Update

Well, it has been a while since I updated and I thought it might be time. We have sent all our documents to Valerie and they should be getting sent to Russia today or tomorrow. It looks like it will still happen some time in February. I am trying to stay busy and not think about how far away that is.

I miss my girls so much. I know Lima will be so different, I hope she remembers us. I hope she likes Susha and the other children. She has not me them yet. I worry that she will think she is just moving to a different orphanage, with all our children lol. I think she has been asked already and said yes to our adoption. Valerie is double checking that.

The next couple of months are going to be crazy. Matthew (my son) and Aleasha (his wife) are going to have a baby in Jan/beginning of February. Matt is stationed in Virginia so I will be going out there for the birth and will probably be home just a few weeks before we go to Russia.

God has set so many thing in motion. He has sent people that have been such a blessing in so many ways. I just hope that we can get our girls soon and we can melt into the family God has set for us.

I-171H

We got our USCIS approval in the mail today! I am so happy. This is really going to happen. The girls will be coming HOME!!

Hosting again!

Well, we will be hosting another child/children this August. The Russian Orphan Lighthouse project is doing a trip to Tulsa the 21st through the 31st. They are in need of host families, even if they are not interested in adopting. This will get the children here to meet potential familes as well as letting them hear the gospel. It is a great program.

We will not be able to adopt this time. They will not approve 3 unrelated children. But at least we can be a part of helping another orphan find a permanent home!

http://russianorphanlighthouseproject.blogspot.com/

We do not know who we will be hosting yet! It is exciting!

Thank you for the prayers

I want to thank everyone for the prayers. Susha did well leaving and the trip to St Louis was great, they slept the whole time. I managed to hold it together until she was out of site.

I know God has both girls in His hands and I have to rest in that, though it is so hard.

I hope we get our homestudy soon so we can get this done quicker.

I need prayers!!!

I have really been dreading putting Susha on the plane tomorrow morning. I think because I have done this once before, I know how bad it hurts. She has become pretty attached to us and I am afraid she will think we don't want her anymore. Instead we will be here working like mad to get her home!

I want to be strong for her, please pray that I can be. I am not sure if it is because she is younger than Lima was, or because she seems more emotional immature, but I am so worried for her heart. I know God has a plan in all this, but I cannot imagine how hard this is going to be on my little baby. Or on me........

Tulsa Area Russian Adoption Meetup

We just came home from a meet up with other families adopting through the Lighthouse Program. It was very productive. It is great to see people at different places in the process. I got a lot of information that will help so much in bringing our girls home!

I really enjoyed it. The kids were so wild though. They had been in the car since noon. Sarah and Susha had gone with us on the trip to Missouri. It was the first time this week I was truly overwhelmed. I thing when the girls come home, we will plan on staying home for the first few months and work on some manners. Susha did great at church and does fine here, but in other peoples homes she seems to have issues. It is too much distraction.

When it was time to go, I said, "say goodbye" and she thought I was saying goodbye and got a terrified look on her face. After I started leaving with her and she understood, things were fine. She changed in the car and was her normal pleasant self again. It was interesting. I think she just needs some security. I am very worried about how she will be when we have to put her on a plane. I hope she does not hate us and think we have abandoned her for these next several months. I am dreading Sunday.......

I really could use some prayers in that area, that she will understand that this is only a short time and that I will understand that as well.

Susha Pictures!

We are having a great visit with Susha. We picked her up from the St Louis airport on the 3rd and she was not very happy on the way back from the airport. We had to call the translator 3 times to calm her down. Once we got home and she met the other children, she did great.

Sunday we had a Independence Day celebration at church and she had so much fun. Then we have been to the zoo and swimming. We took a trip back to Missouri for the Lighthouse Program. We are tired, but we are enjoying our time! Here are a few pictures of Susha.

Jacob LOVES her so much. He was trying to kiss her nose. I am not sure what she thought about it, but she equally loves him. She also enjoys Brandon alot. He has taught her most of her English words.

Meeting my daughter today!

This afternoon, when my mom gets off work, we are heading to Missouri to meet my newest daughter. We will get to host her until the 13th. I am very excited. I wonder what she will be like and the things she will want to do.

I worry that she will like us. Allthough it is not as scary as when I went to meet Lima, I know a little more of what to expect.

I have been brushing up on my Russia, but I am still pretty limited.

We are going to come back tomorrow and probably go swimming at my moms and then Sunday our church has a big forth of July get together and fireworks display. Everyone is welcome to come. Eastland Baptist Church at 21st and 129th! Church is at 6 and then we will have hot dogs and dessert, bouncy things for the kids and volleyball and then at dark a great fireworks display!

Going to meet our daughter soon!

We get to go pick up Xenia (AKA Rebekah or Susha) in a few weeks. I am getting so excited. We will have her for a little over a week. I am looking forward to it, I am not looking forward to putting her back on the plane to Russia. I remember how hard it was to put Lima on the plane.

On a good note, we are almost finished with all of our paper work. We are still waiting on the passports (they were supposed to come in last week.) and one more marriage license (we had to get an extra one since we are adopting from a second orphanage. We are also still waiting on the homestudy, which should be finished in a couple of weeks. When it comes I will send off for USCIS approval. We have everything for USCIS ready to go but the homestudy!

It is looking like it will probably be November, but could be sooner that the girls will get to come home permanently. I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to enjoy Susha being here!

I'm gonna be a grandma!!!

I just found out this morning that my oldest is going to be a new daddy! I am so excited! They will both be amazing parents!

I am sad that they live so far away. I wish they were here. Matt is in the marines and is in North Carolina right now.

I know this is not really adoption related, but Lima and Xenia are gonna be aunts not long after they come home!!

fundraising

Yesterday the girls and I set out with post cards and letters to work on some fund raising to help the girls get home. We went into 4 stores and were met with "no's" and annoyance. I came back to the car and cried. I then sat there and prayed and asked God for guidance and wisdom and to hold my heart for me.

I had placed a notice on craigslist and got a very hateful email about how if I cannot afford to adopt, then I shouldn't and that they believed it was a scam. It really hurt.

If you do not know me, there is nothing in the world I hate more than needing something from someone and then asking. I don't know if it is my pride or my fierce independence or my feeling not worthy of what they have to offer. I do know that the girls are worthy and God is and He has called us to this. I am sure that God is trying to teach me dependence on Him. After that, instead of going to every store I could find. I let God lead me.

I talked with the manager of Mardels (who was actually surprisingly curt with me. Not at all what I expected) and after we receive a letter from LifeSong for Orphans proving they are a non-profit, we may be able to set up a booth with them. Lloyd talked with his manager and Sam's and we might be able to go there as well. I am excited about it, but at the same time nervous about how I will be able to ask passers by for donations and how I will handle the "no's". I am hoping to get some help. (Brandon, our 15 yr old, is great at asking for money lol.)

What I need is someone to come on board and help me know how to do this. I have never been good at raising money. I am willing to work, I will work hard. I just seem to not be good at it.

God has provided everything we have needed so far, I know he will provide all. I just need to learn to accept it.

You have not, because ye ask not......... Teach me oh Lord, how to ask!

Double blessings

When God chooses to bless, He always does it in His timing, because He knows what we need and when we need it. A few weeks ago, we were presented with another little girl. She is 9 and probably also has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. I have always felt there was room for two, Lloyd took some convincing from the Lord. After much prayer and several doors opening, which made this possible, we have decided to try and make her a part of our family as well.

We need lots of prayers for the hurdles that this will add, but so far God has already opened the door and cleared the path. We are hoping to be able to host her this summer in Tulsa. She will come to Missouri and we will be able to pick her up and bring her here. Then when we go to pick up Lima, we can pick her up as well.

I am happy that God has added another blessing to our lives. I think this will help Lima as well. Maybe she will be able to keep her Russia language. The kids are excited. Brandon was hesitant at first, but then gave his "blessing".

Thank you all for all of you support.

Homestudy!

Well, we have finished the homestudy. It is the first milestone to meet and I am so excited. Our next step is the I-600a. Then to get the documents together for the Dossier.

We are going to set up an appointment to have our psychological evaluation and I am sending off to get copies of our marriage license.

Please continue to pray that everything goes smoothly and quickly so Lima can come home faster!

What's been going on....

It has been a crazy week since we have been home from the Michigan trip. Putting Lima on the plane back to Russia was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I managed to keep it together for her benefit, but I was dying inside and that was the longest trip home.

We had such a wonderful time with her. She will fit so well into our family. She has the most wonderful personality with a little spark of independence that reminds me so much of Chloe (and myself when I was younger).

Whe got home late Monday night and we have been running since. We are having our homestudy on Saturday and I have been gathering papers like crazy. Brandon and I also managed to get Matt's old room ready some more. We moved all Matt's stuff to storage, painted, redid the floors and I sewed some curtains. I needed to do something that made me feel we were getting closer. I also unpacked her clothes. It was very hard. I know we have such a long road ahead and I wonder what she is thinking and if she even has an idea of how her life is about to change.

God has been so wonderful in this whole process. We have had many road bumps and He has been there with, at times, true miracles!

Here are a few pictures of the trip and us with Lima:

Michigan Trip

Well we are having a wonderful time so far on the trip. Lima is everything we expected and more. She is so wonderful and will fit into our family perfectly. She is still somewhat shy, but warming up quickly.

We arrived in Grand Rapids late Friday night and her sister that was adopted my a wonderful family here in Michigan was able to come and visit on Saturday and we shopped for fabric and sewed for the girls. It ened up being such a late night that they decided to spend the night. They stayed until Sunday night. We are going to visit them today at their house.

We leave TOMORROW!

I can't believe it is finally here. We leave for Michigan tomorrow. We are staying the night at my father in law's Thursday night and then we get to pick Lima up on Friday from Chicago. After we pick her up, we go straight to Michigan and get to spend 10 days with our soon to be daughter! Dropping her off at the airport is going to be so hard. I am not looking forward to it, but through the grace of God, I will have the strength.

The children get to go to a vacation Bible school while they are here and will get Russian Bibles. I pray that many will accept Christ on the trip. It will be interesting to see how Lima is with the other children on the trip. We hope to go to the zoo if the weather is good. I have been told she likes to take pictures. I got her a small camera and thought this would be a good opportunity for her.

I am still working on my Russian and getting a bit better. Maybe Lima will speak some Spanish lol, I would be good then. Lloyd has started learning Russian as well and doing ok so far. He has less time, but when he can squeeze it in, he does.

I am not sure if I will have access to the Internet when we are in Michigan, so I may not get to post anything until when we get back!

As far as the adoption process goes, I have sent off for all the papers I need and am just waiting on a few. Lloyd has his physical on the 8th. Then we should be able to have the homestudy and the next step is getting the Dossier ready. I am not sure how long all of this takes. (this is our first international adoption). It is pretty new to me. I hope to have her home before Christmas, although that may be a high expectation. I would really love to have her home before her birthday (Nov 12).

On a sadder note, with the approaching departure time, I am quickly realizing how hard it is going to be to leave my other babies!! I have never been away from Chloe or Sarah for more than a day. They are excited about going to grandma's, but it is killing me. Jacob will be fine, though he said he will miss me too. The other night he got sad about it. This is HUGE for him. He has Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, and when he was first diagnosed, we never knew what to expect and I am so happy at where he is now. When he sad he was going to miss me and almost cried, I thought back to when I wondered if he would ever say, "I love you" and know what it meant. He does, he is in our world again and I thank God for those blessings.

I think Brandon is going to love spending time at grandmas. He will be getting his permit to drive while we are gone. It is a big milestone I am going to miss. He is fine with it and has been amazing through this process. In the beginning, I was worrying about needing to go to Russia for 3-4 weeks and leave the little ones to a point, that I almost did not want to do this. Brandon said, "you are worrying about your kids not having a mom for 3 weeks and this little girl doesn't even have a mom." I was so proud of him at that moment.

I know this is all worth it. God has a plan for the whole thing. I am so excited to see where He leads us next!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Getting Excited

We are just a few short days away from getting to meet the little girl that has stolen our hearts She has become a part of our family and she does not even know us. I just can't wait. I have been packing her clothes and it is making this more real. It is going to be so hard to have to send her back to Russia after getting to spend so much time with her. I am not looking forward to that part. I just pray that all of this paperwork goes by quickly so she can come home for good.

I have spoken with Jacob's occupational therapist and we have a plan for when she comes. It is like the whole family is prepared and ready, we just need her. We really aren't ready, we still have not started on the room. It is still Matt's storage room, but I know there is time.

Lima is going to get to see her sister for the first time in 5 years. She was adopted by a family in Michigan that did not know Lima existed. We have been speaking with the family and have plans to go shopping and let the girls sew some dresses and maybe go to the zoo. I cannot wait for her to get to see her sister.

I have been working on learning Russian and I am starting to pick up some words and learning to read a little.

We are praying about another situation that will also change our family. Please pray for clarity in our decision and to know God's will in this situation and for the strength and courage to follow whatever His will is.

Thank you all for the support you have shown. We really apreciate all of it!

Just thinking

I was just sitting here thinking. It is so hard waiting and I know there is so much waiting left to do. I just want to be able to tuck her into bed. To hug her, to wipe away tears. I have such a new found respect for parents that adopt this way. With Sarah, she was in my arms while we waited. I tucked her in every night. I always had the thought in the back of my mind, that they could come take her at anytime, BUT I still had her there.

This is so hard. The more I prepare and see pictures, the more I am falling in love with this little girl I have never met. I want to take care of her. I want to be her mom and she doesn't even know it. We get to meet her the end of the month and I am so excited, but it will be so hard not letting her know I am her mom. I understand the need to wait, I would hate for something to happen and her to be let down. She is sitting over there alone with no idea there is an entire family over her loving her.

The children are talking about her alot. We got a video of her and it was wonderful. They are getting to know her a little too. Jacob said today that he wants to play dinosaurs with her. Sarah wants to play house and Chloe wants to play babies. Every morning Sarah asks if we are going to get her today. I guess they are getting impatient too.

I really could use prayers for comfort in this. It is hard feeling like a mother and not getting TO mother.

Fundraising ideas.

As we are trying to raise money for XXXX's adoption, I started thinking about things I could offer. One of my hobbies is photography. I got the idea to offer prints of some of my favorite photos. I am hoping this will help us a little.

Some of my other talents are web page design, sewing, and anything to do with birthing babies. I am going to see about how I can incorporate those.

We purchased some fundraising candy bars and we will be selling those as well.

Papers, Papers Everywhere!

Wow, I forgot how much paper work was involved in adopting. I am getting more organized. Maybe when we are finished, I will stay that way. I have organized every other part of my life, I guess it is about time to get papers organized as well.

I am waiting on a call back from the homestudy agency. That is my next step. I have all the application, I just have a few questions for them and we need to set up when they come out.

I have sent in all of the paper work for hosting. That trip is coming soon. I still need to go shopping for some things for our soon to be daughter. A wonderful family that hosted her before has a bunch of clothes for her. That is such a blessing. God is really orchestrating this whole thing!

I want to work on her room, but there are so many other things we have to do right now and I want an idea of what she likes before we do it. I am thinking that will be a great project for when all our paperwork is in and we are waiting on the Russian side. It will give me something to keep my mind off of the wait.

I may be working a couple of weekends coming up. It will be great timing if this works out. It will be about 4 weekends total over a 2 months period. It won't take me away from the children long and it will be much needed money!

We still highly covet your prayers. Help this go smoothly and quickly so she can come over here as soon as possible!

We are getting closer to our trip to Michigan.

We get to go to Michigan to host her for 9 days. I am looking forward to it. I hope she likes us. I hope we can learn a little Russian before the 27th. We are going to stop by my father in laws on the way to our visit. It will be harder hosting in a state that I do not know, but I am sure it will work out. It is great that we get this opportunity, it will save us a trip to Russia and quite a bit of money.

I would sure appreciate your prayers during this time. The language issue will make it harder, but we will have some translators available at times.

I just can't wait to meet her. We have decided on an American name for her. At least a first name. It will be Rebekah. We are working on a middle name. Rebekah is a name I have always loved and the lady that has been such a blessing to us during this, is Rebekah. If she decides she like the name, I will start referring to her as Rebekah. Until then, I am told not to use her name.

I am working on all the paper work for the adopting application and the homestudy. We just finalized on our adoption with Sarah last August, but it was through the state and so we have to do an international homestudy. I feel like, "Didn't we just do this?" It is worth it, I do wish there was a way some of it could translate over.

Getting Started

XXXX is a beautiful 11 year old girl from Russia. We have been told that she has learning disabilities and there is a good chance she has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. She came to the United States to be hosted. We first heard about her from an email that was sent to a friend that she then forwarded to us. She was one of the four children that did not have a home. When I saw her picture, I knew there was something there.

I had to get more information. I talked with the contact person and the more I found out, the more I knew she was to be our daughter. I spoke with my husband and he was not convinced yet. We went to a meeting about Russian adoption, which actually scared me to death. I was overwhelmed and was having second thoughts. My husband however, after much prayer, knew it was meant to be. God worked on my heart a little more and I knew as well. I know this will be so much work to find the money to get her here, but I have faith that God will provide all we need and I will work to the best of my ability to make it happen.

So, we started a web page:
http://www.ssvmidwifery.com/lima/index.html

And now I am starting this blog. This is my first blog. I hope to chronicle our process to bringing her home.