5...How time FLIES!

For her 5th birthday, MyMy requested 2 things

• 
  
  1-go shopping with mommy alone for skirts
• 
  
  2-a party at the historic CW PARKER CAROUSEL

We set off EARLY last Saturday. The Captain and the other 5 littles stayed at my parents while MyMy and I went to the big city & hit the mall..

OH HOW I MISS IT living in the sticks...

She picked out several dresses & skirts and got hungry.

It was FREEZING outside so we went to the first restaurant we spotted-she had never been before.

She is SO GRATEFUL & has the KINDEST spirit!

She wanted broccoli cheese soup & a strawberry smoothie at Panera.

She ranted the enitre time about HOW WONDERFUL everything was.

The manager must have noticed her ADORABLENESS & offered her this pink heart cookie for her birthday treat-it was DIVINE, she shared with mommy!

After heading back to my parents & trying on all those new clothes, it was time to head to the carousel for her party!

The 6 littles and even some of the big peeps colored various carousel pictures.

Then came the entrance of WyWy's hero, Our SIL home from Iraq.

I think WyWy surprised him by clinging to his legs for quite some time.

My My designed her own DQ cake, I would have thought some type of princess or something but this is what she picked out-wording and ALL!

2 of her friends from home were able to make her party since they were nearby visiting family for the weekend-WONDERFUL!

EVERYONE enjoyed riding the carousel from young to old....

Happy 5th Birthday to our little MIGHTY MOUSE!

We thank God so much for delivering you to our home to love!

She is TRULY a MIRACLE!

Take a minute.. 

To read how God saved MyMy CLICK HERE!

Why...We do what we do...

Please keep The Captain and I in your thoughts and prayers as we go before the Kansas House of Representatives tomorrow to testify on House Bill 2333. We will be taking 3 kids with us. Pray that the members of the house will listen and be open to this bill making using illegal substances during pregnancy a crime-putting pregnant moms in MANDATORY REHAB until the birth of their baby.

The video above depicts what some of our children went through at birth. Take a minute to watch.

"He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the JUSTICE OF YOUR CAUSE like the noonday sun." Psalm 37:6

Testifying for KIDS!

I just wanted to share with you all that Nick and I will be testifying in front of the Kansas House of Representatives on March 11th at 1:30pm to TRY and get Kansas House Bill 2333 passed. This bill puts pregnant women using illegal substances in mandatory rehab. Join us in praying that it will pass this year.

This law would have REALLY helped out our 6 children from the abuse they suffered in the womb-we will fight until this law gets passed, no matter how long it takes. These little faces are the reason we WILL NOT REST..

To see where your state stands on this issue CLICK HERE. And remember.....One person CAN make a difference in the life of a child.

My dream is to make a Public Service Announcement (starring my kids) to advocate for adoption of drug endangered children and foster children.

Maybe some day!

4...ALREADY?

Scared out of my mind....That's what I was 4 years ago when I got the call about MyMy-our first foster baby. Born into some "very rough" even "deplorable" circumstances-AND exposed to methamphetamines and marijuana in the womb. Could I handle a "drug baby?" "What if she had to go home-back to her birth family?" God knew...

The Captain was out of town and I couldn't get ahold of him so I told the social worker "YES, we will take her." I WAS A NERVOUS WRECK!

I had just a few hours to gather ALL things needed for a newborn. Several friends rose to the occasion and helped us out instantly.

We had spaghetti that night..We (The oldest, bean, T and I) were eating when the car drove up. It was the social workers first delivery of a foster child since starting her first job out of college.

This is how she came to us..In the below photo are ALL the worldly possessions she had. A pink blanket and hat, a diaper and a t-shirt.
I asked the social worker "Are you going to stay with me?" She said "No, I have to go home and get supper for my husband." ARE YOU SERIOUS? You just drop her off and expect me to know what to do with a newborn? I haven't had one in 15 years.

She was loved instantly by all of us...ESPECIALLY the oldest..
Daddy got home later that night and I don't think he put her down for days!! The joy this girl has brought into our lives has been phenomenal!Her adoption was finalized just short of her first birthday!She has become a little violinist-something she most likely would not have done if God would not have saved her life that day 4 years ago.Happy 4th Birthday our princess-little MY MY who has become a beautiful young girl right before our eyes.
Most people say "Oh, you have saved those kids." NO...Thank you MY MY for helping "SAVE US!" And for the MANY blessings your life has brought us.

"The Lord will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and your going now and forevermore." Psalms 121:7-8

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY by 11pm Friday!

IN THE HOUSE!-Me and The Captain.

We got a call from our state representative last week. Last year in February The Captain and I helped initiate, present & testify for House bill 2602 in front of The Kansas House of Representatives.

This bill makes using controlled substances during pregnancy a crime. 15 other states have passed similar bills into law. To find out if your state has this law click here. We will most likely be testifying again sometime in February.

Many bills take SEVERAL times to get from the house to the senate. The main reason this bill did not pass is because the way the bill was written-it gave women a FELONY and put them in jail immediately until the birth of the baby. The reason it was written this way is because it was just copied from another state. The bill is now being revised to make it mandatory REHAB instead of the jail time. Which I think will help it to be passed. Either way, with cut backs and the economy, this will cost our state money-another reason it may not pass. BUT so will raising special needs kids affected by drug abuse in the womb.

PLEASE join us in praying that this bill will pass the house and be moved on to the senate this session and that we are IN THE HOUSE-God gives us the words to speak.

GOD HAS GIVEN ME A CALLING AND I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I KNOW THE UNBORN ARE PROTECTED FROM THE ABUSE THESE 6 SUFFERED IN THE WOMB!

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO WATCH OUR FAMILY VIDEO-so you can put REAL faces with our children who were abused in the womb!

Goodbye BABY!

BELOW is a picture of "the TRIBE" I had at home in September 2006 when I got THE CALL

16 year old

7 year old

5 year old

2 almost 1 year old

1 almost 2 years old

We were also in the middle of transforming our 1000 square foot home from THISTO THIS-doing ALL the interior work ourselves.
SO I WAS IN NO WAY PREPARED FOR THIS
(yes this is really his birth mama)
But God had other plans and on January 19, 2007 our baby boy joined our already swollen family.

A FULL SIBLING TO MY MY
His gestation and even the day of his birth were filled with methamphetamines, cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana. BUT GOD AGAIN PREVAILED! Protecting our BOY in the womb!
MY MY is so proud of her baby brother-they TRULY have a special bond.
I didn't think I could handle another child with The Captains schedule and all that we had going on-but GOD KNEW!
He is LOVED!BIG SISTER...A BOND THAT CANNOT BE BROKENGOODBYE BABY!HELLO LITTLE BOY!HAPPY 2nd Birthday SON!WE TIP OUR HATS TO YOU TODAY!
You are a true and precious GIFT to our family!

TO READ more click HERE!

Wonderful Wednesday!

I was in the car today LITERALLY from sun up to sun down! My day started at 5:15 after sleeping on the couch (for some reason both Caty and Myah sleep in our bed now) I showered, loaded the car and 3 "girlie movies" and got Tori up & ready-loaded in the car then I got Caty up and loaded in her jammies and pulled out of the driveway in the pouring rain by 6:30. I stopped for the first time to get the girls breakfast at McD's then a 5 minute stop at Grandma's in Leavenworth for a potty break-ME NOT THE KIDS (too much coffee) LOL! Then it was off to Starbucks-got Caty dressed in her shoes and clothes in the parking lot (I was 30 minutes late SORRY TRACIE) to meet a fantastic new friend God has given me through this blog (and just to think 3 months ago, I didn't know what a blog was:) I could have talked to Tracie & her sweet little one ALL DAY LONG!! Her blog "FROM THE HEART" is linked to the blogs I read. We only got to chat for about an hour but boy did it fly by! I can tell we will be fast friends. She & her husband and his brother and wife Renee ALL share the passion from God for adoption. Both of their families will be bringing home special needs boys from the Ukraine! I can't wait until we can get all 3 of our families together someday soon! They have inspiring stories-please take time to read them! Check out their blogs or click to see what IHOP REALLY means (and it ain't got nothin' to do with pancakes!)




Then it was off to Caty's appointment, she did very well for the first half! Then to a fun lunch with a few of our favorite cousins that live in the KC area Amy, Beth and Steve! None of these guys have kids YET so they are all super sweet and very fond of mine! I consider all of them HUGE blessings in my life!


We had to be back at KU for the 2nd part of testing but OOOOOPS we were a tid bit late again-nothing like running through the pouring rain with 2 kids and all their "stuff!" We had a nice surprise there, one of my BEST friends from childhood O.J. (the other Jen) was there to hang with us for a few minutes-I LOVE the saying that "just happened" to be behind us when the picture was taken...AMAZING! Let's put it this way, the 2 Jen's have COME A LONG WAY from our wild teen years together. We both have a love for God and for adopted children-who'd have thought?
For those of you who don't know Jen, she is another AMAZING person-while working at KU as a nurse for Medicaid, she had little Isaiah as a patient-she heard God's clear call to adopt him despite his severe medical challenges and need for a small bowel transplant. She and her husband Aaron & their 2 girls Becca and Taylor have truly sacrificed and showed God's love for him over the last 3 years-they've basically rotated living off and on in Omaha, NE where Isaiah is today and has been for weeks. His little body is rejecting his new bowel. Jenni remains here to work through the week while Aaron spends Mon-Friday in Omaha-He then comes back to work on the weekends while Jen and sometimes the girls head to Omaha EVERY weekend. Please keep this dear family in your prayers, this is such a hardship on the entire family all the way around, physically, emotionally and financially.

Caty was tire throughout the afternoon testing but did okay. They came out with a lot of reading material for me to take home and a lot of websites/resources for me to check out. They basically diagnosed her with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified aka Atypical Autism. Basically what they said is that she has many of the "flavors" of Autism but not full-blown Autism. Most of the ways to help her with socialization and behavior will come from Nick and I using different things on a trial and error basis. They will reevaluate her in 1 year. So, good news and praise there.

Off to bed-we have "BLACK SQUIRREL NIGHT" tomorrow night and must get our rest for the intense costume contest! Can't wait to take pictures and post em!

Blessings to you all! Sweet Dreams!

UTAH..Beautiful site for Drug Endangered Children's Conference!

My time in Utah was fun and slightly stressful! I got in last Monday night and went out to dinner with a bunch of people from DEC Conference. The types of people that attend this conference are law enforcement, social workers, doctors, lawyers, and psychologists. It was very interesting to sit in on the breakout sessions.

After dinner Monday night, the group went to a dueling piano bar, it was very cool and different entertainment. Since we were in SLC it was appropriately named The TAVERNACLE!

On the walk back to our hotel, I took a picture of the SLC TEMPLE (thanks Holly) Not the TABERNACLE :)

Everyone in SLC was super kind! I was just overwhelmed at the beauty of Utah, it was definitely proof to me that God exists!

Tuesday morning we were treated to a wonderful authentic Indian performance by Little Feathers dancers. I took video and pictures and my kids loved seeing them. Methamphetamines in particular are a HUGE cause of destruction of a lot of Indian families in Utah and all over the country.

Tuesday evening I went out to dinner with several people from the conference including one of the founders of DEC Sue Weber-Brown. We had a nice dinner at the base of one of the mountains. I got to talk to them a lot about the bill I would like to see passed in EVERY state to protect the unborn in the womb from drug exposure.

I went to bed early Tuesday evening about 9pm but was up from 12am to 3am making revisions to my presentation. I was up early and downstairs with "my person" Cristi Cain as she helped me prepare my presentation. She helps me put things in correct order, handles all my video prep and is very "techno knowledgeable" PLUS, she's my friend and great supporter! If it weren't for Cristi, our story and the need to get these unborn kids protected would not be out there. She has connections in the drug world!!!! LOL

My talk went spectacular! It was my 3rd presentation this fall and definitely the best! I teared up ONE time but didn't cry. I really tried to reach out and get this group to help these unborn babies not suffer the abuse my kids did! I hope they heard me. Thanks to Liz and Marjean, I was able to change my presentation to an earlier time and book an earlier flight home with my friends Cristi and Loretta. ME & CRISTI CAIN!

I was able to be home Wednesday night before all the kids went to bed! Cristi thinks I will get a lot of requests to speak after this conference. We will see :)

I am very thankful for a supportive husband and family! I hope to one day get my kids involved in this effort also. I pray the Keller family will make an impact on drugs and drug endangered children!

Now I'm just back at the farm, sitting in my nightie, drinking coffee back to being a normal ol' mom........just the way I like it!

BTW if any of you have ideas on how we can "get our story out there" to get more exposure so we can get this law passed in the spring PLEASE let me know! Thanks