Gotcha Day

2009
2010















Scott and I can't believe that at this time last year we were in Russia getting ready to bring Luke home. For those of you that don't know, we celebrate the day that Luke officially became a part of our family. We call it, Gotcha Day! Our court date was January 26, 2009 and this is the day he became our son. What a crazy day that was. Scott and I had to wait in a holding area outside the courthouse for over an hour and then we were escorted to another area outside of the judge's courtroom. We waited another 2 hours there and it seemed like an eternity. As we were waiting, we heard the news that the judges had met that day and were unhappy about Americans adopting and were unsure if they would allow it to go through. Worry set in immediately and I just wanted it all to be over. The judge asked us both many questions and he seemed to ask me the most.



We were both relieved when he announced that Luke Dierlam was officially ours! We were so exhausted that we went back to our coordinators house and went to bed. We didn't even get to see Luke that day. The next day was very special when Scott and I saw him. He came running up to us and it all felt so good.
One year later, and we couldn't be more proud of this amazing little boy. He's had to adjust to so many things and he is a fighter. He wants to learn and he's trying very hard to make good choices. He's happy, healthy, and on the path to success. He gives the best hugs and has a smile each and every morning. We just wish that we could bring home a brother or sister for Luke. We have lots of prayers out there about the next steps our family takes. Until then, we will enjoy every precious moment we have with our son, Luke.


Many of our adoptive family friends have written with lots of questions about their upcoming adoptions. Know that patience is the most important thing. Your child is waiting for you. It isn't always easy and we're here to help with anything you may need.

Playing in the Snow with Sarah

Sarah and I had a great time playing in the snow today. We tried our hardest to find a sled and there isn't one sled left in this town! We ordered one and we hope it gets here tomorrow before the snow melts. It's so fun to see how excited Sarah gets about the snow! We'll be praying for lots of snow to come while she's visiting.

14 inches of snow and still coming down!

I had a little boy wake me up this morning screaming, SNOW, SNOW, and more SNOW mommy!
It's been snowing since last night and it's still coming down. We've had another great day of
playing in the snow and it looks like Sarah will get to have a white Christmas too. Scott is stuck
on a plane somewhere and we sure miss him. It seems like he's been gone for most of the month.
Shoveling all of this snow without his help was a bit challenging. Luke and I managed to get it done
in 3 hours and we were playing most of the time. It reminded me of all of my own childhood snow days!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Luke had his first experience with snow and he loved it! In the orphanage, he must not have been able to touch it or play with it. It was as if he had never seen it before. From the minute he woke up, we were all out playing in it and watching it come down. The snowman we built was so heavy that we had to get Scott out of the warm, cozy house to help us. All of us enjoyed a little snowball fight too! It's always such a joy to see how happy Luke is. Hopefully we can have some more snow when Sarah comes!

Thankful

We are blessed this year for so many reasons. We finally have Luke home and that feels so good to have a son. We also have great jobs, good health, and are surrounded by a loving family and friends.


Here's Luke's list of things he's thankful for...
Poppy
Mommy
Candy
Popsicles
Books
And soda

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

October Happenings

We had a busy October and I can't believe that it's already November. Scott was gone for half of the month, we had Sarah visit for a long weekend, Luke had his first Trick o' Treating experience and we all had some kind of illness. Halloween was such a great time in our neighborhood and Luke was so funny! He woke up the next day with a huge smile and asked if he could have Halloween again. He didn't even like the candy, he just liked visiting all of the houses and getting to peek inside. One person had a huge fish tank and I didn't think he would ever leave his house. Luke is doing really well in school with his academics. He has learned the entire alphabet and is beginning to sound out words. He is an amazing little boy! We keep working on his ability to listen and follow directions. With maturity, we're hoping that he'll do better and better in school with following the rules. He has a fantastic teacher and he is well loved at our school. Sarah had a great time when she visited and was able to have one last marshmallow roast before we had to put the fire pit away for the winter. We're looking forward to having my parents come for Thanksgiving and having Scott at home a little bit more.

October Fun

September came and went, where in the world did it go? School has started for everyone and is finally running smoothly for all. Luke did well the first week and has been learning so much. He hadn't been in an American classroom at all and he has a long way to go before he's able to do most of the things his fellow kindergarten friends can do. I have a very supportive school and they are all working very hard to get Luke the help that he needs. I've had lots of support from my adoptive parents group and they helped us through the beginning of the year. Now, we just have our prayers going strong for Luke and his teacher. She has her hands full with him and it will take a village to raise him. It's a blessing to have so many people praying for us.

During this kickoff to school, we also got more news on Rylie. We found out that we would have to take 2 trips to bring her home and had to made a very difficult decision. Scott and I spent many hours thinking this through and came to the decision that we can't financially afford this right now. Luke would love to have another sister and it's just not the right time. It breaks our hearts to think that we can't bring her home. We'll see what the future holds for a brother or sister for Luke.

Luke has been having a lot of fun with the sights and sounds of October. He had no idea what a pumpkin was and he tried to take a big bite out of one. It's so funny because we take so much for granted. I had to cut a pumpkin open so he could see what was inside. Luke didn't like the slimy seeds one bit. Next, we cut it in half, added brown sugar and baked them. Luke did love this!! He couldn't get enough of the baked pumpkin. This is going to be an exciting Halloween for our family!