When Dreams Come True....

If you would have told me that the love that you feel for a child could be this strong, I would not have believed it!!! When Wade and I dreamed of starting a family and we found out that us giving birth to our own child may not be possible, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that our lives could be this happy!!! When the Lord brought it upon our hearts to adopt a child from Russia we were bursting with excitement and joy. All of the paperwork and waiting I believe just made this experience all that more worth it!!! I am sitting here blogging after not having blogged for a couple of weeks. Sorry about not keeping up with it, but spending time with Alyssa has been such a joy!!! We had the most wonderful Christmas that I think that we have ever had in our family!!! Also Wade and I had our 13 year anniversary yesterday!!!! When I married him I was so in love, but as time as passed by I have fell more and more in love with him everyday!!!! He is such an amazing father to Alyssa. Her eyes light up when ever she sees her papa!!! I am sitting here in tears as I am filled with such emotion about our little girl. She is taking her nap this afternoon, and Wade is at work. Yesterday morning when Alyssa got up she decided like many mornings to have me hold her and rock her on the recliner. Well, she fell back to sleep and that is where my happy tears come from. Thinking back about that very first day that we met her, she fell asleep in my arms and the joy that overwhelmed me happened again. I watched her little face as she slept in my arms. I rocked her and rocked her for almost an hour. I watched her as she was dreaming. She would get this great big smile and then move her hands and eyes. It was the most precious thing I have ever seen. I think that I could have watched her all day!!! The Lord has just filled my heart so full with love and joy for Alyssa. To watch her learn and grow everyday has been just amazing. I do not see how our lives could be any more blessed than they are. The Lord continues to amaze me with such a happy life that sometimes I think that I am not so deserving of such things. How much love and joy can fill ones heart??? I just hope that this dream that we dreamed for so long continues to amaze me and fill my heart with such love. This child that needed a home in a far away land is now here in our home, filling our lives and hearts with love. Alyssa is such an amazing little girl!!! She loves to laugh and play, and she is starting to learn new english words everyday. On the 1 month anniversary of us picking her up at the baby home (Dec. 21)
we were riding in Wade's truck. It really overwhelmed me to think about our whole story!!! We were riding along listening to Alababma on the radio, Alyssa was dancing in her car seat on our way in to town. I told Wade "Just think..... 1 month ago today this child was in a baby home in Siberia Russia on the other side of the world.... now today she is here in your pickup truck, riding along enjoying listening to Alabama in East Tennessee." It really brings things in to perspective!!! For the children that continue to wait for a forever family, we pray today that the LORD keeps them healthy and happy until their turn comes. Although we know that not every child will get a home, we pray that many, many more people will step up and help this world's orphans!!! There are so many of them not only in Russia, but also here in the United States. If any of you have a chance to help an orphaned child, please do not hestitate!!! It is the most rewarding experience that you could ever have in your whole life!!!!
Thanks for stopping...... I will keep you updated.... I Promise!!!
Love, Julie

More Photos!!!

Here are some more for your blogging pleasure!!!!

Wishing Upon a Star....

When Wade and I began this adoption journey, we had no idea how long the wait would be and how much was truly involved in the whole process. Knowing what we know now we would do it all over again. We have had people who had adopted tell us that all of the waiting and paperwork is well worth it..... We are here to tell you that it is definitely the truth!!!!! This wonderful little person has brought such joy into our lives already!!! Do not get me wrong however, we still have a long road ahead for bonding and joining together as a new family, but seeing the smile on Alyssa's face tells it all.
It has been just over one week since we arrived back in the United States. Did I tell you how glad we were to be back!!!! This country that we live in is definitely a great place to be!!!! Never, ever take this country and the many blessings that we have here for granted.... Traveling abroad will make you truly realize just how lucky we are!!!
It has been a rather uneventful week at home. Bonding with Alyssa is going pretty well. She hangs onto her mama like glue, but that is ok with me!!! When papa comes in from outside or home from work, Alyssa's face lights up and she dances and runs through the house saying papa...papa....papa!!!!
We have not taken her out to see many people yet, however she has visited with her grandparents, nephews, uncles and aunts. We are having some problems with getting her to eat any kinds of food that have texture. She does not like to eat meat except for hotdogs... She also somewhat likes macaroni & cheese and chocolate chip cookies!!! She is just like her mama..... LOVES THAT CHOCOLATE!!!
She seems to really enjoy seeing our dogs. They meet each other at the back door all of the time. Wade took Alyssa outside to play on her swingset on Saturday and while they were out there Alyssa fed the dogs a treat!!! Of course this will make Toby & Wendy her friends for life!!!
I will be posting all kinds of pictures now that I am using our home computer. I will try to upload as many as I can for you. We will leaving on Tuesday for a 2 day trip to see an International Adoption Specialist Dr. who is familiar with internationally adopted children. He himself has adopted from Russia. I have a link on our blog for Dr. Douglas. He will do some blood work and testing and tell us exactly what we need to do to get off on the right foot with getting Alyssa ready for her immunizations. He will be able to give us info about things we may have questions on that pertain to her medical. Please keep our family in your prayers as we prepare to travel on Tuesday to Concord N.C. Please also keep Alyssa in your prayers as she bonds with her new family!!!!
Thanks again for stopping by!!!
Love, Julie

We Are Home!!!!

Never in our lives have we been so happy to be home!!! When our plane touched down on U.S. soil in Atlanta late Thursday afternoon you would have thought that we won the lottery!!! We were praising the Lord for bringing us home safely and we were so thankful for being able to bring Alyssa home. The flight from Moscow to Atlanta took approx. 11 hours. In total we had been up and traveling for approx. 23 hours from the time we got up in Moscow until we got home in Morristown. For the most part our trip went pretty smoothly except for extreme fatigue!!! Alyssa once again kept us on our toes on both flights. She had me hold her the entire way. Once we made it to Atlanta we had to go through immigration with Alyssa, and at that moment she automatically became a U.S. citizen!!! A bittersweet time though being that we had to say goodbye to our close friends, the Smith family and their adopted son. They are from Michigan and we had to part ways in Atlanta. They will always be a part of our family. Spending 30 days with them and going through this amazing journey with them brings tears to my eyes.
When our flight arrived in Knoxville we had many, many people there to greet us!!! Alyssa's aunts, uncle, grandma, grandpa, and a close family friend were all there with cameras in hand watching us come down the gate. This day will be forever etched in my heart and mind. Alyssa did not quite know what to make from all of the attention. Usually she is the life of the party. She always wants to be the center of attention. She had most of the people on the flight to Atlanta waving and saying goodbye to her when we got off the plane. She is definitely a sociable girl!!!
Well, we are so happy to report that we are home this Friday and trying to get somewhat settled back in to home life. Alyssa is trying to take a nap and we are reading our 2 piles of mail from the past month along with unpacking. Please keep updated on our blog. We will be entering posts continually so that you may follow the story of little Alyssa as she discovers this great big world here in East Tennessee!!
Love,
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

Getting Packed & Ready To Go!!!!

This is our last full day in Moscow Russia!!! Alyssa is taking her nap, and we are blogging and packing. We cannot believe that the day has finally come!! Our flight to Atlanta leaves tomorrow afternoon, and we can hardly wait. When we touch down in Atlanta Alyssa will be a little U.S. Citizen!!!! She is getting more and more confortable with both of us each day, and we look forward to getting home and settling her into her new home. We are going to miss seeing the other family traveling with us though. It has been such an enormous blessing to have them with us on both our first trip and the second one. Their little boy is so beautiful, and it has been so great to see their journey as well. They will definitely be a part of our family from now on. We look forward to visiting with them in Michigan, and we hope that they can come and travel to Tennesse to visit with us!!!
Well, I guess I will sign off for now!!! We will blog again when we touch down in the States!!!! Please keep watching our blog. On friday I will be home and be able to download all of our wonderful pictures!!! We know that you will not want to miss that!!!
Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we prepare to bring our "little Russian Princess" home!!!
Blessings..
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

One More Day In Moscow!!!

Tomorrow is our last day in Moscow!!!! We are trying to find things to do today to occupy our time. We decided this morning to try to go to the park that we can see from our hotel. The wind was quite brisk, but the temperature was not too bad!!! We pushed Alyssa in the stroller. She does ok in it, but after awhile she wants me to carry her!!! In a snowsuit and boots she feels like is weighs 50 lbs. She is definitely not fond of bundling up "the Russian way". Thank goodness she is going to be a Tennessee girl!!! We don't have to pile on the cold weather gear most of the time. There were alot of people at the park despite the cold wind. She did not want to play on any of the playground equipment, but she loved seeing the other children!!! She started to throw a small fit on our way back so we tried to bribe her with these little bread sticks that she likes so much. Most of the time it will make her hold out until we get back....but not today. We stopped and looked at the Christmas tree that they have erected outside of the hotel last night. Everywhere you look people are putting out trees with lights!!! This really makes us anxious to get home!!! Wade ventured out to the grocery store again, which is usually an everyday or every other day venture. We get milk, bread, snacks, Pepsi, juice, breakfast stuff, baby food, diapers and bananas. Alyssa loves bananas!!! You would think that she is a little monkey!!! We have decided to stay in the rest of the day. Maybe we will venture out tomorrow. It will be our last day in Moscow.....
Thank goodness!!!!!!
Thanks for stopping by..... :)
Love,
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

U.S. Embassy Approval!!!

Today at 1:00pm we left the hotel for the U.S. Embassy. Alyssa really does good on all of the car rides that we have been on so far!!! She loves to make the sounds of a car or truck (vroommm...vroommm)(beep...beep). She has not gotten car sick yet!
The other family with the little boy usually travels with us as well. I think she just likes to be where he is!! She keeps trying to hold his hand, but he does not like that idea. She also loves to throw "kisses" to everyone when she says goodbye. She is starting to pick up on a few english words already. She says mama, papa, go. She understands the words: no, yes(shakes her head), go, drink, eat, ride, tickle, and a few others. When she has had a good amount of sleep she is so funny to watch. She thinks that she is a little comedian!!!
Back to the U.S. Embassy appointment. The building is a rather large one, but we were kind of disappointed in the fact that there was not a U.S. flag on the outside of the building. The Russian flag was flying on the building though. We thought also that we would be greeted by the Marines, but that was not the case. We were however put ahead of everyone in line because we were Americans. We were told to pay and get our number in line. We took the number and waited our turn. When they called us they already had Alyssa's passport and paperwork in hand. They looked at her and she smiled and waved hi to the man. We had to raise our right hands and swear to the accuracy of our documents. We also had to sign papers saying that we would have her vaccinated when we get back to the U.S. There were about 10 other families there besides us. The children probably ranged in ages 9 months to about 10 years old. There was one family there that was adopting for a second time. They had adopted an older girl and then when they got back home, the child wanted to know if they could go back after her best friend!!! So they went back and got her!!! Now instead of best friends, they are sisters!!! They live in Italy I believe.
Once we had our papers we returned to the hotel for the evening. Alyssa had not had her afternoon nap, so she has been a little bit wild tonight. Wade is in the room with her trying to wear her down for bed. She has had her bath, and we usually try to get in bed by 9:30pm.
Tomorrow we have decided to go to the park!! We can see it from the hotel so the walk is not that far. We know that the kids will love it, as long as we can get Alyssa to agree to put on her boots and snowsuit. It was a high of 37 degrees today!!! Hopefully it will be that warm tomorrow. They will love to ride on the swings and walk around.
Thanks for stopping to check on us again!!!
We could not have done this without all of you!!!
Love,
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

Sunday at Red Square

Today we got up and went with Ana to have another tour in Red Square with Alyssa. The other couple and their son also joined us. The kids love to copy each other, so the ride in their strollers and on the subway went pretty smooth!!
We took a few pictures, but Alyssa had fell asleep on the subway going to Red Square. I will have to post more pictures when we get home. Unfortunately I cannot upload any in the business center either. Their computers do not accept my memory stick. Kind out of date I guess!!!
We will be going to the US Embassy tomorrow to take care of some more paperwork. We are getting very excited about coming home. Alyssa finally slept through the night last night in the crib. She is soooo funny. We love to hear her laugh!!!
Please keep watching our posts. We have alot of good pictures, and as soon as I can, I will put them on here!!!
Thanks for checking in on us....
Love,
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

Last Saturday in Moscow!!!

I am up this morning in the lobby trying to put in a small post. I will probably try to upload some photos today in the business center. We are still having problems uploading them on the laptop. We have our hands full with Alyssa. We are still having a hard getting her to sleep in her crib or even in the bed. She wakes up after only a couple of hours of sleep, which means we are going on little sleep as well. She is definitely a "drama queen", which is what the Dr. in Moscow said that did her medical exam. When he talked to her Russian he could calm her down. Unfortunately we do not know the language well enough so that does not help up. She thinks that everything goes her way or know way. Constant tantrums are a regular for us, so we are really ready to come home. The Lord has definitely blessed her with a good set of healthy lungs!!! HA HA HA!!!!

We are doing fine though. When we do get to see that little face when she is asleep it is the most peaceful thing you could ever imagine. Please keep her in your prayers. She is going through some enourmous changes, and she needs some extra prayers...
Thanks for stopping and checking on our new family!!!!
Love,
Wade, Julie & Alyssa

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We have soooo much to be "Thankful" for on this day!!!
We have a wonderful little girl that keeps us on our toes!!
To celebrate Thanksgiving we had dinner with the other couple and the kids in one of the hotel resturants for dinner. It was Alyssa's first meal in a resturant!! She did really good because she had the little boy with the other couple to pal around with. It is soooo funny!!! They copy each other on everything!! He is 2 yrs old and she just loves him!!! When you say his name she knows exactly who it is!!!
Alyssa is asleep in the room this evening with Wade, and I am in the hotel lobby with free internet access. It is very expensive in the room so we may not be able to call by Skype unless there are not many people in the lobby at the time, or you may not be able to hear us. I am getting ready to go back to the room to watch some Thanksgiving football with Wade. We miss you all and home terribly!!! But we are counting down the days until we arrive in Tennessee.
I will try to get some more pictures on hopefully tomorrow.
We are still having computer issues with downloading our photos!!
Thanks again for stopping by....
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

We are in Moscow!!!!!

We flew out Wednesday morning with no sleep the night before. Alyssa kept us up all night. The flight took approximately 4 1/2 hours and Alyssa kept us on our toes the whole flight. She finally fell asleep on the ride into town in the van. We found out we had to stop for her physical before going to the hotel. She was not very happy with that, especially the blood drawing!! We then had to stop for a photo for some paperwork. We finally arrived at the hotel. It is the Marriot Renaisance. The room is very nice but not very child friendly. There is not much floor space to run around in and there are lots of mirrors and pretty furniture for a child to abuse. We are getting ready to venture out to the grocery store. We will blog again later.
Love,
Wade, Julie & Alyssa

Packed and Ready for Moscow!!

We are packed and ready for Moscow tonight. I am writing this with our whole family together here at the computer. We leave for the airport at 4:30 am Wednesday morning. Alyssa is trying to type which makes things interesting. We are extremely excited to leave for Moscow. We will be there for 8 nights getting the final paperwork done to head home. We will be visiting Red Square a few times with Alyssa, and hope to post a few pictures of our time in Moscow. We fly home on Thurs. Dec. 4th. Keep watching the blog!!! We will post when we get to Moscow tomorrow!!!
Thanks for stopping by.
Love,
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

One More Day In Krasnoyarsk!!!!

We can finally say that we have only one day left in Kras!!
It seems like it has been a long road since our court date. The weather outside is just too cold to be out there and enjoy yourself. We have had snow flurries this morning, and the wind is quite brisk!! We took Alyssa outside for just a few minutes but it is just too cold out there. Right now she is down for her nap so I have a few minutes to catch up the blog. Unfortunately our computer will not let us upload any more new pictures off of our camera, so I have included a couple from earlier. We may have to try to use the business center if we want to add any brand new pictures. Our laptop has some kind of error on uploading photos.
Last night was once again a difficult time to get Alyssa down to sleep. She is terrified of the crib. I have to cradle her to sleep and then put her next to me for the night. When it is nap time it is no easier either. We are very anxious to get to Moscow. We will have something to do almost everyday before we come home.
We leave for Moscow early Wednesday morning. We will visit the U.S. Embassy on Friday after Thanksgiving, and then the Russian Consulate on Tuesday next week.
We will be flying back home on Thurs. Dec. 4th.
We will be posting more pictures when we get to Moscow if not before.
Please keep Alyssa in your prayers as she is trying to adjust to life in this "great big new world".
Love,
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

Look at Her Now!!!

We thought that we would post a few pictures everyday of our journey so far while in Krasnoyarsk. It has been an amazing road. Wade went with our Facilitator today to finalize getting Alyssa's Russian passport. We should be able to pick it up on Tuesday. We will be leaving Krasnoyarsk early on Wednesday morning.
Wade just got back from bringing us California Pizza for lunch and dinner!!! Alyssa is taking her afternoon nap so I thought that I would put in a post.
It is hard to believe that we only have 12 more days before we go home. It will probably be here before we know it. Alyssa is a busy body and loves to play. The other couple that is traveling with us also picked up their son yesterday. He is so beautiful. Alyssa got to meet him last night and today. She is a little bit timid around other people and she always makes sure that we are within arms reach of her. She continually babbles and laughs when we play, and I think that there is no better joy for us than to see her laugh!!!
We look forward to coming home to introduce her to all of you.
Please keep us in your prayers while we continue our stay in Russia.
Thanks again for stopping by...
Julie, Wade & Alyssa

GOTCHA DAY!!!!!

The day has finally come!!!! Today was Gotcha Day!!! We are finally a forever family!!! We waited for the minutes to tick away today. We did not leave our hotel room until the time had come to leave. We left the hotel bound for Sosnovoborsk at about 4:30pm. The drive to Sosnovoborsk takes about an hour with heavy traffic. The baby home is located there. It is a relatively smaller community than Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk has about a population of 800,000 people, but Sosnovoborsk is probably about a tenth of that maybe....
When we arrived at the orphanage Alyssa was waiting for us in the music/playroom that we always visit with her in. The Director was there with her waiting for us. We had to take off all of her clothes and put on the ones that we had brought her. She seemed like she was really ready for us to take her home. Before leaving we took pictures with the Director and also pictures outside on the step before we left.
Alyssa did pretty well all in all on the trip back. However with it already dark outside she did not like the oncoming cars with their lights shining in her face. She would not sit still even in my lap. I finally decided to sing to her knowing that she loves music. I am soooo glad that I tried it.....It worked!!!! I had to sing Jingle Bells all that way back to Krasnoyarsk. About half way there she fell asleep in my arms. I continued singing though hoping that it would keep her calm. She did not get sick in the car and we are greatful for that!!! When we got back to the hotel we prepared her some food in the room, and she seemed to settle right in. We played with some of the toys we had brought from home and also some that we had bought at the toy store. We put her down for bed at about 10:00pm. She moved around and around in the crib for about 30 minutes but finally fell asleep. She is sleeping soundly as I am writing this post.
We are so excited to finally introduce you to our precious little girl that we call our "Little Russian Princess"!!!!
Please keep our new family in your prayers as Alyssa adjusts to a new life with her mommy and daddy!!!
Keep watching our blog and I will try to post daily about the rest of our journey home to the U.S.
Love...Julie, Wade & Alyssa

Counting our Many Blessings!!!

Even though it is not yet Thanksgiving, both us and the other couple that are with us have had great conversations about the many things that we miss from home. Food is probably one of the big topics!!! We cannot wait to have a great big hamburger when we get back to the States. We realize just how much the small things mean to us when we are so far from home. Our list includes: Great hamburgers, fries & milkshakes; our own bed; brush your teeth with tap water; more than 1 channel on t.v. in english; 50 degree days and nights; underwear and clothes that are not stiff after handwashing & hanging to dry; picking up the phone to call family & friends; putting ice in our drinks; driving; a smile or wave from anyone you meet; being able to read any sign, book or food items...... We could probably go on and on and on!!!!
We do however have many blessings here as well. We have become the parents to the most energetic, sweet, cute, mind of her own, giggling, timid, curious, amazing little girl that we would ever ask for. We are so very blessed with this little girl that the Lord has given us. We are also blessed to have all of you praying for us, and for being with us on this long long journey!!!!
Tomorrow we cannot wait to share this little bundle of joy that has been brought into our lives!!!!
Thanks for stopping by...
Love, Julie & Wade

Where is Walmart when you need it???

Today we went back to the kid's store to buy Alyssa a stroller. We knew that the price was very expensive from when we looked at them on the weekend. We were asking ourselves where is Walmart when we need it?? The price of this stroller was 2690 rubles!!! Which in U.S. dollars works out to be about $103.00 !!!! We are talking about a collapsable umbrella stroller here!!! We had thought about bringing one with us from home, but we knew that we would be charged by both airlines going in. We know that it will be extremely helpful to have it though, especially in the airports coming home.
The weather has warmed up a little bit today. It was overcast but at least you could go without a hat and gloves in the afternoon. When the sun goes down it is a totally different story!!!
We also did a little grocery shopping today. We have been trying to save some money by eating breakfast and lunch in our room. We have a supermarket around the corner from our hotel. We have bought juice, milk, bread, jelly, fruit, chips, snacks, Pringles, tea, instant soup bowls and soft drinks. You can find just about anything you need at the store but we have a hard time reading the names of what the product is. Pictures on the products help a great deal. We have been eating our dinners out at either the hotel restaurant, the German restaurant across the parking lot or California Pizza. We also bought a few things for Alyssa. Diapers, wipes, milk, yogurt and also a little toothbrush that I forgot to pack!!!
We had a great visit with Alyssa today also. She loves the sippy cup with juice, and the look on her face when we were getting ready to leave said it all. I think that she is about ready for us to take her home!!!!
2 more days and we get to bring her with us!!!
Thanks for stopping by...
Love, Julie & Wade

Passport Photo Day!!

Today we had a wonderful surprise when we got to the orphanage!!!
They told us that we were going to take Alyssa to get her passport photo taken so that we would have it for her passport!! One step closer to bringing her home!!!
We had to bundle her up with many layers. She did pretty good in the car. We only had to drive a couple of minutes to the photographer. She held onto our hands while looking out the front window. She had not been in a car before except when she was first brought to the baby home when she was born. She had a very stern look on her face, but she handled it quite well. She did sway back in forth to the music that Sergei our driver had on the radio. She really loves music!!!
When we returned to the orphanage after the picture, we got to tour her area in the baby home. We took many pictures which we will share with you very soon!!!
We are looking forward to tomorrow when we can say that we are halfway done with this long trip. We really enjoy visiting Alyssa everyday. We learn something new about her little personality with every visit.
We will go for now....
Thanks for stopping!!!
Love, Julie & Wade

Married with Children????

We have been keeping ourselves occupied on our down time with either watching movies that we had brought from home, or have been watching Russian television!!!
There are 2 shows that came on the t.v. that got our attention and made us laugh!!!
They have a show that is an exact copy of Married with Children, and also Third Rock from The Sun!! The shows characters are copies from our original shows. We cannot understand the dialog, but we watch them anyways because they make us laugh!!!

We are getting ready to go see Alyssa at 2:00pm again today. Yesterday(Monday) the caregivers brought in her afternoon snack. You should have seen the quantity!!! The children get fed incredibly well!! They brought in a HUGE freshly baked roll along with a cup of warm milk!! I had to break the roll up for her, but that did not stop her pace. She kept on stuffing it in her mouth and chewing. For such a little thing, she can put down the food!!! The warm cup of milk was in a little tin cup. She can hold the cup herself and not spill a drop!!! She gulped it down so quickly we thought that she would spill it..... No spilled milk!!!
We had also brought her a sippy cup of juice and a small snack which she had already ate before they brought in the roll and milk. At first she did not know how to use the sippy cup, but by the second try she figured it out. She did not want to set it down until she knew it was all gone. Keeping this little girl fed will be a challenge!!!

Well, I guess we will go for now. We hope to get a tour of the orphanage on todays visit!! We will let you know how that goes!!!

Thanks for stopping by and checking on us!!!
Julie & Wade

California Pizza Here We Come!!!!

Once again we hit the California Pizza. Actually twice today!!! We went out and had some lunch there, and then after a big shopping spree at the 3 story toy and child's store we went back to get some more pizza as carry out for supper. It is really good pizza. It reminds us alot of being at home. We also get a 10% discount since we are Americans!!!!
The other picture is of a building in Sosnovborsk where the orphanage is. We wanted to show all of the icy and snowy trees and landscape on the drive back. I don't think that the pictures can do it justice. It is incredibly cold, and we wonder when the next big snow will be. We are counting down the days until we pick up Alyssa. I guess we will just hang around the hotel on Sunday and try to stay out of the cold. Only 6 more days until we bring our little angel back to the hotel with us!!!!




Thanks for stopping by....
Love, Julie & Wade

How Cold Did You Say It Is????

Thermals!!!! That is your word for the day!!! If you don't have them, do not go outside. It was -16 degrees celsius today. And that was the high for the day!!!
We did venture out twice today though. We went at 2:00pm again to see Alyssa. It was a really good visit. She did not want us to go. Everyday she is getting more and more confortable with us. We found out today that we will be getting to pick her up next Friday instead of Saturday!!! We are very excited at this news!!!
We also ventured outside to get a bite to eat. We just had to walk across the parking lot, but it still felt like we had walked to the North Pole!!!
Walking is not an easy job with nothing but ice to walk on!! Ice is everywhere. I am just waiting for the time that I hit the ground with everyone laughing!!!
Tomorrow is Friday, and we will get to visit Alyssa then, but not on the weekends. We will be doing some heavy duty shopping though!!! Anything to pass the time without Alyssa!!!!
Thanks for stopping!!!
Love, Julie & Wade

Waiting and Visiting in Kras!!!!

We went again today to visit with Alyssa. She recognized us a little more today. She says mama and papa which warms our heart!!! She is a little shy, but plays alot more when we speak some russian words, or give her something to snack on. She is just soooooo cute!!!! We are counting down the 10 day wait. We have been spending our down time with a great couple that are here with us adopting a little boy in a different orphanage. We have been traveling with them ever since we left Atlanta's airport in the U.S. They are staying in the same hotels, had the same court date and will also be leaving the same day that we leave. It has been such a blessing to have them with us on this awesome journey. They will always be our dear friends for life. We hope to get our kids together sometime when we return to the states. They live in Michigan, so we will have to make it a definite vacation spot!!!!
We are looking forward to going shopping this weekend since we can't go to the orphanage on the weekends. We are going to go to a huge toy store, and maybe the mall. We just ate at California Pizza tonight!!! Yes, you heard me right!!!
California Pizza!!!! We got a discount for being American's. Who would think that we would find this place in Siberia!!!!!!
Well I guess I will go for now..... Keep watching!!!!
Love, Julie

It's Official....We Have a Daughter!!!!

It's official..... We have a Daughter!!!!
We had our court hearing today at 10:30 am. It felt like a long process. We had a small glitch with one document that could have held up the decision until Wednesday, but with the help of our Facilitator, she corrected the error and we were officially told today at 1:00 pm that Alyssa Marie is our little girl!!!!!
The picture above is of us outside of the court building in Krasnoyarsk. It is really cold and snowy here, and we are more than ready to come back to warm Tennessee!!!
We had went and visited with Alyssa yesterday, and she has grown just a little bit. She was a little bit shy, but warmed right up to her daddy when he brought out a snack!!! We will be visiting the orphange tomorrow, and hope to share some more news with you. We will not be posting a picture of her until the 10 day wait is over, which will be on Saturday Nov. 22nd.
We would like to thank everyone for their many prayers. We could definitely feel them all the way around the world to us here in Krasnoyarsk.
Keep watching!!!!
Love Julie

Snowy Krasnoyarsk!!!!!!

We arrived in Krasnoyarsk to alot of falling snow!!!! It is very
cold and we are wondering how much snow we will get while we are here!!!
Our plane arrived on Sunday morning early, and we were very glad to get here.
We are still trying to get connected with wireless internet from our room,
so for now we are in the business center. It is now Monday morning at 11:00am.
We are getting ready to go and see Alyssa at 2:00pm. We will post again hopefully very soon!!! We will be sure to include pictures from Krasnoyarsk and all of the snow!!!!

Hi From Moscow!!!!

We are so exhausted from our long flight. We arrived in Moscow early Thursday morning.
We finally got a good nights sleep on Thursday night. We got up this morning and had our physicals. It took about 3-1/2 hours, but we are finally done with that important step.
Wade had the Dr's laughing!!! He forgot how long we have been married when he was talking to the pyschologist!!!! But we got all of our 8 Dr's stamps of approval!!!
We are getting ready to settle in for the night(Fri) We will be flying out tomorrow night(Sat)for Kras!!!! We will update you further when we arrive!!!! We are counting down the days until we see Alyssa!!!

Me and My Daddy's Stang......

We have been meaning to show a few pictures of Wade's pride and joy....
No.... not pictures of Alyssa yet...... pictures of his Ford Mustang, and also pictures of the fun ride for Alyssa!!!! Daddy has hooked her up with this hot machine from Walmart!!! He is still trying to figure out how to make a mini garage, but for now he parks it beside his in the garage.....
This little girl is going to be soooooooo lucky to have such a great and loving father...... That is why I love him sooooooo much, and that is why I married him. Thanks for stopping by. WE LEAVE IN 4 DAYS!!!!!!!

Julie

Pack Lightly..... Yeh Right!!!!!!

Did someone say that we needed to pack light??? For a month???? What, are you kidding me?? HA HA HA !!!!! This is harder than you think. We are allowed 44 lbs in our checked bag per person. We are still trying to figure out how that is going to happen..... We have almost everything packed except for a few gifts for our Russian friends, and also a few snacks for Alyssa for our visits with her, and for our trip home. We have packed very little clothing for ourselves, and we will probably be handwashing some items and letting them dry in the room. We are so very excited to get this trip underway, and we cannot wait to see Alyssa on Monday November 10th. We will be having our court date on Tues, Nov. 11th. Please keep an eye on our blog because we intend on putting an entry on here everyday or every other day. We will keep you informed the best that we can on this month long journey to bringing our little "Russian princess" home.

Julie

We Have A Court Date!!!!!

Look out Russia, here we come!!!!! We just received the wonderful news that we have gotten our court date!!! We will be leaving for Russia on November 5th. Our court date is Nov. 11th, and we return home on December 4th!!!! We are crying tears of joy tonight while we try to get our visa's rolling along with getting our airline tickets. My head is spinning trying to remember all of the things that we need to get done. We would really like to thank all of you for your prayers and blessings in this long journey to our little girl. We cannot wait to share her photo after we have legally become her parents. Please keep watching our blog. We will be posting as much as possible from Russia. You can leave us comments and we will try to respond by email or phone. We will be using Skype to talk and video back and forth to the U.S. We are so excited that our prayers have been answered. Please continue to pray for us for safe travels, and also for an uneventful court hearing..
We will post again soon...
Julie

Petition To Court!!!!

Praise the Lord, we have just received our petition to court!!!!
When I opened email this morning, there it was......the document that
we have been waiting for ever so anxiously!!!
Receiving this document means that we are very close to bringing
Alyssa home. Once this document gets back to Russia, we will hopefully
receive our court date very soon!!! We are looking so forward to seeing
her again!!! We really loved our first trip, and we look forward to seeing
our facilitators, drivers and everyone else that has helped to make this such
a wonderful experience. The Russian people were so kind and helpful to us.
It will truly be bitter sweet when we do have to come home from the last trip.
Everyone that has been working on our behalf really love these children.
We look forward to spending time in Moscow and our region, and look forward to learning alot more about Russia. The time that we spend in Russia will always be such a great part of our adoption story. Russia will always be part of our lives and a part of the heart of our family. We are going to be so proud to say that we feel in love with a little girl from the wonderful country of Russia. And we will feel so proud to say that she is our little "princess".
Please keep our family in your prayers to get a quick court date, and also pray for the many other families that are waiting also for petitions, court dates, referrals, and regions...
Blessings..
Julie

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

We consider our dogs Wendy and Toby as our "official weather forecasters".
We have had such a hot summer this year that our dogs just kind of lay around and snooze. You don't even have to step outside to know exactly what the weather is. You can tell by watching them through the window. For some reason they do not usually find shade in their doghouses, but instead they stare at us through the window in the door and beg to come in. We know one thing..... A wet Toby is not a happy Toby. Whether it is just sprinkling, or it is pouring, he continuously taps on the door wanting in. When it gets to be cold in the winter, we sometimes let them in to warm up. They usually plop down on the rug, and take a long nap, or maybe watch tv.
We are really looking forward to cooler weather, and we know that our furry friends are also!!! Maybe we should just let them move in to the house with us... NOT!!!

Room For a Princess....

We have had many people ask us lately about Alyssa's room. So we decided to share some pictures of her room now that it is complete!!! We themed it as a "Princess Room". We cannot wait to bring her home, so that she can play with her toys, and sleep in her princess crib. We are hoping that when we bring her home that she will still be small enough to sleep in her crib. We think that she will, but just in case we also added a twin bed. I am sure Wade and I will be taking turns sleeping in her room to ease her transition of sleeping alone. Right now she sleeps in a crib in a room with many other cribs of children. So we know that this will definitely be a change for her. As of today we still have no news from the agency about our Petition to Court document. We are waiting patiently for this document. It is the next big step toward our court date and second trip. We know that the LORD has HIS perfect timing, so we are just waiting and praying that the call will come soon. This Friday will be 10 weeks since we saw our daughter!!!!
Time is starting to speed up and slow down at the same time. It is hard to believe that it has been that long since our first trip, but then again, I find myself looking at the clock periodically throughout my day, and I wonder what she is doing at any given time. We long so much for her to be home with us. We cannot wait to bring our "little princess" home to join our "Forever Family"!!!!