The face of LOVE!

This is what the face of LOVE looks like!!! So many beautiful faces.... full of LOVE!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

**Video by Patti.. for WDSD 2011.**

Love Multiplied

Once upon a time, in a far away land, on a chilly day in November (2009), a princess was born. Not just any princess, an extra special princess.

This princess was the most stunning of little princesses but her land was not fit for the life of a princess, this land was only accepting of those of ordinary nature. Miss Lilianna was made to be treated as royalty but sadly when she was born no one recognized the gift that she was, the savior she would be.

Princess Lilianna was shunned from her land and sent to live out her life in a dungeon, bound to a life sentence. He wouldn't allow it, He knew that she was meant for great things. While living surviving life in this dungeon her body grew weak, her heart broken and burdened, but little did she know halfway across the world there was a queen, her heart equally broken and burdened and yet at the same time bursting with warmth and love. A warm spring day in May (2010) a queen was falling in love with Princess Lilianna and before long the world would learn the story of this precious treasure that had been found. There would be a royal ball and plenty of celebration fit for a princess, fitting for Princess Lilianna.

A king and a queen, and their princes and princess' too, what more could royalty want than another princess like you? They called out the troops and declared, "Let this battle begin!" and no better of dates than June two thousand and ten! They trudged through the trenches and pushed through the paperwork and then it happened....

They received a call like no other, Princess Lyla was very sick, she wasn't expected to survive and they would no longer be able to rescue her from her dungeon. Grief stricken they were faced with the toughest of decisions, what to you do when your princess cannot come home to you?

The answer was clear, they had another princess very dear to their hearts who was ready and waiting to leave her dungeon. They boarded the plane, slayed the dragon, and freed Princess Belle from life lived survived in the dungeon. Belle was rescued and brought to a world where life as a princess was her new norm. She is loved and adored and doted on like every princess should be! Their hearts broke that Princess Lyla was still stuck in that horrible place but knew that saving Princess Belle was something they could do to honor Princess Lyla.

The king and queen would call to the troops about Princess Lyla as soon as they arrived back in their land, just to find out she was still a very sick little girl with no chance of survival. The king and queen did the hardest thing they've ever had to do, they said goodbye to the daughter of their heart. They felt their journey was not yet over, they felt led to once again go rescue another in Princess Lyla's name, this time a prince.

In June 2011 they once again set sail on another journey, a journey to bring home a prince. Prince Gavin. One year prior they had embarked on the journey to bring home one beautiful princess, a princess who was no longer available to be adopted, and in the process, brought the king and queen to rescue two additional children.

Two months after starting their newest journey they received a phone call, one that they never thought possible, Princess Lyla had SURVIVED! Princess Lyla left the hospital and was sent back to the dungeon to finish her life sentence. Oh the pain that this king and queen felt, how torn they were. Princess Lyla was the daughter of their hearts, the little girl they had made so many promises to, but they were told to let go, she had no hope. They had decided months prior to rescue in her name, to bring home Prince Gavin and scream it from the rooftops that Princess Lyla needed OUT immediately. As fate would have it Prince Gavin and Princess Lyla resided in the SAME dungeon, what are the chances!?

It came time to cross the ocean once again (December 2011), Prince Gavin would be meeting his royal family and oh the joyous time it would be. Oh what a mix of emotions it would be Prince Gavin was undoubtably meant to be part of this royal family, him and Princess Belle both, but the pain the queen felt, knowing that Princess Lyla was trapped in a dungeon, one buried within the same one she had just visited her Prince. It was heartbreaking.

In the process of slaying the dragon to save Prince Gavin, Queen Summer learned that another royal family, one very dear to their hearts, had stepped forward to free Princess Lyla and bring her home forever. This gave the queen renewed strength and when she went back to free Prince Gavin (January 2012) for good she bowed to the knights and begged for a glimpse, to please see Princess Lyla, to promise that her royal family would be there shortly and to just hang on for a little while longer. Many promises were made yet again to Princess Lyla, much like the ones made in June 2010, and then it was time for Queen Summer to set sail back to their mainland with their new Prince as the rest of their royal family awaited their arrival on the other side of the world.

Two months ago Queen Summer held Princess Lyla and promised her a better life, a mommy and daddy,  that her royal family was on their way, and then once again everything came crashing down. The royal family that so desperately wanted to rescue her would no longer be able, Princess Lyla was once again without her royal family.  Queen Summer was quick to call to the troops to rally for this sweet girl, they knew they couldn't afford the ransom as they were still paying off Prince Gavin's but boy have the troops rallied.  Little did Queen Summer know that He had big plans for Princess Lyla. Some would like to say this has been a fairy tale gone full circle and it is so true but "Love Multiplied" keeps coming to my mind. The love of one Princess, the daughter of their hearts, has saved two other royal children in the process and now her job as savior is done, PRINCESS LYLA IS COMING HOME! Home to the royal family that has been with her from the start, but it can't happen without our help, they need $15,000 and they need it FAST. Princess Lyla is extremely medically fragile, she needs medical attention NOW. The royal family stepped out in faith that He would provide. He commands we care for the orphans, he has had his hand on this princess for over two years now and He wants her home, He needs us to step up and provide that ransom. So without further ado....

LOVE MULTIPLIED GIVEAWAY

GOAL: $15,000

Ipad3 32G- Valued at $599

$100 Amazon Gift Card

$100 Amazon Gift Card





$100 Silpada Gift Certificate
Donated By Tonya Robinson, Visit her Silpada store HERE

$25 Walmart gift card

$25 Walmart gift card

$25 Darden Restaurants Gift Card

$25 Darden Restaurants Gift Card

$10 Starbucks gift card

A set of 8 Handmade Birthday Cards

(photo above is just an example of the work they do and not the actual cards you will receive)

$25 gift certificate to For Names Sake

$10 Gift Certificate to TuTu Cute Boutique

Gigi Hill "Lauren" Purse in City Red pattern $48 value

What you have to do to be entered into this awesome royal giveaway:

-Donate-

Donate to the Spitz Family's FSP Here:

$10 = 1 entry

$25 = 5 entries

$50 = 20 entries

$100 = 50 entries

-SHARE-

Share our giveaway on facebook = 1 entry

Follow the Spitz family's adoption blog = 1 entry

Blog about our giveaway = 1 entry

After you do one or more of the above, go and leave a comment ON THIS POST saying you did so and how much you donated (please let me know if you want it to remain anonymous and I won't publish your comment), as well as the link to your blog post if you blogged.

*All donations are tax deductable*

*If you are interested in donating items for this giveaway please email novitc [at] gmail [dot] com*

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All credit for the idea, the giveaway, and the post go to Colleen @ The Stars Aligned. The reason I didn't give her credit at the beginning is some people, like myself, tend not to read posts that are reposted. :)

This beautiful fundraiser was put together by a bunch of wonderful ladies for "my" beautiful Lyla, who the Spitz's are going back to bring home!

Spitz's story is amazing... and I hope you consider participating in this giveaway!!! :)

I thank you, the Spitz's thank you, and Lyla THANKS YOU!!

Waiting Wednesday: Ekaterina

Sweet Ekaterina... what can I can about her that her pictures don't tell you? She was born in March 2004, so she turns 8 years old sometime this month. She has Down syndrome (and also appears to have strabismus/crossed eyes) and because of it is shunned and tucked away and forgotten about in her country. She is another Teri Lynn, another Ksenia, and she needs OUT!

Before...

After...

Teri Lynn (who now has a family and is home as far as we know!)....

Ksenia (who is still waiting!)....

And Ekateria (who is also still waiting!)....

I love the name Ekaterina - it's unique, it's Slavic, it's beautiful. Ekaterina means blessed, pure, holy. When will someone see her as she really is? A blessed, pure, holy, and BEAUTIFUL child of God! A daughter of the King of kings! A Princess!

Ekaterina 16G

18i51-16G

Girl born in March 2004

Ekaterina deserves a better life than this    Our children with special needs simply do not recieve the level of care they should in this region, and really need help fundraising.  It will not be possible to get additional medical info about these children until your dossier is registered.  Families adopting in this region must have an open heart and a leap of faith to save these children! 

Look at how healthy she was as a baby, now she is a shell, tiny, and hidden away 

Ekaterina has brown hair, blue eyes, and is described as inquisitive and active.  She has already been transferred to the institution.  Families should be home study approved prior to commitment. 

Two GREAT Giveways!

Tonight I want to bring some attention to two awesome giveaways that are going on right now to benefit some awesome kids and families! The first to help this little girl come home!

Her name is Albina, and she is at the same place at sweet Katie Ruth!

She has a family working hard to get her, but they need help to bring her home!! There are lots of wonderful things up for grabs including a Ipad 3, a SLR camera, lots of gift cards, a bunch of other cool stuff and this cute hat made by yours truly and my sweet friend Rach!

Go check it all out over at Patti's blog - A Perfect Lily!

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And the other giveaway I want to tell you about is the one popping up all over blog world right now - the Mulligan Stew Giveaway! This awesome giveaway benefits so many waiting children and adopting families!!! There aren't to many giveaways that have a bunch of families included, but this one does! 9 families, 9 children, and many lost boys!

Up for grabs is another Ipad 3, 2 Kindle Fires, lots of gift cards, and over 80 other prizes including a $25 gift certificate to mine and Rachel's blog Handiwork for Lilly, which was purchased by Christina!


To see all the prizes, families, and children...

Go check it all out over at Julia's blog - Micah Six Eight!

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Thank you for helping these children get one step closer to their forever families!!

Hoodies: videos

I just realized I forgot to put the videos in my last post! Here they are! :)

Monkey boy played with that stick and did this almost the whole time we were outside!!

And Elijah wanted the iPad to play with instead of being video taped! :)

Hoodies

After a semi nice day, it got a little chilly, so me and the lil Ukrainians had to pull out the hooded sweatshirts to head outside.

And due to my laziness at not bothering to clear off my camera (I hate mom's cam!), and having the urgent need to take pictures I turned to the iPad for help. So sorry for the bad quality pics! :) Oh and I couldn't figure out how to do the watermark on the iPad either... ;)

Oh and please excuse Elijah's snotty nose, and Jonathan's spit balls. I tried my best but you don't always see those things until after.. ;)

Ohhh how I love little kids (and big kids!) in hoodies! :)

A MIRACLE for Lyla!

I know most of you probably already know if you have been following any adoption world happenings the past few days, but for those of you who haven't, I want to share who Lyla's FAMILY is!!!! Check this out:

LILIANNA for the Spitz family — Jamestown, NY

Dave & Summer are a happy married couple that have been BLESSED with 7 children. Taylor, Conor & Nick are biological, while Owen, Belle, Gavin & Sara were chosen. Owen & Sara were placed as foster children when Owen was 4 months old and Sara was just a tiny newborn. The Spitz family was so grateful that they were able to adopt both of them in 2010. Then in June of 2010 the family committed to adopting Lilianna, the most beautiful girl with the biggest blue eyes. They were devastated when they were told in September that she was in the hospital, she was not expected to live and they were not permitted to bring her home. The news was the end to a dream. The family did not give up on the mission to save; they continued their adoption journey. Isabelle was adopted from Ukraine on December 30, 2010 and what a glorious day that was!! The Spitz family had planned to return to Ukraine in the spring if Lilianna had survived. They inquired about her but she was still not adoptable and still not expected to live. The family came to the realization that Lilianna would not be a part of their forever family. The family was heartbroken. The Spitz’s still answered the call to adopt and they moved forward to adopt Gavin. The Gavinator as he is now known was adopted on December 22, 2011. While in the process of adopting Gavin, the news of a miracle was revealed. Lilianna had SURVIVED and was adoptable. Since Gavin was in the same orphanage as Lilianna, Summer asked permission to see her. Summer explains that visit to be the most overwhelming emotional few minutes of her entire life. She told Lilianna how much she loved her and promised that her Mommy & Daddy would come for her soon. Summer left that room not knowing how long the sweet little girl she just held could honestly survive with a failing heart. It was a wonderful day when a family that loved her dearly committed to her. Finally it was Lilianna’s turn to be SAVED and she could have life saving surgery. Unfortunately, they were not able to continue with the adoption to bring Lilianna home. Little did Summer know that on January 19, 2012 the stunning little girl she held was actually her forever daughter!!! So now, 2 years later the Spitz family is working at lightening speed to finally bring home the little girl that they not only LOVE dearly but the girl that had led them to their newest amazing additions, Belle & Gavin!!! Only GOD!!!!!

3/22/12—HOMESTUDY in PROGRESS 

Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at http://luckytolovelyla.blogspot.com/

$891.12 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

YES!!! THE SPITZ FAMILY IS GOING BACK AGAIN TO GET THE PRINCESS THEY ORIGINALLY TRIED TO BRING HOME - LYLA!!!!!!!!!

Please go read their AMAZING story here - http://luckytolovelyla.blogspot.com/2012/03/dear-lyla.html

As Rachel wisely put it "I think the Spitz's have the most amazing adoption story I have heard yet!" I agree 100%!!!! I am soo happy for them and for Lyla!! And I'm soo happy I can finally share this news with all of you! I've been going a bit batty the past week not being able to tell!

I still can NOT look at this beautiful picture without tears coming to my eyes....

I'll love you forever Lyla, and I'm SOO happy you are coming home to one of the most wonderful families in the WORLD!

World Down Syndrome Day and WW: Lianne

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! If you are like me and follow lots of blogs, you will have read 15 posts about today, but hey, why not another?? (Yes, I counted! ;P Seemed like a lot more then 15 though..)

If you aren't like me, and don't follow any blogs that posted about World Down Syndrome Day, keep reading. And if you do, keep reading! :)

Today March 21st, or 3.21 was chosen because Down syndrome is a 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome. And today, we CELEBRATE those who have a little something extra!! The ones who are a BLESSING, not a curse.

I love how somebody put it today (I'm sorry I don't remember who!), they said "Down syndrome isn't a disability, it's an extra ability! After all more love is better right?"

The other night we celebrated with our local Ds group. Everyone had a blast jumping around! Here are some of my (very terrible) pictures from the night!

My 2 yo sister, Rachel

My brother Jonathan, one of the reasons we CELEBRATE today!

Mr. Micah, another one of the reasons we CELEBRATE today! I love his shirt, don't you??

My brother Elijah, another reason we CELEBRATE today!

"Cheese. There I smiled like you wanted. Can I go now?"

Ms Ruby, a reason why we CELEBRATE today!

And one of my favorite parts of the evening beside celebrating all of the reasons above, seeing "my" baby Dax again! He's so much smaller than in pictures, and just as sweet as ever!

Where are we celebrating?? Because all of these children, and SOO many more, were given LIFE!

Down syndrome is not something to fear or detest, it's just more to LOVE! It's not scary and it does NOTdefine a person! Down syndrome is soo special, and it changes everyone around the person who was blessed with it for the better!

I want you to go read this post, it defines everything so much better than I could, and honestly made me cry - Proverbs Twenty-four Twelve: A Blessing

After you are done reading that, come back here and watch this video please.

And after that, on World Down Syndrome Day, I want to show you someone who is blessed with a extra chromosome, but has no reason to celebrate.

Ready??

Meet beautiful Lianne:

At first glance what do you see?? 

Like most, probably a little girl, who probably needs a family, has Down syndrome, looks very delayed, and doesn't look very happy.

That what I saw too. But then I started to look deeper.

I then saw a princess, created in the very image of God himself. A princess who needed my help. No, I can't go slay any dragons for her, or free her from a dungeon, but I can be her voice, and help her to get the one thing she needs most - a family.

She was blessed with Down syndrome too, but she has no reason to celebrate. Because she was abandoned because of her extra chromosome. She doesn't have the opportunities in that orphanage that she would have here.

Look at her like God sees her - a princess. And please consider helping her.

Lianne

Girl, Born 2009 

Baby Lianne was born with Down syndrome.   She does have significant strabismus.  She has an open oval window (atrial defect) that should be checked once she is home. 

She was recently moved to orphanage 53.  She is negative for HIV.   More photos available, married couples only please. 

$1152.50 is available towards the cost of my adoption!