God's Plan for Us

Surgery

2011-12-28T09:42:00.002-06:00

Alexander's surgery went well. It was a bit frustrating because it seems it is impossible for the medical community to tell you something and then follow through with what they said. When the anesthesiologist came by, he explained that Alexander would be given a mild sedative to make him groggy, then they would wheel him back to the operating room and then they would give him gas that would make him sleep. He never got the sedative and was terrified when they came to take him to the operating room. Due to the long wait he had already gotten scared because he did not understand what was going on. I truly believe he thought we were abandoning him. Those of you that have adopted know the routine of when you pick your child up from the orphanage - you strip all the clothes off them and then you put your clothes on them. Well, at the hospital, we had to strip him down and put the hospital gown on him. When they called us back to the recovery room after the surgery, we waited for him to open his eyes. When he saw we were there, he laid his head back down and rested a little more.

He returns for a post-op check up next week and then about two weeks later, we start therapy with the implant. Thanks for your prayers!

- Tony B.

Surgery Day

2011-12-27T08:59:00.000-06:00

At the hospital right now for Alexander's cochlear implant surgery.

Christmas Eve Prayer

2011-12-24T12:50:00.003-06:00

Here in the US, it is Christmas Eve and most of us, particularly in the south, are enjoying some warm weather. While you are running around today getting those final presents or food for your Christmas meal, say a prayer for the fatherless in Russia. Right now, with a wind chill, it is -20 degrees Fahrenheit in SE Siberia - and that is in the warmer city areas on the southern coast. In the higher elevations, it is much colder. Pray that these children will stay warm no matter where they lay their head to sleep.

It is almost 6AM in Vladivostok right now, the time when most of us start to think of breakfast. For some in SE Siberia, breakfast is a luxury. As you pray, pray the Father will provide for them today and give them something warm to drink and nourishing to their body.

It is not my intention to bring you down on such a joyful day of celebration, I just ask that as you celebrate, pray for the most vulnerable - the fatherless.

Merry Christmas!!

October Trip

2011-11-29T19:25:00.009-06:00

Below are some photos from my October trip to Primorsky Krai. For the teens in the detention center, I did not post any photos that showed many faces:

Day #1
Went to Hope for Life Home #1. It started snowing as soon as we pulled off the main road. House parents are great and our home assistant is very sweet. She helps with the kids and the cooking. They prepared lunch for us which included a salad with beets, berries and other items finely chopped. A little sweet, but very good! In addition to the salad, we had crackers, cheese and sausage. After lunch, I helped the house dad disconnect the outside water lines to prevent them from freezing.

Went to bed hearing Mig jets scream across the sky...

Day #2
Got up early and we drove to Spassk to meet with the parents and kids in Hope for Life Home #2. Beautiful drive in the country! We stopped in Usseryisk to visit the orphanage where Polina, Dima and Nastya stayed. In the lobby I found new postings on the wall with some pictures that included my kids! I looked at one photo and said, "That's my Polina." She was in a dance costume, but I knew it was her. I then looked at another photo and noticed Natsya and Dima. We arrived in Spassk and I met the house parents of Home #2. I learned Misha had just arrived at home following a two week stay in the local hospital due to a heart attack. He and his wife were incredibly sweet and genuinely loving. We have been working for several months to purchase a new home for them, but the process has been very difficult. We went to church that evening and I was asked to speak. We took some clothes for the kids and one of the children was so happy she tried on about 8 outfuits and modeled for us. I got pretty nervous, but the Lord got me through it! I met a 19 year old orphan named Christina that was very sweet. She has had a difficult life and appears to still suffer some attachment issues. She is currently enrolled at the technical training center and is living in a dormitory. We spent the night at a local hotel. TINY bed that was hard as a rock. No heat because the government has decided it isn't cold enough yet. It was below 32...

Day #3
We drove to Pokrovka and I met with Polina, Dima and Nastya's Aunt Tatiana and cousin Vladik. We had a great visit that I truly enjoyed and I wish we could have spent more time with them. I hugged Vladik and told him I was his fat uncle from the United States. He laughed. Had lunch with them. Tatiana had prepared borscht and it was the best I had ever had! We left and drove for a few hours to a detention center and orphanage. Spent some time with the children - young and old alike. We left some toiletries and gifts for the kids.

Day #4
Visited another detention center in Vladivostok. So sad to see the kids here. The guards were pleasant, but did not leave the room. I really do not think the kids were dangerous. We worked a craft with them and gave them some toiletries, gloves and small gifts.

Day #5
Drove to a small village and met with a young woman (21) that used to live on the streets in Vladivostok. Nice young girl - mother of two little boys. She works delivering mail in her village. She accompanied us to an orphanage we planned to visit. Unfortunately, the kids were under quarantine due to chicken pox.

Day #6
Went to church that night to attend the youth meeting in Vladivostok. The church facilities are so small that the adults and teens can not attend at the same time. There were 35-40 teens there and it was great. Their energy for worship and their true sincerity impressed me. And they were dressed to the hilt!

Day #7
Returned to Home #1 for church. Spent some time with the kids playing with them. Helped the parents unload have a metric ton of potatoes for the winter. Ate lunch with them and it was delicious - pelmini, tomato and cucumber salad and crab salad.

Day #8
Drove back to the small village referenced in Day #5 to the home of the young mother I spoke about. We took her a used refrigerator (she did not have one)and she was so excited (we take so much for granted)! We worked in her kitchen for many hours trying to install paneling. Unfortunately, we did not finish. For tools I had a broken hack, a home made knife and another saw blade. Try cutting a hole for an outlet with those tools! A worker was going to be hired to finish the job for us. As we were leaving,she reached over to shake my hand. I laughed and hugged her and she smiled.

I wish I could have spent more time there. So much work to do...

Overdue Update

2011-11-01T09:07:00.008-05:00

Can't believe it has been two months since the last post, but things have been busy. The kids are all engaged in school and extracurricular activities and I just returned from SE Siberia. So below is an update on everyone:

Jeremy:
Jeremy is plugging away at college and is having a much better semester and seems to be having a great time. Last semester he joined the university's IEEE chapter, but he was a bit disappointed because they really did not engage him. All the projects were taken over and no one seem to need his help. This semester he is working with a a different group and I am not sure of their name. Anyway, they are building a cube satellite and he is working on the transceivers. He is one of three amateur radio operators in the group and so this right up his alley. They were supposed to test some of the electronics using a weather balloon last weekend, but the weather spoiled that opportunity. We all miss him and may have to make a trip there if he does not come home soon!

Christina:
Christina is busy with home school and starting her own web business. She is a fantastic photographer and artist. In addition to caring for her horses, she volunteers one day per week at the local animal shelter. She takes photographs of the cats/kittens for posting on a web site for people searching for pets. She created a 2012 Calendar for the local shelter to sell to raise money. She is managing her illness very well and has good days and bad days. At least three days per week, she treats us to a meal she has cooked which is awesome! Below is a link to her web site:
http://musehorse.storenvy.com/

Sarah:
Sarah is doing great but still hates math . . . and science. She is progressing well and is very busy with dance right now. She loves dancing and acting and had the opportunity to participate in two plays this past summer. I love to watch her dance and act. She has turned into a graceful young woman. To many she is shy and so they are very surprised when they see her acting and playing very vocal parts. She is great helping around the house and with her younger siblings.

Polina:
Polina, like her older sister, loves dancing and acting. She is often seen twirling around the house. She has grown a bushel in the last twelve months getting much taller. she loves to help feed the horses and is our social butterfly. She enjoys visiting with her friends prior to dance practice and church.

Dima & Nastya:
These two are the source of a lot of noise in the home - cackling, yelling, and such. Nastya is taking dance like her sisters and enjoys singing in the church children's choir. Dima is big brother to Alexander and enjoys roughhousing with him. They are great kids and are often side by side in anything going on. Dima and Nastya have improved so much in their school work. Both are very good in math and are progressing with their reading skills.

Alexander:
Alexander has been home almost 8 months now and is doing well. He still does not like bed time and will fuss when told to go to bed. Some nights are better than others and that makes it hard when we are exhausted. He has been to more doctors appointments than I can count on two hands. To sum it up, he can hear certain frequencies and noise levels. He is currently wearing hearing aids and gets excited when he hears something new. The doctors are still leaning heavily toward a cochlear implant. He goes to speech therapy every Wednesday in a nearby town about 60 miles away.

Well, that's about it. I just returned from Russia where I had the opportunity to visit many, many orphans from a couple months old to teenagers. Some of their stories would rip your heart out, but their smiles are infectious! I'll try to post more about that later.

God Bless -

A New School Year

2011-08-22T10:20:00.002-05:00

This past week started a new school year - Jeremy back at college and home school starting for the others. College dorms have changed a lot in 24 years. Dorms are coed and fast food chains are right next door on campus. I traveled to Huntsville Saturday to take Jeremy some books and clothes that were left behind and spent a little time with him before going back home. In four weeks he will be 21. A grown man but oh so much to learn. His head and heart is in a better place than mine was 37 years ago, but he is just as bullheaded as I was at his age. He will be be fine though.

The other six kids are doing fine and have reluctantly started school. Christina technically never stopped, she just cut back a little. She is doing much better than she was one year ago. She is an amazing cook and lately has cooked about one meal a day for the family. She has good days and bad days, but fortunately the good days outweigh the bad. She is so talented and is our go-to photographer and proof reader.

Sarah and Polina were in two plays this summer which kept them (and Dawn) busy going back and forth to rehearsals. They too are growing up and turning into young women. It is funny to watch them perform. Sarah absolutely loves theater and enjoys playing different roles. I am very proud of her and all she has accomplished. Polina loves acting, but her first love seems to be ballet. She will flitter around the house twirling and such. Her birth mom would be proud of her and the young woman she has turned into. I try to share her accomplishments with her aunt in Pokrovka by sending photos and e-mails. She is a good woman and I try as best as I can to maintain contact with her.

Nastya and Dima are still loud and are typical 7 & 8 year old kids. They have a lot of energy, they fuss with each other and get into trouble. It has been three years since they got home and Nastya still acts motherly toward Dima even though she is the younger one. Dima is adapting to having a younger brother - slowly. He is still learning he has to share, but he is enjoying have a little brother to rough house with and to share a room with.

Alexander had an appointment with a surgeon at Emery in Atlanta last week. Unlike other doctors, he seemed to genuinely concerned about what was/is best for Alexander. He wants to have an MRI and another audiogram completed before he makes a final decision. Right now he is leaning toward NOT doing a cochlear implant because of Alexander's age. Overall, Alexander is adjusting well. Once again, there are good days and bad days. He loves playing with his siblings. Although he has gotten much better, he sometimes lashes out at Nastya with a punch. Although he is small, those little fist pack a lot of power. Dawn is working on teaching him qued speech and some ESL. He is a quick learner and just blows me away at times.

This fall I will be traveling to southeast Siberia to complete some missions work with orphans. I have a busy itinerary and hope to be able to share some photos when I return. The past month I have been stopping by churches to leave reference material on the ministry in hopes of getting some financial support. Due to the economy, this has been pretty tough. Times are hard on churches and I understand their reluctance to inviting someone in asking for financial assistance. I try to explain that everything I raise goes toward orphan support/relief. Some are polite and explain that they are booked right now and that I should call back in 2012. Right now I am financing all the expense of what we do. That tab is pretty high, but God is good and He provides all that we need. In about six weeks, I will be contacting churches to see if they will collect a Love Offering to go towards purchasing Christmas presents for kids at the orphanages. I set a goal in May to raise $10,000 and I am not going to reduce it. These children are precious to the Lord and I know He will provide for them.

God Bless -

Ministry Update - Getting Ready

2011-06-27T21:49:00.005-05:00

The past three weeks have been busy with us trying to get "stuff" organized for our work with OTAN; prayer cards ordered, business cards ordered, brochures ordered and last but not least - a new laptop ordered for use when visiting churches. And as of this afternoon - plane tickets ordered for the October trip. We are excited and looking forward to helping orphans in southeast Siberia. The biggest hurdle I see so far is trying to get my Christian brothers and sisters to understand WE (as in all of us) are biblically obligated to help the orphans in their distress. Some see it as a Russian problem and not "our" problem. Dawn and I have to knock down those invisible boundaries and let them see these kids as we see them. Kids, who through no fault of their own, have no one to tend to their hurts - both emotional and physical. The Hope for Life homes not only provide a loving, Christian home to orphans, but they also help teach young couples what a family is like and how to parent. Right now, we are small, but with God's help we will grow. Please take a moment to click on the link below to learn more.

http://www.hflhomes.com/

God Bless -

Three Years

2011-05-22T22:42:00.004-05:00

Today we celebrated that on May 19, 2008, God (and a Russian judge) granted us permission to become parents of Polina, Dima and Nastya. I give God the credit because lets be honest, there is no way it would have happened without Him! First of all, He had to touch the heart of young, naive Christian man (Dawn was hard, but not as hard as I was). I tried to ignore Him and then when I started to listen, I thought I would do things MY way. Don't do that - it doesn't work. Here we were, a five person family living on a income of less than $90,000 in a small three bedroom home. Secondly, we had never had a lot of money just laying around and got by because God provided. Now we were facing expenses of over $50,000. Oh yeah, let me add my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer and Dawn's SUV caught fire and burned up in the middle of it all.

Mom is home now with our Heavenly Father and her mom - looking down on us all. I think she would be pleased with the way things have turned out. Dawn has a big honking, gas guzzling 1999 Suburban 4x4 that we were able to pay cash for. Not fancy, but it runs and hauls 8 people around. As for us, we are doing good. There have been many, many ups and downs. I don't think we have ever written much about the "downs" because you know, with God's help, we got through it all. He died on the cross for my sins and all He asked of me was to be a father to four children without an earthly father. I think I got the easy part no matter what tomorrow brings.

To Polina, Dima and Nastya, thanks for letting me be your dad. I am not perfect and I know I have made mistakes, but never, ever doubt what you mean to me and your mom. No matter what some may say, you are my real kids and I am your real dad.

To Jeremy, Christina and Sarah - this was a big change for our family and I am sure it has been hard on you. You sacrificed a lot and had very little say so in matters. I hope we did our job in explaining why we did what we did and you understood. Thanks for all you have done to help us.

God Bless -

Tony B.

Our Prayer Card Photo

2011-05-20T12:39:00.003-05:00

God's New Plan for Us - Explained

2011-05-08T22:04:00.007-05:00

Recently I shared with you the tug Dawn and I have on our hearts for the children and people of Russia. This has been something on-going since our first trip in December 2007 and it has just grown and gotten stronger. So, it is not something we are just jumping into. In fact, three years ago I had a business contact that became a dear friend. Butch kidded with me that he wouldn't be surprised if our next step was to be missionaries to Russia. I laughed it off because even then I did not think it would go this far. This gentleman retired in 2009 due to health reasons and I need to call him and let him know he was right.

Moving to Russia is not easy. Immigration laws make a permanent stay darn near impossible. For that reason, Dawn and I started looking at other opportunities. We spoke with our friend Jeff Ballard who works with orphans in southeastern Siberia. Jeff shared his heart for the orphans and people of Siberia - and then he made us an offer. His offer was to assist him and his family with the homes they had established for orphans. I say "homes' - currently there is only one home, but there are plans for a second home. I had planned to visit the current home in 2008 when we were in Russia for court but due to an illness, I was unable to do so. However, since that trip, we have raised money at church each Christmas for those children and for children in the orphanages they visit.

Dawn and I prayed over the matter and I later sent Jeff a note accepting his offer. We applied to Jeff's mission agency and had an interview with them the last week in April. They called us back in the day following the interview and informed us the board had accepted us. One of the happiest days of my life.

Now for the Q&A.

You have a full time job, are you quitting?
No. Since I can not move to Russia, I will continue my job as long as it is available. This will provide income and insurance.

You say you're missionaries now, but you are not moving and you are working a full time job. What are you going to do?
We will visit churches here in the states to raise money for the homes. For now, we will travel to Russia twice per year - once in the spring and once in the fall. Due to expenses (travel is very expensive), Dawn and I plan on rotating on the trips. I'll make one trip and she will make the other. In Russia, we will spend time with the home(s) and working with the locals in their ministry efforts.

Are you going on deputation (raise money for personal support)?
No, not at this time. As long as I have a full time job, I will not visit churches to raise money for personal support. My desire is to devote 100% of my visits to raising support for the homes in Russia. We will absorb the expenses of the work for as long as we can.

This is long, so I will stop here. I just wanted everyone to know what our plans are. We are excited and probably even a little scared. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Family Update

2011-05-07T09:22:00.003-05:00

A lot has taken place over the past three weeks so I will try and cover everything!

We had our social worker visit for the final report to Russia on Polina, Dima and Nastya. It was . . . interesting. Nothing bad, just a new social worker. Very young, no children. Here we are, married 23 years and seven children. In the end, I felt a little insulted - but I got over it.

On April 19-20, we had severe storms roll through our area that resulted in an EF3 tornado touching down about 10 miles away and killing three family members and destroying a nearby brick church. That storm produced 30 tornadoes across the state. One week later, a massive storm system rolled through the state producing 23 known tornadoes killing 236 people. At least two EF5 tornadoes touched down. We were in Virginia when the storms hit and it wasn't until we got home that we were able to check on all extended family members. Jeremy was at school in north Alabama and we were able to get him on his cell phone about 10PM that night - then we lost contact for another 24 hours. My only comfort was that I was able to check news reports on damage and learned that there was no significant damage in his area. The storm photos and videos that have been shown in newspapers and on tv really do not give you the magnitude of the destruction. West Birmingham (Pratt City and Pleasant Grove) area just wiped out. The Christian relief efforts going on are truly amazing. Portable food kitchens are scattered throughout the area feeding workers and families. Pick-up trucks are driving through each area handing out water, cleaning supplies and tarps. Church groups are pulling in each day to volunteer. This is what the Christian family is doing. Yes, the government and Red Cross is there handing out tarps, but the Christian church family from across the south has stepped up and they far out number the government.

We returned from Virginia Sunday night and Monday morning I headed north to take fuel and clean clothes to Jeremy. The city of Huntsville had been without power since the storms hit. No power means gas stations can not pump gas. The school's kitchen was open because it was gas fired. Jeremy was fine. I returned to Huntsville yesterday to pack him up for the summer. He has to return in about 10 days for his finals, but it is good to have the whole family at home. The kids have been so excited about having him home for the summer. He is a great role model for his two brothers and I think it is great they will be able to spend some time with him.

More on our trip to Virginia tomorrow...

Easter

2011-04-23T00:10:00.004-05:00

Today has been one of those days when I realize how blessed I am and if not for the grace of God I would be lost and condemned. This is a day of reflection for Christians around the world. I am not worthy of the sacrifice made for my sins - it is only by His grace that I am saved. He is risen!

Sunday we leave for our trip to northern Virginia for an interview with a mission agency. We are excited and maybe a tad bit nervous. I met with our pastor this morning to discuss our trip and our ministry plans. It is very refreshing to speak to folks about our plans because we really have not told many people. I even made a call to my boss and gave him notice that he might get a phone call. That was a bit strange, because I was not sure how it would be received. I explained what we were going to do and that it would not interfere with my job as I would be using vacation time to travel. I am blessed to have A LOT of vacation. I have been with the same employer for 23 years. Although they really encourage me to take my vacation, my production goals are the same as someone starting the job today. As a result, I often lose 2-3 weeks per year. My last phone call was to my customer. My customer contacts were incredibly supportive. I am very lucky to have such great contacts with this group. They are my employer's largest customer and have been for about 80 years. If they did not support what I was doing, believe me when I say I would have to find another job.

The social worker came a week ago for our final report to Russia on our first adoption. Boy they seem to be getting so young. Young, no children of her own and she is asking us about how we are raising the children. There was an occaission or two when I just wanted to laugh. She seemed quite shocked that it had been 5 whole months since their last check up.

On a final note, we had some severe weather last weekend here at home. On Wednesday, I got an e-mail from our family in Siberia (the kid's aunt in Pokrovka). She had seen a news report about the tornadoes and fatalities and was worried about us. I never would have imagined she would have heard about it. The tornado hit about 15 miles north of us and killed three people. She was relieved to hear we were all okay.

Please keep us in your prayers -

Tony & Dawn

God's Plan for Us -2011

2011-04-10T13:46:00.005-05:00

To many, this will not be new news, but to others it will be. If you know Dawn and I even remotely, you know that the plight of the orphan is very near and dear to our hearts. While on our first trip to Vladivostok, Russia, we fell in love with the people and experienced one of those "God Things". Ever since that visit, we have felt a connection to that region and the people. Add to that the family connection we have there with three of our children. It has been nearly three years since we left and to this day I check the weather for that area.

For every year that has passed us, the tug on our heart has grown stronger. So much so, I even looked into immigration laws for Russia. If possible, I would sell our belongings and move tomorrow. Sadly, the Russian immigration law is not as open as ours here in the United States. We have now decided to spend our annual vacation time and resources on working for orphans in the Primorsky Krai region. The last week of this month, we interview with a mission agency. If approved, we will be allowed to do just that under their umbrella.

While on our first trip to Vladivostok, we met a missionary in the lobby of the hotel. Guess what he does? Works with orphans in that region. Coincidence - I think not!! For the past three years, we have kept in close contact with him and his family and even invited them to speak at our church.

The past 12 months have been interesting to say the least. Those of you close to us know what we have been through. For those of you we don't know, let me just say that the devil, yes - Satan himself will use every tool at his disposal to stop orphans from being adopted by loving parents. Try to do more than that and the fight gets a little rougher. We have been through things I would never, ever would have imagined in my wildest nightmare. However, at my side is The King of Kings. We walked through the fire with His help and we walk forward knowing His angels are with us. To God be the glory of all we are able to accomplish in His name.

So, please pray for us as we start this new journey. We will share more info in a few weeks.

God Bless -

Tony & Dawn

P.S.
Our final interview for our last post placement for Polina, Dima and Nastya is tomorrow. It is amazing to see how they have grown!

Casting Crowns & Toby Mac Concert

2011-04-03T21:04:00.004-05:00

Last night we went to a Christian event in Birmingham - Stadium Fest. There we got to hear some great speakers and see a couple of great artist like Kevin Derryberry, Casting Crowns and Toby Mac. We had a ball!

Two Years - 9 Months Later

2011-03-21T22:17:00.005-05:00

What a difference two years and 9 months make...

Second Week Home

2011-03-17T21:57:00.005-05:00

I finally figured out how to get the photos off my iPod - I e-mailed them to myself! I don't consider myself technically challenged but I have seen better instruction manuals translated from Portuguese (which can be quite amusing).

Alexander is learning about being in a family and we are learning a lot about him. Being deaf, he uses facial expressions to get his point across a lot of the time and at times he will leave you in stitches. I had to leave Monday for work in Mississippi and I did not return until this afternoon. I know he did not understand what was going on Monday when he saw me dressed and walking out with my suitcase. He waved goodbye and had a weak smile that turned to tears. I know the other three youngest had a hard time with me travelling for work. At least with them, I could call and talk over the telephone to them. I guess we will have to go with Skype video calls for him.

He is learning some ASL and his appetite has gotten much, much better. He is not as picky as he was last week. He is VERY proud of his clothes. He knows they are his and does not like to part with them - particularly his shoes. The only time he will let you take them off is when he climbs in bed. I know this is all part of his previous life and he will grow out of it.

Like any child with a past like his, he will definitely test you to see who has the strongest will. He likes buttons and switches - a lot (just like two other children used too). So he will turn every light on in the house and constantly mess with the television (volume or channels). After grabbing his hands, looking him in the eye and saying "no" (and signing), he will look up at you and slide the hand back to where the button or switch was.

The kids are doing pretty good with the transition. I know it has been difficult for all of them and I appreciate their patience. Last Saturday we took them ice skating as a treat.

Thanks for the prayers, we still have a long road to travel once we get a medical evaluation.

- Tony B.

How Great is Our God!! Home with our Son.

2011-03-08T09:11:00.003-06:00

We arrived home about 3:30AM Sunday. It was a great reunion with the entire family - our oldest son had driven home from college. We were up until about 4:30 or 5 hugging on one another and catching up on the past week's experiences. To be in church with all of our family home was such a huge blessing! Alexander blended right in like he had been with us forever- God is awesome! He wasn't afraid or overwhelmed by six brothers and sisters loving on him, he just giggled and smiled. I was afraid of a little jealousy developing with Nastya and Dima but that really only popped up briefly yesterday afternoon.

As I stated on our last post, the trip from Atlanta to Frankfurt was horrible. I have never flown and had such a large plane tossed around for sooo long. Dawn got sick and it took a few days for her to get over it. We picked up Alexander on Wednesday and as soon as he came up the stairs and saw us, he came running. We dressed him in his new clothes and he kept point to them and nodding with a big smile. I have some pictures, but I can't seem to get them off my iPod. As soon as I get them off, I'll post them.

After picking up Alexander we went to the passport office to pick up his passport. I was not surprised to learn that there was "a problem". There was an error on the passport but the office agreed to print a new one on the spot. With no stop for lunch (it was 1:30PM) we drove back to Moscow (3 hour trip). As soon as we got to the motel, we went next door to McDonald's. We got him a hamburger and he ate some of our fries. he did not finish off the hamburger until later that night. He was happy and content and only got upset for about 10-15 minutes at bedtime. He realized I guess that he was not going back to the detsky dom. We felt sorry for him, but due to the communication issue, we did not know what to do other that hold him and love on him. He was fine Thursday and did not cry one bit.

Thursday night I had the opportunity to read his entire file. It was very sad to read, but had all of it not happened, we would not have the opportunity to have him in our family. He is such a happy little boy and will put a smile on your face no matter how bad your day is.

The trip home was very hard. A 13 hour - yes 13 hour flight from Moscow to Dulles. The little man fell asleep the last 30 minutes of the flight. This was followed by a five hour lay over before we could fly to Atlanta and drive home. He fell asleep again just before boarding the Atlanta flight and slept until we arrived there.

He has taught us a few signs and we have been trying to introduce some new signs to him. We do believe he can hear a little bit - particularly high pitched sounds. He has perked up and dogs whining and some other noises. Soon we will schedule a doctor's appt to determine what is going on with his ears. By the way, the doctor in Russia that examined him for his visa told us that although he was four, he was the size of a small 3 year old. We knew he was small. Dr. Boris said he knew he would gain weight once we got him home. He also has a mild case of rickets that he said he would grow out of.

As soon as I get pictures off that iPod, I will post them. I just bought the thing a few days before we left. If you have any tips, I will gladly try them!

God Bless -

Tony & Dawn

In Moscow

2011-03-01T14:42:00.000-06:00

We arrived at motel 3 hours ago. Bad flight out of Atlanta. Pick Alexander up in 6 hours.

Passport Ordered

2011-02-18T11:47:00.004-06:00

I returned about 3AM this morning from my third trip to Russia. The purpose of the trip was to order Alexander a Russian passport. It was a VERY rushed trip with a lot of travel. I arrived in Moscow Tuesday about 6PM. I then got in the car with a driver who took me to Vladimir - we arrived about 11PM due to heavy traffic. Wednesday started about 8AM and we drove to Murom (4 hour round trip) to sign some documents because that is listed his as his birthplace. We returned to Vladimir to drop off and sign his passport documents and eat lunch. After lunch I got to visit Alexander for about an hour (it was 4 PM by now).

It was good to see him and his smile! When he entered the room, he looked around and I could only assume he was looking for Dawn. After looking around the room, he came running to me and jumped into my arms. He is a clown and loves to laugh! We played for about an hour and then it was time for me to leave and go back to Moscow. It was hard to leave him and I know he is terribly confused. Being deaf, I could not explain that I would be back in just a few days to take him home. If he spoke Russian, I could at least struggle through that to get the point across to him that I would be returning soon. Anyway, he hugged my neck and kissed me on the cheek and waved "bye" to me. Very tough to say goodbye. I arrived back in Moscow about 10PM.

Thursday morning the driver picked me up at 7AM for the long journey home. Due to some delays in Chicago, I did not arrive in Atlanta until 12AM. I then had a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me.

God has been very good and not only taken care of Alexander, but also watching over us/me while travelling. Each trip has had some small surprises but God took care of it all. I am thanful for His love and grace.

Introducing Our New Son. . .

2011-01-31T09:30:00.004-06:00

Alexander Patrick
This was his Russian name of sorts and we just reversed it.

Well, the ten day wait is over, it is 5:30 in the afternoon in Moscow. I will pray all is well and there was no petition against the judge's decision. These are two photos from our July trip. He is such a ham! We were outside on the playground of the detsky dom playing with him when I took these photos. He would blow some bubbles and then put the wand up to his tongue, look at us and just giggle.

We got to see him Friday after court. It had been 6 months since he had seen us, which to a four year old is an eternity. He remembered us and came running! I picked him up and he gave me a big hug and then looked at Dawn and pointed and grinned some more. They had cut his hair to a style that is very common for the boys. I did not care for it, but it will grow out. I have enough LA redneck in me that I like the hair a little longer.

Dawn had purchased some animal crackers in a store we shopped at the night before. She opened them and gave him one. Then we tried to teach him the sign for "more". He picked right up on it and as soon as he finished that one, he signed "more"! Dawn jokingly rubbed her tummy. I signed "more" and he brought me one and then rubbed my belly and laughed and laughed.

I was supposed to travel back to Russia today, but my invitation letter did not make it to the Russian embassy on Friday. As a result, they would not issue the visa. The agency is supposed to e-mail this week with new travel dates. Hopefully everything is just postponed one week. Originally, I was to travel this week to get him a passport - or at least start the process of getting him a passport. It was to be a VERY quick trip lasting only four days. We were then scheduled to travel back on February 14 to start the embassy paperwork, register him with the Russian consulate and then come home February 19. Like I said, I hope things are just postponed a week.

We will share more later this week.

We Have a New Son!

2011-01-23T18:44:00.003-06:00

I'll be short and sweet and save the details for later. We were awarded custody of Sasha by the court on Friday morning. Had us worried for a short while that things were not going to work out (I'll share details later). After court, we went to the detsky dom and were able to see Sasha for the first time since mid July. To a four year old, that is an eternity so I wasn't sure if he would remember us or not. But he did! When he saw me, he cam and jumped in my arms and gave me a big hug and a squeeze. He pointed to Dawn and grinned real big. Made my day.

I have to return in eight days to start the paperwork to bring him home. Would not be so bad, but I leave tomorrow on a business trip that will put me out until Friday evening.

Thanks so much for all the the prayers. I do not have time now, but I want to share with you all the little bumps in the road that were suddenly solved. We were in God's hand and he took care of everything. Again, thank you very much!

God Bless -

Tony B.

P.S.

Holiday Inn - Sokolniki is #1 in my book.

Arrived in Moscow

2011-01-20T00:56:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to drop a quick note. We arrived safely in Moscow where it is cold! Having a hard time adjusting to time difference. It is near 10 AM and I have been awake since 2:30AM. Great hotel, great staff. We went and had breakfast at the buffet this morning and that will probably cover lunch as well. We have a very busy afternoon today. Please keep us in your prayers!

A God Thing

2011-01-17T12:43:00.002-06:00

Real quick, I have a "God Thing" to share real quick. I mentioned in my previous post that I thought my blood tests were missing results for two items - HIV and Syphilis. This morning I went to the blood lab 30 miles away and explained my situation. I'll spare you the details, but their answer was "No - it can't be done that quick and you can not do it with out doctor's orders. My doctor is closed today. They did send me down the road to a clinic. I went inside, explained the situation and they informed me they did not think they could get it done that fast either. I offered to drive to Atlanta or Birmingham if they could just do it. They made a few phone calls, came back and said yes we can do it and we will e-mail your results!

Wow! God is amazing!!

Almost Time

2011-01-16T12:27:00.002-06:00

A couple of hiccups. I was looking at my blood tests yesterday (we have to take a copy) and I did not see results for syphilis and HIV. There is a blood lab in town and I am hoping they can run the tests for me quickly and get results to me by the end of day tomorrow. The really frustrating part is that they will duplicate the exact same test when we arrive in Moscow. I don't mind getting the tests completed - once.

Also, I have come down with a head cold. I am taking over the counter medicine in hopes it will go away.

This time next week, I hope to have good news. Please keep us in your prayers!

Progress

2011-01-09T14:15:00.002-06:00

Airline tickets ordered, travel visas ordered and arrangements made for the children. I guess I should add that hay was purchased for the horses to help out in the event Christina does not feel like getting out to feed them.

This week, I will take our suits to the cleaners and start the process of getting "clean" money. That last task is the most frustrating part. Russian money changers do not like and will sometimes reject bills that have any markings, are too worn or have too many creases. Some parents have gone so far as to iron each bill so that it looks as good as possible. Some banks look at you like you are nuts when you hand them money and tell them it is too dirty or too worn and that you need better looking bills.

Keep us in your prayers...

GREAT NEWS!

2011-01-02T22:13:00.002-06:00

We were notified this evening by e-mail that we have a court date!!!! Because of privacy issues, we will not share the exact date, but we will have court the end of this month and if all goes well, we will bring our little one home in February.

PLEASE, pray for our family and our little one as work quickly to prepare for court and to bring him home.

We look forward to sharing more with you soon -

Tony B.

С РОЖДЕСТВОМ ХРИСТОВЫM!

2010-12-25T09:44:00.005-06:00

This morning while watching the kids open their gifts, I was reminded (again) how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family. The love they show each other and to Dawn and I is priceless.

We are one short this Christmas because early on this year I thought we would have our little one home by now. Little did I know that it would take so very long to get US Immigration clearance. He will be home with us soon and we will celebrate. We pray for him nightly as we do all the children that do not have a home. In the coming new year, may God show us how we can be used to help those children.

To our Russian speaking friends, С РОЖДЕСТВОМ ХРИСТОВЫM!
To our English speaking friends, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Final Documents Sent to Russia

2010-12-22T12:40:00.010-06:00

We overnighted our last batch of updated documents (medicals for the eight of us, marriage license) to our agency yesterday and we just got news they were received this morning. They sent us the note below:

The last package of documents we can get there before the holidays start in Russia is being sent out tomorrow. So, the file will be complete in the region before the holidays start. I don't think that ----- will be able to receive a court date before the holidays start, but hopefully we can get one shortly after they resume working in 2011.

Have a Merry Christmas -

Tony B

Medicals

2010-12-05T11:09:00.003-06:00

God continues to bless our family in many, many ways. Most would think getting medicals for a family of eight would be easy - just call a doctor and set-up appointments. Nope, not that easy. First, the appointments had to be scattered as there was not a block of time large enough to accommodate 6 kids. Then there was the issue of the TB test that had to be completed on each person. Dawn missed the reading on her TB test and they were going to make her wait two weeks before another test could be run. During the TB test for the four youngest, one of the doctors/administrators suggested they just run a chest x-ray. They had to run a chest x-ray on Polina because she throws a positive result but she does NOT have TB. So, they completed a chest x-ray on Dawn as well. All test came back clean. Something we knew, but we had to do the test anyway. The same nice doctor even suggested that if we could wait until Wednesday, then the same doctor could see all the children. This made it much easier on us and them because we have to have documents notarized and we have to have a copy of their medical license. If all goes well, we should have all the medical documents by the end of the week.

We got a nice check from our old mortgage company due to an overpayment (we refinanced with a different company). This will cover Christmas presents at a time when things are a little tight.

And finally, our son, Grizzly Adams,(his new name due to the beard he has grown) came home from college. He had his final exams this week. Unfortunately, he along with the rest of the family got hit by a bad cold this week. He had to muddle through exams with the stuff. My work took me to the city where his school is located. I was able to check in on him and go get him some medicine. The stuff did not hit me hard until I got home on Thursday. Hopefully it has run its course and will be out of the house by tomorrow.

PRAYER REQUEST: We are still praying for a court date by December 31. This will be tough, but our God can perform miracles.

Evening Prayers & Medicals

2010-11-27T10:57:00.005-06:00

From Beach 2010

Last night I was saying bedtime prayers with Nastya and Dima. When I finished, Nastya told me she had some more prayers. I told her to go ahead and say them and I bowed my head back down. She then prayed for all the boys and girls in her old home (village) that did not have a place to sleep. This little girl has a heart the size of Texas and is always thinking of other children.

Dawn, Jeremy and I got our medicals updated this week. Next week we will try to finish things up and get the other kid's medicals updated. I also got our marriage certificate updated. The certification expired so I had to update it.

PRAYER REQUEST: If you will, please pray with us that we will be able to got to court before December 31. If the court approves us, we should be able to bring our little one home the end of January.

Immigration Approval

2010-11-16T12:02:00.002-06:00

We received a phone call yesterday from CIS (US Immigration) telling us we had been approved and the paperwork will follow!

Our Both Hands Project Summary

2010-11-01T10:52:00.009-05:00

Our Both Hands Project Summary

Activities Completed

Cut down old oak tree.

Moved a swing.

Replaced broken window pane.

Fastened gutters to shop.

Secured service entrance cover (shop).

Replaced siding on second level of barn.

Installed trim on barn.

Painted new siding.

Replaced three support posts on barn.

Replaced two braces on barn.

Connected outside air-line to air compressor.

Hauled off debris.

Taught Mae to load and fire shotgun.

Total Volunteer Hours: 103!

If you would like to help by making a tax deductible donation, please click on the Both Hands logo above and you will be directed to a website. Scroll down until you see our photo and project. If you click on the 'donate' button, you can make a donation through Paypal. If you would like to mail a donation, you can send it to:

Lifesong for Orphans
P.O. Box 40/202 North Ford Street
Gridley, IL 61744

In the memo section of your check, please indicate "Baggett Adoption #1382"

If you can not donate, we would appreciate your prayers as we work to bring our son home. Thanks -

Tony & Dawn

Both Hands Project

2010-10-01T12:18:00.019-05:00

Dear Friends:
Total cost of this adoption will be approximately $34,000. To finalize everything, we will have to make four trips to Russia at a cost of over $12,000. We have partnered with Both Hands and Lifesong for Orphans for an innovative method to help with the financial barrier we face. Have you ever sponsored someone playing golf or walking for charity? In return for sponsorship, we and a team of friends will work on the property of a widow in our community by providing needed repairs. This project is founded upon James 1:27 which states, "" Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

If you would like to help by making a tax deductible donation, please click on the Both Hands logo above and you will be directed to a website. Scroll down until you see our photo and project. If you click on the 'donate' button, you can make a donation through Paypal. If you would like to mail a donation, you can send it to:

Lifesong for Orphans
P.O. Box 40/202 North Ford Street
Gridley, IL 61744

In the memo section of your check, please indicate "Baggett Adoption #1382"

If you can not donate, we would appreciate your prayers as we work to bring our son home. Thanks -

Tony & Dawn

Beach 2010

2010-09-27T15:12:00.006-05:00

Earlier this month, some friends graciously allowed us to use their condo down at the beach. The weather was great and we were able to celebrate our oldest son's 20th birthday. This was such a blessing as there are few places that can accommodate a family of eight!

Here is one little girl who loves her big brother! She looks forward to him coming in from college whenever possible.

Raising Kids

2010-08-22T20:40:00.003-05:00

As your children grow up, you often wonder if you did your job to prepare your kids for life. Our oldest left home for college a week ago and due to current circumstances, it was difficult to let him go. Our family is going through a lot right now and I did not realize how much I relied on him to talk to and lean on until he was gone. Early in the week, we exchanged e-mails and I had one of those comforting realizations that he was ready to face life's challenges. To have that peace of mind is so wonderful. I am sure he will make mistakes as I did, but his head is straight and his heart is good.

Children are such a blessing from God. I was told something in the past 10 days that hurt. It hurt because it came from a good Christian person and it hurt because I realized there are good Christian people that still do not get "it". This well meaning person that I have great respect for referenced "my kids" and "my adopted kids". I don't see my family that way. I have my wonderful wife and six wonderful children. I am adopted into God's family through Jesus Christ. God does not look at me (nor you) any different than His other children so why would I ever look at my children differently? I try my best to share the love the Father has for me with my wife and children - unbridled, unending, unconditional love. I had hoped others understood that love, but I guess I have not done my job well enough.

Family Update

2010-08-15T16:12:00.002-05:00

On July 26, our oldest daughter Christina was admitted to the hospital. She came home two days ago (Friday) and is still in recovery mode but doing well. Friday was also the day Jeremy went off for school. It is odd not having him around. He will do well I just hate that his last week home for the summer was such a mess. Dawn and I were in and out of the hospital and did not get to spend much time with him.

The four youngest and I are in a play at a church here in town. Because of all things happening in our life right now, I first looked at this as a hassle, but the message is good and it has done me good to just listen - God is there and He is in control.

Two weeks back, we did go and have our fingerprints scanned at CIS in Birmingham. I guess we may hear of something soon on the matter.

About seven or eight years ago, I heard an adult speaking to our youth at church and he commented, "If the devil isn't messing with you, then you need to be questioning your life and the path you are taking." Sounds like a strange message, but I have come to learn how very true that statement is.

Russia July 2010

2010-07-24T22:51:00.002-05:00

Back from Russia

2010-07-17T10:35:00.003-05:00

Dawn and I got back Thursday night from Russia. Does it make sense to anyone else when I say the trip was too long, too short and very rushed? Let me explain a little:

Too Long - Being away from our kids here at home was hard. We had difficulty with our cell phone and could not call home for a couple of days. To make things a little more stressful, we thought we were staying at one motel in the region where our referral was located only to learn we were staying at another when we arrived. The families watching our kids would not know how to contact us in an emergency.

Too Short - We only got to spend a few hours over two days with the little boy we hope to adopt. More time would have been nice just to be able to get to know him and to let him get to know us.

Rushed - Get off the plane, Try to get acclimated to time change. Up at 4:30 AM to travel to region. Drive to region, spend some time with little boy. Drive back to Moscow. Get up at 6AM to get ready for medical screening. Go to hospital and spend 4 hours visiting 8 doctors. Eat dinner, go to bed, get up at 4:30AM to get ready for trip home. Arrive at airport at 7:30, clear immigration and come home.

I wish I could post pictures, but that is no allowed by the Russian officials until after the adoption is finalized. He is a wonderful little boy with very long eye lashes. He is three years old and is a very happy little boy. This was great to learn. Some children are not very happy and they have very good reasons for being like that. They read his complete file to us and asked if we had any further questions or concerns. We asked about food allergies and they did not know of any. They asked if we desired a new medical evaluation and we told them a new evaluation was not going to make any difference. I guess some parents ask for this, but it would not change our mind in anyway. We want to adopt him and that is that. Some argue that they need the evaluation to prepare themselves properly. I can see that, but Russian medicals are written in such a way as to scare the living day lights out of anyone regardless of your health status. When we get home with him, we will have him checked out head to toe by the IA Clinic at UAB. On Tuesday afternoon we signed papers of intent and had them notarized for court.

The detsky dom was very, very clean and had a wonderful director. You could tell she really cared for the children and was so sweet and kind to them. She showed us his bedroom with all the little beds in a row and where they kept their things.

We learned that if we had received our US Immigration clearance already they would have given us a court date. I am going to follow-up on that Monday to see what the status is. They have had our application for over two months and we have not even received our fingerprint letter. Anyway, if we do not go to court within 90 days, we have to travel to Moscow and have our medicals completed again.

I'll try an post a little more detail later. We are still trying to get back on our schedule here.

Visas Received

2010-07-09T16:28:00.008-05:00

Tomorrow we leave for Moscow and it has been incredibly busy and hectic! Nearly everything that needed to be done was completed. With four business days to get ready, only one item didn't get completed and I pray they will let us get it done when we return. I knew when we received the call, it was going to be difficult to get it all done in 4 business days. The call came from Moscow and I'm pretty sure they did not realize Monday was a holiday here in the US. I don't know if having Monday would have helped with the one item. I'm just glad we were able to get the the travel visas (a stamp in your passport from the Russian Consulate that gives you permission to enter the country).

We return Thursday afternoon which is great. On our last trip home from Moscow in 2008, we did not get home until about 2AM. Lots of air time this time as we are routed trough Houston. Houston to Moscow will be about 12 hours. Unfortunately I was unable to see my doctor and get some "happy pills" for flying. Don't know what they are, they just put me to sleep!

The Good News

2010-07-02T14:33:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends:

Sorry to be so cryptic, but late yesterday afternoon we received a call asking us to travel to Russia next week for a referral. This is great news, but SO much has to happen in just a few days - tickets, visas, etc! That is why we need your prayers!

We appreciate all your prayers -

Tony B.

Prayers Please

2010-07-01T16:59:00.000-05:00

Got some good news today, but if you are reading this - we need your prayers.

Adoption Project

2010-06-18T23:20:00.007-05:00

Just a short update. On Wednesday, Dawn and I got word we had been approved for a project with Both Hands Foundation (see link on the right side of screen)! Our project is not listed yet, but it will be soon. We are very excited about this opportunity to help a widow in need and at the same time, raise money to help fund our adoption.

I was a bit arrogant in the beginning of this process thinking I was going to take care of things on my own. This was so wrong for many reasons because most of it had to do with pride. I don't like asking for help. You would think I would have learned my lesson from the last adoption. Like the Israelites during the exodus, I have a short memory. I was reminded in February that I can't do anything without Him. I am a bit embarrassed that I actually thought this way. It's by His grace that I wake up every morning and I thought I would petition a foreign government and the US government to allow me to adopt a child - all with out His help. How arrogant!

More to come . . .

Dossier Mailed & 2 Year Anniversary

2010-05-28T22:42:00.002-05:00

Well, in the past week we have shipped two sets of documents that make-up 99% of our dosier. The only thing I am waiting on is the apostille on my employment letter that had to be completed in New Hampshire. We also need to go get our local police clearances and that will wrap up our dossier. Hopefully we will have both documents in the next week to ten days. We are also waiting on our CIS appointment to be fingerprinted. We received a letter from them saying they received our application the last week in April. With the last adoption, it only took two weeks to get an appointment. There is a small voice in the back of my head getting a little paranoid about this. The louder voice is reminding me it is all in His timing.

May 20 was the second anniversary of the day we picked up the kids from the detsky dom. Wow time flies, but then again it seems like they have always been home with us. We didn't do anything special other than talk about it over lunch one day. As I look back over the photos, it is amazing to see how much they have grown! Our house is a bit chaotic now days, but not in a bad way. I wouldn't trade one minute of it! I know couples with only one or two kids look at us like we are nuts, but children really are a blessing. I laugh when I hear adults comment about their "private/me" time. You have got to be kidding! Our private time is when we close our eyes at night and got to sleep - but even then there are times when there is a little one between us because they had a bad dream or something.

Dawn and I have a rather unspoken prayer request. If you will, just pray that God will give us wisdom to make the right decision. I know this is cryptic, but it is something that has been weighing heavily on us for several months now.

Sad News from Russia

2010-05-09T22:55:00.007-05:00

A week ago last Thursday, I received a sad e-mail from Russia. Tatiana e-mailed me to let me know that the kid's birth mom, Elena, had passed away. This shook me a little more than I expected - I had never met the woman. There is a piece of me that is very angry with her, but there is a much larger piece that feels sorry for her. I do not know what home life for her was like as a little girl, but I do know what her life as an adult has been like in recent years. It was a tragic life that is unfortunately very common in that part of the world. I pray she knew The Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour. I e-mailed Tatiana a note back to let her know how very sorry we were to hear the news and that I would tell the kids in a few days. I even asked her about Elana's salvation. I got an e-mail back from her, but she never addressed that point. I fear Elena died not knowing there was a Heavenly Father that loved her - how horrible.

I told Tatiana that Nastya and Dima do not remember Elena, but Polina has very clear memories of her and loved her. I knew Polina would want a picture and Tatiana promised to send one. I did not tell Polina until last Sunday night. She was heart broken and grabbed hold of Dawn and let her comfort her. I told the little ones on Monday morning. They cried a little.

I spoke with our church pastor about how to "honor" their birth mom's life. I was struggling because she did not lead a life style that I felt I could honor, but I knew I needed to recognize her passing for my children and the rest of the family. She gave birth to my three youngest children and for that I am eternally grateful. Pastor recommended a flower be placed up on the communion table in her memory for today (Mother's Day). I went a little further and asked if I could just get a large arrangement of flowers. He thought that would be fine. So, this past Monday morning, I took Polina to the florist and we purchased an arrangement in memory of Elena. They were there on the table up front this morning with a note in the bulletin that they were in memory of the kid's birth mom that passed away on April 22. I took a picture tonight (forgot my camera this morning) with the kids and the flowers so I could send it to Tatiana and show her how we remembered Elena today.

So, in memory of Elena ...

Home Study approved by State DHR

2010-04-19T09:24:00.002-05:00

Well, we got great news from our social worker, our home study was approved by the Alabama DHR and was passed on to US Immigration (CIS)! We received copies of our home study in the mail on Saturday which allows us to apply for grants which we really need. Thanks for your prayers!

The matter in Tennessee has created a lot of questions. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said adoptions by US citizens have been suspended. The Russian Ministry of Education which is in charge of adoptions has publicly stated they have not suspended adoptions. Our agency has families over there right now and they have not had any issues to develop. That said, I am sure that by the time we go to court, there will be some new requirements for us to complete. The anger many families in the adoption community have for this Tennessee woman is very high. But a friend pointed out to me on Thursday afternoon that no one person could do this much damage - it is spiritual warfare. He is exactly right. The devil does not want any of these children to have a home and he also knows that there is an almost certainty that these children will learn the love of The Heavenly Father.

Adoption News

2010-04-15T11:13:00.003-05:00

The only real news is that the events involving the Tennessee woman have caused a LOT of problems for parents trying to adopt from Russia. News reports this morning from major media outlets claim that Russia has stopped all adoptions from the United States. That may or may not be true. It seems the official that made the comment may not have had the authority to make such a decision. It could be he was repeating was he was told or speculating. We probably will not have any concrete news for a couple of days.

We still don't have a home study. We were told it would be available this week, but it is Thursday and I have not heard anything from them yet. Also, our Immigration paperwork was returned again. This time they said they needed Jeremy's birth certificate. The documentation we have does not state that we were supposed to send it in. That info will go out in tomorrow's mail.

Pushed and Pulled - Or Jerked?

2010-03-14T22:22:00.002-05:00

This past week has been a roller coaster of weather; 70 degree temperature, 40 degree temperature, sun and, rain - lots and lots of rain. Sounds like our life in a weird sort of way - being jerked this way and that. I guess "jerked" isn't the best word for it, but I don't know what other word to use. Our homestudy still has not made it to DHR. Without a homestudy, we can't apply for grants (which we need). Grants are often distributed in cycles and if you miss the cycle, you are out of luck. Last week our US Immigration paperwork got kicked back to us. We did not send the proper amount of funds, so they returned everything. That will have to go in the mail tomorrow with an extra check from the bank.

Our emotions are really being pulled in so many different ways on different levels. All I know is to ask God for wisdom.

Christina had some tests run at Children's Hospital with more scheduled. They ran a blood test (number 4 I think) with no answers for her problems. She had a very rough day today with a lot of pain. I can't stand to see my baby cry and not be able to help her. Please, pray for her. To the doctors, she is just a number. To Dawn and I, she is our precious daughter that is hurting.

Adoption Update

2010-02-16T18:54:00.002-06:00

Well, we are STILL trying to get the homestudy "clean" and ready for the Russians. We thought all was done, but alas, in the adoption world, you are never through with paperwork until three years after your court order.

Last week we were told we had to complete the "Hague Training". With our last adoption, we completed at least 18 hours of training and in the back of my mind, I think it was more like 21 hours. The Hague Treaty and certification requires all adoptive parents to obtain a certificate of training - for a fee. The training is from a third party that will provide the all important certificate - for a fee.

Part of being an pre-adoptive parent is closing your eyes and writing out checks for these fees. Some are small and are only a couple of hundred dollars. Others enter the five digit realm. You see, the world thinks that adoptive parents are rich. Why else would someone venture down that road unless our pockets were burdened with too much money. Did I also mention we had to mail the US Government money today to grant us permission to adopt? We sent the money and they could say "no" and the money is gone. Why do we do this? Why do we spend our retirement money (what is left), scrimp and save money from our paycheck? Because God put a burden on our hearts for these children. To outsiders and extended family we are insane. Did I mention we have to have a psychological evaluation - for a fee? Sometimes when I close my eyes, I see lists of fees needed for this adoption. Where is it going to come from? God.

In the last adoption on the 12th hour with three weeks before court, we realized we were $6,000 short. We never said a thing to anyone other than God. One week later, we received $6,000. Am I scarred? Yes. Will God provide? Yes. I know He is there and when I calm down, I take comfort in knowing so.

Please, keep us in your prayers...

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

How Warm and Snug Are You?

2010-01-08T23:24:00.004-06:00

It's almost 11:30 and we just got the kids in bed after a small social with some other friends. I just checked the the weather in Siberia in the small village my three youngest were born. Tonight it will be -10 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -27 degrees Fahrenheit. Add to that 4 to 5 feet of snow. I think of all those children there and in the nearby large cities that are living on the streets with no where to go. No warm and snug bed to crawl into, no mama and papa to kiss them good night - just bitter cold and worn ragged clothes. The cold hearted would say, "...kids are resourceful - they'll find a way to keep warm." My answer - how resourceful were you at 5? How about 10?

Worst of all, many of them have never heard of a Heavenly Father that loves them - it is beyond their comprehension even if they have heard of Him. My heart aches for them...

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T19:59:00.002-06:00

We are almost through celebrating Christmas with one more family gathering tomorrow with my brother and sister! The kids have been good, but I am glad things are about to wind down. Wednesday night we joined some friends who had a live nativity and read the Christmas story aloud. It was great! They put notices in all their neighbor's mailboxes and asked all the children to play the characters. They even cutout a donkey from cardboard and fastened it onto a Red Ryder wagon. When it was time for Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem, Joseph just grabbed the handle of the wagon after Mary had climbed aboard. Wish I had taken my camera. They had a pretty good turnout! After the reading of the Christmas story, three of the families (us included) went caroling. We had a great time and look forward to doing it again next year.

As stated in the previous post earlier today, Dawn's ABI clearance came in the mail yesterday. That will finish the homestudy and push it to Alabama DHR for approval. If Alabama approves us, the documents go to US Immigration for approval. Either could say "no" or ask us to produce more documents.

For the past eight months, I ignorantly thought I would manage this adoption and take control of the situation. I really, really should know better. But, I am a sinner like everyone else. He has reminded me that I am in control of nothing - absolutely nothing. The very fact that I wake up in the morning is by the grace of God. Everything I have is His, He is just letting me borrow it. So Lord, I apologize for my arrogance.

Merry Christmas folks!

Brief Post

2009-12-26T14:24:00.001-06:00

Well, Dawn got her Christmas present from the ABI on Christmas Eve- her long awaited clearance!

Prayer Requests

2009-11-26T20:54:00.003-06:00

Tuesday I was moving some files (photos) from the old laptop and putting them on an external drive. To verify the files transferred properly, I viewed several of them. I was amazed at how much the kids, all of them, had grown. I was also saddened because I saw pictures of my oldest daughter smiling. She hasn't done that much lately. She has been sick since the first of September. Her problem is she can't keep food down. It is not immediate and ranges from 30 minutes to 4 hours or more. Her diet is mostly liquid and even that is difficult to manage. She has had 3-4 tests run by a gastro-interologist and everything comes back okay. While that is great, my baby is still sick. Sometimes water has been a problem. There was a time when I would have thought there was an eating disorder, but we are well past that. Even she is scared. So please, when you say your prayers, please add Christina to and ask our Father to please heal her.

Also, we are walking down the adoption road again. In fact, we signed with an agency back in early summer. Way back in January, I was having trouble sleeping. I knew the problem, I was just trying to ignore it. Ever said "No" to God? He doesn't like that a whole lot. So, I fessed up to Dawn one night and she told me had been getting the same message. So we started listening to God and about three months or so later, I felt like we were being led to adopt a special needs child. I didn't say anything to Dawn about it, and later we started getting some agency packets in the mail after I submitted some inquiries. One day, she grabbed a packet that had arrived in the mail and started reading info from ABC agency and she said, "Hey - did you see this brochure on special needs children." So, that is how it started and we are now in the process of getting clearance from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. Jeremy and I received our clearance more than six weeks ago. She went to the ABI office on Tuesday to see about getting her fingerprints electronically scanned (the originals were the old ink and card). They advised her that her prints were rejected twice because they could not read them. They asked her if she washes dishes and she laughed. Even though we have a dishwasher, some things do get washed by hand. And then there is the other cleaning that is done using household cleansers. They advised her they were running her name to complete the clearance. Now this takes about thirty seconds, (I did this in college) but they told her she should receive her clearance in about six weeks! She asked if she could just have her prints scanned and the told her no, they were running her name instead. So, prayer number two, please pray we get our ABI clearance before Christmas. Our homestudy is finished and we are just waiting on that once clearance before the homestudy can be submitted to the State for approval (and then US Immigration/CIS).

It is Thanksgiving and I do have so much to be thankful for. So many people have lost their job due to the crappy economy and I still have mine. I have a wonderful wife (that I don't deserve) and six beautiful children that I love dearly. And.... across the great ocean is a special little boy under five that needs us. So please, pray for our family.

God Bless -

Tony B.

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

2009-10-10T21:36:00.002-05:00

I was sitting here at the computer tonight and was on a popular adoption message board when I clicked on a video link about street children in Russia. As I was watching, Nastya walked up and started watching. Below is part of our conversation:

Nastya: Daddy, what is that little boy doing.
Daddy: He's sleeping baby (train station floor).

Nastya: Why doesn't he go home?
Daddy: He doesn't have a home baby.

New scene - 5 or 6 YO boy crying.
Nastya: Why is he crying daddy?
Daddy: Somebody just stole his clothes.

Nastya: He should go tell his momma.
Daddy: He doesn't have a momma.

Nastya: Daddy, we have to go get him and he can live with us. Daddy we have to go get him!
Daddy: Baby, I don't know where he is.
Nastya: But daddy...

Nastya then goes to get Dawn and makes me replay the video for them. She then told Dawn we have to go get those boys and girls that don't have a momma or a home.

My Nastya will be six next month, and she "gets it". She is wise beyond he years and I praise God that her memories of her early years are dim.

My greatest desire is that my children learn the love that Jesus Christ has for them and that they share that love with everyone around them. At six, Nastya is well on her way.

God Bless -

Growing Up & Stories

2009-09-30T23:07:00.003-05:00

Things are bustling around here! God is walking with us on another journey and because He is so faithful, we trust Him to take care of us.

The kids are doing great including Jeremy in his first semester of college. Not only am I very proud of him, I am very proud of Dawn who has homeshooled the kids for the past nine years. There are many people that do not understand homeschooling parents just as there are people that do not understand adoption. Many just assumed Jeremy would just "graduate" and then nothing. When he started college, I think some were shocked that a homeschool kid would go to college. In September, he turned 19 and it was a big event to Dawn and I. Our baby boy was becoming an adult - officially. I am very proud of him and wish I were half the person he has become when I was 19.

A couple of nights recently, two of my three youngest have just started talking about their old life. I sat there and listened and deep inside I am hurting for them. I hugged my youngest son and reminded him that I am his papa now and he does not have worry about those things ever again. Later, his sister recalled some events and again I hurt for them. In both cases, I could only hug them, tell them I love them and that I'm sorry those things happened. I know they hurt and will carry that hurt with them probably for the rest of their life. I have to watch myself, because the hurt I feel for them sometimes turns to anger against their parents. I don't say anything, but deep inside I get mad and that is not good. Because Polina is older and understands a little more, about once per week at bedtime, we pray for her "starry mom" and that she will come to know Jesus and let Him heal her and I sincerely mean that. One night several months ago she asked me why we prayed for her. I explained that I would love to have the opportunity to see her in Heaven and thank her for giving birth to our children.

It's late, but I wanted to update everyone. I will try and post pictures from our month of birthdays in September (four birthdays). God Bless -

New Beginings

2009-08-13T22:08:00.003-05:00

Well, I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later - we now have a college freshman on our hands. Our oldest, Jeremy, starts college on Monday. I went with him to orientation on Tuesday. Funny thing, when I went to orientation 28 years ago, parents did not go to orientation. But I went with the only goal being to make sure he did not overload himself like I had. Yes, I was dumb and trusted my advisers who "had my best interest at heart." I laughed out loud when that phrase was repeated on Tuesday only to draw curious looks from others. My fatherly advice - get your feet wet first and only take twelve hours. When it came time to register, the evil parents could not join their children. I reminded him - focus on a math class, an English class, a chemistry class and then anything else to finish it off. He wanted a history class and I told him he could, but to be prepared for a lot of reading. He exited the room and showed me his schedule. Chemistry classes were full, so he signed up for Music Appreciation and US Government Politics. The government class bothered me. I explained that college institutions, even here, are incredibly liberal and that he may be faced with a decision - pretend to agree with the instructor and keep his mouth shut to get a good grade or stand up for his beliefs. Although I think he is ready to stand up for his beliefs, I do not think this is fair to a kid. Besides, asking him not to debate a point he has strong opinions about is impossible.

The younger siblings are doing well. The four youngest have requested new beds. I'm not sure what started this, but I think the thought was they might acquire more bedroom space with different beds. The two youngest got their sisters bunkbeds. Polina got a slightly used daybed from another family and Sarah is wanting a futon. I have tried to talk her out of the futon, but she is set on having one. Fortunately we found one another homeschooling family was wanting to sell.

I feel so unworthy with all that I have been blessed with and I am just blown away by it all. He is taking us down another road right now that is different. While there are many unknowns, His light is shining the way - of that I am certain. God Bless -

Baby Pictures from Russia

2009-07-05T19:32:00.007-05:00

Back in April, our extended family in Russia sent baby pictures of Polina. Unfortunately, she did not have any of Dima and Nastya. I understand why, but I know that years down the road, they will want that connection. The pictures are great and show Polina with her aunt, her cousin and, her grandfather. I have scanned them in the event something happens to the originals. They are priceless treasures. Also included is a copy of her baptismal certificate. Their aunt is a very good woman and took Polina to church on at least a couple of occasions. We have a certificate for the baptismal and then what appears to be her first communion.

This past week, I have read e-mails and postings from parents who recently completed adoptions and parents who are waiting to complete their adoptions. I am constantly amazed at God's sense of humor! I say that because so many of the children look remarkably like their parents (or soon to be parents). God knew when I was in the womb, that he would place at least three of my children on the other side of the world and have me search them out. Praise God I found them - they were right before my eyes one February evening in 2007.

This fourth of July, we went to the home of a church family for a picnic. While there, I was in a discussion with some other couples - some who knew our story and some who did not. I mentioned I would someday like to go back to the village where my children were born in Siberia. One father looked over at me and asked me, "What are you?" I looked at him quizzically and answered, "Southern." He then asked what took me to Russia to cause my children to be born there. I started laughing and explained that my three youngest were born in Russia and have only been home one year. He had no idea!

God bless everyone out there -

One Year Later

2009-06-21T15:54:00.004-05:00

Wow, time flies! On June 9, 2008, we arrived home with our three new children to start a new phase of our life as a family. It just seems like it was a month or two ago we were on a 767 from Moscow to Atlanta. Let me take the time to update everyone on the changes that have taken place in the last twelve months.

Nastya and Dima have forgotten nearly all of their Russian. This occurred around nine months home. Polina still recalls about 80% of her Russian and we are going to have to reach out and get some tutoring or something to bring her back to speed. We really would like her to stay in contact with their Aunt Tatiana. She just now called Tatiana on Skype and was very nervous. Unfortunately, Tatiana was at work, but she did get to speak to her cousin Vladick (14 years old).

All three children have lost several teeth and have become a regular at the dentist. I think we have paid for some new furniture and a summer vacation for the dentist with what we have spent on dental bills! I just found out yesterday Dima has another loose tooth. I guess the improved nutrition just sort of made something click inside them.

We had to get some measurements for the one year report to the Russians. All three have grown at least 2 inches in height and gained approximately 5 pounds each. Overall, Dima has grown the most adding about 7 pounds and growing 2.5 inches.

The kids love Sunday School and Awana (church program for kids) and have several friends. Unfortunately, Dima's best friend is moving.

The kids are very shy in public with people they don't know, but talk up a storm with friends of the family. Some may think this is a bad thing, but we don't. The greatest fear/problem adoptive parents have is with attachment. Kids from the detsky dom initially view every adult female as "momma". Sounds sweet until you see your darling child in the arms of a complete stranger. We never had this problem, but I know of some who have struggled with this issue.

To Polina, I am Papa. To Nastya, I am Daddy. To Dima, I am Dad. All three are music to my ears, but I am glad that Polina has held onto "Papa".

Our three older children are doing wonderful. Jeremy just graduated from high school to remind me once again, I am getting old. Christina and Sarah are turning into beautiful young women. Jeremy is going to start college at Auburn University - Montgomery for one year and then transfer to University of Alabama - Huntsville in the fall of 2010. Christina still loves her horses and riding. Her passion for photography and writing are very strong and I am glad she has found something she enjoys and can share with everyone. Sarah is my sensitive one and keeps me on my toes should I become tired or get into a bad mood.

Nearly every night I am home (usually all but one), I read them a story and say a good night prayer with the four youngest. I wasn't so good with the oldest two about this, but now I hope my priorities are more in order. I spend as much time as I can one on one with Jeremy. He is a young man now about to step out into the world and I want to make sure he knows that he is loved and that this is his home - always. I can't pass onto him millions of dollars in inheritance, but I hope that when all is said and done, I have shown him how to love and support his wife, love his children and serve the Lord.

In closing this post, I will say Happy Father's Day. My children have made this one of the greatest Father's Day I have ever had.

God Bless -

Tony B.

Surprises from Far Away & Visits with Family

2009-04-19T22:47:00.007-05:00

Well, it is hard to believe, but we are quickly approaching our one year anniversary with our three youngest. Friday, our social worker came to complete our report for the Russian government. Almost 12 months later and the kids were still a little afraid I think. We explained what she was coming to do and why, but it seemed they still were afraid. Dawn even explained they would never have to go back to the detsky dom and that this report was just to make sure we were taking good care of them. The visit ended good even though Polina quickly disappeared after Amy arrived.

We, or I should say, Polina received a wonderful surprise from Aunt Tatiana a few weeks back - baby pictures and baptismal records. I'll have to scan a couple for the blog, they were cute. There were pictures with their cousin Vladik, their aunt and, their grandfather. I wish I had a better picture of the grandfather - it is just a side shot of him. We spoke to Tatiana on Skype just a week earlier and she never told us about the pictures that were in transit so it was a good surprise. Tatiana did update us on the rest of the family. We have learned that Tatiana is a very good woman and did as much as she could for the kids. I have grown to admire her for what she did for my children because I am sure it put her in difficult situations at times.

The kids are growing so much and Dima has lost at least four teeth just in the past nine months. At their next doctor visit, it will be interesting to see how much weight they have gained. The other night, Polina asked me, "Papa, why I have dark circles around my eyes"? I replied, "Because your a Baggett baby - all Baggett's have dark circles around their eyes"! She just looked at me and started to slowly smile.

As far as the language goes, Polina and Nastya speak very good English and have thick Russian accents that they will likely have forever. Sometimes Nastya will say something very serious in that thick accent that just cracks me up (I try not to laugh out loud). Dima has a unique accent that sound to be a mixture of a Russian/South Alabama accent.

That's about it for what has happened in the past 30 days. We are STILL waiting on Social Security cards for the three youngest (we filled January 22). They sent our adoption records to be translated into English. Our records had an English translation attached, but they would not accept that translation because it was not certified. I offered to go locally, get an English translation and have it certified and the answer was "no". I have attached some photos from just a week ago. My brother and his family came home from Pennsylvania and the three youngest got to meet him and their cousin Jessica.

Our days are filled with laughter, tears and yes, frustration - but I would not trade one single day for a million dollars.

God Bless -

My Private Nurse

2009-03-02T22:55:00.002-06:00

This past week, I got hit by the flu as did about 4 others in the house. I am just glad it didn't happen a week earlier when I was out of the country. I awoke Tuesday morning in my motel in Pensacola and knew it was going to be a bad day, I just didn't know how bad. I finished my work Wednesday afternoon and God was truly my co-pilot for my 200 mile trip home. Thursday through Sunday, I had my own private nurse - Nastya. She would come to me on the couch (where I was living) and would keep me covered up with her own baby blanket and about three others. Each time, she would cover me up and pat me on the forehead. She would always say something, but in my sick induced brain fog, I could never tell what it was.

Thank you God, for ALL my blessings...

Father-Daughter Banquet

2009-02-08T16:32:00.006-06:00

Saturday night, I had the blessing to accompany my four daughters to a father-daughter banquet at church. I was reminded of what my priorities should be and where my children fall in the order of things. All too often, I slide work and providing for my family over and above them. I am better now than I was 10 years ago, but I still need to be reminded.

I was asked to write down four things I love about my daughters. My four things were:
* You care for your friends and their feelings.
* Your love for God's creation - great and small.
* They are blessings from a loving God.
* Specifically for Polina and Nastya, they allowed me to be their papa.

When we got home, Sarah thanked me for taking her. Coming from a 10 YO, that was very special. Friday night, when putting the kids to bed, Polina asked me, "Do you know why I love you"? I said, "no". She said, "Because you my papa". Both comments were so very special, because they were said in sincerity and not just a passing comment.

I am unworthy of such blessings!

A New Year

2009-01-28T18:50:00.005-06:00

The past three weeks of 2009 have been interesting with the typical ups and downs of everyday life. The kids are off to a pretty good start on school following the holiday period. Below is an update of the kids:

Jeremy is preparing for college. He took the ACT again to see if he could bump his score up just a wee bit and he did - one point (28). He did very good and his overall score is almost twice what I made in 1980. More than enough to get in any state university. I don't think he gets that from me! He wants to get a degree in computer engineering and seems interested in completing his degree at University of Alabama - Huntsville. I have requested only three things of him; (a)attend Auburn-Montgomery (local) for one or two semesters then transfer, (b) Take only 12 hours per semester the first year and, (c) after completing his degree - work for himself or the Lord (don't go to work for ABCD, Incorporated). He is an intelligent kid and will do well.

Christina is continuing her passion for writing and photography. She spent her money in December and purchased a very expensive camera (enough to make me choke). She has her own website where she makes her prints available. At the 2009 Horse Fair in Montgomery, she had her own booth and offered her services. She had several inquiries and we will wait to see what happens.

My little Sarah is growing up. She is such a delightful young woman and always worried about the feelings of those around her. She and Polina are very close, but at the same time, they both have their own interest. She is all girl and getting into the nail polish and color coordinating her clothes. She has come so far in her education just in the past 12 months. Things she struggled with January 2008, she breezes through now.

Polina is finally putting on weight and getting meat on her bones. She is not quite as picky over her food as she was six months ago. When we arrived in Vladivostok in May, we learned she had gotten her ears pierced. Some less than honest person replaced a gold setting with a cheaper setting. End result - infected ears. We had the earrings removed when we got home (no one in Russia knew how). The holes sealed and healed. For Christmas, she got them pierced again with gold settings. She is working to maintain her Russian by reading her Russian New Testament and using Rosetta Stone.

Dima is our little energy machine. He is as sweet as he can be and full of energy - I mean really full! He will walk over completely unexpected and grab my leg and say, "I love you Pop". He can come up with some dandy stories that were obviously dreams. We make him think about his comments to make him understand that these things did not and could not have really happened. He has improved his ability to control his anger so much, it is just hard to explain. He will still occasionally slip and hit one of his sisters because of something that happened, but it is no where near the frequency that it used to happen. Most significantly, the anger is not there any more. Now when he does lash out, it is just a reaction. They had gone to a party at Christmas for homeschoolers and a little boy snatched something out of his hand. Dawn saw it happen and was wondering of she could grab him before he reacted. He handled himself very well and just moved on to something else.

Nastya is our drama queen. She loves to sing and dance and keeps us in stitches. She will not allow you to hug her neck when saying "goodnight" or "goodbye". If you try, you will get slapped. Now you can hug on her any other time you want without a problem, but she has NEVER liked goodbye.

Well, that's about it. Issues at work have allowed me to help a non-profit group and their efforts to help folks around the world. If things work out well, it may open some doors to allow us to help orphans around the world who are near and dear to us.

Take care and God Bless -

God's Grace - A Christmas Blessing

2008-12-28T23:25:00.007-06:00

Christmas has come and gone, and as I sit here thinking over the events of the past couple of weeks I find myself truly at a loss for words. I do not deserve the grace God has shown me. I am a worthless sinner, but God has shown me grace and blessed me with six wonderful children and a loving, God fearing wife. I still have a job after a reorganization than left many long time co-workers without a job. We have a roof over our head and food in our belly. God is good.

We celebrated Christmas with family and we tried to explain to the three younger children what we were celebrating - what Christmas was all about. For the past two weeks, all the children could talk about was Christmas. Once we put up the tree, their eyes got bigger and bigger. Dawn took the four youngest to the dollar store and gave them each about ten dollars to buy presents for each other. To say they were excited was an understatement. Nastya kept wanting to tell me what she bought for me and I kept telling her to wait and let it be a surprise. When they got home to wrap the gifts, then they wanted to wrap everything they could find and offer it as a gift to a family member. So, our Christmas tree was packed with odds and ends from around the house (books mostly).

A few weeks ago, we also went to the local Christmas parade. The three youngest did not know what to think. They stood in amazement as people rode by and thew candy at them. The next morning, Nastya and Dima walked up to me asking if we could go back to that parade. They were a little disappointed when I explained it was gone.

After visiting family, we had our special time together Thursday night. The kids were excited and wasted no time opening their gifts. Their expressions were priceless and I can not do them justice here tonight in trying to describe them.

Like any family, we have had our moments the past day or two with children misbehaving and getting into trouble. But I repeat myself by saying, I am unworthy and truly thankful for the blessings God has provided.

Merry Christmas!

T-Shirt

2008-12-17T12:36:00.001-06:00

Christina created the above t-shirt. Below is a link to the site.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/thesilent/t-shirts/2204115-1-slava-bogu

Thank You Lord

2008-11-26T09:38:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, I was asked to share a testimony at church about our adoption and how God worked in our lives. Since there are parents waiting to adopt reading this, I wanted to share a little with you all.

We started on our adoption journey in 2006 after feeling it was something the Lord was leading us to do. In September 2006, we signed with our agency after months of research and phone calls. We initially started thinking of adopting a boy around three years of age, then as time passed, we felt the Lord wanted us to adopt a sibling group. Now it was time to start working on the paperwork. In particular, the homestudy. Keep in mind, we are a single income family with three kids already. Our household income is less than $100,000. We did not know how we were going to pay for this adoption, but we knew this was God's will and that He would provide.

God was there, holding our hand for the journey. However, we had more company. The devil himself was there to stir things up. When we announced to the family in the summer of 2006 that we were going to adopt, my mother was diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks later. Not just any cancer, but a rare form of cancer that was inoperable, could not be treated with radiation and, did not respond to chemo therapy. She was not expected to live through Christmas.

In October 2006, I was in Sanibel Island, Florida at a meeting and on the last day, my group learned that we were receiving a $2,000 bonus in our next paycheck. Now, I work for an insurance company. Believe me, this was a very unusual move for them. In my 20 years with the company, they had never done this. I called Dawn and told her the good news. God had provided the money for our homestudy.

We knew most people preferred girls over boys and that sometimes, siblings were broken up. In March 2007, we learned of a sibling group of three in Eastern Russia that needed a home. We KNEW these were our children, now we just had to convince the US government and the Russians. Mom had made it through Christmas and asked me every few weeks, when we would be able to get the children home. At that time, we thought if things moved quickly, we could be home Christmas with the kids.

In Alabama, the state DHR has to approve your request to adopt. So, once our homestudy was completed, and our state police clearance was in, our social worker sent the documents to DHR. They can take a week or even up to five weeks to process your documents (our state clearance had already eaten up six weeks). One Friday, while working in Pensacola, FL, I received a call from our social worker - our homestudy had been approved in just five business days. Again God was taking care of things. Now, our homestudy could move to US Immigration (CIS). Atlanta CIS was taking six weeks to process applications. About five weeks in, we received our approval - but there was a problem. When we originally filed with CIS, we were only thinking we would adopt two kids. Even though our homestudy cleared us for three, they went by our application. For the next month, we sent several e-mails and hard mailed documents twice to CIS. We finally got our documents changed to approve us for three children. Once again, God was there..

Mom was doing worse and was now to the point of being bed ridden. She had beat all expectations, but it was becoming clear her end was near. It was October now and she asked me again (as she had done many times before) when the children were coming home. I told her I didn't know, things were moving slower than anyone had expected. The state police clearance and the CIS issue added about two months to our process. I was worried we would be in Russia and she would leave us. However, God was there.

On November 4, two days following her birthday, Mom died. She fought a good fight, and it was time for her to go home. A little over two weeks later, on November 21, we received a call from the agency asking us if we could travel the next week to meet our kids. there was never any question, we said YES! I rushed that day and ordered tickets for us to leave on November 29.

On November 23, while returning home with my oldest daughter after feeding the horses, my wife called, her 1993 Explorer seemed to be smoking. She called, and I told her to pull over and I would come get them. After returning home with them, not 20 minutes after her first call, the phone rings its the police. Dawn's car was on fire. We drive to the scene and the truck is nothing but a hunk of charred metal. We were so thankful she and my daughter had pulled over and parked the car and had not driven it any further. God was there and took care of them.

We traveled to Russia on November 29 and arrived in Vladivostok on December 1. Did I mention we had to make an emergency landing in New York - complete with emergency trucks lining the the end of the runway? God was there and took care of us.

Speed to the end of the story, on April 19, 2008 I received a call from our social worker - we had a court date for May 19! We were elated! Late the following Monday, we received our final "bill" from the agency. I won't get into specifics, I'll just say through no one's fault but my own, the bill was $6,000 more than I had expected. I was in shock because the error was really on me. I had no idea of what I was going to do at that hour. I shared the information with Dawn and told her that I could pay the bill, but had no idea of how we were going to pay for the travel expenses. We said nothing to our friends and prayed. I'm talking hard, down on your knees praying in tears. The following Sunday night, our pastor asked my family to step out while they discussed somethings about us. Keep in mind, we had told no one of our problem. We were called in later and the pastor walked up to me and told me we were the recipients of $6,000 in donations that had come from several people. Once again, God was there and took care of us. Things would be tight, but we were going to make it.

Final note - we arrived in Russia and learned that the motel rate was $40 per night more than planned. Okay, $40 extra for 21 nights. That was going to eat up our travel cushion. Two days later, we received an e-mail from a group we had applied for a grant. They were notifying us we received $1,000 in grant money. We were elated! God was there, taking care of us.

There is more, so much more. But I did this for myself as much as anyone else. To remind me and everyone that God is always there and will care for us if we just seek Him.

Happy Thanksgiving -

Tony

Russian Christmas Gift

2008-11-24T14:08:00.007-06:00

As part of National Adoption month, I presented a brief overview Sunday night and requested money for Christmas gifts for children in a foster home run by a friend we met in Vladivostok. Jeff is a fellow believer that we met in Vladivostok while meeting our children for the first time this past December.

Anyway, part of Jeff's work is to oversee a foster home that currently houses 9 children and foster parents. These children are given love and attention that is just not possible to receive in an orphanage. Not that some orphanages don't try, but they just don't have the ability with the caretaker to child ratio.

My church family shocked me by donating over $1,400! Honestly, this was three times more than I expected. We are a small church and that night there were only about 120 people including kids present. I wish I could have shared the joy of telling Jeff with each and every person that contributed.

Soon after sending Jeff an e-mail, I received a phone call from him. He knew I was taking up a love offering, but I think he was as shocked as I was at the response. These funds will allow the foster parents to spend the money they had set aside for Christmas gifts on necessities like food and clothing.

I write all this to encourage those in the adoption community to not forget the children we could not bring home. Find away to help them. It is very hard to open one's heart to adoption if they are not inclined to do so. However, there are other ways to help. There are many reputable organizations out there working with orphans all over the world. Donating straight to an orphanage is risky, but many of these organizations will make sure your money is put to good use.

If you are interested in the group I took a love offering up for, please click on the link below:
http://hopeforlifehome.net

Birthday Wishes

2008-11-15T11:42:00.006-06:00

Wednesday was Nastya's 5th birthday. She was so excited as she was able to start celebrating early. My sister came by from out of town and gave her presents to start what turned out to be a 3-day celebration. Of course she loved it and soaked it all in. After our "month of birthday's" the three youngest have learned that birthdays are special and now they get very excited. While we were having cake and icecream on Wednesday, I asked Polina if they fixed birthday cakes at the detsky dom. We had heard that at some orphanages, they fix one cake each month for the kids that have a birthday in that particular month. Polina told us they did not get any birthday cake. It is sad to know that birthdays come and go for all the children over there and there is no one to hug them and tell them "happy birthday" and to let them know they are special. Such a small thing it seems, but to see their faces light up shows that it means something special to them. Just this morning we received an e-mail from Aunt Tatiana wishing her a happy birthday and apologizing for not being able to send a note sooner. She does not have a computer, but she knows someone who does that lives nearby.

After the birthday celebration,the kids all went to Awana at church. They came home wound up and full of energy so it took a while to settle them down for bed. About 10:30PM, I made the rounds to check on everyone and to tell Jeremy and Christina goodnight. Nastya was asleep, but a few minutes later,Dawn heard her crying. She often cries while she sleeps which is oddly common for kids with their background. When Dawn checked on her, she was awake and crying, so she brought her to our bed. Nastya told us she was sad and when we asked why, she told us she missed her groupa. She said she wanted us all get in the car, go to the airport, get on an airplane and go visit her groupa. We explained that it was very, very expensive to go visit her groupa and that we could not do that just now. She cried, and then Dawn started to cry with her. Then my precious little girl said somethings that made me tear up. She told us that at her destky dom, they did not have new shoes, they only had old shoes - and she wanted them to have new shoes. She said she wanted to send them her money so they could buy new shoes. We hugged her and explained that we had collected money from our church to buy them some new shoes (about $800). That seemed to calm her down a little.

If only the rest of my Christian brothers and sisters had a heart the size of my little girl's . . .

Siblings

2008-11-02T15:10:00.001-06:00

Construction, First Report and Siblings

2008-11-02T15:09:00.001-06:00

I have not posted much in the past month only because we have been a bit busy. Dawn’s dad was very generous and is paying for some needed work on our home. Our home is 40 years old and was built with one and half bathrooms. When the work is complete, we will have three full bathrooms. For about the past 4 weeks, we have been trying to make do with just one toilet and that has been hard for a family of eight. Sometimes the line to get into the bathroom is a little long. Hopefully, work will be finished in about two more weeks. That work started about the same time we learned our HVAC system was dying. Seems like only yesterday we had the system installed! On Tuesday, our serviceman installed a new system and set me back about $8,000 at a time when we really did not have it, but the Lord provides. We financed it with the plan to pay it off in January.

This past Monday was our first Post-Placement visit by our social worker. The Russians require reports to be completed during the first three years to update them on the health and welfare of the children. So, here we are with two huge holes on the backside of the house. We have taped up plastic in the openings, but it is still dusty and a bit chilly early in the morning. Because of the contractor vehicles, ours are parked in the street and yard. Needless to say, finding a parking spot was a bit hard for her. The visit went well – I think! The young lady that completed our home study is out on leave because of her own adoption and another young lady from the agency completed this report. She was very sweet and understanding and didn’t seem to be caught off guard with all the construction noise and the kids running around. We have to send it off to the Russians by the end of November. These follow-up reports are a requirement of the Russian government and some may question why do it when we already have the kids. Well, number one, I am obligated by the courts and I will not go back on my promise. Secondly, the Russians need to see that the kids are adjusting well and are happy. In the past eight years, about seven kids have been killed or died of neglect or abuse after being adopted. This is a tiny fraction of the thousands that have been adopted, but the media magnifies them. Young children are often told that the Americans will kill them upon getting to America. These horror stories are repeated by children in the orphanages and by adults. Yes, adults. We plan on mailing the kids orphanage a bunch of photos for them to share with the children.

Over the past month, it has been such a blessing to see the children bond more and more. You might think, gee, their siblings, they should be close. Well, my youngest three were not always together. For about one year, Nastya lived in a separate detsky dom. Then, after she joined them, she lived in a separate groupa. In fact all three were in separate groupas because of their ages. Groupas are the name given the group that the children lived in. Typically, each groupa has 8-9 kids. They slept together, ate together, had school together, etc. That was their “family”. Nastya misses her detsky dom sister whose name is Katia. Polina does not recall a little girl with that name, but Nastya is very adamant about that being her name. At Sunday School, the teacher went around the room asking the little children if there was anyone the kids wanted to pray for. Nastya asked that they pray for her aunt Tatiana, cousin Vladick, and Katia ( I was there to interpret). I thought it was very sweet of her to think of them.

As for the bonding of the youngest three with the older kids, it has gone very well and we are very proud of them. The adjustment was probably the hardest for Sarah. One day she was the youngest child in the family, had her own room and then overnight she had three younger siblings and shared a room. I am very proud of the young lady she is changing into. She and Polina are very close and she knows more Russian than dawn and I ever knew. She and Polina will jabber away in Russian acting like it is just as natural as speaking English.

Well, that’s about it. Several weeks ago we sent photos of everyone to our extended family in Russia – Aunt Tatiana. It took about six weeks for the photos to arrive and Polina had even sent a new letter before we got an e-mail from Tatiana telling us how excited she was to receive the package. We will work hard to maintain contact with her because she and her son are family.

A Month of Birthdays

2008-09-30T13:16:00.006-05:00

September is a busy month for us - we have four birthdays to celebrate! Dima's birthday was first ending with Jeremy's on the 21st. We were able to do something special on each person's birthday. Although it may not have been a lot, we had four opportunities to celebrate as a family. These were special times together. With Jeremy turning 18, it made me realize how fast time is passing and how little time we actually have with our children. I truly feel blessed that God has allowed me to be a part of their lives.

Dima was a little overwhelmed by the whole birthday thing. He obviously had never had such a fuss made over his birthday. The grandparents and my sister came by with presents and my brother shipped him some presents. He also had some friends over to help him celebrate.

All the kids are doing great. Once again, I must brag on Dima and the advances he has made since May 20. I will not get into specifics, I'll just say that he is learning how to make friends and does not lash out when things do not go as he would like them to. He is a very brave little boy who has been through more than a six year old should have to endure. For those adopting, anger is something that is present in every child you bring home. Fortunately, the educational classes we went to prepared us for what to expect. Complete trust is not something that comes quick and he is slowly starting to talk to us when he gets angry. I know we still have work to do, but he has just made amazing progress. When I tuck him in at night, I tell him how proud I am of him and what a good boy he is. Unfortunately, these words of encouragement and love are new to him.

For those still waiting to bring your children home, we are praying for you and your children. Take the time to learn as much as you can about adoption. The whole process has taught me more about true love and how thankful I am for God's grace. We regret nothing and although there have been moments of stress and frustration, let me again say how blessed we are that God has allowed us to share our lives with six wonderful children.

God Bless -

In 2008 Is It OK for Baptist to Dance?

2008-09-01T10:12:00.006-05:00

Last night at church, the younger children (all but Jeremy and Christina) went to Children's Choir. I thought it would be good for all of them. I accompanied them because I think it is a little early to leave Nastya and Dima since their English is still a little limited. Polina followed along with Sarah and seemed to be trying to learn the songs. I helped Dima by pointing the words out as they sang. Nastya hummed all the songs and on the last couple, decided it was time to dance! She wasn't being disruptive, but she did get the attention of the other children. As far as I am concerned, if the music moves you (or the Spirit) - then dance away!

All the kids are doing great. School started a few weeks back and they are back into a routine of sorts. Polina and Dima are doing great in their school and have learned so much. It has helped a lot with their English in particular. When we got home, Dima couldn't even hold a pencil and would get very frustrated when we would work with him. Now he is writing letters and has learned his ABC's

Jeremy and I have been busy working to get our phone patch working so he can make phone calls from his 2 meter radio. Our club patch was taken out of service recently. As a result, we purchased some used equipment to get our own system up and running. Hopefully next weekend the last $12 component will be installed and the system will be up and running. For those wondering what this is all about, I do not believe kids need their own cell phone. Jeremy and I are amateur radio operators and we have the ability to access the phone lines if necessary (when the eqiupment is installed). So, when he is out and about and needs to call home or 911, he can do so without a cell phone. Now if I can just get his sisters to get their license....

Many people have asked if we have gotten into a routine yet. My answer, is well sort of. We do have a basic routine, but that does not mean it is followed every day. Evening TV is pretty much gone and has been gone for a long time. Not a major loss witht he current programming.

I'll close with adding, once again, that children are a blessing from God. Each passing week I can point to events that made me proud to be the parents to each and every one of them. Our six kids are the second greatest gift God has blessed us with. They are all strong, smart, resilient and loving in their own way.

Beach Trip

2008-08-17T20:00:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, we loaded up the Suburban and took our first trip to the beach for the summer. A little late I know, but we have not had any time. I did try to get reservations back in July, but the places we looked into were full. We drove down to Pensacola and the weather could not have been better! The beach wasn't too crowded and the water was crystal clear. The best part is that we only saw two jelly fish and no sting rays!

Everyone enjoyed the sand, water and sea shells. There was a beach (Sea of Japan) about 300 yards from our hotel in Vladivostok. We walked down there with the kids while we were there, but you couldn't pay me to get in the water (the Gulf Coast has spoiled me with it's clear water). So Polina, Nastya and Dima had been to the beach, they just had not been in the ocean. They loved the water and after an hour or so, they even enjoyed getting knocked down by the waves.

Lessons Learned

2008-08-04T21:49:00.006-05:00

Well, we have had the kids about two and a half months and have had some struggles, but there have been tons and tons of joy! Children really are a blessing from God. They keep me down to earth and I am reminded daily of their complete innocence. Don't get me wrong, they screw up just like anybody else and tell a fib now and then and will try to manipulate you. But their love is unconditional. The hard part is remembering that emotionally, they are a year or two younger than their physical age.
I have a hard time punishing any of our kids. Considering the past of the three youngest, I really have a hard time punishing them when they do something wrong. But, we have to teach them boundaries because they really do not have any. Time sitting in momma's or papa's lap is the most common form of punishment. In the long run, they seem to be okay with it and understand when they have done something bad (fighting, taking something not theirs, etc.). This type punishment would send the oldest three screaming!

One of the things we have recently learned is that the two youngest have no concept of ownership. They do not care if a toy they have been given is destroyed or thrown away. They do care if someone else takes their toy, but that is where the attachment to the toy stops. Lesson, buy toys from the dollar store.

Trip to the Zoo

2008-07-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Progress

2008-07-21T15:36:00.008-05:00

The past week or so, we have had glimpses into the children's past. Polina has told us some things about her past and Dima, through his reactions to certain situations, has given us an idea about his past. All very sad and I am sure we will learn more in the future. We were told this would happen in time, but it still caught me a little off guard.

They are making amazing progress since we have been home. Dima honestly seems to have grown two inches! He is strong as an ox and is all boy. Each morning he is the first to get up out of bed and he first to greet us. He will come and give me a great big hug and say "dohbray ootra Papa" (good morning Papa). He has a habit of taking things that don't belong to him and hopefully we are slowly breaking him of that. He has gotten much better in that he will reluctantly tell me where something is if I know he has taken it. However, the whereabouts of my college ring are still in question. You should see him when he accomplishes a task! He smiles so big and we make a point to tell him how proud we are of him.

Nastya loves playing with her baby dolls and with Dima. She is very independent and can cut a look that is amazingly similar to my mom. Mom would have enjoyed Nastya because she is all girl and loves to hold and cuddle her baby dolls. Dad let each of the girls pick a necklace from mom's jewelry collection. I have tried to explain to them that mom died, but I am not quite sure they understand.

Polina is trusting us more and more and, as I said earlier, has told us a little of her past. I hope she will open up and share more as time goes on. She loves playing with Sarah and watching old Russian cartoons on You Tube. She can get moody and be a bit aggravating at times, but I guess we all are to an extent. The school she will attend a couple of days a week had open house Friday. She was not happy with all the talk about school! This is a great place started by some friends and it is specifically for Russian speaking children.

We went to the Zoo Saturday with my dad. The kids had a ball. I don't think Polina, Dima and Nastya had ever been to a zoo from all the squeals! My poor dad was about worn out at the end of the day and Nastya ran to him wanting him to carry her - he's 79. He ate it all up though and carried her a short ways until he could not do it any longer. It also made me very proud to watch Jeremy interacting with the younger three. He would pick them up and point to different animals that were hiding behind bushes and such. Teenage boys can be very "distant" at family activities, but he enjoyed the time together as well. Christina was sweet and helped take the girls to the rest room and helped point out animals. She enjoyed taking pictures of the animals.

New Hair Styles

2008-07-18T19:55:00.007-05:00

The pictures above are from a round of water balloon fights this afternoon.

Well, for second or so time, Nastya and Dima have found the scissors and given themselves new hair cuts. Dima ended up getting a buzz and Nastya just looks like she has a fade on top. Otherwise, all are doing well! Below are answers to the most common questions we are asked daily:

Do they speak English? Very little, but more each day.
Do they speak Russian? Yes (I must say I am puzzled by this question)!
Do you speak Russian? Yes, sort of. I refer to it as redneck Russian (every other word or so Russian). Correct gender - nope. Correct verb form - probably not. They understand it and that is all that matters.
What do they eat? Food
Are you going to enroll them in public school? No. We homeschool. Polina and maybe even Dima will attend a special school a couple of days per week for Russian speaking children. The rest of the week, they will be homeschooled with the rest of the children.
Do the Russians know you homeschool? Yes. When you adopt, there are NO secrets. We were asked in court about this and it is in our homestudy.
How are they adjusting? Quite well - better each day. We have our moments of drama, but things are going well. They have come soooo far since we picked them up on May 20. I'll go over some of the changes in another post.

That's all for now, God bless -

4th of July

2008-07-08T11:19:00.008-05:00

This past Friday, we went to the local fireworks display and I wasn't sure how the three youngest would react - terrified or excited. They loved it! The noise did not bother them at all.

The kids are doing great and settling in to the routine(?). We still have our moments of drama, frustration and some residual institutional behavior. Nothing we did not expect and nothing bad. The important thing is everyone is healthy and everyone appears to be happy! They seem to have gotten used to Papa being gone for work one night per week. This past Wednesday, I made certain to explain to them that I would not be home tonight that I had to work (all in Russian naturally) - and they said they understood. Dawn told me that come bed time, the kids wanted to know when I was going to read to them. She explained that I was working away from home and would return the next afternoon. She said they did not get upset, just appeared a little disappointed. I read Winnie the Pooh stories to the little ones and books from the Narnia collection to Sarah and Polina. The three older kid know what I do for work, but the three younger kids don't quite understand it yet. They know that a couple of days a week, I am working from home on the computer and a couple of days I am not home.

Below is an update by child:

Jeremy: Took his college entrance exams the weekend after we returned from Russia and did far better than I did some 28 years ago! He is going to retake the exam later in the year to see if he can bump his score up a point or two. He has gotten used to having little brother and sisters coming into his room uninvited. He has taken time with the the two youngest and I am very proud of him.
Christina: Still busy with her horses, writing, drawing and photography. The photo at the top of the blog is one she took this past Friday. She is amazing with her graphics capability. She has taken the three younger children with her to the pasture and let them ride Kando. This week she took Kando jumping in the pasture.
Sarah: Sarah has the Alabama State 4-H competition this week she is participating in (photography, art and modeling). She is growing out her hair so it can be cut and used for wigs for kids with cancer. I am very proud of her! She and Polina have become pretty close sisters and play together most of the time.
Polina: She is learning a lot of English and will speak it around us, but not in public. In fact, non of the kids will speak English in public. Like all my children, she is a sweetheart. She is learning about living in a family and having a mom and dad. She will step in at times and tell the little ones something if she sees Dawn and I struggling with the Russian. I would love to see her gain 5 pounds! She eats pretty good, she is just a little picky about what she will eat.
Dima: He is an eating machine! If it resembles food, he will eat it! He is all muscle with not a lick of fat and is incredibly strong for his age. He will follow me wherever I go like a puppy dog. He is a very good boy, but can be mishevious. We are learning things about his personality that give little hints to his past. The grin he has on his face when he accomplishes something or completes a difficult task/assignment is amazing!
Nastya: Miss Priss is almost as mischeveous as her brother. She is strong willed like her momma and pappa. She loves to be held and loves her babby dolls. She and Dima play together a lot and are typical brother and sister. One will do something and the other will get mad - and haul off and punch the other one.

Note to other families: You can't bring a 'sick' child into the US. I promise they don't have kooties...

Blessings

2008-06-23T09:22:00.006-05:00

The past 4 weeks with the kids have been amazing. The first couple of weeks, they were getting used to us and the last couple of weeks, they are getting used to their new home and the older kids are getting used to a larger family.

Some one at church asked me how things were going, my reply was "Every day is a blessing, but there are moments each day when there are problems." These are minor, text book, problems that we were told institutionalized children would go through. As I look at the kids, and what they have been through, I think to myself, wow! I grew up in a lower income bracket family in Alabama and we always had food on the table. Maybe not much, but I always had something to eat at meal time. My younger children were not that fortunate early in their life. Then, when put in the government home, it was a environment that was cleaner and better, but they were still in a survival mode. This behavior pops its head up in small situations each day. Dima will eat any food, or anything that resembles food, in sight. He is getting much, much better, but we have to be careful.

Polina is afraid to sleep alone(?). Mind you, she shares a room with Sarah, but she does not like to sleep alone. She has slept a couple of nights with Nastya, but that is disruptive. Nastya will not settle down if Polina is in bed with her. She has slept with Dawn and has asked me to "spaht" with her as well. It troubles me because she will cry if she can't sleep with someone else. Last night after I read them a chapter in one of the Narnia books, I laid down with her and she wrapped both arms around one of my arms and locked them tight. It was if she was afraid someone would take her away. Other than this, she is doing well. She is a typical nine year old! Dawn was being stern with her the other day and trying to get her to go do something and I saw Polina (she had her back to Dawn) start mocking Dawn by moving her mouth and making faces. I called out and told her I saw her, she looked embarrassed that she had been caught. I laughed and told her to obey momma. She grinned and complied.

I look at all the children each day and think what a blessing! Every day, they teach me something! I am sure there will be difficult moments in the future, but I also know there will be moments of joy and happiness. As I write this, Nastya is besides me singing to one of the dogs in Russian. I have no clue what she is saying other than a word here and there. But it sounds sweet.

Well, that is the weekly update. I'll try and post some photos later.

Family Photo - Father's Day

2008-06-15T15:55:00.005-05:00

Today we took the kids to Sunday School and church - their first time. Dawn and I went into Sunday School with Nastya and Dima. They speak little to no English at this time and I did not want to turn Dima loose on a poor unsuspecting teacher. He did very good though! He told the teacher (in Russian) hello and thank you! I was really proud of him because he can really be a handle if thinks he can get away with it. Polina went into a class with Sarah and also did well. I think at times, she got a little overwhelmed because at any given moment, there were about 4-5 little girls surrounding her. When we got to the sanctuary after Sunday School, she huddled close to me and wrapped her arm around mine. Then, during announcements, our whole family was called to the front for a special gift. One by one ALL the kids were handed a gift. You should have seen their eyes! Our new additions were each given large baskets with toys and new clothes. Jeremy, Christina and Sarah were each given a gift card to Target. Our church family has been such an amazing blessing throughout this process! We will never be able to thank them enough. Dozens came by to tell us that they had been praying for us, not only through the process, but during our recent travel. That alone is such a blessing to know that so many cared to include us in their prayers. That is something Dawn and I truly cherish and value!

The kids are really doing well. Dima has learned that he must obey, although like any five year old, he will often choose not to listen. This afternoon, Nastya tattled on him and told me Dima had put the kitten and it's food in my car. I opened the door, got the kitten out and told him he had to clean up the food. He almost started to cry, but he cleaned it up. He found some change in the seat and showed it to me. I told him he could have it and to put it in his pocket. That seemed to make it all better in his eyes. Nastya is doing well and is very attached to Dawn. Thursday she found the scissors and trimmed her own hair. Dawn had to try and even it out and had a hard time. Her hair is now a short shag. Polina has started to let her guard down more and is not as guarded as she was just a week ago. I have to admit I cut her a lot of slack and at times I get pretty frustrated with her. Yesterday she was climbing the magnolia tree in the in the front yard. It started lightening and I told her to get down and she did not want to. I had to get stern with her and she knew I was aggravated. Right now she is very upset we will not let her call her aunt in Russia. At $5 a minute we just can't afford it ( I checked at&t as well as my mobile service - same price). I did let her call her friend that lives in California. Masha was adopted at the same time. They talked for about 30 minutes and everything was fine until we tried to explain she could not call her aunt. Polina e-mailed the aunt last week, but the aunt has not responded. I don't know why and I can't "fix" that problem. We told her we could write her a letter and send her pictures, but she is still upset.

Today was Father's Day and what a special moment to be at church celebrating this day with my six wonderful children! Children are a special blessing from God and whether you have one or ten, it is a wonderful feeling! So to my family and extended internet family, Happy Father's Day!

More Baby Steps

2008-06-12T08:38:00.002-05:00

Monday and Tuesday morning, the kids were up at 3-4AM and would crash about 6PM. Our body clocks were not much better, but we were forced to get up when the kids woke up. Yesterday morning, they slept until 5:50AM! At 6:15 in the morning, Nastya was outside on the swing yelling, "Papa, push me"! Yep, I know the neighbors were wondering what in the world the child was yelling.

I went back to work yesterday (all day instead of half day like Monday and Tuesday). Dawn said Polina missed me while I was gone. I spoke to her on the phone on the way home (I was in Birmingham). I told them before I left that Papa had to go to work and they had to obey Mama. So, they knew I went to work, they just didn't realize it was 90 miles away.

We sent in our paperwork for registering the kids with the Russian Consulate yesterday holding up to one of many commitments. They are still considered Russian citizens and are required to be registered.

The language barrier has really become a non-issue. We can understand most of what they and there have been fewer problems. Sarah is adjusting well and spent Tuesday fixing Nastya's hair.

Before I go, I wanted to comment about a Slip-n-Slide some families bought for the kids. We got it out Monday and my sister purchased new swim suits for them. They got outside and Sarah showed them what to do. Well, they had never had swim suits and wanted to take them off to keep frm getting them wet! Dima and Nastya started strip right in the front yard and I started yelling nyet, nyet, nyet! It was funny and they had a ball. We got it back out on Tuesday and it was a good way to eat up a lot of energy!

I'll post some family photos this weekend. God Bless -

Back at Home - God is Awsome

2008-06-08T09:44:00.003-05:00

We arrived home early this morning at about 1:30. Such a very long day for travel - about 28 hours from the time we got up to the time we went to bed. However, God used that time to show us His love and the love of complete strangers. After 12 hour 15 minute flight to Atlanta, we had a 5 hour lay over. Just before boarding our flight to Birmingham, this group of adults that were sitting next to us started asking us questions about the kids because they heard us and them speaking some Russian. So, I shared our story - what we did, why we did it and what a blessing the kids are to us. As we got in line to board the plane, one of the men walked up and poked something in my hand. I looked and saw a wad of bills and explained that it really wasn't necessary. He said, well, "God told you to adopt those kids and he is telling me to give you this money." I was shocked and tried to refuse but he would not budge. It is very hard to accept the generosity of strangers in this way because I do not know how to respond. God is good and has blessed us in so many ways. I know the kidney stone midst our adventure had a purpose, although I don't understand it at this time.

By the way, my stone did not pass until this morning. When I got home, I went staight for my medicine cabinet and took two pills. Not saying that is what did it, but I do believe our pharmaceuticals are second to none. I asked for this particular medication in Moscow, both the pain medication and the medicine to help flush the stone. Doctor said he had heard of it, but that was all.

Anyway. back to the kids... When we got home this morning, Dima went straight for the hat assortment (hard hat, cowboy hats, ball caps) and books, Polina went straight for the clothes and, Nastya went straight for the books. They are shocked at the dogs. They were not afraid and just giggled as the dogs licked them in the face. They know the dogs name's, but they jut walk around saying "sabaka" when calling them (that is Russian for dog).

We are all beat and only got about 4 hours sleep before the kids were calling out "ootra, ootra" (morning, morning). This is their way of telling us it is time to get up out of bed. I am posting one quick photo of the kids on the day we went to visit before court. I will post more later tonight. Dima (Dimitry James) is our son, Polina (Polina Hope) i s our oldest new daughter and, Nastya (Anastasia Grace) is our youngest daughter.

That a million for all of your prayers. While speaking with some of the other families on the trip, everyone had the same story - how much prayer from friends and family had meant to them.

Were OK

2008-06-02T16:42:00.002-05:00

This is Jeremy, at home.

Dad called today, they have run out of internet minutes, but will buy more when they get to Moscow. Dad has been struggling with a kidney stone the past few days and has not felt good enough to post recently. They are leaving for Moscow later today.

Two Good Days

2008-05-28T00:42:00.001-05:00

Last night, about six families got together in a small room at the motel to socialize. Counting us, there were four families with their kids. The other three kids were 2 and under and I was worried how our son would act around them. I was not sure if he would be too rough around them so we kept an eye on him. He was an angel! He was so careful around the little ones! We stayed there until about 9:15PM and then it was time for bed. I told him I was so very proud of him. The afternoon had been filled with three or four instances of him acting out and disobeying. He even missed a treat in the cafe (ice cream) because he would not put his shoes on. He just kept saying “nyet”. I told Dawn to take the others and go get ice cream without us. He needed to learn that there are consequences to disobeying. His older sister even tried to tell him to put shoes on so he could get some ice cream. He refused to comply. He then decided to get puzzle pieces and throw them. When he refused to pick them up, that resulted in time in my lap, sitting still, with no television or distractions. These were all minor instances, but each time he was corrected and told to obey, he basically told us he did not have too.

Dawn and I have prayed that God would help us not to show anger, only love in these little episodes. It is very, very sad to sit and think what these kids have been through. Yesterday while Dawn was out getting ice cream with the others, D__ was in my lap crying and the kid does not cry like you would think. I noticed the same thing in his little sister earlier when she bumped her head. When they cry, they moan. It is not a cry like you are accustomed to hearing. I sat there holding him like a baby and rocking him telling him I loved him and he must obey Mama and Papa. He and his sisters really have no concept of living in a family and following the instructions of a mother and father. They are used to several adults watching them and giving them instructions. I'm sure some caretakers love the children, but their role is not that of a mother. It is now 4:30PM and he has been a good boy all day! Right now he is eating an ice cream cone and smiling ear to ear.

Most of the previous post have been about our son with few comments about the girls. The girls are doing fine. They too have their moments! I have had to be a mean dad and take her away from a friend who was adopted and staying just down the hall. I am trying to limit their time together because she needs to spend time with us - her family. She has shed some crocodile tears, but is doing fine. Her little sister flung a fit last night when we told her it was time to go to sleep. Dawn rocked and held her the same as I have done her brother.

To the folks back home, we look forward to seeing you soon. We miss Jeremy and Sarah terribly and can't wait to hold them and hug them. Although with Jeremy, we both have to look up to hug him. I know Christina misses her big brother and sister as well. Take care -

Baby Steps

2008-05-26T06:35:00.002-05:00

Each day that passes is a little better than the previous one. Although there is a short spell once or twice per day where our youngest son has to sit in may lap for some bonding time, I can say we are making progress. He is a typical 5 year old boy with the added issue of never having a mother and father. As a result, there are times when he will openly disobey. We are trying our best to give them a little freedom and easing into the discipline. As Dawn has pointed out, all of them disobey to a degree, the youngest is just a little cuter in her own way. The oldest girl is really very good and will just blink her eyes, smile and say pazholstah (please).

Each night about 8:30, our son will start to act out and it is obvious it is time to settle down for the evening. I will tell him “D___ and Papa spaht” (D___ and Papa sleep – or something close to that anyway). He will go and climb into bed, but at times, like last night, he wants to act out by jumping up and down in bed. That his when I hold him, tell him I love him and to go to sleep. His older sister does not like to see or hear them upset. I assure her he is okay and she will usually go to her room once she sees that he is not hurt. After about 15 minutes, he is fine and settles down. He will then wake up in the morning and say “good morning Papa”.

Our youngest girl has had a a few bumps and bruises from playing with her brother, running on the playground and stuff. She is a real trooper and has handle these bumps like a trooper! She is a dancing machine and her Mama's baby. She too can be hard to settle down at night. This weird time zone where the sun does not go down until 10PM is unbelievable and does not help. In there eyes, the sun is out, it is time to play. Our local facilitator told us that the kids in the orphanage do not go to bed until around 10 for that very reason.

The oldest girl will go to sleep on her own very easy. She has attached herself to Christina and sleeps with her at night. She will get jealous occasionally if she thinks she is not getting enough attention.

Today we had a very special lunch in the restaurant – french fries and Sprite. We have been criticized for giving them a soft drink but that does not bother me. We don't have sweet tea and there are just few options. I am not going to drink one then tell them “no”. We brought tea and have some tea, but it is hard to get it to taste right for some reason.

Well, that's about it. Another day at the Vlad Inn. This afternoon we are supposed to have the kids passport photos made. One step closer to going home...

Homeschooling and Court

2008-05-24T19:27:00.003-05:00

Jackie: You asked about court (and any others interested). Please send us an e-mail to us at and we will send you info. Our internet connection is poor so we type out our notes in advance then paste them.

Five Nights and Counting

2008-05-24T19:23:00.001-05:00

Dohbrehootra from Vladivostok! It is Sunday morning here and I am sitting on the couch with Christina and my “new” oldest daughter as we watch some Russian cartoon. We would love to go to church, but a driver and car would cost us $100, money we can't afford to spend right now.

Things have gotten better each day. Our son no longer fights bed time, and the oldest is no longer afraid of being in public. Previously, she would ask to go to sleep if we were in the lobby (or the playground) around other locals or other families. Last night we had supper with about four other couples. One of the couples adopted a daughter from the same home as our children and she is about two years older than our oldest. She was quite comfortable in the restaurant and never asked to go back to the room. She even walked to the market this morning with me. She got a little upset because she wanted to spend the night with her friend who is just a couple of rooms down from. Neither set of parents thought that would be a good idea right now. This is a period of adjustment and bonding that we need to work through. I am so happy we got the children during the 10 day wait. I can not imagine working through all that we have in the short time we have between the day we receive our documents and then fly to Moscow. That would be a little stressful!

We are all very, very tired. I am the jungle gym they all climb on and jump on and, mom is the giant teddy bear they all like to hug. Poor Christina is worn out as well – mostly from continuously telling our son nyet. For families coming to Vlad, there is a brand new swing and playground set, very big, for all the children. The weather now is still very cool and the kids have to bundle up to go outside. With their immune system weak, we are afraid to let them stay outside long.

We called our son this morning on Skype and it was good to talk to him. I told him when we got home, he had to take me somewhere to buy a large Coke full of ice. Ice is rare here. You can get some in a glass if you ask for it, but we don't have it in our rooms because the sink water is unfiltered. The staff here at the Inn are very accommodating and helpful. They will do what they can to help. The best thing is that they think nothing of kids running around. The restaurant is popular among the locals, particularly local officials and their families. As a result, there are many kids here running around.

Friday was the last day for Rebecca, our social worker with our agency in St. Louis. She was the best! Many would simply refer to her as a coordinator, but she was more than that to us. She became part of our extended family in the past 14 months. We sent her an e-mail thanking her for her help in making these children part of our family.

A small stomach bug appears to be making rounds. Our youngest threw up yesterday and Christina threw up last night. It has not hit me or Dawn yet. I know my stomach is a little more tolerable than Dawn and Christina's.

Tomorrow, we have photos for the kid's passport's taken. One step closer to getting home! In a couple of days we can use names and post pictures.

Getting Closer and Growing Pains

2008-05-23T04:59:00.000-05:00

Good evening from Vladivostok! As I post this note, Dawn is reading to the two youngest, while their older sister is in the tub (koosaka). They love koosaka time! The two youngest will take the coldest baths you can imagine.

Tonight, another young girl, age 10, from the same orphanage came by to see the kids. Her parents had court today and she came back to the motel with her parents late this evening. Her mom said she was asking for the kids as soon as she walked through the doors of the motel. She knew they were here. I think it did the two of them good to see each other.

The kids continue to keep us in stitches, particularly the youngest. She will dance to any beat she happens to hear. And believe me, she can cut her eyes at you and give you a look that pretty much tells you her opinion of what you have said without a doubt. She is very expressive and loves her momma.

Our son is having difficulty obeying, but that was somewhat expected. Just about every class we went to indicated that the children will resist authority in the beginning to see how far they can go. So far, he is the only one to show resistance. These moments result in time in Papa's arms in the bedroom where there are no distractions. He fights for about 5 minutes straight and then settles down. He will scream “ya boylna” (I hurt) when all I am doing is cradling him in my arms like a baby. I know I am not hurting him and I tell him so. I tell him I love him and he is a good boy (in Russian). He is slowly getting better.

The oldest girl continues to watch after her brother and sister. During meal time, she shares her food with them even though there is plenty to go around. She is a sweetheart and can look-up and say “pazhalsta (please) Papa” when she wants something – usually candy. She knows exacatly what she is doing and yes, I have given in on occasion.

Well, time to go. It is bedtime, almost 9PM. Some have requested info on questions about homeschooling and court. I promise to answer soon. Our internet connection is very poor and somewhat expensive. We are saving as much time as possible to speak to our kids over Skype ( I recommend this for families traveling with kids back home.

Blessings and Lessons from God

2008-05-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

In my walk with the Lord, I have learned that He blesses each person in a different way. Dawn and I have been blessed by six wonderful children, each very special in their own way. We could not have made it this far without the many, many prayers and support of family and friends. So, thank you from the bottom of our heart.

Our new children have shown me patience, love and humbleness. Patience in dealing with the language difference. I am learning new words every day to lessen the frustration they must feel. Last night, our new son had an accident in his pants while we were eating supper with another CHI family. He very well could have told me had to go, but I missed it. I thought I had learned the two potty words, and he did say something earlier in the meal, but I could not tell what he was saying. I assured him it was okay. I think he was afraid we would be mad.

The innocent love they show is genuine and so wonderful! They wake up each morning with a hug and a smile. One of the things they tell you in adoption classes is that you should prepare yourself that your children may never love you. They are very open with their love towards us and are very guarded when we are in public. They stay close to us. I believe our oldest thinks someone may take her away from us because she does not like being around other locals. They also care very much for each other and do not like being to far away from each other. I think the fact that they understand each other helps with the transition.

Humbleness. Last night, the two youngest got in the tub – they love the tub! After a while, their sister came in, took off her tights and got in the tub and washed each of her siblings hair and bathed them. Afterwards, she got out, dried her legs and put her tights back on. Poor child has had to look after her brother and sister her whole life and she will show her care and affection towards them when you least expect it.

I will not sugar coat the past couple of days. There have been some difficult times but nothing that comes close to the joy the experience has been. Night times are tough because they do not like to settle down. The fact that the sun is out until 9:30PM does not help! We did manage to get to bed at 8PM last night which is better.

We miss our two back home a lot. Speaking to Jeremy each morning is wonderful, but it does not replace me hugging him good night each night. Yes, I hug my tall 17 year old each night I'm home and tell him I love him. I do that with each child and not being able to do it with Jeremy and Sarah right now is hard.

So long for now....

Our First Supper

2008-05-20T04:23:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, we went to the orphanage to pick up the kids and we had the opportunity to meet their aunt. She was a very nice woman, about 6 or 7 years younger than we are. She was very sad to see the children go, but we assured her we would take very good care of the children and that we loved them very, very much. She was afraid we would not let the children write her, but we told her we would send pictures on their birthday, Christmas and, Women's Day (sort of like our Mother's Day). We had to stop at the store and buy them some shoes. Wow, the stores are really proud of their shoes! No Payless or discount store prices here.

After about an hour in the motel room, we went to the hotel dining room to eat. We ordered chicken fingers and fries for everyone. Little Sister is a hoot! Definitely a Baggett! She was eating ketchup by the spoonful. And like her big sister Sarah back home, butter by the spoonful! She kept us in stitches the whole time by mixing things and trying to get us to eat it.

They are in the tub now and having a ball. First one in was brother. He started out by saying “no – not ever, no- not ever”. When he finally saw the water, he started taking his clothes off. Soon his sisters were joining him once they figured out what was going on.

Thanks heavens for a Russian to English dictionary! Have to stop now and try and get them to calm down for dinner.

For the folks back home – we presented the director with the donation from church. Our social worker recommended we give it to them instead of trying to buy the clothes ourselves. When I presented the money, she was shocked and very appreciative. She told me she would use it to purchase summer clothes for the children to wear to camp this summer. In most places, the kids go to camp for a day or two during the summer as a retreat from the orphanage. She told me to tell everyone it was a very special gift and was very thankful.

Petition Accepted!

2008-05-19T00:27:00.003-05:00

We are pleased to announce that our petition was accepted and Dawn and I are the proud parents of three wonderful children from southern Siberia. The rules are a little uncertain, so I do not believe that I can legally post their names yet. I know pictures are not allowed until we have the court decree in hand and that will be in ten days. Tomorrow we go at 1:30PM to get the children.

The judge was very curious of our home schooling and asked many, many questions. Homeschooling is not known to them and they do not understand the concept. Then again, many Americans do not understand it.

Thanks to friends, family and extended internet friends who have prayed for us! I can not thank you enough nor tell you what it has meant to us to have you pray for us. I think I can go eat something now without fear of losing it!!

More tomorrow -

Court Day

2008-05-18T15:31:00.003-05:00

It is 7:30 Monday morning here in Vladivostok. We will meet with our social worker today at noon and then leave for court which is scheduled for 2PM. If all goes well, we will be able to pick-up the children tomorrow afternoon and be able to keep them during the 10-day wait period. The kid's aunt has requested to meet with us before we take them from the orphanage. I am glad we will be able to meet her. This is something we wanted to try and do back in December. We want her to know how much we love the children and that she has nothing to worry about. From the little we have been able to learn of her, she is a good person and has maintained contact with the children.

For our family back home, please say a prayer for Jeremy. Poor kid has had to deal with animal problems for the past three days. He had to take one dog to the vet and he just told us one of the horses got out into another pasture. Tomorrow he will have to mend fence lines until I can get home and make a permanent fix.

Hope to have some good news later today regarding the court proceedings.

Blessings From God

2008-05-16T15:42:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone back home!

Before we tell you about our visits yesterday, we have great news! We received an e-mail telling us we received a grant from a group that is helping to defray our travel costs! Praise the Lord!

We are getting adjusted to the time change and rested from travel, thankfully. God is awesome! We had been sure that we would not get the children in our custody until after the mandatory 10 day wait following the court hearing. However, a new law has gone into place and we may actually get to have them with us during that time in the hotel. However we won't be able to leave the hotel area, since it is not “official” that they are our children until after the 10-day period. We talked it over, and decided that we still wanted to ask for them, since that will give us that time to get better at communication prior to travel.

Yesterday, when we saw the children, we thought that the oldest was a bit sad talking to the interpreter. When I asked about this, our interpreter said that it was just that it is hard for her when we come and leave again, that she is ready to come with us! What a relief; I had thought she might be sad about leaving her friends and everyone she knows.

After court on Monday, instead of going directly to the orphanage as previously planned, we will have an opportunity to do the shopping we thought we would do during the 10-day period, and then pick up the kids on Tuesday. We will be able to buy shoes for our kids, as well as the items for the other children with the generous donations from the church folks back home.

We met a couple who were adopting a baby from the baby home near the orphanage our children are at. We enjoyed talking with them and hearing how God worked in their lives in much the same way as he has ours. They are adopting a little girl with a cleft lip and palette which they have already gotten plans for surgeries to correct. They had court yesterday, and got the 10-day wait waived, so they will be able to finish up and head home shortly. We are so happy for them and their daughter! She looks like she is about 6 months younger than she really is, due to her difficulty in eating. We met another adoptive family in the motel who has custody of their new little boy during the 10 day wait. He is also about 6 months behind his actual age in proportion, but so cute!

Another blessing: we were given the big suite at the hotel at no extra charge! We are so grateful, especially now that we will have the children with us for most of the time here.

We got to visit a small Russian Orthodox Church yesterday, but were unable to go inside since we weren't dressed appropriately (didn't know we would have this opportunity beforehand). Tony was able to purchase a couple of cross pendants to give to Big Sister and Little Sister later on as a keepsake from their birth country. We will have to come up with something for our little boy! We also went to a small museum and then flew through a Chinese market, just to see what it was like! It was nice to walk around in the beautiful weather and compare the flowers here to those at home. We ate at at little restaurant which was western themed, but served pizza as the main dish. It was very good actually! We stopped at a grocery store to get some bottled drinks, and I got two small bottles of water, only to find later that I had gotten the kind that was carbonated “with gas”! Tony laughed and assured us that the large bottle he bought for the room was without gas, but alas, it was carbonated as well! We are learning!

As you see, God continues to bless us in a multitude of ways, and it is an exciting thing to rely on him and see the amazing things he does.

We're Here!!

2008-05-15T18:20:00.003-05:00

It is Friday morning here. We arrived Thursday morning at about 11AM and by 2 o'clock we were on our way to visit the children (unexpected). What an amazing joy it was to see them once again. They kids had been told we were coming this week so they were expecting us. They each ran to us and gave us a big hug. Big Sister was in school when we arrived and so it was about 40 minutes later before we saw her. I grabbed her hugged her, and said (in Russian) "My darling daughter, I love you"! She told me she loved me too! Such sweet kids. Brother very carefully brought out a stuffed animal we sent by the Stencavages and he brought out some pens and paper. He seemed to want to show us he still had the presents we had sent. Bless his heart, it looked as if he had not used them at all.

Little Sister took to Dawn and wouldn't let her out of her sight. We were worn out from 20 hours of flight and spending time with them, but what a joy!

Can't spend much time now posting, we have to leave in a few minutes and I am afraid I am about to run out of air time on this card (purchased in December). Promise to post more later.

Good News! It is possible we may get to keep the kids during the ten day wait. This would be wonderful and allow us to spend time bonding before the long ride home.

Dear friends and family and extended AP family, thank you for all the prayers and support. I can not express what it has meant to us!

Packed and Ready - Finally

2008-05-13T01:55:00.003-05:00

Well, it is nearly 2AM and we are finally packed. It is a harder job than you think! One bag each, can't be over 40 pounds (each), clothes for 3.5 weeks and clothes for three children. Copy of dossier ready, paperwork for embassy ready, tickets, passports, cash (hopefully it is all good enough for the money changers).

We'll post when we arrive in Vladivostok. Should arrive Thursday (their time) at about 11:30 AM.

Thanks for all the prayers! God Bless -

Tickets & Travel Visas Have Arrived

2008-05-08T12:30:00.005-05:00

This morning our airline tickets arrived and yesterday we received our travel visas. We sent our travel itinerary to the adoption agency so they would have a copy of it and know when to expect us. On our way into Russia, we have a very brief layover in Copenhagen and then we fly into Moscow via Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Hopefully there will be some English speaking folks there in the event we get twisted around in the airport - I have a hard enough time managing Russian!

Last night at 11:30, Dawn went through the clothing we are taking for the kids to see what we should take. She has had their bags packed for three months and the weather is much warmer now getting up to 72-75 in the day time, but dropping as low as 35 at night. It is our understanding that in Russian culture, kids are still expected to wear long sleeves and long pants. Exposed skin apparently will subject you to scolding by the older women in the community. We originally thought it would be frigid when we returned for court, but that will not be the case. So, we are taking jeans, long sleeved shirts for the two oldest and some jumpers with tights for the youngest. We took out the heavy coats and are just going to take light jackets. They take up a lot of space and the weather just does not require it. The weather in Moscow seems to be pretty close to the same as that in Vladivostok so we should be okay.

Motel reservations for the return through Moscow have been made. I have had to e-mail them to see if it will be acceptable to have one adult and two children per room. They have a two person limit per room. I used my Holiday Inn travel points to book the rooms in order to save money - about $1,800. Glad to see ALL those nights on the road were good for something. There is a huge park two blocks away. I believe it is called Sokolniki Park. Dawn's sister-in-law has spent a lot of time in Moscow and she said it was a good place to go. It will provide a nice break from things I think.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I will go to the bank and get checks for our final payment to the agency and, I will also start the quest for crisp bills. The currency exchangers in Russia will not accept any bills with ink marks (counterfeit detection), folds, etc. They basically have to be perfect. That can be a challenge, so I am giving myself two days to collect the currency. I spoke to the bank a couple of weeks ago and they essentially said they would do what they could. How encouraging...

I have become a firm believer in the power of prayer over the last year and in particular the past few weeks. I have a long list I go through nightly for those adopting and others experiencing some challenging times. If you have such a list, please add us...

Making Progress

2008-05-03T19:43:00.002-05:00

Slowly, we are making progress on the "to do" list. Visas were ordered Tuesday and due to multiple Russian holidays ( May 1, 2, 8 & 9) we had to pay for 3-day processing in order to have them on time. Then it was time to order airline tickets. Wow what an ordeal! It was not just a simple phone call as trip number one was. Several hours were spent on this one issue. Since we are at the end of our journey, we have our final fees to pay and have to watch and manage every expenditure.

Thursday, I called a travel agent that works with a lot of adoptive families. Her quotes were significantly higher than those we purchased for trip one ($7,000 vs. $4,000) and add to that the cost of three one way tickets for the kids - total cost was about $11,000. I asked God to find a way to make things happen within our budget. Late Friday afternoon, I contacted the travel agent we used on trip number 1 and she was able to save us about $2,000. What a blessing!

So, our plan is to leave Tuesday, May 13 out of Birmingham and we will return Saturday, June 7. We have lots of ends to tie up before leaving and only about 9 days to do it all. God has answered many, many prayers and we are truly thankful for those who have been praying for us. When we return, I hope to list each and every prayer that was answered to show how God is watching and listening...

Trust in the Lord

2008-04-27T21:39:00.003-05:00

Our last post indicated we had hit a "bump in the road". Without going into detail, I'll just say that the Lord took care of that problem tonight. I am embarrassed that I even had doubts, no matter how small they were. He has taken care of every need every step of the way.

Bump in the Road

2008-04-25T23:09:00.002-05:00

We hit a bump in the road this past week and just ask that you keep us in your prayers. Nothing bad, but a bump none the less. God has blessed us tremendously, answered many prayers and will not forsake us. We still plan on leaving sometime before May 19, but do not know specifics yet. Looks like we will return sometime around the first weekend in June.

Great is THE Lord

2008-04-17T22:12:00.003-05:00

When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.

May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

Last night I was out of town on business and read the above verses from Psalm 138 just before calling it a day. I awoke to an Alabama spring day and was able to finish things up and return home early. Well, this afternoon just as I was pulling into our neighborhood, I received a call from our social worker in St Louis - we have a court date! We go to court Monday, May 19! As I sit here tonight, I find myself asking if it really happened - did I really get the call. Technology is a wonderful thing because all I have to do is look at my "Recent Calls" list for a quick verification.

The past three weeks have been really difficult in managing the wait, but God has not and will not forsake us. I'll keep you posted on our travel plans...

Tony B.

С Пасхой!

2008-03-23T17:07:00.009-05:00

Unfortunately, we have no news. We had one document that we had to get corrected and we sent that back to the agency on Tuesday. We included a card to the kids. The agency sent everything to Russia on Thursday so maybe the kids will get our card next week.

Regarding my last post, I have been assured our daughter is fine and was likely caught off guard by everything. Nevertheless, I pray the Lord will watch after her and her brother and sister and keep them safe and warm. Yes, it is warming to a balmy 40 degrees during the day and then back below freezing at night. According to the various webcams I have found, it appears most of the snow and ice has melted. Although, they are having snow showers as I type this.

About two weeks ago, our church family collectively donated $800 for us to use to purchase clothing and shoes for the older children in the orphanage when we travel on trip #2! What a blessing! Not only that, but Wednesday we received word from our pastor that we were given a $1,000 donation (anonymous) toward our adoption expenses! A second blessing! God has been VERY good to us in more ways than I will go into now, which brings me to a final comment. The most common verse in the bible starts off with, "For God so loved the world...". It doesn't say He so loved the Israelites, the people of Cyprus or, the people of Philipi - but the world. So how can people who claim to be believers say they can't love a child that is not theirs, or they just can't love another child? Sounds a little selfish to me considering what He did for us.

FYI. The title means, "Happy Easter"!

Как дела?

2008-03-09T16:19:00.007-05:00

Yesterday morning we received an e-mail from another traveling family that had court this past week. They are adopting three boys (see, we are not the only ones doing this) and have two girls at home. It was a great surprise to wake up too! Their boys are in the same orphanage as "our" (the court says they are not mine until the decree is issued) kids. They took some presents for "our" kids and also took some quick snapshots of them for us. The two youngest look happy, but the expression of the oldest has bothered me a lot. The photos were taken in a rush as the kids were lining up for a special program and a worker pulled them from the line so the photos could be taken. That may explain the expression on her face, but the mom explained to the kids that the photos were for us. I have looked at the new pictures and her expression and compared them with her expression in pictures we took - even from the first photos where she met us. She could be sick or just feeling blue - I just don't know. And, I guess that is what bothers me the most - I don't know. This gnawed at me all day yesterday and I finally had to offer it up to the only one who can do anything - God.

The agency notified us they were sending back one document for us to have fixed. All other documents were sent to Russia. If we get the document back tomorrow, we can have the correction made and send it back all in one day. We may send a card with some short notes that we can write in Russian. Letters are more difficult because I am likely to use the wrong tense of a verb.

Anyway, that is our update. We are praying for a court date sometime in April. Please pray with us!

Before I log off, I guess I should explain the post title to those unfamiliar with the Russian language. "Как дела?" means "How are you?/How are things?"