Difficult post

First, my apologies for not posting sooner...I haven't known what to say regarding the direction of things lately. Our journey to bring David here from R*ssia is over. Nothing more can be done to make this work. All along I was so worried about the money, but God provided at every juncture. It came down to problems with the paperwork. The region where Gl*b resides is very difficult and continues to come down harder and harder on adoptive parents. We needed documentation from Chris' first marriage, and it became impossible to retrieve that documentation because of the lapse of time. So...the agency felt we would not make it through court in this very stringent area of R*ussia.
We are heartbroken. It has been a long 10 months and we have worked so hard to make this adoption happen. The only positive aspect of this is that all the money we raised will stay with Gl*b in the form of a grant. My prayer is that a family will be found for him soon.
As for us, I don't know what we'll do now. We are praying for wisdom and discernment about what, if anything, to do next. There are so many orphans out there who need a family, and yet perhaps God has other plans for us at this point.
We would appreciate your prayers, both for Gl*b and for our family.

David's quilt

The paperwork is almost done and there's nothing to do but wait and pray. There are issues in the adoption process right now that are totally out of our control. We just need to pray and let God work in all of this. To keep in a positive mindset, I decided to make David a quilt. I went to the local quiltshop and with all the choices (eye candy for me!), I was still drawn to the 1930's reproduction fabrics. That seems to happen a lot. So many options...it can be overwhelming! Fortunately the owner of the shop had a pattern in mind to fit the 1930's fabrics, and it was just perfect, especially since Daddy is a sailor!

Did you ever see the movie "Field of Dreams" with Kevin Costner? Remember, "If you build it, they will come...?" Well, in my case it's, "If you quilt it, he will come..." I had a lot of fun making this, and I'm longing for the day when I can wrap a sweet little boy in it and he can feel the love that went into every stitch.

First snow

Wow, am I ever behind with this blog. Sorry...I am consumed in paperwork right now! You just wouldn't believe what R*ssia wants for an adoption dossier. But, that's another post for another time.

We finally got some snow! Not much, but I'm not complaining! I could go for a nice big snowstorm right now...the kind that shuts everything down just for a day or two...the kind that makes you want to bake cookies and scrapbook all day because there's nowhere to go and nothing else to do...a perfect day. Not to mention how everything looks with a fresh blanket of snow, before the kids track through it and you're forced to get the snowblower out and make some paths. Speaking of snowblowers, I got one for Chris for his birthday a couple years ago. Wouldn't you know that was the last year we had an appreciable snowfall! It's been sitting in the garage ever since, waiting...Hopefully this will be the year!

So, here are the girls playing in our quasi-snowfall. We really only got a dusting of the stuff. Because they're homeschooled, they were able to go out and play before it turned to rain and slush that afternoon. It didn't matter that it was just a dusting...they threw snowballs, made snow angels, and begged me to take them sledding. They just don't get it that South Jersey doesn't have any hills! (at least where we are!) So, we'll be doing a snow dance soon enough, hoping for more of the white stuff!

18 months old today

Today marks a milestone in "David's" life...he is 18 months old. How I wish he wasn't some 5000 miles away. My hope is that he will be celebrating his 2nd birthday with us in NJ. Please pray for us for a financial miracle...we need one right now! I can't post his photo due to the rules of R*ssian adoption, but just picture the cutest little guy ever with a sweet smile...that's him. Praying that 2009 will be the year that will change this little one's life.

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas despite the disappointment of not having Joe there. He was scheduled to take leave on the 18th and arrive from Japan sometime the next day. Just a couple days before he was due to arrive, we got the bad news that he would not be able to take leave at that time.

With that in mind, Chris received a wonderful present...a webcam. So, later that evening, we were able to talk to Joe via the internet and see him, too! What a difference it made to be able to see his expressions and for him to see us, including Katie's "gappy" grin!

The highlight for the girls, besides talking to their brother on the internet, had to be their American Girl dolls. Katie asked Santa for one that looked like her, and Claire wanted "Ruthie," Kitt Kittredge's sidekick. They also received pajamas that matched the pajamas of their dolls.

Matt and Marc just asked for clothes and $$$.

We then prepared our typical Christmas dinner--filet on the grill with Bearnaise sauce, baked potatoes, and veggies. Our pastor and his wife joined us for dinner, as well as Chris' dad.

Christmas Eve was spent at a party at Chris' work up in Mount Holly, a candlelight service, driving around and looking at lights, and watching, "It's a Wonderful Life."

Wishing everyone all the blessings of Christmas and a great New Year!

Totally a God thing...

It seems like when we're under the gun to accomplish one thing, everything else that has a deadline is always due at the same time! That was the case with me on November 1st. We had our benefit concert on that day, which was such a blessing from God in that we raised our entire first payment towards the adoption. Our county has an annual art competition and there are monetary prizes as well as the opportunity to sell your work. This year's theme was "Schools: Old and New," which was right up my alley because architecture is my "thing." I like to do renderings with a fine-tip marker and a watercolor wash. I decided to do a school up the street that had recently closed :( . So, can you guess when the piece was due??? If you guessed November 1st, you are correct! I was running around like a crazy woman trying to pull together last minute details for the benefit concert, and then I had this art competition hanging over my head. I thought many times about just not doing it, but then I would remember that even if a prize was out of the question, there was always the chance of selling the piece, which could be two-hundred or so dollars. I called the gallery on Friday and explained my predicament with the concert. They were very kind and said I could bring the piece in on Monday morning, which would give me Sunday afternoon to complete it. After the concert on Saturday, I was so exhausted that I didn't even look at it on Sunday! Monday morning, I was grumbling about it, wondering whether to finish it or just forget about it. I threw it in a cheapy Michael's frame and took it to the gallery and handed it in. Fast forward to Friday night, the opening reception for the show. I am at a ladies' retreat in Lancaster, PA, so Chris is good enough to attend the reception for me and give me the scoop on the prizes and/or any possible buyers. He calls me to tell me he is looking at the Best of Show ribbon...on my piece! Totally a God thing, because I did not put the time into that drawing that I should have, and there were many entries there that looked a lot better than mine! I truly think that God knew how much we needed that prize money ($500!!!) for this adoption, and He made it happen for us.

I have to confess, sometimes I have a real problem with totally trusting Him to meet our needs. This adoption has been a real testing of my faith. We went into this completely relying on God to provide. We don't have $25,000! We know that God has put this little boy on our hearts. Even if we aren't the family to adopt him, we have to help him get here. God doesn't give us a burden without providing the means for us to act on it. I have clearly seen His hand working in all of this, and I really just need to give this up completely to Him. Could I ask you to remember us in your prayers? Please pray that we would trust as God continues to work...please pray for this little boy in Russia who so desperately needs to come here for medical care and the love of a family.

Army Navy Game....Go Navy!

Matthew was lucky enough to win tickets this year from our insurance agency, USAA. What a great package they sent him...a parking pass, 2 tickets with GREAT seats, and 2 passes to an indoor tailgate party. Chris and Matt were definitely psyched up for this day! On the way to the stadium in Philly, they saw the presidential motorcade and Air Force One landing at the airport! It held up traffic for quite a while! The game was great! The Navy had some amazing parachute jumpers that dropped into the stadium attached at the feet and then landed separately right on the 50th yardline. I just don't know how they do that! Chris and Matt got to sit with some USAA people and were able to express how much this prize package was appreciated. The game was great...and it was really cold, but that is half the fun! Can you guess who won? (or should I say can you guess who totally demolished Army?) Thanks, USAA, for a really great game day!!!