Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Forever and Always

On May 24, 2014, Milo was sealed to our family for time and all eternity. In case you are new to this blog, we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As part of our doctrine, we believe that families can be sealed together in the temple. To learn more about this, you can click here. We were also able to be sealed to Cooper back in October. That blog entry is here.
Our family and a few of our closest friends all came to support us in our special day.
This was a very special and sacred day for our whole family. Typically kids are not allowed in the temple. You cannot attend a temple sealing unless you're an endowed adult. One of the very few exceptions to this is for an adoption. When children come to your family biologically, they are automatically sealed to the family. When children are adopted, you go to the temple with them to have them sealed to your family. They then become part of your forever family, just as though they had been born to you. It's such a beautiful thing! As part of this, the children that are already sealed to you can come witness the sealing. This is so special! We have pictures all over our house of the temple, and there is much focus on the purpose and importance of the temple in our family. Our kids have looked forward to attending the temple their whole lives! To be able to go in and witness the sealing of Milo was an occasion of great excitement and anticipation!

It was an absolutely beautiful experience; one we will certainly never forget! I am so thankful for my family. For all of our beautiful children. I'm thankful to be a member of the LDS church and for the blessing it is to be sealed together forever.


One of the most special parts of the whole day was after the sealing was over and we got to stand together as a family and look in the mirrors that face each other and see our family go on forever. To see some pictures of what the inside of the temples look like, you can click here.

I want nothing more than to be with these people for days without end. They are my life and I love them more than I have words to express!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

5/5/5

We could not have completed our adoption without the financial support of others. We spent $30,000 in Russia trying to adopt Dasha girl, then another $30,000 for Milo's adoption. Adoption (domestic or international) is not cheap. You are not paying for a child, you are paying for services (home study, background checks, USCIS, agency fees, in-country staff, travel expenses, etc.) It all adds up, though, and I believe firmly that this is money well spent. It is money that is saving the lives of children.

With such daunting numbers, though, families are often dissuaded from adopting. For those who took the brave plunge and committed to a child, some struggle to come up with the necessary funds. Fundraising is absolutely exhausting, both physically and mentally. I think often of how I can help others in their fundraising. I don't have much extra money these days, but I know I can dig deep into my pockets and come up with at least a little. Everyone has at least a few dollars a month they could give, right?

With the knowledge that many people donating small amounts adds up to big money, I have some friends who've started a wonderful program! It's called 5/5/5 for Families. You donate at least $5 on the 5th of each month and the money gets split up among 5 Reece's Rainbow families in the midst of their adoption process. 5 different countries are chosen each month, with one family from each country being selected. Easy and effective! You can even set up your Paypal to donate automatically each month! I think this is such a great way to help kids make it home to their families!

Please consider signing up to donate monthly to this amazing cause! You will be directly helping children with special needs make it home to the families that already adore them! To join the movement and set up your Paypal donation, click here! To learn more about the 5/5/5 program and to join the Facebook page, click here!