Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

We are officially done. It is 11:25 and we will be able to go to bed within 30 minutes. This is an early night compared to many Christmas Eves. The kids were ready to go to bed by 9:00 even Kristopher. By looking at the kids piles you would think Kristopher and Nicholas weren't getting much. Kristopher asked for a couple of video games and Nicholas wanted sports tickets. Neither one take up much space. The girls appear to be getting the most because their stuff is so much cheaper.

We went to a very well done Christmas Eve service tonight. It was the Christmas Story done through song, a few characters, lights, and video. After that we rode around and looked at Christmas lights. Once home we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, spaghetti.

What in the world will Grace think tomorrow morning? She will have no idea what is happening. We know we are probably in for lots of fussing. She always wants what someone else has. By next year she will have outgrown this. We have heard her fussing several times tonight which is unusual for her. I wonder if she is overwhelmed with all we have been doing. The alternative is she may be getting sick. I certainly hope not.

Tomorrow around 11:15 we will head to the airport. We depart at 1:20 to arrive in Jacksonville at 3:05. My sister in law is preparing Christmas dinner this year. We are all looking forward to being together again. It is rare that the whole family is there.

Grace has started crying. Guess I better go check on her.

Merry Christmas to All!

Grace's First Picture with Santa

Yan Fu Ming

Yan Fu Ming will never know the love of a family. Today would have been his second birthday. He passed away a few days ago. We don't know why but we do know if a family had found him sooner this probably wouldn't have happened. He is blind and may have had some other needs. A couple of months ago his file came to our agency. A family had not chosen him yet but I am sure in time his family would have stepped forward. We find peace in the fact that he is in a better place. He now can see and feels no pain.

Our hearts go out to these kids. If they aren't adopted there is no future for them. The orphanages and foster parents do the best they can do. They don't have the money or resources to get them the care they need. There are several organizations that help the children and orphanges but they can't help them all. Some orphanages are too proud to accept help, too.

We mourn the loss of this precious little boy. In honor of his life we(our agency and anyone who wants to help)will be helping another child continue to live. He,too, is an adorable little boy. If he doesn't get the blood tranfusions he needs he may not make it either. Hopefully his family will find him before it is too late.

Grace's Follow Up Appointment

We went to see the plastic surgeon today. Grace's palate still has a gap. He said it was in a very unusual place and he didn't know why it hadn't closed. The bad news is we now have to go back in two months so he can see if it healed. If it hasn't we all know what that means(more surgery). The good news is she can now eat whatever she wants. I think Julia was more excited than her that she can now eat pretzels. All the kids are relieved because they no longer have to hide foods when they are eating something hard.

Must See Movie

Zachary, Zachary, Zachary

The title says it all. Everybody needs to have at least one Zachary in their family. He tests every boundary, questions every answer, and wants everything done his way. He is great at crafts and projects. Hours he will spend completing a school project with no guidance or encouragement to get it done. In Zach's world everything has to be done now. Wait a minute never sits well with him.

So are you wondering what he did now? He was sent to his room to clean it. He admitted earlier in the morning that he hadn't cleaned it in a month(not completely true but his words). Needless to say he was not thrilled to have to go clean his room. He wanted to do it his way, when and how he wanted to do it. That didn't sit well with Dallas and I. He was to do it immediately. Off he went raging to his room. We don't know exactly what happened but the next thing you know he is crying and asking for a bandaid. He has a gash between two of his fingers. A metal Jeff Gordon sign was the culprit. It appeared to need stitches so Dallas and him precede to the medical clinic.

Three stitches later a lesson is learned. The question is will Zachary remember it.


The spots on Zachary's hand are magic marker. Guess that will be there for 3 weeks. That is when he goes back to get the stitches out. He can't wash his hand until then.

Snow

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Dallas took this video when he spent a few days in Connecticutt last week.

Family Day 2007

This is the outfit that Julia wore home 3 years ago. They are supposed to be long pants not capris. She has definitely grown a lot taller but has only gained about 7 pounds. The pants fit perfectly except for the length.

Three Years ago today was one of the best and worst days of my life. Julia and I left Russia after a week and a half by ourselves. To say it was a rough week and a half is putting it mildly. I was so glad the day had finally arrived to take my little girl back to Florida. I had not seen Nicholas and Zachary in 3 weeks. I was extremely homesick. It was snowing that morning in Moscow, Russia. Of course, this time of year there is a good chance it will be snowing there. I was so concerned our flight would be cancelled due to the snow. My 2 checked bags were absolutely stuffed full. In Russia before you check your bags security completely goes through them. Good luck, trying to fit everything back in them. Thank goodness eventually I did. Check in went rather smoothly. Julia and I had a little time to shop before our plane boarded. I was carrying Julia, our winter coats, and a huge carry on but I managed. Julia would not let me put her down. I had never thought of bringing a baby carrier and we decided to leave the stroller at home. Either one would have been a lifesaver.

Finally it was time to board. I couldn't find my boarding pass for NYC to JAX so I asked the lady checking tickets. She found it, yelled at me, and completely humiliated me. I preceded to make my way to the end of the line. I think the people that heard what went on felt sorry for me because they insisted that I get in front of them. We found our seats. We were in the middle row of 3 seats. The person on the other side seemed quite nice until the flight began.

Our flight took off pretty much on schedule. It wasn't long before Julia began her screaming. If she couldn't do exactly what she wanted she screamed. She pretty much screamed the whole flight. I stood at the back of the plane by the restrooms rocking her most of the 8 hour flight. I would go sit on the potty for a few minutes when my back couldn't take it anymore. It was the longest flight(and day) of my life. How could she not be tired?

We finally landed on U.S. soil. Julia was officially a U.S. citizen. We waited for our 2 bags and I had no idea how I was going to get them through customs. I had no change so I couldn't get a cart. Thank goodness an airline employee felt sorry for me and helped me get them through and recheck them.

We had about an hour to spare in NYC. Of course Julia wanted to roam everyone. By this point I was exhausted so I just followed her around. Once we boarded our flight to JAX I was so relieved. Julia fell asleep and I knew the journey was almost over. I was really going to make it back home and see my kids again.

Dallas and the boys were waiting for me in JAX. A balloon and animal for Julia and flowers for me. They were also holding a welcome home banner. I was so happy to see them all.

When we arrived at home my good friends Susan and Alexa were there. They had a meal and gifts from my coworkers at the preschool. The kitchen was decorated and what a wonderful surprise. It was great to be home!

Julia has truly blessed all our lives. God choose the perfect daughter for us. This little girl from Kurgan, Russia has changed us all.

Lots of people that have adopted celebrate Family Day or Gotcha Day. We celebrate Family Day. December 12, 2007 was the day we became a family. It was the day Zachary and Nicholas met their sister for the first time. We usually give Julia a small gift and let her pick her favorite place to eat. Tonight she chose McDonalds.

Birthday Slideshow

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Zachary's Birthday

For Zachary's birthday we went to Mrytle Beach for a couple of days. There is a place there similiar to Build a Bear but you build a car. Zachary loves anything to do with cars. Building a car was our birthday present to him.

All was well until after we had went to bed the night of his birthday. After a couple of hours he starting vomiting. It went on all through the night. I don't think Zachary has ever been that sick. Sunday he was feeling alittle better but still did not want to eat anything. By Monday he was almost back to normal.

We had a great time except for Zachary's stomach bug. The hotel had a waterpark in it so the kids had a blast. Sunday we had the waterpark to ourselves for a couple of hours. The weather was great so we were able to spend some time on the beach,too.

Happy Birthday, Zachary!

This is Zachary graduating from preschool. He was 5 years old.
He turns 9, tomorrow. He was my only baby born in Florida. I still remember that day clearly. He was induced one week early. Mom, Dad, and Dallas' Dad and Step Mom were all there. We stayed in the hospital one night and headed for home. I was ready. By the third child we saw no need to stay in the hospital any longer than necessary.

Have a wonderful day, baby boy!

A Great Video

This video was made by an adoptive mom. All these children have found their families. It truly depicts the miracle of adoption. Both my girls are in the video twice.

ADOPT

These are pictures of a little boy that just arrived home from China on Saturday. Once his new mom was there they expediated the process because he was so sick. He has a heart condition. This morning Joseph was admitted to John Hopkins and is expected to have surgery in the next couple of days. Can you imagine what would happened to him if his family wouldn't have found him. Please keep him in your prayers.

There are so many other kids that need their families. Our agency gets a new list from China every few months. It is becoming harder and harder to place these children. On May 1 China changed the rules from adopting from China. This has prevented a lot of people from adopting. Singles can no longer adopt from China, your BMI has to be below 40, your income and net worth has increased, and you can't have any health issues unless very minor. If your paperwork was in China by May 1, you are able to proceed. Otherwise you are out of luck. It is so sad that there are so many children waiting for their families and they may never find them. The latest list has so many adorable little boys on it. There is one little girl that is alittle older than Zachary. The name given to her by our agency is Monroe Grace. She has lazy eye. Due to this and her age she may never know the love of a family. It breaks my heart.

Here is the link to our agencies photolist of the kids available for adoption. Our agency was wonderful and I would reccommend them to anyone. The program director of the waiting children's program has adopted many children herself. She has been there and knows what adopting parents are going through. Take a minute and look at these beautiful children. Pray for them to find a family of their own.

www.public.fotki.com/CHIWaitingkids/

The latest list is List 20. If it asks for a password it is CHIWC.

What Were We Thinking?

Why did we think it was a good idea last year to buy a 12 foot tree when we needed a new one? It is worth it once it is done but the process can be a bit aggravating.

Dallas got the tree up this weekend. Tonight we finally finished seperating the branches and decorating it. Grace and Julia were so excited they couldn't stand still. It was so fun watching them.

Picture to follow.

My Little Wiseman

Zachary had his class musical on Tuesday night. Up on the Housetop was a musical depicting all the different ways people celebrate Christmas. It was very cute and well done. Zachary was the Wiseman that carried Gold. Don't tell anyone but the gold coins he carried were Hanukkah coins. It was all I could find and I knew noone would be able to tell from a distance. Zachary did an excellent job of presenting the gold to baby Jesus.