It's New to You! (part 1)

Hello everyone! I'm finally coming up for air as our crazy spring & summer come to an end.

April took me to on a life-changing trip to Zimbabwe, Africa
(the "kitchen" at one of the orphanage's we visited)

(one of the 350+ sweet faces that rocked my world)

and sadly, April also brought goodbye's to a treasured family member
I love you Bandit Boy and miss you more than anyone can imagine
this was the very last picture I took of our magnificent, gentle giant

From May - September we did a WHOLE BUNCH of this...

(and yes, this was a particulary FUN road)

...to go to places like Disney World in May and celebrate our 2 year "Family-versary"

...and Alabama in June for a Moscow Family Reunion at Ron & Dinia's

...to Key Largo to celebrate the 4th of July with family and friends

...and Crossville, TN in August for another Russia Family Reunion

...and finally in September, we embraced our "inner rednecks" at Peace River Campground in Arcadia, FL

Although I didn't update the blog as these trips took place, I did journal everything from the past 5 months. So although it isn't new to me, it will be to you! Look for those entries to be posted soon.

Now that we're into Fall, guess what's on this weekend's agenda? ANOTHER trip to Disney! So much for slowing down...

Until next time - - thanks to all two of you for still keeping up with the blog!

Hugs,
Kar

One tired little boy

Heehee - - I've always wondered how kids end up sleeping like this! He WAS.OUT! So sweet...

This was taken at my dad's house last Thursday after a very long 10 hr ride from Atlanta to West Palm Beach for our 4th of July camping trip in Key Largo. More on that trip later!

Cubby is in L.U.V.

And I have to admit, my little sweetie has good taste!

Check it out...

I mean seriously - - eyes closed and everything!?!? Makes me blush just to look at this but I absolutely love this photo, as well as the memories surrounding Cubby's first trip to Disney.

Yes, I am a month overdue on that update but so much has been going on and so many other trips have taken place. It's turning out to be a crazy summer but we're having a blast (when I'm not sick that is) but more on that later.

I HAD to post this picture now. Hope you enjoy it as much as Cubby & I do!

Hugs to everyone,
Kar

Team Zimbabwe Blasts Off!

It's hard to believe the day is finally here, but it is. In one hour I leave to meet my 14 team members and begin our 26.5 hr journey to Zimbabwe. I don't want to leave Norm and Cubby behind, and in fact it's breaking my heart to do so. But there is some reason, some purpose for me in Zimbabwe that I don't yet fully understand.

I do understand, however, I blessed I am to take part in this trip and serve children such as this little girl and her mother:

She is approximately 8-10 years old and unable to walk. Her mom has carried her on her back her entire life, which must be extremely difficult for them both. Our team is taking wheelchairs to distribute to people like this little girl, and we will be able to personally witness the new direction her life will soon be taking. We will also be participating in meal preparation and food distribution at orphanages and many, many other wonderful projects.

I will have extremely limited, if any, access to the internet while I'm gone but you can follow our team's journey at www.nmcglobal.com. Just click on the Zimbabwe tab and see what we're up to.

I'll be back home on April 14 and look forward to updating you and sharing pix.

Take care & Happy Easter!
Karyn

Send Me Part III(a)

Hello family and friends!

New to the blog? Need a little refresher on the “Send Me” series? It’s okay to go back and read Part I and then Part II, really! In fact, I encourage you to do just that because it has been – what like 7 months? The wait just proves that God’s will does, indeed, prevail - - it’s just all about HIS timing!

In a few days I’ll explain how my prayer to be “more than a tag along” in our move to GA has been answered. In the meantime, I’m going to pick up Cubby from daycare and enjoy the blessing that is my family!

Kar

Pardon this interruption

I'm taking a small hiatus from this blog, but not from blogging entirely. Interested in what's captured my attention? Click here to stop by my other blog & see what I'm up to!

See you back here around August 12th!

Kar

Let's play a round of "Name that Stain!"

Is it....
The result of me trying to cook?
Dirt?
Rust?
Paint?
Magic Marker?
Dinner?
Make up?
Puke? (child or dog)

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, and well, no.

If you guessed blood, as a result of Cubby's first real accident WHEN DADDY'S 1/2 WAY AROUND THE WORLD, you'd unfortunately be correct. Little man decided to hightail it outta there when he heard it was dinner time, and was gone before I could catch him. Perhaps he thought our stone fireplace would taste better than Nana's crabcakes, yams, potatoes and green beans, because that's exactly what he ended up eating when he tripped over his own feet & landed face first on the fireplace mantle. I thought he smashed his head at first and I was terrified. I had a brief moment of peace when I realized his head was okay, but then I saw the blood gushing from somewhere on his face (couldn't tell where because he wouldn't pull his hands away), and that's when I lost it.

Have I mentioned I don't do blood? Not mine, not Norm's, not Cubby's, not the dog's...no one's! So needless to say I didn't handle this well. Thank goodness Nana (Norm's mom) and Vuhvoo* (Norm's grandad) were here to lend a hand because there was A LOT of blood involved IMHO.

I noticed after I took the photo above that there is blood on the back of my shirt as well as on my shorts and socks. Poor little guy (and mommy). We were all surprised that he was able to eat dinner afterwards, but he actually did pretty good. Nana & I looked at it again tonight as Cubby was sleeping and he has cut his bottom lip both inside & out, and it's turning a lovely shade of blue/purple. He also has scrapes on his upper lip and his right cheek. As if all that weren't bad enough, we also noticed his pinky & ring fingers are cut, as well as the little webbing of skin between those fingers. Ouchies!

Ugh! First mommy lets him wear high heels, a purple cape and Mr. Potato head glasses and now this!! See what happens when daddy travels?! In all seriousness though, Cubby is okay and no significant damage was done. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. By the end of dinner he seemed to have completely forgotten about his...incident. It will, however, be etched in my mind and my now ex-favorite t-shirt forever.

Now that I can breath again, I guess I should get some sleep. No telling what tomorrow will have in store for us.

TTFN,
Kar

BTW - we had fun Skyping you tonight Norm! So happy you're okay and doing well in Manila.

*Vuhvoo is Portuguese for Grandpa, or in this case Cubby's Great Grandpa. This is how it is pronounced but I don't know how to spell it!!

Oh, and yes, we will take measures to childproof the evil fireplace mantle now!

When Daddy's in the Philippines

Cubby plays dress up!

Up first - - dawning his purple cape, yellow Mr. Potato Head glasses, and his bestest sidekick Koala, all while successfully steering his Steve McQueen bike!

Wild Child!!
Meals just aren't the same anymore without the Chief joining us!


Blame the DOG for this outfit? Bailey & Bandit say NO WAY!
This is all Cubby's doing!! Nice heels, little man!

Peeking around Bandit's big butt!

Like my headband? It goes well with the

black heel, but not so much with the navy one!

What's a kid gotta do to get food around here?

All I want is a little salad dressing! (you can hold the veggies please)

So, Norm faced about 25 hrs of travel today. Poor guy. He's headed to the Philippines - Manila to be exact - and I'm not thrilled about this trip. Very, very nervous for some reason, so I'll be blogging a lot this week to keep my mind off of things. Plus, there's a lot to catch you up on!

For now, I'm going to sign off though. It's been a long couple of months and, as much as the blog needs to be caught up, so does my sleep! I've suffered some serious insomnia and tonight I just want to crash. So, nighty night for now. See everyone tomorrow!

Yes, we are still here!

Sorry for the prolonged absence, but I have a good excuse which I’ll explain later this week. Hopefully all of my (5??) readers are still checking in & following our blog!

We just got home from a 5 day camping trip with Poppy at Holiday Trav-L Park Campground in VA Beach. This was actually our 2nd outing (or 3rd if you count Camp Driveway), and Cubby has had a blast each time we’ve gone. Cubby.Loves.Poppy. LOVES!! It’s hilarious to watch how excited he gets as we start packing and hooking the trailer up to the van.

Anyway, here are a few of the 200+ pix I took this week. Yes, I am severely addicted to photographing our son!! Sit back & enjoy the show...

My Father's House & Things Unseen

I join you tonight from my dad's house in West Palm Beach, in my old bedroom which at some point in the past 15 years transformed into his office.

On the wall above my dad's computer is a collage of photos from the night I graduated high school in 199_. (Insert a year if you wish, but please be nice!!) In the top left corner, there's a shot of me putting my cap on for the first time. Next to that is a photo of my sister pretending (I think/hope!) to pick her nose. On the bottom row, I'm standing with my mom in one picture, and then in between my Grandma (mom's side) and my Grandmother (dad's side). Each of these wonderful women have since passed.

I'm most drawn to the photo of me & my Grandpa, and reflecting on all of the great times we had together. He's a true Southern Gentleman, an eternal optimist, a comedian, an entertainer, an animal lover, a former boxer, a Veteran, an amazing husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, son, uncle, and friend.

Most importantly, undoubtedly he's a man of God, and is now enjoying the grace, mercy and salvation that is extended to us all when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Of that, I am certain. He has been reunited with my Grandma and my mom. He has met his namesake, my son Matthew, and I know the first words from Great-Grandpa to Great Grandson were (in a heavy southern accent) "Gimme some sugar, Son!" Meaning, he wanted a hug and kiss.

As I sat on the plane today, I remembered something I said to my dad on one of the many flights we made when I was a little girl. I must've been about 4 or 5 on this particular trip. Anyway, I looked out the window at the sun rising above the blanket of soft, white, poofy clouds and I said: "Daddy, God sure does have a pretty place up here!" If only I knew how beautiful it truly is, and now Grandpa is enjoying it in a way I can't even begin to imagine right now. (But someday I will!)

Grandpa's funeral is tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22. While we'll be saying our final goodbye to our beloved patriach, our family members & friends who have already passed will be welcoming him HOME, to our Heavenly Father's House.

John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; Trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (New International Version)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Uh-oh

Hmmmm....it seems my cryptic vacation message was a little too cryptic, and a few of you surmised we were starting the adoption process again. As much as I would LOVE to tell you you're right, unfortunately you're not. At least not yet!

However, that doesn't mean we're not in the beginning stages of another exciting adventure but I need to wait a little while to give the full details about that. I'm making a lot of sense, aren't I? ;-)


So, this weekend we actually went to the Atlanta area and we were supposed to meet up with Becky, Keith & Andrew. My plan was to post a picture of our boys together but that didn't work out quite the way I planned.

Norm & I had a great time hanging out with Becky & Keith in Moscow (hopefully the feeling's mutual!), so we were really looking forward to seeing them again & meeting little Andrew in person. While we did meet up with Becky, the 5 minutes it took to load & unload Andrew's high chair, pack n play and car seat into & out of our rental car in the middle of the Atlanta airport parking lot hardly qualifies as "hanging out." Grrrr...

Our little man was sick, sick, sick & I did not want to pass that on to Andrew. I'm sure Becky agrees. I'm still really bummed but such is life, right?

Anyhoo, I'm working on a more relevant post so be sure to check in again in a few days. I just wanted to apologize for the confusion. As soon as we're ready to start the adoption process again, you'll all be the first to know! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!
Kar

We made it!

And no, we were not passengers on the Hudson River plane - thankfully!! Thanks for your concern though since my message about our trip was a little cryptic and most of you weren't sure what our final destination was.

I wanted to post pictures of Ilya with a blogger buddy but unfortunately he woke up not feeling well, and we don't want to get anyone sick. So, he & I are hanging out taking it easy while daddy is out doing other stuff this morning. We're going to wait & see how he feels in a few hours, or maybe even tomorrow and hopefully we can get some photos then. We'll be here until Tuesday so there's still a chance we'll get the kiddos together.

That's it for now - as soon as I have something more interesting to post I'll be back! For now, let's all hope Ilya perks up & is able to enjoy his mini vacation.

Kar

Where in the World is Ilya?

At noon tomorrow, Norm & I will chaperone Ilya on another adventure in the skies, and in 24 hours we'll meet up with someone that many of you know & love as much as you know & love me. :-) His bags are packed (ours are not!), and there is a borrowed carseat, pack n play and high chair waiting just for him in a fun and fascinating city.

This is a loooooooooong holiday weekend for me (yippee!!) due to - Lee Jackson Day, MLK Day & Inauguration Day - so we decided to take advantage of it and plan this trip.

Now let's see how closely you have been paying attention to our blog... Where did Norm & I go over this same holiday weekend last year? Hmmmmm???

If you guessed Asheville, NC, to turn in our dossier & select a region in Russia you are CORRECT! I love how much our lives have changed in the past year.

Anyway, if you'd like to take another guess at who Ilya will be meeting tomorrow and hanging out with over the weekend go ahead & give it a try. BTW - this little contest is not open to the handful of you who already know our destination! I'll post clues while we're gone in case the rest of you need them.

Toodles for now! And please pray for safe travels and an uneventful plane trip.
Kar

Van lag??

Ugh...I will never complain about our 11 hr flight to or from Moscow. Not after our SEVENTEEN HOUR van ride home from West Palm Beach, FL on January 2. It was miserable! The jet lag we suffered after coming home from Moscow was nothing compared to the van lag (for lack of a better term) that I have finally recovered from.

Norm, me, Ilya, Bailey & Bandit left home at 5:30pm on December 26, and arrived at my sister's house in WPB at 8:15am December 27. It wasn't a terrible trip down, and thankfully Ilya slept the majority of the ride. When he was awake he spent his time singing to himself, petting his dogs, pointing out every single car that we drove past and yelling out "CAW" as loud as he could, laughing and just having a great time.

The ride home was a different story. We left WPB at 9:30am January 2 and drug our tired selves into our house at 2:30am January 3. Horrible is the only thing I can say and I'll leave it at that.

Now, on to happier things. Here's another slide show I put together for our trip. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Guess what I didn't have for dinner tonight?!

Shepherd's Pie!! Yippee!!
Can you tell how happy I am?

Thanks Dada & everyone else who supported my rebellion against dinner last night.

I am THRILLED I didn't have to suffer through that again.

Oh, and dada - - can you tell I'm sitting in your chair?

I climbed into it all by myself (and didn't even fall!).

Then I sat there and yelled out "DADA! Uv U!"

Translation = love you!

Mommy's been making me practice, so I'll have it perfected by the time you get home.

Night night!!

Cubby

Spin Cycle & a round of Jeopardy

Jeopardy Clue: What/who weighs 22 lbs, is 32" tall and cute as a button, smiles constantly and, as of today, will not get lost in a snow storm? The answer will follow after this short commercial break:

Hi Dada!! You'll never guess what I learned to do today and wouldn't stop doing all night till I was forced to sit down and dictate this letter for mommy to type to you. Someone at school taught me to go round n round n round n round, then to change directions and go round n round n round n round the other way. That was pretty fun while I was at school, but once I was home I added my own little flair to it....SCREAMING.REALLY.REALLY.REALLY.LOUD and laughing really, really, really hard when I got too dizzy & fell down. Oh, and then I started doing my new "kick" dancing move when I was dizzy and that was just beyond hilarious to me. Mommy said the shreaking was too painful for her ears and I told her her eardrums are just old. Then, the spin cycle made me upchuck my milk all over mommy and I about peed my diaper from laughing so hard over that! You should have seen her trying not to throw up herself. It was great! I'll have to show you my new talent when you get home next week. Can't wait to see you again when you get home from Germany and have you hug me tight & maybe even spin with me! Toodles for now. Mommy says I need to go to bed. Love you dada!

Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Here's your Jeopardy Answer - - Gotta love the massively bright green winter coat. Thanks Gram & Gramps!

Dada!! Hey...Where's Dada? :-(

Well, as I type he is 1039 miles from home and 3047 miles from his first (but not final) destination. Ouch! It hurts just typing that. Hopefully the seat on the plane isn't quite as painful. So, anyone wanna take a guess at where he's headed? I'll give you a hint - it's going to be a "lange reise" (long journey). It's up to you now to figure it out. Look for another clue tomorrow if no one guesses correctly.

We had a great send off for Norm yesterday. Our friends Daryll and Dawn, who live about an hour away, came over to meet Ilya for the first time. They went to church with us and then came back to the house for a few hours. It was wonderful to finally spend some time with them, get caught up on their kids' lives, and just enjoy each other's company. Here are a few photos Ilya wanted to share with everyone to prove just how fun plastic plates can be if you have an active imagination and you're 19 months old!

Ilya has really started associating "dada" and "mama" with Norm & me and I LOVE it! In the morning when I get him from his crib he yells out "Hi mama!" and then whispers "Dada!!" all the way down the stairs until I put him in bed with Norm. He's also quite the chatter box when he gets home in the afternoon from daycare. As soon as we pull into the garage, all I hear is "Dada! Dada! DADA!" until we get inside. The he runs like crazy to Norm's office screaming "Dada!" all the way and doesn't stop until he finds Norm at his desk.

It's about the cutest thing I've ever seen, but today was a little sad because Dada wasn't in his office when Ilya got home from daycare. Ilya ran to the office, no dada. Ran to our bedroom, no dada. Ran back to the Great Room, no dada. Kitchen, no dada. You get the point. I could tell he was disappointed and it both broke and warmed my heart. I LOVE how attached Ilya is to his daddy. So, to pass the time a little bit I broke out the camera again and stalked our son until dinner time. Here are a few glamour shots:

So, Norm, when you finally finish up with all the trains, planes and automobiles and you settle in to read this post know how much Ilya & I love and miss you. You currently have another 2620 miles to fly but Flight Aware is soon going to lose track of your flight and I'll just have to wait for your call on my cell to know all is well. Hopefully the train portion won't be too bad either. We can't wait to hear you've made it safely.

Ilya begged to write tonight's post but the poor little guy was exhausted from school and passed out cold at 7pm exactly. He wants you to know he will definitely send you a note tomorrow. Oh, he did mumble one thing before closing those sweet little eyes - -

Night Night!

Celebrity Sightings in VA

You'll never guess who we met and actually got to spend time with today! Go ahead and give it a shot. I have a few minutes to spare while you think...

tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock

Give up already? Okay, I'll free you from the suspense!

We met Rachel, Troy & Daniel and Meghan, Bill & Nick at the Virginia Discovery Museum in Charlottesville and had a blast! I considered asking for their autographs but settled for a group photo instead.

For those of you who don't know Rachel, Troy, Meghan & Bill, they used the same agency to adopt their boys but it is not the agency we used. I've been following Rachel & Troy's blog for awhile and recently found Meghan & Bill's.

It took us close to 2 hrs to get to Charlottesville and even though it was raining, the drive was beautiful. It's been awhile since I've driven through this part of Virginia and I was just mesmerized by the scenery. Ilya was impressed too, as you can tell:

We had originally planned on taking our 3 boys to Round Hill Farm for some fun with pumpking and hayrides, but the weather dictated otherwise. Oh well, we still had a great time.

Our little Blog Union today was definitely worth the change in plans, the weather, and the ride. Rachel & Meghan, it was great meeting you, your husband's and your precious little boys. We must do it again sometime!

Here's a little slideshow of the day's activities. Didn't get many good shots because these boys are FAST!! And, much to my dismay, not the least bit interested in cameras...

Make a Smilebox postcard

Twilight Zone/Great Minds/Inquiring Minds/Travel

Okay, how weird is this - -

• Norm & I spend 3 weeks in Moscow with Dana & Aaron;
• Our court dates, Gotcha dates and the day we flew home with our son's are all the same;
• Recent blog evidence indicates our boys have the same set of jammies; AND (insert drumroll...)
• We both posted pictures of the boys in their dino jammies on the same day!

Check it out! http://cravensadoptionstory.blogspot.com/2008/10/surgery-update.html. I just think this is so funny! Thanks, Adoptamama for following my & Dana's blogs closely enough to let us know we're dressing our boys in identical outfits. And no, it wasn't planned!

Also, inquiring minds want to know how bedtime went. Let's just say it was very entertaining for all of us! Ilya did end up falling asleep and was just as cute passed out as he was when he was ready to party all night! He even woke up in a great mood and had a very good day in daycare. Tonight he fell asleep at 7:15, which is much closer to his normal bedtime. He's so precious lying here beside me.

Norm & Ilya are heading back up to New England tomorrow and coming home on Sunday. Please keep them in your prayers for safe travels. Unfortunately I won't be joining them on this trip, so please pray for my peace of mind while they are gone. I'm going to miss both my boys terribly. And I'm going to be bored - VERY BORED - which means you might be victims of rambling blog entries all weekend!

Toodles, Kar

Turtles, Kayakers and Waterfalls - OH MY!

Ilya got up early and forced us to take him on his first hiking trip. Enjoy the photos!

Make a Smilebox slideshow