Fundraiser Friday: A Lilla-Rose Giveaway/Fundraiser for Maxim

*Announcement - The winners of the giveaway are Eidmon and Megan. Please contact Linda and look thru her site to choose the clip you would like to receive. Congrats to you and thanks for playing!! :) *

Maybe it's not right for me to plug "my own" fundraiser on Fundraiser Friday, but technically it's not "my" fundraiser. It's for Maxim and Linda is the one providing the goodies - I just happen to be the one lucky enough to share it with you all. So, I'm making this my FF post for this week and that's all there is to it ;o) 

 

So, if you remember how this works, there was a winner drawn yesterday for last week's part of the fundraiser/giveaway. That winner is "Eidmon". So, Eidmon if you'll email Linda at mrsmenk at menk dot us or leave her a message on either her personal Facebook page or her Lilla-Rose page she will get you your free clip. Congrats!!

 

Ok, now for those of you who have not entered the giveaway yet, you still have time and there's a good chance you could be the winner of a free clip. It's SO easy. All you have to do is Like Linda's Lilla-Rose Facebook page and leave a comment here letting us know. Then you get extra entries for sharing on your blog, your Facebook page, or even twitter - then come back here again and leave us a comment letting us know. REALLY easy! And don't forget, 15% of all sales goes into Maxim's grant fund.

 

And can I beg? PLEASE, PLEASE do this! WE had hardly any interest this last week and it's broken both of our hearts, because we want to see M's grant fund grow and we'd love to see his face get seen by someone who might decide they love him so much they want to bring him home. So, share everywhere you can with everyone you know. Come on, I need something to make me smile - trust me.

A Lilla-Rose Giveaway/Fundraiser for Maxim

Remember him? You know I couldn't let you forget!

Just recently Reece's Rainbow has made it possible for the older children (6+) to have their own grant funds again. I was so excited about this for one main reason, and his name is Maxim. I plan to build his grant as high as I can so that when his mom and dad find him money won't be standing in their way. Thanks to a friend of mine I've been given my first opportunity to do that.

Linda Menke has recently started her own business with Lilla-Rose. They are the most beautiful hair clips I've seen in a while. I've already picked out this Celtic Knot clip for Liza. Linda has offered to donate 15% of all sales for the next two weeks to Maxim's grant fund. In addition to that she will be giving away one Lilla-Rose product each week by random drawing. To be entered into the giveaway see the bullet points below (cause, remember, I get confused).

• For one entry go to Linda's Lilla-Rose Facebook page and "LIKE" it. Leave a comment here on my blog to help us confirm.
• For another entry place an order of a product from Linda's Lilla-Rose website. Then leave a comment here. Remember 15% of all purchases will be donated to Maxim's grant fund.
• Or go to Linda's website and choose your favorite piece and leave a comment here telling us what it is.
• For one additional entry post to your own Facebook or Blog about this Fundraiser/Giveaway then come back here and comment with the link to your post.

Please make sure to leave a comment or comments HERE with every thing that you do that would  earn you an entry into the giveaway. Linda will be keeping track of the likes on her Facebook page and I'll be tracking comments and posts here, and we just don't want to miss anybody. Thanks!!

A Lilla-Rose Giveaway/Fundraiser for Maxim

Remember him? You know I couldn't let you forget!

Just recently Reece's Rainbow has made it possible for the older children (6+) to have their own grant funds again. I was so excited about this for one main reason, and his name is Maxim. I plan to build his grant as high as I can so that when his mom and dad find him money won't be standing in their way. Thanks to a friend of mine I've been given my first opportunity to do that.

Linda Menke has recently started her own business with Lilla-Rose. They are the most beautiful hair clips I've seen in a while. I've already picked out this Celtic Knot clip for Liza. Linda has offered to donate 15% of all sales for the next two weeks to Maxim's grant fund. In addition to that she will be giving away one Lilla-Rose product each week by random drawing. To be entered into the giveaway see the bullet points below (cause, remember, I get confused).

• For one entry go to Linda's Lilla-Rose Facebook page and "LIKE" it. Leave a comment here on my blog to help us confirm.
• For another entry place an order of a product from Linda's Lilla-Rose website. Then leave a comment here. Remember 15% of all purchases will be donated to Maxim's grant fund.
• Or go to Linda's website and choose your favorite piece and leave a comment here telling us what it is.
• For one additional entry post to your own Facebook or Blog about this Fundraiser/Giveaway then come back here and comment with the link to your post.

Please make sure to leave a comment or comments HERE with every thing that you do that would  earn you an entry into the giveaway. Linda will be keeping track of the likes on her Facebook page and I'll be tracking comments and posts here, and we just don't want to miss anybody. Thanks!!

Signing Family

Hmm, I typed that and I realized that some might think what I mean is a family that signs. While we are quickly becoming a family that signs, what I really mean is the actual signing of the word "family". That's what Liza's been doing a lot lately. She learned to sign that word, along with about 50 or so others from the three Signing Time videos that we have. Which she absolutely LOVES!

I can remember one morning, when she'd been home about two weeks, asking her if she was happy to have a family and how she smiled at me so big and then signed "happy". Since then I have caught her a few times just randomly walking through the house signing "family". It's so cute and so sweet and just such a testimony to the fact that EVERYONE wants to be loved! And guess what, they don't care if they have to be taken halfway around the World to be placed into a situation where they will be loved. You will never convince me that orphans are better off in orphanages in their own country so that they can retain their "culture". I assure you, if you go into any orphanage and ask the majority of kids there they will tell you that they want a family - they won't care what the family looks like or where the family comes from, just that the family will love them and be there for them.

So, what am I getting at besides the fact my daughter can sign "family"? This picture below and what hit me today when I looked at it again for one of a hundred times, but this time saw something I'd never noticed before. Do you see it?

Maxim is signing "FAMILY"!! He was telling me the day that I met him that he wants a family. He may not have known that was what he was doing but I know WHO knows every language under the sun and can even speak through a child who has no language!

Today as I watched Liza sign "family" out of the blue once again, I posted about it on Twitter and really didn't think a whole lot about it after that, except to smile every now and then. Then as I was puttering around my kitchen I looked up at Maxim's, Andrey's, and Vanessa's pictures to pray over them and suddenly it hit me what I was seeing. I thought at the time that it looked like he was trying to make a heart with his fingers, but now that I have seen a child who was once an orphan sign "family" I immediately recognized the cry.

I know you can see it too, can't you? Don't you see the pleading in his eyes? Scroll back up and take a look. It's there - that strong longing. The cry of Maxim's heart is to have a family who will love him and give him everything he will need to succeed. It's the cry of my heart as well. "Now that I have seen, I am responsible" (Albertine - Brooke Fraser).

Wow! I have seen and I am responsible. Now, I have helped you to see and you too are responsible. Please share on Facebook, your blogs, twitter, and everywhere else that you can and help me to find Maxim's family. Please don't shrug this off and go on to the next thing. I have held him in my arms and I just cannot let go until he has a family. Please help me and others who love him, like Stephanie, to find Maxim's family.

Recognize This Face?

No?

How about now?

Ringing Any bells yet??

Come on... you know who it is.

Here's a little clue.

That's right! The little boy in all of these photos is my little buddy Maxim.

You're probably wondering where I go these new photos of him so let me share the story with you.

As we were going through the process to adopt Liza I was blessed to make contact with a couple of Missionaries who work in her area and even at her Baby House. One of them, Andrea, does some work with some of the kids at the institution where Maxim is and asked if we would like to go with her one day. Of course, I jumped at the chance!

I don't know if I can openly share how the whole encounter went so I will just say that we were able to go and while we were there I was able to see Maxim. To hold him and love on him. To laugh as he passed gas and laughed about it. That was one of the best parts of the visit, how he thought "tooting" (is it called that when boys do it?) was just the funniest thing - just like any other 6 year old little boy would. He was so sweet and so alert and attentive to those who had come to visit with him. Here's a little rundown of his abilities that I witnessed first hand:

• He can pull up to stand and walk with assistance.
• He knows his name and responds to it.
• he has a sweet nature, personality, and sense of humor
• he copies hand motions (I believe he could learn to sign)
• He can crawl
• he likes cars! :) They said he crawls tro the window to look out when the car comes to their building.

In the one pic above where  you see his hands, he kept touching his thumbs together and so I put his pointers togehter to make a heart and after that he kept trying to do it himself. His worker was a really sweet lady who obviously believes that people with DS are capable. She hopes to see change in her country someday. That really touched my heart to know that he is being cared for by someone who believes that he can be something if given a chance. AND HE CAN!

Maxim's Mom and Dad? Where are you? I've seen him. I've held him and kissed his sweet face. He is waiting patiently for you to come for him. I KNOW, I just KNOW, that he will be the biggest blessing to his family. Please hear the call - for Maxim.