Christmas 2009

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

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

Prayer Requests

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...

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

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

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

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 -