How can we help?

Justin and I have had many people ask us that question. How can we help? We are surrounded by so many generous people who want to help us in some way along our adoption journey and we have been at a loss as how to best involve people other than to ask for continual prayer and encouragement. We have made adjustments in our budget, spending habits, etc… to help us pay for the expenses associated with international adoption so we feel that one way or another it will work out. So again we just weren’t sure how to involve others in our journey. Then one evening it hit us. We aren’t the ones that need help. The children and the baby homes and orphanages are the ones that need our help. When we return for trip number two we will be making a donation to the Artyem Baby Home. This is customary for couples to do. Typically what happens is that you take extra money with you and then purchase items in Russia that are requested by the baby home or orphanage based on whatever their immediate need may be. Some items include playpens, diapers, medications, art supplies, playground equipment, shoes, clothing, funds for a summer camp, etc…

We would love to be able to really make a donation that will have a lasting impact for the children in Artyem. If you would like to help us make that possible and join us in our efforts we would ask that you make a monetary donation by clicking on the button on the right of this page which will take you to a secure site to enter your donation. If you wish to hand deliver or mail a donation instead of using the site, we will deposit it into the fund for you. Of course we aren’t setting this up with any official taxing bodies so this donation will not be tax deductible.

We will be elated to report back to you what we are able to do for the Baby Home once we are in Vladivistock. We thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sincerely,
~Justin, Heather, Brady, Madison, Blake and the children in Artyem.

Blake’s room almost done.

The sunshine room has been transformed into an adorable little bear lodge. We still need to do a few things – mainly window treatments of some sort. Of course we have lived in our home for two and a half years and have not put up one curtain or blind (woohoo for country living!) so I am hoping that by starting in Blake’s room we will feel inspired to branch out into other areas of the house. I don’t have any good pictures of the entire room yet and will post more later, but here is a sneak peak.

Here is the bedding and the adorable lantern light on the nightstand. You can see some of the lodge looking border and fun green color. I love that the color is bright and happy – but not obnoxious.


This cute little bear is a piggy bank. Well actually it is a bear bank but you get the idea. It is so cute. And that little lantern clock…. We found it in the WalMart Christmas decoration isle for 75% off. I have no idea why they were there, but it was like $2. I love a bargain and it is such a cute touch in the room.


And this quote is one of those sticker type things that come off with a hairdryer – so we are told. We thought this was a perfect saying for Blake. It is on the wall above the dresser.

One month ago – One month down.

So as I watch the little turtle across the screen, I realize that it is officially one month since we first laid eyes on our little guy. One month ago today that we were freaking out that our papers hadn’t arrived from Moscow and that we would not get to go for our first visit. One month ago today that we went to the Ministry of Education for our official invitation to see ‘our referral’ in a little town of Artyem. One month ago today that we walked through the red doors of the baby home and up to the room with the brown couch. One month ago today that our referral flashed his smile at us and became our son!

Initially I was thinking of this day as marking the first month that has passed that we have not been with Blake. I then thought it might be better to look at it as one month down in the waiting process – one month closer to being reunited with him. So today instead of being negative I want to be happy and thankful. As I reflect back to our time in Vlad here are some things to be thankful for…

Clean air; treadmills that don’t shock you (poor Justin); traffic signs and lights; toilet seats; toilet paper!; skim milk; fresh fruit; power adapters; smiles from people as you pass them; friends who are willing to share their experiences to make yours easier; innocent love of children; God’s promises; and the fact that children around the world all smile in the same language.

One month down – one more to go. (Wishful thinking I KNOW!!!)

America’s Most Wanted – Not Us!

I think I have said several times on here that we celebrate even the smallest steps. Well today we are celebrating that we are officially not one of America’s most wanted. Our FBI background checks have returned and we are pleased to announce that we have no arrest record. Yeah for us! We are now waiting on the state background checks and our updated document from CIS – and of course the folks in Russia to invite us back.

So this weekend Madison randomly asked me… “Mom, will Blake know how to bowl?” I think this thought came after a highly competitive game of Wii bowling with Brady. I took this as an opportunity to remind her that Blake has not had any of the life experiences she has. (Never mind the fact that Blake is 3 and most 3 year olds can’t bowl or that he struggled with lifting a full water bottle we had with us. I am sure he couldn’t handle a bowling ball.) I reminded her that Blake hasn’t ridden in a car; he hasn’t been to a grocery store; or (to her horror) WalMart. We will have to introduce all of these things to him – and hopefully in a way that is not overwhelming for him. So for the rest of the day Madison would tell me all of the things she is going to teach her little brother – how to do cartwheels; how to read; how to climb stairs (he has that down already); how to do a backbend; etc… They are sure going to be busy.

Blake’s Room – Before

Just a quick update. On Friday night, we began to transform the guest bedroom into Blake’s bedroom. I just about forgot to take some before pictures. I am a bit sad to see the bright sunshine yellow (JoJo's Tweety Room) color get covered up. I really did have plans for that room – they just never came to fruition and now I know why. I am quite sure that Jake and Jackie (Justin’s brother and his wife) will be quite happy to have new colors to look at when they come and stay! I love every little step we make toward getting Blake home. I do have to say though – it doesn’t help my anxiousness any by having his room nearly done and not having him here with us.

I found this scripture on another blog. It is a Living Bible translation of Habakkuk 2:3 and I feel like it is written for times like these. "...these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day."

Here are a few before pictures. When we have a couple other things done, I’ll upload the after pictures.

Before


Another Before


Our little helper!


Such a good big sister!


Brady had spent the night with a friend on Friday so he pitched in on Saturday.

Heart Felt Comments/Gestures

I am so appreciative of all of the things that people say and do that just help to solidify that Blake is a natural part of our family and that we have so many people supporting us. The emails and comments on the blog are always so appreciated. Here are a few other things that are coming to mind right now that I want to journal. I have already shared in a previous post that my mom has added Blake’s photo to the grandchild photo gallery on her wall. So sweet. Justin’s sister-in-law explained to us over Christmas that when she opened the picture we emailed out she was surprised that Blake looked so familiar to her - like she in some way knew him already and that he would fit nicely in the family. Exactly what Justin and I felt! We have had a couple of people marvel at the fact that we did not travel to Russia and pick him out from a group of children. – that he was picked for our family. It just seems like such a perfect fit. People are at a loss of how this can happen. I have no doubt in my mind – God’s divine plan! Another super sweet thing to share is that Blake ‘received’ his first Christmas gift this year. It came from Denny and Kathy Overstreet. It was so sweet it brought tears to my eyes. They gave him some first word picture books, an adorable handmade pillow case, and a beautiful quilt that Kathy made. Justin and I also got a beautiful quilt! Of course I claim to not even know how to sew on a button so the fact that people have such talent is amazing to me. We got a real quick quilt lesson and found out that Kathy chose the quilt pattern because it is called Around the World and felt that was very appropriate for Blake. I guess the name comes from the center square being one color and then spirals out from the center and the pattern continues. So sweet!

I have really enjoyed the past two weeks of having Brady and Madison home from school. We are going to have a hard time getting back into the normal routine. Back to nagging them to get ready for school, to get their reading minutes in, practicing piano, get to bed, get to sleep, rush, rush, rush. I have been able to be super productive at work and get several things organized. I am feeling a need to be on top of everything so that when it is time for us to make trip number two I don’t have too many major loose ends. I have also used some of this holiday time (between games of Pictureka and Guess Who) reading several blogs of other adoptive families. I just finished one from a family that received their court date within two months of returning from trip one. That is the fastest I have seen so far. I find myself getting my hopes up a bit…

Blake's Quilt - Around the World pattern



Back side of the quilt.

Huge Relief and Happy New Year!

I have realized that I need to celebrate even the smallest of successes and that is what I am doing today! When Justin and I were in Vlad we used our new tiny video camera. It is one of those cheaper ones that are super handy and record to a sd memory card - yes another gadget. Well anyway, we recorded some on visit one and two with Blake. On visit three I got a little nervous because I could not see the videos we had recorded the day before. I wasn't too worried though because I had put in an extra memory card so I was pretty sure that the video camera just moved them to the disk and couldn't access them from the playback menu on the camera. We decided to stop recording until we figured out what was going on. We didn't want to record over everything we had already recorded so we just put it away. Well back at the Vlad Inn I inserted the memory card into my laptop and there was nothing. The computer wouldn't even read the card. My heart sank. To make a long story a bit shorter, I just now finally got up the nerve to pick up that camera again. I just wasn't ready to confirm that I had in fact lost those videos. So feeling a bit braver, I tried the card again in the laptop. Still nothing. I then entered the memory card into my card reader and inserted it into my desktop computer. The files were there! Every single one of them! I immediately began to open each one of them. Watching Blake's little feet scurry all over the visiting room, grabbing things off the shelves, smiling, laughing, hearing us say Nyet (no), hearing him sing to himself, watching him search for the album we brought him, etc... My heart just filled with happiness and relief. I am so excited to share these videos with Brady and Madison. I'll let you know what they think! Such a great gift to 'see' him again - even through video!!!

Justin and I also wanted to wish everyone a very Happy 2009. Tucking Madison into bed the other night she asked me what holiday comes after Christmas. I told her that in just a few days we would celebrate New Years. And that 2009 will be a great year for our family because Blake will finally be home with us. She sat straight up in her bed, eyes wide open, and a smile across her face. She said, "You mean you are bringing Blake home in three days?" Ohhh I feel bad that I have to keep telling her no. She just does not understand why Justin and I don't get right back on the plane and bring her brother home. I am running out of ways to explain things to her. She and Brady are just so excited.

We hope that you all have a great New Year's celebration and that 2009 brings peace and happiness to all!