just a quick note before bed. I've gotten way behind again. Landon had to disguise Tom Turkey so he wouldn't get eaten for Thanksgiving. He decided to disguise him as Santa. It turned out really cute. It was assigned as a family project, so we all got to help. We had fun. Landon's sense of humor is really developing. I'll post pictures of his 6th birthday when I'm not so tired. ...... so it might be a while. Big news in the Spencer household, but we'll keep you all in suspense a bit longer on that, too. No, unfortunately, it is not about Aunika.

Dylan's adoption will be finalized in Dec!!! we are excited. the court date is Dec. 29, but now all the reports are in, we are seeing if the attorney can move it up for us.

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree - Maria

**pictures of Maria posted with permission of her orphanage director**




This is Maria. Isn't she a doll? She lives in Serbia, in the same orphanage as our daughter. She was born April 30, 2006. This is what the Reece's Rainbow website has to say about her:
Little Maria is so beautiful! Her giant brown eyes and dark brown hair are irresistible! Maria just turned 2 years old, and is free and clear for international adoption.
Maria was born with an ASD II, but it seems it has closed up on it's own. She has been monitored by a cardiologist, but is not on any medications and is doing wonderfully! She was born with a hemangioma on her lower lip, so she will need to see an ENT and a plastic surgeon to remove it (if you so choose).

a family that was in Serbia stated that the hemangioma was not too bad, and another mom with some experience in the area, says they often go away by themselves. This is the little girl we have chosen to sponsor as a family for this years angel tree. Please make a donation to her. 100% of your donation goes into a grant fund for her. and donations are Tax deductible! And if your donation is at least $35, you will get an ornament with her picture on it (as long as you make your donation by Dec. 15). Visit http://www.reecesrainbow.com/angeltree2008.htm and click on Waiting Angels Gallery , then look for Maria to make a donation. Donations can be made via paypal or USPS.
Better yet, are you interested in adopting her? Serbia is typically a very quick, easy country to adopt from. Our adoption is very atypical. Our daughter has not yet been cleared for international adoption. Maria has been. Just something to consider....
And not to detract from our sponsorship is Maria, but look at this little guy named Alec (from Eastern Europe) and our Dylan. Couldn't they be twins?

Wellllll.... The homestudy update is over. she was here for about and hour and a half. I am just glad I don't stress as much as I used to. She said she'll have the report to us in about 2 weeks. that's not too bad. I would nove for it to be tomorrow, but since we have to have our USCIS fingerprints re-done as well, probably no rush on the homestudy. I sent our check and request to have our fingerprints redone, but they sent it back. apparently as of about 2 months ago, they stopped taking personal checks. Got the Money order, and will resend the request tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be as quick as last time.

I've decided to focus our Angel Tree attentions on Maria, I think. I asked Jasmina to send me some more pictures, and info on her. We'll see how that goes.

Magdalena's family is travelling for her soon. We are glad she has a family to go to. It will be nice to have our turn eventually. I think I'll start packing some basics, just to get one thing off my mind. I tried that once before, over a year ago. You can see how well that turned out for me. I was determined not to start packing again until we had definite word, but families are not being given that much notice. maybe I'll just pack the travel only items. It's hard not to feel excited and hopeful around the holidays.

well, my head hurts, and it's time to fix dinner.

I hope there is a great nationwide voter turnout today. I voted a week ago-- no lines for me. Early voting is very big here- don't know about the rest of the country.

Here is a picture of Luke from last night. He kept getting out of bed, we kept telling him to go back. finally, he fell asleep at the foot of the stairs. so cute.

My littlest Punkin

Buddy walk from Oct. 25

This year's buddy walk was a lot of fun. We met lots of new people. We carried signs saying Honoring Dylan, Remembering Jacob, and Awaiting Aunika. The best part of the day was getting to meet Max! Max lived in the same orphanage as Aunika. His family was in Serbia adopting him around the same time I was in Chicago with Dylan. I got to give Max lots of snuggles. I'm so glad he's home. He looks great!

here's pics of him with his mommy (Shawnie), Max meeting Dylan, and the 4 of us together.

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree Project!!

It's November 1, and that means the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree is BACK! http://www.reecesrainbow.org/angeltree2008.htm

Reece's Rainbow is a registered 501(c)3 charity which promotes and facilitates the international adoption of children with Down syndrome exclusively.

Our Angel Tree is the perfect gift opportunity for your friends and family, and the GIFT OF A FAMILY for an orphaned child with Down syndrome this Christmas. From today until December 31, you have a very special opportunity to view all of our waiting children and offer them gifts in the form of adoption grants, so families can afford the high cost of rescuing them!

With your sponsorship gift of $35 or more, you will recieve a beautiful porcelain ornament with your child's photo on the back. This is a very meaningful and personal gift, and life-saving at the same time! We have almost (100) children on our Angel Tree this year, all waiting for families and eligible for grant donations.

In only 2 1/2 years, donations from individuals like yourselves have made it possible for (120) children with Down syndrome and other special needs to find a family of their own through Reece's Rainbow. They have been saved from orphanages and mental institutions around the world. Our Christmas Angel Tree is our most important fundraiser of the year, and our goal is to find families for (30)+ children between now and December 31! Your donations towards their adoption grants greatly increase the chances of that happening!

The dire need of these children never ceases. Your small gift can literally change the course of their lives, so each of them may be HOME with their own family by NEXT Christmas! The average cost of an international adoption is $25,000, so every penny you can give truly does make a difference. Donations can be made via credit card through Paypal, or you are welcome to send a personal check. International sponsors are also welcome, and we can ship ornaments amd gift cards overseas for you!


Please visit our Waiting Christmas Angels Gallery and sponsor one or more of our orphaned children with Down syndrome today!

Forward this announcement to everyone you know, and share this special opportunity to really make a difference in the life of a child with Down syndrome!

Any questions can be directed to Andrea Roberts at http://us.mc528.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=bamaroberts@comcast.net All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of your gift goes to your sponsored child!

God bless each of you this Christmas, whether you are Christian or of another faith. The need transcends faiths, ethnicity, geographic borders. Thank you for your continued advocacy and support for this ministry, and for sharing this opportunity with everyone you know!


Andrea Roberts, Executive DirectorReece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministryhttp://www.reecesrainbow.org/

Halloween Pics

Landon was Darth Vader, Luke was Luke Skywalker (it's what he tells people his name is anyway), I was a witch (fitting, huh?) and Dylan was The Incredible hulk. Dylan's birth grandparents brought him the costume when they came for a visit. Luke and Landon wanted Dylan to be Yoda, but it was much easier to use the costume he was given. maybe next year. They all looked very cute. and yes, my teeth were supposed to look that way, I didn't forget to brush.

Dylan is such a little smarty pants. This week, he's finally started making some consonant sounds! he says ya-ya, wa-wa, ba-ba, and MA-MA!!! yay!! Okay, I know it is just a sound, he's not calling for me, but I still like the way it sounds. his other neat trick is that he's clapping his hands. SO CUTE!! we have to get him all worked up and excited first, and it takes him a couple of tries, but he's doing it. He was so cute tonight for halloween. I'll post pics tomorrow. all the boys looked adorable. We actually had 2 fun nights. last night was the trunk-or-treat at church, and tonight they went around the block. Me and Dylan stayed home to pass out candy. Daddy took the boys trick or treating.
side note-- I had a dream about my sweet Jacob last night. I was holding and snuggling him. It felt good to hold him again- even in a dream. I woke up longing to hold him for real. I sure miss my little man.
adoption news-- Our HS is expired, so we contacted the agency, and the good news is, she can come Monday! The bad news is, she's coming Monday. Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow? There really isn't too much to do, just some general tidying. Since we are foster parents, it seems our home is inspected all the time, so I no longer worry about the little things. just a bit of clean up to make it look spit-spot. Our fingerprints are also expired, so I sent the request for a new fingerprint date. Last time, it only took 2 weeks for the appt, so I'm hoping it will be quick. our I-171h is good until Jan, so I hope we go before then. we shall see!