Needing to remember

Picture of me & thomas tracing "A"'s sweet little foot so we could bring him back shoes that fit on our next trip. Pic of me, thomas & Greg after i threw up 25 times, not looking my prettiest. Other pic of thomas in orphanage playing.




Well, i'm in bed with walking pneumonia...i don't feel terrible..just was wheezing last week. So i'm resting & reading other people's adoption blogs from America World (our great adoption agency). We are all able to talk with one another also on a yahoo group & that's wonderful because we can give tips to eachother & keep track of who's meeting their child & when. It's so mind boggling to me that each of these families is changing the life of a child & there's so much excitement & anticipation along the way. Now that we're coming nearing to the end of our journey, it's fun to help people who are at the beginning. So i was thinking of "A" & our first meeting & how in shock i was that i was there...i was just in a survival/travel mode so i look forward to when he's actually home & i can feel free to love him. My mom said that she loved "A" the other day & it made me so happy. My mom had that concern that many people do..how will i be able to love him like he's our own type of thing..so to see her journey to this place where she's so excited for us to bring him home, is a blessing to me. I want to post a few more pics of our trip to Siberia so i can remember that this is all real.

A mom & dad for Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone & to my Jewish friends, hope it was a Happy Hanukkah. What a wonderful Christmas we all had! Today we're relaxing & organizing presents we received & we've watched thomas delight in playing with his new toys.

I had so many thoughts of "A" during this Christmas season.. thoughts of how he will soon have a family - a big Italian family at that!. And over & over it occurred to me that he has never known having a mom & dad..of course when you think of an orphan, that means, no parents but it really really struck me what that means. I think that Christmas brings up so many joyful memories for me growing up that it made me think of all the memories "A" does not have but soon will. My whole childhood was shaped by the love of my parents..my security, safety - all my needs met by these 2 people....i still cannot get over that some children, lots of children are born into this world & do not have parents! That is where i feel that adoption is such a miracle...here is a child, given up shortly after birth, grows up in an institution for almost 2 years & then by adoption, we get to be his mom & dad & boom, his life changes forever - what an awesome concept! I wish this for every child out there...

I look so forward to giving "A" what i had in life.... i want to let "A" run around all over grass & dirt & mud - just like my mom let me...i want him to smell the arouma of birthday cakes cooking in the kitchen while he's in his cozy bedroom..i want him to experience the warmth & magic of the sun shining thru his bedroom window...watching the seasons thru the windows, the trees changing, the wind, the rain...all the wonders of nature. I want him to know that magic of opening up gifts & the beauty of Christmas trees...I want him to know what it's like to have a brother & hopefully a sister some day :) I want him to grow in his relationship with our Creator...Creator of all that is good & wonderful & to celebrate that joy! I cannot wait for him to eat meals with us, to have a place at the table, to have jobs to do around the house - to have an allowance. There are such great joys awaiting him & i must say that because i was loved, i am able to love him.
I will be there for him like my mom was there for me all day long...we will cook together, & we'll learn new things together & i especially look forward to showing him the outdoor joys of nature.

humaness getting in the way

Well there's so much to be grateful for & then there are the moments that you feel like you want more, need more, etc. There are times when i feel a complete joy & closeness to God & every other living thing & then there are the moments like now where i'm feeling a disconnect - there's no pleasure in that...& silly as it sounds, it all starts with my carpets - the stains are starting to come up again & they need to be cleaned but we have to wait til after Christmas. Now this isn't a joke, when my floors are dirty, it depresses me...then i start wanting my own house even though i love this one we rent..then the "I wants" kick in & in the bible it's referred as "coveting" - once you get on this road, it's real hard to get off of it because it just gets worse as you move away from gratitude & get towards greed. Ok, anyhoo..so that said, I am fighting a cold, thinking about Siberia...thinking about what below 0 degrees means & the cost of the hotel each night. Now, i'm going to give myself 2 minutes on the pitty pot & then i've got to get off of it. Sometimes you just have to allow yourself to moan & groan & then it's over. So here i go...i don't want to freeze, i don't want to leave my home for 3 weeks (trip #2)...i don't want to be on 3 airplanes for a total of 20 hours..i don't want to have to play "trains" every second to keep thomas occupied...i just want to win the lottery & i want "A" to be home now. OK, DONE.
I'm grateful that i'm alive & well...i'm blessed to have such good friends & family & i cannot wait until i have 2 sons instead of just 1 little crazy thomas. I'm grateful that we didn't have to wait long for "A" like other families who got big delays in the process. I'm grateful for the resources we do have & grateful for Greg who doesn't mind working hard. Ok...so that's it for today..sometimes my humaness gets in the way of my spiritualness & it's annoying!

REMINDER - tax deductible gifts timeline

A reminder: In order for donations to be tax deductible for the 2007 tax year, your check must be dated & postmarked before or on 12/31/07.

Please make checks out to "America World Adoption Agency" & in the memo line write "Jeanette & Greg Dini." Please mail to The Dini's at PO Box 112478, Campbell, CA 95011 & we'll make sure it gets to our agency.

Donations are so appreciated & go directly towards helping bring "A" home - thank you from our whole family!

If i were pregnant

i've been resting lately & it's felt wonderful...really resting... i've thought about next year this time having "A" with us to decorate our Christmas tree & how we'll be a family of 4 instead of 3, etc. I've also thought that it's strange not being physically pregnant but expecting another child.. When you're pregnant there are physical signs you're pregnant, when you're adopting, you just have a big stack of paperwork to show!! :) I loved being pregnant with Thomas & I love this experience i'm having bringing "A" into our world. Sometimes just for the fun of it i say i'm eating for two, or i should rest because i'm getting farther along :) It's silly but it helps me pay the attention i would pay to myself if i had "A" growing inside of me, - instead, the love i have for him grows in my heart & it gets bigger & bigger each day as i prepare myself for our next trip to bring him home. There are great blessings in having a child both ways... there is the same joy & same longing to have him here as i had with Thomas. This time though we know it's a boy & he just happens to already be 18 months old! I've experienced our adoption to be fun too - there was the anticipation of who would be our son, how old, what would he look like, what would his story be, etc... there was the pure shock & joy when we received "the call" that "A" had been matched with our family...i will never forget that moment like i'll never forget when the pregancy test had those 2 little lines!
You worry a bit too just like when you're pregnant that you want the baby to be healthy & happy, etc... but just like when we were expecting thomas, we were going to accept him however he came..that's how i feel with "A" - whatever issues/health or otherwise, we're going to deal with them the best we can. I think the greatest joy for me has been knowing that we are taking in a child who already exists, (we didn't make him) & realizing the power we have to change one little life..to bless this little child with love & family & to nurture his relationship with God, etc. It's very exciting & it makes me want others to experience it. My hope is that reading this journey inspires someone else to go on this adoption adventure or to follow another calling.

Grateful to all - preparing for trip #2

hi everyone.. i was just thinking about our next step in this adoption journey. Seems like i was never going to finish round #2 of the paperwork but i've gotten thru the toughest part. We have about 5 documents left that need to be notarized & apostilled (state certified)... So we hope that after the judge reviews all of our documents, he will give us a court date. On the average, we're looking at 3-4 months from the time of our 1st visit (which was end of Oct., beginning of Nov)...so February or March? Well, March is the coldest month of all so wouldn't that be something to go then! It'll be so interesting that we'll take off to Russia a family of 3 & return a family of 4! Hmmm...it's exciting...

On this eve of Thanksgiving.. Greg & I want to thank all of our friends & family again, for the continued support & encouragement given to us during this whole process. We have not felt alone on this journey & are grateful for the continued prayers, donations, cheerleading, practical help like babysitting Thomas, copying documents, etc. We feel so humbled by the interest in our growing family.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Up before dawn

Wow...what a whirlwind..i thought after a successful first trip to Siberia & back that i'd get some rest time. Just a day after coming back I was knee deep in paperwork updates & new paperwork requirements for the Russian court. After our paperwork is sent in we hope to hear back regarding a court date (trip #2). At court, a judge will review our case & papework, etc. & hopefully grant us custody of "A." We'll be coming home a family of 4!

It was no small task to complete adoption documents while keeping Thomas safe & occupied. Usually i limit DVD time & usually he can have 1 little piece of candy every few days..the last 2 weeks, he's gotten his fill of Bob the Builder DVD's & he got into the Halloween candy which kept him busy for over an hour one day.
Of course i'd trade him for nothing but trying to work on the computer, talk on the phone to confirm/obtain document information, was a bit of a small nightmare. It's not meant that mom is home but mom has her back to you cause she's on the computer all day!

I have missed my normal daily household operations & i've missed spending fun time with thomas & Greg. But that's all going to change soon because we are at the finish line! Greg will take all of our notarized documents to Sacramento to get the state seal & then they're off to our adoption agency & then off to Russia.

I woke up at 5am this morning so i could have some time to myself. There's nothing like right before the sun comes up...it starts me off very grounded. I have a picture of "A" up on my desk so in the midst of my "to do" list i can remember that this is for him. I've never before had to rely on the "baby steps" approach to life as much as i've had to with trip #1 to Russia & this paperwork. It's helpful to trust that if you just keep moving forward, doing as much as you can even in little increments that eventually it gets done! Now, today, it's back to my fun life with Thomas (Greg's been working non-stop it seems)...we'll go visit grandma & have lunch with her, we'll hang out at the park later on, we'll cook up something good to eat & we'll look forward to Greg coming home from work. There's nothing like the joyful sounds of thomas when he hears Greg coming home.

Moving forward - pic of us in Siberia after signing docs to continue with adoption

We are home & settling in! We are sorry we did not post more in Russia... i was just trying to survive the travel & time changes & i had severe motion sickness on the 10 hour flight to Moscow...it was nightmarish but it passed. Note to self: take Dramamine before the flight!! Greg & I were joking that it's morning sickness for our new guy! Well, all went smooth & Greg & I were a great team & we met "A" (cannot post his name) & got lots of time getting to know him. PS - Thomas watched DVD's on the plane & it really helped pass the time for him!


It was wonderful to go as a family to meet our new family member. We signed paperwork stating that we are continuing on with the adoption (we never had a doubt really) so the court date will make it official - the judge in Siberia will have to give us custody. I have another batch of paperwork to complete - yesterday was not good as we had just been home a day & i found out all that had to be done before trip #2. Trip #2 will happen in 3-4 months. There is a 10 day wait period on trip #2, so it's going to be a long haul (2-3 weeks) but at the end we get to come home with "A." "A" is an energetic, curious little 18 month old that looks like he'll fit right in with us. Greg was so wonderful with him...making him smile & being playful with him. When i was there i just couldn't believe it ..everything was so surreal. Thomas did so well at the orphanage...he played & even got to feed "A" some of his snack. Because of confidentiality we cannot post pictures of him now. Here's some pics of us in Russia - it was a great learning experience to go to another country...Moscow was a big city where people were going in all different directions...there didn't seem to be that yielding to pedestrian rule that we Americans live by :)


Siberia (Krasnoyarsk) was kind of what i expected....lots & lots of apartment high rises left over from another age. The weather is harsh & the people are tough. It was cold but what we were more uncomfortable with was how hot it was inside! We kept taking our jackets off each time we walked inside & we noticed that the Russian were very comfortable in their winter gear...next time...easier jackets to remove & less carry-ons. So now back to the paperwork & preparation for trip #2. Thanks again for all the positive thoughts & prayers - we really felt God's hand guiding & protecting us.

HOME AT LAST!

We made it home last night around 11:30pm - so good to see the SAN JOSE AIRPORT! Thanks to all who have been thinking about us & praying for us. We'll write later about the details and our new little guy...
Trip one was a success!

Hello from Moscow

hi family & friends.. just a quick note to say we made it from SJ to Atlanta, Atlanta to Moscow (10 hours!) & Moscow to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia (4 1/2 hours). Things went fairly smooth & Thomas did well - the DVD player we borrowed from friend Jack saved us. We met our little boy (can't use name) & got to spend 2 days with him at the orphanage in the play room. Thanks for everyone's prayers...it was not even an issue having thomas with us at the orphanage.. thomas & our new little guy played together & we got to feed him his snack - even thomas gave him some spoonfulls. The whole experience has been surreal & a bit of just trying to survive as i was terribly motion sick & jet lagged for the first 2 days & not expecting that at all. We've been taking 1 step at a time... we are heading home tomorrow...just arrived back in Moscow today. Throughout the trip i just kept not believing we were really here...when we finally got to meet our new little guy, he was just standing there with a caregiver & we walked in & there he was, so tiny & just waiting... we got to see some of the other children the 2nd day cause we were in the play room which is their music room too...seeing all the faces made it so real & it was a mix of feeling...we were at least able to take 1 child from that place. We took tons of pictures...the sights here are like out of old movies...lots & lots of tall tall apartment buildings in Krasnoyarsk...cannot explain in words...ok, bye for now...again, thanks for all your prayers & well wishes for a smooth trip = it's been a success.

All packed & ready to go

It's the eve of our big trip & we finally finished all the last minute packing. It was tough deciding what to bring & what not to - especially packing for Thomas! We're feeling much better now that we are ready to go...we're excited! We're grateful for all the encouragement & nice send off's! Talk to you soon.

Leaving Monday October 29th

This is my favorite time of the year & what better news than knowing we're going to meet this little boy somewhere across the world...i have a feeling that after this trip i might know a bit more about how other people live..i've never been outside of USA before. So it's 1:50am...couldn't sleep of course..so i'm working on stuff & cleaning & doing the little things that are hard to get done with thomas around. I'll have 2 boys in the coming months if all goes well & it's a strange thought that it will be instant. This child that we've thought of, dreamed of & have done so much to achieve our goals will (God willing) finally show up here & then it will be a new kind of life - i'll be having my second baby too like so many of my wonderful friends, but he'll already be 2 years old probably!

We rent this house in Saratoga built in 1928...it's got that old country feel to it & it makes me want to have lots of babies for some reason. There's a good spirit here & all around..it's near the mountains, trees all around...a big field across the street to run around in & play. It smells wonderful & i enjoy spending each season here. It's a wonderful place for Thomas & I to be during the day when Greg's at work. Lots to do, lots of neighbors to play with - especially the Hess family next door. There's a little path connecing our front yards that THomas & his buddy Ryan use to get to each other's houses. I look forward to having another little boy join us so he can enjoy the things that we do. I've come to see how adults have the power to change a childs life by giving him a meaningful childhood full of love & exploration & guidance. Looking forward to the new little guy.

VISA'S & FLIGHTS

I've had heart palpultations for the last 2 days..i think it all started when i stopped breathing when i found out the travel dates I've been working on getting visa applications completed & fed ex'd & booking flights all while taking care of thomas (who has been real difficult of all weeks!) I have my admin, my sister, Maryann at the help desk doing my managerial work for me :) I couldn't have done it without her...even my previous 6 years in social work couldn't prepare me for the confusion & blankness i felt when all the information came from the adoption agency...good info. on what to expect, who to contact, tips on travel, etc., but overwhelming at the same time. I just found my voice to be too weak to talk on the phone so my sis was my voice for a few phone calls. The good news is that she was able to get the visa apps. out today & she just confirmed that our flights are booked & she's writing up the itinerary. I feel a thousand times better which is good cause i'll need a strong heart for the next 14,000 things to do. Greg has been in training again ths week. I keep looking at the pic of our new little guy @ try to focus on meeting him. We'll get 2 hours 2 days in a row with him. Due to confidentiality i cannot post pics.

We're off to MOSCOW- travel dates!!!

Travel Dates just in - 10/30-11/3.....gotta run & do the visa applications!!!!!

ITS AN 18 MONTH OLD BOY - Got the call!!!!

On Wednesday, (Greg was & still is in Sacramento for a police training) I was shopping at the dollar store. I saw the adoption agency phone number come up on my cell phone & thought nothing of it & for a second almost didn't answer. Our family coordinator started to talk & i thought she might have news of more delays, etc. Next thing I knew she said she had a referral for us of an 18 month old boy. I couldn't comprehend this as we had not been registered yet at any orphanages. She said that as of today we were registered & this was our referral. She said that he looked like Thomas which almost made me cry - she said that i'd come home to find an e-mail of 7 pictures of him & some medical information!!!! So i called Greg & he was on a break & i told him & he was shocked! I rushed home, got the e-mail pictures & couldn't believe how much he resembled our little thomas. We have decided to accept the referral which means we'll go to meet him within the next few weeks! Ok, so i thought we had about 6 more months to a year before all this would take place. What a difference a phone call can make!!

Greg got us on the Radio

Garage sale this last weekend at my parents house was ok. It was lots of work. We didn't have the big ticket items that we usually have like couches, furniture, etc. Set up took about 2 hours & my brother Lou helped unpack many many boxes...we were out there all day & had lots of shoppers & met some good folks. Thomas was running around like a crazy little boy with too much energy - i was afraid he was going to run over a shopper ..so Aunty Mary took care of him at her house around the block. Here's a picture of thomas sprinting up & down my parents driveway!

Greg was calling a radio show to try & win something & the DJ asked him how he was spending his Saturday & he told her that we were having a garage sale fundraiser for the the adoption of a orphan, etc.. a few minutes later she played their conversation on the air! We turned the volume up so everyone could here...the DJ asked where the sale was going on & she wished us well... it was great.

Small News

I e-mailed our family coordinator at the adoption agency yesterday because i wanted to see if we'd still be registered in our region in an orphanage in Oct/Nov. It appears that there are a few families ahead of us now that weren't ahead of us before. (Due to other regions not having children in their requested age range). These families have had an agonizing wait period as they got caught up in the delay of reaccrediation so I'm happy for them that they're getting closer. So don't know when we'll be registered...the thing about being registered is that 2-3 months after registration is when we can anticipate a referral of a little boy between 10-18 months old. I figure this gives us longer to save up money. And this gives us some more time to learn some Russian & read some books on Russian culture & adoption related issues, etc.

This is a picture of me with my Russian apron on & thomas helping me bake.
However, Greg has suggested to me that if what I'm reading makes me more worried than i should stop. Do i really need to read that you shouldn't bring any children under 4? (due to complicated travel). Thomas is coming with us so that's that....do i really need to know that there's a lot of pushing & no lines in the Russian airport experience? & do i really want to know the temperature of Siberia in the winter...i keep imagining myself freezing to death... So we're on the eve of the city wide Campbell garage sale tomorrow. This marks 1 year of garage sales...we made $900 last year at this event. It's raining right now but I'm sure the clouds will part & the sun will come out if only over my parents house so we can sell some stuff!

Ladies Spa Event

On Saturday, September 29th a few ladies came together for a wonderful spa treatment morning at my friend Kathy's house. I met Kathy at church and she sells BeautyControl Spa Products for the home. She offered to do a spa morning for us & donate half of her profit to the Dini Adoption Fund. So I took her up on her offer & it turned out to be a relaxing time of socializing & trying out spa products (Hands, feet & facial)...We ate some scones & croissants & I made Mimosa's(champagne & OJ) for the 1st time. I was a bit anxious at first as I seem to always be before any event. After being irritated at myself for my uptight ways, I decided that it's just because I want everyone to enjoy themselves. I'm aware that time is valuable especially Saturday morning!

One of my favorite people is Tony Robbins (the motivational speaker)...I've learned so much from him over the years. He taught me thru his books that if you want to grow that you have to intentionally do things that are new, different, out of your comfort zone, etc. This adoption is a huge huge challenge in all aspects for me & during the process I can already see where i've become stronger, more confident & better for it. It kind of makes me wonder what else i'm capable of doing but i stop there cause lets not get crazy!

Happy 4 Years!

On September 27, Greg & I will be married 4 years...congrats to us :) It's been a peaceful & productive four years. We met in January, married in September & had Thomas in January 2005. Then we got the calling to adopt in 2006 & here we are celebrating our 4th anniversary & expecting to meet that little boy soon. I am grateful to Greg for the marriage bliss we experience. He's just an easy going,
non-moody, peace making kind of guy...this is why the public is blessed to have him as a peace officer. I on the other hand would be giving tickets out & clubbing people on my bad days - just kidding of course.


Adoption speaking, we are hoping to be officially registered in our region in OCT/NOV. We are in the process of updating lots of our documents that will expire in the next few months. Just when you think you don't have to look at the paperwork anymore, it turns out you do. This time around though it's easier because we know what we're doing. As we update documents & continue to ride out this "wait" period, I've been reading books that are helping me to be more couragous ...Pastor John Ortberg's "If you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat," & Father Flanagan's Boys Town. I love to read books about ordinary people who are called by God to do extraordinary things. There's a common journey a person takes when having a heavenly task at hand..they start out swimming in the unknown & end up marveling at what God's done thru them...they get past the fear, the unanswered questions, the financial concerns, etc. So i'm learning from those who've been there done that & it's given me a real sense that we'll be just fine.

Did you dance with the Dini's?

Are you one of the people dancing the electric slide?

I think I see my neighbors & neice Gennean in there & Greg's mom! This was our Spring Dance Adoption Fundraiser evening on March 24, 2007 from 6:30-10pm. Due to the serious generousity of family, friends & friends of friends, this event was a success! I had a serious headache for several weeks after from all the labor that was involved but it was well worth it. Who knew that putting on parties took so much effort and work; thank God for other people who are more talented than me. I've learned that it's good that we are all differently talented...if we weren't we would have had 10 Dj's, 10 decorators, 16 cooks, etc...instead...we had my co-chair & dad, Sal Scrivano who helped with creating the invitations & raffle tickets to selling raffle tickets at the dance (it was the one time i could boss my dad around).& my mom who stuffed envelopes & stuck stamps & then there was my sister Maryann who organized & decorated our raffle prizes by putting them in attractive bags with themes. Then there was the infamous Sue Dini (greg's mom) who did a little of everything for me including cutting up a watermelon in little balls for the snack table shortly before the dance started!! There was Greg's dad who arranged for us to use the high school & who filled in for Greg DJing. And of course there was Greg Dini himself leading us in a night of dancing & fun. We were especially grateful for the people who showed up & danced - without dancers it would have been embarrassing! A special thank you to those who donated money to the planning of the dance so we could decorate nicely & have good food. Thanks to the people who helped set up & stayed late to tear down. A special thanks to my brother Lou for lugging a huge popcorn machine to the dance. We're grateful too for the non-dancers who just came & chatted with others.

Many memories were made that night -my favorite was seeing my Thomas & his little friend Ryan on the dance floor chasing the lights on the floor from the dance ball above. This event was for a child in need & what better way to remind ourselves of the joy that children should have by seeing little ones laughing & running.

Will you take .50 cents for that?

When you have a huge goal you're striving for, i've learned that you have to take it in little steps... you have to believe that you'll get to the finish line eventually & that it might even get fun at some point. So as it turns out international adoption is expensive & what do you do when you don't have the money but you have the will to succeed? It's this little thing called
the Garage Sale...

THE GARAGE SALE...yes, this is where you take stuff out of your house or better yet, have people donate their stuff & you throw it on the lawn of someone's house & put little price tags on it & people drive by & pay you quarters & dollars for stuff. I was new to the garage sale world unlike Greg who grew up exposed to them. Our first success was at a city wide garage sale in Campbell - we had it at my parents house & we brought in over $900 - our friends & family were amazing in helping us & donating items for us to sell. It seems that we must have enjoyed that sale so much that we've done it 3 more times with another one on the way. Our official garage sale site is at Greg's parents house (lots of garage sale hungry people). I like to let Greg & his mom do all the work & i show up with Thomas a bit later... i find that when i get nervous when big crowds come my brain goes blank & i'm unable to count change back to people. My masters degree didn't prepare me for the simple stuff :) Really though, this is where Greg shines - he goes & picks up all the donations with his dad's truck & lifts & moves stuff & then wakes up at 6am the day of the big sale to get to his mom's. He & his mom joke with people & deal with the "will you take a quarter for this" situations. I prefer to watch from a distance with Greg's dad in the safety of the garage.

Of all the fundraising we've done, the garage sale fundraising is the easiest because most people enjoy getting rid of their stuff for a good cause so it's a win win for all involved. The clean up is exhausting but the cash in Greg's hand is worth it...we know that we worked hard for every quarter & there is something about laboring for quarters & dollars that makes the quarters & dollars much more valuable. We know that we're doing this for some little boy out there who has no clue how many people love him already & who has no clue that his life is about to change from Siberia to sunny California.

why adopt when you can make em

This is a question that's been asked many times since we have no infertility problems. As we hear other people's adoption stories, we've come to learn that we are not alone here...many people choose adoption not just as an alternative but as a way to build a family.

Greg & I were always open to adoption but it was after the birth of our son Thomas that it really struck us what it would mean for a child not to have the love & security of parents. The love we had for Thomas really sparked the desire to help another child & then God just grew the desire bigger & bigger until we couldn't rest until we did something about it. Our journey started locally with Greg & I taking foster/adopt classes through the county. At the end of the class we did not feel that this is where we were suppose to be. We spent a lot of time in silence trying to hear God's voice. Slowly, the thoughts of orphanages & children who did not have enough care takers, enough nutritious food & enough affection/touch began to haunt us & then Russia started popping up over & over again & then there was that tv special about a family's adoption story in Russia which made me cry hard. Greg & I researched Russian adoption, prayed for guidance & after pushing several fears & concerns aside, we said "Yes!" We chose America World Adoption, a Christian agency.

The hardest part was finding our way to the place where we said "Yes" - yes, we'll go to Russia. From then on it's been one step in front of the other & on my part, a constant ignoring of every fearful & anxious thought.

Adoption Moving Forward

Hi everyone! We just got word from our adoption agency that our paperwork "dossier" is in the city of Krasnoyarsk waiting to be officially registered there. This means that our child is at an orphanage in this city. After being officially registered there we are told that a referral of a child can happen between 2-3 months. We are pleasantly suprised at how quick this happened & now we at least know where our child is waiting.

Here is a link to some information about that area of Russia.

KRASNOYARSK

Us

This is our story beginning with our Russian Adoption and beyond....

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name,
welcomes Me"
Matthew 18:5