GOTCHA DAY!!!!!

We can hardly believe that the day has already come..... Our first "Gotcha Day" as a forever family. It has been exactly one year today that we picked up Alyssa at the baby home in Sosnovoborsk, Krasnoyarsk Russia. We had left for the orphanage at about 4:30 in the afternoon on November 21, 2008. We were so excited and nervous all rolled up into one. The 45 minute drive seemed to take forever. We tried to soak up everything that we could on that last journey to the orphanage. We took a video for most of the trip so that we would not forget the ride. When we arrived, they had Alyssa in the room ready for us to change her into the clothes that we had brought with us. She had this "lost" look in her eyes. She had no idea what was happening. For all of you adoptive parents out there, you know what I am talking about. We took a few pictures before we left and then out into the sub zero temperatures we went. It was dark and cold when we left. The streets were a solid sheet of ice. When we started out on our drive, we found out quite quickly that Alyssa did not like the lights of the oncoming traffic. She screamed and cried. The only thing that I could think of to do was to sing to her. Me, not being a very good singer, I sung very low so as not to drive our driver Sergei crazy. I sang Jingle Bells for the full 45 minutes back to the hotel. It worked!!! She fell asleep for most of the trip, so I guess she enjoyed my singing.... HA HA HA !!!!
That day changed our lives forever. To see this child today you would have never guessed that she has been through such trauma.
Today as we look back at our amazing journey, we decided that we would spend the whole day together doing "fun" things. One thing that we did was attend an adoption celebration at a local church that was celebrating National Adoption Day. It is pretty cool to think that this day fell on our "Gotcha Day". We went there and visited with other families that had brought their children home from Russia this past year or two. We exchanged names and phone numbers so that our children could have a connection from their homeland of Russia. We also learned what we will need to do to readopt Alyssa in Tennessee next November!!! We really look forward to that day also!!!! Later in the afternoon we headed to Pigeon Forge to go to Dollywood. They are all decorated for Christmas and Alyssa really loved all of the lights. She also really loved the light parade which had Santa included in it. She rode her favorite rides, the ducks, the bees, the pigs and the train. She had hot chocolate for the very first time also. It was a HIT!!! This girl loves chocolate!!! We had a very fun and exhausting day, but it was such a wonderful day. The LORD has so blessed our family. We thank HIM every day for bringing this child into our hearts and our family. She makes every day a joy, and we are very humbled by the fact that the LORD chose Wade and I to be her parents. For those of you out there who are considering adoption, your life will never be the same. There are not enough words to express all of the emotions that you will experience in the journey of adoption. The highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. But what you may think of as the end of our journey, we feel that our journey has just begun. The journey of "forever"!!! We love this child with all that we are, and we feel such gratitude for the whole journey........
Thanks for stopping by.....
Love, Julie

One Year Ago Today.....The Start of Forever!!!!!

Where do I begin.....As tears are flowing from my eyes, I am remembering this day exactly one year ago today. We had gotten up early after a rather sleepless night. We were very excited and nervous because our court day had finally come. We had arrived at the court house with our translator and facilitator and waited for our turn to go in to see the judge. After going through about an hour with the judge, she returned to the court room with the answer we had waited for 2-1/2 years to hear.... DAH !!!!!
The judge said YES, that our adoption of Alyssa was approved!!! Our world was forever changed. All of the years waiting for a child was finally over. There are just not enough words to describe the feeling of becoming a mom after such a long wait. When we first met Alyssa in June 2008 we knew that it would be forever. All of our hopes and dreams for a forever family had come true. All of the paperwork and waiting was soooo worth it!!! To remember back on this whole journey is just completely overwhelming.
We cannot believe that it has already been 1 year!!! Alyssa has changed so much in such a little amount of time. She has grown about 4" and has gained 8 pounds. She has gone from a look of being so scared, to a look of complete joy and happiness. There is not a day that goes by that we don't just beam with joy about her being in our family. She is like a little ball of light. She has an amazing little spirit, and an amazing way that she loves the people and things closest to her.
We look back with such gratitude to our LORD, for giving us this great joy of being parents. We thank all of you for your love and prayers on our journey to our daughter. We could not have done this without all of you!!!
In a few days we will be celebrating "Gotcha Day"!!! On this day we will celebrate Alyssa and we will rejoice in our "Forever Family"!!!!!
Every year we will reserve this day to be together as a family, and to tell Alyssa just how special she is in our lives.
Thanks for stopping by.....
Julie

FOOTBALL AND FALL IN TENNESSEE!!!

Did someone say that it is almost Fall??? Tomorrow is the official start of Fall.
How can it be here so fast??? It is also hard to believe that we are getting ready to do our 1 year post placement visit and report for Russia!!!! We got the call in October of last year about our court date and also our second trip to bring Alyssa home. The LORD has blessed our family sooooooo much!!! Alyssa still brings tears to my eyes almost daily, and we cannot even remember our life without her now. She is doing amazingly well. She is really starting to speak alot of new words on a weekly basis. She is learning her letters and numbers also!!! She can recongnize about 6 letters of the alphabet using her magnetic letters on the refrigerator. She loves to count to ten and she loves to sing the alphabet song!!! A very interesting fact that we find simply amazing is that she still recognizes Russian words and phrases when you say them to her, and she tries to say them back. Also, some of the pictures that we have showed her from Russia she recognizes also!!! I have started working on her Life Book also, which is an album that she will always have just for herself that tells her the story of her adoption. We are going to instill in her that she should be proud of her heritage, and that mommy and daddy are proud to have such an amazing little princess in our family and our lives. If anyone out there that reads this blog is thinking about adoption, I just want to tell you that it was worth every worry, every document, every tear, every sleepness night, every low, every high and everything in between. The LORD brought us to adoption, and HE continues to show us amazing blessings for our family. I often ask myself how I can be so lucky to have been given this child to love and to raise??? She is everything that I could have asked for and sooooo much more!!! When she smiles her little face just radiates such joy, and as a mother, I wish no more for her than complete happiness. Adoption is so much more that bringing a child into your family, it is
LOVE......The LOVE of the LORD......The LOVE of being called MOMMY..... The LOVE of everything great in this lifetime!!!!! I continue to learn about myself, learn about Alyssa and grow closer to the LORD just because of this adoption!!!!
We know that we will adopt again, hopefully within the next year or so!!!! We just know that Adoption is just toooooo important!!!! These children need homes, and we feel absolutely honored and humbled by the love of this precious child. Thanks so much for stopping by. Please enjoy a few pictures of our little Alyssa...
Blessings.....
Julie

MORE SUMMERTIME PICS.....

SUMMER TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!!!

Did someone say summer??? Yes!!!! Little Alyssa is starting her first summer here in Tennessee and it is a HOT one!!! Having come from Siberia this little girl sure loves being outside in the summer sun. She tans so easily which makes me rather jealous.... I just burn only being outside for 10 minutes. She has started this summer off on a great note. For her 2 year old wellness visit we were told that her immunizations that she had done in January, along with what she had done in Russia, she will not need anymore shots until she starts school!!! Thanks Children's Hospital for that wonderful news!!! Alyssa is learning to ride her new bike that she was given for her birthday by Grandma and Grandpa Word. Although she has not quite gotten the hang of it, she gives it a try. She loves to swing on her playset, and she loves to play in her sand and water table. POOL!!!! Did someone say POOL???
Yes, this girl loves the water!!! She has a small pool at home which she really loves. She also has gone swimming in her cousins pool. We are hoping that she learns to swim pretty soon. We will probably have to have her take some lessons.
We had a pretty good 4th of July!!! That morning we headed off to the Knoxville Zoo. It was her first time at the zoo. (I love all of these firsts!!)
At night we had a few family members over, and did a few small fireworks. Alyssa was ok with the little fountains, but when it came to the big shells she really wanted no part of it. So we went in the house to watch them through the front window while Aunt Lori and Daddy shot them off.
We are gearing up for our first "vacation from home" to Grandma and Grandpa Church's house in a couple of weeks. It will be a long weekend, but we are looking forward to everyone meeting Alyssa!!!
We cannot believe how much she has grown since we have been home. She has grown about 3 inches and gained 7 lbs!!! She has grown so tall!!! She is learning more and more words everyday. And she is really starting to like some childrens shows on t.v. She loves Blue's Clue's more than anything. She had her first dental appointment a few weeks ago, and passed with flying colors. She has only 1 more molar to come in, and then we are home free on teething!!! She is constantly drooling and biting on her fingers, which in turn causes a little rash on her face. She is enjoying the summer during the work week at Grandma Donna's house. Sometimes her cousins Logan, Bryson and Ethan are there also.
Well I guess I will close it up for now. Enjoy the pictures.......
Thanks for stopping by.....
Julie, Wade and Alyssa

A Day in the Life of Alyssa.....

A day in the life of Alyssa truly is a blessing!!!!
She makes us laugh and cry, and keeps us on our toes. I have posted a few pictures of Alyssa for you all to enjoy. We had taken a trip to the aquarium in Gatlinburg on Good Friday so I have included one with Alyssa and Wade inside one of the aquariums. We have been enjoying some of the warmer days by taking Alyssa outside to play at the park. Alyssa is really coming in to her own little person. She pays attention to everything, and she tries to figure out how things work. She tries to be very independant, but also loves to be held by her mommy and daddy.
Another funny thing is that she loves the singer "Lady Gaga". When ever she sees her on T.V. or hears her singing on the radio she gets very excited!!!!
Our daughter definitely loves music!!!! Our family is so blessed to have Alyssa in it!!!!! Keep watching.....
Love Julie

Alyssa is 2 !!!!

It is hard to believe but our little Alyssa has turned 2 !!!!!
Her birthday was Tues. May 5th, but we had her Princess Birthday Party on
Sat. May 9th. We were hoping to have her party outside, but because of the threat of rain we had it in the basement. We decorated with pink and white balloons and the cake was a Princess Castle. Alyssa's aunt Cheri made it!!!! It was so beautiful!!!! We had many family and friends at the party, and we had a really fun time. On the day of her birthday we had a small dog cake for her which she really loved!!!! Alyssa got many presents, and loved playing with the other kids.
It is hard to believe that Alyssa has been home with us for 6 months!!!
She is growing so fast, and we are so overjoyed at watching her grow!!!
We have been so busy with everything that I just don't take the time to post.
I will do another post so that we can catch you up on little Alyssa.
Thanks for stopping by....
Julie