God Answers the prayers of His people!

Our new wildcat lounging with cheerios and wearing his moose slippers.

Nick with cousin Zach ......flat Stanley has come full circle and is back in the hands of his creator and heading back to Texas.

Everyone outside for a cousin picture! Nick loved playing with his cousins and we are convinced that they helped his transition home.

Zach and Lyndsay loved reading to Nick and he thought it was so great to have all of the attention!

Nick's new bubble machine from his Cousins. So cool!

Our first breakfast at HOME....McDonald's pancakes and SPAM... how American ...convenience and processed food at its best.....God bless America!

My new moose pajamas....I can say moose and put my hands up on my head like antlers....of course, I would not do it for the pic.

Nick watching the last airplane that would take him to his new home.....I don't think he understood the significance of that plane to all of us.

Nick on his last flight to his house. He fell asleep before the plane took off and slept the whole way home.

This was taken by another adoptive family at the airport in Almaty as we began the journey. I was looking especially lovely considering we had not had hot water for 4 days.

Well, as my sweet husband said, we are HOME. The flights were hard but amazingly uneventful. We had one big meltdown in the Amsterdam airport but no problems at all on the planes. Nick is truly a traveller at heart. He did so well on the planes. We had a wonderful adoptive couple who helped us get on the first flight (there story was more stressful than ours....they were going to have to return to Kaz for the third time to get there little one) We had a nice father next to us on the long flight and he had to have been kicked and pushed by Nick's feet a million times while Nick slept but he always grinned and said he had been there and done that so no worries. Nick was always ready to get on the next plane. He would always ask me after every flight, Papa? and I would say, no, two more planes and then one more plane and then finally....let's go see Papa (at which time, he decided that he didn't want to leave the jetway....I guess he didn't believe me!) He finally gave in and walked with me to his new life and Papa's arms.


Our transition home has been unbelievably smooth. God has been so good to us in the last few days. He has not had many fits and I truly believe that my niece and nephew made him so happy that he forgot to have stress with another change. I know he senses our relief also. He has slept well with naps and bedtimes. The first night we were putting him to bed together and he would roll from side to side and hug Pat and then hug me. It was very touching and gave us that feeling that we had been needing for the last few weeks that it would all indeed be OK.

I can't express how good it felt to walk in our home. It still feels weird but sooooo good! I have to complain a minute and say that I only lost 15 pounds to Pat's 30 (men make me sick) but I feel really good and look forward to continuing our walks although I am glad we don't have the Almaty hills to deal with now. I have to laugh at my "woman" mindset because after all had gone to bed, my only concern was to try on clothes to see if my former tight spring clothes now fit.....they did and it feels great....sometimes toning up can be just as valuable as weight loss. I am positive that Pat was looking at me like I was crazy but I just had to see.....girls, you know how it is......

The last week without Pat was probably the hardest week of my life. I have never had so many moments of crying in my life.....I am not usually a boo-hoo-er but you would never had known that from last week. Every battle and every little change left me in tears. I felt so down but in those times, I would get these quick little assurances from God that I was not alone. He continually brought to mind conversations with friends, past truths learned, and even lyrics from 1970's youth choir songs that would get me through another hour. He would not let me wallow in my self pity for long. Nick was especially sweet when he saw me crying .....he would come over and pat my head and hug me....even after we had been battling for hours. All I can say is never stop renewing your mind with scripture because when you least expect it GOD will use it to carry you through your circumstances.

Thanks again for the multitude of prayers going on during that time. It surely saved my sanity and made me so thankful for the relationships that we have been given. Like I said before, we will try and keep everyone up to date for the first year in monthly blogs with pics and up-dates.

Thank you again to everyone and we are especially thankful to the Lord for sustaining us and giving us a wonderful homecoming and a wonderful son. God bless you all! Karen, Pat, and Nick