Christmas was great!

I need to post Christmas pics, but I haven't taken the time to get them off the camera yet. Maybe I'll get around to it soon. But hope everyone had a great Christmas! Ours was really good. Throughout Christmas, there have been lots of comments about how different things will be next year when (if it's in God's plan) we'll have 2 kiddos running around!!

Seems we celebrated all month long, which makes it that much more fun. We were able to see lots of friends and family, and had lots of time to relax and play. I'm so thankful that we have most of our family within driving distance, and we have such great friends that we get to celebrate with.

One of the early celebrations this year was with a few of my childhood friends. I met them when I started public school back in fourth grade, and we've been friends ever since. We got together for dinner and it was so much fun. I think the best part for me was watching William play with the children of my childhood BFF. It's so cool to see things come full circle :) Here's a picture of them from the evening.

$1328...

... that's how much money is currently in Vera's adoption fund through Reece's Rainbow. It continues to increase. And if a family will commit to her adoption, I will gladly continue to advocate to help you increase her fund even more!

Vera's 5th birthday is just a little more than 3 months away. Please don't let her be transferred. Please share her info on your blog or your facebook page, tell friends and family about her, do anything you can to spread the word.

My Christmas wish was that a family would commit to Vera before the end of the year. There are still a few more days for that wish to come true...

I don't know if I'll blog much this week, because we all have the week off from school and work and we're just enjoying being together.



But I do want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from the Dove family!

Continued Prayers

Vera'a adoption fund is now over $1300! Please join us and continue to pray for Vera's very own Christmas miracle. I pray that THIS WEEK, a family will commit to her and begin their preparations to bring her home.

Favorite Photo Friday

** If you live in the northeast Atlanta suburbs and you're looking for a great - and very affordable - photographer, check out Joe Coulson Photography. He did a fantastic job with our family photos!

Forward Progress

We continue to make progress on the adoption front. Not sure if you noticed, but I added Prayers and Praises to the side bar of the blog. And of course the big praise over there is that we got all medical forms completed correctly on the first try! God is good!!

All of the 'first round' paperwork is on its way to USCIS. Please pray that we will get our fingerprint appointments soon, and that the entire USCIS process will go quickly and smoothly. Like so many things, this part of the process has also changed a lot since we went through it back in '07.

We are making progress on our other dossier documents. We're both taking next week off, so we hope to get several more items taken care of while we're off.

Little One, we're praying for you daily,

and we're gettting closer to bringing you home forever!

Aside from adoption stuff, work, and school, we're also very much into all the fun and craziness of the holidays. Lots of Christmas parties, Christmas movies, and other festivities. I'll leave you with one of the pictures I took of William when he visited with Santa. He was very prepared, list in hand and not the least bit shy!

Christmas Angel Tree

I recently wrote about the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree. We let William choose a child support, and he chose Andriy. We were very excited to receive our ornament last week with Andriy's picture on it. It is proudly displayed right on the front in a very visible spot.

Andriy will be 14 months old this Friday. He has down syndrome and some other minor health issues that can be easily treated once he's with his forever family. We are praying that a family will soon choose Andriy and will pursue his adoption. Isn't he a cutie?!?!

The angel tree runs through December 31st so it's not too late to donate. However, if you wish to sponsor a child AND receive the ornament, your donation must be sent today (this is the last day for the ornaments!!).

Click here to sponsor a child

Did you know...

... that for adoptions completed in 2010, the maximum adoption tax credit will be $12,170
... that Vera's adoption fund is already over $1,200
... that many employers offer adoption assistance funding
... that many churches (maybe yours!) will help you establish a fund for your fundraising
... that some financial institutions offer adoption loans
... that fundraising letters DO generate donations
... that there are SO MANY great fundraising ideas out there
... that Vera is 4 1/2 years old, a great age to really benefit from therapy
... that Vera's birthday is in April - and she'll be 5 - and will likely be transferred to an institution then

I pray that Vera's Mommy and Daddy will read this post this week, that they are praying for wisdom, and that they will contact Andrea right away and let her know that they want to bring Vera home.

Let this be Vera's last Christmas in the orphanage

I just noticed that Vera's adoption fund has once again increased! Praise God that there are people out there continuing to think of her!!
My Christmas wish is a Daddy & Mommy for her. Let's pray fervently that her family will step up and commit to Vera before this year is out. What a wonderful Christmas gift it would be to know that she has a family coming for her!

Help Olga!

One year ago today, our blog friends the McConnells went to court to legally make Mary part of their family.

Recently, they began a fundraiser for a little girl named Olga (like our fundraiser for Vera). To commemorate one year since court, they are matching all donations made to Olga's fundraiser today. Hop on over to their blog by clicking HERE.

The clock is ticking..

In April, Vera will be 5 years old. For most kids, a birthday is a great day. They are surrounded by friends and family. They receive gifts and load up on sugary cake. They are celebrated and adored, and they are filled with happiness.

But not so for Vera. If someone does not commit to her soon, her 5th birthday will more than likely mark her transfer to a mental institution. Her country simply does not have the resources to provide for the needs of these children. I don't imagine the workers in her home relish this thought, but it's a decision that's outside of their control.

I continue to pray for a couple to step up and commit to this sweet little girl. She doesn't need perfect parents. She needs parents who will love her, praise her, support her, give her time and attention, and provide the therapy she needs.

Please join me in praying for her. And remember that it's not too late to contribute to her adoption fund. There's more than $1100 in it right now. I believe that the more that's in there, the better her chances are. You can donate to Reece's Rainbow and designate your funds for "Vera (19) - other angels."

The most important decision he'll ever make

I'm quick to blog about trivial things like vacations and food. But if I'm going to post about those little things, then I definitely want to post about this!

Just a few weeks ago, William accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. We've been praying for his salvation since before we met him. Just two years ago, he didn't speak English, and had never heard the name of Jesus!

This past Sunday, William followed his decision by making his public profession of faith through believer's baptism. We had about 40 friends and family with us at church that morning to celebrate his decision to follow Christ.

We rejoice that William is now our little brother in Christ!

Two Years Ago Today...

We were finally home!

I am thankful that God provided health and safety on our journey. I'm thankful that we found our son and that he was healthy. I'm thankful for the caregivers that watched over him, and the director that advocated for him. I'm thankful for our stateside facilitator and for an amazing Ukrainian facilitation team. I'm thankful for our missionary friends who cared for us while we were there. I'm thankful for family and friends that greeted us as we arrived home.

And as we celebrate "America Day" today, I'm also reminded of a little girl in Eastern Europe who still needs a Daddy & Mommy. She has well over $1000 in her adoption fund that will help the family that is led to adopt her. I know she will thrive when she's part of a family that loves her, supports her, and provides her with the therapy and care that she needs. Please continue to remember and pray for Vera. And spread the word - you never know who God has in store for her. It might be you, it might be someone in your life.

2 years as a family

This video was made about a month after William came home.

Notice how his name sounds like Villiam (he was still working on those W's!).

And how "one" sounds more like "un".

So precious.

We are thankful that 2 years ago today, we were able to take custody of him and take him with us for good. Here are a few pictures from our "gotcha day"...

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree

When you donate $35 or more for one child's grant fund, you will receive a beautiful porcelain photo ornament of your sponsored child to hang on your Christmas tree! These also make very personal and meaningful GIFTS for people you know who are advocates of children with Down syndrome or adoption in general. Nobody wants more scented hand lotion! GIVE THE GIFT OF A FAMILY this Christmas instead.

Please check out the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree project by clicking on the picture below.


To Select a Bauble For Your Blog
CLICK HERE