The Up Family has been busy at the Kelsey Marie Ranch the last couple of months. God has blessed us with this wonderful get-a-way and fun distraction, while at the same time fondly remembering out sweet little girl. The Ranch has come a long way with the lots of work and help from hard working family and friends. THANKS everyone who has helped so far. We've had lots of people come visit and play and we've has small events like b-days, but our first big event will be Memorial Weekend. We've invited our Gateway Family to come to the Kelsey Marie Ranch, and the Up Family is really looking forward to that!!!
Since it's been so long since I've posted anything, there is so many things I want to share with everyone, I don't know where to begin. So, I've promised my self I would try to share a little something every day (or so) instead of trying to do it all at once. There are many things that remind me of my sweet Kelsey and I'm grateful for all of them, but because it's Springtime I think my most favorite right now are flowers, specifically, Gerber Daisies. Every time I see them I think of Kelsey with that BIG Gerber Daisy she wore on her head the last several days we had with her. One of her nurses, Libby got it for her because she thought it looked like Kelsey, and so now Gerber Daisies are my favorite. For Mothers Day I told Andy I just want a bouquet of Gerber Daises. When he went to get them he said they were only going to be about $11 something so he added another bouquet of flowers to make it more. But I told him I didn't care how much they were I would have been happy with just the daises!! Then I added, well if there that cheap you could get them for me every month. We'll see....
More stories to come about Mother's day and all the sweet things that remind me of Kelsey over the next several weeks or how every long it takes.
Thanks for continuing to think of us and pray!!!
Here are a couple of my favorite pics of late....
This is the latest pic of our "base camp". It looks a lot different with everything so green.
Here's our big little man Keeton in the bluebonnets at the ranch.
Here's a reminder pic of our sweet Kelsey girl with her Gerber Daisy bow.
This is Joyce, It is good to hear from you. I think of you often. Keeton looks so handsome amongst the blueboonets. The ranch is looking better each post. I know you will have so many great memories there.
ReplyDeleteHi! I hope you don't mind me leaving this as a comment, but I couldn't find another link to contact you on the blog, and I'm assuming comments have to be approved first. It's long, and the very best part is at the very end.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Ashley. I live in Aubrey, which is between Frisco and Denton. I have 4 children, ages 6 to 16, the youngest of whom, Mason, has Down syndrome.
My family has been blessed immeasurably by the unexpected adventure that is Down syndrome! So much so that, two years ago this Sunday, we started a journey to adopt a little Russian girl with Down syndrome. It has been a long road, fraught with obstacles and the most intense spiritual warfare I have ever encountered. The judge in our region believes that children with Down syndrome belong in mental institutions, not in families, and in March she denied the first of three families petitioning to adopt a child with Down syndrome. (That denial has since been overturned by the Russian Supreme Court, and that little boy is home with his wonderful family!)
In three weeks, we go before the same Russian judge who denied the adoption of that boy, Kirill Davis. We are praying fervently for God to change this judge's heart, and that He will bring our Juliana home.
As part of our court documentation, we are required to bring a photo album of our family, our home, and of Juliana's room. Our agency specified that it should look "decorated". The problem is that I haven't had time or money to buy the crib bedding I want for her bed. I figured that would be something we did once we brought her home, when we weren't so overwhelmed with the process. Now, I found myself in an emergency-bedding search! A woman from our church offered to give me the bedding that she no longer needed for her daughter's nursery, on one condition:
She had a very special rug that she wanted Juliana to have.
A beautiful white rug with flowers
that she bought from a wonderful Christian woman
whose daughter Kelsey will forever be connected to my daughter Juliana by that very special extra 21st chromosome.
I have goosebumps, and I'm crying. To think that God, before he spoke the world into existence, ordained that Kelsey's precious rug should bless Juliana, that these two beautiful girls' stories would be connected. I am amazed at how He lavishes His love upon us!
I wanted you to know where Kelsey's rug would be living. :)
Our family blog is at TheNewFaceOfDowns.org/adoption if you'd like to follow our story and pray with us that God will bring Juliana home.
Blessings! <3