tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61938345376617329362023-11-16T04:45:40.960-08:00Our Eyes Opened"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Prov. 24:12Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-60107348587546085992014-04-16T16:59:00.002-07:002014-04-16T19:53:39.334-07:00He's a Fighter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are days where all I can think about is the time Kirill spent in the orphanage. He's been with us for almost three years now. He will be 8 years old in two weeks. I often think about the years before he joined our family-especially around his birthday.<br>
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I wonder if he remembers the orphanage? Since he's nonverbal he can't tell us these things. Once, his teacher told me they were reading a story about a child in an orphanage in the library. Kirill started screaming and crying (which he almost NEVER does) out of nowhere as if he was hurt. I am sure it was just a coincidence, but it made us all wonder if he understood what the librarian was talking about and somehow made the connection. Who knows...we may never know what he remembers. I pray he doesn't remember anything before he came into our family, but I know he probably does. Even if he doesn't, the scars of spending five years in a crib with little or no outside contact with humans are obvious. They're slowly fading, but still obvious.<br>
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One thing I do know: Kirill is the strongest person I've ever met. These days when all I can do is linger on the hell of his first five years, I remember when we walked out of the orphanage after meeting him for the first time. Greg and I knew we were walking away from him for months (which would later stretch into almost a year). From our arms, we were sending him back into a cold, isolated existence. I wondered out loud to Greg if he would live until we were allowed to come back for him. Greg held my hand and said, "Tesney, he's going to be ok. He's going to make it. He's a fighter. I can tell."<br>
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I still don't know if Greg really believed that or if he was just trying to make his heartbroken wife feel more confident. I do know that it proved to be the truth. Kirill is a fighter. He doesn't give up. His persistence is amazing. Even after all he lived through, his spirit is joyful and he has the best smile you've ever seen.<br>
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I guess I'm writing this just to encourage you. I know we all have bad days; bad months, years, and lives even. However, I can promise you that if Kirill lived through his first 1, 871 days, you can find the strength to keep going. He's my daily reminder that Jesus sustains even when our world is not full of rainbows and unicorns. He's a fighter.<br>
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Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-8638187496466373892013-11-03T16:23:00.001-08:002013-11-04T08:46:45.325-08:00Not Impressed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Rescue those unjustly sentenced to die. Don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business." Will that get you off the hook? God knows what you know. He's not impressed with weak excuses. -</b>Proverbs 24:11-12, NLT & The Message mash-up<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since God first wrecked our lives in a most excellent (and most difficult) way through adoption, I've gone back and forth, to and from extremes. At first I was all "full throttle ahead, everyone should adopt, and why aren't they" with my approach. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I felt The Lord pressing me to be a little more graceful. I felt him nudging me to be quiet for a while, to listen, offer support, and to let him change hearts. I started learning more about adoption. I visited other countries and saw first-hand how family preservation is so much better IF it's feasible. I got in touch with Kirill's birth mom, learned his birth story from her perspective, and realized that family of origin is always the best option.<i> But it isn't always an available option. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Kirill, and most orphaned children with intensive special needs, adoption is probably the only solution. This is where my passion has been re-ignited over the past few months. I've felt God telling me it's time to speak up again. Maybe a little more boldly than ever on behalf of orphaned children with special needs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Orphaned children with special needs.</i> Let's talk about that. Let's allow the reality of their situations to sink in for a moment. A child with special needs <i><b>with</b></i> a loving, nurturing family will have some obstacles to overcome. A child with special needs <i><b>without</b> </i>a family...well, their obstacles are almost insurmountable. Depending on the country, they are turned out onto the streets, placed in mental institutions, or turned over to nursing homes...obstacles that are impossible to overcome because they don't have a voice or a family to advocate for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, think about this for a moment. God tells us <i>repeatedly </i>that the least of these are our responsibility as Jesus-followers. <b>WE are the ones </b>sentencing them to an unfair death by doing nothing. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">It <b>is </b>our business. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">God is not impressed with weak excuses. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, let's all together say our excuses for not doing something out loud. I will start. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our plate is full with Kirill. (Feel free to insert your own plate-filling child's name).</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, it is pretty full. I work. Greg works. We have two kids and one of them has intensive special needs. But the reality is I work primarily from home so I have 6 hours a day alone while my children are at school. We have an extra bedroom. We have food to spare. Honestly, there is room for more from us. Imagine telling Jesus your weak excuse. Would he be impressed? For us, it has become clear that cannot check "special needs adoption" off a list and rest on our laurels for the rest of our lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Frankly speaking, it's not about us. When we shift our focus to the children who need families, and we make it about their needs, everything changes. Our excuses are LAME-O. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So today, on Orphan Sunday, let's all do better. Let's start examining excuses. Pray your excuses to God and see how he answers. Adoption is one answer...and for many it is the only answer. But there are eleventy billion other answers he may give you. The 90-year old home bound grandmother may be moved to pray for adopting families and their children. The tween aged crowd may organize a fundraiser for sponsoring a family preservation program. The young married couple may offer respite care for tired adoptive parents. He may tell you to mentor teen moms. We can probably all think of a family <i>in our own community </i>who needs help staying together. Why don't we come alongside those families and support them instead of judging them? There is plenty we can all do together. Let's just do something and stop with the excuses. God isn't impressed. </span></div>
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Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-74568671030314102212013-09-11T15:28:00.000-07:002013-09-11T15:28:04.830-07:00There's No Handbook, but Here's a Cheat Sheet!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After my last post, I got some comments that made me terribly uncomfortable. I don't want people to feel sorry for us. Admitting that life with a child like Kirill is hard doesn't mean we don't love our life. We wouldn't trade it for another life...ever. So that being said, thank you so much for the support and please understand that we have a joy-filled life even if it is HARD sometimes. I mainly just wanted to open up dialogue among other adoptive parents of children with intensive special needs in a real, honest way. I hope that we will all begin to be more honest with ourselves and with each other so that we can help each other navigate through the hard times.<br />
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So how do you have joy when you're simultaneously being challenged to your breaking point at times? I can tell you what we do and I hope it will help. After writing the "There's No Handbook" post, I did some of these things myself. I was having a challenging day when I wrote that and I needed to feel some joy. So here's what we do...I hope these will also help you.<br />
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<b>1. Focus on the Small Stuff. </b>Last Thursday I took Kirill to the opthamologist. These annual appointments are always a good time to think back because there's a whole year between them and I can really contrast and compare Kirill's progress. Last year, I had to take Greg with me to handle both boys in the waiting room, with eye drops, etc. Two years ago it took me, Greg, and the assistant to get eye drops in Kirill's eyes and keep Kirill contained. This year, because Kirill has learned to use an iPad with some independence, I took them alone. Kirill sat in a chair for almost the entire wait, quietly listening to books on the iPad. When it came time for drops, I didn't even hold him. He sat in the chair and I helped hold his eyes open for the nurse. That was it! It was so much easier than the past two years.<br />
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<b>2. Hire a babysitter.</b> We have a tight budget. But one thing we do not sacrifice is paying for a babysitter. Once a month, we try to go out alone. We also try to take individual girl trips and guy trips with our friends just to give ourselves small breaks. This doesn't happen often enough and we need to do better about making sure we do our date nights. So note to self: schedule date night for September.<br />
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<b>3. Ask for help.</b> Ok, I'm HORRIBLE at this. But, I am getting better. I have started just asking people for a little help when I need it. Can't carry everything across the football field at Clayton's practice AND get Kirill to walk to the sidelines? I ask random people headed in the same direction to help me carry stuff. Can't push the grocery store shopping cart to the car and get Kirill to walk out of the store and to the car? I get a store employee to help. Laundry taking over your house? Ask the babysitter to stick around and help you fold clothes. Even though it's nothing big...just asking for a little assistance sometimes makes a HUGE difference in the situation. I've never had anyone who wasn't glad to do those little things. We don't live in a world with a eleventy gabillion other people for nothing. Of course, always pay it forward too! Look for opportunities to make life a little easier for other people when you can!<br />
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<b>4. Talk to someone. </b>Most people have at least one person they can talk to when the going gets tough. Even if you have to pay someone to talk to them (I'm talking professional help here...there's no shame in it...I used to be a therapist and I have been to a therapist). Taking an hour out of your week or month to just sit and process your emotions can really shift your perspective. Just getting all those thoughts and feelings outside of your head is 90% of the battle.<br />
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<b>5. When all else fails, wine and chocolate. </b>Do I need to elaborate on this one? <br />
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I have more, but I'm really wanting to hear from you. Plus Kirill just ran in here naked so I need to go. What do YOU do to make it through the tough days? Leave a comment and let's start writing that handbook! </div>
Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-70769986362886277332013-09-04T10:53:00.001-07:002013-09-04T11:13:48.398-07:00There's No Handbook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I read <a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/09/03/the-truth-about-adoption-two-years-later">this post</a> by Jen Hatmaker yesterday and it resonated loudly with me and about eleventy billion other adoptive moms judging from my FB newsfeed. I love it when people are real and honest. I love it when they don't just blog about what a joy every bless-ed little thing is and admit that life often kicks their butts. </div>
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I've had all these thoughts rolling around in my head for a while but I didn't really want to let them come out because I didn't want to scare people away from adoption. But I think it's more important to be honest because I know there MUST be others out there in the same boat. I'm here today to tell you that over two years into our adoption of Kirill, we are still barely day-to-day surviving. Yep, you read that right. Life is not what it appears on my Instagram account. You heard it here...first-hand.</div>
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Wanna know what real life looks like in the Davis fam? Here's a precious story for you...</div>
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Saturday night we watched the Alabama game with friends. Going to friends' houses with Kirill is stressful. No matter how welcoming and gracious the environment, it's still impossible to relax because of <strike>every single thing Kirill does</strike> Kirill's water obsession. We never know when he's going to wander off to the bathroom, strip naked, run water, and (if we're <i>really</i> lucky) poop in their tub. Or he might decide to walk around the house and dump every beverage onto himself and the floor. Or my personal favorite, he might dump water all over someone else because he loves the way it feels, so why wouldn't everyone like that feeling? </div>
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Anyway, I took Kirill outside at halftime in hopes that he might burn off some energy, come inside, & watch a movie, so we could actually watch the second half of the game. Of course as soon as we went outside, the sprinklers came on and he made a beeline for them because...duh...it's water. Before I could catch him he was sitting on top of a sprinkler head, completely soaked, laughing hysterically. This resulted in Greg and I getting into an argument and leaving early. There's a lot of stuff I'm leaving out here, but just know that we have pretty gracious friends who love us in spite of how we behave around them. </div>
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After we got home, put the kids to bed, and talked things out, Greg said the most profound thing. THERE'S NO HANDBOOK. Now I realize there's the Bible...and it's the handbook for life...but you know what I mean. There's no Karen Purvis-authored handbook outlining how to parent a post-institutionalized child from another country with Down Syndrome. There's nothing like that out there for us folks. I can assure you, I've done my research. I'd love to put together something for us...but I don't have time or energy because I'm cleaning poop out of bathtubs and trying NOT to turn to crack cocaine to make it through the day (this is sarcasm...please don't call CPS). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't believe there's an Idiot's Guide to Adoption y'all.</td></tr>
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One of my dear friends just moved to Tuscaloosa. She's one of the few people in my life that I feel this unexplainable spiritual connection with...she totally "gets" me and all my crazy. So on Sunday, I went over to <strike>help her unpack</strike> <strike>escape the asylum</strike> sit on her couch and drink iced coffee for three hours. During that time, we start talking about life since Kirill came home. She looked and me and said, "Is there anyone that has gone through what you've gone through with Kirill? I mean, is there anyone that has adopted a child like him that you can just call or talk to when you need it?" It hit me...no, there is not. </div>
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If I'm being completely honest, these last two years have been lonely. I'd love to be able to call up a fellow adoptive mom and discuss how to parent my child. But I have no idea who I would call. It's not that other families haven't adopted children with complex special needs from hard places. I just don't hear a lot of them talking frankly about their struggles. Or if they do, they live in a land far, far away (like Kansas) and I can't just pop over to Starbucks and chat with them. Or maybe even if they lived right next door, we'd both be too busy cleaning poop to ever get away.</div>
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I know I'm not alone. So I want you to hear me right now. If you've adopted a child from a hard place with complex special needs...and you're wondering if it will EVER get better...YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I understand that it feels super duper lonely. It stinks that there's no Karen Purvis book for us. But, I still have hope. I still trust that God is sovereign in our lives and he's not left us alone. And we ARE surviving...even if it's barely surviving with thoughts of turning to crack cocaine (again, sarcasm...please do not call CPS). And maybe, someday, when our kids learn that poop belongs in the potty, we can write that handbook together. </div>
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Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-9566154026147216842011-06-28T21:05:00.000-07:002013-08-29T05:59:09.306-07:00COMPLETE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After 2 years, hundreds of documents, thousands of tears, and millions of prayers, I can finally say...OUR ADOPTION OF KIRILL IS COMPLETE!</div>
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We feel incredibly blessed by God's addition of Kirill to our family. </div>
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We understand God's love for us more fully because of this difficult road we travelled to bring Kirill home. </div>
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We realize we could not have done it alone.</div>
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We are SO THANKFUL for the outpouring of support through words, thoughts, acts of kindness, and most importantly, PRAYER.</div>
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If you've followed our journey from the beginning, you know that we have grown increasingly passionate about orphan care during our adoption process.</div>
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I can think of no better way to end this blog than to put out a plea for the millions of other children just like Kirill that do not have most basic human right...the love of a family.</div>
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As we were saying good-bye to our wonderful Russian staff on Kirill's gotcha day, I will never forget our facilitator's parting words to us. With tears in her eyes she said, "You have a blog. Please put on your blog that there are other children here who need families."</div>
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This request was humbling and amazing to us. Our Russian staff had been working so hard on our behalf. They lost sleep and put in long hours to help us fight for our precious son. I know their jobs were so very difficult. Yet they want to keep fighting for these children who are not valued by their society to have famlies. I cannot tell you how much these people mean to us. They are truly the Rosa Parks of their society, fighting for the rights of those that cannot fight for themselves.</div>
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And they are winning.</div>
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NO, GOD IS WINNING.</div>
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I am fully convinced that Satan tries to keep people from adopting orphans because he KNOWS that through adoption, you will come to know God's love for you more fully than you have ever known his love before. I can also tell you that when you choose to adopt, God will teach you things that he cannot teach you any other way than through the adoption process.</div>
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So don't miss out.</div>
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Adopt.</div>
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There are 147 million chances waiting to show you the love that God has for you.</div>
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And if you are afraid or if you have excuses, tell them to God and then listen for his reply. Search scripture. Ask him to help you understand his heart. Then remember his promises...</div>
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Joshua 1:9</div>
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"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."</div>
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Phil 1:6</div>
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"For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it COMPLETE until the day Christ returns."</div>
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Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-54676258003336126712011-06-21T07:16:00.000-07:002011-06-21T07:16:05.727-07:00Decisions, DecisionsNow that Kirill's adoption is complete, I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with this blog. I had always intended to just stop posting here and post more on our family blog once Kirill was home. But I never really expected to have so many readers either! My other blog, the one I started 6 years ago (<a href="http://www.minivansandmomjeans.blogspot.com/">Minivans and Mom Jeans</a>...you should check it out!) has been woefully neglected since we started the adoption process two years ago. But, I love that blog because it's got so much of our family history on it AND it's where I did more creative writing for so long. Our Eyes Opened has a more serious tone. I'm thinking I can combine the two and share both philosophical posts AND the <s>hilarious & exaggerated</s> stories of our family life.<br />
<br />
I do not have time to keep up two blogs. (Who am I kidding? I haven't been keeping up two blogs as it is!)<br />
<br />
I don't really want to close Minivans.<br />
<br />
But most of you all started reading here.<br />
<br />
Will you follow me if I stop posting here?<br />
<br />
What to do?<br />
<br />
I'm going to leave it up to you!<br />
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There's a poll if you look to the right---><br />
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Cast your vote! Because I'm not good with decisions. And my brain is full right now. So tell me what to do!Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-43023296623531450622011-06-15T06:52:00.000-07:002011-06-15T06:52:22.287-07:00Adjustment & Attachment<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">Below you will find a letter we had prepared to send out to family & friends back in March when we thought we were bringing Kirill home. After we were denied his adoption in his regional court, we didn't send out the letter. Since we were all a little caught off guard by his homecoming after our supreme court hearing, we are just now sharing this with everyone. It is very apparent now more than ever that the plans we had for Kirill's adjustment be followed. We are all doing fine, but we just cannot have a lot of excitement right now. Quiet and calm are our friends. :) I will share on here our day to day, so I hope you will follow along and understand if I don't respond to every email, phone call, or comment right now. I do read them and appreciate them more than you will ever know. But if I responded to everything, I would not have any time for Clayton and Kirill. Things will settle down eventually and I hope to be able to be more responsive after we are all adjusted to the big changes in our lives! Thank you again so much for your continued prayers and support. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">Dear Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">As we get ready to embark on one of the most exciting events in our lives, we are thinking a lot about the people around us and how much our lives are going to change. Family and friends are so very important to us and we cannot wait for Kirill to share in the blessing of a relationship with each one of you. We feel that God has worked through you all to give us love, support, and encouragement during our adoption process. You have prayed, cried, and shared in our excitement; truly you have been Christ to us. We appreciate you more than we can ever express in words.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">We’re thrilled about bringing Kirill home! We’ve done a lot of reading, research, and asked a lot of other adoptive parents about this process and we feel as prepared as we can be to help Kirill become a member of our family and community.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">There are some things about adoptive parenting that are the same as parenting a biological child. There are also quite a few areas that we have learned are different. Through our adoption agency, the UAB International Adoption Clinic, books, other adoptive parents, adoption social workers, psychologists and more, we have learned that Kirill needs a specific type of environment and parenting when he first comes home in order to feel safe & secure and to learn how to live successfully in our family.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">While we know that every child is different, we also understand that there are many possible things that will impact Kirill’s beliefs and behavior when he gets home. These include how much nurturing Kirill received, if there was abuse or neglect, the amount and quality of the food he received, illnesses, the quality of care and his unique temperament and personality. The result of these variables can include behavioral issues, emotional disorders and a sense of grief and loss from being separated from the only home and caregivers Kirill has ever known. Adoption is a traumatic and scary event for a child, whether they are newborn or 10 years old. Kirill is being removed from all of his routines and familiar surroundings. If you have children, you can imagine plucking them out of your family and into a totally different home in a different country. Anyone would feel grief and sadness at an event like this. So in order to help Kirill feel safe and learn that we are his parents, we will be creating the type of environment that will help promote security for him during this stressful time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">When Kirill gets home, at the recommendation of the experienced adoption professionals with whom we have been working, we need to implement specific parenting approaches to help encourage a strong, attached, emotionally healthy bond. Kirill needs to learn that we are the parents. He needs to feel nurtured and safe. He will not be used to having parents to love and care for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">Here are some things we will be doing for Kirill based on research and experience with other adopted children. We will be living a very quiet life with limited trips out and few visitors in for a little while. Social workers and psychologists tell us that when children are first brought into the adoptive home, they often feel overwhelmed, scared, and nervous. By keeping our lives very boring at first, we will be helping Kirill feel safe. This does NOT mean we do not want visitors coming to meet Kirill for the first time. We will just have to limit it a little so that it is not overwhelming. Please feel free to call us and ask to come visit! We just want you to understand that if we have to limit visitors it is not because we want you to stay away. On the contrary, we need your support and encouragement during this time! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">I know a number of people are planning to meet us at the airport when we arrive home. That will be wonderful and touching for us to see so many familiar and supportive faces when we arrive. We do not want family and friends to stay away from us. We just can’t pass Kirill around for everyone to hold a lot and we will have to be mindful of overloading him with new things and people. We know you will want to hug, kiss, and help spoil Kirill, but it is recommended that we be the only ones to do that at first to improve his chances of attaching strongly to us. Until we feel that Kirill has attached and clearly knows that we are his parents, we will need to feed, change, and take care of him. We know that it may feel disappointing to some of you because you have shared in our excitement of meeting Kirill. I bet you’re especially disappointed about missing out on the diaper changes. Have no fear; there will be many more once he becomes comfortable at home. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">As strange as it may seem, adopted children who act very outgoing and affectionate with strangers is not a healthy thing. It is called “indiscriminate affection” and can mean that they haven’t really attached to anyone. It would not be a good sign that Kirill is attached to us if during his first months home he will let just anyone take him and hold him without searching for us. For certain, it going to be a weird and wonderful experience for us. We are so excited and we can’t wait to bring Kirill home so you can all see him and get to know him. Things are just a little different when you are adopting a child rather than having a biological child. He will be adapting to a lot of new things…new parents, new brother, new home, new foods, new time zone (totally opposite of everything he is used to). That’s a lot to swallow at one time. Although we cannot predict how long it will take Kirill to adjust to our home, we feel confident that by implementing some specific parenting approaches it will happen more quickly than if we did not implement those approaches.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">We appreciate your time and understanding in reading this. We are giving you this letter because you are very important to us, and we know you will be to Kirill as well. We want you to understand how dedicated and committed we are to helping Kirill adjust and adapt as smoothly as possible during this stressful time in his life. We feel confident that everything will smooth out quickly and we will be on a more normal schedule! Thank you again for your continued prayers, love, and encouragement. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">In Him,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">Greg & Tesney<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-78517835807397232812011-06-13T04:32:00.000-07:002011-06-13T07:30:11.852-07:00Kirill's Miracle Story: The Final InstallmentAfter we got Kirill, Greg and our Russian staff went to pick up his passport and complete some additional paperwork. We thought it would take about an hour or maybe two, but like everything else in this adoption, nothing was easy! :) When Greg got to the bank to do the paperwork, there was a paper missing that was left back in Pechory (an hour drive from Pskov). So Greg and our staff had to drive there and back, meet with the bank, pick up the passport, and be back at the hotel by 5 p.m. so we could catch our overnight train that left at 6:30 p.m. YIKES! Once again, God was faithful and Greg got it all done just in time for us to leave for the train station around 5:15 p.m.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Meanwhile, Kirill and I stayed back at the hotel and had some bonding time. The first thing I wanted to do (after hugging and kissing him excessively) was give him a proper bath. I undressed the little guy and just lost it. He was so painfully thin. I have never seen anything like it in real life. He was also covered in scabies. I called Greg and told him he had to pick up some scabies cream while they were out. </div><div><br />
</div><div>After his bath, I tried to dress him in some of the clothes we had bought. We had purchased 2T's and it was apparent that he was going to need 12 month clothes. I cinched up the waist of a pair of shorts as tight as they would go and made them work. He had to wear them the rest of the trip because all of the other pants and shorts we bought were so big they would fall to the ground when he stood up. Keep in mind he turned 5 years old in May. He wouldn't drink much but he ate all day long. Our Russian facilitator had made us a home-cooked meat pie and Kirill LOVED it! He ate half of it by himself over the course of the day. I was worried about him not drinking though; he was obviously dehydrated and needed fluids. I gave him lots of "juicy" foods...applesauce, yogurt, oranges...to get some fluids into his system.</div><div><br />
</div><div>When Greg got back to the hotel, I slathered scabies cream all over him. Then, we grabbed our bags and headed to the train station. As we left the hotel, we had to say goodbye to our Russian staff. We have grown to love them so much. It was really hard to say goodbye, not knowing when we would see them again. I cannot explain how much they mean to us; they fought so hard to help us bring Kirill home. I would HIGHLY recommend our adoption agency, Creative Adoptions, to anyone thinking of international adoption. </div><div><br />
</div><div>We boarded the train and had sleeping compartment to ourselves. No sketchy knife guys this time! We all ate supper and then we tried to lay Kirill down to sleep. He kept rocking and moaning restlessly. We have since learned that he does this when he's fighting sleep. Finally, around 10:30 p.m., Greg sat on the floor next to his bed and started praying. He said, "God, you know how to speak so that he understands. Please give him peace that he is safe and let him rest." Within seconds, he was asleep.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRba7NWftlFhuA8hlIe_Ttqg6eSoqLIYBaFyFIE9xD2spjUof8XZ_uzTLGvIEFnGhbYSQ6KczCxbuTQSFa8ihDguJwitjajzSXu0hu1IxqAeWA-F0fzJkuoN8tQuDdC60Yfv4W02gKtzz/s1600/IMG_0406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRba7NWftlFhuA8hlIe_Ttqg6eSoqLIYBaFyFIE9xD2spjUof8XZ_uzTLGvIEFnGhbYSQ6KczCxbuTQSFa8ihDguJwitjajzSXu0hu1IxqAeWA-F0fzJkuoN8tQuDdC60Yfv4W02gKtzz/s320/IMG_0406.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating meat pie on the train</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We arrived in Moscow the next morning and our facilitator there took us to our hotel. The U.S. Embassy doctor came to do Kirill's medical exam. He told us K weighed 22 lbs. and that he was concerned about his malnourished state. I showed him that he was eating and had started drinking a little more. He told us that his heart sounded good. He also said the scabies cream we used wasn't very strong and gave us the name of a spray to use instead. The whole exam lasted about two minutes. He signed off on his part of the Embassy paperwork and wished us luck.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Our translator came to the hotel to help us with our Embassy paperwork. She took it ahead of us to the Embassy to make sure we had everything in order for our appointment. We headed to our Embassy appointment at 11:30. They had agreed to expedite our paperwork. We went to the front of every line and were in and out in 45 minutes. It was the fastest, smoothest part of the adoption by far! Ha!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now here's the funny part. I had not had a true come-apart yet on this trip. I had tearful moments, but nothing like what happened in the U.S. Embassy. We were standing in line to pay for Kirill's visa and the emotions overwhelmed me. I have no idea why it happened at that moment. There wasn't really a trigger. I looked at Greg and said, "I'm about to lose it," and then burst into tears. You might think it was about K becoming a citizen of the U.S. But it had nothing to do with that. I'm really glad he's a U.S. citizen since that is where we live, but we are not citizens of the world so I don't really get emotional about the borders in which people reside. I think we were just quiet and still in that line and I finally had a chance to just let the emotions envelop me.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We left the Embassy and went back to the hotel. We rested for a few minutes and then headed to Red Square to take pics of K in his home country. We also stopped a the pharmacy for scabies spray. While we were there, the pharmacist was so sweet to Kirill. We were so refreshed by her kind gestures. We had been getting stares from people on the streets. Nobody was rude to us; I think people were just curious to see a child with disabilities in public. You just don't see people with disabilities our in public in Russia. But we believe this will change; we met many Russian people who gave us hope that the attitudes there are changing.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGgIhgdbNmU5N0P7O3FcrEufIIDTTo51JVkPVCb8dUVApUhUAqXE_wBZCfsCH5GyCzleLIr7a6VstmVNbfCdugZwuvU558LfCD2H-ZAJVmw8h6h9HeNMVQkKzA1h86bZW6EeHWQqFDHNt/s1600/IMG_0437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGgIhgdbNmU5N0P7O3FcrEufIIDTTo51JVkPVCb8dUVApUhUAqXE_wBZCfsCH5GyCzleLIr7a6VstmVNbfCdugZwuvU558LfCD2H-ZAJVmw8h6h9HeNMVQkKzA1h86bZW6EeHWQqFDHNt/s320/IMG_0437.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
</div><div>Our last night in Russia was very bittersweet. We went to eat dinner with our American friends who graciously hosted us for over a week during our wait to pick up Kirill. It was a perfect way to end our time in Russia.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwOur9Eip5YKkVSUtGYcTXrjf2pf5bYVz7z4gkA8pmoaNMHcSgN_TjgfRLeMZ9uAF1H87XeNSKj1XQ7rU44R-i9cjh6O07jPnkLFhxuNueCE879tFRb2CVRR4kDXl17Oc2DiMNk6eAIP3/s1600/IMG_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwOur9Eip5YKkVSUtGYcTXrjf2pf5bYVz7z4gkA8pmoaNMHcSgN_TjgfRLeMZ9uAF1H87XeNSKj1XQ7rU44R-i9cjh6O07jPnkLFhxuNueCE879tFRb2CVRR4kDXl17Oc2DiMNk6eAIP3/s320/IMG_0454.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg, Kirill, Rich H., me, Emily H., Nicole D. and Max D. (not pictured...Rob D. and Caiden D.)...our American friends!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeObh5LcANVtfJAHYShm56Ero9haYd1DP8fVU5GHPIPfCEISrQ2SmvPLiJ95ke8Yvg5tpu07c8SD6yS3MbhHyug4hz7wNAdR7HdITaaF_oJsIc6tdKK_Bbtyld5zBRy98jgza6pQaoc_TL/s1600/100_1636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeObh5LcANVtfJAHYShm56Ero9haYd1DP8fVU5GHPIPfCEISrQ2SmvPLiJ95ke8Yvg5tpu07c8SD6yS3MbhHyug4hz7wNAdR7HdITaaF_oJsIc6tdKK_Bbtyld5zBRy98jgza6pQaoc_TL/s320/100_1636.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caiden D., Rob D., Greg, Kirill, me, Nicole D. and Max D....our gracious hosts!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The next morning we went to the airport and headed home! We checked into our flight and settled in on the plane for the LONG (12 hour) flight. We met some really sweet people on our flight who were returning from a 5- year missionary stint in Russia. Believe it or not, one of them had a child with DS! We also met a separate group of people returning from a mission trip. We had a lot of time to visit with them because Kirill didn't sleep the entire flight.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSD_yhuAbVlb8p2iMTNFW40lyxjPxffXdkPRvdD3DKIT_GPNH6EJxmJrxpoEgIhaR4x1UmshyphenhyphenXXpFWa14O52bRrVz4YUm5zzFZv4SWKi2M8TZ_Bmk4VkrHmt2In5p2beHJ9RkgeeXEI-q/s1600/IMG_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSD_yhuAbVlb8p2iMTNFW40lyxjPxffXdkPRvdD3DKIT_GPNH6EJxmJrxpoEgIhaR4x1UmshyphenhyphenXXpFWa14O52bRrVz4YUm5zzFZv4SWKi2M8TZ_Bmk4VkrHmt2In5p2beHJ9RkgeeXEI-q/s320/IMG_0456.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First plane ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div>In D.C., we were greeted by our adoption agency social worker, one of my DS mommy friends, and two of my college friends. We didn't have much time with them, but I was so happy they all came to meet us at the airport.</div><div><br />
</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25P4k5vv8QhG5W6ko0_gKcNUzdFF4inpHNdrsBztBE4KlQmg1WPB82JekBlbDtfzjxdVTVLWawQ3ZA-lmxnnn5fVY7z28qjFrOMmufOOdBv8yq51P0IVhozroKQ3eX_qbTgVdeJwU80CO/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25P4k5vv8QhG5W6ko0_gKcNUzdFF4inpHNdrsBztBE4KlQmg1WPB82JekBlbDtfzjxdVTVLWawQ3ZA-lmxnnn5fVY7z28qjFrOMmufOOdBv8yq51P0IVhozroKQ3eX_qbTgVdeJwU80CO/s320/IMG_0470.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew in D.C.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On our flight from D.C. to Chicago, Kirill still didn't sleep and we were all getting irritable. It had been 24 hours since we woke up that morning in Moscow. Kirill finally passed out about an hour before we landed in Birmingham. Little stinker! </div><div><br />
</div><div>After two years, we were finally home. We were greeted at the airport by our family as we came out of the concourse first. Then a host of people were waiting in baggage. You've seen the video...and my ugly cry...lol! </div><div><br />
</div><div>So finally, this chapter of our adoption journey was over. I couldn't believe it. I still don't sometimes. I look at Kirill a hundred times a day and wonder if he's really here or if it is a dream. Our God is so good, so faithful!</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">PSALM 138</span></div><div><div class="poet1-vn-sp" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 12px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-1.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">1</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">I give you thanks, O L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">, with all my heart;</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">I will sing your praises before the gods.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-2.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">2</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;</span></div><div class="poet1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 25px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">for your promises are backed</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">by all the honor of your name.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-3.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">3</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">As soon as I pray, you answer me;</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">you encourage me by giving me strength.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn-sp" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 12px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-4.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">4</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Every king in all the earth will thank you, L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">,</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">for all of them will hear your words.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-5.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">5</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Yes, they will sing about the L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">’s ways,</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">for the glory of the L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> is very great.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-6.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">6</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Though the L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> is great, he cares for the humble,</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">but he keeps his distance from the proud.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn-sp" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 12px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-7.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">7</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Though I am surrounded by troubles,</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.</span></div><div class="poet1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 25px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">You reach out your hand,</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">and the power of your right hand saves me.</span></div><div class="poet1-vn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="reftext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/138-8.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">8</span></b></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">The L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> will work out his plans for my life—</span></div><div class="poet2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">for your faithful love, O L</span><span class="smallcaps" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ORD</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">, endures forever.</span></div><div class="poet2" style="color: #001320; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 55px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Don’t abandon me, for you made me.</span></div></div>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-51260379393256878182011-06-12T03:59:00.000-07:002011-06-12T03:59:21.164-07:00Rewind: Kirill's Miracle Story, Part 3Before we left Russia, in the midst of all the craziness of trying to get things in order to bring Kirill home, I wanted to post some short picture-posts of our day-to-day and the things we did before I told part 3 of K's story. I knew if I didn't, I'd forget! I think there will be one more installment because I'm so long-winded. I just don't want to forget the details of this amazing journey!<br />
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I think I left off with us waiting for the court decree. We were told that according to Russian law, the Supreme Court had 5 days to prepare the decree. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Until Day 7. Timeframes are merely a suggestion in Russia. If you're reading this blog and you're early in the process of adopting from Russia, please go ahead and wrap your mind around that fact. :) Our facilitator called every day to check on the status of the decree, and everyday he would tell us, "Maybe it will be done tomorrow. We will hope for the best." Now we have learned that "We will hope for the best" from our facilitator (who is a wonderful man) really means, "I don't know." Again, the Russian way is so much different from the American way. This is neither good nor bad, just different. Russians do not get their panties in a wad about things they have no control over...they just "hope for the best."<br />
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We started to get worried when there was no decree after the fifth day. I felt uneasy until we had that piece of paper declaring Kirill was legally ours. We had so much disappointment in the course of our adoption; things that were not only unfair but also things that went against international adoption law happened to us and so I had a hard time trusting anything anyone said. In my mind, even a ruling from the Supreme Court might be changed somehow. During those days I had a lot of anxiety and didn't sleep very well. God used that to help me pray to him more, seek his peace, and trust him more deeply.<br />
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After the sixth day, panic increased because our visas were going to expire on June 10th. We had to get Kirill, get his paperwork processed in Pskov and Moscow, and get out of the country before our visas expired. If the decree didn't come through on the next day, there was no way we would be able to get out of the country in time, even with expediting our U.S. Embassy paperwork.<br />
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We prayed and prayed that God would move the judge to finish the decree. We were advised not to pressure him too much because that could make him take longer just to exercise control. It's a frustrating place to be, trying to gently persuade yet not pressure....when you really just want to go camp out at the supreme court building with signs and loudspeakers until they give you the decree.<br />
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On day 7, our facilitator called and said, "I think the decree will be ready today at 5 p.m. Or tomorrow. But we will hope for the best." LOL! I was beyond hoping for the best. So we packed up, not knowing if the decree would be ready, but if it was we had to immediately get on a train that left at 6:30 p.m. for Pskove. We went to the courthouse at 5 p.m., frantically ran to meet the secretary who brought down the decree, got back into the car, sped to the train station in 5 o'clock Moscow traffic, only to find there were no train tickets left.<br />
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WOMP, WOMP, WOMP.<br />
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Now it's funny, but at the time I was about to burst into tears. We HAD to be in Pskov on Friday morning because we needed to get Kirill's passport application in and pick up his birth certificate. The office that does birth certificates was going to be closed on Monday so if we didn't get to Pskov by Friday, we would not be able to get his birth certificate until Tuesday, which would mean there would be NO WAY we could get out of the country by the 10th.<br />
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We watched as our facilitator talked to the woman at the train ticket counter. He came back to us and told us that he would drive us if he had to, but that he was waiting to see if she could locate two tickets. Miraculously, she found two tickets together, but we would be sharing a sleeping compartment with two other people. I didn't care as long as we were on the train!<br />
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So we boarded the train and got settled into our lovely compartment with our two Russian "friends." One of the guys was nice, but the other one was NOT happy with sharing his compartment with "Americanskis". He kept chewing us out in Russian and every other word was "Americanskis!" The nice guy kept looking at the guy and rolling his eyes, kind of a signal of solidarity with us. Although we didn't speak each other's languages, no one had any trouble understanding the other. Greg and I just laid in our beds and read with headphones on while the angry Russian guy continued to spout angrily at us. It became funny at one point because he'd been going for about 45 minutes and we were not paying him any attention. He got frustrated with us not listening to him, so he started listening to music and singing over his headphones really loudly to annoy us. I guess he didn't realize that I've worked with kids and adolescents all my life, so that really doesn't bother me. I can tune out most anything. During the night, he got up to go to the bathroom or smoke, not sure which, and I noticed a knife in his bed. I motioned to Greg because if I was getting slashed in the middle of the night, I wanted to make sure he knew who did it. In the morning, as he was gathering his things, another knife fell out of his blanket. How many knives does one need on an overnight train to Pskov? Several apparently.<br />
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We got to Pskov unharmed and checked into the hotel. We had a couple of hours to shower and eat before our appointment to get Kirill's birth certificate. We found out that birth certificates are not issued on Fridays because they do marriages that day. But, our WONDERFUL facilitator had called and gotten special permission for us to get the birth certificate due to our circumstances and the fact that the office would be closed on Monday, as I mentioned earlier. We got the adoption certificate and birth certificate; an amazing moment. I cried as the woman read the certificates to us with Kirill's new name and our names listed as his parents.<br />
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We took these documents to the passport office to get Kirill's passport. There, I got to see his passport pictures, the first pictures I had seen of him since our visit in March. I was taking pictures of the pictures with my phone and the lady at the passport office was looking at me like I was crazy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eGxudCq6bxcSN-rk6wXzr_7CC3TtAFI0jTKrturoy_TH5-YswWpGnjCr1k2VK-W5Bw_l0hUf5HuAE7SOtJmeSc2qSH_AkKAljhJosrKtaH04Xv4Ux7nm2M3oUCtAsd6cDIjjJGO4r5Mj/s1600/Kirill%2527s+Passport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eGxudCq6bxcSN-rk6wXzr_7CC3TtAFI0jTKrturoy_TH5-YswWpGnjCr1k2VK-W5Bw_l0hUf5HuAE7SOtJmeSc2qSH_AkKAljhJosrKtaH04Xv4Ux7nm2M3oUCtAsd6cDIjjJGO4r5Mj/s320/Kirill%2527s+Passport.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest passport pictures ever!</td></tr>
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We found out that the orphanage director wouldn't be able to bring Kirill to us until Monday. They had an official state visitor that day, so we had to wait over the weekend. It was tough after all the waiting we had already done, but we rested and got to see a lot of Pskov, which is a beautiful city.<br />
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Monday morning we woke up and anxiously awaited Kirill's arrival. It was such a wonderful reunion. I'll let the video do the talking!<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m3txfKsLncM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Stay tuned, Part 4, the final installment, coming soon!Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-67508694681386364942011-06-11T02:14:00.000-07:002011-06-11T02:14:34.374-07:00Welcome Home Kirill<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9SnM_QyYnZU?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-20221854474504109532011-06-09T13:45:00.000-07:002011-06-09T13:45:25.203-07:00WE'RE HOME!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJU17jbygAGWdgAefHrn5q95IpDw1luDRArz64GcVCzHQmxEBxkZJ_Vkq9i0DsU63L9F2g9eanZFerKYzVKf-4CW3OFyskdYbl1QpGgGxTItPHLzRGVpLsiZKXjeeILg_YvCOkweITY3Y/s1600/IMG_0477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJU17jbygAGWdgAefHrn5q95IpDw1luDRArz64GcVCzHQmxEBxkZJ_Vkq9i0DsU63L9F2g9eanZFerKYzVKf-4CW3OFyskdYbl1QpGgGxTItPHLzRGVpLsiZKXjeeILg_YvCOkweITY3Y/s320/IMG_0477.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I think this picture says it all! </div>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com91tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-18236537176833016022011-06-06T21:19:00.000-07:002011-06-06T21:20:28.169-07:00Kirill Says Hi!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SmNUaavsKno?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-56557981778797418202011-06-06T21:17:00.000-07:002011-06-06T21:19:11.469-07:00GOTCHA DAY!Just arrived in Moscow on the overnight train and have a very short time to blog. Gotcha Day was crazy! I will tell the story later...we had some hiccups in our plans after we got Kirill. Nothing major, but had to chase papers in Pskov and do a lot of running around!<br />
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We are getting ready to go to the U.S. Embassy for Kirill's visa. The doctor just came to examine him in our hotel. He is extremely malnourished. The doctor was very concerned about how thin he is, but said otherwise he looks ok. He could not hear any issues with his heart by listening, but said we needed to get him to a cardiologist as soon as possible to make sure that the hole in his heart has closed on its own.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBmi1KAMWMX3ZKO3f-WivFTLwIhCjqIVpG50fmMz_YXTIXuM0yqDq8URHUe98SmawNVJasfFFMo_mIRYtoea_PyUR2bMYGtEkUUSdkijSx1-WH_492UPa6p6reNvj3uRsNKTThI4tQ8GV/s1600/110_6174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBmi1KAMWMX3ZKO3f-WivFTLwIhCjqIVpG50fmMz_YXTIXuM0yqDq8URHUe98SmawNVJasfFFMo_mIRYtoea_PyUR2bMYGtEkUUSdkijSx1-WH_492UPa6p6reNvj3uRsNKTThI4tQ8GV/s320/110_6174.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After bath in the hotel room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWeEWyOrCx89Pu9SsNGdcEDrLjRJKs2g7WFzKMwOMPwvJqn3Ip-E16WXrV-D9sM3C0mkVXUmQjVGnIWV9LV1JrV5ig_XQ2NgJ7W-IX0FvyMhtKZhFhN4izQnqvLUQzwofGq2Ia_LWjaP_/s1600/IMG_0364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWeEWyOrCx89Pu9SsNGdcEDrLjRJKs2g7WFzKMwOMPwvJqn3Ip-E16WXrV-D9sM3C0mkVXUmQjVGnIWV9LV1JrV5ig_XQ2NgJ7W-IX0FvyMhtKZhFhN4izQnqvLUQzwofGq2Ia_LWjaP_/s320/IMG_0364.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotcha!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDRxLAjpK5krSMRbwLo2O8ftR5-zOSoMK7eRySOGlwJKuduYpKD7BGhAZL5p6w94Y5a-3cLdLTSSDYGWTejrPVamP4i3YUgUhIWSXRzYZGrPDjZHBr6KSkatWKCmmjJTpI-KfeNe_rP8E/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDRxLAjpK5krSMRbwLo2O8ftR5-zOSoMK7eRySOGlwJKuduYpKD7BGhAZL5p6w94Y5a-3cLdLTSSDYGWTejrPVamP4i3YUgUhIWSXRzYZGrPDjZHBr6KSkatWKCmmjJTpI-KfeNe_rP8E/s320/IMG_0373.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So you're my daddy?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazLiVDRioRYNlrgNDuREujYm-NOSkPkflqrvGMwmZeOAiRhyphenhyphenPQbcH8WN7mkuM1EvAHQYFh77kzIWtvvJI6VulWeM5eGHbNtXD5OgB-xBsEhjiLXKvVyItbJSbDQMSD6na-X00zD3MLf2v/s1600/IMG_0394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazLiVDRioRYNlrgNDuREujYm-NOSkPkflqrvGMwmZeOAiRhyphenhyphenPQbcH8WN7mkuM1EvAHQYFh77kzIWtvvJI6VulWeM5eGHbNtXD5OgB-xBsEhjiLXKvVyItbJSbDQMSD6na-X00zD3MLf2v/s320/IMG_0394.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enough with the camera already! I'm trying to eat!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>He is eating very well though. He LOVES bananas and pretty much any food! He doesn't like to drink much. We have tried every kind of cup and liquid we can think of. This is worrying me a little. I know he is dehydrated because he doesn't pee very often. He only had one wet diaper all day yesterday.<br />
<br />
Ok, I've got to run. Please pray for our precious Kirill. He is going to need so much. We are so thankful we got him out of the orphanage when we did. We cannot wait to get him home and fatten him up.Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-55002199979283833172011-06-05T12:53:00.000-07:002011-06-05T12:53:11.892-07:00Passing the Time in RussiaThis trip started as a 5-day short trip to Russia. We are now on day 16! We are not complaining at all...but don't be surprised if I have a ceremonial burning for the 1 dress, 4 shirts and 2 pair of pants I brought. I keep reminding myself that there are many people in this world who would consider that an extensive wardrobe. We are so spoiled. <div><br />
</div><div>So you may be wondering how we've passed the last 13 days of waiting. There is no shortage of things to do in Russia! But first, you have to have a fabulous American family invite you to stay with them because they have all the good tips. :) What? You don't accept email invites to stay with complete strangers? Well, that's how we roll around here. We were SO BLESSED to have an American couple contact us and offer to allow us to stay at their apartment while we were in Moscow. If you've never priced hotels in Moscow, lemme tell ya...it ain't cheap. You can easily drop $200/night on a very modest hotel a good ways from the downtown area. The closer you get to Red Square, the more expensive it gets. So we took the American family up on their offer and we are so thankful we did! Not only did they give us an awesome place to stay, but we made new friends that will forever be a cherished part of Kirill's story and our lives. I just can't express how much they mean to us now!</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H-vqQJCB6L9SVRk6MDF6INozxrfIg45f9VqvaFTRs7dmbjkx5BPqW471o5axj3TnutzWiCG4ZVUR1C13g0xjxZDB-Xpe6ptBnDeFGS-OJrwWIwTMJtTIg2JpfvGmMtG7Iq4ZQ9Q7AaFF/s1600/IMG_0178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H-vqQJCB6L9SVRk6MDF6INozxrfIg45f9VqvaFTRs7dmbjkx5BPqW471o5axj3TnutzWiCG4ZVUR1C13g0xjxZDB-Xpe6ptBnDeFGS-OJrwWIwTMJtTIg2JpfvGmMtG7Iq4ZQ9Q7AaFF/s320/IMG_0178.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends' apartment in Moscow where we stayed</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>Like I said, if you find an awesome family, they can tell you lots of great places to visit and eat without breaking the bank. But if you don't happen to know an awesome family in Moscow, here are my suggestions:</div><div><br />
</div><div>You could visit St. Basil's...no, wait...you SHOULD visit St. Basil's and tour the inside:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MlryG5hkxkQ6zRUvf4zDmC9MAMo6tqaIY-BaDoZ-ehzSYc51K-nkIDzYs4qjaCWDg4FfX8cKYlzEZK4R_vb7eesJ3xdoQAdq7cygrC6Sv_vgwvwK-V84UPoWfrP_1lAIquOu26FYlp1E/s1600/IMG_0094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MlryG5hkxkQ6zRUvf4zDmC9MAMo6tqaIY-BaDoZ-ehzSYc51K-nkIDzYs4qjaCWDg4FfX8cKYlzEZK4R_vb7eesJ3xdoQAdq7cygrC6Sv_vgwvwK-V84UPoWfrP_1lAIquOu26FYlp1E/s320/IMG_0094.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiKeLqROoj3jObcHk4DtJ9nPXlQ1GL5ZZKIe1EjuvftsyHbr02kezfTzvHNNFHvekSAWXlzgkyRJt2KY2zo-EQ_ipPVXbaaqc9ogE_15c8Q8ZSsqzm5DdekxHJbVueM0s2qM3rn__HYfT/s1600/IMG_0581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiKeLqROoj3jObcHk4DtJ9nPXlQ1GL5ZZKIe1EjuvftsyHbr02kezfTzvHNNFHvekSAWXlzgkyRJt2KY2zo-EQ_ipPVXbaaqc9ogE_15c8Q8ZSsqzm5DdekxHJbVueM0s2qM3rn__HYfT/s320/IMG_0581.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mGEr5i7PpGX9w8T8611HtVwrbxo55XI6DBh0uabIHv6VvtoRlWRirde68KX3-8ZMCEvGP2gI4g-cOE1VEBthgMjyvCFup3lavP6VvnHNCradHlp-1q5bC3vVQlE8WwSiPxzZM9bZ1wCd/s1600/IMG_0583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mGEr5i7PpGX9w8T8611HtVwrbxo55XI6DBh0uabIHv6VvtoRlWRirde68KX3-8ZMCEvGP2gI4g-cOE1VEBthgMjyvCFup3lavP6VvnHNCradHlp-1q5bC3vVQlE8WwSiPxzZM9bZ1wCd/s320/IMG_0583.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pG6Vmqdihc-rKues-BUPQPbAZX3W2A48VAn4Orne-3OO9G_BN0DkJnRKeHKWfiiWu0GHEDYIpc0Di5c5p_-pVGwey1nUZaXjpZpEjXh18L0sk-Bhj0GL4ur0XgQxgSVLRMUOFL-s44lu/s1600/IMG_0585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pG6Vmqdihc-rKues-BUPQPbAZX3W2A48VAn4Orne-3OO9G_BN0DkJnRKeHKWfiiWu0GHEDYIpc0Di5c5p_-pVGwey1nUZaXjpZpEjXh18L0sk-Bhj0GL4ur0XgQxgSVLRMUOFL-s44lu/s320/IMG_0585.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6ki6FS1Xf7yugIRVTF2eujwwz-key-5WjS8QVHfrC68wih0_NMdh_VpUQxbqb2cCaKOMRalBFSGT-yZaIWB6vWf7tNNa1y5uPTgmX8lWayUxgZUZaKi1B1tDkPTv6Ogop8GGFT84S1Pu/s1600/IMG_0587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6ki6FS1Xf7yugIRVTF2eujwwz-key-5WjS8QVHfrC68wih0_NMdh_VpUQxbqb2cCaKOMRalBFSGT-yZaIWB6vWf7tNNa1y5uPTgmX8lWayUxgZUZaKi1B1tDkPTv6Ogop8GGFT84S1Pu/s320/IMG_0587.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Then, you could take a tour of the Metro Stations...because they are like mini-museums:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XU6rkTNN4srkF5-l9jfyseDqr8dDfn9nRRuKgF8tA32RQUvIKzi7SZ2eJFFjbMqRsesfiJ-1_q9ww0L7a-EC0lf7QhOt2EwkGLXPwdpZkqjf6F1YrMqNAi3Mbffw4UBLRWgYUuhHb_pB/s1600/IMG_0172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XU6rkTNN4srkF5-l9jfyseDqr8dDfn9nRRuKgF8tA32RQUvIKzi7SZ2eJFFjbMqRsesfiJ-1_q9ww0L7a-EC0lf7QhOt2EwkGLXPwdpZkqjf6F1YrMqNAi3Mbffw4UBLRWgYUuhHb_pB/s320/IMG_0172.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg and I found this statue to be our favorite because granny is packing some major heat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3LoH0XpmSNmNXShvVotu3ibp6HL5T54iWujcZlRefOuptrz2suP3ndwsy0zaWl3ArWQFKn7TWKz6rtX39a_f0wvzvMcCvnk1fdLK_USmTxnqqEfWdgViHtMF29ic_dk4hwBKMDIDvnwg/s1600/IMG_0176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3LoH0XpmSNmNXShvVotu3ibp6HL5T54iWujcZlRefOuptrz2suP3ndwsy0zaWl3ArWQFKn7TWKz6rtX39a_f0wvzvMcCvnk1fdLK_USmTxnqqEfWdgViHtMF29ic_dk4hwBKMDIDvnwg/s320/IMG_0176.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside hall of a metro station...this one is actually kind of plain compared to some of the ones we saw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofPV7RiD8S06PgBQ3UJ7GB1q8RYtT9I0JgdleGvppn4svBWvaVC-TFUyCxzHK0vEkMNzLW-8p0XYeI9rp5WlmiW1U8Zf0lqb2VqTZV_sgnq64_WGrE5gTM1UYax1ucTxPdlTRCnNWLQFj/s1600/IMG_0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofPV7RiD8S06PgBQ3UJ7GB1q8RYtT9I0JgdleGvppn4svBWvaVC-TFUyCxzHK0vEkMNzLW-8p0XYeI9rp5WlmiW1U8Zf0lqb2VqTZV_sgnq64_WGrE5gTM1UYax1ucTxPdlTRCnNWLQFj/s320/IMG_0233.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mass chaos that is the metro in Moscow<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, you have to go shopping:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqhAYJGIa_4wIvagKwYhVxvOKj1Akpf8HY6vTrg9TaES_x2_yRAq4kmGjbkpWXg8KnKCvqZI4VzeDMqbelvsYibz86CMvrPio5wwa1YXwMWl7facBMJUhWtMEO-FpXSJpTNVKCuHTjrhr/s1600/IMG_0173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqhAYJGIa_4wIvagKwYhVxvOKj1Akpf8HY6vTrg9TaES_x2_yRAq4kmGjbkpWXg8KnKCvqZI4VzeDMqbelvsYibz86CMvrPio5wwa1YXwMWl7facBMJUhWtMEO-FpXSJpTNVKCuHTjrhr/s320/IMG_0173.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Izmaylovo Market where they sell a lot of handmade things...and some complete crap as well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMgAubXbnp9uEXtr4oswlOHdCWJL_Vwlo1cNzlma4eb1lo9txpw528NTxDhKnfzAVJrt7mgGqBZZjlK5MvIbpvWqbgU_1KIXmOdWSPrbitpNCG1HLFw7bbVOvX6tK1Ic7SwtZm-LPzP-r/s1600/IMG_0603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMgAubXbnp9uEXtr4oswlOHdCWJL_Vwlo1cNzlma4eb1lo9txpw528NTxDhKnfzAVJrt7mgGqBZZjlK5MvIbpvWqbgU_1KIXmOdWSPrbitpNCG1HLFw7bbVOvX6tK1Ic7SwtZm-LPzP-r/s320/IMG_0603.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You might also need to find H&M to buy your new son some clothes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Are you hungry yet? If so, there are some good places to eat, contrary to popular belief:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-dWdoXvFMmRPgY2VMh7hvHtCFaXPlOp2v9SFQzAb3qly-dRKKAShO1q1AiEyi-Z0y7jlo7KNyASWl8rIW8HLu6J-gFqoXq8T8VCFYSHG3sh3XA7T60by0d7jtHePKeb2uhHZRYtopZ99/s1600/IMG_0589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-dWdoXvFMmRPgY2VMh7hvHtCFaXPlOp2v9SFQzAb3qly-dRKKAShO1q1AiEyi-Z0y7jlo7KNyASWl8rIW8HLu6J-gFqoXq8T8VCFYSHG3sh3XA7T60by0d7jtHePKeb2uhHZRYtopZ99/s320/IMG_0589.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey Cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAj4aKH1wMQMi1j1nEBhBRRjaMuOB6x-7mz74RsuqhFzOXsKsBI34CnOG2mY9jZFM7eRsvdmziI_l_0OONpC-7YcHCQ5ubCUheoH2mfkuaH3TarhN06zliKSHncPENqyOJf6b6MGCLk-x/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAj4aKH1wMQMi1j1nEBhBRRjaMuOB6x-7mz74RsuqhFzOXsKsBI34CnOG2mY9jZFM7eRsvdmziI_l_0OONpC-7YcHCQ5ubCUheoH2mfkuaH3TarhN06zliKSHncPENqyOJf6b6MGCLk-x/s320/IMG_0570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outdoor cafe near our hotel. Yay English menus!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0zhA80c2YvT_VvEi8rNoBP2khCM6kd6tyiy-96WeFV2PuimMnmaV82ewt4jMnAkEandKiIEFUt4X8lpCb7ISB_fFDSczbSjwbCy7AC0V4lNNE6ne7mUT_IiRYZbpmfydExvKwRj2m6IO/s1600/IMG_0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0zhA80c2YvT_VvEi8rNoBP2khCM6kd6tyiy-96WeFV2PuimMnmaV82ewt4jMnAkEandKiIEFUt4X8lpCb7ISB_fFDSczbSjwbCy7AC0V4lNNE6ne7mUT_IiRYZbpmfydExvKwRj2m6IO/s320/IMG_0221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese food with our new friends Inna and Dima. Inna translated our court documents! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVActA8bcItaxBTMmtxVSUsuu-b1jW1wFvNAxddyKZgDBfjzNIBv3ks3mZqhnPzwnKgEZSLs_BIe15nXkcfNEdPobnDPQgZNnBDmxDwGHZ5ux_kWfwh6VOOBFIFEl6nhY__QVOf5bLbNr/s1600/IMG_0568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVActA8bcItaxBTMmtxVSUsuu-b1jW1wFvNAxddyKZgDBfjzNIBv3ks3mZqhnPzwnKgEZSLs_BIe15nXkcfNEdPobnDPQgZNnBDmxDwGHZ5ux_kWfwh6VOOBFIFEl6nhY__QVOf5bLbNr/s320/IMG_0568.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stand where they sell a type of drink made from honey. The guy at the top is playing drums and the girl is dancing. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Make sure you see Red Square at night:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxVNo6cWzgq5SopXGbXhh36fjXNLGDt9d8peYvH_FnPZtTdnHiuK06xBAXTI6jKtrsmagx7_Xb-YrqLNcs1Cw75peOIqNuQaBG560Fq91wWBe9Z6BKC4QvLbxNVj71Pc33CCyXlpjqEQd/s1600/IMG_0153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxVNo6cWzgq5SopXGbXhh36fjXNLGDt9d8peYvH_FnPZtTdnHiuK06xBAXTI6jKtrsmagx7_Xb-YrqLNcs1Cw75peOIqNuQaBG560Fq91wWBe9Z6BKC4QvLbxNVj71Pc33CCyXlpjqEQd/s320/IMG_0153.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Take a walk by the river and play:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIeCzfla_qn2ACNXKD9qErZw-3O3OqJFzUItv68yWhJRaWikH_yIsYnc8ghLc_oozS4l2hZ6aX94K5wR-Ec9xIl29fp8r8zLlfpd0rv7QZPZDt_ahou8vKs7W5fFFKAcFbc0FXpwsVWk6/s1600/IMG_0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIeCzfla_qn2ACNXKD9qErZw-3O3OqJFzUItv68yWhJRaWikH_yIsYnc8ghLc_oozS4l2hZ6aX94K5wR-Ec9xIl29fp8r8zLlfpd0rv7QZPZDt_ahou8vKs7W5fFFKAcFbc0FXpwsVWk6/s320/IMG_0181.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sweet American friends!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOApMvEV0KWoAk_Akif2k5EvDXOKilUrIymsBlv2iOsRn5i9qOvEy_vr1g2eXGuEr45_ApVHSIQG-EYFmCtNduAbuzBpMS3R9gaVNV0Qqw-kL-Xv33QaP3z3pesuXcbtPH4-mM5gtIoGGA/s1600/IMG_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div><br />
<br />
Tour Sparrow Hills for a fabulous view and to see the University of Moscow:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOApMvEV0KWoAk_Akif2k5EvDXOKilUrIymsBlv2iOsRn5i9qOvEy_vr1g2eXGuEr45_ApVHSIQG-EYFmCtNduAbuzBpMS3R9gaVNV0Qqw-kL-Xv33QaP3z3pesuXcbtPH4-mM5gtIoGGA/s1600/IMG_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOApMvEV0KWoAk_Akif2k5EvDXOKilUrIymsBlv2iOsRn5i9qOvEy_vr1g2eXGuEr45_ApVHSIQG-EYFmCtNduAbuzBpMS3R9gaVNV0Qqw-kL-Xv33QaP3z3pesuXcbtPH4-mM5gtIoGGA/s320/IMG_0212.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">University of Moscow</td></tr>
</tbody></table> There's lots of great free music if you look around hard enough:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9D5Na-HxkOxySfxpYOgZx2DNKcJbpflBmFrabAle86LD13xJ8eE83XCuTmPbSHTdog29bO84OuV5p7f6gZM4s_lC8ZYEi2Mq-1Au6-xCtT9Phi3Hw3-wkE09k9XEEVLpdLQYPTxKeKoI/s1600/IMG_0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9D5Na-HxkOxySfxpYOgZx2DNKcJbpflBmFrabAle86LD13xJ8eE83XCuTmPbSHTdog29bO84OuV5p7f6gZM4s_lC8ZYEi2Mq-1Au6-xCtT9Phi3Hw3-wkE09k9XEEVLpdLQYPTxKeKoI/s320/IMG_0580.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harpist in a hotel lobby</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
And fantastic views:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizG6gXUeNlB4kHBQO0_m_6JgEXwCXaY5xT7EIZkN__2S8y3hb7H3-7JueN9TvVpBsIXz9hw49JNMVCtk9gZD4EtGrjvPuEYyC4S5Acs162KCtnB8c6VXQvS7RoeQh0gr9YMCw3S0-DDZlW/s1600/IMG_0584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizG6gXUeNlB4kHBQO0_m_6JgEXwCXaY5xT7EIZkN__2S8y3hb7H3-7JueN9TvVpBsIXz9hw49JNMVCtk9gZD4EtGrjvPuEYyC4S5Acs162KCtnB8c6VXQvS7RoeQh0gr9YMCw3S0-DDZlW/s320/IMG_0584.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out onto Red Square from St. Basil's</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You can even go hang out with dead people:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuim_NC2XfNOCIDSs7-_rMCx0Oc-dIEf1n6b9_470HaeWZtmbvIzN108IdDjvMZ1tIrLkB7hlauCTGZj0O5MpZP7_IZb-iqWi7g64VhOqveSfWZANwhpzfd1-db4OAjbZZPiFjkHYg4Ly/s1600/IMG_0234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuim_NC2XfNOCIDSs7-_rMCx0Oc-dIEf1n6b9_470HaeWZtmbvIzN108IdDjvMZ1tIrLkB7hlauCTGZj0O5MpZP7_IZb-iqWi7g64VhOqveSfWZANwhpzfd1-db4OAjbZZPiFjkHYg4Ly/s320/IMG_0234.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novedichy Convent and Cemetary</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKntPE5LMEvk7b3qU4mhuAdulye-kv6ZLQ4y22WH54e_aHokv7hROrXoz4qy1koOIdIvKb-bQ5m5b45TmUjrjXN5mFFrPYGSkC7D3w4Ja6avKf1n00sYZQZq3PwaigpqFlQOsg06dqK7k/s1600/IMG_0241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKntPE5LMEvk7b3qU4mhuAdulye-kv6ZLQ4y22WH54e_aHokv7hROrXoz4qy1koOIdIvKb-bQ5m5b45TmUjrjXN5mFFrPYGSkC7D3w4Ja6avKf1n00sYZQZq3PwaigpqFlQOsg06dqK7k/s320/IMG_0241.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciWge5Hzw0SfY7kUvh0WInQc2ITf-ChNFme6pl2NpGf8Z7LxKFnSWJGMdNJx9U5dTfOLhQpAdVSdJVffd12vYtmNrcX4cE44MNRSv6FXUZ9WecB9fasH1qlK9UTKubBGOU10u_EEViKWg/s1600/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciWge5Hzw0SfY7kUvh0WInQc2ITf-ChNFme6pl2NpGf8Z7LxKFnSWJGMdNJx9U5dTfOLhQpAdVSdJVffd12vYtmNrcX4cE44MNRSv6FXUZ9WecB9fasH1qlK9UTKubBGOU10u_EEViKWg/s320/IMG_0242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GU9o5ZLSkwn2zyDdzDODPfR9iXYhch-xfWyTskCYxxAszxT5GTPjeOuffP19pu4tXu_Q3bZBgKob6li4w0On6Hcqm_v7-v3WFuqnbkXQHQ13biZre999C5k1pa5a_2MRKmc6o2YYt9wk/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GU9o5ZLSkwn2zyDdzDODPfR9iXYhch-xfWyTskCYxxAszxT5GTPjeOuffP19pu4tXu_Q3bZBgKob6li4w0On6Hcqm_v7-v3WFuqnbkXQHQ13biZre999C5k1pa5a_2MRKmc6o2YYt9wk/s320/IMG_0243.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boris Yeltsin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXmKO0v0BPLrwR7JDvFz524LFAKMMSlFurv-qbPCAWGYzNPvaigqf0sturIkWmkNEmoFP_FXkXa6UkwVFQ_jFAI_H1rykaYVQTI0kXh6eJoPYkqJYkdYzVf4ph3OEohGf5TINYopOCatl/s1600/IMG_0253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXmKO0v0BPLrwR7JDvFz524LFAKMMSlFurv-qbPCAWGYzNPvaigqf0sturIkWmkNEmoFP_FXkXa6UkwVFQ_jFAI_H1rykaYVQTI0kXh6eJoPYkqJYkdYzVf4ph3OEohGf5TINYopOCatl/s320/IMG_0253.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO_xug39JWR6CguPinG8MbCUukLE62bwfjjVfr2KymanlzLy0nFJpwfOSYbOZQe0MNNKZvfJzXXECA-JWQKQ3WjRiS50l6i1uDlzbiroaN9snH_H2-wppdjCrtK4Ap9tJKxpUlXYcoNM5/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO_xug39JWR6CguPinG8MbCUukLE62bwfjjVfr2KymanlzLy0nFJpwfOSYbOZQe0MNNKZvfJzXXECA-JWQKQ3WjRiS50l6i1uDlzbiroaN9snH_H2-wppdjCrtK4Ap9tJKxpUlXYcoNM5/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1Ysg1zGA637JuT8OMyQ8BJV45nTwEqbW3rhRtHdpE72NJHl0OAce0oznN03P6FIYzfq5mFP47M_RCnY3Gds_BaJSDSJLfQPm5FkkE-ZylTpia3NbD1uTvy0UOelzICAHQ5QiaVEaTPQc/s1600/IMG_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1Ysg1zGA637JuT8OMyQ8BJV45nTwEqbW3rhRtHdpE72NJHl0OAce0oznN03P6FIYzfq5mFP47M_RCnY3Gds_BaJSDSJLfQPm5FkkE-ZylTpia3NbD1uTvy0UOelzICAHQ5QiaVEaTPQc/s320/IMG_0256.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin' in the cemetary</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5AEmqbqZMMBi0MlhLeuCO-BtRLoYFhDZH53RwU0PISw8otItJbTLVmxdWldNREZH4Lbv-mVIJ6wl_KFRXVopgSGGRk7bfE1bnaXWJk9RP5wtpq2lnnhEX0xY1Hj4iaEo3ISDQqo_e9eL/s1600/IMG_0266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5AEmqbqZMMBi0MlhLeuCO-BtRLoYFhDZH53RwU0PISw8otItJbTLVmxdWldNREZH4Lbv-mVIJ6wl_KFRXVopgSGGRk7bfE1bnaXWJk9RP5wtpq2lnnhEX0xY1Hj4iaEo3ISDQqo_e9eL/s320/IMG_0266.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novodevichy Convent</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwc8yosYl8B_8IxRKkTz-Iji2Y5E1NXiit5aZqVTHJ3AssaQIrsnY6lz3FUENa_hjFpX7lH8a2uwjj0PnDINLmzBv0j3-EadHuqWjF-NqB5gQ11QKBIgHcUv7CAyN88otOt65lbhJKBn0/s1600/IMG_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwc8yosYl8B_8IxRKkTz-Iji2Y5E1NXiit5aZqVTHJ3AssaQIrsnY6lz3FUENa_hjFpX7lH8a2uwjj0PnDINLmzBv0j3-EadHuqWjF-NqB5gQ11QKBIgHcUv7CAyN88otOt65lbhJKBn0/s320/IMG_0273.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are crazy cat ladies everywhere I guess.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopBcsdAQ8oC4Y9fgFcIdmn-brb-7WUv2nDEdVLJQfoPTCK85IcUfiFHOREE8KhBuTsqYqmxys_tfChAMImNPtXtOxmiXwpJjalV2oNkcaSKOmTAOFSxK5fPHlm9m0P9BxU-8C4S4susF0/s1600/IMG_0275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopBcsdAQ8oC4Y9fgFcIdmn-brb-7WUv2nDEdVLJQfoPTCK85IcUfiFHOREE8KhBuTsqYqmxys_tfChAMImNPtXtOxmiXwpJjalV2oNkcaSKOmTAOFSxK5fPHlm9m0P9BxU-8C4S4susF0/s320/IMG_0275.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novodevichy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Then go to Gorky Park and meet the locals:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPtP1hPb8tF1fcku0Q8LbNjx1fA3fCbpteQ2t9g3vTaWlcUxtsNSRV-wqSPUEWvc8l7DItDv3hRDQYE8YYqaovLe-aCl_4Em7wWF5TCxEE7aabb3Ww_kzfrF2zrmB2OuMpI7gVvqNrj7_/s1600/IMG_0289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPtP1hPb8tF1fcku0Q8LbNjx1fA3fCbpteQ2t9g3vTaWlcUxtsNSRV-wqSPUEWvc8l7DItDv3hRDQYE8YYqaovLe-aCl_4Em7wWF5TCxEE7aabb3Ww_kzfrF2zrmB2OuMpI7gVvqNrj7_/s320/IMG_0289.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Walk down the river in the ritzy part of town and see some beautiful old buildings and monuments:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTKrG5_FnAG_K8iKnIijYnQsXBSqQC0tOOpKB0xPq0IZ5MQwHMU05cnsVDZjJ8dybxuxF6zpmgU2cZw2qC81O2vhPjD18XqgjJNy9YTmY79ufQAqtZ46MQdo0lalg-7YAir5U350vEMHK/s1600/IMG_0291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTKrG5_FnAG_K8iKnIijYnQsXBSqQC0tOOpKB0xPq0IZ5MQwHMU05cnsVDZjJ8dybxuxF6zpmgU2cZw2qC81O2vhPjD18XqgjJNy9YTmY79ufQAqtZ46MQdo0lalg-7YAir5U350vEMHK/s320/IMG_0291.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Visit the toy stores:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhNOYeAqNrmqy75vuQyHLA2EmGk0_xAfYaZ8VxpD6WQ-79-jselnxF8XBV0D8rd1LKQqTptUI1L-etNMMXdCQCrbTXNp-YxLDEJ6CTGABM3HDDnnAaiAJsoGA3DwdhsC1LLnOTS6iNcwT/s1600/IMG_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhNOYeAqNrmqy75vuQyHLA2EmGk0_xAfYaZ8VxpD6WQ-79-jselnxF8XBV0D8rd1LKQqTptUI1L-etNMMXdCQCrbTXNp-YxLDEJ6CTGABM3HDDnnAaiAJsoGA3DwdhsC1LLnOTS6iNcwT/s320/IMG_0296.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg LOVES Singamajigs!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Search for the nicest bathrooms (I also found the worst earlier at the cemetary, but I won't post that pic):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mGS5kw5cC3sEVuuG3EHa0MHKdxDWvDMpPICc_IPaG1Wr9mHNPWMP7cXkwIhl91p8HTaGaxneiNiSktbfM2CHnHYn66iSHNShJU88hwGJ-mpodm9xCnBLK4sKwTPkqSZIVQ36IVHpecXo/s1600/IMG_0298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mGS5kw5cC3sEVuuG3EHa0MHKdxDWvDMpPICc_IPaG1Wr9mHNPWMP7cXkwIhl91p8HTaGaxneiNiSktbfM2CHnHYn66iSHNShJU88hwGJ-mpodm9xCnBLK4sKwTPkqSZIVQ36IVHpecXo/s320/IMG_0298.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And find all the foreign embassies that you can because their buildings are usually pretty cool. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46v9ERgmryJMg97ccIV5zx6cXb85nRCSlNgczLFPiSjJLdFskjgsMYd3ivJsZIQHYIRELQPMksfD5wRMA1p8YtiruZIdvmpToyhmBXQA0xip1pHH0LFHYlTDmve5FsspFGeWOx-XvS5e1/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46v9ERgmryJMg97ccIV5zx6cXb85nRCSlNgczLFPiSjJLdFskjgsMYd3ivJsZIQHYIRELQPMksfD5wRMA1p8YtiruZIdvmpToyhmBXQA0xip1pHH0LFHYlTDmve5FsspFGeWOx-XvS5e1/s320/IMG_0303.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French Embassy...actually this part is the French Ambassador's residence</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We did a lot more stuff, but I am not patient enough to load all the pics. We ate some good Mexican food and also went to the American Medical Clinic...not in that order. HA! So if you're desperately in need of either one of those things like we were, I can give you the 411 on them. :)<br />
<br />
This is all I can post tonight. I'm tired and I need to try to sleep before our boy gets here tomorrow morning! I want to post about our time in Pskov too because it's been lovely, but that will have to wait.<br />
<br />
From Russia with Love,<br />
Tesney</div>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-50233947967352828822011-06-04T22:10:00.000-07:002011-06-04T22:10:05.662-07:00The Celebration Begins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwxAC06DC6wxC571TwNo3kbsqNfIc0bD5wts2sB_BDdfkw7-6stPWSlAe7r_SdHHSQ8zOsFk7h8ua5Ec4fuQbyACJjsbZ4qJJLDMAg560hV8ldl-vj48y9kjIXTAaX0UEUT3-mi8-DoaI/s1600/IMG_0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwxAC06DC6wxC571TwNo3kbsqNfIc0bD5wts2sB_BDdfkw7-6stPWSlAe7r_SdHHSQ8zOsFk7h8ua5Ec4fuQbyACJjsbZ4qJJLDMAg560hV8ldl-vj48y9kjIXTAaX0UEUT3-mi8-DoaI/s320/IMG_0136.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
After court was over, we were told the decree would be ready within 5 days and we could go pick up Kirill in Pskov as soon as the decree was ready. So we decided to stay in Moscow and just wait for the decree. We changed our plane tickets. We had already reserved the hotel for an extra night because we were not sure if court would be one day or two, so we had some time there to make a decision about our travel plans. It wasn't hard to decide; we weren't leaving Russia without our son this time. I didn't care if it took months, I wasn't getting on a plane without him!<br />
<br />
We frantically emailed and Facebooked our awesome news. We Skyped with my family and some of our close friends. God just kept blessing us. People rallied to take care of everything at home since our trip got extended by two weeks.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">AND THEN WE CELEBRATED!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofel_dYaONERmDwE353Oixw6PBR9MtTdrohGLW0Em7Q7VBMBi8NkK9zZj-q5ME8ka7J54rF6MYnb-9GX6xG2GXFbmmM_vTjjFaEW7_-iIVPP3K_PmQU2NbMrdfNYQ09inEpuU-fzIR_O9/s1600/IMG_0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofel_dYaONERmDwE353Oixw6PBR9MtTdrohGLW0Em7Q7VBMBi8NkK9zZj-q5ME8ka7J54rF6MYnb-9GX6xG2GXFbmmM_vTjjFaEW7_-iIVPP3K_PmQU2NbMrdfNYQ09inEpuU-fzIR_O9/s320/IMG_0084.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">HAPPY DADDY!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9Ta5yN3wJ-jzjMU-mmHAQVVnPImvpw5wVHofRcyBWkwkG_WB_GtTlPW-8__vFBuxNPUs6ZCVOraUd5fREbGfCKMlUfM6E8h623GTf67K68nTaEuvyo0PgcjaXn4_Fnne_LKmKyAduWnx/s1600/IMG_0087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9Ta5yN3wJ-jzjMU-mmHAQVVnPImvpw5wVHofRcyBWkwkG_WB_GtTlPW-8__vFBuxNPUs6ZCVOraUd5fREbGfCKMlUfM6E8h623GTf67K68nTaEuvyo0PgcjaXn4_Fnne_LKmKyAduWnx/s320/IMG_0087.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Suddenly, everything was brighter...especially St. Basil's</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNx-etEaWXNT4tBEVlbnW1jv_LEpUy7qAeO5dRW5CEYBBvxozLnMetIYdyGOGHKym1UZdHrIsb4WoZKRu8xmmUsFCZWIgws5hi0Nae7L-Y3CsbmnG475UCCWNdyJFtXvEBur-uacvURXg/s1600/IMG_0123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNx-etEaWXNT4tBEVlbnW1jv_LEpUy7qAeO5dRW5CEYBBvxozLnMetIYdyGOGHKym1UZdHrIsb4WoZKRu8xmmUsFCZWIgws5hi0Nae7L-Y3CsbmnG475UCCWNdyJFtXvEBur-uacvURXg/s320/IMG_0123.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have a slight obsession with the green doors in Russia. Guess what color I've decided to paint the door of our West Circle house since we've been here?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETW3vQGlScwYIQGdDKeVOzbl3R55LNNk9qPCfkCwIeS4dbplwULF6gd1WlKmwWRLitkNijQQ23mbDslal6rwVX5qMCRtih0cVSeK-TnaSvPTNYrf_TOx5tPEdBQHvzX1023HNm0RYAaoM/s1600/IMG_0161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETW3vQGlScwYIQGdDKeVOzbl3R55LNNk9qPCfkCwIeS4dbplwULF6gd1WlKmwWRLitkNijQQ23mbDslal6rwVX5qMCRtih0cVSeK-TnaSvPTNYrf_TOx5tPEdBQHvzX1023HNm0RYAaoM/s320/IMG_0161.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We celebrated in Red Square into the night!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Everything that has been done for us...there are not words to adequately describe how thankful we are for our biological family as well as our faith family...including so many of you. We could not have made this journey to Kirill without an army of people helping us. Many of you who simply read the blog but don't even know us have helped with finances and prayers and messages of support. Oh my, do we ever feel unworthy!!! I cannot say it enough: OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL! HE IS SO GOOD!<br />
<br />
Next up: "How to Pass the Time in Russia"...stay tuned...LOTS of pictures and fun stories!Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-68707428850402028682011-06-03T12:53:00.000-07:002011-06-04T06:55:23.593-07:00Kirill's Miracle Story-Part 2I left off the night before court. Greg and I miraculously slept that night. We woke up early and went to breakfast. I started to feel nervous as we were eating. We did a quick workout and then walked around the downtown area near our apartment to burn off nervous energy. Our court appointment wasn't until 3:10 p.m. and we were meeting our facilitator, Dima, at 1:50 p.m. to take the metro to the Supreme Court building.<br />
<br />
I prayed all morning and kept singing "Our God" by Chris Tomlin. I kept singing it over and over and just praying that God would show himself to be more powerful than any judge on earth. As we walked out of the metro station to meet the translator, Natasha, I was humming "Our God." I remember vividly that moment for some reason. Over and over, I was praying to God to keep Satan out of the courtroom, give us peace, and help us say the right words to the judges. Once we met Natasha, we all headed to the Supreme Court building, which was a couple of blocks from the metro station.<br />
<br />
When we arrived at the court building, our lawyer, Alexander, was there to meet us. We all had to go through strict security. We went through a scanner and had to give our passports to a couple of different people for security. A court official came down and took our passports again and then gave us cards that allowed us to enter the secure part of the building. It was all very formal and official. As we waited outside the courtroom in a waiting area, we chit-chatted with Alexander and Natasha about all of the formalities of getting into the building and that helped calm our nerves.<br />
<br />
One of the court officials came out and took our passports (again). He told us that it would be a few minutes, that the case previous to ours was over and we would be next. He came back in about five minutes and took us into the courtroom. The judges came in...two men and a woman, we stood, and they started talking. When they were finished, Natasha informed us that they were reading the ruling for the previous case! LOL! We were so nervous and they weren't even talking to us yet. They left the room again and we waited.<br />
<br />
At 3:20 p.m., our hearing started. The three judges walked in...all men. We stood as they talked and basically stated what the hearing was about. We sat down. The judge on the left was dark-haired and looked to be about 55 or so. He seemed to have compassion on his face and throughout the hearing, appeared to be the most interested in what was being said. He was also the one who talked the most and read the results of the hearing. The middle judge was large statured with gray hair. He looked to be older than the judge to his left, maybe 60ish. He showed absolutely no emotion, but did discuss some of the statements we made with the judge on his left and also asked us a question or two. The judge on the right was thin, gray-haired, and balding. He slept through the entire hearing. I'm not kidding. There was also a prosecutor, our attorney, the court secretary, and the court official that escorted us into the courtroom (I think he was like a bailiff in the U.S.).<br />
<br />
The judges read the court decree from our hearing in Pskov. I was so difficult to sit through that without crying out. So many of the things in the decree were simply untrue. We had received a copy of the decree several weeks ago. I haven't been able to post anything about it because I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize our supreme court hearing. But the decree was written to support the judge's ruling, not to reflect what was stated in our court hearing. It was full of untrue statements, some about Clayton that were particularly infuriating to this mama.<br />
<br />
Some were about things the social workers and doctors said in court; all of which were positive in court, but the judge had twisted and turned to make it sound like they were not in our favor. For example, one of the social workers testified that during one of the visits with Kirill, he was crying when he entered the room (because they had taken him away from his playtime to visit us). However, as soon as he entered the room I picked him up and consoled him and as the social worker described it in court, she said "it was as if this mother had a magic wand." She went on to say how that he quickly calmed down and how that she felt we had a strong bond with Kirill. The judge replied in court very curtly, "Can you show me this wand?" At the time, I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or if she was just joking. However, it became clear when we got the decree. Because the judge wrote in her decree that the social worker testified that Kirill was crying during one of our visits and that she believed that this meant he was not happy with us. Clearly, she took anything she could out of context and twisted it to support her ruling. It was so hard to listen to again as it was being read by the supreme court judge. At one point my emotions were so overwhelming that I just stared at this seal behind the judge's bench and prayed hard for God to keep me from crying and let me be strong for Kirill. He did and I didn't break down, but oh how my heart hurt.<br />
<br />
After the judge read the decree, Alexander gave a short opening statement. The judge asked the prosecutor if he wanted to respond and he declined. Then, Greg gave his speech and requested that the documents we had brought be entered into the hearing (letters of support from the National Down Syndrome Congress; letters from friends who have children with DS, both adopted and biological; a letter from the RISE school that Kirill will attend stating he has a spot reserved and describing the therapies/services they provide; and two additional letters from our home study agency regarding issues the judge had with their distance from our home). I have to say, my husband is amazing. He was so strong as he read, point by point, the reasons why the judge's original ruling was wrong. I know he had to have been nervous, but you couldn't tell at all. He was very confident, strong, and compassionate at the same time. He has been such a rock through all of this and I love him so much. I am so proud of him and his love for our family.<br />
<br />
After Greg's speech, the judges asked him a few questions, mainly about his profession...nothing really difficult at all. Then the prosecutor was given a chance to cross-examine/respond, but he refused. Then it was my turn to talk. The judges instructed me very sternly to not repeat anything that Greg said. So I was frantically trying to look over my speech and hit any high points that he missed. I also was trying to highlight all of my experience with children with special needs. So I got about three sentences out before I mentioned my undergraduate training & volunteer work at RISE, where Kirill will attend school in the fall. Greg had mentioned RISE in his speech but just in the context that Kirill would go to school there. Immediately after I said "RISE", the main judge stopped me and told me not to repeat anything Greg said. They asked me several questions about my job, especially if I did research at the University of Alabama where I work. Finally, the dark-haired judge said, "Do you want to adopt this child for research or because you love him?" I was so taken aback by the question and at that point I got very emotional and answered (as best I can recall), "Because I love Kirill! We love him so much already and we want him to be our son! We are his family. Please do not deny him the right to a mother and father that love him." He told me to sit down and didn't let me finish my speech. I was dumbfounded. At that point, they asked the prosecutor if he had a response. This time he did.<br />
<br />
He stood up and stated that he did not think we had provided enough evidence to overturn the original judge's ruling. He stated that he agreed with her ruling and felt that we should not be allowed to adopt Kirill and that he did not feel that it was in the child's best interest.<br />
<br />
My heart stopped.<br />
<br />
I wanted to scream, "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET US FINISH. YOU DIDN'T LET US GIVE ALL OF THE EVIDENCE!"<br />
<br />
As the judges left the courtroom, I looked at Greg, he squeezed my hand, and we both agreed that the outcome would not be in our favor. Natasha looked dejected. Alexander shrugged at us and said, "We will hope for the best." I started to prepare for the worst. Suddenly, my mind started going 90 mph as I thought of what to do next...would we go to the media? I just wanted it to all be over but this was so unbelievable! I couldn't imagine giving up and walking away without making such injustice known!<br />
<br />
As we were waiting for the judges to return with their ruling, the bailiff came over and took our passports again. This time, he was just making small talk and looking at the pictures. He showed the prosecutor and then Natasha informed us he was interested in the various U.S. landmarks on the passport pages. Apparently, Russian passports are quite plain inside. He wanted to know what all the pictures were of, but we really didn't feel like talking at the moment. It was kind of funny looking back, but at the time I wanted to tell him to please just be quiet because we didn't feel like chatting it up about U.S. landmarks.<br />
<br />
After about 5 minutes, the judges came back into the courtroom and we all stood. They read the ruling very quickly. It was so fast that Natasha was having a hard time even getting words out but I saw a smile spread across her face and she started nodding and saying "It's cancelled! The ruling has been changed! His name is Gregory Kirill Davis." That is really all I heard and I started crying and hugging Greg. The judge stopped and I realized that he was staring at me so he could finish talking. I don't even remember what he said. I was hugging everyone...Alexander, Natasha, Greg; I would have hugged the judges if I could have! I was mouthing to them "spasiba, spasiba, SPASIBA!" That means "thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" in Russian. The entire hearing, from beginning to end, was about an hour and a half long. We were so shocked by the whole thing...I just couldn't believe that after all the heartache and waiting we were FINALLY Kirill's parents.<br />
<br />
As we walked out of the courtroom, the Natasha kept saying, "It is a miracle. This is not possible! I cannot believe it!" Our facilitator, who was not allowed to come into the court building at all, was waiting for us outside. I tackled him for a big hug. I think he was surprised. He's not very emotional. But I didn't care. I just hugged and hugged him and he said, "I do not even have to ask, I can see that the ruling was in your favor!" I don't remember if it was Alexander or Dima, but one of them commented, "God wanted you to have this child. It was a higher power than the judge." Praise God! Isn't that the truth???<br />
<br />
As we walked back to our metro station, we were all chatting furiously. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. Natasha, Greg and I were talking so fast and giddy to one another while Dima, our facilitator frantically made phone calls about what to do next. Natasha was so happy for us and I was so appreciative of her for caring so much about our case. She was just such a sweet and genuine person. We kept stopping in the middle of the sidewalk excitedly talking about everything that happened in the courtroom and how that nobody could believe the outcome. Finally, Natasha said, "Why do we keep stopping?!? We are so silly like school children! We are so excited we do not know what to do! Let's go back to your hotel and sit and talk!" So we did!<br />
<br />
Sidenote: I really cannot say enough about how good the people are here. There are so many wonderful people in Russia. It makes me sad to think about that we won't see them again for a very long time, if ever again. They have all become friends to us and I love them dearly.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOIVOmEXqcPQs5eRTPpTHKaQgZiuZ30Ir9Wy1defRFlzJQmfbIdhDrWEwWO_pRyTUbTlA36tGYeWS7rkdVlyk2Veo21hmuEfMpv61bzFl3rpwVqqemf83BiY9Mp5hTRRB6imGgUX0Pzz6/s1600/IMG_0307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOIVOmEXqcPQs5eRTPpTHKaQgZiuZ30Ir9Wy1defRFlzJQmfbIdhDrWEwWO_pRyTUbTlA36tGYeWS7rkdVlyk2Veo21hmuEfMpv61bzFl3rpwVqqemf83BiY9Mp5hTRRB6imGgUX0Pzz6/s320/IMG_0307.JPG" width="320" /></a>So that is the story of court. We are certain that we were a part of a miracle on May 24th. There was no way this could have happened without God. We give him every single bit of the honor and glory for allowing us to become Kirill's parents. We are so humbled that we can be a part of Kirill's story. It's an honor of which we will never be worthy, but we are so thankful that God has entrusted us with his precious life.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow...another post..."The Celebration Begins!" Tonight, we go to sleep for the first night officially as Kirill's mommy and daddy. To see our names on his birth certificate...I can't tell you how fantastic that feels!<br />
<br />
Psalm 82,<br />
<br />
Tesney<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>THE MIRACLES CONTINUE...THE CANNELLS NOW HAVE $20K! PRAISE OUR GOD! HE IS AWESOME! </b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Thank you all so much for supporting this family. I am just in awe of God's provision right now. I think I might explode from his goodness and seeing his presence so clearly! Please, whatever situation you are in, trust in God and know that he is faithful to you. He has not promised ease in this life, but eternal life with him if you just trust in him to see you through.</b></span></span>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-89299530325475875442011-05-30T12:00:00.000-07:002011-05-30T12:00:38.919-07:00Moving the Mountain-Part 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Matthew 17:19</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 6px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 6px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 6px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">nothing will be impossible for you."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since the time we received the telegram saying we had a supreme court date in Moscow, we have been begging God to move a mountain. The mountain was for us to be able to bring Kirill home without having to go back to the regional court for another hearing after the supreme court hearing. You see, we were not given any hope of being able to do that. Our adoption agency has been amazing, but they have never had a family denied an adoption in Russia. So we have all been learning about the Russian appeal process together! :) It was their understanding, as well as our facilitators here in Moscow who also work for our adoption agency, that there was <i>absolutely</i> <i>no possibility</i> of the Supreme Court being able to grant us custody of Kirill at our hearing. We were told they could "cancel" the original ruling and grant us a new hearing with a different regional judge, but that they could NOT change the ruling right then and there and grant us custody of Kirill.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So we left home on May 21st thinking this would be a quick trip--we would have our supreme court hearing and then go home--regardless of the outcome. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Tuesday night before we left, the members of the campus ministry at our church got together to pray for us. They asked what they could pray for. Greg told them "a miracle--and that would be that we could bring Kirill home on this trip." We've said for a long time now that the only thing we really want is for God to be glorified no matter what happened with our adoption. But that night, Greg did ask them to pray specifically for a miracle and for us to be able to adopt Kirill right then and there.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Saturday morning, we got on a plane and started our journey to Moscow. Our facilitator, Dima, and our translator for our adoption documents, Inna, picked us up at the airport. We started talking on the way to the hotel, as we usually do on these drives, about adoption business. Dima was going over our itinerary and we were discussing court. When we were near the end of our conversation, I asked, "So just to clarify what Lauren (our adoption agency social worker) told us, the supreme court judge will give us one of two answers: Yes...and we will be granted another hearing at a later date with a different judge than the one that rejected our adoption in Kirill's region, or No...and we will go home and the adoption will be over and we cannot adopt Kirill?" Dima answered that he had some different information from the lawyer and that we might be able to get Kirill right away. I'll be honest, I really didn't believe this would be a possibility. Sometimes the language barrier is very confusing. Information gets misunderstood and translated differently than what is meant in the original language. I can't tell you how many times things have been "lost in translation" in this process. So I really didn't think too much about it. It was a glimmer of hope, but we had been let down so many times that I just wouldn't let myself get too excited about it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We went to our hotel and took a nap because we were so tired from the flight. When we woke up, we walked around Red Square and ate at an outdoor cafe. As we talked over dinner, I kept asking Greg if he really thought Dima knew what he was talking about. He kept telling me, "We'll just have to wait and talk to the lawyer tomorrow night." I was started to feel my hopes rising and I didn't want to be too disappointed. So I kept dismissing the thought when I would start feeling hopeful that Dima had the correct information. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sunday, I spent the day getting documents ready for our meeting with our lawyer, and ultimately, court. I wanted to make sure everything was organized and easily accessible if I needed to reference anything during court. Greg and I would both be making speeches to the judge and I wanted to cover every possible point that I could think of as to why Kirill needed to be in our home rather than in an orphanage. I finished writing my speech that afternoon and had research articles to back most of my arguments, all translated into Russian, thanks to some friends who pitched in and helped me translate them using Google Translate (there were 27 of them), in case the judge needed to see them too. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It seemed like an eternity from the time we were picked up at the airport until Monday night when we met with our lawyer. We didn't meet until 6 p.m. {keep in mind our hearing was THE NEXT DAY...does that make anyone else nervous??? Because it almost gave me a panic attack}. We were told it would be a long meeting by our agency before we left the U.S...probably at least three hours. We met in the hotel lobby...I had tons of papers and questions. Our lawyer was very nice, but he seemed really nonchalant about everything. I was overly-chalant (is that a word?) and stressed. When we were talking, he would often answer with "I don't know" or "we will have to see" and oftentimes he would say, "it's a 50/50 chance." Talk about leaving a meeting with more questions than answers...thats EXACTLY how we felt. But the one question he DID answer was the most important...he confirmed what Dima had told us in the car ride from the airport. The judge would rule in one of three ways: 1. No and we would not be able to adopt Kirill, 2. Yes and we would be granted a new hearing in the region with a different judge, or 3. Yes and the original ruling would be overturned right then and we would be granted custody of Kirill. <i>And what's more...we would not have to wait the typical 10-day waiting period if they overturned the ruling and granted us custody. </i>Our lawyer informed us that we could go get him immediately upon the issuance of the court decree, which would happen within five days of the supreme court hearing. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>THERE WAS HOPE. GOD WAS MOVING OUR MOUNTAIN AND THEN SOME.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I started to get my hopes up then. I just couldn't help it. I KNEW that we had so many people praying for us and I KNEW that God didn't want Kirill to be an orphan. I prayed and prayed that night. I had to get some sleep but it wouldn't come very easily. I finally got on my knees and begged God to grant me rest and peace. And he did.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With our lawyer, Alexander, after the hearing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With Natasha, our sweet court translator, after the hearing</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Speaking of rest...it's late here and I need to go to bed! But, I will tell you the rest of the supreme court story very soon! The Cannells still need money for their adoption. We have raised about 30% of the goal for the Chip-In. Now, I'm going to tell Kirill's story, of course, regardless of the outcome of the Chip In! I wouldn't really keep it a secret. But I really would love to see the goal reached before we bring our boy home. Let's get to 60% and I'll finish up the part about the supreme court hearing, deal? Just click on the chip in to donate...it's super-duper easy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For those of you praying for us...please pray that our court decree is issued tomorrow. We want so badly to go get Kirill! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ea9999;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">HE HAS ALREADY BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE ORPHANAGE AND THEY ARE HOLDING HIM THERE FOR US UNTIL WE ARRIVE. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">can't stop smiling when I think about the fact that he's no longer an orphan. If we don't get the court decree tomorrow morning, we won't be able to leave Moscow tomorrow evening. So please pray that it is ready tomorrow morning so we can get on the overnight train to Pskov tomorrow night and pick him up on Wednesday morning! We need to be out of Russia by the 10th because our visas expire then. So we really, really, really need to pick him up and start getting his paperwork processed to come home! Thank you all for praying!!! Seriously, do you understand how powerful those prayers have been? I don't think you can unless you've been in our shoes...it's amazing and I will never be able to thank you all enough.</span></span></i></span></span><br />
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</span></span>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-70664274906518062412011-05-29T23:19:00.000-07:002011-05-29T23:21:46.653-07:0030%!We have raised 30% of what the Cannells need for their adoption. Well on our way! I will post tonight about the first part of our trip to Kirill! Keep those donations coming and share, share, share! We're getting there fast! Right now, we are off to try to find gifts for the orphanage and orphanage workers. I can't wait to get a post up with pictures of our sweet boy! We found out yesterday that he was OFFICIALLY DISCHARGED from the orphanage. WOO HOO! That makes this mommy SO HAPPY. They are holding him there for us, but he's no longer a resident! YIPEEEEEE!<br />
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I would love for you to be praying for our friends, <a href="http://www.duaneandjenny.blogspot.com/">the Dixons</a>, as they have court in Ethiopia today to try to adopt precious Selah. They have been told to expect not to pass court, but we know that God can work miracles, right??? So let's all PRAY! They are on their way to court as I type this. I will update on them later tonight as well.<br />
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Psalm 68:6<br />
God places the lonely in families!Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-39910250425412028292011-05-28T04:57:00.000-07:002011-05-28T05:33:37.574-07:00Kirill's Miracle Story<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last night, I was sitting up thinking about how I wanted to tell the story of Kirill becoming our son. I just have so many things to tell you guys about the MIRACLE that has taken place over the last week. It's hard to believe that just one week ago, we were on a plane, heading to Moscow, with NO IDEA that we would be bringing Kirill home. I didn't post this on the blog, but the best hope we were given was that the Supreme Court would cancel the judge's original ruling and grant us another hearing in our region. This was our understanding of the court system here in Russia, as well as our agency's understanding after talking with our lawyer in Moscow. We were told that this trip was strictly for the supreme court hearing, that we would come back to the U.S. as soon as it was over and IF we were granted a new hearing in K's region by the supreme court, we would have to wait for anywhere from 1-3 months OR MORE for a new hearing in the region. But there wasn't an official timeline so even that time estimate was uncertain; we were told it could be longer or it could be shorter.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">BUT GOD HAD A DIFFERENT PLAN.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I WANT TO SHARE THE STORY OF HOW KIRILL'S MIRACLE HAPPENED.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But as I was thinking about where to begin, I kept thinking about my friend Karrie Cannell, who is in the process of adopting two brothers from Eastern Europe. Their story kept interrupting my thoughts and made me pray hard for them. Karrie and her husband Donnie originally committed to one of the boys, Carson, and started the process to adopt him. Well, as the process moved forward, they found out Carson had a biological brother in another orphanage! So what did they do? They committed to adopt BOTH BOYS. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dSL-bmOhD48jATfvZuS_m4kdquCqeP-PXDAEkr9pW3W2hrnU8S37d3QiofXVYviEr3g0UQPu3AoTKVQUb09WsWJzAphyRAcVP991-J308m5WXaAPOCacKn5hYaJiJheB4pDI9Au4L44d/s1600/Carson3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dSL-bmOhD48jATfvZuS_m4kdquCqeP-PXDAEkr9pW3W2hrnU8S37d3QiofXVYviEr3g0UQPu3AoTKVQUb09WsWJzAphyRAcVP991-J308m5WXaAPOCacKn5hYaJiJheB4pDI9Au4L44d/s320/Carson3.jpg" width="282" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-b16qg62Lso6zy3orQmkImM7K1S5CEqDIhnzoPQc0yV0L872jCV4X6rEvZJzSyv_7AUo1KKi_fQFkV9z_E6JYD_7x9CjuyJ6Qgsmew-SnFdP9YVSHkoot5_7eIAb-MQEbT7jZXmMSoPD/s1600/Carson4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-b16qg62Lso6zy3orQmkImM7K1S5CEqDIhnzoPQc0yV0L872jCV4X6rEvZJzSyv_7AUo1KKi_fQFkV9z_E6JYD_7x9CjuyJ6Qgsmew-SnFdP9YVSHkoot5_7eIAb-MQEbT7jZXmMSoPD/s320/Carson4.jpg" width="318" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA4zwUzrDvD5gxxeacsiJpwK61SVb1oFtR6c7BPX1ub_ejLkwhf2UPszuEqn4gPccEdYBjVNXvE9CpS_9FTlB6VgigyPF9hJ1u9o6PfEJQKZj5-7R3TLn9kcgrmcimslbJm2gPvlzeJ4i/s1600/Daniluk+Vanya+%2526+Dima+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA4zwUzrDvD5gxxeacsiJpwK61SVb1oFtR6c7BPX1ub_ejLkwhf2UPszuEqn4gPccEdYBjVNXvE9CpS_9FTlB6VgigyPF9hJ1u9o6PfEJQKZj5-7R3TLn9kcgrmcimslbJm2gPvlzeJ4i/s320/Daniluk+Vanya+%2526+Dima+007.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Carson and John have EB, or </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/epidermolysis-bullosa/DS01015"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Epidermolysis Bullosa</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">EB is a genetic skin condition that causes painful blisters to form anywhere the skin is exposed to friction. The skin is so fragile that even the slightest touch can cause painful blisters that are prone to infection. Many children do not live for very long with this condition because of the high risk of infection. There are many precautions that have to be taken to care for the sores and prevent new blisters from forming. It is painful to see the photos of these boys because I know what orphanage conditions are like and I know that these boys do not get good care for such a fragile condition. Honestly, I'm surprised they are still alive because orphanages are not the cleanest places and they certainly aren't the most medically attentive places. THEY NEED TO COME HOME SOON.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"></span>These boys are in different orphanages in different regions because John is older and had already been transferred to an older children's orphanage. This means Donnie and Karrie have to come up with about twice as much money to adopt the two boys because they have to do it separately, and they have to have the money before they can travel to pick up their sons. They are submitted and just waiting on "the call" to go get their sons. How much do they need? Right now, about $20,000...which may sound like a lot, but really it's NOT. God can do that in no time at all!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Remember the 7-Day Blitz for Kirill?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So here's a breakdown of what the Cannells still need, taken from </span><a href="http://bringingcarsonhome.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Karrie's blog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ea9999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">$13,415 is what we have on Reeces Rainbow.<br />
$1,000 deposit,~ if you will~ that we get back from RR.<br />
$1,052 is what we have in Paypal.<br />
$645 money on hand.<br />
Total: $16,113</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ea9999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We still need: $21,155 to fully fund the adoption,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ea9999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ea9999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However~<br />
Donnie is going to be gone from his job for 8 weeks, and he doesn't get vacation pay for his time away. The reality of it is, we have to cover his time away. That is another $10K ....that one is hard to swallow....we are going to cut things down and out of our monthly expenses while we are gone. So that will help. Praying the funds will go over and beyond t</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ea9999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">o cover Donnies time away from his job. Thanking God for giving him such a great job that he will still have a job when we gets back. Some that go over to get there kiddos, have job issues when they return. We will keep them all in our prayers. It is hard to ask for money, it is almost embarrassing, but there is no way that we could fulfill God's calling without help. We make plenty of money to take care of our kids, and our two new sons. It's getting them here that puts us in a pickle ;) So please help us...Donate~Pray~ and share our story......thank you from the bottom of our hearts ♥</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And here's where you come in...</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm going to tell Kirill's miracle story, but not until the Cannell's are fully funded. As I was trying to type up K's miracle story last night, I just couldn't get Carson and John off my mind. I cannot imagine how this family must feel facing such expenses, BUT MONEY AIN'T NO THANG TO GOD! I have received almost 5,000 hits daily on this blog for a while. If each one of those people who visit donates $4, we could raise this amount in NO TIME AT ALL. If you think it's </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">not</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> your responsibility to help, then stop reading this blog. Because God COMMANDS us to care for orphans. That's not a "calling" that's a command...there's a BIG, HUGE DIFFERENCE. So, I'm asking all of Kirill's army to please give a little or a lot, however God leads you to give. Pray first, then ask God to tell you what he wants you to give. Don't dismiss this post and say, "I'll do it later." Go to the chip-in NOW and donate. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As soon as they're fully funded, I'm going to share the miracle of Kirill's story. But until then, I just can't do it because I keep trying and I can't get the Cannell boys out of my mind when I try to write. I know it's God telling me to advocate for them. So what are you waiting for??? Click on the Chip In below and DONATE. Let's get these boys HOME!</span></span><br />
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<object height="250" width="250"><param name="movie" value="http://widget.chipin.com/widget/id/70b814e6db56fd3c"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="event_title" value="John%20%26%20Carson%27s%20Miracle"></param><embed src="http://widget.chipin.com/widget/id/70b814e6db56fd3c" flashVars="event_title=John%20%26%20Carson%27s%20Miracle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="transparent" width="250" height="250"></embed></object>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-20370923270168578952011-05-24T07:08:00.000-07:002011-05-28T05:01:35.135-07:00GOD OF MIRACLESWE ARE NOW THE PROUD PARENTS OF GREGORY KIRILL DAVIS. HE IS OURS. THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURNED THE JUDGE'S RULING. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, HIS NAME IS GREGORY KIRILL DAVIS AND WE WILL GO PICK HIM UP IN JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE OFFICIAL COURT DECREE IN HAND. I WILL POST THE DETAILS WHEN I KNOW THEM. RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN A FLURRY OF TEARS AND EXCITEMENT AND WE WON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW OUR NEXT FEW DAYS WILL GO UNTIL TOMORROW WHEN WE MEET AGAIN WITH OUR FACILITATOR.<br />
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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT. MAY YOU SEE THAT GOD IS THE GOD OF MIRACLES AND THAT HE IS FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE THE WORK HE HAS STARTED IN YOU.<br />
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PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW. PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW. PRAISE HIM ABOVE YE HEAVENLY HOSTS. PRAISE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST!Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com217tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-67058831940943940762011-05-20T10:30:00.000-07:002011-05-28T05:02:05.742-07:00Going with GodWe leave in less than 24 hours. God is with us. We are going with him. We are taking peace, hope, and the understanding that HE is writing this story. We covet your prayers. We humbly ask for you to especially pray on May 24th beginning at 6:10 a.m. CST. This is the exact time we will be standing before the supreme court judge. Pray for him. Pray for our lawyer. Pray for Kirill. But above all else, pray that Christ is seen by everyone who hears Kirill's story. THANK YOU ALL! I will update here as soon as we know the supreme court ruling.Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-38182893788496503952011-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:002011-05-28T05:03:13.679-07:00Easter, Kirill's Birthday, & Mother's Day...(and throw in a tornado)The last three weeks have probably been some of the hardest to endure since we returned from Russia. I thought it couldn't get any harder, but with important dates come tidal waves of emotion for which I cannot prepare my heart. <br />
<br />
I'm a therapist.<br />
<br />
I know about dates and the significance they play in the grieving process.<br />
<br />
Only we cannot grieve.<br />
<br />
We are stuck.<br />
<br />
We're in this weird suspension between the best and worst case scenarios. It's such a difficult place to be. If I knew that Kirill was never coming home, I could fully grieve the loss and move forward through the pain. Or, if I knew for sure he was coming home, I could wait in joyful expectation. However, I know nothing of what the future holds. Only God knows. And while that thought comforts, it doesn't take away the pain of the here and now. And while we are suspended, life moves forward...<br />
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Easter...it came...and it was harder than I thought. I had decorated for Easter right around Valentine's Day. You know how when you decorate for a holiday and before you know it, the holiday is over and it seems like no time as passed until you're taking down the decorations? Well, I wanted to get my Easter decorations up as early as possible for that reason...because by the time it was time to take them down, I thought Kirill would be home! I love Easter for so many reasons. Of course I love it because of Christ's resurrection. I also love it because of the symbolism of new life and new creation. I love the spring. I love renewal. All of these things were going to be even more meaningful because of Kirill. <br />
<br />
Then court happened.<br />
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I thought I could handle Easter. I thought I was ready for the tidal wave. I bought Easter treats for Clayton. I made plans for Easter lunch and an egg hunt. I was going to celebrate Jesus' resurrection despite our sadness. But I couldn't. And I didn't. Instead, we sent Clayton to church with friends and I spent the day in my closet floor, clinging to Greg, crying out to God and letting all of the pent up emotion out. It wasn't pretty. But it was necessary. <br />
<br />
But the dates kept coming. The very next Sunday would be Kirill's 5th birthday. Greg and I prayed in preparation for the date. We knew it would be HARD. Harder than Easter. We prayed for strength. We prayed for distraction. We prayed for it to be a better day than Easter Sunday.<br />
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Clayton's birthday is also in May, just 11 days after Kirill's. He had asked to have his party on Kirill's birthday. In his 5-year-old mind, he and Kirill are "twins". He keeps saying that they are twins because they are both born in May and they are "just my same age" as he says. It's so cute how he says it..."We are adopting a brother and he's going to be just my same age!" So I couldn't say no to him when he asked to have his party on May 1st! We decided we would turn a day of sadness into a day of celebration.<br />
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Then the tornadoes hit. April 27th. I was in my office, which was approximately 200 yards from some of the worst devastation. I saw things I cannot unsee and heard things I cannot unhear. Physically and materially, we lost nothing...except cable and Internet for a few days...but our city was forever changed. Many people were without the most basic of needs. We busied ourselves with caring for others. May 1st was the Sunday after the tornado, so we called off the birthday party. We spent the day with a family who lost everything. Literally. They couldn't even find a piece of paper with an address to prove their residence in the debris that was their home. It put everything into perspective for us. <br />
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Life is unpredictable. <br />
<br />
It can be gone in a second. <br />
<br />
We will trust God. We will live for him alone. We will trust not in our own understanding.<br />
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And a week later, as Mother's Day approached, I did not dread it. I had a fantastic day. I know that God is sitll God. I know that I am going to be the mother of Kirill one way or another. I will see him in Heaven no matter what happens on this Earth. Whether or not he comes to be a part of our earthly family, he's a part of our family for eternity. I thanked God yesterday for his birth mother, who we learned so much about in our court proceedings. I prayed for her and the hole that she must have in her heart after giving up a child. I prayed for her to have peace and for her to know in her heart that Kirill is loved more than he will ever know. That he is being pursued by a family who wants him so badly and who has the ability to give him a wonderful life. That we will not give up until we have exhausted all of the avenues afforded to us by his country to adopt him. <br />
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We have made it through some tough dates lately. We also know that there will be more. Namely, May 24th when we appear before the Supreme Court in Moscow. I humbly ask you to pray for us as we make our final preparations for court.<br />
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<span style="color: #ea9999;">Isaiah 43:2</span><br />
<span style="color: #ea9999;"><strong><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></sup></strong> When you go through deep waters,<br />
I will be with you.<br />
When you go through rivers of difficulty,<br />
you will not drown.<br />
When you walk through the fire of oppression,<br />
you will not be burned up;<br />
the flames will not consume you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ea9999;">Joshua 1:9</span><br />
<span style="color: #ea9999;"> This is my command—be strong and courageous! </span><br />
<span style="color: #ea9999;"> Do not be afraid or discouraged. </span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"> For the L<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">ord</span> your God is with you wherever you go.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTy-ss8h0WpIM6gjWBRF893ppJeR-NHSdVGiE448aZBSJe8pGQtvW6pVJ4aVP281eegtwmnzAKXtztbDyskhyoc8ATPP6C-aBppsz_GtRVg8fEEyDd2afe0nNJvvU4r0aBvuzVmtZ2DU_/s1600/Mothersday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTy-ss8h0WpIM6gjWBRF893ppJeR-NHSdVGiE448aZBSJe8pGQtvW6pVJ4aVP281eegtwmnzAKXtztbDyskhyoc8ATPP6C-aBppsz_GtRVg8fEEyDd2afe0nNJvvU4r0aBvuzVmtZ2DU_/s320/Mothersday.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Mother's Day 2011</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Wishing Kirill was here to complete our family photo; hoping he will be here soon!</div>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-46396861989500164802011-04-30T05:13:00.000-07:002011-04-30T05:13:39.122-07:00SUPREME COURT DATEWe got our Supreme Court date!!! It is May 24th at 3:10 p.m. That will be 6:10 a.m. CST. I hope you will all join in prayer at that time for us as we appear before the Supreme Court in Moscow to appeal our adoption.<br />
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I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post again. But I have a couple of good reasons. We received our court date via telegram on Monday, April 25th. Greg checked the mail about 7:30 p.m. and there were two telegrams in Russian, one addressed to each of us. They were in phonetical Russian...meaning they were in Russian, but phonetically spelled using the English alphabet. So we couldn't use Google translate to figure it out. We ended up taking them to a friend's house who teaches languages at the U of A. He was able to translate it enough to figure out that it was our court date.<br />
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We were very excited but also unsure if it was official. By the time we got home that night it was almost 11:00 p.m. We had called, emailed and text messaged our adoption agency social worker. She called us back and said that they couldn't confirm the telegram message until they spoke to their Russian staff. None of them we were expecting us to receive notification of our court date via telegram. They thought it would be sent to our lawyer in Russia and he would let us know. So we waited on pins and needles...we're kinda accustomed to that by now.<br />
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By Tuesday afternoon we got confirmation from our adoption agency that it was indeed our court date! I was going to post it on here, but I never got a chance before I went to work on Wednesday. Then Wednesday our city was rocked by an F-5 tornado. We have just now gotten back internet service so I can post. Our area of the city is fine. Our apartment is fine and our friends and family are safe. However, much of our city is completely destroyed. I'm sure you've seen the coverage on the news.<br />
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So I'm asking that you please pray for our city as you pray for our Supreme Court date. Thank you all. we are so thankful for the support you've given us for so many weeks. You have been our Aarons, holding us up in prayer. We are so grateful. You will never understand how much the thoughts and prayers mean to us.Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-90883793495706450022011-04-16T09:13:00.000-07:002011-04-16T09:16:09.788-07:00RawI have hesitated to compose this post. I feel like it could be perceived as attention or sympathy-seeking. I don't want people to feel sorry for us. In fact, if you feel inclined to comment with some form of "I'm so sorry", although I know you really mean it and I appreciate your sharing our sorrow, I want you to instead leave a comment of praise to God for our suffering. Please don't take offense to that request...we are so blessed by your thoughts and prayers. But we KNOW that God is making us perfect in our weakness. So we will continue to endure any pain that comes our way by praising him and allowing him to heal us. We are blessed to be children of God and our suffering is making our faith stronger and our relationship with God more complete. First and foremost, every circumstance of our life should be lived for Christ, be it pleasant or unpleasant in the worldly sense of those words. <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc;">To live is Christ and to die is gain.</span></i> Greg and I keep reminding each other of that daily as we walk this difficult path we find ourselves on for this season of our lives. In the midst of our suffering, there is joy, hope and peace. There really is...I'm not just speaking Christianese.<br />
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Still, the suffering is raw. It is painful. There are times when I collapse in tears. I miss Kirill so much. I replay our last visit with him and wish I had kissed him one more time, savored his touch and his smell just a little longer, taken more pictures, told him how much we loved him just one more time before we walked out of the orphanage.<br />
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And then there are reminders that punch me in the gut with no time to prepare or shield myself from their emotional blows. Like ripping the scab from a wound and exposing the raw tissue once again. They come out of nowhere and they reduce me to a heap on on the floor.<br />
<br />
There's the afternoon last week when I picked up a load of clothes from the cleaners. As I unwrapped the plastic covers I found the jacket I wore to court. I sat in my closet and cried as I remembered the last time I wore it and the horrible feelings of loss associated with that day.<br />
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There's the afternoon that I picked up Clayton from school and he told me they had talked about birthdays. He realized that Kirill's birthday was coming up, but Kirill wasn't going to be here, and they couldn't have a joint birthday party like we had planned. He cried and asked me over and over, "But WHY mommy? You said Kirill was coming home. You LIED to me." We both sobbed all the way home as I tried to explain to him that mommy didn't lie, it just didn't turn out the way we expected.<br />
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There's the alarm I had set on my phone weeks before we left for Russia reminding me to add Kirill to our medical insurance after we got home. When I saw the words on the screen of my phone, I had to brace myself against the wall as I cried out to God for strength to make it through the grief.<br />
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There's the text I got from someone who couldn't have know what happened, asking how Kirill was doing now that he was home. It took me a full 24 hours to find the words to respond.<br />
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Even as I sit here typing this, tears are streaming. Clayton is watching Saturday morning cartoons on Qubo and "Willa's Wild Life" is all about a bear from Russia. Clayton is repeating Russian phrases to the t.v. He should be saying them to Kirill...he should have a brother here watching cartoons with him. Sigh...<br />
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I wallow, I cry, I hide under the covers, I beg God to take the pain away, to work a miracle, to bring Kirill home. And I hear his voice saying, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc;"><i>"I love Kirill more than you. I know your pain. I see your suffering. Trust me. Seek me. Listen to me. And know that I AM GOD...and you are not."</i></span><br />
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Then I get up, thank God, and ask him for what I need to make it through the next day, hour, or minute. And you know what? He always gives me just enough. And really, what else can we ask for?Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193834537661732936.post-37642762289124754852011-04-08T08:54:00.000-07:002011-04-08T09:00:38.137-07:00Thank You God!The 7 Day Blitz met its goal in 4 days...holy moly. THANK YOU TO KIRILL'S ARMY OF SUPPORTERS.<br />
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It seems so lame. Two words...THANK YOU. But that's all I've got. I can't even come up with words to describe how my heart feels knowing that so many people are supporting us. So please, accept my lame thank you and just know, those two words have so much emotion behind them...hope, joy, peace, faith, encouragement, excitement, relief, humility, LOVE.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">KIRILL SAYS "YAY!"</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc404Ztf6jUlvKZopg6_r9cvohuWlC8L_RK56yrzwCH8yRp1i6wPykVcJl0qBfLBfNn9GX3QmOmuAx7KSXxn4qziHwTRZLV96iH2hj9nwN46VAm3sjJey0jKm4ZDkdpxpD7EZJCyXSVUDJ/s1600/IMG_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc404Ztf6jUlvKZopg6_r9cvohuWlC8L_RK56yrzwCH8yRp1i6wPykVcJl0qBfLBfNn9GX3QmOmuAx7KSXxn4qziHwTRZLV96iH2hj9nwN46VAm3sjJey0jKm4ZDkdpxpD7EZJCyXSVUDJ/s400/IMG_0052.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But it's not over. Because we still have three days left in the giveaway, you can still give...but there's a catch. We met our goal. Now let's help another family, OK? Go to <a href="http://www.thebalsisfamily.blogspot.com/">Bethany's blog</a> to read the whole story....and help bring Archie home too. If I could give you all a virtual hug, I would. Thank you again. SO. MUCH.</div>Tesneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854099582426075371noreply@blogger.com6