Giveaway winners:)

IPAD2

Kelly Mayden


$50 Gas card

Paula Burckard


$50 Gas card

Scott Sheinfeld

I want to thank everyone who donated to our giveaway. Because of you, we only
need $9,635.00 to bring Liam home! (We started the adoption needing $15,000.00)

I am so grateful to all of you. We could not bring Liam home without you!

We will be beginning a new fundraiser in a few days, so stay tuned. God Bless all of you!!

Love,
The Lucas family

Kelly, Scott and Paula: Please send me your addresses so I can get these mailed out to you! Thanks again!:)

Godspeed Little Man

"Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, will find the mouse
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

Mama loves you Liam

We have a button!:)

Check out Liam's button on the right--->
It links to our FSP page. You can also add it to your blog by grabbing the code below it. Thank you again to everyone who is praying and donating to Liam's adoption. We couldn't do it without you!

Our IPAD2/Gas Card giveway ends in just 3 more days!!
Donate for your chance to win and also to help us bring Liam home.:)
Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

Love, The Lucas Family

Caleb's social story

Caleb brought home a Social Story today.

What are Social Stories?

Social Stories are a tool for teaching social skills to children with autism and related disabilities. Social stories provide an individual with accurate information about those situations that he may find difficult or confusing. The situation is described in detail and focus is given to a few key points: the important social cues, the events and reactions the individual might expect to occur in the situation, the actions and reactions that might be expected of him, and why. The goal of the story is to increase the individual’s understanding of, make him more comfortable in, and possibly suggest some appropriate responses for the situation in question.

Caleb has difficulty making good choices when it comes to throwing. He throws a lot of things, especially at the ceiling. His latest obsession is with the ceiling. He talks about the ceiling and points it out everywhere we go. So of course, he now throws things at the ceiling. In hopes of helping Caleb to make good choices when it comes to throwing things (especially at the ceiling), his teacher made a Social Story and sent it home today. Now, I am familiar with these, Jimmy brought home a few stories when he was younger too. Topics included things like: keeping hands to yourself; using your manners; using your quiet voice inside......

Here's the story that Caleb brought home. It's actually a "mini" story, since most are a few pages long...but this one gets the point across and because it is short, we can squeeze it in each morning before Caleb goes to school.

Adopting Liam

The boys and I talk about Liam every day. His picture is in several rooms of our home. They see it and smile. They say his name in their prayers. Caleb tells me that Liam is going to the waterpark with him. Jimmy wants him to come home. He tells me, "He needs a mommy." Love that kid.:) He gets it.

And just a few short months ago, I didn't know I had another child out there. Funny, how God works huh? And when God ran it by me, I was excited and then I panicked, "What?" "How can I do this?" "Going through another adoption process will just add stress to my life, and worry, and fear, and......" (Now, everyone who knows my heart, knows that I have been hoping to adopt again, but being able to make it actually happen is the hard part.)

Well, God heard all of my arguments, excuses and whines. And He said to me, "Trust me, have faith in me,......I know it's scary and hard and stressful.....but I am here and I won't leave you."

Now this little boy that lives on the other side of the world, is in my thoughts and dreams every day! I wonder about how big he is, what does he like to eat, what does he like to play with? Does he get to play outside? Does someone smile at him? Does he have any books to look at? I hate not knowing....it's hard.

BUT, it's not about me now, is it? It's about Liam. And the fact is, that it is not God's plan that Liam and others like him are hidden away behind closed doors. His life has value and God has big plans for him. I am just a small part of a greater plan.

Still, there is so much paperwork and the cost! Oh my, how could I ever afford this especially when I have things that need fixing and bills to pay?

But isn't that what Jesus did for me? Did he not pay with his life to bring me home?
How could I be so selfish and lack the faith to bring home this precious child... when Jesus paid so much to ransom me?

I am so excited to bring Liam home! There are still moments of fear and doubt,but each and every time, God has shown me that He is with me, and that He is in charge.

I have a child waiting for me....although he does not know that he is waiting. He does not know that he has a Mama that dreams of the day she walks out of the orphanage holding his hand. Liam is coming home. Yes, there are good times a comin'!

God asks all of us to do things. It's just sometimes we are too afraid to say yes. And because we are afraid, how many of God's blessings have we missed out on? I have feared and said "No" to God many times in my life. And I am sure, that I have missed out on some of God's greatest blessings because I have been too afraid.
Well, not this time!

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
(NIV)

Wordless Wednesday

(Papa and Caleb)

Jimmy's Formal

This boy of mine makes me so proud!

Devin...always smiling:)



Jimmy's friend Libby who moved out of state, surprised him when she showed up today.:)

Brandon and Jimmy

Jimmy and Kurt

Jonathon

As Jimmy was getting ready to board the limo, he turned toward everyone and said "See ya in Vegas!":):) I love that kid!

Jimmy has been talking about this dance for a month. He has been so excited! I have too.:) Jimmy went to the prom all four years when he was in highschool. He is in a Young Adult program now and this is his first formal dance since then and he couldn't wait! We all met up at the park for photos. Then they took the Limo bus for a ride for about 45 minutes before they arrived at Mac's restaurant in town. After that, they are headed to the dance!

Goodbye S'more

Our guinea pig died last night. She was five years old. We knew she was getting close but it's still hurts when it happens. When I told Jimmy that she was dying last night, he immediately started saying The Lord's Prayer. Then he made this little tribute for her. It says "S'more loves you"

Happy Mother's Day

I am blessed. I have four amazing boys....and another little one waiting half a world away. Jimmy loves holidays and giving gifts. He is a pure example of God's love. On Thursday, he brought home flowers in a pot that he decorated himself. And then again on Friday, he brought home another pot (also designed by Jimmy) with more lovely flowers. Ben is my shy one who doesn't like his picture taken especially if it's going on my blog. But he is here too, always ready for a good laugh! Ben never gets off the phone or leaves the house without an "I love you Mom". He's pretty special that way. Then there's my two Russian sweethearts who can be little stinkers, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you Natalia and Inna, for giving life to my beautiful boys. As I praise God for my children this year, I am so looking forward to next Mother's Day when Liam will be home with us too.
Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!:)

Why I will keep on asking again and again..........for Liam

If someone told me a year ago that today I would be pleading with people on a daily basis asking for money, I would have been horrified! The thing is..... I have a horrible time asking for anything. I would rather pay for someone to fix something in my home then to ask a friend or a neighbor for help. And with both of my previous adoptions, what I couldn't pay by myself or get a grant for, I took out adoption loans and put the rest on credit cards to cover the remaining costs. In fact, I still have an adoption loan.....from Elijah's adoption.

Sounds crazy right? In fact....alot of people feel that if you can't afford to pay for your adoption, then you should not adopt. How terrible would that be if that were the case for everyone who wanted to adopt? The truth of the matter is that almost no one has $30,000 sitting around waiting to be used on an adoption. And sadly, the ones that do have that kind of money, will probably never adopt. Where would that leave the 147 million orphans in our world? The ones that suffer in silence, the ones without a voice, the ones hidden from society, the ones left to die.....

This isn't dramatics, it's the cold hard truth! And that is why today I shamelessly plead for help to raise the money we need to bring Liam home. I will fight for this child... as if I gave birth to him myself. I will jump through hoops, go into debt, cry out to God and plead to all of you....until the day that I can bring him out of the prison he has been sentenced to.

So, last year, I may have been horrified by the thought of asking.....but today I stand before you and ask you to help......

We will be having continious fundraisers until the day we bring Liam home. With every donation, you will not only be helping us to adopt Liam...but you also may receive something from one of our giveaways......that's the fun part:)

Help us bring Liam home

We are raising funds to bring our little Liam home! We need to raise $12,000 more and we need to do it as quickly as possible.

Please donate to Liam's adoption fund and you may be the person to receive this ever popular IPAD 2!! We have also added a $50 gas card each for the next two names drawn.

Donations:

$10= 3 entries
$25= 8 entries
$50= 17 entries
$100= 35 entries
$150= 55 entries
$200= 80 entries


To donate, just click on our Reece's Rainbow FSP box located on the top right side of our blog, OR the Chip-In on the right.Please share our IPAD 2 Give-away with all of your family and friends, blogs and FB!

When you spread the word, leave me a comment and you will receive 1 complimentary entry for the Give-Away

The IPAD 2/Gas Card giveaway will last until May 30, 2011.