Waiting

Here we are again.....just waiting!   Right now I'm waiting on my e-mail to start working so I can see exactly where we stand with our new paperwork we are having to do. Suppose to receive documents today minus one that will come hopefully tomorrow and then the next step is to send those to Austin via FedX to get apostilled (again).  Won't be making the road trip this time.....hope I don't regret that decision later.  Then last night we were told we need to better prepare our financial statement to prepare for what the judge might question us on.  Well, how much clearer than "BROKE AS A JOKE" can you get!!! (that's what Cole says anyway!) Sooooo, we are going to start better preparing ourselves for court and WAIT for the next thing to do. Hopefully, we'll get to see how prepared we are, in a month or two. Just saying that makes it feel like an eternity from now.  Oh me oh my.....WAITING is not one of my strengths!

Heres afew photos of my boy......even though they have him dressed like a girl! Thanks for your continued support and check back in a day or two and see how the WAITING is coming along!!!

I'M BACK!!!!

Sometimes, I let my human thinking distract me from God's promises. You know, ones like, "I will never leave you or forsake you",or maybe " we know all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose" or this one," do not be afraid or discouraged, the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Sometimes.......for like the last week.......I focus on the negatives, instead of the positives, and it takes me to a place I don't like to go.  But God, in all His faithfulness, always shows me His mercy and grace, and His promises, in some form or fashion, and brings me back to the place I'm suppose to be and the place I want to be.  Its pretty neat for us that even though we sometimes lose sight of God......He NEVER loses sight of us!
This morning I could hardly wait to get online and see if I had any news regarding Gabe.  I was just fixing to click on yahoo mail when I STOPPED.  See, I made a promise to myself and God along time back that before I got on the computer in the mornings, I would FIRST read my devotional and spend some time with Him. I sure wanted to see if I had anything concerning the new developments last week but instead......I kept my promise..........and God bein God........He kept His.  Everything I read pertained to me and my feelings for the past week. Each scripture, each promise, just for me.  And when I got through and did go to my e-mail to see if I had any news.........this is what was there........no news " to call home about", ..........just this little guy.......

Now, maybe this is one of those, "you had to be there" moments, but you see, we had gotten these pictures of Gabe a good while back, but not this one. This one just happened to somehow not make it in with the rest and our lady in country just happened to send it now. NOW! Do you see his little face? Do you see happy, content, ok, on his little face?? I do. I see just what God knew I needed to see. I have lots of pictures from our visit just last week, but I needed to see this picture.......this look on his face.......and I needed to see it this morning.

I don't know what the future holds, but thank goodness, I know Who holds it. Gods got this! I just need to be reminded sometimes!!

(yep, thats our little boy! but doesn't he look cute in yellow!)

We are waiting for news on some new documents that we had to throw together on Friday of last week. We got them in the mail and they should of reached their destination sometime this morning. So, maybe tomorrow we'll talk to someone. I know that I know, that I know that I know......Gods got this......yep, He's got it!

2 STEPS FORWARD.....4 STEPS BACK

I know if you've been following our story, you know we just got back from trip one. Wow! It was something else! From the time we were suppose to leave the airport, until the one day late unexpected flight that finally got us home.  And then of course, all the in betweens. Our boy is precious. And as I type that, the tears begin again. Awww, the roller coaster ride of international adoption. Last night we were told that the DOE in country will not send a release request for Gabe to Moscow, until she has an updated homestudy and more stuff from our Tx. agency. Yep, the one we just had done in Jan. If they came and did it today, nothing will have changed, everything will read just as it read in Jan.  It's crazy and it makes me sick at my stomach.
This just means more time until we can be issued a court date. Gabe does not have more time. We were told before our last visit that when a place opens up at one of the institutes for older kids, he will likely be transferred.
We know what that means. We have seen with our own eyes, exactly what that means. Everything in me wants to scream and shout at the ones who hold this boys life in their hands. The thought of him being taken from the only place he's ever known, the only people he's ever known, and left all by himself......I can't stand the thought.

I know you want to know all about him and our adventureous trip.....and I promise, I will share all that with you.....but right now I don't have the strength or the frame of mind to put it all in words.
Your support and prayers for us and this child, have and do mean so much. Please continue to pray us and Gabe. And I will be sharing about our trip. I just need afew days to re-group. So, be sure and check back in a couple days. Thanks for helping us LOVE GABE HOME. Here are a few pictures to hold you until I get myself together!!!

Bite Papa??

I don't know what it is but I like it!

Wait...I'm not ready!

Mama loves you little one

DOBRAYE OOTRA!!

Dobraye Ootra....Good Morning!!  It's 9:20 pm where i'm at but just cause i thought my mom might look when she got up to see if i posted, i decided to begin with a little foreign greeting! wish i could say that i'm getting better at using words over here, but it just ain't happenin! rick and i went for a walk down by the sea last night and then up to a little market to buy some water. we knew no one would speak english but how can you go wrong just buying some water??!!! well, apparently you can! don't know what she was saying but finally she just made a hand gesture, gave a little bit of a groan and handed us LOTS of change back. we figured she wanted something smaller than what we had but, we did the best we could. we asked our translator this morning and she told us, yes, she was wanting smaller money. ok, so next time we will know!!


Tomorrow will be our last day to see Gabe. I'm not ready to leave him. If I thought I might get away with it, I'd grab him and make a run for it! It will be a sad time for both Rick and I. We asked if we could take him outside tomorrow and hopefully we will get permission to do that. I don't know how often they take them out but today we did see 6 little ones holding hands walking down the path with a caregiver.  Today is also the first day we have heard any sounds from other children.(well, we did hear one cry out yesterday).  Of everything I saw at Gabe's orphanage, the one thing that I noticed the most was the quietness.  I asked how many kids were at this place and our lady said 84.  84 kiddos, and it was quiet??? I don't know. we were on the first and second floors and saw several different ladies but no kids. only the ones out walking today. Maybe this is God's way of protecting me. Protecting my heart from what I was dreading the most. Seeing and possibly playing with the others and then having to leave them, but yet seeing their faces each time I closed my eyes.
Rick and I were talking after supper tonight about the plans God has for each of us. We've been visiting with another couple who are here for their first trip too. They came with 2 referrals(not through Reeces Rainbow) and one of them didn't work out. They just said he had not responded to them all week and it just didn't feel right so they let him go. But there was another child that was available and after seeing him and spending just alittle time with him, the child was responding so well and they too felt he was meant to be theirs.  So, this was their choice that they passed on one of the first of two kids referred to them.  But what about the officials who decide for you, if you will get to bring your little one home or not. How or where is God in that???? Here you are, already in love with your son or daughter, you've held them in your arms, you've kissed their sweet little faces.......they are yours.  But what if your told....No.   We have been asked some pretty blunt questions by officials since we've been here. We are more aware than ever before that this is not a done deal. But we are here to tell you.......God's still in it. Even when the answer is no......God has still got it. He will make everything right in His time. Rick and I agreed tonight, that IF worse comes to worse......God has showed us His goodness and His grace from the very beginning of this. We have seen our friends and family and people we don't even know well or know at all become the very hands and feet of Christ. The support we've gotten so far, has just left us smilin and shakin our heads! Our hearts are over flowing with thankfulness.
Our little guy is precious. He is pretty small as you can probably tell from the pictures. He will be 5 in August and he only weighs 24 lbs. He has some medical issues other than down syndrome but we don't care......we just want to bring him home and give him all the love he deserves.
I'll leave you with a few pictures from today. Thanks and please continue to pray for Gabe and maybe say a prayer for Rick and I as we will begin that 30 hour journey home Saturday afternoon.

AND THIS ONES FOR YOU KOBIE!!!

GABE'S TOUCH

When he walked into the room.....he was immediately ours. His skin is so soft. His body is so little and fragile. His voice was music to our ears. "Mama. Papa", he said. Yep.....he's a keeper!

We got to visit about an hour with him and it was all I could do to let him go back with his caregiver. But, we told him we would be back tomorrow. He gave Rick a kiss on the cheek and then me. I'm all teared up just thinking about his sweetness. He was alittle shy at first but as soon as one of the ladies said, "Dima, dance for them"...... he did alittle break dancin!!! We borrowed Jrs. I Touch to take with us and when Rick put on some Lynard Skynard, he just got with it now!! He loves to dance!

The bubbles were a big hit too!

So what do you think???  We think he is precious. We KNOW we are blessed beyond measure!

I will be posting more as the week goes, but for now, I'll leave you with this:

Gabe blowing Mama a kiss

WE'RE HERE!!

In case you haven't heard......WE MADE IT!!!We are in country, in a motel with a BED! I just kept saying on the plane ride and in the airports, "if I could just find a bed to stretch out on!" Man, we have never been so tired. Right now its 5:20 am Tuesday morning and we've been awake for awhile. I think we're alittle excited. No, that not right. We're ALOT excited!!! In 31/2 hrs. we will neet our little Gabe. Rick just said, 'can you believe it? we're really fixing to see him." Wow!! We were told he speaks pretty good Russian! Oh, I wish we could understand him and he understand us. But hugs are universal aren't they??!! I believe he will know by the looks on our face and our gestures, that we bring love just for him. Pray that he will be accepting of our love.

I have so much to tell! If we had been followin "the signs" for the past 30 hrs while traveling, we would not be here right now. But we DIDN'T follow the signs......We haven't followed the signs since we started this.  We have, and we will continue to, follow and  be obedient to the One who sent us on this journey. We are following Him. God has been our source of strength and only with Him will we be strong enough to face what lies ahead.

Without going into particulars, please pray that God will move in the hearts of the ones we have to go before. We faced the DOE yesterday and she was tough. She doesn't understand "why" we come to do this. When we left her office finally with the permit to visit Gabe, I told our interpreter that "she scared me!" and our lady said, "she scared me too!" and she's russian!!. Rick and I both were very intimidated and we were told to be better prepared for more questions while we're here. I would be lying if I tried to lead you to belive that we felt confident about all this. We know that the orphanage director wants Gave to have a family and a home, so thats good. We have great ladies helping us and guiding us while over here. Theres still much to be done before this baby is ours. Please pray for us, for Gabe, and for the officials who hold Gabes life in their hands.  My my.....what a ride!!

FUN DAY

Only 4 more days until we take off on our 1st trip to see our little guy. I can't believe I just wrote that!!!
Last week was a crazy week with me traveling here and there every day of the week. I was pooped by Friday for sure. And now here it is this week and I STILL have things to get done before we go. BUT, today was a good day! A friend and I went to pick up afew things for the kids at the orphanage. It was fun getting them some new clothes( which are soooo cute AND on clearance!!) and picking up some supplies for the orphanage too. If it had been left up to me though, I would probably still be there trying to decide which ones to get! Thanks Jill, for taking the bull by the horns and "gettin er done!!" We had lots of fun.

4 more days. Wow! It just doesn't seem real yet. I'm not sure when it WILL feel real. Maybe when I actually see him in the flesh. Maybe when I actually touch him. Maybe when I actually set foot on "their" soil. I don't know. But I'm ready! I am so ready.

Thanks to you all who are continuing to follow our story and to those who are supporting us with prayers, kind words of encouragement, and donations. We appreciate it so much.  You are a part of this story too!

One of the things I got for Gabe today is this. We are going to leave it with him so it can soak up the smells of the orphanage. And then when we go back to get him, to bring him home, I hoping that having Leo to cling to, with the familiar smell of the orphanage, will some how help Gabe and give him comfort.  His little world is going to be turned upside down when we take him from the only place he has ever known. That makes me sad, but I know he will be ok and it will just take alittle time for him to thrive in his new environment. Meet LEO the LION!!!! I know he has never had a stuffed animal of his own. I hope he likes him!

LEO the LION