Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Meet the Families of Reece's Rainbow - The Hannon Family
I want to introduce you to the Hannon family. They are adopting from Eastern Europe! You can follow their adoption journey on their blog!
I've asked some questions to help you get to know Jeff and Debbie Hannon.
Tell me about yourself and your family. Jeff and I have been married for 25 years and have been blessed with 8 children ages 2 to 24 and pray for more blessing through adoption. Jeff works as a pharmacist and I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom who has always hoped and prayed for a large family. As a Christian family, we strive to let God direct our steps and pray for wisdom along the way as we discern His will for our lives.
What can you tell me about the children you are adopting?
We are praying to bring home Jaclyn and Harper from (53) in Eastern Europe. Both girls are three years old and are said to be healthy and doing well. Both Jaclyn and Harper have Down syndrome. Though we have yet to meet our new daughters, they are very much a part of our family and we love them so very much!
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| Harper |
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| Jaclyn |
Tell me why you decided to adopt a child with special needs? t was after the birth of our youngest son, Justin, that our hearts were opened to adoption. We were told right after Justin was born that he had Down syndrome so we began to research the internet for information about Down syndrome. We came across Reece's Rainbow and God spoke directly to Jeff and I about adopting children with Down syndrome and other individual and unique needs. We were blessed to be able to bring home Matthew and Michael through RR in Dec of 2010. God is blessing us once again through the miracle of adoption and we pray to bring home Harper and Jaclyn this summer. We are so excited to heed the call of James 1:27 and grow our family through adoption!
What would be your advice to anyone wanting to adopt? Pray! God will guide you through this beautiful journey of adoption. Trust Him through every step and follow wherever He leads you. Though not everyone is in a position to adopt, everyone is called to do SOMETHING to help orphans. James 1:27 says to care for orphans in their distress. PRAY for an orphan; GIVE to an orphan's adoption fund; just do SOMETHING!
The Hannon's are hoping to travel in the Summer of 2011! Please keep their family in your prayers and if you have a blog will you put their button on it? If you can help in any way, thank you!
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For other ways to help the children from Reece's Rainbow, please read the How You Can Help page on the Reece's Rainbow site! Are you adopting? If you'd like to be featured on the 'Meet the Families' segment, please CLICK HERE. We'd love to feature your family!
If you have a blog, we'd love for you to put our Meet the Families Button on it!
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Friday, April 22, 2011
This train is bound for learning...
We LOVE this toy! It's the Vtech Sit-to-stand Alphabet Train. It is designed for babies and toddlers, but I have found that it really helps our adopted children learn colors, letters, and numbers in English. It is also great for my children who are not yet walking to help encourage them to stand.
What is it: The Vtech Sit-to-stand Alphabet Train is an electronic learning toy that teaches children letters, numbers, colors, songs, stories and more! The Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train features 26 double-side letter blocks, a book with six turning pages, five colorful number buttons, one movable elephant character, a motion sensor, a ride-on carriage and a drop-space for sending the blocks from the train to the carriage. Use alone for floor play, push along as a walker, or attach to the carriage as a ride-on toy! With this learning toy, you can choose from two play modes for added fun: Walker Mode and Discovery Mode.
What does it do: The Vtech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train teaches children letter recognition using alphabet blocks and a story book. Your child can look at the book, that is actually attached to the train so it won't get lost, and find the matching letter block. All the alphabet blocks are made with different colors so it helps children learn to recognize and name colors. There is also a piano on the side of the train. The keys are numbered which helps with learning to count.
The Vtech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train features differnt play modes so that children of all ages can learn and have fun with it.
Where do I find it: The Vtech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train is available at any store that sells Vtech product. Some of the places that have this toy in stock are Walmart for $31.97 (on-line only), Amazon for $52.38, and Toys R Us for $49.99.
Happy learning!
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Sunday, April 17, 2011
"Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears?" ... a book review
"Center time was one of the things I hated most. They should call it "crazy loud time." ..... Grace could draw trees that don't look like lollipops. Her trees look like real trees. And she can make a rhyme with any word you say. But she has a voice that hurts my ears. It makes my insides rattle. I felt like pushing her away from my ears to make her stop talking "into" me when she was playing her rhyming game. page 12"
"Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears?", by Jennifer Veenendall,is a fantastic book to share with your own children, with friends, with classrooms at school or church, and even with adults that frequently interact with a child that has sensory issues.
The pictures in this book are very cute. The written content is concise, yet effective in touching on just how sensory processing disorders can manifest in a school room. I read it to my 5 year old son, and he was losing interest halfway through. So I would say ages 6 or 7 and up would be more likely to enjoy reading this book with you.
At the end of the book, there is a page about just what sensory processing disorder is. There is a page of suggested discussion questions to share with a child or group of children. Questions such as: "Do you think Izzy was trying to be naughty or to get someone to pay more attention to her....?" And to wrap it up there are pages that include resources for parent or teachers, useful websites, and recommended children's books, many of which I plan on checking out!
I would say this book is worth your time, esp. if you ever work with, or parent a child whose sensory systems are working overtime.
Ms. Veenendall also has another book entitled "Arnie and His School Tools: Simple Sensory Solutions That Build Success". Read more...
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Meet the Families of Reece's Rainbow - The Johnson Family
I want to introduce you to the Johnson family. They are adopting from Eastern Europe! You can follow their adoption journey on their blog!
I've asked some questions to help you get to know Wayne and Jennifer Johnson.
Tell me about yourself and your family. The Johnsons have been married twenty years and have six children; two adopted children and four birth children.
What can you tell me about the child you are adopting?
Elliot is almost six years old! He has Noonan Syndrome, a syndrome he shares with one of their biological children.
Tell me why you decided to adopt a child with special needs? The Johnson's were called to adopt Elliot when they discovered RR. Elliot has the same genetic syndrome as one of the Johnson's biological children. They cannot imagine either child having to spend their life locked away due to Noonan Syndrome.
What would be your advice to anyone wanting to adopt? Hold fast to the Lord, because He is the only constant on this glorious adoption pursuit.
Please keep their family in your prayers and if you are able to donate it would be such a blessing to them. If you can help in any way, thank you!
For other ways to help the children from Reece's Rainbow, please read the How You Can Help page on the Reece's Rainbow site! Are you adopting? If you'd like to be featured on the 'Meet the Families' segment, please CLICK HERE. We'd love to feature your family!
If you have a blog, we'd love for you to put our Meet the Families Button on it!
Grab This!
Be sure to right click on the box below and then select all.
Read more...
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Missing Piece...
What do they do: The Familiar Things kit will keep your child entertained for hours as they match shapes and identify common things like cat, dog, apple, boat and many more.
The Fit-A-Shape kit contains large, geometric shapes that are so easy to handle. The colors both match and contrast with the puzzle frames.
Both the Familiar Things and the Fit-A-Shape kits help your child learn shape recognition, shape matching, and color and shape sorting.
How much do they cost:
The Familiar Things kit is $19.95
The Fit-A-Shape kit is $14.95
Both kits will require additional shipping charges. Read more...
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Angel of the Week
Meet Julie!
Be sure to right click on the box below and then select all.
Julie is just stunning!
We aren't able to share Julie's photos publicly but we don't want to forget about her because of that! Please enquire if you would like to see photos of her. She is gorgeous!
If you would like more information on her or any of the other children, please contact us!
Please help Julie to find her forever family by sharing her on facebook, twitter, your blogs and any social media you use! Thank you so much!
Please help Julie to find her forever family by sharing her on facebook, twitter, your blogs and any social media you use! Thank you so much!
She can be found here: http://reecesrainbow.org/julie-latin-america
611-18 This little buttercup was born 11/2009. SHE IS JUST STUNNING! Such a shame we can't post her photo openly, but do ask the agency! She has brown hair and eyes with a little button nose. She is very attached to her foster mom and responds well to affection. She’s a happy little girl that enjoys going outside for walks. She likes to play with loud toys. She is a peaceful sleeper and healthy eater. She is a child with Down Syndrome and waiting for a permanent family to help her reach great potential! She has no known heart conditions.
Julie (Latin America)
611-18 This little buttercup was born 11/2009. SHE IS JUST STUNNING! Such a shame we can't post her photo openly, but do ask the agency! She has brown hair and eyes with a little button nose. She is very attached to her foster mom and responds well to affection. She’s a happy little girl that enjoys going outside for walks. She likes to play with loud toys. She is a peaceful sleeper and healthy eater. She is a child with Down Syndrome and waiting for a permanent family to help her reach great potential! She has no known heart conditions.- Single women and married couples
- Applicants should be between 25 – 55 years of age
- No serious health concerns, no mental health issues
- Very minimal history of criminal incidents; please inquire
- 1 trip, both parents travel for 2 weeks until court, then only one parent has to stay another 4 weeks
Thank you for all you do to support and help Reece's Rainbow!
Read more...
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Wooddell's and their son, Wilson...
Little Wilson is due to becoming a little Texan soon :D The Wooddell family have their travel date coming up in just 7 short days! How wonderfully exciting!! Mike and Jamie have 4 little one's now and are so happy to be adding to their family through the adoption of little Wilson. Their youngest, Eli, is 2 so soon the Wooddell's are going to have twins :D (Wilson is 2 1/2) They have a fundraiser going on right now that you can be a part of by visiting their family blog at http://www.hislead.blogspot.com/. You can follow them on their journey to Wilson here too. It's always fun to be a part of a families journey and being able to pray for them. It's something special being able to be a part of children becoming part of their family. You can also help them by going to their FSP directly. http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorwooddellYou, dear RR family, have been an amazing blessing to so many children and recently I've been so blessed by the way you've all come together in helping our families in dire need to be able to bring their children home. May you all be blessed in return by seeing these children come home to their families!
Friday, April 8, 2011
For the lovers of colors..
What is it: This colorful toy consists of a chunky pegging board made from from beech wood and 32 wooden pieces. Small children will have fun placing the vibrant pegs into the holes on the board and will learn that they can be used to create colorful patterns. Both the pegs and the matching rings can be used to encourage early color recognition. Rainbow Whirls can also be used as a color matching toy by matching the ring with the same color peg. Stack the rings on top of each other, using the pegs to keep the tower upright or use the rings and pegs with other stacking toys and building blocks for free play.
My kids LOVE this toy. It is great for improving hand-eye coordination and stimulating their brains. We use the pegs and rings for color recognition, counting, and to enhance fine motor skills.
Where do I get one: It is made by HABA and can only be ordered online. You can find it here.
How much does it cost: Around $35.00 Read more...
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Meet the Families of Reece's Rainbow - The Silva Family
I want to introduce you to the Silva family. They are adopting from Eastern Europe! You can follow their adoption journey on their blog!
I've asked some questions to help you get to know Grace and Mike Silva.
Tell me about yourself and your family. Mike and Grace were married 15 years ago in a small Wyoming town. They have let their love for each other and for children grow over those 15 years. The Lord has blessed them with seven children, Isaiah (14), Gabriel 13, Elisha (11), Hosanna (6), Elizabeth (4), Jubilee (3) and Titus (18 months).
Grace enjoys homeschooling the children each day as Mike goes to work doing Web Design for a Christian not-for-profit in Seattle.
What can you tell me about the child you are adopting?
Noah is a precious little boy with Down Syndrome who just turned three. He lives in a very poor orphanage where the children are transfered on or near their 4th birthday. Many of the children coming out of this orphanage are malnourished and need out quickly! Noah has some heart conditions including a heart murmur, open arterial canal, hyperplasia of aorta, and open oval window which he will need help for once he gets to the US.
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| Noah in Eastern Europe |
Tell me why you decided to adopt a child with special needs? I am sure that no one of us is better than any other, special needs or not. The Lord loves us all and he wants all His children to be taken care of. He gave His Son so that ALL might live!
What would be your advice to anyone wanting to adopt? Trust God! We still need $10,000 before we travel and although it's a big need we serve an even bigger God. We are so grateful to all those helping to bring our son home!
Please keep their family in your prayers and if you are able to donate it would be such a blessing to them. If you can help in any way, thank you!
For other ways to help the children from Reece's Rainbow, please read the How You Can Help page on the Reece's Rainbow site! Are you adopting? If you'd like to be featured on the 'Meet the Families' segment, please CLICK HERE. We'd love to feature your family!
If you have a blog, we'd love for you to put our Meet the Families Button on it!
Grab This!
Be sure to right click on the box below and then select all.
Read more...
Monday, April 4, 2011
YOU Did It!
We have an announcement coming SOON!
Please watch for it!
Thank YOU all for all of your hard work in getting us our 10,000 followers! We have the BEST of the BEST twitter followers and YOU made this happen!
Thank you to Patricia Heaton for helping us to raise awareness for orphans with Down syndrome and other special needs, including HIV, around the world! What a blessing this has been for us! Read more...
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