This organization has impacted my life in many ways, but each for the betterment of myself and my family. Adoption has always been special to me and I never thought I would be in a position to even attempt it. After seeing these families struggle and fight for the rights of these children to live better lives I knew I had to do something, but still sat back and watched. It was not until I came across Wetherby's photo that I felt a HUGE tug on my heart and I am telling you, that little face spoke to me. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/450317848475911/

I don't know why

I've had a semi difficult time gathering support from my family about adopting Wetherby. Honestly, I expected it, so I don't know why I have hurt feelings. 

My parent's think we are not ready; it is too much responsibility and I should not adopt an older child because I could never "heal his wounds", and the idea of adoption is great, just not for me. 

I'm not sure how to feel about all of their opinions. Do I agree with a few of them? Sure, I do to an extent, but I am 1,000% sure the process is scary for everyone. I am 1,000% sure things go wrong with every adoption. Not to pat myself on the back, but I am a strong individual. I have goals, dreams and I have been fighting to reach each of them. I have been on my own for some time now and I know in my heart we can do this. I know in my heart, Wetherby is our son. 

I do not feel that being a Mother to this boy means I am there to "heal his wounds". I am there to protect him, now, and  to provide a great future to him. I wish I could change the heartbreak he has been through, but I can't. I can give him happy moments and be there to console him when the time is right. That is our mission. 

Good Morning Everyone,

Today is a great day. Nothing in particular has happened, but I have a great feeling today.

 The last several days I've been feeling worried, anxious and selfish in many ways. So yesterday I sort of threw a little pity party for myself and was in the dumps. So the work day ended yesterday and I started the usual afternoon routine but decided I wanted to stop for a soda-pop and pulled over at the nearest pump for gas as well. Went to pay for my gas and the attendant let me know that the last person pre-paid $20 for the next person who came. Is that not the best feeling ever!! It is nice to know there are genuine people still out there and to be able to pay it forward is awesome!

We have made really great progress with all of our paperwork for the Home Study. My Doctor's appointments are complete, Joe's are scheduled and just a few more pieces of paper are needed for this part.

We are still working on our fundraising efforts and I hope to have a few great ones in place soon.

I can not describe how great we feel about this and our children are excited as well.

I will be back to update soon!

Hope

Raising Funds... All part of the Fun! 

We are still in the works with our Home Study and gathering the past of some paper work. Things are moving slowly but we couldn't be more excited. We are working on raising funds to help bring him home and we have come up with a few ideas. If you can find a way to join us in any of these activities, Please do! :)

We have a link for Amazon so if you do any inline shopping, please consider using our link and a portion of your sales amount will come back to us. 

http://www.amazon.com?_encoding=UTF8&tag=hosthwe-20

We are having a family outdoor day complete with a FUN RUN, lunch and outdoor games and activities. We are respectfully asking for a donation of $10 per adult and $5 child to join us. You can find out more details through our FaceBook event, "Happy Wether Day! 2015

Other Ways

Good Morning All,

We had our first Home Study visit this week and I am super relieved to say that everything went really well AND I do not know if my house has ever been cleaner! :) I am talking Martha Stewart clean. lol A huge Thank You to my husband, Joe, for his help with that.

I was sitting back this morning thinking that I need to mention a little more then just the fact we are fundraising and hustling to pull together the funds needed to complete this. Afterall, Wetherby, is more then a child  "we are paying for", as it has been gently put to me. <cough>

Is Adoption expensive? Absolutely. Is it too expensive? Maybe. Is it better to adopt Domestic vs. International? That is not something I can answer. We feel compelled to be Wetherby's forever family, and he happens to be international. Maybe one day we will feel a tugging at our hearts for a child here in the States. I don't know. I'm not to that point yet.

Joe and I have been blessed with the ability to have biological children, and we love them, very much. We also feel blessed to be able to say that we are adopting. We are bringing another child into our family because we can, we want to and we believe ALL children deserve homes and families that will love them, support them in their adventures, teach them to be wonderful human beings. There is a fact that remains there are many people who want to be able to do this for children as well, but for other circumstances, they can't yet. That is okay. There are other ways to help orphans and to help families that are adopting. This is a small list I came up with just sitting here:

1. Have a shower for the adopting family. They could always use help in making small purchases for their child. Clothes (even gently used), items for the bedroom (sheets, blankets, curtains, books). This goes for older children as well.
2. Set up a food drive. A newly arrived home family likely won't have funds for fast food and will be too tired to cook, so having a home cooked meal two times a week would wondrous for the first 2-3 weeks being home.
3. Volunteer your time. Help with fund raising events. Help spread the word through social media, church and in your neighborhood. This will help the adopting family tremendously.
4. Don't know anyone personally who is adopting? Find out where the closest orphanage is or even a children's hospital and collect items for donations. Clothing in various sizes, shoes and toys are always,always, always welcome!
5. Volunteer at community events. They are always looking for people to Man or Woman booths.

The fact is, there are so many things that can be done to assist families, facilities and events and no one will ever turn down your help. I can guarantee that! You can research different ideas as well to see how a little help goes a long way :)

Visit http://reecesrainbow.org/ to find out more information about the programs they offer and other ways you can help if you aren't ready to make the leap!

Good Morning Everyone,

This week we will have our first Home Study visit. Everyone keeps telling me to just stay relaxed and assures me this will be the easiest part of this whole process, but I am scared to DEATH. I keep thinking, "I need to clean this and move this over here". We are a far from perfect family, I know this, and we are a special kind of crazy and I just keep hoping our Social Worker will appreciate that! :)

I made a tiny purchase for Wetherby this weekend! We are a beach family. LOVE the beach and we have our own little area that we go to every time we hit New Smyrna (It is even where we said, "I DO"). So I bought him his first pair of flip flops! I wonder, has ever worn a pair?

I want to quickly say, "Thank you" to those who have supported our decision to adopt. I have gotten support from unexpected places and None from places where I did expect. The Lord works in mysterious ways for sure. 

We are Official

Good Morning Everyone,

We have been very busy with EVERYTHING! The kids are coming up on their last few days of school, which they are overly excited about. My darling girl will be Graduating from VPK next week.. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about that. Happy she is growing into a beautiful and smart little girl or sad that she is no longer my little baby. :/

Halen, is such a sweet, handsome and intelligent young man. Seriously, I know it is going to be a great day when I drop him off in the morning and as he starts to walk away, he will turn around and give me a little wave.

Reece's Rainbow set up our FSP (Family Sponsorship Program) account andit went live yesterday! Seriously Ya'll, $87 already. This is a great start and I hope we can keep it up. If you would like to go check out our little blurb at

http://reecesrainbow.org/93490/sponsorchinchak

I can't tell you how much of a blessing this experience has become already. We love him so much and can not WAIT to bring him home.