This time last year....

Hard to believe that last year at this time we were in Samara, Russia eating pizza and anticipating meeting this little bald boy that touch our hearts through the internet. We met Garrett on February 15th last year. He was a quiet little soul with big brown eyes, pale skin and hidden wisdom. He seemed to have his own agenda that we later figured out. I remember writing many emails home telling our family how he was passive and quiet. How we had not even seen him crack a smile or peep a word despite our many efforts. Even though he was not in court with us when we finalized the adoption, it was as if he knew from that moment forward that he would be loved by so many people. We got the bait-n-switch as we were taking off from the Samara airport heading to Moscow to continue the process of leaving the country with our newest Russian love. Once at the hotel in Moscow, Chris and I kept saying over and over again... do you think this is normal? Is he alright?? The bald quiet little soul turned hysterical and very animated. It was awesome to witness and to finally have him a part of our lives. So we celebrate this special Valentines day as we will every year... thinking of that little boy in Russia that became forever ours. They don't call it the day for LOVE for nothing....

Happy Valentines Day!!

Update for February...

Update from the Carey clan. We found out today that we are 7th on the list for referrals and we continue to work on the never ending paperwork that goes along with Russian adoptions. Things are starting to pick up with the process and we are busy getting paperwork finalized. It would be wonderful to travel to Russia during the warmer months. Hard to believe that we will be traveling over there again.




We celebrate Garrett's first "gotcha day" in March. He has just filled our life in ways we never suspected. He skips everywhere and is full of smiles and hugs. I rarely go long without feeling his presence with a soft kiss or a huge hug. He is very serious about one thing these days..... His new backpack. We don't leave home without it and I find myself holding onto the little tab at the top so he doesn't tip over. The magazine he has crammed in the side pocket is an old Sports Illustrated of Chris's... it solidifies the subscriptions according to Chris.


Jordan is making Valentines for the BIG day. She came home today telling me who she is in love with... there were too many to count ~ Yikes! She calls Chris "Prince" instead of "Dad"... He loves it! Jordan is very excited to be a big sister again. Garrett is clueless. We are thinking of moving him to a big boy bed... Jordan wants it to be in her room. Yeah, I am sure that will work. We are in the process of teaching her to ride a bike. We know she is ready, but we secretly want her to be able to ride so we can move her to a bigger bike and get Garrett out there on her bike. They are both in the "mine" phase which always makes things interesting. We have gotten very good at redirecting and will often break out in dance moves if we can't come up with something quick enough. For all that know Chris well enough... that is a definitely a sight to see.


Not much else to report. We are loving the weather down here and continue to enjoy our visits to the beach. Not a day goes by that we take for granted our blessings. Will keep you posted on #3... We are starting to get very excited. This excitement though doesn't come without the pit in our stomachs with leaving the kids behind, but it is amazing how resilient they are and how involved they have become in the process. Hope everyone is doing well. We love getting your emails and phone calls. Keep them coming!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Cannot believe we have already hit another new year. The holidays passed with a blur. Having children now has really got us thinking about holiday traditions. My parents were spending the holidays with us, but had to leave suddenly on Christmas eve due to a health concern with my mother. (She is fine)

I was very sad and did what always makes us feel best... we went to the beach! It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and we even had the opportunity to watch Santa fly by on his magical mission (thankfully, Jordan didn't recognize the American Airlines sign on the back).

We have been busy putting together the last bit of our paperwork for this next adoption. We have been on the list since Thanksgiving and have heard that we are currently #8. We have asked Jordan about being a big sister again. She is more then thrilled and seems to take her role very seriously. She has decided that SHE will get to name the new baby. Regardless of sex, she has decided the name to be Sammy baby.

We celebrated the week after Christmas with Chris's parents who were down from New England. I am not sure they were able to enjoy the luxuries of sleeping in with our mornings starting before 6am. We had a nice week and even managed to get out on a few "dates" alone. Chris and I rented a Harley and drove up the coast. It was a gorgeous day!

We were lucky enough to have Chris off for a week before his world travels. We had some wonderful much needed family time. We went for some great long runs together and seemed to fill our days lounging around the pool, television and beer refrigerator. It was nice not having anywhere to be and having our time our own.

We have enjoyed getting so many wonderful Christmas cards. They will remain up the entire year. They are a daily reminder of just how lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our life. It truly amazes me to see how big all the the kids are getting. This Christmas was very special for us. While Garrett was just his happy everyday self, Jordan truly found the holiday to be very magical. Every detail was noticed and she was constantly gitty with delight. It was so fun to be around her during the holiday. She reminded me daily of the magic the season brings. We looking forward to 2007 and wish you all a very happy New Year!!!!