We enjoyed a wonderful weekend together. Saturday we borrowed Papa’s boat and took A on her first boat ride. She rode like a champ! On Monday we took her to the beach to play in the water for the first time. (she has been on the beach this past fall) She again took hold like a champ! She never ceases to amaze me…she is so quick to join right in with whatever we are doing. No complaints, no fears…just gung-ho! Here are some pics: (note in every pic it looks like A is winking…she does this every time we take a pic outside!)

Are they not the three cutest kids you’ve ever seen??? We had a wonderful time, and what wonderful memories were made!

I’ve also added other pics we have taken…one at the boardwalk with B’s parents, and us…one of A with her cutie piggytails!

In His Ever Present Care,

Joy

We are still here and doing well. We are still basking in the joy of having our family complete. I am thrilled at the news I continue to hear, that Russian adoptions never really halted, as that would have taken an act of Parliament (I believe that is what they call it). They were still continuing, and we had a yahoo buddy who had court and brought their son home just since April 12th. It is good to know they are continuing to allow adoptions. Truly, Russia does seem to care about the welfare of their children, which is why they require a homestudy visit for the first three years they are placed in the home. There is a homestudy at 6 mos., 1yr, 2yr, and 3 yrs. Yes, it is more paperwork for us, but we don’t mind. We want them to know she is doing wonderfully! We will always hold dear Russia in our hearts. It is where we first met our precious daughter.

There are many times I think….I need to update, but I can’t always think of anything to say, other than she is doing great. She is a typical 3yr. old…enough said. ;o) She is full of energy, laughter, giggles….and mischief!! She fits in with our boys just perfectly.

It has dawned on me that I never actually wrote on our blog about what happened when we first received our referral, lending to some confusion. I thought I’d explain it now, even if a little late. We received our first referral in August…for a little girl who was three, and of Asian descent. We were accepting the referral, and heading to Russia to meet her. The weekend before we were to leave, we received a call from our family coordinator that there was a potential problem…her mother had sent a letter stating she was going to pursue custody again. We were told we could continue on, but during the long stretch of time of our process, we might lose her. I told our coordinator we would not persue it, that if this child’s mother wanted her, that was where she needed to be. The Lord gave me peace over this…He is so good to prepare our hearts and hold us during hard times. I asked if we needed to cancel flights and she said, not yet. They were going to check the system once more to see if there was another child matching our request. She called the next morning and asked if we still felt the same regarding not persuing the first. I said yes, and she said they had in the meantime come across another little girl (they told us 4 yrs. at the time). She sent the pics and then the medicals and explained we did not have to accept. We asked why we had not been shown this child before, and it was because she had just come available (God’s timing!). We were at first amazed at her likeness to my side of the family, and our youngest child especially. She was too cute in her dress…holding it out like a princess…I chuckled…she’s a princess….she IS my child!! We decided we would go and meet this child, and as the Lord would have it, she was a perfect fit.  Well…the rest is blogged and you can go back and “read the rest of the story”…

In His Watchcare,

Joy

I can hardly believe it has been 6 months since we went to the orphanage to pick up our little girl, beginning our journey home! Time flies to be sure…but wow! It seems only yesterday. C said…”I can remember the night she came home like it was yesterday.” (I thought it was too cute)

We had a little cake with a candle on it and sang to her tonight after supper…Happy 6 mos you’re home, happy 6 mos you’re home, happy 6 mos A, happy 6 mos you’re home. (one of the boys came up with the wording for us.) She blew out her candle, and then asked…”why its my birthday?” I told her because she had been home with Mommy and Daddy and C and H for 6 mos now, to which she replied…”this MY house”.  It has been interesting the last few days because it seems she has been a little clingy and emotional…I can’t help but wonder if she doesn’t “feel” the mile stones passing…she has commented a little more about this being her house, and her toys, and her brothers, …etc. But then maybe she reads our reactions and emotions and responds to them.

With all that is in the news right now…I can’t help but to know the Lord was working on our timing for our sakes and for hers. Any sooner and she wouldn’t have been the one available to us, any later and we may have run into the closing of adoptions…His timing is soooo perfect…though at times we fight it. Many times I wanted our process to go faster, to move…but in the end He knew what was best for her and us….He could see into the future…and know when the right time was so that we might be matched with this little girl…with our little girl. She couldn’t have been any more perfect for our family! If I could choose…I would choose her over and over again. Everywhere we go people comment on how much she looks like me or the boys, we just laugh and say yes, she does. Truly, we are finding she and our youngest are more alike than the two boys are. They are two peas in a pod.

As the season changes, and it warms up…I’m reminded of last summer…hoping, waiting, praying to hear something. The news came inAug.that there was a referral…though at the time we were unaware that this first one was not our little girl…but I think of her often too, wondering if her mommy followed through and came for her, or is she still in the orphanage.  We saw our little one for the first time, the week before we were to leave for Russia…we were at the time taken aback at her resemblence to our family, and when we met her we fell in love immediately. There are just some things in life that the Lord gives you certain assurances about; marriage to B was one, and A being our daughter was another. I’m thankful He confirmed these things in my heart…He knew I needed it.

I have been following another family who are currently in Russia, and have had their court date already…the judge said yes even amidst all the hoopla going on around. Anyway, she posted pics of the apartment…the one we also stayed in and wow how it hit me emotionally..so many memories and emotions that we experienced while there in that sweet place. It brought me to tears to see it again. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

So…alas…I am done rambling/remeniscing (take your pick on terms). ;o) For me they are sweet times to remember, and writing them here keeps them alive and fresh.

In His Watchcare,

Joy

I am continually amazed when I look at this sweet little girl the Lord has given to us. When those little lashes finally flutter closed in sleep and I gaze at that little face I find myself in awe at this little angelic face. I find myself in prayer with praise and thanksgiving for this little princess. My boys are still completely smitten. They have been transformed into little “Knights in Shining Armor”. They have become fierce defenders, protectors, and entertainers. I so often find myself laughing at their antics and their quick responses to her requests. Our family has been forever  changed by this little bundle of sugar and spice!!

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Well, we had our first of four postplacement homestudies. Admittedly, I was nervous as well as the rest of the family. Hunter scoured the house!! Every time I turned around he was cleaning something else. I asked if he was a bit nervous about the meeting and said a little.  We were thankful when it was over and felt good about it. It was obvious she wasn’t there to find fault, but rather to provide the information required by Russia.The next one will come in another six months, and then it will be a year before we have the third one.

She is doing soo amazing with English and attachment. Thursday night in the middle of the night she called out for Mommy. She will generally just come crawl in the bed with us. But she called to me in the midst of her sleep. So even in her sleep, she is finding security in Mommy. ;o) It was a  wonderful realization when B pointed out the fact that it was a first. We felt it was certainly praiseworthy!! We are continually blessed by this little princess that God has brought into our lives.

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Too funny. I have been practing shopping with Annalise lately, getting her ready for the days of shopping we will spend together when the boys are off playing soccer…or whatever they might choose to do. So anyway…when we go into the stores, she always notices the manicans (sp?). She always points out that they have no head and no hands. I’m not sure how this affects her…but obviously she is noting this and wondering why in the world this has happened. Hmmm…maybe this will keep her from finding interest in modeling…since it requires no head and no hands…
I can’t believe it has been almost a month since I last typed. We are getting ready for our first post-placement visit next weekend. I will be glad to get all of these out of the way, though we have a while.
Crazy dream the other night. I dreamed that evidentely Annalise was a twin (no she is not), and we were taking them both home. While there filling out paperwork, B went downstairs after something and the officials mentioned that they had another little girl they wanted us to look at, and that if we took her, it wouldn’t cost us any more…all we had to do was sign for her. So, I signed before B could get back upstairs, and we came home with three little girls. I told the boys about it and their first response was…Oh no, then we would be outnumbered, we’d have to get another boy!! What are they thinking? We can’t fit anymore children in this house!! Maybe one more little girl…but that is a whole other basket of eggs.

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Interesting day yesterday. I was on the playground with my class, and A’s class came out during that time too. She was off to play with her friends after coming to get a “kissy” and explaining to me that after she ate lunch, it would be time for me to come pick her up and go in the car. ;o) Anyway…she was playing with one little girl in particular who happens to be the child of another teacher here at our school. They were so cute running around and I was enjoying the scene. They are both about the same height and same build, which threw me into a moment of Dawning…For the last two years, I have taught 2nd grade, and so was on the same hall as this teacher. In the afternoons her little one would come to school and hang out with her while she finished grading and whatnot. During that time I just fell in love with her and loved to see her running down the hallway and her brothers not too far behind. She came to be called the hall mascot. There were times I would look at her and wonder how old our little one would be, would she be this size, would she be as giggly as her, as full of personality…and well you get the picture…I was in a sense dreaming of my child through this little one…and as the Lord would orchestrate it…our little one was right on target with this little one here at home that I was watching…only the Lord could prepare our hearts so perfectly…

In His Watchcare,

Joy

We are all doing fine, just into the groove of school and whatnot…Our school just had homecoming, and we dressed up for Crazy Hair/Red, White, and Blue day. I wasn’t sure if she would go for crazy hair, but when she saw the boys’ she had to get in on the action! I am also putting a pic in of little miss helping in the kitchen.

Enjoy…

So we have been home for almost 3 months…and it feels like we have always had a little bundle of “sugar and spice”.  She has melded into our family in such an amazing way. I continuously go back to the fact that God had prepared her little heart as well as ours for her homecoming. She in the last week has been feeling the waters…asking or reassuring…”this is my house”…”this is H’s, C’s, mommy’s, daddy’s and A’s house?”  She will double check about grandma/pa, and nana/papa’s house situation, as well as the boys across the street. I’m not sure what has prompted this, except for perhaps that she spent about 3 mos. in the last orphanage she was in, and it has been about 3 mos. she has been with us, so my natural tendency would be to think she is checking to see if there will be another change. But no my precious girl…no more changes…you are home…and we are so very happy to keep you here with us forever.

In His Watchcare,

Joy

So A and I went to an America World Seminar to share with some couples our story. The lady who shared AWAA with us is the one who was holding the seminar. She had also asked my good friend Natalie who has just come back from China about 3 1/2 weeks ago. We had a good time, and A enjoyed dressing up in traditional Russian clothing. I was sad to realize that this outfit will probably not fit after this year. ;o( If anyone knows of any websites like Chinasprout who offer reasonable prices on authentic clothing, I would love to have the resource. ;o)

So anyway…here are the sweet pics.

I’ve also included some pics from Winston from Christmas with the snow.

Ever in His Watchcare,

Joy