(Mom)ents

Well, Tomorrow may or may not be the last working day in Russia until the 14th which is when I believe they reopen following their "Holiday." It seems they celebrate the New year just the same as us; however Christmas falls on January 7th for them. This has to do with how their calendar has changed over the years. Not ideal for us but kind of cool all the same. So, I will stay busy over the next few weeks getting things done around the house...among the chores: Christmas stuff has to come down...is this not the worst chore of the whole year? Does anyone out there agree with me? I mean how fun to get it all out and decorate but where is the fun in putting it all away?

All of our goodies from Christmas morning have found new homes and our dumpster is on the rebound. I was a bit worried we might have to make a trip to the dump but not so. And so we move on to more of the same...home projects..are we ever done? We went to The Home Depot yesterday...got new toilet seats (yee Haw!) ordered some carpeting for our family room...can you believe how expensive this stuff is? We also got some paint for the family room and we are going to paint it (I know, what a crazy thing to do with paint)...again! The green was doing nothing for me...so, we will go back to my "go to color of choice." Beige. The carpeting is a shade or two darker and with the blue couches, I will find some nice burnt orange accent pillows and such and we will hang all our Auburn paraphernalia in this room...I think. You can never be sure.

So, I just finished watching videos that families have posted on Youtube. I cry through them all and I long for the moment when it is me...The moment we get the call," you have a court date." The moment the judge says,"yes, she is your daughter, congratulations." The moment I hold her and she is MINE. The moment I leave the orphanage with her in my arms. The moment she takes her first steps on American soil. The moment I tuck her into her bed. Have you ever noticed the "mom" in moments?

My theme song this week is God of Wonders by Third Day. I am holding to the wonders of my Lord. The maker of Heaven and Earth; Who can deny He is the God of wonders? So, although I am not counting on it, I am still praying for a miracle...that we might hear news of a court date tomorrow. And if not, I will continue to pray that we would hear soon after they reopen two weeks from now. Two weeks is not such a long time. is it?

So, I will not worry about what I cannot control...tomorrow is 12/31, the eve of 2008...

"...But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." Luke 12:31

He provides, ALL that we need...and all the moments in between. Happy New Year!

I Am Not Afraid!

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth...Yes, and from ancient days, I am He. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?" Isaiah 43:5-6 & 13

I feel as though our children in Russia and here and everywhere, waiting for their forever families are the captives in this chapter and the Lord is going forward on their behalf like He did so many years ago and although people and procedure can make the journey difficult, no one can deliver out of HIS hand. They cannot stop what He has put in motion...I find that today I am really resting in the Lord and is timing. I continue to remind myself that He has got this in His hand. I go into this period of silence knowing that although the Russian people will be on holiday for the next two weeks, the Lord will still be working 24 hours a day/7 days a week for all eternity.

Please be in prayer with us over our documents. We still need the CPS letter and we are close to completing the FBI clearance that we found out about 1 1/2 weeks ago and this morning I got a call from a woman at DCF who came in off her vacation to try and help us with our DCF letter. (CPS letter) I was so excited that she called even though it was 7AM...just to know that we may have finally found someone to help us secure this letter. also, she seemed to be a Christian as she said the Lord would bless us and so again, I saw how He sees fit to use this process to bring His people together for His purpose.

"Our God is an awesome God, He reigns in Heaven above, with wisdom, power and love...."

Feeling the Breeze

Today I am wondering why no one has received a court date this week. Russia is still open for another 3 business days. Then, the closure that all adopting parents who are in the wait have dreaded. Two weeks of complete silence. I am trusting in my Lord for a miracle. It is most likely not the miracle I have floating in all the empty space between my ears but a miracle none the less. I am in prayer that several of our families that have already met their children will receive word of a court date before they close up for their holiday. I mean they need to have some things on the calendar when they reopen, right? Of course.

Of Course, just because I haven't heard doesn't mean that no families from Kras have received court dates or referrals. I mean it isn't in the rule book that every family that hears something has to notify me...I'm not sure why? Oh, that's right, there is no rule book for Russian adoption. Oh, and, I might not be the most important person for them to contact with their big news...can you imagine?

I have found that I am once again starting to feel the stress of this process. Will it ever end? Will I have everything done? Will there be enough money? You can see by the ticker at the top that we have been at this process quite some time. Most of you know that anyway. I am ready to be home. You know how home is where the heart is. Well, my heart has been in two places for over two years now and I am ready for it to once again be whole. I have so much to do around my house. Unfinished projects that I want checked off before Ellie comes home so that my focus can be where it should be. And the money...well, the cost of this process just keeps going up with each additional document request and delay. Papers expiring, additional time in country means additional nights in hotels and meals...etc, etc. and we are now looking at a fee schedule that is close to $7000 more than when we started the process. So, all that being said...

"Do you not know, Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

And even as I was typing this, a miracle from the Lord: a woman from the DCF here in FL called to tell me that the woman who will write my CPS letter will contact me on Monday when she returns from her vacation. Praise God! Thank you Father! I am putting my hope in you and already feeling the breeze up here with the eagles.

Christmas Trivia

Trivia: How many children and how long does it take to completely trash one room?

Answer: 3 children 10minutes.

We had an eventful day. The kids were up around 2AM. I know I got up extra early on Christmas as a child but I am pretty sure it was never this early. Since Adam does everything last minute, he was asleep on the couch and woke up to little feet dashing about. After sending them back to bed, he climbed in and was woken again at 6AM. We lounged about and waited for the third to awaken and then trudged out to open stockings. After stockings, we had to get ready to go to Adam's grandmother's house and have Christmas there.

We arrived home about 1:20 PM and got around to opening all the loot from Santa around 2:00. The kids got what they wanted although not all of it this year. We decided to go more low key this year as last year was completely ridiculous. Still, it was a lot of trash to be disposed of. We had a nice meal with my parents, my grandmother and my uncle. Then we just played outside on Rusty's new bike and Ruthie's new skates for a while. Bed was early and oh so nice.

Today, we cleaned up!

So, I woke with a new energy to get things done around the house to prepare..."nest" as they say...I am going to finish up projects and I vow to have my Christmas stuff down on New Year's Day...Call me on it girls! I have a room to decorate! I can't wait to post pics of Ellie's new room...Hoping to have it done by Feb 4th...I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus song syncronized to Christmas lights

Jesus is MY reason for this Season!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

Good Times

Another busy weekend...Like it is December or something....We started off Friday night with a practice for Ruthie's gig on Sunday and then a birthday party right after. We woke up Saturday and spent the morning kind of being lazy around the house which inevitably results in the house being a mess. We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks (cute movie) with a few friends and then raced home to get ready for Saturday night service. After that, we had a Christmas party to be at...had a great time! This morning we got up early and to church a little bit late???? I don't know why that happens...it is one of Lori's laws. I'm not a late person at all but if I have too much time to get things ready, I will be late. Ruthie got to sing a solo in the late service...she was so cute it was unreal and I was so proud...not sure why, she didn't get it from me:0)

After church, we came home and cleaned up for a bit. Then, I took Ruthie shopping at the Dollar Store so she could buy gifts. So cute, she had little cards she had made under the tree, each one had money in it. One of them had a $10 in it. I had a little talk with her about how nice it was to want to give and that instead of giving all her money away to the family maybe we could go to the store and she could pick something out for each person...So, we did and she was cute walking through the isles asking me, "Mommy, do you think Daddy would like this?" I'm thinking, "how could he not like a word search book from the Dollar Store?" How cute! Anyway, she did her shopping and tomorrow, I will get pics of her wrapping everything because she is outside playing with friends right now.

Backing up a few days, Ruthie was not around Friday after school and the boys were kind of quiet out in the living room. One at a time they would run into my office for tape or scissors. I went out to check on them and I see they are wrapping "presents" from around the house for everyone in the family. Flip says to me, "Mommy, this one is for you." I look and I had to hold in the laugh but I couldn't resist running for the camera. Please look closely at what is inside the package! Yes, that's right, it is a package of travel size toilet paper. I left them to it so I think we will find some amusing surprises under the tree this year. But how sweet! We are off for Santa this evening and then home for a family Christmas movie night...Good times!

He's There

Today, was a good day. After the FBI Clearance news dropped like a bomb into my world, I was a little miffed to say the least. I am now back in control of what senses I have left. I called today, exactly 24 hours after the FBI received my packet to see if it had made it through the ANTHRAX screening and was being processed. "I was told I could call 24 hours after receipt to verify my prints were being processed????" She says, "Well, that's not how it normally works but let me check." And, after being told 3 times yesterday by different people at the same office that no priority was being given to anyone right now, our fingerprints are in fact being given priority and they are in process!!! Huge sigh of relief! So, hopefully those will be on their way back to me either tomorrow or right after Christmas. I guess they deserve a day off like the rest of us:0)

Flip and I journeyed out into the land of the lost...that is what I call people who are still attempting to shop at this point. I had to pick something up for a last minute gift exchange. It wasn't too bad out there. Flip needed everything and wanted to make sure that Santa knew. I had to explain that Santa stops making toys about a week before Christmas so that he has time to package and wrap them all. Deep stuff...oh, to be a kid again.

Anyway, 5 days til Christmas...While I am so excited because it is such a special time of the year, I can't help but feel a little sad...so, I will share this...it came from a friend via email. If you have seen it before, read it again. It really came to me at the perfect time. Enjoy!

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian
youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us,
sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him. If you liked this story, pass it on. If not, perhaps you took off your blindfold before dawn.

Moral of the Story:
Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there.

9 Blissful Years

Just wanted to take a moment to wish my husband Happy Anniversary! We have been married nine years today! I'm going to go ahead and brag on him...you may want to turn away because it might get a bit disgusting and sappy up in here!

I have known Adam for almost half of my life. I met him just after my 16th birthday at a pool where he was swimming in a meet at the time (it was a blind date set up by his aunt, Laura...thank you so much Laura, we have all this because of you:0) He walked up to me in a speedo, WITH a bald head I might add. There is something to be said for a swimmer's body, however, it makes you completely ignore the bald head!

Anyway, Long story short...we dated from there on...my first date led me through college to the alter with one man who is my best friend. He consistently puts my wants before his own. He does everything within his power to help me out with the kids and around the house and he shows me his love with all the little "things." All this is not to say that we are perfect, we are not. But, we are grounded in the Lord by Adam's spiritual leadership, and I am thankful that God saw fit to put him in my life...Happy Anniversary, Adam...I love you!

In His Time

Today we got an email from our agency and of course, there is an additional document needed. Russia would now like to have a background check from every state either of us has been a legal resident in for the last 10 years. Granted, we have only ever lived in Alabama and FL during that time but due to the fact that I have been finger printed 3 times, checked by the local and federal Government in addition to DCF, this news annoyed me. In fact that is putting it mildly.

But, we will do it...and we have. I did not want to hunt down the proper people in the state of AL so I opted for the federal fingerprint check. I went straight to Adam's office and picked him and his driver's license up...we proceeded directly to the Sheriff's office...did not pass go, certainly did not collect $200. We got fingerprinted and then I came home to fill out all the info and get that in the mail. When I get that back, I will have to mail it to WV where the FBI headquarters are and it will get apostilled there...it would be too easy if they would just forward it on for me*sigh* Then, it will be on it's way to Russia. Of course, all this after I just got 16 other docs apostilled including our lab reports and chest xrays which I am certain will have to be redone...they are only good for 3 months. And, we will redo it. Please be in prayer that these documents will not be held up, that they will not request any more. Today I just felt like every little document request is just one more delay and it separates me from my daughter just a little longer. Starting Monday, Our agency will be closed until the day after Christmas and then when they reopen, Russia will be closed. I feel this sense of urgency that all should be in it's place before then. It will not because there is no possibility of getting the FBI checks back and then in the mail again and to the Agency by Friday. All that being said, Please pray that I will remember that this is all in the Lord's hands...His plan is perfect and when it is time, she will be home.

It only takes a glance at my pictures and I know that she is worth all this...

8 YEARS

Wow, 8 years looks beautiful. This weekend was a busy time...I know, when are we NOT busy? Friday night we had our small group. Saturday morning we split up..Adam took the kids to a birthday party, I went to a baby shower...then we got back together for an annual Christmas party we hold with a few friends. We hurried out of there to get ready for Adam's office Christmas party. On Sunday, we went from Church to the roller rink where we celebrated 8 years of a blessing. And then it was divide and conquer, once again. I had to get some shopping done...went on a marathon spree that lasted from 4-midnight and I am proud to say that I finished up at Target this morning...I don't think I have ever gotten all my shopping done in less than 24 hours. Adam took the boys to his boss' house for a "thing" and my mom took Ruthie from the party back to church for her "thing." I'm tired...Not a good way to start the last week before Christmas...oh well.

On the adoption front, I got our next set of docs in the mail today to Tallahassee. My mother in law (thanks, Andy) gets them and drives into town to have them apostilled and then mails them back to me. This saves me about 3-5 business days of waiting...and at this point, I don't want to wait. ($603.00 on adoption related postage to date) I would like to have those docs to my FC before they shut the offices for Christmas (24-1) so that they can be on their way to Russia. Russia doesn't shut down until 1/1/08...so, if we can have our papers in for court before then, I hope that we will hear something pretty soon after they reopen in mid-January or, sooner:0) I am still holding out for a Christmas miracle.

Prayer requests are: 1) Smooth paperwork: getting it, shipping it, accepting it. 2) Quick court date 3) God's peace: the waiting is aweful.