Almost There!!!

My sweet girl:)

 I have been waiting almost 10 months to write this post!  The infamous dossier is landing in Olivia's country probably as I write this and that makes my heart leap. We are so close to the day that we now know has been so perfectly planned since the day we were created. Olivia is spending her last lonely days in an orphanage and will soon be home, right where God knew all along she belongs....

A room fit for a princess....

 I want you to meet four amazing young women who have dedicated their lives to God.   In following the path that he has cut out for each of them they have become true Guardian Angels for the beautiful children of Reeces Rainbow.  Alyssa emailed me a few weeks ago and told me that they have felt lead to help us raise those last ransom dollars that will free Olivia forever!  It was honestly an answer to our prayers.  Please visit their blog http://4girls4christ.blogspot.com/2012/01/saving-live-mae-giveaway-prizes.html and see the awesomeness that they are!!!     For just $5 you can enter to win some of the most incredible prizes
 and at the same time literally save a childs life!

Thank you all for you continued prayers and be sure to check back ....  Travel dates will be coming SOON!!!!!!!







.

Fueled...

     My world......

   

My amazing kids....

     My fuel .....  

                                          They have kept my tank on full since the beginning of our journey to Olivia.  They have been ignored, hungry, late for practices, and sadly just placed on the back burner.  Not once have I heard a complaint from any one of them!  They want their baby sister home as bad as Lee and I do and because of them and their strength she'll be here soon! The light at the end of this long dirty tunnel is shinning bright!  Our dossier is done and just waiting for a few minor corrections. It will be on it's way to Olivia's region next week.  We will then be waiting to get our travel dates which hopefully will be in February. 

We have been the recipients of yet another blessing. Three incredible young women have dedicated their lives to God and have made it their mission to be a voice for the orphans of Reece's Rainbow.  They have prayed together and have felt lead to help us bring Olivia home.http://4girls4christ.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway-for-livvy-mae.html This news came at the perfect time. As we are preparing to travel across the world we have come to the realization that we will come up short with the finances. The cost to be in country runs about $100 a day with our lodging, food and transportation costs. We weren't worried, strangely enough! We knew..... "Where the Lord leads.....  He provides." Thanks Richard Andrew for those wise words this morning!!!! See all about Richard in my last post! He is an amazing man of God that has opened our eyes to exactly what is is that God has planned for our lives. He is gifted beyond belief with a voice and the musical talent that open the heavens!  Check him out, you will be happy you did! He will, very soon, be a HUGE household name and I am lucky that him and his beautiful wife Shawn are in love with Chloe because I know that my rank as #1 groupie will stand strong forever:) Here is the song that I first heard of Richards and I am counting the days for it to be released:  It's called "The Sound of Coming Home" and it holds great meaning for me! Take a listen and see if you can figure out why I relate it so much to our journey to Olivia:)  Let me know what you come up with!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcH7B6V0hxw 

Richard Andrew and Chloe

 

My babies with Autumns shirt! Visit the Quinns blog and see how you can be a part of bringing sweet Autumn home!

http://autumnmakessix.blogspot.com/2011/12/traveling-t-shirt-fundraiser.html

Waiting to be at the park with her baby sister!

!

Thank you all for your love and support! You all know who you are and one of these days I will put each and every one of you high atop the pedestal you so deserve  I love you!!!  Stay tuned because it's about to get CRAZY!!!!

My Sassy Pants!

Bff's Forever!!    

                 

Olivia Mae!!  Hang on just a little longer Baby Girl...

   

"Not By Chance"

Last night we spent our New Years Eve in the most "contemporary" fashion.  I knew when we walked out of Community Alliance Church last night, in Richmond with 5 smiling children full of questions, we'd made the right decision about what to do on NEW YEARS EVE.  I will be the first one to admit that I was skeptical. I knew that Lee and I would travel far a wide to listen to the incredible Music of Richard Andrew but tucked far deep down in my very Catholic self,  I was a little nervous that we were headed into uncharted territory.  I have to be honest, I was really hoping that Richard was simply going to play music for 2 hours and maybe tell us all a little more about his amazingly colorful life that lead him to find his relationship with God. I didn't "think" that there was anything else that I needed from Richard last night.  I did know that there was going to be people there that he was definitely called to help, but I was so not one of them. I didn't want to take any time and energy away from the real burdens of these people.  About half way through the night I realized that I was wrong. I may not struggle with an addiction, I live a beautifully blessed life surrounded by family and friends that I love and love me with a passion but there was something that I needed last night. It's crazy and anticlimactic I know, but I can't put my finger on exactly what that need is but all I know is that I left that church last night changed.  I'm confident it will come to me and I just pray that that my heart will be open at the precise moment it does.  Richard said something last night that I loved!  He said that no one was here "by chance" that each and every one of us was individually lead by God for one reason or another.  So True Richard!  The nosy part of me wants to know everyone's reason and what role Richard will play in their lives only because I know it will be miraculous!

Listening to Richard talk last night I can say that my faith got a big boost.  I've felt from the beginning that through Chloe God had our life mission all planned out and for that I'm forever grateful.  This awesome mission lead us to Olivia and because of this tiny baby girl many unloved, unwanted, children will become the love, wanted and cherished heaven sent Angels that God intended to grace this earth!

Richard Andrew, you have a gift that reaches far beyond anything in this universe and I am so excited to stand on the sidelines in your world and witness the lives that you transform! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to spend  the evening with my brother Dennis his spectacular family and my dear friend Melissa, her son Ryan and little sister Lizzy!    Richard, finally getting to meet your beautiful wife Shawn was the icing on the cake for sure!  Please hurry back:)

Visit Richard Andrew's website and see for yourselves:  http://www.richardandrewmusic.webs.com/  
 He also has some great videos on You Tube that will have you hooked!

Here are a couple pictures from last night!

May the New Year bring you all the peace in your hearts that I feel in mine this morning because let me tell you, it's all you'll ever need:)

Happy New Year!

Richard, his beautiful wife, Shawn and of course Little Miss Chloe Bea!

New love was discovered last night for sure!

Our Christmas Miracle!

Of course the only picture I take over this holiday season is of the Sassy Chloe Bea showing off at Six Flags!!

 Well as the old year comes to an end and 2012 creeps closer by the minute I realize that in a few short weeks Lee and I will be on a plane headed to meet our baby girl.  We have a couple last minute things that have to be redone and approved with our paperwork but plan on having it all done by next week.  Nothing huge, we just hit a few bumps on this crazy, amazing adoption journey. and it set us back a few weeks.

We had an amazing Christmas and would you believe that not one picture was taken?  I felt horribly guilty about this until one of my awesome kids made me realize that last Sunday wasn't our Christmas.  Our Christmas will be celebrated when our family is complete :) We did however get our Christmas miracle yesterday in the form of 2 round trip BUSINESS CLASS tickets to our girl!!!!!! Let me just tell you that we had just came to the realization that we are definitely going to have to make 2 trips to Olivia's country.  We didn't have enough money for the second trip and somehow knew that God was working in ways that would amaze us.  I have to be honest, I was totally panicking.  Little did I know that a couple hundred miles away a wonderful Angel was answering my prayer! You know who you are and you are responsible for laying down that last piece of the bridge that kept us from bringing Olivia home!  We are forever grateful and will never forget what you have done for us.  I just can't bring myself to say "Thank You" because there is no way it could even come close to touching on how blessed Lee and I feel!  I will save it for when you get your first hug from Olivia and be comforted in knowing that this is all the Thanks you will ever need:) As one Mama to another, I love you and will think of you everyday for literally being Olivia's ticket to FREEDOM!  Here's what this Heaven sent Angel said when I tried my best to come up with the words to express my gratitude: 

I can't do too much to help you on your journey, but will do what I can!  My favorite phrase has always been "Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness"

Happy New Year!

Okay, I need to translate this because it's just too darn sweet not to share with the world:

"Here's what's happening in my life!  My family is adopting a baby girl named Olivia.  Olivia lives in an orphanage Eastern Europe.  Olivia's family didn't want her because she has Down syndrome.  I am very excited for Olivia to come home.  My little sister Chloe has Down syndrome and she is the coolest baby ever!  I can't wait to meet Olivia, even though it means that I will have 5 sisters!!!!!"

  

Notice in Jacks artwork "Olivia Airlines" is flying from her country to America.... It's tough to see through my tear stains:)

I'm in love with this boy!

I must say that this was one of my proudest parent moments.    I honestly know now that he gets it....   He understands that Olivia is his baby sister and she belongs home, playing Legos and Nerf gun tag with him! He has the compassion in his huge 9 year old heart that most adults will never know in their entire lives.  Those of you who aren't lucky enough to know Jack  in person, let me just say he is ALL BOY!  He plays ice hockey, falls out of 7 foot trees and continues playing with an arm that's broken in two places, lives for Nerf gun battles that would put the highest ranking snipers to shame, drives his teachers insane (God bless them) and wouldn't be caught DEAD showing  his soft side (unless there is cash involved).  Yes, I have been known to bribe him for some snuggles and I'm totally okay with that!  However, the little man has morphed into someone that I almost don't recognize.  Little miss Chloe Bea has surly achieved the unimaginable.  She has brought out Jack's inner lovable side.  Chloe hung the moon in Jack's world.  I'm telling you, the circulation is completely cut off from her finger because  he is so wrapped around it!  Poor guy won't stand a chance when Olivia gets here:)   Don't get me wrong,  I so enjoy the new improved sweet boy that is actually sleeping right next to me as I write this! It wasn't that long ago when Jack asked me, "Mom, what is an orphan?"  It didn't take much explanation and within hours the ground broke for "The House That Jack Built"   He listened! He understood! He cares and he is going to make a huge difference in the world, especially in the life of a tiny orphan, and for that I feel fulfilled.

Look at this beautiful boy and the most important girl in the world to him! 

We are moving along in this insanity known as the "Dossier" (the mounds and mounds of paperwork that goes to Olivia's country) and it has proven itself to be the royal pain in the bum that I was warned about.  We are determined to have it completed and sent off to Eastern Europe before Christmas which means we are on track for a second honeymoon across the world in late January!  Please keep us in your prayers..

Abby's Links For Livvy are still available so please consider purchasing some and helping her make a dent in the remaining $4000 we still need to be fully funded.  She is selling them for $1 a link. She will write your name on the link and connect it to make a beautiful Christmas decoration for Olivia to see when she walks through the door to her HOME for the first time!!!!  Remember....  Christmas will remain up in the Herrington household until Olivia gets home and we can celebrate this glorious day together as a complete family!  Thank you for all your love and prayers.

My beautiful babies!

Me and my Chloe Bea!

My girls!

Be still my heart!!

Christmas x 2!!!!

Merry Christmas Baby Girl

We love you!

 

   

 As Christmas creeps closer I am getting more and more excited.  I'm sad that Olivia will spend her first Christmas without us but the kids came up with the perfect solution!  Christmas in the Herrington house will come twice this year!  Our tree will remain up and decorated (the artificial one), our stockings will be left hanging by the chimney and the Christmas music will continue to blast!  Of course, the outside decorations will have to come down:( Only because of the darn home owner rules!!  If it was up to me, the entire street would be lit up until the day we are able to celebrate Christmas with our new baby girl!   Who isn't just a little sad on Christmas day when all the excitement of the day is over?  How many of us yearn for just a few more minutes of watching our children rip through their gifts?  This year, when we close our eyes on Christmas night with our full bellies and our new Christmas jammies on, each one of us will go to bed with the vision of another Christmas morning just right around the corner! An even sweeter celebration because not only will we celebrate the birth of our savior again but we will be enjoying one of the most amazing gifts EVER given to us, our Angel Olivia and Christmas wouldn't be the same without her.   We're coming Livvy and know that your first Christmas will go down in history even if it is in February:) 

We are working hard on our dossier and hope to have it completed by the end of the month.  We have found the most wonderful Notary that has offered to donate all of her services.  This donation will save us a ton of money!

Lee and I sat down last week and started really planning out the logistics of our travel to Olivia's country and we are fairly certain that we will have to make 2 (maybe 3) trips.  A family that just completed their adoption in Olivia's orphanage spent a total of 34 days in country and we just can't leave our kids for that long..  We've figured we need to raise about $4000 more  in order to make that 2nd and/or 3rd trip.  It's hard to think about fundraising again.  It was such a relief when I thought all Olivia's ransom was behind us.  I was panicked at first but all I had to do was remember where we were just a few short months ago and I realized that $4000 was nothing more than a speck of dirt on that huge mountain that we have all worked so hard to climb over!

My sweet Abby was so excited when she heard us talking about needing to raise more money.  She has wanted to have her very own fundraiser to raise money for Olivia since the very beginning.  Jack would have no part of allowing her to help with Olivia's Lego house and I promised her that we would come up with something she could do.  So here it is:

Abby is going to make a paper Christmas garland using cut strips of Christmas paper!  She will sell each strip for $1 and write the name of the person who bought it right on the strip before she links it.  She wants to see how long she can make the garland.  She hopes that it will eventually be long enough to surround the whole house!   I will have this up on my fundraising page by the end of today.  Abby wants to write all the details herself!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

I'll leave you with a few pictures of all the goings on in our happy house:)

                                 

Chloe in group therapy showing Crew some Christmas love:)

My beautiful Pumpkin!

My favorite shoppers!

Chloe and Crew earlier in the summer!

Santa buns!!!  Of course Chloe has holiday diapers!

    

Happy Saturday:)

Here is some  video that was sent to me along with the new pictures of Olivia last weekend and I just realized that I forgot to post it here!!! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!  The blanket Olivia is holing is one that I sent along with the Gibsons for her and the picture that the Nanny is showing her is of our family:)