2008 - Now that's a great year!

2008 has been kind to us as a family. I'll be sad to say goodbye to this year. I haven't been able to say that in several years.

IN THE YEAR 2008:

We saw the completion of our new home.

We were able to take a wonderful trip as a family and with 94 of our church family and friends on a cruise to Alaska.

Our agency finally got accreditation (although we'd most definitely still be waiting for a referral if we were still in the Russian Program)

Baby C surprised all of us by entering the world with his Mommy looking on!!


I suppose the only thing that really didn't go our way in 2008 was the Presidential election, but we will just pray for the man who got the job and have faith that God will guide his steps.

2008 was such a great year that I'm almost afraid for 2009 to take its place. How could it get any better???

I pray that each of you has a blessed and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

D! Our Televised Artist!!

Tonight as D and Hubby were flipping channels on TV, she said, "hey, that was my picture." Her Daddy didn't understand what she meant. She said, "that was my drawing on TV" (very matter of factly - as though all children have their artwork televised on National TV!)

A few weeks ago, she drew a picture online and it was shown on Noggin tonight!

(Discomom(m)y is the name she uses to play Webkinz since her first Webkin is named Disco, a pink pony with sparkly feet that look like disco balls, and she is Disco's mommy - get it?)

The most wonderful time of the year

Family Photo Christmas 2008 (with my new super dark hair)

"Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace to men

on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:14

Mommy and D in our matching jammies

ready for bed Christmas eve.

D's gingerbread house, she made it with her

aunt and Grandma.

D with her Christmas bounty!

C with his baby sized stash!

"Jolly ol' Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way.

Don't you tell a single soul, what I'm going to say . . ."

D and Grandpa playing baseball on the Wii!

We were on the news this morning!

We were at Bass Pro Shop for C & D to see Santa on Tuesday night and the news was filming a segment! Here is a clip from the news. You only see us in the background in this clip where he's interviewing the Stroops. I've got on my black coat, hubby has on a black sweater and khaki pants, D has on a red and black dress. I hope you can view it! Click full screen to see D and C's cuteness the best :O)
http://www.ktbs.com/player/player.cfm?video_id=14820&video_zone=11,1

There was another segment on the real news where they show D coloring and writing her letter to Santa and they get real up close. I wish that was the one you could see online.

Replying about some comments

Penny brought to my attention that C's name would be known now by seeing the stocking. My main thing is that it's not spelled out in writing on the blog in order to be googled.

Same with D. I know most of the people who regularly read my blog know her name as well, but I try not to ever type it out. It's not AS big a deal now that we're done with Russian adoption. But still, better safe than sorry.

Gina, I have been saying to Hubby for a few weeks now that I think C looks like the Gerber baby! They have the little face printed inside the onesies and jammies and I'll hold it up to C's face and say, "see, it's him!" Adoption is nice that way, we can totally agree, and not feel bragadocious when someone says our children are beautiful because we had NO part in making them that way :O)

A little more Christmassing

I like this picture because you can really see his eyes here, they're so pretty!

This is my nephew's and his wife's baby who was born just 2 1/2 weeks after C.

We had the idea really early on that we wanted to put them in stockings at Christmas

and take their picture together.

Here is D with her Christmas countdown chain. She takes a loop off every night before going to bed and the last loop comes off on Christmas Eve!

Tag - I'm it!

I've been tagged by Kris to do the "4" tag.

What you do is ...

1. Open the 4th picture folder your computer.

2. Choose the 4th picture and post it on your blog.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 people to do the same

This is D backstage before her dance recital in June of 2006. She is 5 years old here :O)

Ok, I tag Jessy, Amy, Lisa and Stephanie

Precious Memory

Today C was playing on his blanket in front of the Christmas tree and he fell asleep there. He started just laughing up a storm in his sleep, it was so sweet!

Christmas at our house

We have been super busy around here Christmassing.

We put our Christmas tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a flocked Frasier Fir. I've always wanted a flocked tree and wanted one especially for our first Christmas in our new house. This picture doesn't really show how pretty it is.

Last Monday night was our town's Christmas parade and D rode on the church float which portrayed bedtime in Toyland. She wore her fleece footie pajamas with lots underneath :O) She is wearing her white hat and scarf that we bought for her in Ulyanovsk when we went to meet Viktoria.

Thursday night we had our Christmas open house. We had at least 106 people (we counted that many-may have missed some). It was alot of work, but alot of fun too. It took about a week to get everything ready and we were rushing around until the last minute getting the food ready, it was like we were on one of those cooking challenges trying to get everything set out with minutes to spare. It was from 5-8 p.m. and right at 5 we had at least 35 show up! I didn't even have C dressed yet!

Friday and Saturday, D and Hubby were at Christmas Choir Camp getting their musical prepared. It was D's first sleep-away at camp and she was beyond excited!

Yesterday after church I took D by the post office to mail her letter to Santa. She is asking this year for a Wii and a WowWee Alive Polar Bear Cub.

I'm kind of vegging out today!

We still need to go see Santa.

Nothing Is Impossible With God

As I was sitting in C's room, rocking him today, my mind went back nearly a year ago to when we were writing the scriptures over the doorways of our new house. On the framework over C's doorway, hidden beneath the sheetrock and texture and paint, is the scripture from Luke 1:37 which says "For nothing will be impossible with God." I wrote it in both English and Russian. C was about 6 weeks gestated at that time - he was already on the way and God knew that this bedroom in this new house would be his. We had no clue that he was even in existance at that moment, but I KNOW that God Knew.

Psalm 139:13-16
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

God knew.

The Amazing Race in Moscow

Did anyone see the last two episodes of The Amazing Race where they were in Moscow? I was so surprised that I did not recognize but a few places they showed on the episodes. I know it's a huge place, but usually we recognize many places. They really went off the beaten path this time.

Secondly, I felt so bad for the Taxi driver that the two Frat Brothers stiffed! I sure hope the show paid that poor man!

Lastly, the guy who lost his passport and all his money by leaving his pack in the Taxi! Oh my goodness, I was just sick in my stomach for him. Can you imagine! We never left our hotel room, even to walk around the hotel without our passports!

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled program . . .

Ha Ha on my book reviewing

I am about 2/3 of the way finished reading Through The Storm. It is SO hard to find time to read and I DO love to read. I try to read when I get in bed and within minutes I'm a goner. Slow and steady wins the race, errrr - reads the book.

Just thought you may be wondering.