Family Stories - Russia

The Pingston Family, TN

You were absolutely wonderful through both of our adoptions.  I cannot imagine having anyone else, besides you, help me muddle through the paperwork to complete our family with Tatyana and Nikolai.  We have all been blessed by your patience, willing spirit and smile.  Thank you for being there for us and for many others.  Thank you for all you did for us.  You are the best !

The Strickland Family, TN

The Strickland family in St. Petersburg

An article written by the Strickland's oldest daughter:

I am the older sister of two adopted children from Smolensk, Russia. They have been members of my family for almost two and half years now. This summer, Masha (9) and Vanya (8), went with my mom and me for ten days back to Russia. After a twelve-hour plane ride we landed in Moscow and were immediately immersed in the world of Russia. Masha and Vanya had been having a Russian tutor come to our home in an effort to maintain some if not all of their Russian. From these efforts they were able to understand almost everyone, but had trouble speaking.

After a few days in Moscow and a couple of days spent in St. Petersburg we head west toward Smolensk.  We took an overnight train and were there at six a.m. As soon as we got off the train Galena was there with opened arms. She was the children’s home teacher of my younger brother Vanya. As they embraced tears streamed down their faces, we were all welcomed at once. Everywhere we went the red carpet was rolled out. Masha and Vanya are Russian and for once, they were proud.

We first went to the children’s home, where they had a tea party set up for us. Also the children put on a show and we were interviewed for TV.  One of Vanya’s good friends was in the process of being adopted to a family in town so he came to see us. It was wonderful, like a big family reunion where you’re the center of attention. The rest of the day, the children’s home teachers, directors, and friends showed us the town and just spent quality time with us.

The rest of the time spent in Smolensk was spent with family. We got to spend two days with my siblings’ aunt, uncle and cousins. We also went to the hospital to see their birth mother. It was extremely important to my mother that we do that because Vanya, my youngest brother, used to look at his Russian mother’s picture and hit it and cry and tell it how much he hated her. We went and saw her and had a little party. The two mothers took pictures with the two children. That night back at the hotel Vanya, my mother, and I cried for two hours.  My little brother broke. He forgave his bio mother and loved her. That night amidst all the tears my mother promised that he would get to go back and tell her that he loves her.

The next day we got to see their grandfather and Dad. They hadn’t seen their father since they were adopted and weren’t given the opportunity to say goodbye. So my mother once again thought it was important that we see them and we did. All of us went back to their house and Vanya got to see his cat. We got baby pictures and a stuffed bear that they had when they were little. When we said goodbye, my little sister who hadn’t cried over anything, broke. We all cried and said goodbye. The thing that surprised me the most was something their father had said to my mother, he told her, “Thank you, you are a good women, thank you.”  They were finally allowed to say “goodbye” and “I love you” and allowed to have closure.

When we got on the train there were over thirty people there to say “goodbye” to us. As the train pulled out of the station, the family and friends walked with it. We all have more family in a little town in Russia than anywhere else in the world. The family of my brother and sister are my family now as I am theirs. The most important thing that we all learned was, you can have two families and love them both equally and deeply and it’s ok. It’s ok to love your birth family and your adopted family and want to be with both. We write letters and send pictures back and forth and keep them in our lives 10,000 miles away.  Love conquers all, even an ocean and 10,000 miles.

The Bass Family, TN

Rick and I wanted to send this picture of our two sons, Alek and Caelen, on their first day of school this year.  Thanks to everyone at CHI for blessing us with these two wonderful little boys.  Alek is now a "big first grader" (in his words) and Caelen is beginning kindergarten.  We can not believe the progress they have made since arriving in America in December (2005). God led us to a terrific adoption agency and two loving little boys!

The Bush Family, GA

A few favorites of Amelia

The Wagner Family,  TX

Thanks so much for the call the other day.  It was great talking.
Here are some pics of our little cutie!! Thanks again for everything.

THE MONTGOMERY FAMILY, VA

The girls are growing so fast.  Avery just turned 1 on June 17th and Izzie will be 2 on July 10th. They are keeping us busy!

THE BUTLER FAMILY, TN

Our Michael (adopted January 2005) is doing well. He is truly a blessing. 

THE HONBARRIER FAMILY, AL

 

As you may have guessed we have been very busy with two very ACTIVE little toddlers. But they are just precious and growing more attached every day.  I think these pictures show off our two new treasures!

 I really appreciate you alls help in making these youngins part of our family. ……

The Oglesby Family, TN

We had a wonderful celebration on May 6 at the Nashville airport. Scott and Valarie Oglesby arrived from Smolensk with their two new sons, Oleg and Alyosha, who were very happy to be here. They were welcomed by their three new brothers, Quinn, Matthew and Andrew, as well as many of relatives and friends, including other children from their boarding school in Smolensk Region who had arrived in Nashville earlier.

Some of our Operation Hope 2004 and 2005 families decided to meet at the Zoo for a reunion and picnic.  The Krempasky-Kuna, Terrells, and Oglesbies were there from the 2004 group, and the Woodbridges and Middletons from the 2005.

The Harris Family, GA  

 Isn't Alden adorable ?

The Thomason Family, TX

We are so glad to be back in Texas!  7-year-old Zack is enjoying country life in the USA.  Along with his new 9-year-old brother, he rides his bike, plays basketball and soccer, and chases the dogs around laughing and having a good time.  All went smoothly in Novosibirsk, but we have learned to appreciate what we have at home; namely, two happy boys who can't stop smiling!

The Hethcox Family, TX

Lauren is growing by leaps and bounds.  She is making new sounds and trying to say new words almost everyday.  She had her first haircut recently.  She is trying to run and has discovered the stairs!  Nathan will start kindergarten in the fall.  It's hard to believe that it was four years ago that we were preparing to go meet him!  It seems as though he has been home forever! We can never say thanks enough!  We continue to pray for ways to share the gift of adoption with others and send people CHI's way! 

THE McCULLOUGH FAMILY , TN

TWINS !!!

 Double the pleasure,

Double the fun,

Double the LOVE!

THE ROYAR FAMILY, TX

MORE TWINS !!!

Todd, holding Mahrk, and Mary Lou, holding sleeping baby Tim, leaving the Ramenskiy orphanage in Moscow.

The Royar boys (Mahrk, Alexei and Tim) are happy after eating dinner outside in warm and sunny Texas.

We are finally over our jet lag and into a normal daily routine.  The twins have adjusted wonderfully and are so happy and curious about everything. They, like their big brother Alexei, are eating us out of house and home.  Alexei, on the other hand, likes his little brothers, but misses being the sole focus of our attention.

We are happy to be back in the states and thankful to CHI for helping us unite Alexei with his biological half brothers, Tim and Mahrk.  We just love our three wonderful boys!

THE SMITH FAMILY, TN

Aly is doing great. One is of her and her sister, Lauren.  The other shot is of Aly with Jacks and Gracie.  They were adopted by the two families we met on our trip to Russia.  Jacks actually slept in the crib next to Aly's.  Gracie was on another floor.  We vacation with the two families twice a year and refer to them as the Russian Cousins. 

Aly is three now and into playing dress up all the time.  We can't imagine life without her.  Would love to get a sister for her, but can't do it until we hit the lottery. 

THE TERRELL-KEYSER FAMILY, TN

(Operation Hope, Russia)

There was a great celebration at the Nashville airport with about 40 people greeting Colette Keyser and Jerome Terrell and their two boys, Maxim and Dennis. The boys were really happy to be back in TN, and all their friends from the Safonovo boarding school who have been adopted earlier were absolutely thrilled to welcome them here.

 Jerome said they had a wonderful experience in Russia. There were not enough words to describe their gratitude to Tatiana in Smolensk who went out of her way to make their experience in her region near perfect, and the CHI Moscow office staff (with interpreter Anastasia) were delightful, helpful and competent. He said it was impossible to compare their experience to those of other agencies' families (whom they met at the US Embassy in Moscow) because it was so much better on every level and in every place (in the US, in Smolensk and in Moscow).

When asked by an interpreter if there was anything the boys wanted to tell their parents or ask them before leaving the airport, Dennis said, "Please tell them we love them very much".

THE JOHNSON FAMILY,  AR

Today is Emma's 2nd birthday.  I can't begin to describe all of the feelings I'm experiencing at this moment.  When we began this journey, we were thinking we might possibly never become parents.  But, a year and a half later, we are celebrating the birthday of our beautiful daughter.  She has brought so much joy and excitement into our lives.  We truly feel that she has made our family complete in every way. 

Emma has AMAZED us since coming home in November!  Her transition has been so smooth, and she has acclimated herself into her new world.  Our first few weeks were not without issues, but now it seems she has always been with us.  God has truly blessed us with a precious gift.

I'm so happy that we didn't let the fears that go along with international adoption keep us from making this amazing journey. I can not imagine our lives without THIS little blessing!  SHE was meant to be our daughter. Thanks to everyone at CHI for helping us make our dream of being parents happen.

THE KREMPANSKY-KUNA FAMILY, TN

(Operation Hope, Russia)

The first through third grades in Wilson County schools wrote stories and they were submitted to a panel.  Tolya wrote a story about going to school in Russia and his was selected for presentation at the Young Authors Conference!  We’re so proud of him!  

THE REISS FAMILY, TN

(Operation Hope, Russia)

Welcome Zoya and Dasha who arrived home on March 4. They were obviously happy to be back in America and glad to see their new siblings and relatives who were meeting them at the airport, as well as old friends from their Safonovo boarding schools who were also there to welcome them.

THE PETERSEN FAMILY, TN

The night before (Sunday night) Vika and Galina came over to fix Russian pancakes -like crepes- for us. It was the end of a week long pancake festival to see off winter and welcome in spring. They eat them filled with raw sugar and draped with sweetened condensed milk, or with jam inside and sour cream outside. They were pretty tasty and we had the leftovers for breakfast Tues. am before we left.

At the airport Kyle started to cry because Paul's backpack had to be searched, we aren't sure why this was traumatizing, but he got over it quickly--maybe just tired? They loved looking out in the fog at the airplanes and helicopters (vertalotes). It was good entertainment because we were 45 minutes late leaving on the flight.

They were extremely excited for takeoff and we were served some sort of breakfast on the plane which they picked at. Then Kyle passed out for the rest of the flight, he didn't even wake up for landing. Ian had so much fun! His eyes were huge when we started to land and slow down. All of us were tired and hungry when we got here, but no rest for the weary. It was straight to the MD for exams needed for immigration. Good thing I packed some snacks! The boys were examined and the MD took yet another x-ray of Kyle---he will be easy to recognize--I'm sure the poor kid is glowing by now! But at least we get to keep the x-ray to show to our pediatrician so hopefully no more for a while. The x-ray showed a clean bill of health. The MD also says Kyle has a slight hernia of the belly button-- I was warned previously that this just means he has an "outie" so we'll see when we get home. It doesn't look ANYTHING like Shane's!

Ian checked out great--except he noted the adenoid thing--poor little guy--going to have to have those out! Both are solid as a rock, just small for their age. The MD did comment that we are going to buy our dentist a BMW or perhaps a Porsche with all the dental work they need.

We played for a bit in the 4th floor lobby where I am typing from now. Then we went off to the grocery to shop a bit. We scored big time here! Pre-sliced bread!!!!!!!!! We got potato salad, veggie salad (kind of pickled), juice yogurt, and cheese to tide us over --oh yeah and 2 chocolate éclairs to split! Both boys loved the potato salad and the veggies!

Today is a day off because of the holiday so we are spending some quality time in the hotel using the 4th floor lobby as a track and field! Tomorrow we are hoping to get our complimentary tour of Moscow in the morning before our embassy appt at 1:30 but we have had quite a time fighting to get this scheduled. We are pushing for it though. Then we can LEAVE!!!

THE PARKER FAMILY, TN

Ridgeway kids tell of 'The American Dream'

Robert Parker (left) represented Ridgeway Elementary in the"My Home: The American Dream" national writing contest.

By Shawn Pachucki
Special to East Memphis Appeal
February 26, 2006

It's hard to define the American dream in today's ever-changing society, but a few students from Ridgeway Elementary seem to have a pretty firm grasp on the concept.

Fifth-grader Robert Parker represented his school in the Coldwell Banker Real Estate nationwide writing contest, "My Home: The American Dream." Parker was among the top three writers out of hundreds in his age group. 

Parker's life story made an immediate impact on the judges. Having grown up as an orphan in Siberia, he wrote about having to take care of his brother and sister as a child and how tough it was having no knowledge of where their parents were. He said his life changed one day when "some people from America came to the orphanage."

Parker wrote, "They brought us gifts and bought us clothes. Soon we were at an airport heading for America. The people from America had adopted us and we were going to our new home in America -- Memphis, Tenn." He mentioned his friends at the orphanage – how they would play outside together and attend school. But he said something was always missing.

"I did not do well in school, and I do not think anyone noticed," Parker wrote. "The orphanage provided everything we needed to live; food, clothes and a roof over our heads, but it was not a home."

Parker's life in America was described much differently. "My parents and all of my sisters and brothers love me and care about me," he wrote. "I not only have a bed to sleep in, food to eat and clothes to wear, I have a family that wants me to get an education, be safe and do the right thing.

"They love me and care about me. A loving and caring family is what makes my house a home."

THE COLLIER FAMILY, TN

(Russia, Operation Hope)

The happy Collier family -  home with Inna! 

THE HETHCOX FAMILY, FORMERLY TN

Nathan and Lauren absolutely adore one another.  Their love for one another is a constant source of joy in our home!  We are continually amazed at how God works through the gift of adoption.  It is such a picture of God's love for us and we consider it an honor to have been included in the picture! 

Lauren is now 19 months.  She took 8 steps a few weeks ago.  So, we are hopeful that walking will occur soon! 

Nathan is doing well.  He is now our big 4 1/2 old.  (When I say big, I mean BIG!  He stands shoulder to shoulder with most 5 1/2 year olds!)  He has started gymnastics and loves it.  My mother-in-law says, "Some little Russian girl fell for a gymnist" (speaking of Nathan's bio mother).  He has incredible upper body strength.  He is just extremely naturally gifted in this area.  Nathan has already asked the hard questions about the adoption and we have shared openly with him.  He continues to process and is doing well with it.  Who knew it would come at four!?!  In October, he asked how you get Jesus in your heart.  He asked if we could do it right then, which of course, we said YES!  After praying, he said, "I hope Lauren will ask Jesus into her heart too!"  Last week, he prayed, "God, I hope everyone will know Jesus.  Please help them!"  This is our greatest answer to prayer!  We are continuing to guide and pray for him as he grows spiritually.  

THE KORALEWSKI FAMILY, TN

Here is a picture of our little man, Daniel, having a blast with what has become his favorite box top.  He fills it daily with toys and other trinkets he collects through out the day.

Daniel is just a joy and answer to all of our prayers. The first week home was difficult, I won't lie, but now he is acting like any other little boy his age.  He continues to amaze us at how quickly he is understanding and picking up not only the language, but also adjusting to his new home, family, and friends.  He loves playing with his puzzles and riding his dump truck all around the house, but outside and chasing his sabaka (dog), Abby, around in the yard is his favorite activity.  Although he doesn't like it so much when she wants to play with him.  We are all just having a ball and can not wait until Spring and Summer arrive so he can continue to play and have all sorts of adventures outside. 

Thank you so very much for playing such an important part in seeing our life dreams come true. He is such a blessing to us all. 

THE COOK FAMILY, TN

The Lord truly knows what we can and cannot handle.  He has entrusted us with the most precious little boy in Mathew.  He's funny, smart, cute and going to be a big one!!!  (Can you say linebacker?) 

THANKS for helping us become a family!)

THE MIDDLETON FAMILY, TN

(Russia, Operation Hope)

Almost all our Kaliningrad Operation Hope children are back!  Vova and his Mom returned from Russia.  (Dad came home a few days early). In the words of Dad, they had a fairy-tale experience from the very beginning of their participation in Operation Hope, and the trip to Russia was "the best experience I've ever had in my life!"

WOODBRIDGE FAMILY, TN 

(Russia, Operation Hope)

Things are going great. Ruslan (12 years old, pictured on the left) has made friends at church and at our homeschool co-op already.  He is using the Rosetta Stone program and scores 86% or higher most of the time.  He is speaking more to us, both in English and in Russian.  Ruslan is enjoying the good weather and has been riding his scooter as much as possible.  He smiles all the time now! I spoke with another Operation Hope family today and we were talking about how none of us would have met if it weren't for CHI. In addition to getting our children, we have all made lasting friendships as well! 

THE DUMMER FAMILY, TX

I thought I would give you a quick update on Sasha.  He is doing very well.  He is growing very fast and is already very, very smart.  The doctors that we have taken him to for various checkups are very impressed with him and keep saying that he is very smart.  His health is turning out very well.  No problems at all.  He has been home for 5 months now and speaks fluent English, can count and recognize numbers up to 10, knows all of his colors, and is working on his ABCs.  He has also learned to tease and joke.  He really is smart!  In Odessa near his school there are large statues of rabbits and he will say the Russian word for rabbit then say “English is rabbit”.  Christmas was very good and it didn’t take long for him to get the hang of it.   

We have been learning Russian in hopes that Sasha can retain it.  We have just found a small Russian community here in Midland and we are going to see if they can tutor us.  I really fell in love with Russia when we went over there.  The people were so nice and I love to listen to the language.  It is a fascinating country.  Of course I felt like a shrimp when I was in Tomsk.  I am 5’ 7” tall and it seemed like everyone in Siberia was 6’ 6”.  I also think Sasha looks like us, because when we were in Moscow we were walking around with Sasha and a Russian couple asked us why we were visiting.  They didn’t realize that Sasha wasn’t our biological kid! 

It is just unbelievable how blessed we are. He is still the MOST WONDERFUL thing that has happened to us.  God bless you and God Bless CHI for bring families together through Adoption.

THE SHOEMAKER FAMILY, TN

(Russia, Operation Hope)

We are doing great! Sasha is adjusting easily and is learning English much sooner than we expected. Sasha is so outgoing he never went through a period where he was afraid to try new English words. He communicates through a mixture of English, Russian, gesturing, miming and LOTS of sound effects. He understands quite a lot. He’s smart though. If we are telling him to do something he doesn’t want to do, he’ll look confused, shrug his shoulders and say, “I don’t know.” If it’s something he wants to do, he can easily understand much more complicated sentences! He’s so excited about his birthday next week, and he goes around the house singing, “Happy Birthday To You”. He keeps telling us, “Papa’s happy birthday is 17 and me is 25” (January 17th and 25th).

Ben started by filling in the gaps with math. He really didn’t know his math facts, so we did quite a bit of flashcard drill. Now he’s working easily in a 5th grade math book. He’s already learned all his letters and their sounds, and he enjoys reading the beginning stories. We also have him working through another English program, but he doesn’t like that as much.

We are just amazed at how quickly he’s adapted. Sasha is very open and loving and shows his affection easily. He gets along with the other children well. He seems to be proud of having so many new relatives and thinks it’s pretty cool that he’s called Uncle Sunshine by his new niece.

The Operation Hope program was a blessing for us. We would never have been brave enough to consider adopting a nearly 11-year-old boy otherwise. We’d love to participate again in a couple of years!

THE PEART FAMILY, TN

Just wanted to send you a picture of our angel. He's wonderful and such a blessing! Every time we visited Merrit in the orphanage in Russia, he was riding a little rocking horse. We wanted to make him feel at home, so we got him one for Christmas (but we couldn't wait to give it to him so we gave it to him several weeks early! As you can see, he loves it. And we love him. He's only been home for a couple of months - and we can't imagine life without him. Thank you so much for doing what you do. We can't tell you how thankful we are for CHI.

THE SHEPHERD FAMILY, FL

Just wanted to let you know that Alex has adjusted beautifully and is a happy active little boy!!  He grew 1-1/4" in 3 weeks, eats well and is now walking.  There are no issues with his motor skills!!  He's bright and has worked out how to topple the diaper bag to get extra height to see or reach things.  He laughs when he gets past us before the gate is closed to the kitchen (he's been trying to reach the cat food!!).  He's tried the dog food much to the delight of Scruffy (our 75lb dog who loves Alex).  

We are amazed at his adaptability.  In 2 months, he has settled right in, has met family and friends and taken it all in stride.  He knows who is Mom and Dad are and gives us that heart melting smile whenever one of us returns.  He entered day care 2 weeks ago and seems to enjoy it.  His teachers say he is always smiling at them.  We are still waiting for a few discernible words but he is trying. 

Both sets of Grandparents are totally in love with him. My sister is coming to spend Xmas with us so we are excited that finally we can have a happy holiday.  Thank you for all your work getting us through the process.  We feel very lucky to have such a wonderful addition to our family.

THE BASS FAMILY, TN

My husband, Rick, and I had to do the hardest thing we had ever done on September 16, 2005.  We had to walk out of the orphanage after our third and last visit with the two little brothers we hoped would one day be our sons.  We knew this would be difficult.  Rick and I also knew the sooner we left, the sooner we would return.  The next three months we busied ourselves getting the boys’ room ready, buying clothes and coats, and praying that God would keep His hands upon our sons.   Finally the call came – our court date had been set for December 19, 2005.  We would spend Christmas in Russia!  What a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus – receiving our own two little miracles!

Rick and I departed for Russia on December 14^th.  Trouble with United Airlines giving our seats away, having to be rerouted with no luggage and arriving in Moscow a day later than planned did not dampen our spirits.  We knew that no matter what we WOULD make that court date and complete our family.  That is exactly what we did!  CHI was phenomenal throughout the entire United Airlines fiasco.  We contacted Mareda who phoned the Moscow office to give our new arrival time and day.  We were met at the airport right on time and preceded to our hotel.  We were once again back on schedule!  Rick and I, along with another couple, flew to the city where our children were, Novosibirsk.  This Nashville, Tennessee couple had to adjust to temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees, but we knew this was minor compared to all the adjustments our future sons would encounter.

We were able to visit our future sons on December 18^th, the day before court!  I can not describe how terrific it was to once again hold those two sweet boys in my arms.  Rick and I were able to visit with them for a couple of hours – my how that time flew!  That evening (the night before court) we could barely sleep!  We knew the CHI representative, Marina, had done a fantastic job preparing us for court earlier in the evening, but we were nervous any way.  How could one not be nervous when the course of the rest of our lives was in the hands of a judge we had never met. 

The next morning we headed to court!  We, as well as the other couple, were very nervous.  Marina did all she could to calm us down!  Now the time was here – our names were called and we entered the courtroom.  An hour later we emerged new parents!  The judge had awarded us our two sons!  Notice I did not say future sons – they were now legally our sons!  We looked around the courtroom after the judge gave her decision and saw everyone smiling – our interpreter, the prosecuting attorney, the social worker, and the orphanage director!  Our long journey to complete our family was now over – WE WERE PARENTS OF TWO BEAUTIFUL BOYS!  Rick and I were taken the very next day (December 20^th) to bring our sons to the hotel with us!  We will always remember those special dates, especially December 19^th – our ADOPTION DAY!  We plan on celebrating that day every year with Alek (6 years old) and Caelen (4 years old)! 

We thank God every day for him leading us to CHI and those two little boys.  CHI very well prepared us for each and every step along our journey and was there whenever we needed assistance.  Thank you CHI! Without you our family would still be incomplete.

THE PIERSON FAMILY, KY

Here is our little man. We arrived home on Tuesday-Dec 13. Sorry I haven't written earlier but we have been busy!!!!!!  He has been amazing since we came home.  He has made such great progress in adjusting each and every day.  He is a happy, funny, sweet, and perfectly content little fellow.  He is even gaining control over the dog already.  We have truly been blessed with 2 awesome children.  

THE DAMON FAMILY, TX

The anticipation of the seeing 5 year old Anatoly for the first time on our ‘bring him home’ trip was high. I’m sure my wife, Carol, and 9 year old bio daughter, Shannon, had visions of what it would be like just like I did. We’d left Vladivostok 13 weeks earlier after a fantastic week. Tears and happiness flowed equally that day in May. Now we were back and waiting somewhat patiently in the front hall of the orphanage. Surely he would run “Love Story Style” down the hall and jump into our arms.

Well, his way of handling it was all boy. He ran down the hall and started putting his shoes on as if to say: “Let’s blow this pop stand. What took you so long?” While that may have not met our expectations, everything else about him had exceeded them and continue to do so.

Our story is a lot like some and certainly different in a number of ways.  We decided to adopt in early 2003 and selected CHI through research and recommendations from friends. We plowed or perhaps plodded through the paper work into 2004 when finally in March we were waiting on just one last apostille.

A phone call to CHI and Natalia in Tennessee let on that there was a cute little boy who’d just turned five that we might consider. Except that he was outside our age range, everything looked great…what’s the catch?

The catch turned out to be where he was: Vladivostok. My knees almost buckled when I looked at the map. Seven time zones from Moscow---2/3 of the way around the world is all. CHI provided us references who’d been to Vlad and we quickly became comfortable that we weren’t the first to go there. It turns out to be a fantastic city with great CHI reps and a hotel that is extremely adoption friendly. It was a superb experience all around.

Anatoly is now here and acclimating quickly. He’s really intelligent and could not care less that our Russian is about as good as his English. We’re all learning. He’s all boy but well-behaved. Rough and tumble but he’ll stop what he’s doing to pick a wild flower for mama. Incredible.

By the time you read this he will be in Kindergarten and taking ESL classes. Our family is complete and the new dynamics in the house are settling in. We think we hit a home run. Thank you CHI.

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to kennydee@mindspring.com

THE HOPPER FAMILY, TN

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can
send an e-mail to dehopper@hotmail.com.

THE WHITE FAMILY, FL

Oh what a trip.  My daughter is the most precious child in the world.  I fell in love with her the instant I saw her.  Before they brought her to me for the first time, the palms of my hands became moist and I thought that my heart would beat out of my chest. Everyone says she looks like me.  Unbelievable, but she does.  We bonded very quickly.  I know this sounds funny but I miss everything about her, even her little baby smell.  I cannot wait to bring her home. 

Natalia, thank you for all of your help.   I have never been so happy.  I am waiting on my court date. In the meantime, I am buying her bedroom furniture, painting her room, and trying to keep her grandparents, uncle, aunt and cousins from buying too many things for her that they will not fit into her bedroom. ha. 

Brenda, as I noted in my email to Natalia, I could not be any happier with the outcome of this process.  It is surely divine order at work,  How blessed I am.  Libby (middle name Alexandra – keeping her Russian middle name) is unbelievably precious.  We bonded very rapidly.  She is perfect in every way. Her aunt and uncle and both sets of grandparents will be at our house this weekend.  We will be painting her room and putting together outside play equipment.  What joy! 

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to white_sherry@bellsouth.net.

THE DUMMER FAMILY, TX

It’s been a long… long road, but WELL worth it!!  When my husband and I saw Alexander’s pictures for the first time, we fell in love with him.  Then when we saw him face to face in Russia we fell in love all over again.    It sure was hard to leave without him, but we knew we would have faith in God and we would one day return and that’s what we are doing on Friday.   

The way I found out about CHI was when you had an informational meeting in Odessa Texas. I’m sure you meet a lot of people on your travels, but I remember you were very nice and you made adoption sound so rewarding.  You were right, it is a rewarding thing to do.  I wish every nice family would adopt at least one child.  We have had to have a lot of patience, but that is where God took over.    Who knows, we might go down that adoption road again.  After all, Alexander is going to need a sister or brother.  

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to bmrocky99@sbcglobal.net

THE PINGSTON FAMILY, TN

Hope this finds you well.  You would not believe what a beautiful "Big" girl Tatyana is.   We are loving every minute of being parents!  Tatyana definitely keeps things interesting for us.

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can
send an e-mail to apingston@charter.net

THE KRIGEL FAMILY, TN

The kids are doing great. Alex is having a great time, and this kid is smart. He has figured out how the digital camera works and loves to go through the pictures all by himself without my help. Spencer has really attached to mom, and he tolerates me holding him. He loves to reach into Belinda's bag and take everything out. He even puts the crayons back into the box when he is done. Alex loves to play ball and color. We brought crayons and kids markers and he draws in the coloring book. Our agency guides Svetlana and Irina are great. They took us around town and have showed us a bit of the town. We went to town yesterday and met another couple and walked around the city a bit. On our fourth night here the Hotel Manager took me to a go cart track. This was like Malibu Grand Prix without liability worries as these carts haul. These things were hot! We have also found a few nice restaurants here. One Russian restaurant called Nostalgia was amazing. Very small but beautiful inside with old pictures, an old Russian atmosphere and a lady playing piano. Later in the week we will go to Park Royal which is a Casino steak house. I have met the manager of the restaurant, a British man named Robert. We have heard about the steaks so we will try it out later. Well it is time to go to the baby home to see the kids now. We do not get the kids till after the 10 day waiting period. Until then we have to visit them. We are lucky to have such a good agency. It seems that others kind of get dropped off at the hotel and have to make their own plans to get to the orphanage. Some folks were not even met at the airport, but our agency has really come through. They are everywhere to meet us, take us to the orphanage, show us around town, and almost anything else we need.

I wanted to say thanks for the class. We are finding ourselves able to read and understand the traffic signs and some other things. Most of the stuff I can read but I do not understand it, but some of the things I have been able to get. I was able to read the info on the screen in the domestic airport like which flight went to Vlad or St. Petersburg and so on, so it helped and I was even able to help another couple going to Vladivostok and could not read the signs so that was nice.

I want to tell you how glad we are that we used CHI. I see other families that were not picked up at the airport by their agency. Lana knew who to call and get them picked up. Others have to find their own way to the orphanage to see their children. Their agency seemed to drop them off at the hotel and did not see them again till it was time for court.

For us everything is just great!!  Thanks again for everything.

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to philkrigel@yahoo.com.

THE BAIRD FAMILY, KY

We are doing just wonderful.  Sofia already rules the house.  She is going to be a tough little girl.  She has to be with two older brothers! 

Our trip was wonderful, as always.  CHI in Moscow does such a wonderful job.  They work so very hard and put in such long hours and make us feel each time as though we were their only couple there.  We have become very spoiled by our Moscow family! 

The boys absolutely love their "Sissy".  Spencer has been the doting little daddy from the minute we stepped off the plane.  He kisses on her non-stop!  It is very special to see how he takes care of her.  He is a very kind and compassionate child.  He has such a warm and tender heart.  I think the feelings are mutual for Sofia.  She lights up when her brother enters the room!  Gannon is doing great as well.  He also loves to kiss and hug on her.  He is such a good big brother. 

Sofia is doing wonderful.  She bonded to us before we ever left Moscow.  God's hand has absolutely been on each and every one of our adoptions!  She grows and blossoms more and more each day.  She is a very happy baby as long as Mom and Dad are around.  We are working on getting her used to others.....slowly.  She is just beautiful.  She has the biggest blue eyes I have ever seen.  She has already mastered the art of batting them at her daddy and wrapping him around her finger.  She is a treasure. 

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to Shelley.Baird@wku.edu.

THE MCGILL FAMILY, TN

It’s been such a whirlwind since we got home, I haven’t taken the time to thank the people who made this possible.  So here it is.  Thank you so much for your patience in dealing with us through this process.  We are so grateful to God for leading us to CHI and to CHI for making this dream come true.  I know there were bumps along the way and I thank you for not showing it on the days you were annoyed at me calling yet again. 

Vonda and I kept a weblog of both trips to Jack, and I wanted to share that address with you, to share with clients.  I think it gives a good picture of what to expect (at least for a Moscow adoption).  The website is www.steveandvonda.blogspot.com.

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to themcgills@comcast.net.

THE McCULLOUGH FAMILY, TN

Ian is doing great.  He is: Almost 17 months old. A "good boy", "good eater", "good sleeper" as they said at the orphanage. Quite large, both in height and in weight.  Easygoing with a sunny disposition - but is starting to exert his independence and will. Active: Running, climbing, chasing Curious: Can open things you don't expect him to be able to open

Saying all kinds of things like mamma, dadda, and "tractor". 

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to nedro26@aol.com

THE FLOYD FAMILY, TN

We finally met our daughter...she is 15 months old.  Her Russian name is Diana, and we officially petitioned the court to legally adopt her and rename her Hannah Diane Floyd.  She of course is very beautiful!!  She has straight blonde hair and big blue eyes.  She currently weighs 16 pounds and stands 25 inches tall (she is very tiny)!!  She crawls, pulls herself up, and walks while holding your hand.  She also believes her daddy is very silly (I think she will be a daddy's girl)!!!  As you can imagine she is the most beautiful little girl we have ever seen.  We have waited for this moment for what seems like an eternity, but I never dreamed one little girl could bring us such joy.  We have truly been blessed! 

If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to rodney.floyd@comcast.net

THE LUTHER FAMILY, TN

Just wanted to send you an update from our first trip.  We arrived in Moscow on Sunday June 13th.  We stayed at the Rossia hotel across from Red Square.  Our room had a view of Red Square so we took many photos looking out the window.  Olga gave us a tour of Moscow on Monday before we left for Kaliningrad.  She is a wonderful tour guide.  She gave us so much history and took us to a small store to buy gifts for home.  We left that afternoon for Kaliningrad and stayed at the Turtle hotel.  It was really nice.  We met several families who were making their second trip (a CHI couple from Georgia) and a couple from California who had adopted a 6 year old girl three years ago named Julia.  Julia wanted to come back and visit her orphanage.   

On Tuesday morning we met with the Minister of Education in Kaliningrad.  He was a very nice man and gave us as much information as he had and a 13 month boy.  He told us to take our time and follow our hearts.  Before we left he told me to have a happy labor. 

He had picked out a beautiful baby for us.  When we first saw his picture we thought he had brown hair.  When we got to the orphanage and met him he had on several layers of clothes and a hat.  We took off the hat and to our surprise he had blonde hair and his eyes are blue.  He looks a lot like Steve.  The Director of the Orphanage, the doctor, nurses, even another couple all made comments that he looked like Steve. 

It was love at first site.  We emailed his medical information to Vanderbilt and they confirmed our feelings that he was as healthy as could be based on his surroundings.  He is starting to walk and he jabbers.  We took video and pictures every day and it is amazing how much he changed while we were there.  Leaving him was the hardest thing that we ever had to do. 

We go back on July 13th and our court date is July 19th.  We will be back on July 24th.  We can't wait to bring him home!!!  

Thanks for all your help.  We will keep you posted of our second trip! 

www.ournashvillehome.com/pictures

 If you are interested in contacting this family, you can send an e-mail to smluther@hotmail.com

THE LEMONS FAMILY, TN

I just wanted to send you a picture of Valentina, which we took, while in Russia.  We have not been able to stop thinking about her.  I hope we will be able to bring her home soon.   

Thank you again for all the help you gave me while I was putting together our dossier.  And for getting it to St. Louis so quickly.  The timing must have been just right, since we were called us pretty quickly about Valentina.