A link to an article a wonderful local newspaper reporter did about our families journey.

Press Enterprise: Family caught in Russian adoption limbo

     Well it has been a while since we have posted anything.  In the past few months so much has happened.  There have been absolutely fabulous times and then there have been horrible times. Through all the good and the bad we know that this adoption is meant to be and lies in God's hands and no one else's.
      In October of 2012 we flew to Moscow to meet our little guy.  We had been waiting for this moment for so long.  It made all the paperwork, doctors trips, and fundraising well worth it.  After what seemed like a never-ending flight we arrived in a very cold Moscow. Seeing those blue eyes and bright smile immediately warmed our hearts.  We got to spend several hours a day with him for an entire week.  We played cars, ate goldfish crackers and attempted to color in his new coloring book, we cherished every moment.  We brought him snacks and toys but he mostly wanted to play with my camera and our phones.  After a short week we had to return home to our three girls.  We told Wyatt (That's what his name will be once the adoption is final)  that we will be back for him and that he is now a part of our family.  We even left him a picture book so he can familiarize himself with his sisters that he has yet to meet.
     Once home we raced all over southern California trying to obtain all of our paperwork needed to obtain our court date.  We felt like we had left one of our children in a far off land and we were trying our hardest to get back to him as soon as possible.  Our paperwork was shipped to Russia in mid November and submitted to the courts not long after.  At this point all we are waiting for is our court date.

     Now comes the absolute horrible part.  Towards the end of December the Russian Federation signed a new law that banned American citizens from adopting Russian Orphans, what a heart-break.  Not knowing what this meant for us all we could do is have faith that we will still be able to adopt.  Days have turned into weeks and weeks into months and we still sit here and wait for any bit of encouraging news.  I know there are many families across America that are in the same situation as we are.  We remain confident that both of our governments can come to an agreement to let us finish our adoption.  I cannot imagine not being able to finish.  We refuse to make that an option in our mind.

     Our family has an incredible group of friends and family standing beside us in this journey.  We could not do this without them.  What used to be fundraising meetings have turned into support and information meetings.  Like us everyone wants some sort of answer.  but as of right now we do not have one.  We sit,  we wait, and we pray.  I guess that is all we can do.

Our little guy made the news!!

First Trip. October 2012

ALMOST FULLY FUNDED!!

An international adoption is no walk in the park. Along with a stack of paperwork as tall as I am the adoption comes with a hefty price tag, somewhere around $30,000.00.  We have about  $6,000 left to raise.  Our fundraising efforts are ongoing and will not stop until Samuel is home with us.  We appreciate all the support we have gotten so far from everyone involved.   Continued support would be greatly appreciated, as Samuel will not be the last child we help.

As many of you know our daughter, Hannah, was born with Spina Bifida and is permanently affected by it.  Samuel the boy we are seeking to adopt was born with Spina Bifida as well.  His mother was told he would never walk, and so she gave him up — but he is starting to walk now and doing quite well.  Given our experience with Spina Bifida it breaks our heart to see a child cast off because of a handicap.  When we found out about Hannah’s condition the first place we turned to was Immanuel and the Lord.  Through the continued love and support of our congregation Hannah has flourished and defied many doctors.  We hope that Samuel will do the same once he is part of our church family.

Over the past 8 months Laura and I have been fingerprinted, blood drawn and tested, pictures taken and pretty much everything else you can think of in preparation for Samuel to come home.  At this moment we are completing our Dossier, which is all the paperwork for Sam’s local government.  Once these are accepted we will receive our first travel date.  We can hardly wait to travel.  We will meet our Son for the first time. For the past 8 months our family has surrounded ourselves with the story and pictures of Sam trying to imagine what he like in person.  Samuel himself does not even know what our family and all of you guys have done for him, he soon will.  We are so excited to bring Samuel home so that our Church family can show him God’s love.

Samuel will not become another worldwide statistic. Our hope as a family is that our adventure might inspire someone else to start their own adventure to help a child.  Throughout this process God has worked through our family.  God has a plan and it is a great one.  When we were pregnant with Hannah we asked God “Why” and now all we say is “Thank You!”

Tshirt Sale!

A sweet friend in Texas is doing a Tshirt sale in hopes to raise money for Sams adoption. We will soon be sent off to immigration and then off to Russia so of course we are fundraising like mad men...we won't stop saving our money,fundraising and scrounging up every last penny of our own till we meet that goal.... check out her cool shirts. "His" color is lime green so of course she did an awesome job with that!!! Click here to check them out! Spina Bifida Awareness T-shirts by Southern Belle