Pictures tell a story....

This photo was a gift to us from Lars and Dawn Holmberg. They adopted their daughter Lauren in Nov of 2005. Leah and Lauren were crib mates. The Holmbergs just happened upon our blog when we were in Ust adopting Leah and they were happily shocked and surprised to see the child they never forgot on our blog and in our lives. We have maintained our friendship and will one day reunite our children. Our hopes are that they remain friends for life as they began life together in that baby house in Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan.
This was our referral photo of Leah.
This is the first photo of Leah the day we met her. As you can see, I didnt center the picture to good. It was a very emotional day as we were told the night before we left the USA that Leah was no longer available for us to adopt, and we were sent a picture of another child. We were all overcome with emotion when the caregiver brought Leah in to us. We all knew at that moment Leah was born to be ours, and we were experiencing a miracle.

This is a photo of Leah a year later. Its so hard to express in words the effect Leah has had on all of us in her own special way. We all share a very unique and special bond with her, and she with us. Her bright smile and bubbly personality greets us each day and reminds us to always look for the miracles that are there if you only take the time and look for them.... A bird in flight, the rising or setting sun, a snow flake or an ocean wave. A kitten, a pumpkin or a bubble blown into the wind. All of these are miracles in and of themselves that are frequently taken for granted and then the moment lost. Leah takes each of us to that innocent place and those moments where only love and joy exist. How glorious it is to experience these moments. We are so thanlful to God for the miracle of Leah, a child he created just for us who we can in return share with the world.
We are blessed!!!!!

365 Days

It feels like yesterday, and yet it seems like forever that Leah has been our daughter. We, as a family continue to be thankful for the miracle that God has blessed us with by bringing this precious child into our family.

From a baby house in Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan a year ago Leah entered our lives and hearts, and we have never been the same. We have experienced great joy and the purest type of love one can be blessed with. The unconditional love of an innocent child.

Leah has learned to love and to be loved. She has bonded with each of us in her own special way and we with her. Watching her grow and play and learn and experience life is an adventure every day. We have all learned to realize how special life is, and the importance of looking for miracles every day.

Chris and I have the added pleasure of watching our son and daughter form that special bond that only exisits between siblings. We again are so greatful that God opened our hearts to adoption because of the special relationship our children now share. Seeing them interact and share emotions is awesome. They are protective and playful and loving and caring to each other especially when it really matters. Christopher being the older brother never ceases to amaze us with the kind young man he has turned out to be. We are so proud he is our son.........

Last Day at the Beach 2007

God is awesome.
Look at his beautiful creations.
Smiles,sunshine, sand, and sea.
We are greatful to God for the blessings he has given us all.
As we approach Sept 24th ( Gotcha Day) we are acutely aware it has been 1 year since Leah became part of our family forever. We reflect on the journey we as a family experienced, and we give thanks to God for the lessons we learned about life and love and faith.
Our son says it all when he tell us "you know I cannot imagine my life without Leah in it"
The bond is complete and we are so thankful we were chosen to be a part of this miracle.






And so as summer ends we look forward to fall !!!!!!!!!