First time on an airplane

Updating for everyone that is asking how things are going.  :)

It sounds like Brett and Graham are doing great and really enjoying their time together.  They have the suitcase back and I think Brett was really looking forward to some clean clothes (and a razor!). 

Graham had a difficult time on the flight.  He was very scared by the noise when they took off.  Brett managed to distract him a bit with some goldfish crackers during the takeoff.  When they were able to get out of their seats Brett brought him to the back of the plane where Graham spent the next 2 hours crying.  It sounds like the other passengers were very nice about it and were smiling and talking to him.  After that, every time that Brett tried to sit down Graham would start crying again, so they ended up spending the first 4 hours of the flight at the back of the plane.  He finally sat down with Brett and fell asleep about a half hour later.

During the landing Graham got sick.  By the time they got to the hotel he still wasn't interested in eating anything, but he looked happy and like he was feeling better.  Poor thing.  :(  I can't even imagine what is going thru his head with everything he has experienced in the last few days!

I know Brett was already being considered for the father of the year award, but I'm pretty sure he will be taking the prize after this.  He has been so patient thru everything.  

Please pray for their trip home.  They have 3 flights on Saturday.  Pray that Graham won't get sick again and that he will be more calm about flying this time.

An orphan no more!



Gotcha!

Graham was able to leave his baby house with his daddy today to start his new life!

What an exciting trip it has been for Brett!  Once again we handed God a list with our plans on it (for a perfect, uneventful trip) and he simply smiled and tucked it away somewhere and said, "I have a better idea." 

Brett arrived in Graham's city on Monday, but the luggage did not.  Thankfully there was one outfit packed for Graham in the carry on.  He did have an accident in the car while Brett had run into a store to buy pull-ups and shoes, so the  pants have already been washed in the bathroom sink and dried with the hair dryer once.  The suitcase and stroller will *hopefully* be waiting for them in Moscow when they arrive there tomorrow. 

Most important, it sounds like Graham is doing great and they have had a good evening together!

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever..........praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

How to Be The Village

Click HERE to read Jen Hatmaker's response to this email:

Our good friends just returned from Ethiopia last night with their two little boys. Ok, they've had their "airport" moment and we were right there with them. What are some things we can do now to support them in the "real life" journey without overstepping our boundaries? Thank you so much for your transparency and honesty. Everyone can benefit when you share from your heart.

The response is a "Field Guide to Supporting Adoptive Families" with what to do and not to do before and after the airport.

Pretty Princesses

We have been crazy busy lately, but having soooo much fun!

Brett's sister was married this weekend.
The three older girls had the pleasure of being flower girls.  And Ben was the ring bearer.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful!

The girls had a blast being princesses for a day.

 Ben was a little less thrilled, but did what he needed to do.
(During the wedding anyway, pictures are another story...)

..... and the sweetest princess of all, of course....



I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
 I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Introducing......

Graham James Yerks!



After spending a day and a half flying and finding our way around 4 different airports we arrived at our destination yesterday morning. We had a rather amusing experience getting thru security at one of the airports. As they scanned Brett’s ticket before we went thru security an alarm went off and they hurried him off into a side room and left me waiting there with no explanation. Apparently they had our checked luggage in the room and they wanted to make sure we had not made a bomb out of the Desitin and Tylenol that we had brought along as donations for the baby home. They opened up a couple of the boxes to see what was inside and all was well again. We ARE very glad to know that they are really checking these things and that we are flying safely.

We relaxed yesterday and caught up on some much needed sleep.  This morning we finally got to go visit Graham again.  He has grown a lot, but he is still the same sweet boy he was when we last saw him almost 9 months ago.  He is full of lots of love and even more energy.  He still loves to talk on the phone.  We brought a handheld Yahtzee game with us this time since it makes some fun noises and he loved playing with it.  It is interesting to see the things he has picked up by watching those around him.  Several times he spit on the screen of his Yahtzee “phone,” smeared it around with his hand, and then cleaned it all up by wiping it off with his shirt.  We also discovered that he loves to brush his hair. 

He is a very handsome boy!

This afternoon we visited a WWII memorail and then had our medicals done.  I think there were eight different doctors that checked us out.  It went very quickly and we apparently passed the test. 

Here is a submarine that went down during the war (there is now a museum inside)

A small church that we went into.

We will get to see Graham again tomorrow and then we have our court appearance on Thursday.