My Jacob print arrived today!!!

Yesterday, was Resurrection Sunday and my husband was baptized!!! We had a great day, exhausting but great. I had spent the day before cleaning my house, each and every room. Can you say, "Old woman, achy joints?" LOL

Today, I checked my mail and my print Jacob Warner made to help the adoption fund for his brother, Joshua (click the link to see their FSP and donate to Cliff on Reece's Rainbow), arrived!!! I LOVE IT!!


I will admit it, I cried when I opened it and I cried again when I read the letter from the Warner family that came with it as well. Forgive me, Lisa, this picture does not do the print justice at all. But the print is lying on Alexander's bed and soon as I can get a frame for it--it will hang on his wall.

At the bottom of the artwork there is an excerpt from the poem The Down syndrome Creed it could not be more fitting to hang in any child's room but especially if you have a child with Down syndrome. A portion of the proceeds from the gallery will go to the Warner for Cliff family adoption fund. It does not get any cooler than that.

Why not purchase one today? As you see, I already have mine and LOVE IT!

You can click here JACOB'S ART and purchase any size print to cherish forever. I know I will. You see, Lisa, played a very integral part in our finding Alexander.

Here is exactly how it started:

Lisa Aspin Warner February 7 at 7:58pm

I have a favor to ask. I know you are in the midst of fund raising for Peter and am totally psyched for Julie. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with her and she is a wonderful person and mother. There is a little boy on RR that will be turning 6 in 2 months and he has already been transferred. There is a group raising funds for him so that is not what I am asking. He needs to find a forever family before April 13, 2011 (his birthday) or his grant which is just over 7,000 is taken from him basically ensuring he will not be saved from the institution. I tried to see if we could get him when we got Cliff but Andrea said they are in entirely different regions but I have to try and find some family to commit to me.. his little face and the video of him haunt me. I do not have the clout to get his story out there but was hoping you could advocate for him to find parents.. not funds just a momma and daddy. Here is my blog post that deals with him http://buildingourvillage.blogspot.com/2011/02/are-you-his-forever-family.html I can send you the video via email if you do choose to maybe ask around. Thanks, Lisa

Christie Young Taylor February 7 at 9:10pm

Lisa, I most certainly will help!! My heart just sank. I did not realize he nearly six...

Christie Young Taylor February 7 at 9:30pm

Lisa, send me the video link to (my email was here)

Christie Young Taylor February 7 at 9:50pm

Nevermind, Lisa, I managed to steal your video and make my own to put on my blog. Thank you.

Lisa Aspin Warner February 7 at 10:04pm Report

thanks Christie!!

Christie Young Taylor February 7 at 10:05pm

No problem, Lisa. :) He is beautiful.

Christie Young Taylor February 8 at 12:48am

Lisa, may I ask who is fundraising for him?

Lisa Aspin Warner February 8 at 7:04am Report

one of them is Corbett Burick.. there are a few of them

Christie Young Taylor February 8 at 8:19am

ok, thank you Lisa.

Within hours, I knew in my heart Alexander was ours. I asked my husband to make the decision for our family and our journey began. Can you help this family out? I would love to see their fund explode with the financial provision they need. They will be submitting their dossier soon and I DO NOT want money standing between them and Joshua's homecoming. Please, do what you can. If you cannot buy a print. Will you donate a dollar? How about five? Ten? Twenty? PRAY???? Most of all pray and share their story. PLEASE!! You'll thank yourself for it, I thank you for it and you will be blessed because of your compassion.

Brian for the Burger family

I apologize but I truly have nothing to share right now about our own adoption journey. Our homestudy should be scheduled next week. I asked for expedition but the agency is swamped right now. We are still guaranteed to have it within 60 days but don't believe we will be expedited.

All documents given to me by our team have been signed, notarized, checked and Apostilled. They are ready to go. We are in a holding pattern.

There are many families that need help. Families are ready for travel and still need funding. Can you help?

Burger Family for Brian

this family will be traveling soon and NEED to be fully funded quickly. They can still raise money while in EE but once they head back stateside--they cannot. Please help alleviate their financial burden. Please. It breaks my heart, if EE told us to travel tomorrow--we could do it. We have the money, we need the paperwork. This family is in the opposite situation. Please, PLEASE give to their fund.

Brian is gorgeous, he needs to come home (just as much as our Alexander does) but this family, unlike ours, will be traveling VERY SOON. My heart is heavy, families are ready to go and our Alexander waits. Please do what you can.

You can also visit their family blog here http://www.missyb-itsawonderfullife.blogspot.com/

Unknown territory

Again, my heart is heavy. Yes, my heart is heavy but my hope is in the Lord and His promises for my family.

We are waiting, patiently, waiting. We are traveling the road of unknown. We know but one thing; GOD has this! I know that is all I need to know. But, I am only human and my heart and mind feels the need for answers.

Where is he? I don't know and we may not know the exact location before we travel but we will know our region I am sure when travel time comes.
How is he? I don't know but I know God loves him more than I do.
How much longer? I don't know, I tried to check God's planner and was quickly reminded it is not mine to see.
The adoption will happen, right? As long as it's God's will for Alexander to come home to be a Taylor--then yes, it will happen and not a moment sooner than God has planned.
How much does this cost? About $24,000 (give or take a few thousand dollars)


So what I know is this: adoption is not inexpensive and I am doing all I can to help this process along. The rest? The rest is up to God---as it should be. I am growing in this process and you know growing pains hurt. So while my heart is heavy, my hope is in Him. This pain now is temporary. Pray for our little fella, pray for our family. Pray for this adoption and our fund.

Thank you

ALEXANDER'S BIRTHDAY BLITZ!!!!!! *April 10-17*

Alexander will turn 6 years old this week---this is also the final days of our iPad2 giveaway. Coincidence? Nope!

Total program costs where we are headed are about $24,000.
Alexander has $7,837 in grant money (thank you to his fundraisers, prayer warriors and sweet Anya--fly high in heaven beautiful girl). 
Our Family Sponsorship Page is $10,033. 
We have also have an additional $1,000 in the waits for us as well.
Our personal savings has $1,602 in it as well from candy sales and iPad2 options.

As of this post, we have $20,472 in all grants and savings combined. If, during this birthday blitz celebration, we can raise just $3,528 our grant will be fully funded. FULLY FUNDED!!!  Can you imagine? I barely can. God has rained down his blessings in financial provisions for this adoption in ways I could have never dreamed.

So, here is the deal, for Alexander's 6th birthday if you donate one time---any amount---I will give you 6 options for the giveaway. If you have $1.00 to give, you will earn 6 options, if you have $100 to give you will get 6 options. "Well, that doesn't seem fair", you might say especially for those who donated already. I agree it doesn't seem fair at all. It is no more fair than the fact that my son, my child who is waiting for me, is locked in an mental institution because he has a tad more genetic material than the people who chose to put him there.

It isn't fair that he has turned 6 years older over the years and NO ONE has ever sang him HAPPY BIRTHDAY. NO ONE has ever given him a cake. NO ONE has celebrated his LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! Well, you know what? I AM!  I AM CELEBRATING HIS LIFE and I AM HOLDING TRUE THE TO PROMISE GOD PUT IN MY HEART THAT ALEXANDER IS MEANT TO BE OUR SON.

What better way, right now, to celebrate his life than to fill his fund full so that Shawn and I simply have to wait and trust in God to get us to his country to bring him home? Our dossier documents are compiled and will be apostilled and returned to me by this weekend (save for our homestudy, immigration ok, state clearances, CSP and POA's). Those last documents cannot be done until we have the homestudy and state clearances.

I would have never imagined that 2 months into this we would be where we are today. God is a mover and a shaker!!!  He can provide this funding if it is His will. I know that full well, I am simply trying to keep it fun for everyone. So, are you ready for a birthday BLITZ?  I am!!!!!!  One day, I can tell Alexander all about this amazing journey and YOU will be a part of it!

God bless you all for the support so far. Now, share this as much as you can. Donate any amount and get 6 options for the giveway!!!!

iPad2 (choice of white or black)

16 GB with Wi-Fi

Your color choice of polyurethane sleep cover for the iPad2 (gray, blue, green, orange or pink)

Apple iPad2 Dock

THIS PACKAGE WILL NOT BE PURCHASED UNTIL AFTER THE GIVEAWAY CLOSES ON APRIL 17, 2010. WE WILL RUN THIS FUNDRAISER FOR ONE FULL MONTH. DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 21, 2011. THE iPad2 WILL BE SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO THE SELECTED DONOR. APPROXIMATE SHIPPING TIMES (RIGHT NOW) ARE 4-5 WEEKS.  

The person selected as the giveaway champion will receive an electronic receipt of the purchase and delivery information as soon as we have communication as to where to send the information. 

Now, how do you receive an option for this package? First donate ANY AMOUNT to our Family Sponsorship Page by clicking on Alexander's picture in the sidebar of my blog at the top. If you do not have a paypal account you can mail a check to Reece's Rainbow with "Alexander for the Taylor Family" in the memo line and send it to:

Reece's Rainbow

P.O. Box 4024

Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Then you can come here to my blog and leave a comment, your name and entries will be tallied and added to our bucket to select the winners. This fundraiser will be live ONLINE and we will also be doing direct-face-to-face donations as well. What that means is this, my husband will be gathering entries through donations to Reece's Rainbow as well around town. 

Right now we have 369 options in the "bucket". So keep coming back to see how many options are going in the "bucket" and watch the blessings unfold!!
Thank you!!!!!! You are BLESSING AJ and BLESSING our family too!!!!!