Home…Forever.

The adventure Saturday to get home was actually much easier than expected.  Some of that was due to the blessing that Valera got his own seat on the Singapore Airlines flight from Moscow to Houston.  He got to play and climb all over the seat.  While the girls watched numerous movies on their own TV’s, he took two naps that totaled about four hours. 

Once in Houston, we went through customs and a special room for immigrants and Valera became a US citizen.  Again, it seemed anti-climatic, but it’s real.  He slept on the flight home from Houston to OKC and never really woke up the rest of the night… until 4am Sunday morning, that is.

Then again, it felt like Christmas morning.  He woke up and we had to show him that we were both there and then introduced him to his room and all his toys.  He played for hours in the early morning and has decided that the buckets his toys were in are his favorite.  He slept well last night and seems to have already adjusted to the new time zone. 

We are still amazed that he is our son.  We feel so blessed to have such an incredible little boy and that he seems to be attaching to our family so well.  He certainly is a Mama’s boy and Krista is his favorite person in the world.  I am also glad that I seem to be his 2nd favorite person.  He is so full of life and has brought a joy into our life that seems to make most of the challenges in life seem insignificant. 

As I reflect upon our journey to adopt Valera, I realize that God has always intended for him to be a part of our family.  It’s a humbling thought.   I’m also amazed that his personality is such a great fit for our family.  He’s not reserved or shy, but loves the attention and has hundreds of expressions and enjoys playing up to his mommy.    Krista and I took him to Qdoba tonight for dinner and he gave some young ladies some interesting facial expressions and waved at them.  He really knows how to play to an audience.  So funny.

I’m also very grateful that Brittany and Alyssa both choose to go to Russia with us.  I personally got to enjoy some great memories with them and appreciate that they both have shown great maturity and selflessness in welcoming Valera into our family.  I really enjoyed getting to spend some daddy/daughter hangout time at MacDonald’s and Starbucks in Moscow.  Some great memories that I will never forget.  I am very proud of them and very impressed to see the great young women they are becoming.

So, although it still seems unreal, Valera is our son.  He’s home.  Forever. 

We are so grateful and are more excited about life than I can remember.   His presence in our house has become a reminder about what is truly important in life.  Loving God, loving each other, and living with those priorities is more important than anything else.  Not to worry, but to trust that God has a better plan.  For us, that plan was Valera.  It meant trusting God for nearly five years that He had the right plan for our family.  Valera had no home.  God gave him ours.   God is trustworthy.  I see it in Valera’s face every time I look at him. 

Gratefully,

Chris

Js 1:27