One year knowing Julia!

February 21st marked our one year anniversary of finding our sweet girl! In many ways, it's hard to believe it has been a whole year... then, I think back to last summer which DRAGGED. I think about ALL of the emotional ups and downs... finding out we couldn't travel last August due to the Ministry of Education, in Russia, taking the month off for vacation! Then, we were told shortly after, we can't even pursue the adoption of our child for at least a year, because her father was found! Imagine that bomb and what it did to us... only to find out a couple of months later that, that information was for ANOTHER child... NOT OUR CHILD! Then... scramble... get paperwork together... we're going to Russia in November... no, no... December! AND THEN...................
......... WE WENT!!! We actually WENT the first week in December and met our daughter! The little girl we'd been dreaming about for 10 months! Was the wait, the emotional stress, the sleepless nights, the tears shed, the many talks with family and friends, the money, the paperwork... was it all worth it??? ABSOLUTELY.

And now... a year into the process... we do believe we're in the home stretch! We've had to re-do some paperwork that started expiring (didn't think the adoption would take this long)... BUT the end of the journey is now in sight.

What have we learned??? Faith. Trust. Patience. What else??? We live in the greatest country in the world... we are blessed... God uses children to bring us closer to Him.

Although we can't wait for the adoption to be finalized (and hope to never look at another piece of adoption-related paperwork) we hope the journey will go on for a very long time. It has bettered us... grown us... and brought us closer to Jesus. How honored we are that He chose us to grow... and parent this little girl.

Our 3 Artistic Children!

I love walking into our kitchen! It's a kitchen that certainly doesn't compare to those in designer magazines... but yet, it is ARTFUL. I love the quote by Oscar Wilde:

A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament.

All three of our kids have unique temperaments. Now granted, there are still many things about Karis we do not know, and interestingly, there are many things about herself that even she does not know... yet. Simply stated, children in orphanages do not have a lot of life experiences. They eat the same meals everyday... they wear the same clothes everyday, for a week. Children in orphanages have only one outlet... the television. That's how they "experience" life... that and through their art, should they be gifted. We are able to see that Karis is a perfectionist. We watched as her hand was very steady, her face very stern, as she drew people and animals. Also, the way she would organize her room at the orphanage and the sewing projects she showed us made it clear, detail is very important to her. Evan's temperament... he is focused, confident, and mellow. Stress does not touch Evan. Karrigan's temperament is one of... passion! She is passionate about everything she does. She is a good communicator, humorous, and always planning ahead!

It's neat to watch kids as they grow older... and you start to see who they will become. We love watching our two at home and can't wait until our third is here so that we can know her better. For now though... we turn to the art. Three very unique children we have... and three "styles" of art, that I love to admire each day, as I walk into my kitchen.

Spring be near!

It seems there is little time to relax these days. Our lives are full but blessed. Nightly, we have homework with the kids (both kids now that Karrigan is reading), Evan's basketball practices, Cub Scouts, and any other meetings that pop up. We are now having to re-do some adoption paperwork in preparation for a possible March court date. Our regional coordinator, in Russia, is hopeful she can have us ready to go then, and we'd likely get to bring Karis home in April.

Some new friends of ours, in a nearby town, just had their court date (same region in Russia) and will bring their little one home very soon! It's so good to talk with people going through the same process, who have been to the same places, and know some of the same people! It's also comforting to see that in the end, the process works! So far, I know of three families who have had success... and all from the same region.

We mailed a care package to Karis a week ago, hoping she would have it by Valentine's Day. I wish I would have remembered to take a photo of it, there were a lot of pink and red items inside, including a heart-shaped box of chocolates. I hope our sweet girl knows how much we love her and are trying our hardest to keep the process moving so that she can finally come home to a family!

I'm praying that the winter storms will die down by March, and travel will be easier than it was in December. March will not only be welcomed for warmer temperatures and sunshine, but it will certainly help alleviate the gloom we've been feeling missing our girl! Spring is known for bringing about new life and new beginnings... this family is ready to bloom!

Sweet Dreams

For the last two weeks, I have dreamed about Karis. I'm not sure if this is normal during the adoption process, but I'm not alone. Kevin, too, has dreamed about her often. Spiritually, I wonder if God is talking to me. The dreams are very sweet, and I feel very peaceful when I wake up. I learn about our girl through the dreams. The dreams also make me think about situations we will experience when she comes home.

I, also, wonder if I'm somehow "channeling" Karis when I'm sleeping. After all, she is well into her day, since where she is, is 8 hours ahead of EST. Perhaps she is thinking about us, exactly when we are dreaming about her! Hmmm...

We miss her, there's no doubt. A lot has to happen however before March. We somehow need to find the funds to complete the adoption. That is the only concern right now. Somehow though, although the number is staggering, I feel total peace. I feel that God has more to teach me before the adoption is complete, so I really just need to seek Him. He has brought Kevin and I so far in our faith, I know he won't turn his back on us now!

That's all for tonight... I just needed a few minutes of writing therapy.

Grandfather Frost is coming!

Thinking of our sweet Karis Yuliya tonight, as it is almost Christmas in Russia. Russians celebrate on January 7th. We mailed her a package, which I pray arrives safe and sound. I'm also hoping that the orphanage was able to gather some special treats for the children. We can't wait until Christmas this next year!

Karis Yuliya

A New Year!

I have a few minutes to sit down and do one of my favorite things... write! I don't get a lot of computer time these days, so I just have to make it count in spurts, I suppose!

I hope you all are having a great start to the New Year! We certainly are! The best part... we are in the right mind-set to kick off a new year! We are refreshed from our trip to Russia, although, I must admit, it really did us in for about two weeks straight! To suffer jet lag, a stomach bug, a show up in Toledo (for my publicist job) which always requires little sleep, emotional stress of leaving Julia behind in Russia, and ho, ho, ho... "better be ready for Christmas" - - wow, that was a lot all at once! The only thing that got us through was support from our family and friends. My super thoughtful step-mom and sweet sister did an amazing job, keeping our household running while we were gone, and when we got in at 1 a.m. (after flight delays in New York), we found our home immaculate... fresh sheets on the bed, dishes all done, floors swept, food in the fridge, laundry done... are we blessed or what?! All of this helped us to ease into life and recover from the trip, indeed.

So... back to the "right mind-set" part I mentioned above! I want you all to know some New Year's resolutions I've come up with, which by putting this out there, you all can hold me accountable!

1. I want to live a more simple life. My inspiration... God and the trip to Russia. Less of worldly things that cloud my mind and cause me to be less productive.
2. I want to slow down... I try to squeeze in too much in a day's time. Instead of constantly worrying about clutter and messes, I want to take in fresh air, sunshine, and silence. Yes, busy body me plans to sit down daily and just... listen... to nothing!
3. I want to read a daily devotional. (I did this last year, and it was very healthy for the soul.)
4. I want to help get the children at the Zhukovka Orphanage adopted. God has placed this on my heart, and I look forward to how he'll lead me in this.
5. I want to continue praying with my galz weekly and meeting with my wonderful adoption support group.
6. I want to make healthy meals for my family nightly... no more garbage-always a result of stress and lack of time.
7. I want to exercise a lot more to help my body -and- my mind... the goal to limit chiropractor appointments!
8. I want to write more, and I want to read more... both healthy for the soul.
9. I want to spend time with and support all of my friends, because without them, I am not me.
10. I want to soak in every precious moment with my sweet husband and three children, be mentally "present" around them at all times, and know in my heart that God has placed me... exactly where I'm meant to be.

Well, those sound good for now. I'm sure there is more I wish to accomplish in 2011, but for now, my children happen to be in bed, so I think I'm going to go do #2 from the list above.

Silence is Golden!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!