"Gotcha" Day already...

We managed to make some progress this month on the wait list and officially completed all of our necessary paperwork to make our official mark in Russia once again. We are definitely starting to get excited. Let the stress really begin.

We celebrated Garrett's first "Gotcha" day this week. It is hard to believe that it has already been one year. It was last year today that we were picking Garrett up from the orphanage. He was so quiet and relaxed. Falling asleep on his first car ride to the airport. He officially became a Carey on March 21st. I cannot believe how much a child can change in a year. He is full of love and will often seek out hugs and kisses for even the slightest reason. He caught on to the little brother routine pretty quickly. You may find him snagging Jordan's toys and taking off laughing. He loves to be chased. He is able to swim on his own. He spends the majority of his time underwater. We have been calling him Flounder lately. Garrett is very into music. I have had to relinquish my ipod on our runs together and he will sit and listen to music with a huge grin... bobbing his head to the beat. He is hysterical to be around and you will find that you have a perpetual smile on your face when you are in his company.

Jordan is a great big sister. We challenged her with learning to ride a bike and she did it after a few short days of trying. It is adding a new dimension to our workouts. She gets herself going so fast that our once long steady runs are now more like sprints. Jordan has a serious yet silly side that brightens our days. She is going through the independent phase and has made some bold moves with her fashion sense as of late. She is currently going through what we call the "jacking up" phase. Sleeves get pushed up to her armpit and the pant legs go as high as they go regardless of length. It has made our morning dress routine challenging, but I love that she is confident in herself and isn't afraid to be different.


We are lucky beyond words and celebrate this week as we do each day.

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!!!