Merry Christmas to ALL!!

Merry Christmas everyone. I can't believe it has been 2 months since I posted last. I guess I know what one of my New Year Resolutions will be. We spent Thanksgiving week in Orlando visiting Mickey Mouse. Jeff's Parents gave us all the trip for an early Christmas present and we had a ball. We rented a house and it was super. It had a heated pool, game room and plenty of space for all of us. Jeff and I are still in debate who had more fun, the kids or Poppop Howard. We had some family time, big kid time, grandparent time and an overall great time.

Travis turned four the day we returned and got his first taste of an "American Birthday". We loved seeing the big smiles and joy on his face. He is doing really well. His English is fluent (well 4 year old fluent). We wish he was putting on weight faster but he is growing wonderfully. He is never still and we are just afraid he will try to rewire the Christmas tree before we take it down.

Blake will be 3 in January and is packing on the pounds. He loves to eat and I love to feed him. He is growing well all around and is a generally happy kid. He is speaking well and loves to learn. He can count, knows colors and is learning shapes.

Devon is a trip. She has grasped language skills with a lot of flare and keeps us laughing. God knew what he was doing when he made her cute. She has her own ideas about how things should be done and what pace they should be done as well. Needless to say, she is our challenge right now. She is very loving and it is so great to hear " I lob you too mommy".

Sydney is just growing up so fast. We put in her application for Sussex Technical High School. I can't believe she will be in High School next year. Her grades have really improved this year and she is finding her way in a teenage world. Her sense of humor keeps us in stitches. We are really enjoying her these days.

Branagh is doing Irish Tap dancing this fall and loves it. Her first recital is next week and we are looking forward to her performance. The middle school transition has proven to be quite a challenge for her. She seems to be settling in and hopefully will show improvement the second half of the year.

The weather has not cooperated with Jeff in November. All the rain has made it difficult to get corn and soybeans out and get wheat planted. He has kept a brave face and moved forward the best he can. He has been very busy with 4-H with Sydney and Branagh and it is good bonding time for them.

Overall, Work is work, Home is busy and God is good. We are so excited to share the holidays with our family complete. It was just a year ago we got the referrals from Russia for both boys and they have been home almost 8 months already!!! We wish you all the Merriest of Christmas' filled with Love, Joy and most of all each other. Come see us if you are in the neighborhood. We don't get out much but love the company.

October Already

Needless to say, things have been really busy around here. Sydney and Branagh are back in school and working very hard. The school they attend is very challenging. Branagh is in 6th grade and the transition is always an uphill battle. Sydney is having an easier time as this is her 3rd year there. Both girls are still riding horses as often as they can. Branagh is also taking dance classes in Irish Tap and is really enjoying it. Both have joined 4-H and are active in the Church youth group.

The "Toddlers" (as we refer to the three little ones) are all doing well. Travis had surgery to have his teeth fixed and is doing well. He is very proud of his new "dinosaur" teeth. Blake is growing like a weed and can not seem to get enough food. He loves to watch Mickey Mouse and is very loving. Both boys speak all English and are doing great. Devon is quite a handful these days. She wants things her way and is very unhappy when Mom and Dad see it differently. She is healthy and happy though so what more could we ask for.

Jeff has been crazy busy on the farm. The Corn has all been harvested and he has started on the soybeans. He has worked wonders cleaning out the woods by the house and it looks great. Please ask him about Pheasants. You will love the response. Things are the same for me, working 3 days a week at the Hospital and trying to keep up the rest of the week.

We are all going to Disney for the week of Thanksgiving. Not sure if we are brave or stupid but we will let you know when we return. Jeff's parents are going too so at least we have some extra hands. It should be a Turkey day to remember. Love to all, I will try and do better keeping up with this and I will post some new pics soon. XXOO Jodi

Has it been a month already? Time sure flies. I have been back to work for a month and everyone is adjusting well to the new schedule. The Boys have joined Devon at Miss Elaine's daycare and seem to really enjoy it. Miss Elaine says the boys are the best behaved in the place, Devon is another story. She is definitely acting like a two year old.

Sydney and Branagh went to East Coast Championship horse show in Lexington VA. Branagh won Champion for her division and Sydney finished with a top 5. We are so proud of them both. They are off to camp in North East Maryland on 8/16 and then school starts on 8/31. Jeff has been busy keeping up with the farm. All the rain dances he has learned have not helped at all. It is still very dry here and we are thankful for Irrigation.

Travis is scheduled for Dental Surgery on 8/24 so please keep him in your prayers. We are excited to finally get his teeth fixed. They are very decayed and we are sure he is in constant pain. Travis has not gained weight as fast as Blake and we are hopeful this will help. Both boys weigh a little over 26lbs and look so much healthier. They love to be outside and have a great tan. I will post more pictures soon. Love to all, J&J

Happy 4th of July...

Hello everyone,
I realize that I have been falling down on my "blogging" responsibility. Things have been very busy but everyone seems to have adjusted to our new state of controlled (and sometimes not controlled) chaos. The boys are doing well and are really enjoying having their big sisters at home. Blake has grown 2 inches and gained 2.5 lbs since the beginning of May. Travis has grown 1 inch and gained 1 .5 lbs. They still have a lot of catching up to do but are off to a good start. Unfortunately, my leave time is coming to an end. I have to return to work next Monday so we have begun yet another adjustment period. They started daycare this week with Devon at Miss Elaine's. The did well the first day but only stayed until lunch time. Today they will stay through nap and we will see how that goes.

The farm has been so crazy. Poor Jeff has been leaving for work at 5am and not returning some nights until after 9pm. He is trying to catch up now that the weather is cooperating somewhat. The big girls have been my saving grace. They are growing up so fast. We are leaving for the Region 15 championship Horse show this Thursday. Both are showing in 2 classes and are really excited. I love the time alone with them but dread leaving the little guys behind.
Hope everyone enjoys the 4th of July Holiday. J&J

Summer update...

Hello all from Chaos grand central,
Summer is finally here. Both older girls are now done school for the summer. They both did well and are ready to move on to 8th and 6th grade. Somehow it does not seem possible that they are both in Middle school. We will start looking at High Schools for Sydney in the Fall. WOW, where are our two little girls.

We are heading off on Wednesday to Lexington VA for a horse show with the two older girls. Branagh will ride Saddle Seat this year. It will be a little different for her but she looks great so far. She will ride Mr. Holland LOA (the horse Syd showed last year). Sydney also shows saddle seat but they are in different age groups still this year. Syd will show X Factor, a new horse we purchased this winter. He is working well for her so far. I will be sure to post pictures when I can.

Devon is doing well and is getting very proficient at expressing herself. She told me this morning that I was using Nina's cup. She is definitely acting her age and expressing herself and her opinion at every opportunity.

The boys are doing better everyday. We are still working on attachment issues which are foreign to all of us. The social worker gave us some great tips and assured us it just takes time. Travis needs some pretty extensive dental work and will have to go the the Operating Room at AI Dupont to have it all completed. WE are still working through some medical issues but so far no major surprises. Blake is doing really well with his glasses and his eye is improving already. He leaves them alone for the most part except for the day he thought they needed to be cleaned and placed them in the kitchen sink. Took me a while to find them (only after tearing the car, yard, living room apart looking for them).

I will update soon best wishes to all....... J&J

Hello all,
SO sorry it has been so long since made a post. We are doing very well with our new family. Sydney and Branagh are almost done school for the year and we are all looking forward to summer vacation and a slightly slower pace. Travis is doing great. He is inquisitive and does not miss a thing. He can sing the alphabet and count to 5 in English. We are working on shapes and colors and he is a fast learner. He speaks about 75% English but still rambles in Russian on occasion. Blake is doing great with his english as well. He has come into his own and shows it with temper tantrums. Devon is still the queen B but really enjoys playing with her "brodders" and bossing them around. Here are some new pictures. Enjoy!! J&J

We are still alive!!!! We are sorry that the blog has not been updated in awhile but we have been kinda busy enjoying life and getting it done!! When we hit the 3 and under group goes to bed we are ready but then we have the 11 and over group to assist. Then try to recover the house.

This week has been much better. Everyone in the Allen household is getting a routine established. Seems kinda hectic but so far it has been fun.

The boys are understanding us as well as we are understanding them more each day. Who know are Russian tutor would be 3 years old.

Jodi has spent alot of time with the boys and it is showing. We (especially Jodi and Branagh) are constantly told I love you.

The farm seems to be a hit for the boys. the other day I was planting corn across from the house and Travis went ballistic. Climbed out of his car seat and yelled MACHINA!!! The three and under group took turns cutting grass and washing cars today.

Hard to believe but we have celebrated Devon's 2nd birthday!! She is in love with her brothers and has to give them kisses and hugs before going to bed.

Where would we be without the older girls??? They have been a great help and have proven to be as special as we know they were.

We appreciate everyone being patient with the visits. It seems like the boys do well outside or with short visits from friends. Just makes it hard to have everyone at once.

Thanks to all those that have made the phone calls, sent cards and e-mails. The supports has meant alot to us.

Hope to get some new pictures up soon. There are just so many to choose from.

Love YA

J and J plus 5

Hello from Delaware..

Hello to all,
Sorry it has been a few days since the last post but things have been so busy. We are trying desperately to establish some new routines. They boys are doing really well and even experienced thier first shopping trip to Target. It was short but they did really well. We also went to get some desperately needed new shoes. They were both troopers. Mommom Marge went as back up and support for Jodi "just in case".

The girls are feeling thier way around the new form of "busy" that fills our home. We are counting down the days until school is out and we can all relax a little more. Devon was probably the hardest hit but now wants to hug her "brodders". They are not to sure about that but she does not give them much choice. She is still the queen bee and as Branagh says "have you ever heard of a king bee??".

Thanks for all the calls and support. We are slowly inviting visitors and really appreciate your patience. Any disruption in routine right now is felt by all but we promise to welcome you all in time. I will try to post some new pictures when I can stay awake long enough to get everything done. Lots and love, J&J

First Day Was Good

Well the first day was good. Jodi and I have been up since 4 discussing about today and the upcoming week. Jodi has always had the theory Schedule Routine for the kids and she it right it makes the Allen Household better.

Devon was a little surprised when she woke up yesterday to find what that the "brother fairy" had been. She was so excited to see that her Mommy and Daddy where home.

Nina made breakfast and Mom Mom made dinner, they are spoiling us. Like the maid service and especially the cost, lol.

The boys and girls played hard all day, including the big girls. They enjoyed being outside and loved the farm. Both boys loved the horses and took their first ride. Any sponsors for the Allen Equestrian Team?

We appreciate all the phone calls.

I think the washer has run non stop for the last 24 hours but the end is in sight, YEAH!!

Maybe Jodi will get a minute to post some pictures today. Nap time was enjoyed by all yesterday.

More to come later

J and J

WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!!! Words cannot not explain what it felt like to see Bridgeville's sign "If you lived here you be home now". Heck just to be able to read a sign in English.

The trip home was pretty uneventful and exhausting. We left the hotel at 4 am Moscow time and got home last night about 7:45 pm. When you calculate all the time zones we were traveling over 24 hours. Oh do not for get the 1 1/2 hours at airport/immigration and the Friday traffic jams on 495.

Both boys made out incredible. The one flight was over 9 hours and both boys played, woke everyone up and sang. Yes the people boarding had to be saying "Please don't let me be seated by them.

The boys were anxiously greeted by sisters and Grand Parents, oh and Scotty too. When we drove up the driveway we told Travis he was at his dome (Russian for House) and he lit up like a light. Now remember last night made bed number six that the kids have slept in in the last week.

They went to everyone and gave hugs and played with Scotty. Ate and went to bed.

It was great to be home and see the girls/family. Devon did not stay awake for the big home coming so we anxiously await her waking up. Don't think she would appreciate our jet lag at 4 AM.

It was a great feeling to come home and see the grass cut, house cleaned and everything in order. Nina, Mom Mom and Pop Pop have done a great job and we cannot thank them enough. No I don't think they are for hire.

Well the washer is done the first load of many for the day.

Jodi will post more later in the day.

Love you all and thanks for your support.

J & J

Last Day.. YAHOOO!!!

Well it is our last day in Moscow and we are justing trying to pass the time and wear the boys out before they wear us out. Not sure who is winning right now. Our driver will be here at 4:15 am to take us to the airport and we are off on a really long day. That is 8:15 pm your time (thursday night) and we land in Washington at 3pm your time(fridy afternoon) then drive in Friday rush hour traffic. Yikes. Will certainly be a long day but we are so anxious to get home. WE can't wait to hug our girls and show the boys where we really live. I will post some new pictures and can't wait to talk to everyone when we get home. See ya soon, J&J

Yeah were done!!!!

We have just gotten back from the Embassy and all went well and we are done the Russia Paperwork!!!! Now just more when we get home but at least we will be HOME!!! I don't care what anyone says Bridgeville DE is one of the greatest places to LIVE!!!

Okay now that we have fixed the problem we can share. We have had one heck of a time getting batteries for the camera. We have bought several but we can't speak Russian let alone read it so buying batteries is a challenge.

Between being in Russia and having the boys Jodi and I challenge anyone to a game of Sherraid's.

Boys are doing extremely well. They are picking up English already. Picture books are great. Travis is really into it and picks up the books all the time.

We have gotten through this step realy fast and now we have a day to spare. Tried to get a flight home earlier but they are all sold out.

You know its a bad haircut whenn I encourage Jodi to cut Travis's hair. It looks better than it did and the long bangs where bugging him.

The boys are taking a nap as well as Jodi (I hope). I came down to the bar for my most expensie Jack and Coke, $35 bucks!!! One is my limit today, but it is the first one in a while and wow it tastes good.

I cannot wait to get home to see my girls!! I know everyone wants to come and see us and the boys and we love you for it. I do ask that you give us a couple of days and call before coming. Not trying to be Bucky Bad but each situation is a new one and we have to figure out one step at a time.

We think the boys are going to adapt easy but we will not know until we are there. Travis is going to go crazy when he sees Pop Pop s farm. Everything is "machina" to him and Blake it is "Beep Beep". Jodi brought picture books and they always go to the tractors. Watch out Pop Pop you have riders on the Rogator.

The boys are fun to watch as they are figuring out everything. They know who Momma is. The just sing and smile in the stroller.

Now for all you hospital folks, who needs Mediafast. Just walk 20 miles a day with your 2 boys. Yeap thats all the boys want to do is walk or stroll. I believe Jodi has lost another ?x? lbs.

What is amazing is the indepence the boys have been taught at such a young age. They dress, brush teeth, go to the bathroom, make beds, and they will walk 5 city blocks and much more. Watch out Allen Household girls, the boys are in the house. But you can have Scotty on your side, lol.

Okay to end my rambling blog. I thank God for my five children and a wonderful wife and great family. I want to get out of a city with 500 million people, yes 500 million people!!! I want be a country boy.

Love all of you and thanks for your support, love and prayers.

JWA

Two days and counting..

It is now Wednesday in Moscow and about 75F at 10 am. When we arrived it was 20F. Needless to say we are somewhat wardrobe challenged. Jeff filled you all in on the medical exam and paperwork yesterday. We have to go to the Embassy today and that should be the end of the formalities here. We tried to get a flight home on Thursday but everything was sold out so we will have to try to entertain two toddlers in a small hotel room for another day. There is a park and a huge mall with in walking distance so we have tried to make the best of it.

We sat down to read books last night and both boys were repeating words in english just as clear as possible (for 2 and 3). They are active and curious little boys. There is definitly no fear left in Blake for Jeff for anything else it seems. He takes off at 100 miles an hour. They are both testing us but nothing unusual for thier age and circumstance. The doctor told us they would both win academy awards someday for their performances. He was great and had quite the personablity to boot. He encouraged us to be firm with the boys.

We will update again tomorrow. We have run out of batteries for the camera and cannot find one as it is a strange size. We will try to get more pictures on asap. We are so anxious to get home and would like to throw these suitcases in the River. Love to all and we will see you soon. J&J

Jeff's Pre daily Blog

Okay it is rare that I do a posting but Jodi is trying to keep me occuiped while the boys nap. Jodi and I have opened two new offices in Moscow. The first is in the hotel, yes the bathroom floor is the best place for us to use the computer while the boys sleep. The other office comes with staff. Jodi is the boss with all her paperwork and has three assistants Blake, Travis and me. This office is located in the back seat of a small Nissan which bearly has room for the four of us let alone the paperwork and the stacks of papers they are giving Jodi to fill out. Since Jodi is so organized it went smoothly as she already had many of the forms filled out from home but there was still about 25 new pages. Yeap there went another forest. Bottomline the Embassy paperwork is filled out and submitted. We have an appointment for 2 hours on Wed and when this meeting is done we should be able to get the boys Visa's, Yeah one step closier to home.

Medical exams went well this morning. Both boys checked out healthy. Travis weights 25 lbs and Blake is 22 lbs. Doc said Travis would proably never be the Sumai wrestler and they both need more vit D or sun so take them to a nudist beach in Maimi. Gonna try to get the same effect in Bridgeville, so watch out for the stud muffins.

Jodi forgot to add a couple of funnies. One to our large travel collection we have added, two toliet seats. One is a Large Pot and of course the one the boys like. The other is a smaller that they are starting to like. All must be carried in a plasitc bag through the airport. Next funny, while walking the boys in the park one woman asked Jodi if she was thier Grand Ma. Thought Jodi was gonna take her out. But when you think about it thier Grand Ma is Jodi's age.

Well I have rambled enough. It has been an adventure and it has been very exhausting and trying. I am fortunate to have done this with Jodi as our relationship is great. I cannot wait to get home and I never want to wait in a car for hours on end again and nothing to eat for hours. Plus be in BFE parts of Russia. Glad Jodi's got the big purse with all the snacks.

Love all of you and thanks for the support

JWA

p.s. Jodi will post a better blog later.

Moscow!!

Well, we made it to Moscow. We flew from St. Petersburg this afternoon. The flight was only about an hour long and it was a great test flight with the boys. They did great. It did not seem to phase them at all. The ride from the airport to our Hotel was about 1.5 hours with traffic and that was a little more difficult. They were both off schedule and missed naps so it was a little trying today but hopefully tomorrow will be better. We are scheduled for thier medical exams tomorrow morning at 8:30 am and then go to the Embassy on WEdnesday. Can't wait to get home, we miss everyone so much (and really miss our own bed). Love to all, J&J

Day 3

Hello all, Not much to report today. The boys are napping right now. We vowed to wear them out today and so far we have done a good job. They slept great last night and it is warmer here today (not 94 mind you). We went for a long walk and found a toy store to get some new toys (the ones I brought are getting old already). They ate great today and seem to be bonding to each other little by little. Blake still stresses when strangers come by but is fascinated with all men (as long as they do not come too close. ) We are off to Moscow in the am and will post tomorrow from there. This hotel does not have Wi-Fi so I have to use the lobby computer so no pictures. (sorry). Lots of Love J&J

day 2 with the boys

Hello all,
Day 2 with the boys went pretty smoothly. They slept until about 8 am. Then we all got dressed and went down to breakfast. They actually have better table manners then Devon. (which does not say much, I realize). We all went for a walk and then had lunch. We had to change Hotels because the one we have been staying at was overbooked. They sent us to another hotel owned by the same company. It is brand new and is a Holiday Inn. They upgraded us to a Suite which has two rooms and two bathrooms, living room with table and chairs. Other then being away from any activity, the room is great. There is a grocery store next door so we are now versed in Russian grocery shopping. This is really a challenge when you not only can't speak but can't read the language either. I have twice bought milk that I have no idea what it was and the boys spit it out. We will stick with Juice and water for now. Boys took a good nap, a big long walk out side, ate a great dinner, bath and then to bed just like champs. They are doing better then Jeff and I. I keep getting up to check on them and jump at every squeak. Tomorrow is another day of passing time. We are trying to just enjoy this time and getting to know the boys better. Love to all, J&J

GOTCH DAY!!!!

At Last, we have our boys. We are so excited. They did really great on the ride to the hotel. They were so amazed by all they saw and sqealed and pointed. It was priceless. They played in the room and then we took a walk in the stroller (Warm weather at last). We fed them dinner in the room and they ate like crazy. Then we gave them a bath and played and it was bed time. They both were champs and got right in bed and stayed there. It took Blake about an hour to fall asleep and travis was still fighting it when I came downstairs for a break. They are both doing great and we are so blessed. Now we are ready to come home. Unfortunately, the passports are not ready until Monday so we will hang out in St. Petersburg for the weekend. We fly to Moscow on Monday. They have Medical exams at the US Embassy on Wednesday. We get thier US Visa's on Thursday and fly out at O'dark thirty on Friday. Keep praying that we meet each challenge with Humor and love and we will be home next friday. Love to all J&J

Hello All!

Not much to report from St. Petersburg today. We had a rest day today and actually got to do some tourist stuff. What a beautiful city this is. We just walk around with our mouths open (a pretty picture). We took lots of photos. We are still having trouble sleeping through the night mostly due to worrying about what the next week will hold. We both agree that this is the scariest part of this whole adventure. The other couple that is here with thier new son have finally gotton him to sleep but they walk and walk and walk. Finally was able to post some new photos. Tomorrow is "Gotcha Day" . We will update then. Thanks for all the support and kind words. Keep them coming we love to read all the posts. J&J

OMG!!!! What a day...

What a wild and crazy day we have had. We road all over parts of Russia that the Russian's haven't ever seen. After all that, we still did not get all the paperwork we needed. Our translator/coordinator is awesome and she found a way to get it done. We get to rest tomorrow and will pick up the boys on Friday afternoon at 3pm (That is 7am your time). We are really excited. All we have to do now is wait for the passports to be ready. Hopefully Monday and we will head to Moscow on Monday or Tuesday. We have met several other couples in various stages of adoption. Some had picked up thier kids already. One couple was up all night with thier son. Pray that this does not happen to us. Not much else for now. We will keep you posted as events unfold. J&J

Our Apologies...

Hello all, just wanted to tell everyone that we have tried to upload new photos and we are having technical difficulties either with the website or our connection. We will try again tomorrow. Sorry and hang in there proud grandmothers.... J&J

We survived another day in St. Petersburg. We now have the paperwork for Travis's passport. We spent much of the day riding in the van only to arrive at another office to wait in the van for the paperwork to be completed. However we were surprised by being able to visit with the boys for 1 1/2 hours. We had to wait two hours as they were napping but it was worth the wait. It amazes us how each time thier personalities change. Travis was very "active" today. We go to Lomonsov tomorrow and hope to complete the paperwork there but it may take two days. We will not see the boys again until Friday when we get to pick them up!!!! Then we will travel to Moscow Monday or Tuesday. Bad news is we cannot get reservations for the weekend at the Petro but Irina has taken care of us once again. She got us a hotel with a kitchen which will be nice for the boys.

Micki as for comment 5 suitcases and a double stoller, yeah we brought enough. Between the paperwork and half of Toys R Us we have it all.


Love to all and thanks for the prayers and support.

J & J

Trip #3

Well, here we are again. We arrived without incident with our 7000 pounds (oh sorry this is Europe)Kilos of Luggage. It is safe to say that we are over being world travelers. The Flight from Dullus was United and was tolerable at best. We definetly like KLM better. We are to start out first thing tomorrow morning in search of paperwork. It is really really cold here again and I am so wishing I had packed my Cabela's down coat. Not much else to report today and we are exhausted. We will update again tomorrow evening. Love to all and thanks for all the warm wishes. (XXOO to our girlies) J&J

I am finally allowed to do a post!!! Probably because Jodi is scrambling and to keep me quiet, the password was easier to give out. Okay the laundry from the last trip is done, only to go back in the suitcase. Yep we are leaving again on Sunday, April 19 and returning on May 1st, WITH OUR BOYS!!!! A Russian Holiday can really throw a loop in things making our trip 14 days. Right now we are accepting donations for airfare difference, hotel or better yet shocks for the van in Russia. For two days we get to ride all over Russia Countryside getting documents only to return to the city and submit them for the next four days. I think Jodi may have a calling for Adoption Agent in the future. The paper work file is over 14 inches thick!!!

Better get back to work. Words cannot say what we feel with all the love, prayers and support we have gotten.

Love YA

J & J

COURT DAY....

Court is all over. The boys are officially ours!!!! After two nerve wracking hours of court, it is all over. Jeff did most of the talking (thank goodness) and he did an excellenct job. Lots of Questions but nothing unfortold happened. I think the judge really wanted to ask " Why on God's green earth do you want 5 kids". But she just smiled and wished us luck. We are so relieved. Looks like travel date are slightly different from what we were originally quoted. We will leave again on 4/25 and return home with the boys on May 6 if all goes well. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers, we felt them all. We do not leave St. Petersburg until tomorrow evening so we will have some time to explore the city tomorrow. See you all on Sunday and love you tons. J&J

Day 2, Trip 2....

We had a great visit with both boys together. Blake had very little fear of Jeff and let him pick him up and sat on his lap. The boys did not pay too much attention to each other but we are not sure they really grasp that they will be brothers. We could not believe the difference in Blake. He looked so much healthier and even acted more alert and curious. We got to spend about 1 1/2 hours with the boys. It was so hard to leave them again but we told them we will be back in two weeks to pick them up for good. Travis told the translator that he wanted to go home with us. Talk about melt your heart.... Tomorrow is the big court date. It is a HUGE deal here and everyone seems a little on edge about it. I just keep reminding us that others have been successful in court and so will we. Jeff is fighting a wicked sinus attack but is hiding it well. I will attempt to upload some new pictures. Best wishes to all and thanks for all the prayers. Keep them coming.. J&J

Arrived in St. Petersbug

Hello all,
We have arrived safe and sound in St. Petersburg. We are stuggling to stay awake until a reasonable hour to go to bed local time. We have to go to the Minister of Education for Leningrad region tomorrow morning to get permission to visit the boys again. Then we will visit the orphanage in the afternoon. We are so glad they are now in the same orphanage as this will probably be the first time that have met each other. We will video tape as much as we can( and not let Devon erase it this time). Hope all is well in the states. We are able to get to our email without a problem so feel free. A big thanks to our pal CJ for loaning us this mini dell laptop. It fit in my purse and was a breeze through security and linked right onto the free wifi in the hotel lobby. We will update again (hopefully with new pictures) tomorrow after our visit. Happy holy week to all and never forget the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. All our love, J&J

Off We Go (again)....

We are off again tomorrow to St. Petersburg. We will arrive in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. We will get to visit the boys on Thursday and then we go to Court on Friday 4/10/09. Please keep us in your prayers. We are already nervous. Then we hop back on a plane on Saturday and have to overnight in Amersterdam and will be home on Easter Sunday. We will update the blog faithfully so stay tuned. I will try and post new pictures of the boys as well. Thanks again, all our love, J&J

Final Dates

It has been a crazy busy week. We got tentative date for our third and final trip. They are not set in stone until after court. We will leave again on 4/19 (yes that is one week from when we return, ouch) for St. Petersburg. We will have paperwork to do and will pick up the boys on 4/24/09. We will then travel to Moscow where we have to go to the US Embassy and procure visa's and passports. Then we should be able to head home with the boys on 4/29!! Wow it seems surreal and I still find myself holding my breath at every turn. We are working on the logistics of traveling with a 2 year old and 3 year old. Let alone two who we can barely communicate with. We are trying to learn as many Russian words as possible to help ease the transition. Jeff is working like mad trying to keep the farm on track and I am trying to wrap up as many projects as possible at work before we leave. We will keep you updated as we go. Thanks for the kind words and support. God is Good. J&J

COURT DATE AT LAST.....

Yes, we finally have a court date. We will leave for St. Petersburg on 4/7 and go to Court on 4/10. We will get to visit the boys one day before court and then we head home on 4/11. We are so excited. We also had other news last week. They closed Blake's orphanage and we were able to find out (after several tense days) that the boys are now in the same orphanage. Yeah!! We are hoping they will have a little time together before becoming brothers for life. God is so good to us and we trust he will continue to guide this adventure and bring our boys home safely. Keep the prayers coming. J&J

Update...

Hello all,
I just wanted to take a few minutes and update everyone. We sent in the rest of the remaining documents last Friday so we are just in the waiting process for a Court Date. We can't wait to bring our boys home and are in the process of putting their room together. We will keep you updated as to when our next trip will be.
Sydney is doing so great in school the last four weeks and we are so proud of her. Branagh is camping this weekend with a friend in Virginia. Devon continues to run the house and amazes us everyday. I will try and post some new pictures of the girls. Health and happiness to all........

Home...

Hello all from Delaware. Thanks to everyone for all your support. We understand the website had some difficulties that made it impossible to post comments. We are just glad you were all able to see our posts. We had a very exciting trip although we are both exhausted. We are slowly readjusting to time etc. Last night was the first night in a week that we both slept through the night so we are feeling lots better today. I have posted some new pictures. Thanks again for all your love and support as we continue on this journey. We will now wait for a court date which should be 6-8 weeks from now. We will continue to update the blog as we have more info. XXOO J&J

Last Day....

Okay, we are either really old or the jet lag has just kicked our butts. We have a reading party together everynight starting around midnight and lasting several hours. We go right to sleep but then wake up and it is hopeless. We generally go back to sleep but then the wake up call seems really rude. Anyway, we are anxious to get back on East Coase time.

We had our Medical exam this morning and it was not bad at all. Lots of questions and few exams. They even served us tea and cakes. (would not find this hospiatality in the US). Overall, basically painless. The worst part was the bill.....OUCH!

We then went to the notary and signed our official request with the court to adopt both boys. Last official business of the trip. With all the paperwork here and the paperwork at home we have personally killed a large forrest. We have this afternoon to relax and head home bright and early tomorrow morning(4:15 am to be exact). We have lots of video and pictures to share and can't wait to see you all. Lot of Love, J&J

Day Three

Ok first of all, we would really like it if someone posted a comment. WE also have access to email so let us know you are out there please. (never new mommom marge to be so reserved)
WE had a great day today. We got to visit both boys again. Th e younger boy did alot better. He was still fixated on cookies but did alot better with Jeff. He is very shy and fearful of men as they are not a part of his daily life. He is the tiniest little peanut and needs some good old Sussex County Cooking (all donations excepted). The older boy had a fever when arrived so he was not quite as animated as yesterday. He still went to both of us and seems to understand that we will be back to pick him up soon. Both boys were interested in their new sisters and the farm. It broke our hearts to say good bye.

Guess what?? It snowed this morning and early afternoon. Then the sun actually came out. Shocker!! We had a traditional Russian lunch of Blini (crepe like pancake with filling) and Borsch(Russian soup). It was really good(and beats the heck out of McD's).

TOmorrow we have our Medical exams with 9 doctors starting at 0730. Yes, we know we have already done this in the States. Appearently, that doesn't matter. Then we leave first thing on Friday am and should be home sometime on Friday evening. Please let us know if you are seeing these. We sure hope so but find it strange that noone has responed. We will update again tomorrow before heading home. All our Love, J&J

Day Two

Wow what a day. We got to meet both the boys today and they are even more cute then the photos. The youngest is very quite and deathly afraid of men. They tell us there are no men working in the ophanage and he has been there for a while. We found some tickle spots that elicited some gigles. He was feeling more comfortable by the time we left and we are looking forward to seeing him again tomorrow. The older boy is quite the heartbreaker. Long long eyelashes and dimples galore. He took well to both of us and speaks quite well. Unfortunately, he speaks Russian. We took lots of pictures and will try to download them later to post some.

It snowed all day but that does not seem to slow anyone down here. Tomorrow we will visit both boys again. We hope all is well at home, thanks for the prayers and support. We are off to find some dinner. Love to all.....J&J

We Made it....

Hello Everyone, we are writing this post from the lobby of our Hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia and frankly we are FREEZING....... We arrived about 5pm Russian time on Monday 2/23(about 9am Monday morning your time). We had no difficulties with travel and the flights were not bad at all. (no meds required). We met our translator and driver at the airport. They seem really nice and were helpful getting us checked into the hotel as well. We are to meet them at 9:30 am tomorrow and have a full day planned. We need to go to the Ministry of Education in the morning and then off to both orphanages. One is about 1 hour from St. Petersburg and the other is 1.5 hours away. Unfortunately, in oposite directions it seems. Jeff says he will never complain about Jodi's van again after riding in the one here. The Midas muffler shop would do well here.

Well we are exhausted and ready for bed. We just wanted to let everyone know we are safe and sound. Thanks girls for the kind messages. We love you all...

Will update tomorrow again as we have the wirless figured out now. J&J

2 days...

Wow!! I can't believe we leave in 2 days. My head is swimming with everything left to do. I did want to take a minute to thank everyone who has reached out and offered their prayers and support to us. We appreciate every one's kind thoughts as we venture into the unknown. Thanks especially to all those who have gone before us and offered their whit and knowledge to reassure us that all will work out fine.

Last of the papers went out on Tuesday. I ran like crazy to day to get all the things we need and stock the fridge for Mom and the girls while we are gone. (Although I am certain that no one will starve). Mom and Marge like to remind us that they raised children too. Try to check in next week and I will try to update this as often as possible. Tomorrow will be busy with cleaning and packing and running kids (the normal weekend stuff). Next time I write will be from Russia. I placed a link on the bottom of the page so you can check the weather in St. Petersburg and feel really bad for us. Love to all....

7 days and counting.......YIKES!!!
Yea we are in the final countdown. We are stuck somewhere between really excited and scared Sh**less. We are so excited to meet the boys but so scared of all the unknowns. We are reassured that people actually do return alive from their first trip and return several more times to bring the kids home. So I am assuming we too will survive. Did not get the final paperwork off this week as we had hoped but that is OK. I will get it out this week. Our FBI clearance came back already so that is reassuring (you never really know what lurks in peoples closets). The girls had a good week this week and we are hopeful that Syd is back on a good path. (She had the impression that homework was optional, needless to say that is no longer the case). B had a great report card so we are tickled with her. SHe has had a lot of "chaos" in her classroom this year but all seems to be settling down now. Devon, is truely acting like a 2 year old. I keep reminding Jeff that this is why God makes babies sooo cute. I will update again before we leave next Sunday. Have a great Valentine's Day (ugggg)!

14 days and counting...

Thanks to those of you who have logged in to follow our family. We have made some progress with paper work and were able to get the FBI fingerprints on the way. Our passports with Visa's intact are back in our hands. We are gathering the last of the documents that need to be notarized and apostilled before we leave. With that accomplished this week, we can turn our attention to simpler details like what to pack and how much to take. I will let you know how things are progressing toward the end of the week. God Bless you all and have a safe and happy Monday. Jodi

Let's get started....

I have been toying with the idea of starting a family blog eversince we started the adoption process. I decided to take the plunge as our first trip to St. Petersburg draws near. I think this will be a great way to keep everyone up to date (especially with time changes). I will try to upload some picutures of the girls later. I cannot publish phots of the boys right now but will after our trip.

As we count down to trip one (17 days), we just got 5 more documents we need to complete including FBI fingerprints. I am getting pretty good at the rush, rush and wait. Rush and get this, rush and get it notarized, rush and get it apostilled, rush and send it Fedex and then wait for the next assignment. We are so excited to meet the boys. God has blessed our family over and over and we can't wait to see what is around the next corner.