Wednesday's Update

Dear Jaymi Viktoria,

I'm here in your country, not far from your orphanage.  I'm hoping that I will be able to come and visit you this afternoon.  I can't to see you and give you the biggest hug!  We were not able to collect the needed document from our judge yesterday.  We are running into some issues getting our paperwork to start the process of bringing you home.  We have learned a few things.  First, according to our court ruling, we ARE your legal guardians.  The issue is with the different agencies that provide the necessary items to take you out of the country.  They do not have any legal direction on how to process the cases of the families like us here, that have our official court ruling, so they are waiting on direction from the Supreme Court on how to continue.

I am here with another family who are adopting a cute little guy with Down syndrome too.  It is simply amazing to have each other to draw support from during these uncertain times.  His mama and I plan to stay here as long as needed in order to get our kids home.  We are trying our best to stay optimistic and hopeful.  We have done a few interviews with the media to help bring attention to the number of families here in the country in the same situation as us.  Also to share our story of love for our children here and the value of children with special needs.  We have spoken with the New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters and CNN.  The reporters have been very kind and sympathetic of our situation and want to do anything they can to help us.

Love you little girl, can't wait to see you soon!

Love Mommy

Made it

Dear Jaymi Viktoria,

I made it safely to your city, the flights went great.  I've had a wonderful visit hanging out with another family in our same situation, feel so good knowing we have each other to support one another.  We will  both meet with the judge in the morning in hopes that she will give us our court decrees so that we can begin the necessary paperwork to bring you home.  That is what we are hoping for, that is what we are praying for.  See you soon little one, see you soon.

Love Mommy

Are you reading?

Please comment if you are still coming to this blog, it only allows 100 people to view it when it's set on Private and I have some new people that want added, so if I don't hear from you in the next couple days I'll delete you, thanks.

I Love You

Dear Jaymi Viktoria,

These last few weeks have been very hard because your country has passed a law banning US adoptions of Russian children.  We are still not sure how/if this law affects us.  Your dad and I have tried our best to stay positive, prayerful and hopeful.  I haven't prayed this hard for anything since your little sister Kaelyn was very sick in the hospital.

This is what I wrote on facebook yesterday:

"As of this morning, I'm leaving for Russia, by myself, on Sunday. Wayne is finishing up his last class of his MBA and can't leave now. Things are still very much up in the air, but I want/need to be there, so if the opportunity becomes available to bring our girl home, I will be there. We are so grateful for all your prayers and thoughts and would love if you will keep them coming. This is very much a leap of faith on our part, probably the biggest yet and we need The Lord to prepare the way before us. Lets pray our little girl home!"

I woke up early yesterday morning and felt this sense of urgency that I needed to go to Russia as soon as possible.  Even after it looked like that wouldn't be possible, I just couldn't kick that feeling.  Then a few hours later it was looking possible and I made the needed arrangements to leave.  By the end of day I was all packed and ready to go.  I am praying that Heavenly Father will watch over me as I travel and that things will be in order to bring you home.  I'm so lucky that another family, adopting a cute little guy also with Down syndrome from the same city, will be traveling this week.  I'm so excited to finally meet them and have support while in country alone.  

There are so many people praying for you and us, I know Heavenly Father has not forgotten our pleas and will do all in his power to bring us together.

Your Christmas Angel ornament hanging on our Christmas tree.  There  have been people praying for you to find a family for years.

This is the first picture of you we ever saw, the one that said, "I'm your's, come get me"

Over Christmas break I made 20 little quilts, with the help of family, to bring to your orphanage to leave with your friends.  It was a very spiritual experience sewing those quilts and thinking of all the beautiful children with special needs that may never have a chance to live with a family.  It took a lot of faith for me to continue making them as I was in the middle of them when we found out about the law in Russia and that we may never be able to go back.  I just kept telling myself that I was going to deliver those blankets, I just had too.  Well deliver them I will, they are packed and ready to go with me this weekend.  

Thats me, working a way.

Dad and little sisters being very patient at the fabric store.  

Your great-grandma Ruth working away.  She is the very person that taught me how to sew and inspires me to keep doing it.  She inspires me to keep doing a lot of things and she CANNOT wait to meet you!

Little sister Bryn wanted to be part of the excitement and send her love to  your friends.

Uncle Ryan and cousin Shane were pro's on the quilting machine.  Grandma LaJean helped tie lots of knots of love into each quilt.

The quilts on the left are all packed and ready to go in their vacuum sealed bags.

Making these quilts is one of my most favorite Christmas projects yet.  Maybe we will have to make it tradition.

I'm coming little girl and I assure you I will do everything I can to bring you home.  I will be buoyed up by the strength and power of prayers of many who are concerned for us.  This past year has been an incredible journey, with many ups and downs, failures and triumphs, fears and miracles.  It has opened my eyes to so much, for that I am so grateful, so determined to change the world, one day at a time, in any way the Lord needs me.  

I love you,

Love Mommy

Calm

Dear Jaymi Viktoria,

I may never truly know the reason behind the failure of our first court date and the week we spent in despair believing that we would never be able to bring your home, never see you again.  I can however speculate, and focus on the good that I have seen come from those times of trial and sadness.  The most important to me being the single, short hour and a half visit we had with you on our last trip.  We waited for you in a small office while you finished juice time with your group.  You walked in with a big smile on your face and ran to daddy and gave him a big hug and let him hold you and tickle you.   In that short visit, this mama's heart was calmed and many fears of bringing you home were washed away.  A confirmation that you were ours, you were always meant to be ours and you will always be our little girl.  I cannot tell you how much I needed that.  Thank you for showing me the way little love.  In 36 days we will pick you up from your children's home, dress you in your very own new clothes, walk with you hand in hand outside those gates and bring you home forever.  There is a great big world full of lots of love awaiting you.  Two small little girls at home that will be your best friends forever.  It may be a little bit late, but you will be the BEST, most very SPECIAL Christmas gift our family will ever receive.  See you soon, we are counting the days, the hours, the minutes!

Love Mommy

She's Ours!

Introducing Miss Jaymi Viktoria Bonner!  

Our court hearing went very well!  It was a very special day to hear the judge say that she granted our petition to adopt Viktoria.  We still haven't decided what we will call her, but her nickname is Vika (Vee-Ka) and she goes by that now.  We are so so happy to call her OUR DAUGHTER!  We will go back in January to bring her home forever.  In the mean time we will get everything ready for her to join our family.  Thanks for all your prayers, they were answered!

National Adoption Month

I did not want this month to pass by without writing a post in honor of November being National Adoption Month.  It still feels almost unreal that we are nearing the end of this process, that we ever even began this process.  Our adoption is very different from what I envisioned adoption in general being, before we began this journey.  Adoption is hard.  Plain and simple.  It's scary and at times painful.  It requires sacrifice and immense patience.  It's humbling and at times heart wrenching.  Like anything of great value in this life, it is worth all of it.  It changes the way you see the world.  We have seen so much good come from this experience, so much love and support from those around us and even complete strangers.  They have helped to lift us up when things got hard.  Kind words, letters in the mail with sweet notes and donations, neighbor children selling candy after school and bringing us their profits because they want Victoria home so they can play with her.  So humbling.  It has increased our desire to give of ourselves, our means and our love to other because of the beautiful examples we have seen step forward to help us.  We are not the only ones sacrificing to bring this little girl home.  So many of you are helping to make this all possible and we will forever be indebted to you for your contributions.   Thank you for your kindness, thank you for your love.  Adoption truly is love, a kind of love we had never experienced until now.  A love that reminds us that we are all God's children and that he loves each of us, no matter our circumstance.  I see him smiling down on us when we work together to make wonderful things happen in the lives of his children.  I feel privileged to be on this journey.

If anyone reading this is considering undertaking adoption of this kind, my advice would be to remember that you will not be alone.  There are so many people out there that will step forward and support you if you give them a chance.  People want to help, the just need to be given the opportunity.  Let God lead you through this process and trust that he will not leave you alone in such an endeavor.  I know we will need his help even more once we get Victoria home, to help us all transition in our new life together, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he will help us through it.  No, adoption is not easy, I knew it wouldn't be, and it is even harder than I thought it would be, but it is even more rewarding than I could have imagined.  It has forever changed me for the better, it has taught me eternal lessons that I would have missed out on if I pushed away the promptings I had almost a year ago.

When I wake up we will be heading out on our third trip to Victoria's country.  We will go before the judge again and pray that all is in order for our hearing to proceed and that we can finally plead our case for adopting this precious little girl.  We would love if you will join us in prayer that all will go smoothly.  Can't wait to see Victoria again, watch the video below and you will see why, she is amazing.