Favorite Photo Friday, on Tuesday

The boys comin' up from sledding

Some sledding in the 'hood

Libbs and Levi



A tree blanketed in snow


Silly Bell


Skunk, or maybe fox tracks


Libby getting ready for the snow

Mom and dad left the snow here, to be in the snow in Russia. We got about 6 inches, since Friday. We've played in it literally all weekend. I think I'm ready for it to melt now. We haven't been able to go anywhere since Friday. Ahhh! The roads are still very icy. Our county schools are shut down, even today!

~paige

Welcome to our Family

Today was Court. All morning I waited, checking my email every 10 minutes. Rushing to the phone when it rang. Waiting, waiting to hear something. As we logged on to Skype mom and dad, we knew. We could see it in their faces. The judge had waived it, he did. That 10 day waiting period is no longer a worry. God is so good. We've been praying that God would graciously put it in the judge's heart to waive the 10 days. And He did. We knew that whatever the final decision of the judge was, it is what God has for us. This is all for His glory. We praise Him for everything He has done. He got mom and dad to Volgograd, right before it snowed, right before the airports were shut down.
Now, these precious baby boys are officially part of our family!

~paige

And They're Off! Trip 2

Baby boys, here we come! Mom and Dad left for Volograd, and us kids are "holding down the fort". Please pray that the judge will waive the 10 day waiting period, and mom and dad will only have to be Russia for 2 weeks. If she's doesn't waive it, then they will be gone for 4 weeks. We want them to be able to come home soon with the twins.

~paige

No Court Date?!

I jumped every time the phone rang, maybe it would be our case manager with our court date! I asked mom to check her email every couple of hours. Maybe she emailed it? Nope. We thought we were going to get a court date at the end of December. Then we found out that our Facilitator in Russia, couldn't go to her appointment with the judge, because she hadn't received some paperwork from Moscow. She now has an appointment on the twelfth of January. That was almost two weeks away! That seems like a long time, I thought. I feel about ready to walk to Russia and get the boys. Then I realized something, I have to wait. No matter what I do, the whole process won't go any faster. Because it's not in my control. It's one of those things where you have to say, "God it's yours, and I'm not going to worry about it". God has it all in His hands, I can't see the big picture yet. Waiting this extra time, will give us more time to prepare for their much awaited arrival. Our lives are soons to take a drastic turn, times two!
~paige

Updates

Sorry yawl, to keep ya hangin'! It has been crazy busy around here lately, especially since Christmas is almost here! I am so thrilled that I will be (Lord willing) getting my baby brothers, maybe after Christmas! What an amazing gift! I couldn't possibly want anything better! I love them to pieces, and feel so priviledged to be their big sister! It boggles my mind to think that 2 years ago, on my Christmas list at the very top, I asked that our family provide a loving home for an orphan. Since all four of us kids had been praying about this for so long, I thought it would never happen. But God has heard, and has graciously answered. Mom and Dad, had a great trip to Russia, they have some great stories to share about God's faithfulness, provision, and grace through Trip One. God has orchestrated this whole thing, and deserves all the praise.
~paige

For Mom and Dad

We wanted to show mom and dad how we are doing, so we had a little "photoshoot". It went pretty well. We decided to take a couple of shots every day this week, and pick the best ones to send to them. Here are some of my favorites from Sunday.

And They're Off!

They left for Russia. They traveled 5,648 miles to meet our baby boys. We have been very blessed to talk with them 5 times! They have met and played with the boys 2 times each day. I can't wait to see pictures of them, and eventually bring them home! God has been so good to us, He has blessed us with wonderful friends who have stayed with us, visited us, and came over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We are so thankful for them. God has kept Mom and Dad safe while in Russia. He has done extraordinary things for them, and has blessed them with another American family to speak english to! They had a wonderful meeting with the Orphanage Doctor and Facilitator. Mom said the boys are doing very well. They played toys with Mom and Dad, and giggled and laughed. Baby M. can toddle if you hold his hand, and Baby N. is an avid crawler.
This Thanksgiving I'm so thankful for my family, I love you guys so much!

~paige