Well we made it just fine. It is truely a different world and at the same time it is the same - traffic and construction. Greman seems to be very nice and has put me at ease with being here. We have met Tatiana and everything is on track. We found out that German was the one that took the pictures of Aleks and he say that Aleks is a great boy. We will stay with German and his wife tonight and then tomorrow morning we will get up early and make the drive to Kaluga but will not meet Aleks until after his nap and lunch. Got to run. Keep praying.
-- Post From My iPhone
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Adventures in the airport
Wow! So we got to the airport this morning at 7am anticipating the worst and we were treated to a display of every conceivable bad behavior known to man kind. Crying, yelling, stomping feet, name calling, cutting in line, sulking, hand gestures, blamming, shoving... and that was the adults! Trust me the list could go on and on!
It is truely amazig how there are still people out there that still think they can arrive at the airport with less than an hour before their flight departs and think that they are going to be able to make it.
But the Lord continues to bless this trip and we were able to ge through the line without a "situation". I feel for those that work at the ticket desk! Those folks deserve extra pay to deal with the short tempers and abusive language that we saw. But I will say that they don't put up with it for very long before they call in for "reinforcements". And when that happens hold on cause someone is going to be "escorted" to some place I assume is other than their flight.
Well we continue on our journey and can't wait to see Russia and more importantly Aleks.
More to come...
-- Post From My iPhone
It is truely amazig how there are still people out there that still think they can arrive at the airport with less than an hour before their flight departs and think that they are going to be able to make it.
But the Lord continues to bless this trip and we were able to ge through the line without a "situation". I feel for those that work at the ticket desk! Those folks deserve extra pay to deal with the short tempers and abusive language that we saw. But I will say that they don't put up with it for very long before they call in for "reinforcements". And when that happens hold on cause someone is going to be "escorted" to some place I assume is other than their flight.
Well we continue on our journey and can't wait to see Russia and more importantly Aleks.
More to come...
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, June 4, 2009
WORD!
Connie was kind enough to put the story down and send it to my parents so they could include it in our "adoption book" my mother is creating.
This is the story of how we heard about our son, waiting for us in Russia……..
It is 3:58pm on Thursday, June 4, 2009
Kevin was at work and I was at home washing clothes and getting ready for a busy weekend. Robin Longoria, our contact at the Gladney Adoption Agency, called the house and asked me what I was doing and she just laughed. I said, “Oh my gosh Robin, are you calling for THE CALL?”. She laughed and said, “ YES, Connie, take a minute to catch your breath”. Then she asked if Kevin was at home because she needed to talk to both of us.
I told her no, he was not home but I would call him on his cell, since he has it with him all the time. Kevin and I had worked out a signal so Kevin would know what to do when I called with the signal. I put the house phone down and got my cell phone and ran through the plan with the cell…………no return call from Kevin. I ended up sending the signal MANY times with NO RESPONSE.
I finally got on my computer and just started emailing Kevin so that he would get frustrated with his phone going off and my email would be all he saw on his computer. I just kept typing in the subject line ADOPTION CALL ME. I still have Robin on the house phone and FINALLY after literally 5 minutes of doing this, Kevin calls, but not on my cell phone but the HOUSE phone! I see that he is calling so I pick up my cell phone and call him. I tell him that I have Robin on hold on the house phone and that she needs his phone number of where he is at this very moment so that she can conference him in on the phone call with me. Kevin asks, why and then it hits him and he says, with a shaky voice, “Is this THE CALL?” I laughed and said “YES it is, are you ready?” He responds, with a shaky “Okay”.
He can’t remember his phone number at the office and so I ask him if he is in his office or some where else since I had called him on his cell phone I wasn’t sure. He finally says, yes that he is and continues to struggle to remember his office number. He finally gets it out and I tell him to not leave the spot he is at right now because Robin will call him in a few minutes. I tell Robin the phone number and she calls and tells us about our son, whose name, given by his birth mother is Aleksandr L.
Kevin had stepped away from his desk, without his cell phone, and gone down the hall to speak with the Dean of the Business School, Terry Maness. The bad thing is that he didn’t come back to his desk because of everything I was doing, but because his phone was ringing at his desk and he was coming to answer it. Thank God that he sent an angel to get Kevin back to his desk.
We have been told at this point that we will be making our first trip to Russia June 23-27, 2009 to meet our son, Aleksandr. We will probably wait 2-3 months before we go back for our second trip and actually get to bring him home.
This is the story of how we heard about our son, waiting for us in Russia……..
It is 3:58pm on Thursday, June 4, 2009
Kevin was at work and I was at home washing clothes and getting ready for a busy weekend. Robin Longoria, our contact at the Gladney Adoption Agency, called the house and asked me what I was doing and she just laughed. I said, “Oh my gosh Robin, are you calling for THE CALL?”. She laughed and said, “ YES, Connie, take a minute to catch your breath”. Then she asked if Kevin was at home because she needed to talk to both of us.
I told her no, he was not home but I would call him on his cell, since he has it with him all the time. Kevin and I had worked out a signal so Kevin would know what to do when I called with the signal. I put the house phone down and got my cell phone and ran through the plan with the cell…………no return call from Kevin. I ended up sending the signal MANY times with NO RESPONSE.
I finally got on my computer and just started emailing Kevin so that he would get frustrated with his phone going off and my email would be all he saw on his computer. I just kept typing in the subject line ADOPTION CALL ME. I still have Robin on the house phone and FINALLY after literally 5 minutes of doing this, Kevin calls, but not on my cell phone but the HOUSE phone! I see that he is calling so I pick up my cell phone and call him. I tell him that I have Robin on hold on the house phone and that she needs his phone number of where he is at this very moment so that she can conference him in on the phone call with me. Kevin asks, why and then it hits him and he says, with a shaky voice, “Is this THE CALL?” I laughed and said “YES it is, are you ready?” He responds, with a shaky “Okay”.
He can’t remember his phone number at the office and so I ask him if he is in his office or some where else since I had called him on his cell phone I wasn’t sure. He finally says, yes that he is and continues to struggle to remember his office number. He finally gets it out and I tell him to not leave the spot he is at right now because Robin will call him in a few minutes. I tell Robin the phone number and she calls and tells us about our son, whose name, given by his birth mother is Aleksandr L.
Kevin had stepped away from his desk, without his cell phone, and gone down the hall to speak with the Dean of the Business School, Terry Maness. The bad thing is that he didn’t come back to his desk because of everything I was doing, but because his phone was ringing at his desk and he was coming to answer it. Thank God that he sent an angel to get Kevin back to his desk.
We have been told at this point that we will be making our first trip to Russia June 23-27, 2009 to meet our son, Aleksandr. We will probably wait 2-3 months before we go back for our second trip and actually get to bring him home.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tools
A few months ago Connie and I had the opportunity to spend some quality windshield time together on our way to Lubbock for a great Texas Tech football game. During this time we discussed many things about our lives and what we wanted to pass on to our son. We talked about our own raisings and what lessons we had learned. We thought about how each of our parents had given (if that is the right word) us our "life skills" the "tools" that we use each day to make it through our lives.
I prefer to use the word "tool" because if you think about what a tool is, a tool can be defined in so many ways, it is basically (my definition) something that allows you to complete or achieve a specific task or goal. Whether it is to fix something or create something you must have "tools". I am not going to get into the anthropological aspects of tools, but basically (besides some specific rudimentary primate examples) the extent to which we can identify, create and utilize tools is what differentiates us from all the other creatures on this planet.
But tools are not just external objects that make tasks easier. Tools are much more than that. They are also the "skills" we posses. Our ability to communicate and comprehend, our ability to problem solve or break down the most basic elements of the universe, our ability to gather information and make sound decisions… the list goes on and on, all of these are tools.
So where do we get our tools. The bottom line, the dear Lord above, or as I like to refer to him the "Master Toolsmith". First, He gives us a truly unique body with some set physiological characteristics (our genetic ability). But then he gives us the ability to go beyond our physical or genetic limits (or at least our own perceived limits - another topic entitled "Perception is reality?"). He gives us the most powerful "tool" of all - a BRAIN. He also gives us something else - parents. And here is where the Master Toolsmith turns the work over to someone else.
Ok, so now back to our discussion on our way from Waco to Lubbock for the Tech game. Connie and I discussed the concept of a "tool box" and how we all had a set of "tools" that we use to get through life and how we are now charged with filling our son's "tool box" with the most basic but most important "tools" that he will need to make it through life. This was HUGE! I had never really looked at it that way. It makes it simple and complex all at the same time.
I thought to myself - "wow, how cool is that - I can actually get him a tool box and then fill it with tools. Every time we teach him something we can relate it back to a tool and then put that tool in his box…" But then I realized a very important question needed to be answered… "What tools do we put in his box?"
I have numerous friends that have proceeded down the parent road many years ago and I have watched them make decisions and raise their children. I am not questioning any of their parenting skills but sitting here today I wonder if any of them sat down and thought about that question. What skills do I really want to pass along to my child? I think many of them end up just "surviving" and the tools that they pass along are just those that they are using to "survive" and while some maybe good, "survival tools" are often less effective and can sometimes be harmful.
So back to that important question: "What are the tools to put into our son's tool box?" Well this morning during my morning daily devotional the Lord opened my eyes. Where better to get the list of tools than the Master Toolsmith's instruction manual. When I opened my bible this morning I turned to Proverbs 3. In the words of my favorite passage of the bible I found the first tool to add - His teachings. Proverbs 3 talks about wisdom - how to gain it and the benefits of getting it. Many would argue that wisdom is something you are born with or it is something that only comes with age. While there might be some truth in both but I choose to believe that wisdom comes from our ability to observe our environment, make conclusions about relationships (not necessarily between humans but how all things created by God "relate" to one another and the rest of the environment) and apply them to our lives (more accurately to our behavior or the way we live our lives).
So it is our job as our son's parents to maximize his opportunities to "observe" God's creation - this spectacular world.
Little one,
I cannot wait to experience this world with you. I want to walk through life with you to help you and guide you but also allow you to "experience" the world on your own. I will always be here for you - so when you are "experiencing" the world you will know you have some place safe to go if you need it. Well I need to go but I love you and can't wait to hold you in my arms.
Love,
Dad
I prefer to use the word "tool" because if you think about what a tool is, a tool can be defined in so many ways, it is basically (my definition) something that allows you to complete or achieve a specific task or goal. Whether it is to fix something or create something you must have "tools". I am not going to get into the anthropological aspects of tools, but basically (besides some specific rudimentary primate examples) the extent to which we can identify, create and utilize tools is what differentiates us from all the other creatures on this planet.
But tools are not just external objects that make tasks easier. Tools are much more than that. They are also the "skills" we posses. Our ability to communicate and comprehend, our ability to problem solve or break down the most basic elements of the universe, our ability to gather information and make sound decisions… the list goes on and on, all of these are tools.
So where do we get our tools. The bottom line, the dear Lord above, or as I like to refer to him the "Master Toolsmith". First, He gives us a truly unique body with some set physiological characteristics (our genetic ability). But then he gives us the ability to go beyond our physical or genetic limits (or at least our own perceived limits - another topic entitled "Perception is reality?"). He gives us the most powerful "tool" of all - a BRAIN. He also gives us something else - parents. And here is where the Master Toolsmith turns the work over to someone else.
Ok, so now back to our discussion on our way from Waco to Lubbock for the Tech game. Connie and I discussed the concept of a "tool box" and how we all had a set of "tools" that we use to get through life and how we are now charged with filling our son's "tool box" with the most basic but most important "tools" that he will need to make it through life. This was HUGE! I had never really looked at it that way. It makes it simple and complex all at the same time.
I thought to myself - "wow, how cool is that - I can actually get him a tool box and then fill it with tools. Every time we teach him something we can relate it back to a tool and then put that tool in his box…" But then I realized a very important question needed to be answered… "What tools do we put in his box?"
I have numerous friends that have proceeded down the parent road many years ago and I have watched them make decisions and raise their children. I am not questioning any of their parenting skills but sitting here today I wonder if any of them sat down and thought about that question. What skills do I really want to pass along to my child? I think many of them end up just "surviving" and the tools that they pass along are just those that they are using to "survive" and while some maybe good, "survival tools" are often less effective and can sometimes be harmful.
So back to that important question: "What are the tools to put into our son's tool box?" Well this morning during my morning daily devotional the Lord opened my eyes. Where better to get the list of tools than the Master Toolsmith's instruction manual. When I opened my bible this morning I turned to Proverbs 3. In the words of my favorite passage of the bible I found the first tool to add - His teachings. Proverbs 3 talks about wisdom - how to gain it and the benefits of getting it. Many would argue that wisdom is something you are born with or it is something that only comes with age. While there might be some truth in both but I choose to believe that wisdom comes from our ability to observe our environment, make conclusions about relationships (not necessarily between humans but how all things created by God "relate" to one another and the rest of the environment) and apply them to our lives (more accurately to our behavior or the way we live our lives).
So it is our job as our son's parents to maximize his opportunities to "observe" God's creation - this spectacular world.
Little one,
I cannot wait to experience this world with you. I want to walk through life with you to help you and guide you but also allow you to "experience" the world on your own. I will always be here for you - so when you are "experiencing" the world you will know you have some place safe to go if you need it. Well I need to go but I love you and can't wait to hold you in my arms.
Love,
Dad
Back on the wagon
Ok, so this blogging thing is more difficult than I first assumed it would be. Where to start, so much as happened since June. A quick recap - July we went to Alaska on business and pleasure and while there I got a call from Baylor University. Long story short - I am once again a Baylor Bear. That really through things for a loop. Connie was the typical rock and absolutely on top of everything that needed to be done. The move from Lubbock to Waco was chaotic to say the least. I lived in an RV for 3 months while we sold the house and Connie spent her time packing the entire house by herself. I would go up and help move things to different locations. The Lord knew what we needed and sent a buyer for the house and within a few days of getting a contract we had the deal closed and then we got a house down here in Waco within a few days of that.
Connie spent most of her days getting the house here up to snuff and then getting all the paperwork updated, both huge tasks.
So that is the short version and now that I am settled in the job and we are in the house and everything is going a bit smoother i will try to get back into the groove of blogging. So more later.
Connie spent most of her days getting the house here up to snuff and then getting all the paperwork updated, both huge tasks.
So that is the short version and now that I am settled in the job and we are in the house and everything is going a bit smoother i will try to get back into the groove of blogging. So more later.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The good time keep rolling!
So, we got a package in the mail today! It contained our "Certificate of Adoption Approval"!!! This was amazing to receive and a bit scary all at the same time. Over Memorial Day weekend we completed all 10 hours of our Hague Training, what a task that was. It was really good to learn about attachment issues as well as some of the other developmental issues we might be facing. Knowledge is always good but in this case I felt that it really put some fears behind me.
We were at "gotcha" party for a friend that adopted a little one from Russia last year and it was amazing what we saw. There were at least 4 other adopted children and we could actually identify some of the things we had learned about in some of the kids. Truly amazing!
We now have a few fees to pay and then our CIS approval to get back and then we will be "paper ready" and be in the "Que".
Little Man:
I can't wait to have a party for you. I am already so very proud and everyone and I mean everyone is asking about you. We talk about everything we are going to do together and all the fun times teaching you about the outdoors, sports and all the other "boy" things as your Mom likes to say. Grandma, well we can't decide if that is what we are going to call her, has already started buying you toys - she is so excited! We love you so much and I can't wait to see you!
We were at "gotcha" party for a friend that adopted a little one from Russia last year and it was amazing what we saw. There were at least 4 other adopted children and we could actually identify some of the things we had learned about in some of the kids. Truly amazing!
We now have a few fees to pay and then our CIS approval to get back and then we will be "paper ready" and be in the "Que".
Little Man:
I can't wait to have a party for you. I am already so very proud and everyone and I mean everyone is asking about you. We talk about everything we are going to do together and all the fun times teaching you about the outdoors, sports and all the other "boy" things as your Mom likes to say. Grandma, well we can't decide if that is what we are going to call her, has already started buying you toys - she is so excited! We love you so much and I can't wait to see you!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mia Colpa, Mia Colpa!!
Ok so it is "my fault"!! I have been very negligent and have been pretty slack on blogging. In my defense there was the whole WT thing and my travel schedule has been pretty brutal of recent. So much has happened in the last few months it is hard to know where to start. Well I will hit the highlights. The most significant development is that we have our homestudy DONE!!!! We have been deemed "fit" for parenthood! I must admit - Connie and I have 5 degrees between the two of us, we have seen some of the most amazing sites in the world and I have never been so proud of something as when our case worker said - "you guys are approved". WOW! It gives me chills every time I say it.
So now we are waiting for the official paperwork to "catch up" with us - what a nice feeling. Well the waiting continues... We now are waiting to get our official approval paperwork in the mail and then to complete the federal finger printing process and finally we will be paper ready - that should be in another month or so (or at least I hope).
More recently we attended our first official "Gladney event". It was the open house for international programs at their new facility in Fort Worth. And can I say, it was absolutely wonderful. What a great facility. Everyone was so wonderful and we got to meet other couples that had been through the process and some that are like us - going down the road. Well that is about it so I am going to sign off.
So now we are waiting for the official paperwork to "catch up" with us - what a nice feeling. Well the waiting continues... We now are waiting to get our official approval paperwork in the mail and then to complete the federal finger printing process and finally we will be paper ready - that should be in another month or so (or at least I hope).
More recently we attended our first official "Gladney event". It was the open house for international programs at their new facility in Fort Worth. And can I say, it was absolutely wonderful. What a great facility. Everyone was so wonderful and we got to meet other couples that had been through the process and some that are like us - going down the road. Well that is about it so I am going to sign off.
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