Anyone for Ice Cream????

 

"I scream, you scream...we all scream for ice cream....right????

 

First off, how many of you do not know what Rita's is?? Let me fill you in...Rita's is AMAZING!! We were first introduced to Rita's when we would visit my sisters on the East Coast. A few years ago, that was the only place you could get this wonderful treat.

 

When we saw that there was a Rita's opening up in AZ...and it was right down the road, we were pretty excited.

 

Their slogan is a great representation of what they are..."Ice-Custard-Happiness"!

 

We are so blessed that they are willing to help us out with some fundraising!

 

As you can see on the flyer, our fundraiser is on May 20th. We have a two hour window to get in as many people we can. Depending on the sales, a percentage of the profits will be going to us!!

 

I think eating ice cream and getting the opportunity to help orphans is a pretty "sweet" thing !! Come join us!

 

(If you live in the vicintiy and want some flyers to pass out, let me know!)

May Fundraiser-Usborne Books!

We were so blessed by all who bought t-shirts to help with bringing "Nigel" home. Thank you everyone! email me pictures with your shirts, and I will post you on our blog!

 

Our paperwork is actually drawing to a close, which means we are nearing the time for us to travel to meet our son! We are hoping to be traveling as early as June! Please keep us in your prayers. There is so much to do and prepare for, we are starting to feel some of the pressure.

 

We are starting a new fundraiser this month!

We have been blessed with another sweet soul that wants to help us bring our little one home. She is going to be donating her commision of the sale of these books to our adoption!

 

Here is the link to the online store. Once you are there, just click on "shop" and then choose my name (Reagan Turley) as the party. It will then go towards us! Currently it is scheduled to close on May 12th, but it can be extended if needed.

 

These books look amazing! My kiddos love books, and if I wasn't saving for an adoption, I would be having a hard time refraining from buying some.



 

Also, if your order is totaling more then $75, you will receive a free coloring/sticker book (girl or boy themed)!

 

Happy book shopping everyone!





God is there...

This song makes my heart ache for all the little lights of the world, especially in Russia. The thought of so many faces not even provided with the chance to have a family breaks my heart. We are so blessed to be able to continue our adoption journey down an alternate path, but still grieve for our little one that is out of reach. God is there, little one....along with our hearts.

A Long Road to Resolve...Update on Negotiations

Following the two day meeting that took place between America and Russia concerning the adoption ban, we participated in a conference call from the Department of State. This phone conference was to provide everyone with details about the meeting. Unfortunately, it was not a positive meeting.

 

Russia is not wanting to budge. They stated "the law is the law". Even the members of the DOS were distraught by the lack of willingness to compromise.

 

So it is "nyet" for now.

 

One thing that was mentioned was that this law will probably not be around forever, so it will now be a long term waiting game for many...including us. Sweet Yana turns 2 next months. We are hoping and praying that she will not have too many birthdays without us.

 

 



A Step in the Right Direction!

We were recently made aware of an official meeting going on today and tomorrow between Russia and America. They will be discussing the adoption ban. This is the first "offical" meeting to be set up between the two governments since the ban was signed on December 28th. Please be in prayer that this meeting is a postive gathering where important government officials are able to look at what is best for the children, and come up with a solution that both countries can agree upon. Thank you for your prayers!

New Fundraising Opportunity

We are so thankful for the gals that put together the iPad giveaway. There are still two days left if you are wanting to get a chance at the iPad. Thank you so much to all who have spread the word and also who have donated!

I have signed up to start a new fundraiser. Many of you might be familiar with the Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman. He has been one of my favorite singers for a long time. His family starting an organization that supports families pursuing international adoptions. When I visited the website a few weeks ago, I saw that there were opportunities to raise funds through the sale of t-shirts.  I contacted the company who sells the shirts and they have set up our family adoption acount. Here is the link for our family t-shirt webpage.

 

I was so excited to be able to pick out the shirts we wanted to sell. We were given up to six choices. The first two have got to be my favorite, because they are able to print them in the language of our son's home country. (I am not allowed to specfically state which country that is on our blog, but it is an Eastern Eurpean country. If you want to know more, leave me a comment with your email.)

 

I am adding a widget to our blog so that you can access this fundraiser easily. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you again for all of your help and support as we complete our "paper pregnancy" and get our little boy home!

An Amazing Opportunity!

Having been an avid member of the Reece's Rainbow community, I know what it means to love a child and feel absolutely thrilled when that child's family finds them. Both of our commitments to Yana and Nigel have both yielded similar responses. 

The day after we committed to Nigel, we were approached by a young girl on facebook. I had seen this name pop up in some of the discussions from time to time, so I was pretty sure she wasn't a "troll". She explained that she was a girl that was dedicated to helping orphans, even at her young age. She was putting together a giveaway to help two families pursuing an adoption through Reece's Rainbow. They read our family profile and felt led to bless our family! 

Here is the link to her blog explaining more about her heart, and more specific details on the two adoption families being blessed. 

Items in the giveaway include: $15 gift card to Starbucks, $50 gift card to Target and Refurbished Ipad 2. (All the specific about the Ipad can be found on their blog.

Now on to how to get entries!

Entry costs

$10 Donation = 1 Entry

$25 Donation = 3 Entries

$50 Donation = 10 Entries

$100 Donation = 15 Entries

$350 Donation = 30 Entries

$500 Donation = 50 Entries

You can get a free entry by adding the donation button to your blog. Just copy and past the HTML code. Once you have added it to your blog, leave a comment on our blog or the original post with the link to your blog. Please include your email as well. 

You can also get a free entry by blogging about the giveaway and our families (Remember, there are two families benefitting from this giveaway.) Once you have written a post, please leave a comment on either our blog or the original blog post. 

Please use the "Give Now" button on the left side of the blog to donate. 

We are so thankful for this opportunity. We have already been blessed immensely but the fundraising efforts of others. Stay tuned for another fundraiser around the corner! Thank you for all your prayers and support as we move closer one step closer to our little man!