On to CHRISTMAS!!!!

For me Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I love the spirit of giving, the decorations, the music, the fun and the friends. But most of all I love the fact that I have a wonderful family to share it with. Here is our 2008 Family picture.

A Time For Giving Thanks!

POST EDIT!
Adoption costs...Yes we are VERY thankful for our little Princess, but that Princess came at a price:) Hopefully these numbers will be of assistance to the others adopting:

We just completed out adoption and here is the lump of our costs:

Travel in May through July (Most expensive time of the year. But if course!)
Moscow City region (so no additional flying) Thank goodness but would have added MANY $$$
Agency - About a Child - $2500 (including returning family discount)
Lighthouse and team fee $21,500
Home study update $1800
Pre post placement fees and deposits $2800
Airfare trip 1: $3100, hotel $894, Driver/translator $400
Airfare trip #2 $2700, Apartment $696, Driver/translator $380
Airfare trip #3 $4000 (including child's fare home), Apartment $1000, Driver/translator $420 Embassy $400
Child's physical $200
Passport $400
Visas $1550 (Don't EVEN get me started on this one!)
Notaries and apostilles around $600
Food/groceries/souvenirs $1000ish We shopped and cooked our own meals all but a few times (We also brought MANY items from home) and breakfast was included in our first trip.

We totally watched our budget on this adoption. It could have very easily cost $5000 - $10000 more in upgraded plane seats, expensive hotel lodging and eating out alone. Hotel prices have more than tripled since early 2007.

All together the running total is at around $47,900 with 1600A and 171H and FedEx and registration expenses, etc...The the only thing we had to update was our physicals and fingerprint cards Twice.

We worked with a fantastic agency that I turn works with THE BEST TEAM in Russia. They are professional and efficient. Many are not as fortunate as we were to come home with a beautiful and healthy little girl under 3...we are truly very blessed.

Good luck to you!

As Thanksgiving Eve rolled around, I came home to my 171H form in the mail! Hubby and I hot tailed it to the immigration office a half hour before closing and wouldn’t you know there was no one waiting! We walked right on in and were done in less than 15 minutes! What was a real coincidence was this was exactly what happened with Carrington. The letter came on Valentine’s Day and we went straight to the office and it was empty! Living in California I can guarentee you this is not normally the case :)

We were preparing to send off our Dossier without it and submit it later, but it is good that we can send it all together now.

So, along with all the other things we were thankful for, this was just one more to throw on the pile.

And Thanksgiving day…mmmmm…yum! As usual our family sat around a table spread of food that was mind-boggling! Bryce made his famous whole spiral sliced ham slathered with a sauce that is Oh! So dreamy, and I attempted and was successful with a creamy green bean casserole and all the other usual trimmings. This is NOT good for my on going weight battle. Then we all laid around basking in our contentment and gluttony. We are so fortunate to live in a land where we have an abundance of food and comforts. We should remember daily how wonderful our opportunities are here in America…

We have so much to be thankful for! Our life, our family, our health and our God. Life is GOOD!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Just when I thought life was easy...

Surprise surprise, just when all is going according to plan, God throws ya a curve ball!

The day before we received our fingerprint cards in the mail, and the day after Halloween, I was approached by a friend who knew of two small girls that needed a family. Ages 10 and 22 months. Blond hair, blue eyes...sweet as can be. No fuss, no mess...they just sign over legal guardianship and that's that. (I'll leave out the long story as to why, just that they do.) There is a lot of their other family involved, bio siblings, etc...but doable...definitely doable.

After a lot of prayer - and trying desperately to wrap my mind around what was happening - we asked ourselves whether we really wanted to adopt two children - both under two. What was most important was what God wanted for us. Ya know - His will, no ours...My will wanted one wonderful daughter to be spoiled by four terrific boys...not two. Sigh, sigh, SIGH!

I met with the beautiful children, spoke with the grandmother, and all the while dreamed of my husband holding a blond curly haired little girl (not GIRLS). *SIGH*! What do I do, God??? What do I do???

The advantages were plenty...no spending up to 50K on adoption fees...being able instead to complete our home addition, no waiting...But the nagging continued...I had no clear voice telling me what to do.

In the midst of the confusion surrounding my heart, I watched a video clip posted on FRUA from a web site called Kristina's Hope (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reTJ_28J6K0) As I watched it I was sobbing and remembering the children still there...left behind...needing a home. The reasons why we decided to adopt from Russia instead of pursuing a domestic adoption kept coming to the fore front of my mind. There are more families than children available here in the USA...that is why we had decided NOT to adopt domestically. For each child not given a forever family, that is another child with no opportunity...Once again I am praying "God, what do I do???"

To make a longer version short, we decided to pass these children on to another waiting family here locally...and pursue our Russian adoption. Once decided...it all felt so right. God willing, we are once again on our way...

I am now gathering my newly acquired finger print cards and making plans to head off to Fresno for apostilling. Then off it will go to our agency.

Life, when you least expect it, sometimes can become complicated.
But your heart - when you least expect it,
Can move mountains of emotion;
And give you a clear path to what and where you are suppose to be.

This time around, I am suppose to be in Russia.