Adoption #3 Update...

We are currently #4 on the list. There have always been challenges with international adoptions and this one seems to be no different. Our agency was to be accredited in May 2006 (all agencies are awaiting their accreditation's). While referrals are coming in very slowly, most regions are waiting for this accreditation to be in hand before opening their regions to international adoptions. There are some proactive regions that are moving forward and continue to finalizes adoptions despite this delay. This is one of the reasons why were are slowing creeping up the list. This is so hard to go through each year, but it is also a stress that we forget about once home with our children. We are still very hopeful that we will be traveling this summer/fall. As many of you know, referrals can come at any time and travel can be with very little warning. While this presents a challenge with childcare for Jordan and Garrett, it certainly adds to the excitement of the adventure. We will continue to keep you posted and welcome any special thoughts.

We spent the beginning of April celebrating Spring break and the Easter holiday with my family on the West coast of Florida. My sister, Jennifer and her 4 boys were down from South Carolina. I cannot believe how big her kids are getting. We are starting to hit the teenage years and I am just so grateful she has to go through it first. I seem to reap the benefits of being the younger sister and watching her pave the way for most milestones. We successfully inundated my parents with a lot of energy and laughter. I think we may get invited back... but the jury is still out.

Jennifer celebrated her 40th birthday this year. (She so doesn't look it.) We took all of the kids (Minus Garrett who spent the day with Pop Pop) to Busch Gardens. After frequenting the Busch Complimentary beer tent and drinking a few Trojan beers, somehow Jennifer got us in line for the Sheikra roller coaster. The kids that were tall enough wanted no part, but we managed to walk on with "single mom" passes and got prime time seating. I was too far into it before I realized that it was probably not the best idea. I was thinking after being strapped in and trekking up the clanky hill... I hope my beers taste as good coming up as they did going down. All was not lost and we had a blast! A true sisters moment that I know only she could get me to do.

Today is another day to celebrate for Chris and I. It was 10 years ago today that we went out on a "date night" in Baltimore and he asked me on our roof top to marry him. We are grateful we made it past the 7 year itch... and laugh at how far we have come. I have never looked back once (OK for sake of honesty, maybe a few times) on my decision and feel grateful that I was blessed with meeting my soul mate.

Hope everyone is doing well... Will keep you posted.

"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!!