to GIVE or not to GIVE.....love

Welcome.

I heard somewhere that a simple photograph has the power to speak 1,000 words.

As you consider a donation to help us bring Ian home, I can think of no better way to "speak" how much of a difference a family makes, than in these images from children, adopted and brought home to loving families in 2010. All of these children have Down Syndrome and/or other special needs.

Please help us place a picture of Ian's "after" on this blog in 2011. Your heart won't regret it.

Before, living on less than we would consider a snack,

after

an adorable son whose belly is full

before, rarely being held, hugged, kissed....
after

a beautiful daughter smothered with hugs

before, an uncertain future for the least among us

after

a cherished son finally home
before, a scared little girl

after

a gorgeous, confident child, the perfect daughter

before, wondering if I will ever be loved

after

the answer to both of our prayers
before, how long can he last as one of hundreds?

after

a family of his own, now a beloved son



for our Ian, won't you please be a part of making his "after" possible?




please give today, every dollar counts.
He deserves a happily ever after.

Get Fit FAST with Ian's awesome Bootcamp Give-A-Way!

For every $10 donation, you will get 1 entry to win this incredible grand prize gift!

Get in shape fast with Operation Bootcamp!! I (Gretchen, Ian's mommy to be) lost over 60 pounds doing these sessions after Ari was born, and made great friends.
These people CAN and WILL get you moving in a supportive and fun environment.
Regular price for 30 days = $350!

This fund raiser to help us get Ian home will run today through Ian's birthday. What a great birthday present it will be for us to all know that we have raised the remaining $15K we need to complete Ian's journey to his forever family! This will be our first fund raiser to raise that final $15K.

We are organic, fitness nuts and we cannot wait to take Ian on rides around our local parks, feed him fresh organic foods, and equip him with the tools to treat his God given body with respect. You are what you eat right? So, what better way to get all of us ready for Ian to come home than to Give-A-Way an amazing 30 day session of Bootcamp for those living in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Are you someone who…

• …wants to take the first steps to fitness but you don't know where to begin?
• …exercises regularly but needs motivation to get out of your workout rut?
• …needs to get fit quickly for a special event, with a program that guarantees results?

CLICK HERE to go to OBC's website and learn about this amazing program!

Last step before submission!

This is it people! Today I get my hands on all of the documents that had to be REDONE in order to be apostilled by the State of Georgia. We got most of all of our original documents rejected for that special gold seal called an apostille, because the notary (bless her heart, she had notarized all 100 or so pages for free for us), signed her name over her embossed notary seal, and that is a big no no in the apostille department. I was SO sad that day, it was the day before Christmas. I had wanted our dossier #1 in the hands of Ian's agency for Christmas, as a present to ourselves.

Of course, we had no clue about the requirements for notary stamping in terms of where it has to go on the actual page etc.., so we never even thought we had to warn her to not write on her seal, or not to place it on anywhere where it would be "obstructed."

Anyway, God is a glorious one and today, I pick up all of the newly notarized (she did it for free AGAIN for us) documents, and then head off to get them apostilled later this week. I fully expect to send an express package to Hand in Hand in Arizona by Friday!!

They already have the $3,500.00 we needed to submit to be able to file our registration application (dossier #1), so we are good to go there. We also have almost ALL of the money we need to complete trip #1, and pay the near $4,000.00 orphanage fee. We are also close to having the $900.00 to submit Ian's immigration petition to the USCIS. We need that clearance in order to make trip #2 and to bring him home.

We are closer than close to getting the date on which we meet our new son, brother, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend. Thank you all, each and every soul who has given time, money, prayers, and worked to help us get this child to his family. We will never have words enough to say thanks, so we hope that through the years, if you remember us, and check up on our family blog, that you will feel thanks when you look at the pictures and read the stories of Ian growing up, with us.

PS. Whoever J.K. is, WE LOVE YOU!! This wonderful person has made a very generous donation to Ian and due to confidentiality agreements at Reece's Rainbow, we are not allowed to know your contact information so somehow, we hope you will see this message that we are SO grateful to you - what a great Christmas present you gave us! Thank you J.K.!