6 Years Ago today...

Outside the courthouse in Irkutsk

after entire day spent in a tiny courtroom in Irkutsk, Mike and I became the parents of a beautiful 20-month-old boy named Skip. The little boy we first held in our arms some 9 months earlier was legally our son!

As tradition dictated we left the courtroom and celebrated the occasion at one of only two restaurants in the town where he was born: Angarsk, Russia. Hours later we returned to the small but cozy apartment that we'd call "home" for the next 2 weeks and began our new life as a family. We would spend those next few weeks bonding as a family and exploring the town where he was born as our facilitator and translator prepared the paperwork  necessary for us to leave the country with our new son. Here are some pictures from that memorable time in our lives:

First official family photo

Father and son

Bath time...learning to enjoy the tub, one inch of water at a time!

Sharing ice cream with my momma (nothing compares to Russian Ice Cream!)

There's a new Captain on this ship!

Playing with the toys kept in the apartment

Momma is teaching me to fish (cuz she's the best at it!)

Hmmm, what can I get into next??

You can make me nap but you can't make me lie down!

Momma just got back from  the grocery store but just who is babysitting who?

Since he learned pretty quickly how to climb out of the portacrib, this was his bed for the remainder of our stay in the apartment: a walled off area of the bedroom.

One happy boy

Tickle time

Learning to brush!

Visiting one of the many villages along Lake Baikal

Mommy's time to tickle

Who needs a spoon? I'll just use my hands.

Momma was right, eating my food is giving me muscles!

Life is good! A walk in the park, my cheerios container, and a flower for my Momma!


Life was indeed simple but good, and since then time has passed so quickly!   It's hard to remember  when Skip wasn't in our lives yet not a day goes by I don't thank God for entrusting us with such an amazing little boy.