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 Kind out of date I guess!!!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