Enjoying Every Moment . . .

2011-03-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

NEW BLOG!

Step on over to my new blog to find out some money saving deals from online to in store!

http://morepreciousthanpearls.blogspot.com/

2011 New Year

2010-12-22T10:54:00.001-05:00

Funky Greetings New Year's Card

Shutterfly has elegant holiday invitations for your party.

View the entire collection of cards.

2010-06-22T11:42:00.003-05:00

Sisters . . .

Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling.
-- Pam Brown

The last month has been an emotionally and physically challenging for all my sisters so I dedicate this post to them. When our mum passed away something happened to our bond, we become closer . . . much closer. I love my sister's dearly, there is such a special relationship that God has given me with each one. I would not want to go through life without my phone chains . . .the laughter and the crying is better shared with sisters. The greatest thing to me is that I see that bond developing between Alysha & Jaya - they will be there for each other in thick and thin. Jaya idolizes her sister, when watching a movie she likes to cuddle up to her so she is touching her. We have gone in at night for the final tuck in and literally found Jaya sleeping on top of Alysha's back . . . Alysha who is not a cuddler tells her sister, "let me fall asleep then you can cuddle me." Woe to their husbands! Alysha cares for her sister like only an older sister can, she answers her questions, reminds her of her ABC's and makes sure she brushes her teeth! She will make a great mom one day : ) So as I sit here, more grateful than words can say for each of my sister's and the gifts they bring to my life, I am also grateful that my daughter's will enjoy the same crying together and laughing together moments that I have.

Thanks Girls for all you have brought to my life! I love you!

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

2010-05-26T09:38:00.002-05:00

Puri Dream Center

Yesterday the girls and I made a last minute trip with Peter and Dr. Faiz to a dream center. It was an extremely hot day as you will tell in the one photo of me below! My English blood does not allow me to look remotely good in hot weather rather I look like a cherry tomato with hair stuck to my forehead. Anyway . . . I digress. We had a lovely day hanging out with the kids. The girls were a little overwhelmed at first as the kids wanted to be around them. But it wasn't long before Jaya was showing them how to play the drums and Alysha was learning Bollywood dance moves. It was fun to see them. It was also interesting because at one point I lost Jaya and she literally was lost in the crowd of beautiful brown faces! I am so used to being able to pick them out easily that I didn't realized how spoiled I had become.

The kids at the children's home are amazing and immediately grab at your heart. This particular home is on the beach so many of the children have lost fathers's to fishing accidents then their mother's can no longer take care of them. They go to a Christian school which is literally acorss the street and many of them were top of their class for grades! What a wonderful testimony to God!

We also went to the beach but unfortunately those photos are on my other camera! I will post them later. Enjoy . . .

2010-05-08T09:37:00.010-05:00

The "its about time" Post

So much has happened that I really should blog more! Today we all went outside and played soccer with some kids from the neighborhood. It was so much fun. It's amazing how a ball and some cookies can bridge a language barrier.

The girls are officially on school holiday for the next 6 weeks and are very excited about it. Peter has been travelling and have posted some awesome photos on facebook so if you get a chance go check them out!

I thought I might make this a light hearted look at the things that we have learned in our first months here:

1. If you lock your gate, someone will come in to use your water and leave it open . . .below is what happens . . .

Yep, he saw our green grass and thought Mmmmm Yummy!

2. There is an "Indian Way" to drink water out of a bottle. You pour it into your mouth without letting the bottle touch your lips. Peter and Alysha have mastered it, Jaya and I still end up wearing more than we get in our mouths.

3. The concept behind tiling the entire bathroom, putting in one drain and having the showerhead stick out of the wall is really quite a good idea. However in reality we have soaked more toilet rolls than I care to mention! You can't store anything IN the bathroom because it will get wet. Also the squeegee is an incredible invention since it is what we have to clean the walls and floor with after every shower. Sorry no photos for that one . . . : )

4. The mangoes here are absolutely delicious! Apparently we were waiting for the "Mango Rain" which happened about 10 days ago. The heaviest rain I have ever seen but so amazing to sit inside and listen too. The result is we have these amazing little fruits that seem to call my name whenever I am in the kitchen.

5. If there is a Hindu guy wearing a cotton diaper standing at your gate, banging on a drum and tamborine and chanting. It is probably best not to stare . . . he will only stay longer.

Well that's enough randomness for now . . here are some photo's and video of Jaya's birthday. Enjoy!

For those who can't read big sister scribble, the card says . . . Hi Jaya, I'm excited Happy 4th Birthday! I am glad you are my sister but you are loud on the bus . . that's okay - I love you and you are funny and fun. Too cute.

2010-04-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

Access Denied!

Hello - well it is that time, we have decided to make our blog private for many different reasons. My sister and I were discussing it and thought it would just be best. Soooo, please message me or email me your address if you would like to have access.

We will be switching to private with in the next week or two.

Thanks so much for reading!

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend.

2010-03-31T02:02:00.000-05:00

Jaya riding a hand pushed carousel - she was excited,can you tell?
15 Rupees for 20 rotations ; ) About 35 cents . . .

Below is the driver we have used quite a bit lately and the office chef, Anoop

Alysha outside the Mayfair

The kids in the neighborhood enjoying the camera . . .

Jalebi - an Indian dessert that we tried last night, similar to a
funnel cake only drenched in a heavy syrup.

2010-03-27T11:35:00.005-05:00

What more can I say?

Please read my sister's blog and take some action . . . we need to get these kids sponsored!

http://thecoreystorey.blogspot.com/

Our families have been so supportive of our decision to come to India but this is awesome. Please take the time, check out this post, share it on your blog and lets get these kids sponsored! $25 a month . . . just stay home one night a month from eating out and you have saved that much, cut down on one Starbucks a week, pack your lunch, coupon . . . there are hundreds of ways to save $25 a month!

2010-03-17T11:54:00.004-05:00

You live where?

Well, after a long trip to Bhubaneswar we got off the plane, walked down the steep steps of the plane into the muggy humid air that greeted us. With the wind from the engines and the dirt swirling around us, I look at my hubby quote a line from our favorite Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice . . . Geez Balraj, where the heck have you brought me? The scene that was before my eyes is exactly as it was on the movie. Laughter broke the intensity of the moment . . . wow, this is our new home. We continued into the airport and after having my photo taken (apparently a pale face is not often seen in these parts, let alone one with a beautiful brown toddler!) we step out into the stickiest air I have felt in years.
Alot has happened since that day last week - we have furnished a home, filled a kitchen with new necessities and learned to take a shower without a shower. Hmmm. The girls have been amazing recovering from jet lag far quicker than their parents. The office staff here at Good News India have been so amazing helping us translate and bargain our way through each day. We were given a bed on loan, it is a wedding present for one of the staff members. The wood carving is amazing and the wood mattress is not. Okay, it's not wood but it has certainly felt like it however today we managed to find a 5inch mattress to fit on this huge bed and we llok forward to our first good night's sleep. Above is a photo of the delivery van . . . uhhhh I mean delivery RickShaw : )
Tonight we celebrated Jaya's 3rd Gotcha Day, in style in India and at an Indian restaurant. It was such a fun evening surrounded by new friends. Just as we put the cake in front of Jaya and she blew out the candles, the power went out. It was a priceless moment and made for an interesting cake cutting experiment for me! It came back on shortly afterwards and we had attracted a quite a crowd around the table. They asked to take Jaya's photo and she kindly obliged all the while loving the attention.
Today was a full day but I will have to fill you in on more a little later - I am tired and that nice new mattress is calling my name.

.

2010-03-04T09:01:00.007-05:00

Well on our Way . . .

We leave next Tuesday for our adventure - I can hardly believe it! This past few months had been a whirlwind of activity for our family. After selling our house in 2 days, we moved into a 2bd/1 bath apartment for our last few months in the States. Fortunately, we were travelling alot so the walls only closed in a little when we were snowed in in early January while Peter was in India.

It has been amazing to see what God has done over the past few months . . . our most recent hurdle was unexpected but a true test of faith. We could not apply for our Visas until last minute as they start the day they are approved. So we had to quit our jobs, sell our home, move everything to storage before knowing if we could actually go! Yeh, that one was a test for me . . . the woman who likes to plan EVERYTHING! Actually this whole process has shown me that there are times when you just need to relax and let God be God but that is a post all of it's own.

Back to our Visas . . . phew what a crazy couple of weeks that was! Funnily enough everyone got approved but me! Long story but after a week we were all cleared. It felt like I was back on the rollercoaster of international adoption. For all my fellow adoptive moms, an interesting note is that when you apply for a Visa for your child for the first time on their American passport you have to formally renounce their Indian citizenship. You will have to send in their Indian passport and they will stamp cancelled in it. It was a strange emotion for me as although I knew they were already American citizens not Indian citizens, doing this action felt so final and so sad.

We have so much to share but I will break it up in smaller posts as we get more information and photos to post with it. First up is our new home . . . it is a brand new 3bd/2bath home but in India you only rent the shell. As the renter, you provide ceiling fans, water heaters, air conditioners (an absolute must have), all appliances and a water purification system. It is quite an undertaking but we have been fortunate to have an amazing support system that has helped us and is having most of the above installed as I type this. The first couple of weeks are going to be spent shopping for furniture and the basic necessities. Things to note . . . no shower curtains, one of our bathrooms has both a western toilet and an Indian one. We will be covering it up so it doesn't become a play spot for Jaya : ) No cabinets in the kitchen, just open shelves but very colorful - it is cheerful and fun.

Below are some "before we make it home" photos (we are only renting the bottom floor) . . .

2010-02-17T23:10:00.004-05:00

As most of you know we are in the process of moving to India. We currently are in NC on our journey to India, awaiting the approval of our visas. We have been spending some time with our family and while in NC we apparently brought snow with us to the beach....

2009-10-20T19:41:00.009-05:00

Pieces of Me

We just had a wonderful weekend with my entire family. One sister's visit was planned before our India move was decided then once that cat was out of the bag, my other two sister's and Dad and stepmom decided to come as well! The weather was horrible, rainy and cold but that didn't stop us from having fun. Thursday, we rented a van and went to the Carnegie Science Museum. The kids had a blast but I think the adults had more fun playing with all the gadgets. Friday night brought a 25 Anniversary celebration and a fun game of Girls Vs Boys Pictionary that clearly showed - the sister's think alike! It was so funny to watch, we just knew what the other was thinking. The boys got a whippin! Saturday brought the first round of goodbyes - tough to take since I may not see them again before we leave for India. Each sister got to take some goodies that we would either give away or sell in a yard sale. One got some decorations, one got baby items for their adoption adventure and the other got our cat! Sydney (our deaf white kitty) had only been with us a few years but was a presence around our home that is already missed. It was so nice to know that these things were going to my sisters but also weird to watch pieces of our life start leaving . . .

So all that to say, this move to India is hitting home big time right now. Our house sold in 2.5 days and we found a short term rental within two hours of signing the contract on the house. We have sold a 4 wheeler, a riding lawnmower and we have a huge yard sale this weekend. Our beloved, Bayley (11 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever) will be going to live with our in-laws for the rest of his life in a few short weeks. My thought pattern has changed to - is this really something we will need in two years when we return or is it important enough to ship to India? So as pieces of us get scattered around the county and country, I am learning to trust God and know that His plan is the best. It is after all, just stuff. Stuff is not what makes memories special - it's family and friends.

I got a lovely email from my Auntie Stella in England this past week and she told us how proud our mum would be of us. Funny how even at this age, words like that can hit you in your heart and make you smile through your tears. And in this month, October Breast Cancer Awareness month, it is only fitting for me to say . . . not a day goes by that I don't think of my mum, I miss her. However, I do think in the midst of this past weekend, her strength, beauty and humor were clearly evident in all 4 of her daughter's. Obviously pieces of her in us.

Enjoy our photos!!

2009-09-24T19:21:00.015-05:00

This is how our house looks . . .

Yes, we are putting a new counter in our bathroom, repainting everything and sorting out our closets that junk seems to mysteriously breed in. WHY? Well, we are getting ready to put our house on the market next week.
Yes, we are moving.
Where?
We are moving to India . . . and No, we are not kidding and No, we haven't lost the few marbles we had left!

Let's back up a little . .. as many of you know, we have been blessed to grow our family by way of adoption from India. On our trip to meet Jaya (now 3 yrs old) and embrace her as a new part of our family, we arrived in Calcutta to a political strike. These strikes usually only last a day but everything shuts down from taxis to stores to schools. It was also a very volatile atmosphere for Westerners to be travelling along the streets alone. Well by divine appointment, we met a wonderful man who was kind enough to arrange a military escort to our hotel. He happened to be a close friend to the founder of Good News India (GNI). Through an amazing chain of events, my husband was was able to attend church in Calcutta and meet Dr. Faiz, the founder of Good News India.

Good News India (GNI) runs 25 Orphanages (called Dream Centers) with over 2500 residential children. Many of these kids would have been sold into bonded slavery in India if GNI had not intervened. One of these homes is a home for HIGH RISK GIRLS being trafficked into the sexual slavery markets of India. They have 55 girls who were on their way to a brothel, but were rescued by GNI. Although other ministries rescue these girls from the brothels, GNI gets to them before they ever get to a brothel, thus saving them from ever experiencing the horrors of a brothel. We had wanted to hook up with a ministry in India and now we had just found one. This connection proved to be a huge part of our life.

Last September, Peter went on a short term missions trip with GNI. He came home full of passion for these kids and what GNI was doing. Only his passion didn't subside like the usual "post mission trip glow" - it grew into vision which eventually became reality. He has accepted a support-based position with GNI. We have made a two year commitment and we will be leaving the US for Bhubaneswar, Orissa early March 2010.

We are very excited for many reasons and a little apprehensive. Let's be real here, the thought of going to a market and looking a little chicken in the eye and saying, "That one, I want that one" as they proceed to kill it in front of you is enough to make to make anyone a little apprehensive! There are so many unknowns but what an amazing opportunity! The girls will get to experience life in India and learn more about their culture and so will we. Wow - only God could orchestrate something like this.

We will be detailing our move and our time in India on this blog so hopefully, I will become a more entertaining writer so that it is fun for you to follow our journey. So to close, I will share a scripture that we have on our fridge at this very moment . . .

"Don't worry about anything; instead , pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

2009-08-16T19:28:00.006-05:00

Weekend at Seneca Lake . . .

As summer winds down (not sure we ever really had one here in PA) we were able to have a long weekend with family at the lake. Peter's grandparents have this amazing piece of lakefront property that just forces you to relax. Here are some photos of us enjoying some R&R with the girls.

We are really noticing how quickly time is passing lately - there are just things that are way more important than your house being spotless and your laundry done. I prefer to leave the dishes until the kids are in bed (shock horror!) and spend time playing farm, tea party or dentist. Dentist is at the front of everyone minds because we have teeth cleanings on Tuesday : )

Came across this amazing blog yesterday about a young couple who have 9 children (3 biological and 6 adopted from Ethiopia). Very inspiring. Here's the link, check it out and watch the video for their documentary "We have Room" http://blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com/

2009-06-13T20:51:00.003-05:00

Cooper's Go Camping!

Ok, it was only for ONE night but we still had a blast! The weather was absolutely perfect, just chilly enough to need a fire and just warm enough to sleep in a tent. The kids had a great time although came home today very tired. All that fresh mountain air had taken it's toll. Must admit, I don't think I am a long term camper but for one or two nights I can do it.

Here are some photos . .

2009-06-04T19:40:00.001-05:00

2009-06-04T19:30:00.002-05:00

If I Were a Butterfly . . .

THE BUTTERFLY SONG
(If I Were a Butterfly)
Words and Music by Brian M. Howard
If I were a butterfly
I'd thank you Lord for giving me wings
If I were a robin in a tree
I'd thank you Lord that I could sing
If I were a fish in the sea
I'd wiggle my tail and I'd giggle with glee
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

CHORUS
For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me

If I were an elephant
I'd thank you Lord by raising my trunk
If I were a kangaroo
You know I'd hop right up to you
If I were an octopus
I'd thank you Lord for my fine looks
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

If I were a wiggly worm
I'd thank you Lord that I could squirm
If I were a fuzzy, wuzzy bear
I'd thank you Lord for my fuzzy, wuzzy hair
If I were a crocodile
I'd thank you Lord for my great smile
But I just thank you Father for
making me, me

Copyright © 1974, 2002 Mission Hills Music

2009-05-28T21:17:00.001-05:00

2008-01-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

2007-12-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

Finally . . . Finalization

It's true at 10:00 am December 20th, 2007 - our sweet baby (well toddler I guess - shes 20 months old now!) became "officially" Jaya Ranae Debsila Cooper. Of course, she had been that to us since the first day we laid eyes on that tiny referral photo. We had a wonderful judge who has family friends from India and one of their names was Jaya as well. She made it very easy on us and said this was the bright spark of her month. This time we actually had to take the stand and answer some questions. I guess it was all a bit too much for me because I started crying as soon as the lawyer said, "You do realize that as of today, Debsila will be the same as a biological child - she will inherit from you and you will inherit from her." YES, of course I realize that, this is the moment we have been waiting for for 3 years!! The tears started flowing as I realized how much this had been weighing on me. Our very dear friends came with us which may the day even more special. They said they held it together until I lost it then their tears were flowing as well. God is good, we got it done before the end of the year and now we can enjoy the holidays even more.

Jaya was her true self, noisy and active the whole time. The judge even stopped at one point and said, Wow we have a vocal one here don't we? That's our girl. Alysha was a doll answering a couple of questions that the lawyer asked her with a smile. We are so blessed to have such amazing children.

I will post photos soon, just wanted to share . . .

More Vacation Pics!

2007-12-15T07:38:00.001-05:00

2007-12-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Vacation brings fun and good news

Well we arrived here in FL yesterday and our first phone call was from our lawyer informing us that our court date is Dec 20th!!! We were so excited and this certainly is a huge answer to prayer. Talk about cutting it close : )

Our 2 days here have been perfect, the weather is gorgeous (we left behind 9 inches of snow!!) and the girls are having a blast! Alysha was made into a princess today by a Fairy godmother in training at the Bippity boppity boutique - she enjoyed every minute of it. Her smiles tell it all. Jaya has been doing great on the rides and has learned a new word, it's Poohbear. So cute.

Well here are the photos - enjoy!

2007-10-03T09:15:00.001-05:00

Football Vs Soccer

There are times in my life that my English heritage causes some confusion and now is one of those times. Alysha is playing a sport twice a week – Football to my English side and Soccer to my American : ) Either way, it’s fun to watch her. The girl smiles ALL the time – its awesome. She did manage to make 2 goals last night which of course made us very proud. Whether by accident or default, she was still excited and threw her hands up in the air with a “Goal!” They have no idea on rules, it’s just about kicking the ball and getting it in the goal. Simplicity – no “Bending it like Beckham” or any other fancy footwork.

Jaya enjoys soccer as well, being the first to give her sister high five after the game and of course, spending her time charming the other parents. One of her new words is “Up-Bup” which means “please pick me up!” It is so cute to hear.

The weather is beautiful for soccer – about 65 -70 degrees. Fall is definitely well on its way in Pennsylvania and it is gorgeous. We hope to have some pumpkin patch photos next week so check back soon! Enjoy the photos!

2007-08-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

First Day of School

Here she is so excited to be going to school - we are so proud of her!

There goes my baby!

We were sent this in an email and thought it was appropriate as this is how we felt as we waved goodbye to our sweetie this morning.

Dear world,
I bequeath to you today one little girl in a crisp dress , two twinkling eyes and a happy laugh that ripples all day long and a flash of shiny hair that bounces in the sun when she runs. I trust you’ll treat her well. She’s slipping out of the back yard of my heart this morning and skipping off down the street to her first day of school and never again will she be completely mine. Frail and proud she’ll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say “Good Bye” and walk with little lady steps to the school house. Now she’ll learn to stand in lines and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She’ll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school bells and deadlines and she’ll learn to giggle and gossip and look to the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the isle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she’ll learn to be jealous and now she’ll learn how it feels to be hurt inside now she’ll learn ow not to cry. No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the side walk. Nor will she have time to pop out of the bed with the dawn and kiss the lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she’ll worry about those important things. Things like grades, and which dress to wear and whose best friend is whose. The books and learning will replace the blocks and dolls. Now she’ll find new heroes. For 4 full years now, I’ve been her sage and Santa clause and pal and playmate and father and friend. Now she’ll learn to share her worship with her teachers which is only right but no longer will I be the smartest greatest man in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time she’ll learn what it means to be a member of a group with all of its privileges and disadvantages too. She’ll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud or kiss dogs or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer. Today she’ll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends and I’ll stand at the front porch and watch her start out on that long lonely journey to becoming a woman. So world I bequeath to you today one little girl in a crisp dress with two twinkling eyes and a flash of hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I trust you’ll treat her well.

2007-08-15T07:49:00.000-05:00

Here is our Little Peanut, showing us her Sunday Best!

Alysha Playing in the kitchen - everything was soaked when she was done but she enjoyed it!

The girls and the best Daddy in the whole world.

2007-08-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

Finally, a real update . . .

Well I managed to post some photos but the creativity for the journaling has escaped me. I will however, give it a try. I have 2 friends in India as I write this picking up their children. Hearing their stories only make me relive ours. How amazing is this journey? I mean, half way across the world there were two little girls that were destined to not only be part of our family but to define our family. I am constantly in awe of God’s hand on our life. Our girls bring us so much joy that I can’t imagine life without them. Alysha is developing this amazing sense of humor and is so sweet. She is mama’s big helper and loves having a baby sister to play with. To hear them playing and laughing together brightens the day. Jaya has amazed us, she may be little but she has a big personality! She is such a happy girl, noisy but happy : ) Sometimes at night, I will walk into check on her and she is just laying in her crib hugging her Jasmine doll. She sees me out of the corner of her eye and just grins with a cute little “ha ha”. It cracks me up every time – it’s like she is saying, “I knew you would come and check on me!” She had her Ped visit yesterday, she is 28 inches tall, 15 lbs and 4 oz – the Dr. was very pleased saying that she has grown in height and her head measurement has increased. Her weight is slow to catch up but we are increasing the Pediasure to help – as my sister said, that stuff is like baby steroids!!! LOL!!!

We had a very busy July with 2 out of state family weddings and a vacation, as well as having houseguests for many of the other weekends. Still, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our next family vacation is in December to Disney, Alysha is so excited and is already picking her princess dress to wear to breakfast in Cinderella’s Castle. I love the fact that she is such a girly girl.

I cannot believe that on August 17th, Jaya would have been home for 5 months and on August 29th, Alysha would have been home 4 years. Really, our journey has only just begun and I cannot wait to watch the years unfold.

Our Crazy Busy July!

2007-07-20T14:46:00.001-05:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-06-29T14:17:00.001-05:00

2007-05-02T19:20:00.000-05:00

It has been exactly a month since I have posted, here's some photos of our busy wonderful life! All the waiting is a distant memory as we create new ones as a family. Hope you enjoy these . . .

Hanging w/ Sissy at the Disney Store!

Walking like a big girl - this is one of Jaya's
favorite things to do.

What's a birthday celebration without a little cake on the face?

Doesn't that face say it all?

Alysha with just a couple of her horses!

2007-04-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

Day at the Zoo

Well it was a beautiful day, a warm 65 degrees and Alysha was thrilled to be going to the zoo. We were joined by our dear friends and had a great day. The photos don't do it justice but it was great to be out as a family. We seem to have found our groove as far as getting everyone in and out of the car, eating out and generally just being out in public : ) It is completely different with 2 children then 1! I forgot all the extra "stuff" you have to bring with you just to be out of the house for a couple of hours. Oh well, it's a small price to pay to have these sweet girls in our family. The first picture was taken when we got home - I had no idea they were dressed alike until I started taking photos!

2007-04-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

We are still alive . . .

So, it’s been about 5 days since we got home and what fun days they have been! It was lovely to get back to a somewhat normal schedule. Jaya and Alysha are doing great. Alysha has been a great big sister with the only real problem being the sharing of the toys : ) Jaya has been an angel, her sleep schedule is adjusted and her eating has improved since being home. She is not shy in telling us that she’s hungry! They both have lovely smiles that just light up our day and Jaya is giving these slobbery kisses that just melt your heart. We truly are blessed!

Our last few days in India and first days in the US were all a blur. We were very happy to be among family and friends and to eat food that did not have ANY curry seasoning in it. I am enjoying pizza, French fries and all the things that are truly American. Peter and I love to travel but this was a hard trip for us, not sure if it was our age (no comments from the peanut gallery) or just going into the trip tired to begin with. Either way, we have fully recovered and may even attempt an Indian meal this week – okay maybe not but we are feeling better!

Tomorrow we are planning on a family trip to the Zoo (weather permitting) so I will post photos when we get home. Alysha is very excited about seeing the giraffes, hippos and hyenas. Yep, I said hyenas (it must be a Lion King thing).

2007-03-26T03:12:00.000-05:00

Our Girls . . .

We love the sound of that!

For those who have been asking : ) we thought we would post some photos of the last couple of days. I will write more later about our trip home, we are recovering from some "unpleaseanties" of travel but will be back in the game shortly!

2007-03-22T01:15:00.000-05:00

Fun at Granma and Grandad's House . . .

Granma's Office

Hangin out with Max

Now that's a bubble bath!

Me and My Grandad.

2007-03-20T17:07:00.000-05:00

More Photos, Less Talk :)

Our 1st Ride in an Auto Rickshaw

McDonalds Delivery - Now there's a concept!

Old Friends - Daya and Jaya spending time together

Dinner w/the Werre Family was wonderful and a much needed break for us. The girls were quite content and it was fun to see them together.

2007-03-19T16:40:00.000-05:00

SUNDAY IN KOLKATA

This is an email that Peter sent out to family and friends - I thought I would post it here to share.

Yesterday was a whirlwind. As most of you already know, when we flew into Kolkata on Friday we met a man from Atlanta who is on the board of a Christian ministry (Good News India / www.goodnewsindia.org) that has homes for children. Most of these kids are not orphans, but the parents don’t have the money to give them a proper education or even to care for them so they are allowed to live in these homes. The founder of this ministry Faiz Rahman, is originally from Kolkata, but now lives in the US, and is a converted muslim. To give you a little background on Faiz, he is associated with Tommy Barnett’s church in Phoenix AZ, in fact worked for Tommy Barnett for several years. For those who don’t know who Tommy Barnett is, he is the one who helped found the Dream Center in Los Angeles.
Anyway Good News India has approx 12 homes and 1,800 students in the homes. Faiz takes most of these kids in at the age of 6 and trains them up thru college. His oldest students are appox 1 ½ yrs away from graduating. I guess my point is this is exactly what we have wanted to support. Obviously we have a special place in our hearts for India and this ministry is doing great things to spread the gospel as well as helping orphans and children who may have become orphans because their parents couldn’t afford to raise them. If it wasn’t for God, our daughters could easily have been on the streets of Kolkata, so to say the least, what Faiz is doing definitely pulled a heart string for both of us and I believe Melissa and I have begun a good relationship with Faiz and his ministry.
What I’m trying to get to (before I went off on the background of Good News India) is I was invited to church by the man I met at the airport, Doug Moore. Well I attended and I was able to meet Faiz and then after service he took Melissa, Jaya and I out to lunch. We were able to talk about his ministry, adoption, and India. To say the least it was a wonderful meeting and we could see God’s hand in the whole event. The church service I attended was great, it was very neat to see so many Christians worshiping God in what I had thought was a city engrossed in Hinduism.
I’m not sure all this is making sense; I’m writing it as it comes to my mind. I’ve left out a lot of details and for those who are interested I’ll be glad to share more with you. It is 8:30p and it feels like 2am. We were up very early this morning with our daughter, she was restless and then on top of that we had to fly to New Delhi. Upon arrival we started our paperwork @ the embassy, again another story of God’s blessing, so we are tired. My wife and daughter have fallen asleep on the bed and I’m getting ready to join them. We thank all of you for your prayers.
So much has happened on this trip, it would take a very, very very long email to put it all down, but God has taken good care of us. His blessing is truly chasing us down just as Deut 28:2 says it will.
We love each of you and I’m sure Missy will be up early in the morning updating the blog.

Love,

Peter, Missy and Jaya and soon we we will be back together with Alysha

2007-03-19T12:18:00.000-05:00

Mommy and Daddy make me laugh . . .

Final Stop Delhi . . .

We arrived yesterday afternoon for our final leg of the trip. Jaya woke up alot the night before so we were all a little worse for wear on the flight and by the time we got to the hotel. We fell asleep for a couple of hours then woke up and thought, lets just run to the Embassy and get the Immunization waiver and get the medical done. So we hop in a cab about half way there we realized we remembered the diaper bag, the bottles, the wipes, the passports, the snuggli but somehow both of us forgot the giant folder of paperwork! So we tell the cabby who does the most amazing u-turn and in about 25 minutes we are at the Embassy. By the time we get through security it is 4:30pm (PS - if any of you are taking this trip, don't take batteries or baby toys - the guards like to play with them : ) On the way to the office I ask the guy what time they close he says 4:30 but they stop receiving appointments at 3:00. He tells us he will take us back anyway. Bear in mind we are still thinking we are just getting the waiver form. The next thing I know, we are having our appointment! Yep, the sweet man told us he hated to ask us to come back and would just take care of his part now. What a blessing!

There are still several steps to go but at least one is down! We stopped at a local grocery store and it was so funny. You walk in and everything has been put so neatly on the shleves which are covered by glass doors. So we thought you just open the doors and get what you want. Wrong. the shopowner comes over and says - I will get it for you , don't touch. I guess that's why it is so tidy because only he touches it! On the way back we saw some amazing India sites, we have posted some for you.

Jaya is doing great and is all smiles, Daddy has found her tickle spot which produces this quiet little laugh and toothless grin. We are learning as we go on the feeding schedule but no major upsets so far! We received more photos of Alysha having fun at Granma and Grandads, we will post some next time.

2007-03-18T00:03:00.000-05:00

It has been 24 hours since this sweet little bundle has come into our lives. She is such a sweet calm baby! She woke up this morning after 9 hours of uninterupted sleep and she was all smiles. We had a good warm bottle and some fruit snacks and played for about an hour. She was using mommy and daddy as a jungle gym and was gumming our faces and noses : ) Not sure if those were kisses or not but we will take it either way. She is now asleep again, I am beginning to recognize the signs of tiredness. She starts playing with her ears and rubbing her eyes and of course, the huge yawn helps my lightening quick mind! : )

We have definitely been blessed with another Indian princess although this one comes in a much smaller package. Her size 2 diapers barely fit her and the six month outfit she has on now is baggy on her and the legs are too long!

I forgot to mention yesterday that before we picked her up we managed to get in an hour of shopping time. The New Market is just a short walk from the hotel so we went and had a blast buying Salwaar Kameez and Sari's for the girls with matching bangles of course! I cannot wait to see Alysha and for her to meet her baby sister. We have had emails from granma and grandad and it sounds like she is having lots of fun but we miss her dearly.

Some time today we are meeting up with another Dillon family who arrived this morning. We are excited to see them. I will post more later.

2007-03-17T07:15:00.000-05:00

What a Doll!!!

What an amazing day – here we were just sitting in Anju’s office when in walks an ayah holding the sweetest little girl we have ever seen. She never cried but came to me without any fussing. She just sat there taking it all in as we started our tour of the children’s home. I asked the ayahs to hold her so we could take a photo and both times she wanted to come back to me. They said, ah she knows who her Mama is. What great words and what an answer to prayer she is. We are overwhelmed, amazed and thrilled.
She fell asleep on the way back to the hotel, the car was hot and she just curled up on my chest sucking her thumb. Once we got back, she sat on mine and Peter’s lap playing for about 30 minutes before she started rubbing her eyes and acting tired again. She is now asleep partly from schedule partly to being overwhelemed I am sure. She is still so tiny only weighing 13 lbs and 24 inches but she will make up for that in no time.
It is about 6:15 pm and she should be waking up for food at anytime. I will post more later but wanted to let you all know we are all doing fine just trying to process all that has happened today. Love to you all.

2007-03-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

Here we are just hours away from becoming parents again! Don't we look calm? Ha - I actually only slept for 4 hours last night hence the dark glasses : ) Seriously though, we are about to do some shopping before picking up Jaya around noon. It is 9:30am and things are just getting moving in the city. We fell asleep to cars honking and dogs barking and woke up to the same. The weather is gorgeous and we are enjoying every minute of our trip. We ventured out for a short walk but after being stopped by beggars and stalked by shop owners we thought it best to take a car to our destination. We will post as soon as we can. Thank you for all your comments, it is fun to read and keeps us in touch with you all.

2007-03-16T03:40:00.000-05:00

We are in India!

Well after what seemed like an eternity we arrived at Delhi last night around midnight. We actually arrived early but circled Delhi for half and hour waiting for clearance. All our luggage made it which we were very happy about. We had a car reserved from the airport to the hotel but there was a misunderstanding and he thought we were coming in on a later flight. So after wandering around for 30 minutes, a very nice man let us use his cell phone and we found out that the driver was waiting in the parking lot. The airport was packed, there were people everywhere and it felt like half of them wanted to carry our bags! We finally arrived at the hotel Hans Plaza at 1:30am. So after 3 hours of sleep, we got up for our adventurous ride to the Domestic airport. We probably saw 20-25 monkeys this morning, just walking down the sidewalks with the dogs. The driving is an art – you must be able to honk your horn, talk on the cell phone and swerve to miss the rickshaws all at once. Fortunately our driver was great. It is certainly something to get used too. The weather is perfect, a cool 60 degrees.

After a VERY bumpy flight to Kolkata, we arrived to quite the situation. There was a city wide strike and no one was doing anything. But God took care of us, we bumped into a fellow American who is here with a local ministry and he helped us get a cab to the hotel. They were all overcharging because of the strike and we could have been waiting for hours. Our hotel is absolutely beautiful, we were given a corner room with 3 windows overlooking a busy street. It’s perfect but now we must get some rest.

Tomorrow is the big day!!

2007-03-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

One Flight down and Upteen more to go . . . .

Here we are sitting in Detroit Airport with nothing but time to kill. Above are some photos of our big girl riding her new Princess bicycle. She took to it so quickly and was all smiles as you can see. We left the house this morning around 7:30 am and it was hard to say good-bye. We fought back the tears knowing that the next 9 days will fly by and soon we will be home again.

We hope to write more when we are in Amsterdam.

2007-03-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

These were taken last Friday!

2007-03-10T06:59:00.000-05:00

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane . . .

Well we have booked our flights and hotels and it was very stress-free with our new friends from Celebrations travel! They helped us out so much, we just did not have time to scour the Internet looking for the best deal but they did it for us. THANK YOU!

We leave the States on Wednesday, March 14th and after a quick stopover in Delhi, we are on our way to Kolkata Friday morning. We are going to spend the afternoon shopping and sight-seeing. The next day, Saturday the 17th is the day we get to meet our sweet girl. We hope to be able to use our laptop to post photos of our trip and the special day so be sure to check back! Sunday we hope to meet up with another traveling family in Kolkata and will fly to Delhi on Monday to file for the Visa. There is also a second family travelling who will be in Delhi as well. They picked up their sweet baby yesterday and we hope to meet up with them also. Our flight then leaves Delhi late Thursday night and we arrive home Friday (3/23). We will be so excited to see Alysha as 9 days is a very long time to be away.

I also wanted to share about the beautiful baby shower that was thrown for us last Sunday plus I had a surprise shower at work! It was such a blessing and we received just about everything we could possibly need. This little girl is already so blessed!

2007-03-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

We can TRAVEL!!!!

I can't write to much right now for lack of time but we have ICPC and the passport is in Anju's hands as of this morning. We are making travel plans to leave next Wed and to pick Jaya up next Saturday (3/17).

I will write more later - there is sooooo much to do!

2007-02-27T18:38:00.000-05:00

New Photo's taken just last week!

2007-02-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

We loved this photo as we finally get to see her standing! This week we will also be receiving a short video of her - we can't wait to see it. Sure wish we could share that!

Big thank-yous to the family that took these photos for us.

2007-02-25T10:11:00.000-05:00

Thank you

Wake Christian Academy!

This is a photo of some of the items we received as donations for the children's home. The photo doesn't really do it justice as there were baby medications, formula, sheets, baby care products, diaper rash cream and more items that are too numerable to mention! Thanks to their generosity we have a suitcase full to the brim of goodies to take to Kolkata with us. Somehow, we even managed to stay under the weight limit. What a blessing!

Now for some news, last week 5 families were surprised to find out their passports were ready! Instead of taking 5 weeks, they took 14 days! It is so nice to get some news that something actually went faster than we expected. They expect Jaya's passport next week so we are tentatively planning to travel March 14th! We have had so much support from friends and family and we appreciate it all. Won't be long now and we will have that sweet girl in our arms.

2007-02-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

Today is another good news
day . . .

Wow – Tami emailed us today to let us know she has received the legals! Not only are we done with the judge but the paperwork is in the same country as we are : ) We should receive the originals on Wednesday – I feel like I should gold-plate those puppies! They represent such an answer to prayer and we are so grateful. There are 4 families traveling right now and they have all received their children. It’s so great to see families growing by way of adoption - it truly is a miracle and one that I can’t imagine not experiencing.

In 10 days, my little girl turns 5 and we are celebrating with a trip to Disney on Ice this Thursday so look for photos later this week. She also has requested to get her ears pierced! I have explained that it will hurt a little bit but she has her heart set on it. I have to register her for kindergarten the same week – this is all happening so fast! She’s starting school? Where did the time go? My goodness – what’s next? Prom dresses and driver’s licenses? Seriously though, she is such a joy and sings all the time, in the bath, in her room playing and in the car. There’s something about hearing that little sweet voice in the back seat – how did we get so blessed?

Thanks for everyone who is leaving comments - we really appreciate them!

2007-02-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Venue of Choice . . .

Turned out to be staying close to home because of the snow and revelling in the fact that our paperwork was SIGNED and is on it's way to the States! It feels great to done with the courts - the relief is amazing. There are 4 families on their way to India as we speak to pick up their children and we couldn't be happier for them. We are also excited because that means we get some more photos soon : )

The next step is that Jaya's passport is applied for in India, at the same time that is happening our paperwork has an inter-state clearance to go through which should only take 3 weeks. Right now we are tentatively planning travel for late March (Wow- that sounds good!). Jaya turns 1 on April 22nd and we are thrilled that we will have her in our arms and family before then. God is so good and faithful, He knows the right time for everything.

There are 3 families that are STILL in the court process waiting for approval, please continue to pray for them. It is a frustrating time, one that's hard to understand and that you have no control over. The courts are closed for yet another holiday (do they EVER work?) for the rest of the week so they won't hear anything until next week at the earliest.

Well I am off to search the internet for flights and hotels . . . finally, we get to PLAN something.

2007-02-07T10:32:00.001-05:00

FINALLY, WE ARE APPROVED!

We were so happy to find out this morning that the judge heard our case and approved it! To say we are excited is an understatement, thrilled, elated, overjoyed are about the extent of it. It has been a long two years and 3 months since we started this process but we can now see light at the end of the tunnel. They will now apply for Jaya's passport and we should travel in about 6-8 weeks.

2007-02-01T08:47:00.000-05:00

A Wonderful Surprise!

As you can see we were thrilled to receive a new photo yesterday from the family that recently traveled to get their son. She also said that “Jaya has such huge, beautiful eyes that just seemed to take it all in” and we would have to agree. This just makes you want to reach out and cuddle her – doesn’t it? Well it won’t be long now and we can. I can’t tell you what a boost of encouragement it is just knowing that the family that traveled has seen her and she is doing great. The other nice thing is we got to find out who she was next to at the Children’s home so we can hopefully stay in touch with those families.

2007-01-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

It's already melting . . .

but we managed to get a little fun in first! I think we had more fun sledding than Alysha. Later we had a snowball fight with Bayley, our dog - he lost big time : )

Well tomorrow is a special day in our house, it's daddy's birthday so I have a cherry cheesecake to go make. Happy Birthday Daddy!

2007-01-20T12:08:00.000-05:00

News but not Good News . . .

Well there is some good news - the judge approved 3 cases of Dillon's 9 that were waiting but ours was not one of them. We are so happy for the families that got approved as we know how hard this wait has been. Our paperwork made it to India by Thursday but he did not hear any cases on Friday. So as I posted earlier the courts are closed next week so we will not have any news until the following week. The up and down emotions are the hard part of this, oh and the fact that we have absolutely no control over any of it! We are learning so much about trusting God and knowing He has a plan for our lives.

There is a family in India this week receiving their little boy and we are celebrating with them! It was thrilling to hear that she got to tour the orphanage and that she might have seen our little one. Just to hear that the ayahs (nannies) at the orphanage so clearly love and care deeply for the kids makes you feel a little better. Alysha was very well taken care of and so loved that we know Jaya is receiving the exact same care.

So we do not have any definite news just more waiting. We started this process 2 years and 3 months ago and I never would have thought that it would take this long.

While we wait we are going to enjoy every minute with Alysha which includes some sled riding and snowman building which we are off to do right now! I will post some pictures later!

2007-01-12T09:51:00.000-05:00

Next Week . . . .
OK, I’ll admit, I’m not a very patient person and these needless delays are very frustrating. This week we were asked for another document for the judge stating how many different ways our name could be seen. For example – John Ray Doe, John R. Doe, John Doe, J. R. Doe etc. It seems a little insignificant when we are talking about a child’s life!! The court cases were supposed to start next Monday but now we hear that we do not have anything scheduled Mon and only one or two Tues, the majority of cases are on Wed, Thur and Friday. Then the courts are closed the last week of January. Please pray that our case is heard next week and the paperwork is signed and approved. We truly know that God's plan and timing are perfect. It was for Alysha's adoption which had it's own set of problems and it will be for Jaya's.

2007-01-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

Court Update

We received an update on the court dates today and it seems that the judge is giving priority to foreign cases over domestic cases in the month of January. Our agency has been given the week on Jan 15-22 and all of the cases (including ours) are scheduled to be heard during that week. We have not been told our specific date as it may change within that week. We will probably not have any more updates until that week. Please continue to pray that our case will be heard and that we can start scheduling our travel shortly.

2007-01-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Christmas and Sandcastles!

Unfortunately, the judge did not hear our case or any others the week before Christmas. Although this is frustrating, we are relying on God’s perfect timing. The court’s reopen today in India so we are praying that he hears the cases he skipped before the holidays. I will keep you all updated as we have more news.

On a lighter side, we had a lovely Christmas vacation in NC spending time in Raleigh and at the beach. We were surrounded and spoiled by family the whole week. It was a much needed break for all of us! Below is a photo of Alysha getting ready to build sandcastles on the beach – what a ham!

2006-12-14T13:46:00.000-05:00

COURT DATE

Well, we officially have a court date in India of December 21st - next Thursday! Although these court dates have been a little "iffy" lately, we believe that Jaya's guardianship papers will be signed. We are so thrilled to be at this step. Once guardianship is granted we can start tentatively planning travel - the only thing we are waiting on is Jaya's passport. There is a huge chance that we may have her home before she turns 10 months old. That would be great. Her nursery is coming along nicely and I will post photo's as soon as it is all done.

As you probably noticed, I have now made this a private blog for many reasons so I should be posting more often with more information.

2006-12-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

New Photos!

Here's our sweet girl at 7 months old - she weighs 11 lbs and is 23 inches tall. We are in love with those huge brown eyes and cannot wait to hold her in our arms. We are currently waiting on the judge for a court date. I will write more soon but want you to be able to see the photos!

2006-11-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

We have Received our
NOC!

I am so excited right now - we just received the email from the agency saying that the orphanage director received Debsila's NOC today! One step closer to bringing our sweet girl home. The next step is that our legals go to the Kolkata courts.

Please continue to believe for favor with the judge and that he will continue to sign papers until everyone is cleared!

Definitely a cause for a celebration.

2006-11-04T07:41:00.000-05:00

The Story continues . . .

As far as the process is concerned, our paperwork is currently at the Indian Agency called CARA, they need to issue an NOC or No Objection Certificate. This NOC basically states that they are approving that particular child to be adopted into that particular family. These were happening very quickly but slowed down for no apparent reason last month. Or in our case, to approve sweet Jaya to become a Cooper! The average wait for that is about 2 – 4 months and they have had our paperwork for 1 month already.

We should hear news on this shortly!

Once the NOC is received (this is a HUGE step by the way) then our paperwork makes it’s way back to Calcutta to go before the judge. The term for this portion of the process is called “Getting the Legals signed”. This is where the problem has been over the past 6 months. Apparently, a new judge came in and had a very negative view on adoption and has not sign ANY legals for 6 months (Domestic or International). This has caused a backlog of families, 11 from our agency alone - who have been stuck waiting. After much prayer this week, we found out that he has started signing them and will hopefully get to all 11 next week. This is great news for all those families and for us because it means that there will be no backlog when our Legals go before him.

So all in all, it’s pretty good news. We also went to Pittsburgh last weekend to have our fingerprints updated so hopefully we are a little ahead of the game. If we had to estimate, we hope to be travelling in Jan or Feb 2006.

2006-09-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

Our Thrilling News!

September 8th, 2006 - We received 'THE CALL' from our agency!

A referral of a little baby girl named Debsila. She was born on April 22nd, 2006. She is teeny, only 8 lbs at 4 months old. . but that is to be expected. We reviewed all of her medical information with a pediatrician and he felt like the baby was being taken care of very well and was growing at a good rate. After praying and reviewing all of her info, we felt that this baby was meant for us!

Soooooo on September 13th, we accepted her referral!

By Friday we had received the stack of acceptance paperwork. Wow, is this some kind of homework project! We have to have 42 notarized signatures along with signing and dating the other 200 pages!! And when I say dating, I mean writing out the date with no abbreviations. Yikes! All in all, it’s a small price to pay for such a perfect addition to our family. God is so faithful.

Well, I had better go and start signing that paperwork!!!

2006-09-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here are more pictures of our trip to Boston. We never could find Carla...........

2006-09-07T18:31:00.000-05:00

Well, we just celebrated Alysha's 3rd Gotcha Day with a weekend away to the lakehouse in NY and then onto Boston to visit Aunt Dani and Uncle David. We had an awesome time. The time at the lake was relaxing and Daddy got to take his little girl up the creek for the first time. She was a trooper because the water was freezing! We got to see a Boston Red Sox game which cemented why we are fans, Cheers, some of the beautiful coast and of course, just enjoyed the city. The time went by so fast but we enjoyed the break. (Special thanks to Dani and David for their awesome hospitality!)

2006-08-24T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dossier is Finished!

After TWO whole months of the most frustrating paperwork I have ever done, we have finally finished. The last 3 documents will be hand delivered Friday morning. What a weight of our mind that is. We have had to lean heavily on friends during this process and we appreciate ALL of you so very much. Moving between OK and PA halfway through the adoption process has certainly made life a little more difficult. One thing we know for sure is that we are supposed to be here and that we are exactly where God wants us, knowing this holds us close to Him when things appear to be going haywire. God already has the perfect addition to our family picked out and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that His timing is always perfect. We are excited to see what happens next.

Alysha's 3rd "Gotcha Day or Family Day" is August 29th. We are so excited and will be celebrating with a mini-vacation to the lakehouse and then onto Boston. I will post pictures when we get back.

2006-07-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

MORE AWESOME NEWS!!

Wow, we just found out we are officially #1 on the list. We are so excited! After months of nothing and to move 2 spots is so great. Now we really have to get a move on with the paperwork! There is so much of it to do since our move including a home study update. We can also now officially start decorating the nursery although we had better wait since the last two referrals were for boys. We would prefer a girl but would be equally excited to have a boy. We certainly have had a busy year and it promises to be an even busier one from this point on.

2006-07-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

This is a photo taken from the Vietnam Memorial looking at the Washington Memorial from our recent vist to Washington DC. It was a hot humid night and the ground was wet but it made for a beautiful photo. We hope you all had a great July 4th holiday.

We have some great news! After months and months of not moving on the waiting list, we have officially moved up one spot to #2. Our sweet Jaya is even closer to coming home and we have a renewed excitement. The name Jaya is Indian and means, "victorious" - we fell in love with both the name and meaning. We cannot wait to see what she looks like and to hold her in our arms. The hardest thing about the adoption process is waiting for God's timing. It is always perfect but it seems our flesh wants to get impatient. One thing we learned from Alysha's adoption is that He has a plan and it is perfect, we just have to walk it out and be patient.

"For a know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

2006-06-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

This is our sweet Alysha shortly after turning 4 this year. She is very excited about turning 5 eventhough it is still over 6 months away. I personally was not ready for her to turn 4! Her favorite movies are Mulan and Mulan II. While watching she will ride her faithful stead, Twinkle the hobby horse, back and forth across the family room. She is a joy and always has a smile on her face.

Alysha's adoption process took 23 months from the very first piece of paperwork to the wonderful, tearful moment we held her in our arms.