Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! May you be stuffed full with all of the delights of your bountiful feast! :)
As you all know Thanksgiving is a very special day for our family. Not only is it the day that we join together for a wonderful day of feasts and prayers but it is also the day that we united as a family of 6. Last year the day was a glorious day as we were welcomed by our boys (and extended family) as we arrived home from India with Pala! The day that I wasn't quite sure we were ever going to see after some of the hiccups that we encountered during our trip but the Lord made it happen. There will NEVER be a Thanksgiving that we will not be thankful for. We are truly blessed this season.
With the Christmas holiday quickly approaching I continue to find myself wondering about Pala's birthmother and if she thinks about Pala. I pray that the Lord gives her peace and love through the holidays.
Happy Thanksgiving....
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Broken Hearted...
Well, it's time that I update my blog and to come out of mourning.
It's been awhile since I've posted due to many reasons. LIFE! LIFE! LIFE! for the most part. Some good, some great and some absolutely heart breaking times!
First, I'll start with our blessings. Treyton celebrated his 11th birthday and finished up his second season as ball boy for the Varsity soccer team. He loves it and also gets paid $5 per game so he thinks it's pretty cool that he has a job. With all of the money he made last year and this year, plus a little he had in savings he bought himself an iPod touch. The boy is in heaven! :) Not to mention he made the Honor Roll for the first marking period in 6th grade! We are awaiting news about OM tryouts... a bit more challenging at the Middle School level.
Cooper finished up his first season of PeeWee football. He played on 2 teams... one of the teams went undefeated for the season and Coop was in the newspaper quite a few times! He is going to be one to watch out for in high school! He made OM this year and is very excited!
Austin made Merit Roll for the first marking period and is finally done with Midget football. He made the All-Star team and they had their final game yesterday. His coach had nothing but praises. You would not believe how tall he has gotten! I have no doubt that he will be taller than me by the new year! I realize that doesn't take much but it's hard to see him grow up so fast. and he's talking about girls more and more... eeks! :)
Miss PEA celebrated her 2nd birthday and is almost all the way potty trained! On October 13th we finalized her adoption and made her official name change. She got to celebrate her 1st Halloween and was a cheerleader. I made her simple costume with a tu-tu and a tshirt with a paw print painted on it. Very simple and she thought it was a big deal. I love the simplicity kids have at her age. November 21st will be our first GOTCHA DAY. We are planning a very quiet family dinner.
Now for the heartbreaking part...
It's been a really hard past couple of weeks for us. We have made the very difficult decision not to move forward with adopting Shilpa. There are many reasons we have been lead to our decision. I'm having a hard time understanding why and am grieving "her loss". The Lord placed her in my heart and every time I turn around a door keeps slamming in my face. I'm not going to publicly discredit anyone so I won't go into details about what's been going on over the past couple of months but I will say that I appreciate and love the experience that Dillon gave to us. I've been leaning on them quite a bit for support even though they aren't involved in any way. We didn't raise a whole lot selling shirts but have agreed that we will be donating it. We have not decided yet on whether or not to donate it to the orphanage where Shilpa is to help with her care or to donate it to Dillon. It's only $300 so we are leaning towards donating it to Dillon to cover the cost of 1 family's ICPC. We've talked about making this an annual donation. It's not much but every little bit helps. I still have care packages done up for Shilpa so I will continue to send them to her. The decision was not made lightly. I had really hoped that the Lord had put her in our hearts because she was meant to be a part of our family. I thought we had followed the path we were supposed to take but somewhere along the way He decided it wasn't the right one. I look at her beautiful face and keep wondering why the door has closed. Please pray for Shilpa and that God has a beautiful plan for her.
It's been awhile since I've posted due to many reasons. LIFE! LIFE! LIFE! for the most part. Some good, some great and some absolutely heart breaking times!
First, I'll start with our blessings. Treyton celebrated his 11th birthday and finished up his second season as ball boy for the Varsity soccer team. He loves it and also gets paid $5 per game so he thinks it's pretty cool that he has a job. With all of the money he made last year and this year, plus a little he had in savings he bought himself an iPod touch. The boy is in heaven! :) Not to mention he made the Honor Roll for the first marking period in 6th grade! We are awaiting news about OM tryouts... a bit more challenging at the Middle School level.
Cooper finished up his first season of PeeWee football. He played on 2 teams... one of the teams went undefeated for the season and Coop was in the newspaper quite a few times! He is going to be one to watch out for in high school! He made OM this year and is very excited!
Austin made Merit Roll for the first marking period and is finally done with Midget football. He made the All-Star team and they had their final game yesterday. His coach had nothing but praises. You would not believe how tall he has gotten! I have no doubt that he will be taller than me by the new year! I realize that doesn't take much but it's hard to see him grow up so fast. and he's talking about girls more and more... eeks! :)
Miss PEA celebrated her 2nd birthday and is almost all the way potty trained! On October 13th we finalized her adoption and made her official name change. She got to celebrate her 1st Halloween and was a cheerleader. I made her simple costume with a tu-tu and a tshirt with a paw print painted on it. Very simple and she thought it was a big deal. I love the simplicity kids have at her age. November 21st will be our first GOTCHA DAY. We are planning a very quiet family dinner.
Now for the heartbreaking part...
It's been a really hard past couple of weeks for us. We have made the very difficult decision not to move forward with adopting Shilpa. There are many reasons we have been lead to our decision. I'm having a hard time understanding why and am grieving "her loss". The Lord placed her in my heart and every time I turn around a door keeps slamming in my face. I'm not going to publicly discredit anyone so I won't go into details about what's been going on over the past couple of months but I will say that I appreciate and love the experience that Dillon gave to us. I've been leaning on them quite a bit for support even though they aren't involved in any way. We didn't raise a whole lot selling shirts but have agreed that we will be donating it. We have not decided yet on whether or not to donate it to the orphanage where Shilpa is to help with her care or to donate it to Dillon. It's only $300 so we are leaning towards donating it to Dillon to cover the cost of 1 family's ICPC. We've talked about making this an annual donation. It's not much but every little bit helps. I still have care packages done up for Shilpa so I will continue to send them to her. The decision was not made lightly. I had really hoped that the Lord had put her in our hearts because she was meant to be a part of our family. I thought we had followed the path we were supposed to take but somewhere along the way He decided it wasn't the right one. I look at her beautiful face and keep wondering why the door has closed. Please pray for Shilpa and that God has a beautiful plan for her.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Last day to order!!!
Hi all!
Today is the last day to order your T-shirt for "Shirts for Shilpa"!!
Thank you for supporting us!! We are truly blessed!
Today is the last day to order your T-shirt for "Shirts for Shilpa"!!
Thank you for supporting us!! We are truly blessed!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Shirts For Shilpa
We are ready and all set to move forward with Shilpa's adoption. We should be finalizing Pala's adoption within the next couple of weeks and can then begin our homestudy phase of Shilpa's adoption. We are selling T-shirts to raise money for our homestudy. We are hoping to sell 100 shirts in 3 weeks! There are 2 different designs to choose from....
Men's/Boy's:
These shirts are extra soft and normal fit. They have been known to shrink slightly so keep that in mind when ordering. The front is black and red Simply Love India surrounded by Phillipians 4:6-7 printed on Army green. The back has the saying "Man up. Protect and Love the Fatherless". Sizes are youth small thru adult XXL. If additional sizes are needed please email me and I will let you know the availability. For all International orders please email me for shipping rates.
Ordering is simple. Simply choose the size you would like and click "Add to Cart". This will open up a PayPal window. You may add another shirt by clicking "Continue Shopping" or you may check out at this time.
Simply Love India is a wonderful design that was created by a fellow adoptive momma and we are blessed to be able to use her beautiful artwork for our adoption fundraiser.
Orders will be taken until Midnight September 1st!
We hope that you will help us bring Shilpa one step closer to her family by purchasing one of our T-shirts. When you wear it, we hope that you will wear it proud knowing that you helped to complete our family and know that there will be one more child that is able to be a part of a real family.
Ladies/Girls:
These shirts are a super soft and comfy unisex cut. The front has Simply Love India with pink swirls wrapped by Phillipians 4:6-7 printed on a rich chocolate brown T-shirt. The back is printed with the saying "Love will always find a way". This is NOT a slim fit shirt. It will fit more loose and roomy. Sizes are youth small thru adult XXL. If additional sizes are needed please email me and I will let you know the availability. For all International orders please email me for shipping rates.Orders will be taken until Midnight September 1st!
We hope that you will help us bring Shilpa one step closer to her family by purchasing one of our T-shirts. When you wear it, we hope that you will wear it proud knowing that you helped to complete our family and know that there will be one more child that is able to be a part of a real family.
Ladies/Girls:
Men's/Boy's:
These shirts are extra soft and normal fit. They have been known to shrink slightly so keep that in mind when ordering. The front is black and red Simply Love India surrounded by Phillipians 4:6-7 printed on Army green. The back has the saying "Man up. Protect and Love the Fatherless". Sizes are youth small thru adult XXL. If additional sizes are needed please email me and I will let you know the availability. For all International orders please email me for shipping rates.
Orders will be placed September 2nd and you should receive your T-shirts within 2 weeks of that date.
Thank you for supporting our adoption!
Thank you for supporting our adoption!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Two Bengali Princesses reunite!
Yesterday, Colleen and I were able to meet face to face.Here we are with our 7 children! Yes, 7! and trying to get them all to look at "Grandpa" (Colleen's Dad) was not an easy task. Word of advice: Take your group photo at the beginning of your day, not right before you are leaving to go home. :)
Colleen and I have been friends through the adoption community since January 2008 and were finally able to meet thanks to her wonderful choice of vacation destinations! Ha! First thing Shad said was "Who vacations in Western NY?! It's farm country!" There are a lot of wonderful things to see and do here but we are not a tourist attraction! Ha!!! Funny thing is... Colleen and I have a connection that goes way back... further than our adoption connection... her husband and I went to school since Pre-K together! ...and now, our daughters were adopted thru the same agency, same country, same orphanage... very small world!! Every few years she is able to come back to the Rochester area, where she grew up and see old friends. Lucky for me it's only about 2 hours away!
It was so well worth the drive! We started with lunch at Tandoor India Restaurant where the staff knows our names!! Ha!!! Colleen and I were so busy chatting that we forgot to get out our cameras! Go figure!!! Our kids ruled the joint!! :) Then we took the kids to Henrietta Veterans Park to play on the playground for awhile. They all played so well together that it was like we were out for a regular play date! My older boys helped keep an eye on the little ones and Colleen's Mom and Dad were there so it really gave us time to catch up. It really didn't seem like a first time meeting. So many of my blogger friends live so far away... I hope that we will have the chance to meet like Colleen and I have. It was a wonderful day for all of us!
Miss Lia Riyani
Cooper, Pala, Treyton, Lia
Big Brother Treyton helping the girls out
Getting these 2 to sit still was a huge task! :)
Any longer in the swings and I think both girls would've fallen asleep!
You should've seen these girls climbing all over everything at the playground! They were like lil monkeys!! :)Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The decision to adopt again...
When the Lord opens the door for you, don't close it! Walk through it with faith that He will lead you. That's exactly what we are doing! Are we scared? YES! Are we excited? YES! Are we hesitant? YES! Are we nervous? YES! Are we crazy? Oh, absolutely! But we have faith that our Lord will carry us through it all; the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens! :) This wasn't planned by any means but we are embracing the opportunity to raise and love another child.
Now that I can share a little bit "Angel's" name is really SHILPA. She is the amazing little girl that we met in November during our travels to India to bring Pala home. She is at the same orphanage that my niece, Subha was at down in Kanjirapally, Kerala. We were blessed to spend 3 days down there before traveling to Kolkata to get Pala. If you recall, our trip kept getting delayed over and over... well, we believe now that Shilpa was the reason. We believe that God did what he had to do to put us at her orphanage the time that he did for a reason. Had we traveled with the dates and itinerary that we (I) wanted then Shilpa would not have been there. She arrived about 2 weeks before our visit. Now that we're home with Pala and can reflect on everything... it was perfect! Even with all of the glitches! It will be a few months before I can share my beautiful daughter's picture with all of my blogging friends but trust me when the time comes there will be a ton! :) I have received many wonderful pictures from recent travelers! We are nervous about bringing an older child into our family but are trusting that this is what is meant to be for us! Shilpa is 10 and it will kind of like having triplets!! Ha!!!! Treyton is 9 months olders than her and Cooper is 10 months younger!! It will be crazy around here for awhile once she's home but it'll be a good crazy! I had been keeping in contact with the orphanage director since our trip and getting updates regularly on Shilpa. We weren't even sure an adoption plan was going to be put in place until one day in April when I called the adoption agency that handles the adoptions from SKB and told them that I was getting ready to mail out another package to Shilpa. The caseworker said an adoption plan had been put into place and that the orphanage was applying for international clearance! Shilpa had been talking about us and before they started looking for a family... "are you interested?" What?????? Really????? Now????? Oh, my... that's a lot to take in! I told her I'd have to talk with Shad and get back to her. We called a family meeting and discussed it with the kids. They were all on board. OK... the next thing is how do we pay for this?! We are strapped and still re-cooping from Pala's adoption! We haven't even been home 6 month with her yet. Eeeeeks!!!! This is a lot to think about!! Well, we still haven't figured out the financial end of things yet BUT we do know that with FAITH and HOPE all things are possible. Our Lord lead us to Shilpa and put her in our hearts and He will provide for us in our time of need. We are not fortunate enough to be able to use Dillon as our adoption agency so we have had to build a new relationship with CHSFS so we have been kind of jumping through hoops lately and we are not able to use the same homestudy agency that we did for Pala so we are starting over there but we will make it all work out. So far we in the process we have been approved by the Older Child Committee and are now applying to CHSFS. They do thing a lot different than Dillon but I keep reminding myself that we are working backwards this time. The hard part of this is knowing that Shilpa is 10 and entering a difficult development stage. This is the time she really needs her mom and dad to help her through it. She had been living with her birth father until she was placed at SKB in November of 09. I'm not going to share all of the specifics with you about why she was placed at this time because we feel that since she is older it should be her decision to share her story publicly when she's ready. She knows what family is and I can't wait to share ours with her. I hope you will continue to follow our journey to bringing Shilpa home.
Now that I can share a little bit "Angel's" name is really SHILPA. She is the amazing little girl that we met in November during our travels to India to bring Pala home. She is at the same orphanage that my niece, Subha was at down in Kanjirapally, Kerala. We were blessed to spend 3 days down there before traveling to Kolkata to get Pala. If you recall, our trip kept getting delayed over and over... well, we believe now that Shilpa was the reason. We believe that God did what he had to do to put us at her orphanage the time that he did for a reason. Had we traveled with the dates and itinerary that we (I) wanted then Shilpa would not have been there. She arrived about 2 weeks before our visit. Now that we're home with Pala and can reflect on everything... it was perfect! Even with all of the glitches! It will be a few months before I can share my beautiful daughter's picture with all of my blogging friends but trust me when the time comes there will be a ton! :) I have received many wonderful pictures from recent travelers! We are nervous about bringing an older child into our family but are trusting that this is what is meant to be for us! Shilpa is 10 and it will kind of like having triplets!! Ha!!!! Treyton is 9 months olders than her and Cooper is 10 months younger!! It will be crazy around here for awhile once she's home but it'll be a good crazy! I had been keeping in contact with the orphanage director since our trip and getting updates regularly on Shilpa. We weren't even sure an adoption plan was going to be put in place until one day in April when I called the adoption agency that handles the adoptions from SKB and told them that I was getting ready to mail out another package to Shilpa. The caseworker said an adoption plan had been put into place and that the orphanage was applying for international clearance! Shilpa had been talking about us and before they started looking for a family... "are you interested?" What?????? Really????? Now????? Oh, my... that's a lot to take in! I told her I'd have to talk with Shad and get back to her. We called a family meeting and discussed it with the kids. They were all on board. OK... the next thing is how do we pay for this?! We are strapped and still re-cooping from Pala's adoption! We haven't even been home 6 month with her yet. Eeeeeks!!!! This is a lot to think about!! Well, we still haven't figured out the financial end of things yet BUT we do know that with FAITH and HOPE all things are possible. Our Lord lead us to Shilpa and put her in our hearts and He will provide for us in our time of need. We are not fortunate enough to be able to use Dillon as our adoption agency so we have had to build a new relationship with CHSFS so we have been kind of jumping through hoops lately and we are not able to use the same homestudy agency that we did for Pala so we are starting over there but we will make it all work out. So far we in the process we have been approved by the Older Child Committee and are now applying to CHSFS. They do thing a lot different than Dillon but I keep reminding myself that we are working backwards this time. The hard part of this is knowing that Shilpa is 10 and entering a difficult development stage. This is the time she really needs her mom and dad to help her through it. She had been living with her birth father until she was placed at SKB in November of 09. I'm not going to share all of the specifics with you about why she was placed at this time because we feel that since she is older it should be her decision to share her story publicly when she's ready. She knows what family is and I can't wait to share ours with her. I hope you will continue to follow our journey to bringing Shilpa home.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Our family is growing!!
These are the eyes of our "Angel"!A 10 yr old angel named Shilpa!
Who will now be able to call us Mom and Dad!
I am happy to announce that we are her forever family!
We received the call last night saying that we can move forward with adopting her. There are still a few formalities to go through but all in all she is the newest member of our family! I wish I could share full pictures with you but the agency we have to go through this time won't allow us to until we actually have guardianship. I will be sure to keep everyone posted throughout the process. So, until then, you can bask in the beauty of her beautiful brown eyes! :)
Please continue to pray for the process, our finances, and the adjustment It will be a long and hard journey but it will be all worth it in the end.
Who will now be able to call us Mom and Dad!
I am happy to announce that we are her forever family!
We received the call last night saying that we can move forward with adopting her. There are still a few formalities to go through but all in all she is the newest member of our family! I wish I could share full pictures with you but the agency we have to go through this time won't allow us to until we actually have guardianship. I will be sure to keep everyone posted throughout the process. So, until then, you can bask in the beauty of her beautiful brown eyes! :)
Please continue to pray for the process, our finances, and the adjustment It will be a long and hard journey but it will be all worth it in the end.
Friday, June 18, 2010
NYS Dillon Days
NYS Dillon Day is on the calendar!! It's been very exciting for me to be able to plan this 1st ever event! It is set for August 21st in Binghamton, NY. Come for the weekend or just for the day, it's up to you! The Comfort Suites on Vestal Parkway will have rooms blocked at a special rate for Dillon International families. It's right across from Binghamton University and Chuck E. Cheese is about 1/4 mile up the road!
Friday 7-9 Meet & Greet with Jerry and Denise Dillon
Saturday 10-5 Zoo Day at Ross Park Zoo ($4 per person)
3-6 Pizza Party and games at Ross Park ($10 per family)
7-? Minor League Ball game at Municipal Field ($7 per person)
Sunday is a free day to explore Binghamton, meet some new friends for lunch or whatever you would like before you venture home! We are hoping to make this an annual event!
There will be time for autographs if you get to the ballpark early and the first 1000 kids under 14 through the gates get a free Webkinz! Also... if you have a Zoo Membership to any other zoo you should be able to get into the Ross Park Zoo for FREE! We get a membership to the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY and Ross Park Zoo is on the reciprocating list (along with many others across the US). Invites will be going out later next week. If you are not in NY or PA and would like an invite please let me know and I would be happy to forward you one.
Friday 7-9 Meet & Greet with Jerry and Denise Dillon
Saturday 10-5 Zoo Day at Ross Park Zoo ($4 per person)
3-6 Pizza Party and games at Ross Park ($10 per family)
7-? Minor League Ball game at Municipal Field ($7 per person)
Sunday is a free day to explore Binghamton, meet some new friends for lunch or whatever you would like before you venture home! We are hoping to make this an annual event!
There will be time for autographs if you get to the ballpark early and the first 1000 kids under 14 through the gates get a free Webkinz! Also... if you have a Zoo Membership to any other zoo you should be able to get into the Ross Park Zoo for FREE! We get a membership to the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY and Ross Park Zoo is on the reciprocating list (along with many others across the US). Invites will be going out later next week. If you are not in NY or PA and would like an invite please let me know and I would be happy to forward you one.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Gidget- Embassy Day
Gidget had her Embassy Day and all went pretty smooth. They arrived around 9am and were out by 10:30am. The clerk tried telling them that it was going to take 2-3 days to process because they needed another document from CARA but it all worked out. They head home today. They planned on staying at the Hyatt for the day and then heading to the airport around 8pm. I should hear from her when they land in Newark and get through Immigration. By the way... coming in to Newark at 4am is awesome! The only people going through Immigration at that time are the ones coming off your flight! We were through and to our connecting gate in less than 30 minutes. That gave us time to grab coffee at Starbucks, get freshened up and relax before our next flight. No rushing around. :) Hope they have the same experience as we did!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Gidget-Delhi Day 1
Gidget and Shane arrived in Delhi late early Monday afternoon. Maiya slept the entire flight! They went to Dr. Chawla later in the afternoon for Maiya's medical appointment. Unfortunately she did not have a good experience with him. So, she's NOT recommending him. That's too bad because we loved him. :( Oh, well. All 6 shots that were needed were done in 1 trip to the doc though so it CAN be done. Tuesday is a day of rest for them at the Hyatt. Maiya has had a few crying spurts so they are not planning to venture out. Maybe time at the pool and walking the grounds... nice and relaxing! :) Embassy Day is Wednesday! They are ready to come home to their boys! They are tired and recommend a day of rest in both Kolkata and Delhi. Gidget said not once has she been scared or uneasy. She left all of the negativity back home and went with a fresh mind and she enjoyed her time in Kolkata a whole lot more then Delhi so far. :) We laughed and I asked if she wanted to go back to India with me next spring and her response was "Ha!Ha!... Nope! That's quite alright!" :)
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