Hands and Feet.....

I think that I'm ok in posting these pictures...you can't see anybody's face, but you can see some sweet little hands and feet!

Oh, my goodness...where do I even start???

So....I guess I should start with the big news first...because you all have been so very patient with me for the last few weeks. I'll explain the blogging absence in a bit, but I'll get right to the point here:

We got back from Russia LATE Saturday night. While we were there, we met the sweetest little girl in Kaluga, and we have officially signed the papers to petition the Kalgua court to adopt her. So, now we work on finishing up some "not quite so timely" paperwork, and getting things here ready to journey back for court.

We're both fighting colds (not sure if they came from Russia or since we've been home), so just basic stuff has been a bit of a struggle this week. Now that the weekend is here, I've decided that I HAVE to get you all caught up with what's been happening. I can't post all of it tonight, since my brain is a bit snot-filled, but I can give you some of the basic details, and then fill in other things later.

I stopped posting right after we had our fingerprints done--this was basically because we had sent the medical information that we had about baby Malibu to an IA doctor here in the US (in St Louis), and the IA doctor called us that week with an incredibly scary, worst-case-scenario report. We were both shocked, but we decided that we would pray about things and see what we felt led to do. We also managed to get hold of Dr. Togoyev in Russia, and asked him if he would follow up with some of the questions that our IA doctor had concerning bloodwork, etc. In the meantime, we received our visas, our fingerprint approval, and a bunch of other stuff that we needed to be able to go. And, there were just so many signs that we were supposed to go. We asked our close friends and our church to pray for baby Malibu, and to pray for us. But it was something that was very uncertain, and so we didn't feel comfortable telling everyone what exactly was going on---in part, because we weren't really sure. Up until the day we left, we knew we were supposed to go. We just didn't know exactly what we would find or what we were supposed to do about the referral, or how we were going to feel about potentially not accepting the referral. Looking back, I can see what a huge amount of stress this was--but at the time, we felt like we needed to keep things quiet from most people, mainly because it needed to be our decision.

The good news---God answered all those prayers! We met a little girl about whom we had really no doubts. The doctors' reports about her answered so many of the questions that our IA doctor had raised, and Dr. Togoyev's evaluation of her (which basically was the icing on the cake) was "take her home, love her, and she will be good." He said that he thought she was a completely different child from the one he had seen in June/July---she can sit up on her own, can stand up if you let her hold on to your fingers, and she is very responsive. I can't post pictures let, but let's just say that she is definitely a cutie-patootie!

So...more details later about our adventures in Kaluga and Moscow. We kept a journal for the first couple of days, but then we got tired and distracted by Malibu and sort of let that fall by the wayside. However, I will attempt to put those memories back together, so that I don't forget them, and so that I can share them with you all.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Fingerprint "Challenged"

Yesterday, we went to have our fingerprints taken (again)--this time for the FBI clearance. By my count, this is the 5th time we've been fingerprinted since we began this journey. And I have a sneaking feeling it won't be the last.

Anyway, to explain. We had made an appointment at the Police Station in Springfield to have this done. They do the prints onto the card, and then you mail them to the FBI for processing. And of course, you pay for both services.

We got to the police station early, which was kind of good because there was almost no place to park. We ended up parking about a block away and walking. We were still early, but that was also good, because they went ahead and got us in (some other person had missed their appointment). Steve's were great--in fact, the technician told him he had perfect fingerprints. Mine were a different story. She did most of mine three to four times, and said, "well, I hope this is good enough." Apparently I have "fingerprint problems" :-( and I had been drinking huge amounts of water AND used moisturizer. I'm just hopeful now that the FBI will accept them!

The coolest part was that the technician who did our prints has a niece who was adopted from Russia--so she was very positive about the whole process, and was very patient with me and my fingerprint challenge. Amazing how God brings blessings into even the most frustrating of situations!

Another Food-related Post...

Ok, I'm wiped out at the moment, so I'll try to make this quick.

Every year, our little town has what they call the "Fall Festival." It starts this Thursday and goes through Sunday.

One of the things that our youth at the church have done to raise money in the past is hold a cake walk or bake walk.

Today, my friend Torre and I helped out the youth kiddos by baking something like 10 cake mixes into cupcakes---we had something in the neighborhood of 12 dozen cupcakes. Plus we baked 2 sheet cakes. And I have 2 more to bake tomorrow, plus a bunch of brownies.

I never thought that I could ever, ever be sick of cake---but I really am right now. And on top of this, Thursday night I volunteered to work in the funnel cake booth.

We were so over sugared, that we decided to go out for dinner. Big mistake. Smothered chicken and loaded mashed potates. Part of why I am wiped out I am sure is that I feel like a big stuffed slug.....

Please don't call me cupcake.....

(Oh, and Kristine if you're reading this...I promise to be better starting tomorrow!)

Warning...do not go see this movie on an empty stomach!

So, we went last night to see Julie and Julia. I was really excited, since I've read Julie Powell's book (which is not, in my opinion, a great book, but it is fun) and I'm about half-way through Julia Child's autobiography. Let me first say that the movie is very funny, heartwarming, and very well done--in many ways, and that Meryl Streep's Julia Child is just too good for words.

However, we left kind of in a rush, and didn't eat before the 7:00 movie. Then, we didn't even get popcorn at the theater (well, I'm not supposed to eat it because of my braces, so I was trying to be good). Um....perhaps it slipped our minds that this whole movie was going to be about FOOD? Gorgeous food, for the most part, and talk about buying food and cooking food and eating food....By the time the movie was over, we were STARVING. I looked at Steve and asked, "so now what do you want to do?" and he said, "EAT!"

So, we zipped over to Olive Garden...we were almost the last people in there, but we did feast upon soup and salad and pasta and dessertage (we did split the dessert. So there, Jenny Craig!) It was yummy.

Just to bring everybody up to where we are adoption-wise:

Plane tickets are purchased, apartment is booked for the two nights in Moscow through Peace Travel, and visa applications were mailed yesterday. On Tuesday we have to go have our fingerprints done for the FBI check. Then about August 20 we have our physcials here.

My sis (Princess Susan) came over this last week and began to paint on the nursery walls. we now have the beginnings of a beautiful tree with a sweet bird on two walls. I'll post pictures when it is closer to finished.

So help me out, all you veteran moms and dads out there---is there something ELSE that I should be doing? Have I forgotten something important? I feel like I am missing SOMETHING!

Much love to all of you!

C

Ok, here are a few more details...

I know, I know...I left some of you hanging. I didn't mean to be cryptic, but it has been kind of crazy here the past couple of days.

Here are the details I can share:

We leave on Sept 18 to travel to Kaluga. Our referral is a little girl, who will be a year old in October. We do have some pictures and some medical information, thanks to the Houks and the Johnsons who have actually seen and photographed her, and also huge thanks to the Dyers for sharing their information with us. There are, of course, some medical concerns, but at this point we haven't had any sense that God is telling us not to go and see her.

So basically, we're walking that emotional line between being really excited and trying to not get too excited so we won't be let down (if that explanation makes sense--sorry, having a hard time expressing my emotions lately).

We are in the process of getting visas, flights, an accomodations. If anyone has any suggestions, we're open to them, I promise! I also have to get ready for the upcoming semester of school, and do all that stuff that I said I'd do this summer (that, alas, is still not done...things like cleaning out the garage :-( )

And tomorrow, I'm headed to St Louis to get my hair cut---yes, I know, a 3 hour drive for a haircut. BUT, trust me, it's worth it. If anybody knows of anything I can do while I'm there to make it not quite such a decadent trip, please let me know. If there's anything I should be shopping for, I'm totally up for that!

Finally, thanks to all of you---I'm glad that you're so excited. I am too!

We're GOING!

Just a quick post this morning, since there's so much going on today---but I SO wanted to let you all know!

We have a referral, and we have travel dates! We're leaving in mid-September to meet our kiddo!

Ok, I was all prepared for this, but now my head is spinning and I don't know what to do. Someone help me here---what should I do next?

God is good :-)

Jeremiah's Hammer Throw

Another set of just-for-fun pictures. Our Sarah is a hammer thrower--she threw when she was at Mizzou (below she's throwing at the Arkansas Sectional Meet in 2008), and her senior year she was ranked in the top 80 in the nation:




Her brother sent me the following pictures this morning--in an email entitled "Jeremiah's Hammer Throw":

That's Mo, by the way (short for Missouri Jones). He's still just a puppy, too!

Pikchures from Camp 2009

Camp staff on the last day---need I say more???

The "game" of keep-away in the lake that has lasted for the last, oh-so-many years

Water-balloon toss at the Wacky Water Olympics night

More Wacky Water Olympics---they have to fill up a trashcan with water--but the trashcan has a bunch of holes in it

Gettin' ready for Bible Study...

Shelley, Stephanie, and Erin---three of our great staff people...just hanging out and laughing in some very scarce free time!

cute, great kids

The "Wolf-pack"---it's a LONG story :-)

Would it be camp without a cookout?

My amazing small group---they were so much fun, and pulled off an awesome worship service on Friday night!

The whole bunch---well, minus one of our staff, but it's almost the whole camp--it was a great week!

Yes, we are still here on the planet...and still waiting..

Hi everybody!

I am truly sorry that it has been so long since I have posted--a LOT has happened in the past few weeks, and I will try to cut through all the fluff and bring you up to speed.

First, adoption news: Tula is a no-go. MOE there is basically dragging their heels, and told S that it might be a year before they referred anyone. Agency decided to "unregister" us and pull our dossier. Right now, with the Moscow MOE on vacation for the next couple of weeks, we're in "holding" pattern again to see what might happen there, and what, perhaps, our other options are. So, we wait. Some more.

The trip to Maine was really fun--but there was not much of what I expected, which was relaxing and sitting on the beach. It was more "let's show you as much as we can while we're here" so we were walking, shopping, touring, and driving (and eating) a LOT. Oh, and yes, Joy, the trees were amazingly tall. The whole place just has an "old" look to it--like the trees have been there forever. It was a blast, but I was wiped out when I headed home.

All last week, we were at church camp. As always, it was just pretty darn amazing. 70 + kids (jr and sr high) all focused on breaking down the barriers between ourselves and each other, and also between ourselves and God. I won't kid you--they can be pretty squirrely at times, but when they put themselves out there and really talked about their relationships with God, it made all the dealing with squirrely stuff worthwhile. It also helped make all of the "waiting" bearable--and helped me remember that God is good, and His timing is far more wiser than my own.

There you have it folks--I've tried to be short, sweet, and to the point on this one. I'll write more later when my laundry is caught up and I don't feel like I'm so scattered. Hope that all of you are having a great and blessed summer