God has made such awesome promises to us !

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

We know that God is making all things work together for good in our lives as well as yours. Christ is our hope, our Good Shepher, our Provider, our Healer, our Redeemer, and our Savior. Please consider a donation to help us carry out the work the Lord has set before us.

Psalm 41:1 says "Blessed is he who considers the weak and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of evil and trouble."

Than you for your faithful support and earnest prayers.

Yours in Christ,
Jennifer Richardson

Scott is Home Safely !

Scott is home safe. His flight was on-time, so that was nice. All the kids missed him and made a point to tell him how much. Shawna was a sweety, and came up to Scott and said "Daddy, I missed you so much.". Then she came up to me later, and said "Mommy, you my best friend." Ahh, it makes a mom's heart melt.

Scott's dad was doing better Thursday and sat up in a chair. Saturday, he was discharged from the hospital. He moved back to the nursing home. When Scott came home today, he was doing poorly again. It was a good visit. We will continue to keep both of Scott's parents in prayer.

Jennifer

Friday, February 13, 2009

Friday – Taxes are done ! Yeah !!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thursday – well, it certainly has been a roller coaster of a week. While Scott is out of state, I was relieved to find out that I was excused from jury duty ! We are all excited when Scott will come home, are enjoying his frequent calls home, and are praying his safe return. Michael has really stepped up and been such a helper. He cleaned the whole kitchen yesterday; it was absolutely beautiful ! Me, I just really wanted to write all this down and share it with all of you. Thank you for the continuing prayers.

CHECK OUT THE ARTWORK AT WWW.SHOP.RICHARDSONSTUDIOS.COM

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

We received a call that the state APPROVED a reduction in the adoption fees from $2950.00 to $500.00 !!! With all the fees we have paid for the adoption already and the medical bills, we are really thrilled. This will help so much. I was so happy that of course I called Scott right away. WOW !!! That is just awesome ! God works in miraculous ways.

Later today, we received an email from a dear friend who told us she was praying for our finances. The timing of course was perfect, and we so appreciate that.

Again, thank you God.

Well, the kids are all missing Scott. Shawna wants daddy to come home. Joseph keeps asking why daddy is gone. Joshua has been asking for extra hugs. Gabriela has been sharing a lot more with me as she grows into a beautiful young lady, and our relationship is closer than it ever was.

Donations are welcome at www.richardsonstudios.com . Thank you !

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Please consider a donation or donate for our featured child Isaac at our website www.richardsonstudios.com

Thank you in advance for donating generously.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

We got up at 3:00 in the morning only to find the car doors had frozen shut, and the windshield washers had literally frozen to the windshield. We managed to get all the doors but one open, and started the car to defrost the front window. The last door opened finally after we had plenty warmed up the car. We never had that happen before. We dropped Scott off at the airport a little after 4:00 am to be sure he had plenty of time to get through security, especially since it was a last minute flight.

Scott flew out on the first flight Tuesday morning to go see his dad bright and early on the 6:00 flight. The plane had ice on it, and the airport (being California and all) had no de-icing equipment. The plane was delayed an hour, and then because of that the airline missed his connected flight at 10:20 am in Salt Lake and had to rebook him on the next available flight at 2:00 pm. The end of all this was an extremely tired Scott who finally got in at 7:18 pm to Indiana instead of 3:50 pm as scheduled.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Monday was a heartwrenching day. Scott found out his dad is in the hospital. He had a small heart attack and pneumonia along with stage 4 malignant brain cancer. He is not doing well, and we just don’t know if he is going to make it. Grandpa John is well loved by all the kids, and we keep Grandma Kitty in our prayers through all of this.

I also have new paintings at our online store. Come look.
www.shop.richardsonstudios.com

Friday, February 6, 2009

Friday was a very exciting day. We have been immensely blessed with a Kurtzmann 1902 piano. It is 107 years old, and is in really good shape. All the keys work. Of all of us, I am sure I am the most excited. I wanted a piano for as long as I can remember. When I say that, I am talking about a traditional piano. A family blessed us with this wonderful gift; their mom used to play, and the kids all loved to listen to her. I am so thrilled to pass this treasure on to my kids. All of them had their very first basic piano lesson and each with their own personality. Michael dove right in and practices regularly on his own. Joshua is quiet but wants to be like Michael. Joseph likes making his own songs. Gabriela tries very hard. Shawna is the rocker with shakin’ her head and waving her hair everywhere. Thank you Lord for such a HUGE gift, not to mention the fact that it was FREE !

Praise God !

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Thursday was very disappointing as the reconsideration on our waiver of fees was denied – AGAIN. We talked with the attorney, and have decided to appeal it in court and challenge the state guidelines. We hope to hear more on this next week. All of the paperwork for us is completed though, so now it is just a wait.

Potty Training Success !!! Yippee !

Well, most children are physically ready to potty train by the time they are 2 and 1/2 years old. With Shawna, she showed interest on and off. Knowing she physically is healthy and turning 3 in about 3 weeks, we decided now was the time. We got her some fancy undies, and use candy and stickers for rewards to encourage her to sit on the potty. The hardest part was waiting for her to realize that it really is not hard. She kept telling us it was too hard, and that she liked being a baby. We all told her how proud of her we were. We rewarded sitting on the potty with stickers, chocolate milk, watching movies and candy which worked really really well. The first day was hard. Lots of clothing changes, lots of accidents, but she did make #1 and 2 in the toilet !! Yeah !! Day 2 was better, but still lots of accidents. After making it in the potty a few times, she started saying she was a big girl rather proudly. Tuesday, she figured it out. She came out and jumping up and down and squealing with delight said "I went peepee in the potty. I went peepee in the potty !!" From that moment forward, Shawna said that it wasn't hard and starting telling us that she had to go. Every 10 minutes, but only had 2 accidents the whole day. Wednesday only 1. Today Fri, no accidents the whole day at all. She only wears a pullup at night, and I am excited to say is evening starting to keep that dry for longer periods. I am surprised, thrilled and proud that she figured it out so quickly. We really knew that she was making huge progress, when she could hold it in the car until we got to a restroom, when she could go on a potty other than at home, and when she can hold it in the store all the way to the restroom. Now, she earns a sticker and candy when she remembers to ask. She doesn't always need one, and more and more just goes of to play. So while the diet was not the greatest, it was short lived and really helped accomplish the goal of dry underwear. She is so good at telling us.

At first, I was concerned that I perhaps should have started earlier. I am so so very glad though that we waited. Waiting allowed Shawna to be physically ready, emotionally ready, and to not feel pressured either. The main problem was helping her see how special being a big girl was, and that big girls got special priviledges. She is really enjoying that now.

From, the proudest mommy ever, Jennifer

Richardson News: January 2009

SHOP at www.shop.richardsonstudios.com
We have new pieces of art for sale at our online store. Please stop by ! Take a look !
Our featured piece is an Acrylic painting of Christ. I really enjoyed painting it, and just love the uniqueness of this painting. I hope you do as well. The original is for sale now, and reproductions will be available for sale soon as well.

ACADEMY OF THE POSSIBLE
We are working on our website for our new private school based in our Catholic Christian faith, and we are excited about our good progress. To Christ be the glory.

Academy of the Possible is a school for all children most particularly special needs children and those struggling to learn.

Starting a new business and new school has been exciting. Filing for things such as DBA’s, FEIN’s, and Seller Permits has been an adventure. I have enjoyed so much receiving each paper, and celebrate each step towards our opening. As we received each one, our excitement has grown. We are excited to share our love for learning. We believe every child matters, and every child has a story. Learning is possible for every child. With God ALL things are possible.

JOSEPH"S SURGERY
Coming up in just 2 months now, Joseph will be having his 4th surgery. We are praying and expecting in faith this open heart surgery to be a quick recovery. At this point, depending on how well his heart has responded, strengthened and grown, and what they find on the CT and Angio, it will be a simple tightening of his pulmonary band.

PRAYING FOR YOU
Riverside is a great place to look for a house these days. Our own street has many many houses for sale, 6 to 8 on average at any given time over the last year. We ourselves have lost over 50 percent of value in our home. For everyone who is now struggling with paying the rent, paying the mortgage, paying for the basics which is hard for everyone these days, we offer this prayer:

Dear Lord,
We lift up all our your dear children who struggle to meet the bills and pay for the basics of food and shelter. Please hold each of them in your hands close to your heart, pour out your most Holy Spirit, and pour out your provision upon each of them. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

ADOPTION
We have been denied a second time for our request to waive the fees for the adoption. The news of course was very disappointing. Apparently, we make just too much. The state does not consider AT ALL the medical expenses a family is taking on in caring for a child when waiver requests for adoption fees are sent. The state only considers the income. Not only will we have to pay the $2950.00 fee on top of the upcoming open heart surgery, but also the state of California in its infinite wisdom will not be paying out tax refunds and are sending IOU’s instead. We will be out that money for a while as well. That makes me so angry. We continue to pray for God’s strength to get us through this. We are waiting for a call back to determine if all of our papers have finally been gone through for the adoption. Hopefully, the final report will soon be released to the courts for finalization. We are checking into opportunities to appeal, however at this point we have found none. If I thought it would help, I would send a complaint to Mr. Arnold himself. Now, the state is telling us that it will take them 2 months to get the final report done. Bureaucrats can be so heartless. Arrrrgh !

USED SALES
We have some items up for sale on Inland Empire Cheapcycle and Resale Rescue to help offset some of the adoption costs.
If you are interested, please join through Yahoo Groups and look in messages under ‘richardsonstudios’. Or just email if you are looking for anything in particular.

ENCOURAGEMENT
Just as the silversmith must fire the silver to refine the silver and fire the impurities out of the silver and watch it to make sure the silver does not sit in the fire to long, so is the Lord continuing to purify and refine us.

PRAYER REQUEST
Please keep Scott in prayer as he looks for work in such a difficult economy.

STORIES
We have some wonderful new stories on our blog ( www.richardsonstudios.blogspot.com ). Please check it out. For parents who have gone through the potty training adventure, we are thrilled to share success stories with our daughter Shawna. We found it encouraging to hear what worked for other parents, and so we also encourage every parent in this endeavor.

Thank you to all of our angels and saints who have made this journey possible and carried us through the best and worst times. You absolutely made a huge difference in our lives.

Love all of us,
The Richardsons
Scott, Jennifer, Michael, Gabriela, Joseph, Joshua and Shawna.
3 dogs (Apricot, Chip and Kojo), 3 fish and 1 frog.

Our Business: Richardson Studios at www.richardsonstudios.com – Resources for Special Needs Children and their Families.
Our Store: www.shop.richardsonstudios.com – Wonderful Artwork and items to Support Special Needs.
Our Blog: www.richardsonstudios.blogspot.com - Touching Stories and News about our Family.
Our School: Academy of the Possible at www.academyofthepossible.com - a school for special needs kids.

DONATIONS are accepted at all of our sites.
Every child has a story, and every child matters.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, and Thank you for giving a child "Hope for the Heart".

For any parent with a special needs child, adopted, biological or caretaker, you are welcome to apply to join our yahoo group. Just go to www.groups.yahoo.com and type in academyofthepossible (formerly everychildmatters). We are a support system for parents and loved ones of these wonderful kids. Or click http://groups.yahoo.com/group/academyofthepossible/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1

OPT IN INFORMATION: If you or anyone you know would like to share in our journey and receive emails with news and updates from Richardson News, please send an email to us at richardsonstudios@charter.net. We will gladly add you to our email list.

OPT OUT INFORMATION: We respect your privacy. We certainly never want to anyone to feel like they HAVE to read about us, receive any updates or news or goings on, listen to our problems or our joys. We enjoy everyone who shares our story and our journey. Because of this, if ANYONE would like to stop receiving emails or updates for ANY reason, please email us at richardsonstudios@charter.net. In the subject line just type "Opt out from Richardson News"

Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:55 AM Prayer Request

Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:55 AM

As many of you know, this past year has been extremely hard with very sick kids, hospitalizations, and open heart surgery (and more to come). The adoption of our two boys Joseph and Joshua has taken a long time. The state is dragging it’s heals again. As soon as we were done with all our paperwork, they asked for more. We finished our fingerprints, and they “forgot” to notify us of a clearance so we had to redo and repay for them. We submitted that too. We asked for a waiver of the adoption fee because of the many open heart surgeries that Joseph will need, and the next one is not too far off. The original answer to our request for a waiver was no, and then they said they were reconsidering our request. We expect an answer on Monday, and it is not looking good.

Please pray for all the departments, supervisors, social workers and people involved in making the decision for God to open their hearts and grant us a miracle to waive or significantly reduce the just under 3K fee and finalize this adoption. With the current economy, even very reasonable requests like ours are being denied. These boys deserve closure and permanency and not this limbo the state has them in. The extension the state social worker asked for expires on Monday the 26th as well, and we know they haven’t even looked at all our paperwork as of Thursday the 22nd.

Please join us in prayer for finalization of this adoption and the waiver of the fee to be approved. These funds would be much better spent on Joseph’s next heart surgery than the states pockets.

Thank you and God bless - -
Jennifer Richardson

Liberia Suspends International Adoption Program

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/22858

Excerpt from President Sirleaf of Liberia's State of the Union Address delivered Jan. 26, 2009 "The gross mismanagement of the adoption program (which aims primarily at placing orphans in homes in the United States), by both Liberian and U.S. personnel in the concerned NGO is the subject of a report by a Special Committee which I appointed for this purpose. Essentially, we have discovered that many of the children in these orphanages are not in fact orphans but children taken from their living parents on the promise of support and a good life in America. Moreover, we found that young children were being sexually abused at some of these orphanages, while others including officials of government, have used the program to extort money from potential adoptors. We have thus suspended the adoption program until laws, policies and proper guidelines have been established and we have asked our concerned friends and partners in the United States to be patient as we try to correct the serious malpractices which exist. We expect the National Social Welfare Policy and National Adoption Act which will be submitted to you during the course of the year, will provide guidance and prevent such abuses in the future. "

"What I've said, that will I bring about and what I've planned, that will I do."... Isaiah 46:11

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." ~ Winston Churchill

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25)

Flood, High Winds, and Sick Too !

What a weekend. Most of us have been sick this weekend, some with awful coughing, some with fever, most with runny noses, and all of us congested. The really high winds don't help at all. Then Saturday we woke to a flooded garage. The neighbor's pipe burst in their back yard, and of course they weren't home. Finally, someone came and turned the water off at 5:30 pm. In the meantime, we had a soaked garage with water running out of the garage and down our driveway all day. We were lucky though. We didn't lose as much stuff as we thought we would. Not feeling well and high winds and cleaning up a flooded mess in the garage do not at all mix well. We are still cleaning up, and the garage is slowly drying out. We still have a lot of water in the back. We have been working on moving what we can out of the garage in order to facilitate the drying process.

Oh, I praise the Lord that this week will surely get better !

Jennifer

Scripture for the Day !

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:34)

"Jesus, you are the bread of life, and without You I can do nothing. Teach me to wait on Your daily provision of strength and help me to find the blessings in ... every day. In Your name, Amen." Alpha Omega Publications