Berkeley

I'm here in the town where Berkeley is and have been visiting her since Thursday morning! She's absolutely gorgeous, photos did not do her justice. 

I'm enjoying visiting her everyday and learning her personality and likes and dislikes. I can't post photos of her until after I have court in a few weeks and the adoption is legal though:) 

I'll write more later, I'm exhausted now:) 

I did buy her new shoes today and she loves them, hers were FUNKY:( 

Before

After

I'm here!!!

I arrived in Berkeley's country on Sunday and had my appt today with the adoption authority here. I will pick up her official referral tomorrow afternoon and get to meet her Thursday morning!!! Mt facilitator told me that everytime Berkeley sees her she looks up hopefully and longingly because a year ago she told her that mama was on the way. I can't wait until I can post photos of her after court in a few weeks!!!

The plane in Houston 

Yummy juice 

Lunch yesterday 

Breakfast this morning

Water at lunch today 

Leaving on a jet plane....

Tomorrow afternoon my best friend Katie and I will be boarding a plane to start our journey to bring Berkeley home. Jared will be staying home and working and we hired a girl we have known for years to come be their nanny during the day while he's at work. Not only does Jared not have any paid days off work right now but we felt the kids especially Pasha and Callen needed at least one of us here. So Katie is going to with me for 2 weeks to help keep me calm:)

I am having such mixed emotions about this trip, I feel as if I'm losing my mind at times. I am excited to meet Berkeley, I am excited to be adopting her, I'm excited to be back in a country I love. 

However I'm worried about leaving the kids, I wish Jared was going with me and I'm sad I won't be going to Crimea this year. That last reason is the hardest part of all of this.....I miss the girl that's stuck there so much and I ache for the wonderful city of Simferopol I love. 

I'll try to be a better blogger this year than I was last year, so much I will not be able to share publicly until after I have court and legally adopt Berkeley. 

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, prayed and helped us. It's been a crazy process to get here but the best part is coming soon. 

Here's my fellow traveler!!!

Travel dates!!!

We finally got travel dates this morning!!! I've been "patiently" awaiting them!!! I'm leaving Saturday and I'll be in Berkeleys town by Thursday to meet her!!! Exciting huh?!?? 

I'm so anxious it's making my lack of an attention span even worse! I'm trying to get a list together of everything I need to do in the next week but I'm having issues with concentration :) 

This has been a very long journey and it's not over yet, so hang on it's about to get exciting!!!

One year home!

One year ago today I landed back in the US after spending 8.5 weeks in Ukraine to adopt the boys. So much has happened since then and the boys have both changed so much. That trip and this process has changed our lives in so many ways. We went from a family of 5 to a family of 7 and there have been bumps but I'm happy to say it's been worth it. 

There is so much I want to say about this past year and my time in Ukraine but today I'm to tired to put my thoughts into words:) so enjoy a few pics of the boys instead! 

Here's the boys today 

Callen eating watermelon

Grayson (he had an accident in his chair)

My 3 sons:) 

Submitted

Our dossier was submitted on Wednesday to Berkeley's country. So now we just wait for travel dates, it could be 2 weeks up to 12 weeks before we even hear anything. So we will be extremely busy from now on getting everything done and ready for me to be out of the country for several weeks. 

We are heartbroken that we won't be able to bring home the second girl we had hoped to adopt. There was lots of political turmoil in the area she lives and adoption is no longer allowed by Americans. We all are very saddened by this but have hopes and dreams of still bringing her to the US in a few years when she is an adult and can leave on her own free will.

In the meantime we are getting Berkeley's side of the room ready, we decided to have her and Ashlyn share. We thought it was better that way and this allowed us to let Pasha have his own room, as he gets older and has more adaptive equipment he needs more space. 

We were blessed several months ago with a monetary gift for Berkeley's adoption so we only need about $500-$750 that will be my "emergency" money to use while I'm there. You never know with this country how long exactly you'll be there and how much it's going to cost and since I'll be traveling during the summer airline tickets are higher too. I'm having a yard sale next weekend and the rest of the money we are hoping to save from pay checks every week until I leave. 

I can't wait to go and start this part if the journey to bring Berkeley home finally! 

Ashlyn's side of the room

Berkeley's side, we are buying a new mattress for her and she has bedding to match Ashlyn

No news update!!!!

I got our approval extension today!!!! So it's been emailed to the powers that be!!!! Now just waiting to be submitted!!!

I have nothing new to report, I'm waiting on our USCIS extension approval to arrive in the mail, anyday now. The delays in our paperwork have been beyond frustrating. Our entire dossier has been overseas for over a month waiting to be submitted but because of USCIS' rule about not being able to apply for an extension until 90 days before yours expires we had to wait until April to even apply for the extension. 

Sooo hopefully by next week it will be safely overseas carried by another family. Then we can finally be submitted and start the countdown for travel dates. I'm praying super hard for early July but it might be late July :( 

So in the meantime here's my cute other kids:) 

Here's me and Ashlyn headed to see Casting Crowns in concert.

Callen passed out, reading is hard work!

Pasha asleep in his chair and Kaeden just chillin

Savannah banana being a diva!