I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!! the spirit, food, and togetherness.  The news of our invite to travel to Ukraine has made this holiday that more exciting.  We are very thankful to have the outpour of support from family and friends.  Alexandra got a few gifts from Santa as well. Essentials like coats, undies, a few outfits, books, and a baby doll. We cannot emphasize how blessed we truly are that our Xmas gift comes in February.

And here it is!

     The news has arrived! this past week we received our invitation to visit Ukraine. The date is set for Feb 15, and we plan on leaving the 13th so we can have a buffer day in between. The reality is sinking in! Yes we are excited and very nervous at the same time.
    

We are extremely grateful for what is happening in our lives right now, and for the people in it.  We received a call from our facilitator this past week, but no news on the travel date yet.  Yesterday, we received in the mail a notification that our petition for adoption was sent to the appropriate visa-issuing post where the adoption interview will take place. That definitely was great news, and proof that the adoption is still progressing while we are still in the waiting period.  I CANNOT wait until we get to meet her! I cannot wait until she locks eyes with Scott. I just smile at the thought.

Reality sinks in

Yesterday, we received news that the SDA is still in the process of reviewing our dossier, and we could receive good news as early as next week. It hit us both last night. We have still a lot to prepare for, and purchase for Alex's room. My dad has been kind to let us borrow his laptop while on this trip. We will need it for Skype because there is a good chance Scott may have to travel back to the states while the Court decree is waiting to be issued. I asked my mom-in-law, Donna, if I could borrow her portable DVD player.While in Ukraine, I will have a lot of downtime on my hands, and movies are my favorite(not to mention I hope it aids in our flight home with Alex). We have to yet to purchase the paint to decorate her room, buy her a toy box to match, and basically all the essentials!(well clothes in particular, and maybe a baby doll). We have how long to do this? I believe it will all come together. It just came quick. I should be cleaning the house right now. I have been procrastinating all day long...not to mention I have 2 pugs with needs right now. ~Breathe~

2010

So we talked last in 2009... let's bring you up to speed. I have taken on additional hours at group home, and still work three days at the Salon. Scott got promoted within Vehix, and is liking the position. We are both working many hours to save up for an important trip to Eastern Europe. In addition, we are remodeling our basement to make a man cave for Scott. He will have a new office and Gym space! On another note, we are in the process of adopting a 3 year old from Ukraine. We haven't really wanted to tell people because she isn't guaranteed ours yet. There are a series of steps that need to be taken before we actually get to take her home with us. Recently, the dossier paperwork was just submitted to Ukraine's SDA(State Dept. of adoptions) on Thanksgiving day. Ukraine will have to look over our dossier which is a collection of required documents that is sent to a foreign country in order to process the adoption of a child in that country's legal system. The SDA will then send us an invite, and we will have up to a month to travel abroad. I have been told by my facilitator that it could take up to 20 days to receive this. Meanwhile, we have quite a bit to prepare for, and a lot to learn. Scott and I decided to take the, "Love and Logic" parenting class hoping to prepare for our new journey. I also just completed the The Mister Rogers Parenting Book. I recommend this book if you have a toddler. It is filled with great tips! Last, I am taking Russian lessons by both Rosetta stone, and meeting once a week with a native Russian. I will keep you updated as more news is received. Have a good night!

Stay tuned...

We are about to update some great news! I know it's been awhile, but I am back in motion!

Summer's end

I know I know...it's been awhile since our last post. This summer has been an absolute blast. Our summer was pretty much super packed with lots of fun family events, and hikes. We took on a dog from a friend and she is having a hard time dealing with the change, but seems to slowly be coming around. I ditched a lot of doctors and decided to end acupuncture which I have been religously going weekly at $50 a session since January. This was to help with infertility issues I have been battling for years. I decided sanity was better instead, and saving money. Just recently I became a member of Crossfit, and becoming addicted to fitness. My body is going through miraculous changes internally. As for Scott, he has a nasty deadline at the end of this month and has been working around the clock. He truly is the most motivated soul I know. He kinda grows on me ;) Jeff Wood, my brother in law, has been training for the bike race Lotoja. Yesterday, he biked 207 miles in less than 10 hrs. He is truly amazing, and I am proud of him. This summer has definately given all of our family a push to do our best, and has been the most positive for all of us.