Maxim - HELP NEEDED!!!!

I'm flying home today (Thursday). My laptop has not been working properly so I haven't had a chance to blog the past few days (I'm using Dave's laptop at the moment), but I'll catch up when I get home! If you think of me today, prayers for a safe and uneventful trip would be appreciated. Did I mention that I was late coming in when I flew here because the pilot FORGOT HIS BAG IN HIS CAR and had to go all the way back to get it!!! Yup. Uneventful indeed.

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This is Maxim.

Is he not adorable???

He lives in an institution right now.

I WAS AT HIS INSTITUTION.

I didn't see him, but it's NOT A GOOD PLACE.

It's an insane asylum. There are a few higher funtioning grouppas that get to go outside, but the majority of the children are left inside. Very little if any care, they are dying. (There is more info I'm not going to share publically, but it's not good.)

HE NEEDS TO GET OUT OF THERE ASAP.

His family is working very hard to bring him home, and they are doing an auction for him to help raise the thousands of dollars they need still.

PLEASE GO CHECK IT OUT HERE!!! Lots of great items and some stuff hasn't even been bid on yet!!

THANK YOU for helping Maxim come home!!!

Happy Birthday Elijah!

Happy Birthday Elijah!!! 

Today you turn 5 years old!

You are growing up and doing new things that big boys do! You are going to school again with your buddies Carter and Caleb, where you are learning lots of new things and practicing your letters!

Your favorite shows right now are Signing Time, Thomas, and Veggie Tales (only the Fib from Outerspace counts as Veggie Tales), and you also love to play on the iPad, which you are ridiculously good at.

You are also VERY good at signing, and know about 200 signs!

The past year and a half has flown by with you, and I am so lucky to be your big sister and help learn and experience new things.

You missed out on love the first 3 years of your life because you were in an orphanage, and because of that we do have our hard days, but we still LOVE YOU SOO MUCH, and we will always be here to take care of you and help you become the boy you were created to be!

I love you Elijah! Happy Birthday!!

Selah Update

I'm loving my time here in NY, but my heart is still heavy for sweet Selah and her family, who are now only a few hours away from me. (I don't know if it will work out to visit them before I leave.) Yvonne has been blogging updates on her blog, but I wanted to update everyone here and ask you to keep praying!!

Since her near drowning accident, Selah has been in the hospital. She continues to make small progress, but not anything big like what her family want to see. She has had a G-tube put in, but she is breathing on her own. She is making very few responses that are a good sign neurologically.

Clanton's have done a couple news stories in the past few days, you can watch the best one here.

PLEASE keep praying for Selah and the whole family!!! Selah needs a MIRACLE, and the rest of the family want their daughter and sister back to the happy little girl she once was.

Steve, Shad, Sam, and Sarah - Selah's siblings

Lyla's 2nd Day Home and Other Random Pics

Lyla is doing AMAZING!! She is adjusting so well, and adjusted to the new time zone/sleep schedule like it never happened. She's loving her siblings and they are loving her, though there has been a bit of vying for attention going on, but not too bad! She is a princess and is getting spoiled like one (hey, we gotta make up for the first 3 years of her life she didn't have princess treatment!)! We all love this girl, and we still can't believe she is HOME!!!

Lyla loves her exersaucer!

Can her eyes be any prettier?? Gorgeous!

That would be her mouth when she tried to eat my camera.

Mama's home, so the pig tails are back!! Grandma and I tried, but we just couldn't get them right. I do love her  piggies better when her hair is shorter though -- they are more poofy! :)

It doesn't look like it here, but Lyla loves the stroller and fussed when we stopped pushing her! :)

Just chilling, wondering why she isn't being pushed anymore! :)

Lyla has a cardiologist appt tomorrow, so please pray all is well for now and she doesn't have to be immediately admitted, and can wait for her surgery.

If you can't tell I took significantly less pictures today then the 250 of yesterday! I only took 50 today! ;) So here are some pictures I haven't posted yet from the past week before Lyla and Mama got home!

"There's a camera! Quick Gav, put your thumb in your mouth!!"

Gavin - he's making sure that I'm don't forget how to take care of naughty little Ukrainians when I get home to my brothers! ;)

Bellie chillin' in her pool! She loves being in there!! It's a lot cleaner than the driveway too.

Doing stretches!

At the park... didn't take to many pics this day as I was too busy being the tickle monster and chasing them!!

Another day we had a picnic at another park (this park)!

Bellie and I

Playing Frisbee!

Belle sitting at the table like a big girl!

Lyla's First Day Home!!

Wanna see pictures of Lyla's first day HOME!?!? Since we got to the airport last night I took 250 pictures. No joke. So I tried to weed through them and choose only my favorites, but I still ended up with a TON!!! 

Summer also blogged about today and their trip home (which got a little scary and involved oxygen - we weren't sure if they were going to make it home or go straight the the hospital!). Please go read that as well!

Enjoy!!!

Sara and her new baby sister

Ms. Belle, the crazy hair woman.

Who is this??

Ready to go to her doc appt!!

Peek-a-boo!! Belle loved Lyla from the start and they got along really well - as good a strong willed Spitz's girls can!!! ;)

Gavin likes her too!

Bellie wrestling Sara (Bellie is the one on top) - boy that girl is STRONG for how little she is!!

"Mom, I really don't remember you mentioning before we left that I had to share you with 4 other crazy kids!"

Gavin was soo nice to Lyla and has been giving her back her bottle all day!!

Isabellie LOVES her sister!!! She wanted to snuggle right up to her!

Tasting her/kisses

Kisses from Sara!!

First picture of Beautiful and I. Please excuse the headboard behind my head my horn, and focus on the baby! ;)

Seriously?!? Crazy what you can do with low muscle tone!!

LOVE this girl!!!!!!!!! I absolutely ADORE her!!!
Like my shirt?? :)

Lunch time!! Waiting for their food!

Goldfish for Belle!

"Hey! I want some too!"

"Uhh Mom?? This isn't fair! I'm the princess here!"

"MOM!!!"

All better with her passy while she waits for her lunch!

Chillin' on the couch!

Look at her stand!! She could barely hold her head up by herself when Dave and Summer met her a few weeks ago!! That's what LOVE can do!!

She loves her daddy!! And can you see her sandal gap??? I'll try and get a better picture of it later, but it's the most ADORABLE sandal gap I have ever seen!!!

Why do kids with Down Syndrome LOVE the vacuum soo much??

Lyla liked it too!

Can she get ANY MORE BEAUTIFUL!?!?!?!?

Oh, I soo wish this picture was in focus!!

While Mama napped, Daddy and I took the 3 'krainians shopping.

Sweet Bellie is such a GOOD big sister!! She was rubbing Gavin's back! :)