Reece's Rainbow - Miracle Makers, part 2

So a couple of weeks ago I shared the story of Lynda, the precious little girl I had signed up to advocate for during this holiday season. I still smile when I remember that she will be home with her forever family soon! (The Petersen family will be bringing her home!)

So now Lynda has a family. My second choice child was Clementine, another little girl from Eastern Europe. There is very little information on Clementine's page. She is about 6 years old. She has some delays. She has 2 blood diseases. But that's all that is listed. A few tiny sentences to sum up this little girl - that is so sad.

Adorable little Clementine -
look at that precious face!

This little girl drew me in with her sweet little smile, her precious pigtails, her dirty knees. She looks like any other child...but she is growing up in an orphanage. She lives every day with no family. No mama to kiss her precious cheeks, to brush her dark hair, to wipe her dirty knees. No daddy to read her stories, to snuggle her close, to tell her that she is a child of God. It breaks my heart to think about her having no one to call her own.

I reread the paragraph above & it brings tears to my eyes. I would love nothing more than to fly to Europe & bust her out of that orphanage forever & bring her home. Unfortunately we are not at a place where we can adopt internationally right now, so I am doing what I can. I am sharing sweet little Clementine with you right now. Can you share her, too? Share the link above & get her picture out there. Share my blog with her information. Give out my info to anyone who might be interested in learning more about how to start the process of adopting her (or any other Reece's Rainbow child) & I will get them connected with someone who can help them start that process.

Okay, so back to the actual point of this blog: I am raising money for Clementine between November 1st and December 31. My goal is to raise $1000 for her grant. Currently her grant is at $329.40. I will be posting a facebook album in the next couple of days with things for sale. All money from those sales will be going into Clementine's Miracle grant. I am also taking crochet orders - 70% or more of the price of ordered items will go to Clementine. I'd love to have your support as I work to support this sweet little girl! Please consider making a purchase or giving a donation to Clementine's grant starting on November 1st!

Reece's Rainbow - Miracle Makers, Part 1

Reece's Rainbow is a website you see a lot on my facebook page. They are a group (company?) who features kids who are available for adoption, most of which have special needs. Along with featuring children, they help support adoptive families through FSPs (Family Sponsorship Program). When you donate to Reece's Rainbow you can choose to support an adopting family or a child who is waiting to be adopted.

I can't tell you exactly how I became connected with RR, but I think it was through my friend Kami when she was in the process of the adoption of her precious daughter. (Read her story at https://forgoodblog.wordpress.com/ ) I was touched by the families, the children, & those who advocate for both. I got involved. I shared kids. I donated money. I did what I could. I became a family warrior, first for Kami's family, & then, once they were home, for the Adair family (http://adairfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/).

Since the Adairs came home, I haven't done much in the way of advocating. Honestly, I was overwhelmed with our move to North Dakota, our foster license, our kids, our foster kids, our new roles as the pastoral family. So many things were going on & I didn't feel able to do anything more than I was already doing. Along with my own stuff, I became overwhelmed with the kids available for adoption. I had seen so many of my favorites get adopted & go home to be with their forever families, but the number left just seemed like too much. So many kids - so much suffering - so many families trying to raise the money for their waiting kids to come home.

Then a couple of months ago I was reminded of the program that Reece's Rainbow does around Christmas every year. RR opens up a time to support specific children. In the past anyone who wanted to pick a child could do so & there were unlimited spots. If you were willing to try to raise funds for a child, then they let you do it! The goal is to raise $1000 for your waiting child. Being that everyone has some "favorites" that they are hoping get adopted, there are many children chosen & featured through the Christmas season. This leads to lots of kids being seen, but it is a struggle for some people to raise funds because the RR community is so saturated with everyone trying to raise their part.

Sweet little Lynda

This year RR changed things up a bit. The leadership decided to only open the program to the first 100 supporters to sign up. I had never been involved with this before, but my heart kept going to a little girl I NEEDED to see featured. Her name was Lynda & she was one that I have seen on the RR database for years, with no update to her information page & very little mention of her in the RR community. I would have brought her home in a second if we were able to. So I signed up to be a Miracle Maker this Christmas. I picked Lynda as my first choice, then I had to pick 2 more (in case Lynda had already been chosen by someone else). I received word in mid September that I was assigned Lynda for the Christmas season. I was SO excited! I started thinking of how I would raise funds for her & I started working on some projects, but since Miracle Makers doesn't start until November 1st, I didn't do too much.

About a week ago I got an email from a lady who works at Reece's Rainbow. The email was titled "Re: Lynda FOUND her family!!" Wait...what?! So in a frenzy, I open the email. It simply said, "Lynda has found her forever Family!!! Would you like to go with your second choice, Clementine?"

Again, wait...what?! I was so thrilled I almost cried! This little girl, whose tiny face has broken my heart for years, has a family? Her family will be coming for her! Unfortunately, that makes her unable to participate in Miracle Makers as it is just for kids with no family. I would love to be able to advocate for Lynda, but I would much rather she has a family & I am hoping I will be able to help them get her home, too! Her family's FSP should be up soon & I will share it then! (Her family does have a YouCaring account - https://www.youcaring.com/karleigh-petersen-551472 )


So back to the question in the email...would I take my second choice, Clementine? Um, of course!!! I emailed her back & told her that I would love to be Clementine's Miracle Maker this year.

So I will be advocating for Clementine. I will share more about her in my next blog. I will be sharing her soon - or if you can't wait, go to the Reece's Rainbow website & search for her name. I would love to get an email from RR telling me she has a family, too!

Quiz Your Toddler - Andrew

QUIZ YOUR TODDLER

What's your name? "Andrew!"

How old are you? Struggles to get 3 fingers up "Free. I'm free"

When is your birthday? "Tomorrow"

How old is mommy? "2"

How old is Daddy? "1"

What's your favorite color? "Orange & lellow & green. And blue. And green. And lellow. I like lellow. I like all of them."

What's your favorite food? "Pizza"

Who's your best friend? "You!"

What's your favorite show? "I like Daniel Tiger."

What's your favorite movie? "I like videos. Inside Out."

What's your favorite song? "Let It Go"

What's your favorite animal? "Giraffe"

What are you scared of? "Spiders"

What makes you happy? "Crying makes me happy."

Where is your favorite place to go? "I don't know. To the store."

What is your favorite toy? "Daniel Tiger"

What's your favorite thing to do outside? "Play with dirt."

What's your favorite dessert? "Cupcakes"

What do you want to be when you grow up? "A fireman"

Foster Care - North Dakota Edition!

Baby A the day he
came to our home!

The past 2 weekends we have spent Friday evening & Saturday all day doing our foster care training. In North Dakota you can get your license before you complete your training as long as you get your training done within the first year - we have been licensed since November. We haven't had any placements yet, although we are ready whenever they come!

Family picture for Dylan's third birthday.
Baby A was with us for 9 months!

One thing I have been thinking about a lot is how people respond when we say that we are foster parents. Everyone has been so positive & I am thankful for that. We have had so many people step up & donate things we need: beds, sheets, toys, clothes, babysitting while we are at training. It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by such loving people!

Derrick & Baby A at Dylan's birthday party.

The thing that I am struggling with the most, both on my own & with the responses of other people, is the desire to have children in our home. I want foster children to come & live with us. I want to be able to minister to families. People often say to us, "I hope you get a placement soon." And while we hope that, too, we don't want to hope that. If kids are in foster care it is because of some issue at home. Usually the issue is that the parent is abusive or neglectful or their is another issue they need to work through to be the best parent for their child. So as much as we want to have kids in our home, if they have to leave there home it is a loss. No matter what, those parents are the child's parents & it is hard for them to leave them. I don't want kids to have to experience that. I want them to be safe in their own homes. It is such a mix for us. How do you say that you want to have foster kids in your home without essentially saying that you want them to have to leave their homes?


I guess I say this to say, while you pray for us as we prepare for kids to join our family, pray that those children won't need to leave their homes. Pray that their parents work hard to keep them at home. Pray for the police, social workers, & judges who have to make hard decisions about what is best for the children because that is really why we are here. We want what is best for these kids so that they can grow up healthy & happy, whether that is with us or at home with their family.

Baby A in 2013.
We are so thankful for the relationship we have with his adoptive family!
We love watching him & his brothers grow up!

My Dad

My dad, my mom, & me. 1989

Tonight I went to dinner with Dylan. He has been feeling a little neglected since Andrew has been sick & he really needed some one on one attention. As we were eating dinner, this conversation happened:

Dylan: "Do people still hunt buffaloes the same as they did in the old times? Like with a club?
Me: "No, people probably use a gun if they are hunting buffalo, just like if they are hunting deer..."
Dylan: "Or bears!"
Me: "Yes, I suppose if you were hunting bears, you would use a gun."
Dylan: "Did Grandpa Pete hunt bears?"
Me: "No, Dylan, Grandpa Pete did not hunt bears. He didn't go hunting."

This led to a discussion about what Grandpa Pete did like to do. Grandpa Pete is my dad. He was actually Clayton Lee, which is where Andrew gets his middle name, but he was nicknamed Pete. He liked to golf. And work on cars. He liked to spend time with his friends. He watched Murder, She Wrote. He had black hair & a black mustache. He worked hard, often at 2 jobs. He loved me. He was a good dad. He died when I was 8 years old.

I honestly don't remember much about my dad and that breaks my heart. I have vague memories of certain times with him, but I just don't remember much. I was so young when he died...it's been over 22 years.

My brother, my mom, my dad, & me. 1990.

As I talked to Dylan about my dad tonight, I had to work to keep it together. I was almost in tears several times. My boys have no memories of my dad - not even ones they just think they remember because of the pictures. My husband never met my dad. I like to think that he would have been so pleased with my choice of spouse. I know he would have been a fantastic grandpa & would have adored these 2 little boys.

I am so thankful that my boys still have so many grandparents. 4 grandparents & 4 great-grandparents. There were 2 more great-grandparents living when Dylan was born - they have just passed away in the last few years. But it is hard to know that my boys will never know MY dad. That they will never be able to snuggle on his lap & talk to him about his life. So I will work to keep his memory alive through what I know about him - through pictures and things my mom has saved of his to one day pass on to my boys. I hope that I will be able to convey to them what a great man he was & how much he would have loved to be with them.

Pete Rehder's Obituary

More Quotes From the Boys - December 2015 - March 2016

December 2015

Dylan - "I didn't know this puzzle would be so hard."

Renee - "I'm sure you can do it."

Dylan - "Yeah, I know. I'm good at a lot of things." (December 18, 2015)

January 2016

"I'm so cute. And I am loved!" - what a blessing for my sweet boy to recognize how truly loved he is!

December 2015

Andrew

Christmas Treat = Christmas Tree

Santa says, "Ho, ho, ho, Christmas treat!"

January 2016

Man-days = mayonnaise

"Ba, ba, black sheep, have you any more?

Yes, sir, yes, sir, big bags full."

Snuggling Andrew before bed: 

Andrew: "I yike you shirt."

Me: "Thank you. I like your face."

A: "Thanks you. I yike you hair."

M: "Thank you. I like your jammies."

A: "Thank you. I yike you nose."

A few minutes later...

M: "Thank you. I like your ears."

A: "Thank you. They is so special!"

Quotes from the Boys - May through November 2015

I'm sure there have been many more hilarious things the boys have said, but here are some highlights.

Andrew

Soupman = Superman

Batban - Batman

Andrew has a problem with Ls. They never come out as Ls. Examples:
Dyyan - Dylan
Tinkle, Tinkle, Yiddle Star - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
I sit on you yap - I sit on your lap
Yook! - Look!

He also thinks that just by adding "okay" to his statement, it automatically becomes true. Ex. -
Andrew - " I have apple juice."
Me - "No, you are having water."
Andrew - "Okay, apple juice."
Sorry, buddy, that's not how it works.

Andrew feeding Casey crackers -
"Andrew, don't give those to Casey."
"It be nice. He yike them."
How do you not let him keep doing it with logic like that?!

Dylan

While I was discussing all the laundry with Derrick.
Renee: "Ugh, the laundry. I just can't even..."
Dylan (interrupting): "resist!"
Yes, Dylan, I just can't even resist doing the laundry. 8-/

Dylan heard a commercial on the radio for JoAnn Fabrics: "Mom, do you need to go to JoAnn's?"
Me: "No, I don't think I need anything."
Dylan: "But Mom, don't you need yarn?!"
That's my boy! He just knows me so well!