1 year ago it was official!

More memories!  On April 16th, 2009 we officially became Blake's parents.  We could breath a huge sigh of relief when that day was over.  It was fun to do back and read last year's entry.  This part in particular made me laugh - I can still remember the craziness of it!

We spent the morning hanging out with the True Family (Sandy, Ryan, and Bodi) and picking their brains about court. Around noon we decided to go back to the room and reread our homestudy, Blake’s medical and family information, and make a list of notes to have with us in court. We were to be picked up in the lobby around 2:30-2:45 for our 4:00 court session. Well because there was NOTHING else to do, Justin and I began getting ready for court early. We decided to be in the lobby at 2:15 just to be on the safe side – and to get us out of our room! At 2:12 the phone in our room rings. It was Lana, our interpreter. She said, “Heather, there has been a mistake (insert here – heart pounding, lump in throat developing, stomach turning). The judge changed the court time to 2:00 not 4:00. She only told half of the people 2:00. Irina will be there to pick you up in ten minutes. Please be ready!” Well that sure made things interesting.

I think the entry I did yesterday on our 'public' blog shares some great pictures of how far we have come over the past year!

A reminiscent time of year…

We have a lot going on lately. Brady has started baseball practice and is preparing for his piano recital. Madison is working hard to get ready for her dance and tumbling recital. Blake is still having speech therapy two times a week. Church, small group, housework, yard work, regular work, school etc… I am thankful that we live such full lives. And very much UNLIKE last year Justin has been in the fields this week and planned to start planting today which is very exciting.


I find that we have been saying the phrase “this time last year” a lot around our house lately. It has been fun to remember details of our second trip. On April 14th we arrived in Vlad from Moscow and on April 15th we finally got to be reunited with Blake. We still weren’t able to post pictures of him at that time so I thought it might be fun to go back and see what photos we had from those days. Of course on that first visit with him we were being prepped for court so I don’t have as many photos from that day.

This one reminds me of the ‘shops’ we would see often on the side of the road.

This picture reminds me of why I gained 10 pounds that I am still struggling to lose. Carbs central!

Here you can see Lana in the background and Blake sitting in a machina looking at a book that teaches Russian phrases.

It was not uncommon for us to see Blake in ‘girlie’ clothes.

The memories are all coming back now!

Blake's first Easter

Last year Easter was a week later than it was this year, and Justin and I flew out of Moline on that day to return to Russia. We were a mess leaving Brady and Madison, but were so excited to return to bring Blake home. Well this year Easter was a VERY joyous occasion. Blake has now been with us for each one of the holidays that we celebrate in one year. He understands that we celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birthday, and it was great fun for us to try to teach to him that on Easter we celebrate that Christ rose from the grave. Brady and Madison love telling him the bible stories that they have learned.

The fun started on Friday night. Our niece Alexis and nephew Trevor came to spend two nights with us. They enjoyed dying Easter eggs. Blake couldn’t get the hang of the little dippers so he just stuck his whole hand in the dye. Thankfully his hands turned back to their normal color by Saturday morning.

On Saturday we went to Justin’s parent's house and celebrated Easter with his family. There was rain in the forecast so Blake’s first Easter egg hunt was held in the shops and barns on the farm. The kids loved it! Here they are with some of their goodies. Brady, Blake and Alexis thought they were cute with buckets on their heads.

On Sunday, we all went to church. We were really excited to have my sisters, Dyan and Glennda with us as well as my aunt Becky and Grandma! We didn’t have much time for pictures before church but here is one of the three kids and Annie. Annie looks so clean in the pictures. She really is filthy dirty from running through the pond!

The kids had a blast putting together a scavenger hunt for the adults. Justin and I helped them plan it out. Here is a picture of the group at the starting egg. The kids came up with the rules that all of the adults had to stay together. It was fun!

Blake really did have a great time. He loves to be together with his family. And he is a chocoholic so Easter candy is right up his alley. He needed a new bike for this year, so we thought that would make a great Easter present. He loves to ride it, and Madison has been working with him on turning and stopping.

Loved this day last year!

One year ago today we got 'the call' with our court date!  I reread what we posted about the day.  I laughed out loud at one particular line in the entry.  It reads, "After court and the necessary paperwork processing we will be bringing Blake home with us. This is our last trip to Russia until many years down the road if he would like to visit."  Funny how quickly your path in life can change!

What was our post one year ago today?

This time last year our papers were submitted to court and we were waiting on pins and needles for The Call.

Here is what we posted on March 30th of last year.

Spring is here!

This is the effect the time change has had on the Overstreet family!

Tonight Justin and Madison had a daddy daughter night out.  Madison met her goal of reading 112 books and for her reward she chose dinner and a movie with dad.  The both were so excited!

Blake asked us to take his jeep he got at Christmas outside for him today.  We are thankful for warmer weather!  And Blake loves his dragon rain boots!

Check this out!

 THE OVERSTREET JOURNEY CONTINUED...