The
newest "colors" of 
The
newest "colors" of
"It is so magical to watch this child come alive right before my eyes...my cup runneth over"
Macey, Xander, and Kristina, all home from Ukraine!
May 2008
Nastya and Sofia from UkraineThe Gonzalez Family |
|
The Huff Family Follow the Huff family's adoption
journey on their blog at
http://4wildangels.
|
 Luka
from SerbiaThe Outman Family Follow the Outman family's adoption journey on their blog at http://love4ourboys.blogspot.com/ |
 Aleksa
from SerbiaThe Hopfenspirger Family |
April 2008
|
The Spahr Family
This is has been the experience of a lifetime
and our family feels so fortunate that we were blessed with the desire and
ability to have brought Luka into our home. He is adjusting
quite well and has already brought us a lot of joy. We've only
been home 2 1/2 weeks and he seems already right at home. He
giggles and plays and gives lots of hugs, and best of all...he sleeps great
at night. LOL. We all love him so much already and Ethan our 7
y/o with Down syndrome has decided it's his job to help care for him. Isn't
that sweet!? Follow the Spahr family's adoption journey on their blog at http://www.spahrfamilybigtop.blogspot.com/
|
The Fessler Family
HOME NOW, WAITING FOR WRITE UP
Follow the Fessler family's adoption journey on their blog at http://fesslerboys.blogspot.com/
|
|
The Collins Family
HOME NOW, WAITING FOR WRITE UP |
  The Bedford FamilyJovan from Serbia |
March 2008
|
The Cornish Family
It's hard to believe that we went from 2 to 4 just a little while ago as everything has adjusted better and smoother than we could have ever imagined! Emma and Micah are a perfect fit from God for our family and we know the miracles that brought them to us are the first of many to come for our family. Both children are learning to sit, express their wants, and know that their needs will be fulfilled. Kristopher and Brianna love their new "babies" and have taken to them so well. A little too well sometimes! We are absolutely in love and cannot imagine life without all four of our little blessings. I am in awe of each of their accomplishments and wait expectantly for what God has for our future together.
Follow the Cornish family's adoption journey
on their blog at
http://www.cornisha
|
|
The Green Family We are finally home. Our plans changed on our journey but our little Lera is so much a part of our family that we cannot imagine what life would have been without her addition. We are happy to report that she adores her brother Michael, is skeptical about the cats, and while she and Caelia have differences of opinion on who gets the pink purse and who wears the big hat, they are quickly becoming inseparable. Caelia is speaking much more clearly now that she has a buddy to talk to and Lera is quickly learning English. As an aside, this morning I heard Lera speaking and then I heard Caelia answer “Da” to some question that Lera posed. Lera repeated “Da” and they went on with their coloring! Adopting this child has been one of the most fulfilling decisions we have ever made as a family. Follow the Green family's blog at http://thesunflowerchronicles.blogspot.com/
|
February 2008
|
The Urban Family
What began as an adoption dream and a prayer
over a Jamaican anniversary vacation 9 months ago has resulted in a sweet
little 4 yr. old girl now sitting on my lap grinning at me as I type up
this Homecoming page write-up. How can I even begin to describe the
She is beautiful, a miracle. She has not only
been transferred from one home to another, one country to another country,
but from one kingdom to another Kingdom. We have been honored,
privileged, thrilled to be the avenue that God has chosen to bring her to
safety and redemption. We look forward to watching her develop
and blossom into the beautiful woman that God created her to be.
We rejoice to have Ava Alina Grace in the Urban family.
From the Director of Reece's Rainbow: "AVA WENT TO SCHOOL!!!! In January of this year, our little Alina was bedridden in a crib, and had been that way for her entire 4 years of life. They thought she could do nothing. She has been home for 2 months...only 8 weeks....and she is sitting up, eating well, having therapy, and going to SCHOOL. If this isn't a success story to share with orphanage directors around the world, I don't know what is. Every last one of these kids that have been saved from orphanages and mental institutions abroad is a living testimony to God's love for us and His plans to "prosper, not harm" us.... |
|
The McClain Family We find it hard to believe that Caleb has already been with us here in Idaho for one month. With his sparkly blue eyes, adorable smile and wonderful giggle, we all just love him to pieces. He gets tons of attention from his 4 older brothers and sisters as well as from Mommy and Daddy. Which sibling gets to sit by him, change him and feed him are still matters of discussion. Both the paperwork stage and the 5-wk stay in Ukraine seemed overwhelming and unending at times but now that Caleb is actually here, the struggles fade in significance. I am so grateful to Reece's Rainbow for bringing him to our attention and to God for allowing my dream of international adoption to become a reality at last. Follow the McClain family's adoption
journey on their blog at
http://considerthea |
January 2008
|
Chiang (Abigail) from Taiwan We arrived in Taiwan on Saturday January 26th at 8:00 p.m. and the next morning we were off for just a visit with our daughter and we were all comfortable and fell immediately in love so we were able to bring her back to the hotel that afternoon where we played and became more comfortable. She immediately bonded to Daddy, she wouldn't leave his arms...so precious! He couldn't leave her sight. We respected that so I would play with her while she was on Daddy's lap! We had a wonderful trip. The people of Taiwan are very kind and generous. Abigail enjoyed going out to shops and walking around Taipei, greeting visitors who wanted to talk with her. We left Taiwan
Thursday at 2:00 pm (lost a day in between) and arrived back in Rochester,
New York Thursday evening Jan 31st at 11:45. There we were greeted by
several family members and friends. In the car ride home, Abigail
grasped her brother and sister's fingers and wouldn't let them go...they
wouldn't let her go either! |
December 2007
|
Karina (Kara) from Ukraine Our Kara is a remarkable little girl, so smart, funny, and such a daredevil we have to watch her like hawks! She has had to adjust to so many new things in such a short time, and we think she has done remarkably well. We are in awe of her coping capabilities and love her sweet spirit. Her giggles and smiles brighten our days! She is our Ukrainian princess! Meghan and she are learning to play together, there are still bumps in that road, but like sisters, they will work it out. Meghan is a little jealous of Mom and Dad hugging another daughter, she has to be part of the hug and a group hug ensues. As we sit back and think about the last year and a half, we sometimes think about the obstacles we had to overcome and the heartbreaks we experienced; but what we remember most are the friends who donated their time and their money to help us get Kara home. We could not have completed our adoption without them. We thank Reece’s Rainbow, the members who supported us; and Andrea for going above and beyond for us. We are grateful to our agency About a Child who performed a miracle in getting our referral for Kara in one day. While our adoption journey was more of a crooked trail than a straight line, in the end we brought home our beautiful Kara. We are so happy she is the child God chose for us. http://ukieadoptmom.blogspot.com/
|
|
Tibor (Lukus) from Hungary Our little Tibor was chosen by God for a "layover". Sometimes in international adoption, a family and a particular child just don't "match". Originally, the Jones family traveled to Hungary in November and December of 2007 and spent 5 weeks there to get him home, but it just wasn't a good match. This happens sometimes, and it is always in everyone's best interest to find the best family for that child as soon as possible. God's plans are always perfect, and another family living in the same area stepped in to adopt Tibor! Their adoption of him from the Jones family will be finalized in March of 2008.
You are invited to sponsor the Bedford family in their adoption of Jovan at www.reecesrainbow.com/sponsorbedford.htm You can also follow their adoption journey of Jovan at www.gatheringthemfromtheeast.blogspot.com
|
November 2007
|
James (Simon) from China |
|
Jonathan from Guatemala
It's been a long time in coming, but our baby
has arrived! He's not as much of a baby any more, he was 3mos old when we
started and is 22mos old now, but he's still our baby. He's small for his
age and even for a child with Down Syndrome, but he has come along
remarkably well within the last four months since he was put into a
different foster home. He has blossomed with the love of his foster family
and we have even seen great improvement in the two weeks since we first got
him and the one week we've been home. |
October 2007
|
Duoc (Paige) from Vietnam
Paige is home and doing wonderfully. She
has adjusted so well and we just cannot imagine what life was like before
she came home. Other than the "waiting"...we don't miss that part one
bit. LOL But, it was so worth it! She has mastered using a sippy
cup. Whew....that took about a month, but then she got it. She is trying
to feed herself now and walking with assistance. She is finally gaining
some more weight so the doc is pleased. She will always be a tiny little
thing. She is signing several words and even tried to say a few. She
just needs to muster up that confidence and she could do it. One of my
favorite times of the day is just after you put her to bed. She does one
of two things...begins to sing and "coo" herself to sleep, or chats with
her sister, Sophie, in the crib next to hers. They are so sweet
together. And Joy just loves being the big sister to both of them. They
are definitely "3 peas in a pod!"...with Joy as the BOSS. Or so she
thinks. Paige is pretty spunky and now that she feels she has grounds
(been here long enough) she tells Joy like it is. :-) She
loves Barney and any music. She can dance a "jig" with the best of them.
She is STILL a daddy's girl, but sure does love to snuggle with
Mommy.....which mommy eats right up. The older kids have just fallen
in love with her sweet nature and spunky spirit. She is truly a blessing
and we just cannot thank God enough for sending her to us.
|
|
Taylor from the Republic of Georgia
We started seriously thinking about our second adoption while we were on vacation after Christmas, 2006. Scott and I felt like someone was missing from our family. We had adopted Joshua (who has DS) from Hong Kong in 2005 and even though that was a huge step of faith for us as a family, we felt called this time to something even greater. In March 2007 I contacted Andrea about different kids and places to adopt because even though I was interested in another boy from Hong Kong, Lauren, our oldest daughter wanted to adopt a girl. There were no available girls in Hong Kong.
We started thinking about other countries and through a series of God-ordained events, Andrea connected us to Robin at Hopscotch Adoptions, and to the Republic of Georgia, and to Taylor (little T). Although the journey was more difficult, we know that God lead us through each step of the way for His purpose and for His glory. Our faith grew as much as our family. We are overjoyed to have this very bright, loving, and BUSY girl home. Our journey has just begun!! |
September 2007
|
Oksana (Kristina) from Ukraine
"Adopting
that child will be the best thing you could ever do for Alaina"
Those were the words of advice from our dear friend Florence. She should know. She adopted her son Josh after his birth mother placed him for adoption when he was diagnosed with Down syndrome shortly after birth. Florence's biological son, James who also has Down syndrome was only a year old at the time. Today, Josh and James at the ages of 26 and 27 are as close as brothers can be. They are now living on their own together. They look out for each other and maintain a very busy social calendar, together. After finding Reece's Rainbow and our beautiful Kristina, we decided that we wanted to do for our Alaina what Florence did for James....to give her a sister to grow up with and a life long friend. We watched that friendship start to bloom within 24 hours of bringing Kristina home from Ukraine. Now after 2 months, they are the best of friends. They love each other and do not like to be separated. We know that together, Alaina and Kristina will let others see how much potential people with Down syndrome have and how their abilities far out weigh their disabilities. They will educate their world just as much as they will learn from it. We are blessed to have been given the opportunity to parent these 2 beautiful children . |
August 2007
|
Naum (Xander) from Ukraine
The question that we always get asked about
our adoption is “Why would you choose a child with Down
syndrome?” My simple answer is always this: “We prayed, God answered and we
obeyed.” And our family has been blessed beyond measure through our
obedience. We have a perfect little boy with a sparkle in his eye that
reminds me each time I look at him that there
is no price to be put on the life of a child. Our adoption journey took just
2 days shy of 8
|
|
Masha (Macey) from Ukraine Because of Reece’s Rainbow we found an adorable little girl that was in need of a forever family and we were a forever family in need of an adorable little girl! What a perfect match! After staring at her picture for several months it still amazes us all that she is really here enhancing our lives and passing out hugs and kisses. It took Macey about 5 days to adapt to our family, she and Carley are best friends and love each other very much! Our lives have now been changed dramatically, and who knew that quiet little girl we met in Ukraine would turn into such a sweet, happy, energetic, intelligent, mommy’s girl! We definitely caught the attention of the courts, caretakers and all involved knowing that we traveled over 5,000 miles for this special little girl. We stood there adamantly stating that this was the little girl we wanted in our family, how she would be an asset to society and live a fulfilling life! We told them she would be cherished and loved forever by our family, friends and community. We pray that our adoption and presence in Ukraine opened some doors and minds. WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL TO RR, OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR MAKING OUR DREAMS COME TRUE! |
July 2007
|
Katya from Kazakhstan Katya is such a joy! While we didn’t start out wanting to adopt a child with Down Syndrome it has been one of the biggest blessings of our lives. We worked for two years to bring a child home to our family. God knew all along which little one would be ours. Katya has fit right into our family. I think not knowing anything about Down Syndrome has actually been a plus for us. We didn’t have any idea of what she was capable of so we just expect her to be a little girl. And that is what she is. Follow the Delrosario Family on their blog
at
www.delrosarioadopt |
|
Maria from Russia It’s
hard to believe we have had Masha home with us for three months already. In
some ways it seems like she’s been here forever while in other ways it seems
like just yesterday we were anticipating her arrival. Luckily, Masha has
transitioned into our lives very easily. Our friends and family even think
she looks like us (it must be the short haircuts). Masha is a joyful
little girl who takes pleasure in every new thing she does.
As we celebrated her fourth birthday, we quickly realized that she loves to be the center of attention-which may cause some problems as our other four year old thinks she is the queen. Anyway, we are so grateful that we were sent a link to Reece’s Rainbow in June of 2006. Who would have thought one e-mail would bring such a delightful dolly girl into our world? |
|
Mousumi from India
Mousumi did wonderful on the 30+ hours of airports and flights!!! She is
getting along great with Natalie and Wesley and eating and sleeping well!
It's like she's always been here! Thank you again everyone for all your
support and prayers! Thank you Andrea for helping us find our little girl,
We love her so much!!!
Blessings!!
|
|
Daniil (Joey) from Ukraine We began our adoption journey to Joey back in 2004 when we decided we wanted to adopt one or two, up to three children, from Ukraine. Through prayer, we decided we wanted an older girl (age range 10-14) with a younger brother (age range 5-9), preferably for the younger brother to have Down syndrome. We have 5 bio children, the youngest of whom has Down syndrome and autism. We felt we could handle another child with Down syndrome, since we knew what we were in for, and figured that probably not many other people were standing in line waiting for them. We found, through another family who had adopted just a few months previously, a wonderful brother and sister pair who fit our "wish list" perfectly, except the little boy did not have Down syndrome. He had some other correctable medical problems, and in April 2004, James and Catie joined our family. Their adjustment was smooth, and we were enjoying them so much, but still felt that God could possibly be calling us to adopt another child with Down syndrome. We heard about Daniil, saw a couple of pictures, and I was smitten. Jim was not quite as anxious as I was, since Daniil was much younger than we had originally planned, so we waited and prayed for guidance. Life goes on, but every few months I was drawn back to those pictures, then every few weeks, and soon, I was studying them daily, and felt sure God was calling us to Daniil. Through the fall and early winter of 2006 we prayed for guidance, and that if it were not God's will for us to have Daniil, that He provide another family for him. Through a series of events in February 2006, we came to be sure it was us, and we began our paperwork in earnest, finishing it just in time for the NAC to close down, as it was being turned into the SDA! Updating paperwork as needed, and anxiously awaiting for the SDA to reopen, we finally got paperwork submitted in February, and got a May 2007 appointment. On June 11, 2007, Daniil became Alexander Joseph Stolz, ("Joey") and came home with us at the end of June. He was 6 years 10 months old, and such a joy. He now has 3 brothers and 4 sisters, and a mom and dad, and lots of extended family who love him.
|
June 2007
|
Gina and Louisa from Colombia Our adoption journey this
time was very eventful. We arrived in Bogota, Colombia on May 27th and
received our newest girls on Monday. Their names are Lilyanna
Hope and Gabriella Joy. Our meeting was fantastic and they
adjusted very well. The Lord sent us two very precious girls and we know
they are meant to be a part of our family. We have now been home for 3 weeks
and are still adjusting. We have been running to DR's appointments and just
spending time as a family. Our stay in Colombia lasted one month and then we
returned to Alabama. We feel it is such a honor to be the parents to children
with Down Syndrome, and we just love watching them grow and develop each and
every day. It is like watching a caterpillar in a cocoon and turning into
this beautiful butterfly. they are all unique and have many hidden dreams
just ready to share with the world. You may read about our family in the
July 31st edition of Woman's Day Magazine that will hit newsstands on July
24th. |
Justin, TX Tatiana from Russia The adoption of our sixth child, Tatiana Alexandra Premont, was a whirlwind event in many ways. From the day I was "called" to adoption to our court date was about 40 weeks- the length of a typical pregnancy! In so many ways, that was exactly what it felt like too. I never doubted God had a plan with a child intended for us; a baby meant just for our family. Our adoption journey was not without hardships. At times it even felt like the world was against us! So we prayed for aid and wisdom. Friends and family answered our prayers in many ways: financial, emotional and spiritual. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the many individuals who made it their personal goal to rescue Tatiana. She undoubtedly has a very special purpose. In the short time she has been home she has touched many with her sweet smile and contagious laughter. She is a true joy; beautiful, loving, and intelligent. We are forever blessed. Our family photo above, as we arrived back to the airport in Texas, sums it all up....the elation, the relief, the pride, and the overwhelming joy of knowing we had just saved this little girl's life. Her future was worth every penny and every aggravation we faced. "Our cup runneth over".... http://www.realcities.com/mld/dfw/news/special_packages/all_alliance/17491591.htm
|
February 2007
|
|
Ofelia (Guatemala) Born on August 8, 2006 My name means "helper" Although we do not have a way to contact Ofelia's family, as she was placed directly through her agency, the agency has told us that she IS home now. |
December 2006
The Spicer Family
,
Waxahachie, TX
November 2006
==========================================================================
The Mann Family, Lancaster, PA
We had an absolutely awesome time
in Hong Kong. Our social worker was an excellent tour guide and we saw many of
the sights and learned about the history of the city. It was a once in a
lifetime experience for all of us, and that does not include the most wonderful
part of the journey!!!! Jacob took to our family immediately, he must have
felt the love that we have had for him for so long. The orphanage staff was
wonderful to us and our family. There was a very tearful goodbye when we took
Jacob home.
The staff could not grieve for very long, because they had other children to
care for that are still waiting for their forever families. I do not think that
I will ever have the right words to express how we all felt, all I can say is
that he is the most precious gift our family has ever received. He is
funny and engaging and is already flirting with Emily and Erika's friends. LOL
See the attached photo of our joyous family.
Thank you for everything. My sister is having a welcome home party for
Jacob in about 2 weeks, and is telling everyone to donate to Reece's Rainbow, in
Jacob's name or not, instead of gifts. Praise the Lord!!!
===========================================================================================
Andrija from Serbia
Gio
(Luka) from the Republic of Georgia
Vlad and Artem from Ukraine
Anastasia
from Latvia
Lera
from Ukraine
Alina
(Ava) from Ukraine
"
Sasha
from Ukraine
The
Wood Family
The Levario Family
The Bedford Family
This new family, Robert and
Shelley Bedford, previously adopted Naum (Xander) with Down syndrome from
Ukraine in August of 2007, and are now in the process of adopting Jovan with
Down syndrome from Serbia! Tibor, who was named David by
the Jones family but will go by Lukus in the Bedford household, is already
doing amazingly well. Robert and Shelley will really have their
hands full when 5 year old Jovan comes home!
The
Kulp Family
The Berger Family
The
Litzke Family
The Coppola Family
The Robel Family
The Bedford Family
months from the day we found Reece’s Rainbow. At times it
seemed like an emotional rollercoaster, but the ride was well worth the end
result….our forever child. I consider it an honor to say that I am the
mother of this precious gift from God. We are looking forward to the
challenges and rewards of extra chromosomes!
The Saunders Family
The
Delrosario Family
The Riggi
Family
The Myers Family
The
Stolz Family
The Andrews Family
The Premont Family
