Adopting Again

Greetings, Everyone! After much prayer and discussion, we've made the BIG decision to start another adoption journey. Today we are sending our application to World Links International Adoption Agency to adopt a girl (age 3 -5) from Russia. We are requesting the Vladivostok region. Since our boys are from that same region it is very special to us, as are the dear ladies we'll be working with there. The home study process is already in the works. You can follow our journey at our new blog: backtovlad.blogspot.com. We definitely seek your prayers! Thanks and God bless you all!

Sincerely,

Joel, Clarion, Slav & Sergei

Have a great 2010!!!

We hope that everyone had a great holiday and you all look forward to a wonderful year. We are incredibly blessed and have been doing so well. Joel is now pastor of a church, the boys are both in the church's school, and Clarion is loving the idea of getting back in the classroom next fall. We will see if it actually happens. She has taken steps to let the lutheran schools know she is available and excited to teach!

It has been awhile since we have posted and I have to say we have decided to say good bye to the blog for now. It was so wonderful to have this blog and read others as we were going through the adoption process. We would have been lost without it. Now that the boys have been home for almost a year and a half we feel it is time to stop the posts. Of course, the process is ongoing as we raise them but their actual adoption and arrival home is complete.

We just wanted to say what a blessing all of our blog friends have been. You all brought us hope, love, laughter, tears, and faith as we went through this process. Even though we have never met some of you we feel like we know you. We praise and thank God for you! There is a good chance we may be back at the blog late in 2010 as we start the process of adopting our daughter. We shall see what God has in store for us!

with love,

Joel, Clarion, Slav, and Sergei

Slav's 6th birthday!

Slav- turning 5 just 2 days after arriving home in St. Louis!

Slav- turning 6 a full year after being home!

As you can see our oldest is doing great and full of spunk! He was so very excited to be turning 6. Once Sergei finished his birthday we were reminded every day how close we were getting to Slav's birthday.

We had his cousins and some friends over for dinner, presents, and cake and Slav had a blast! Of course, he is all about Spider-Man and aspiring to be a superhero. He was very excited about all of his gifts and having his brother and cousins to play with.

How much Slav has changed and grown this year! He is such a wonderful big brother, son, and friend. He has truly embraced his life as a Fritsche. He is so happy, loving, helpful, and energetic. We praise God every day that he has blessed us with such an incredible, brave, open- hearted little boy!

From Age Three to Four - Sergei's Birthday

Sergei, Age 3, Aug. 2008, Artem Baby Home

Sergei, Age 4, Aug. 2009, St. Louis- Spiderman pose!

How much our little bundle of energy has changed in 1 year! He is reading easy books now, following directions so much better, showing lots of preference for mom and pop, and having an absolute ball being a Fritsche. We love him so much and are blessed that God has chosen us to be his parents! What joy and happiness he has brought to our lives!

His birthday celebration was so much fun. Joel's mom was here for his birthday and stayed 3 days. Other grandparents were missed but represented by fun gifts. Friends joined us for his meal and cake and presents. We got to see the St. Louis Basilica, eat at Fitzs, and have some adventure at Grant's Farm. Our little guys are tuckered out after the few days of marathon fun! More to come as Slav heads toward 6! Blessings to you all. May God be with you.

love,

Joel, Clarion, Slav, and Sergei

Vacation, vacation, vacation!

Hello! We are now back home after a two week vacation in Texas. It started out a couple of days with Joel's parents. Then Joel left for the week and I drove with the boys out to see my parents. When Joel got back we had a family reunion with his family. Then we went to the beach in Galveston for a couple of days. A last dinner and good bye with my parents and one more day in Houston and then we headed home.

We all had a great time. We got to spend lots of time with family. The boys spent a good amount of time in the water both at the beach and at family pools. They sure did like the beach but I think that both of them prefer the pool! They are becoming little fishes in the water. We also had plenty of wonderful food and fun. It was a lot of visiting and spending time together so we will just give you some highlights:

feeding ducks at church and seagulls at the beach

seeing a snake and frog in the pond at Uncle Ron's house

playing in the sand at the beach in Galveston

going crazy at the Children's Museum in Houston

going out to eat at various restaurants

participating in a family reunion at Uncle Mike's house

STAYING IN HOTELS- the boys love this!

Hope you enjoyed the pics! We have our 1-year post-placement visit this coming Tuesday. What a joy to show how great the boys are doing! The Lord has truly blessed this family beyond our imagination!

Happy Fourth of July!!

We wanted to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July! We had a great day despite the rain. We spent the afternoon at our friends' house. We had some great fun, laughs, and food. We are not really sure the boys understand why the day was special but they sure loved the goodies from Grandpa and Meme. God Bless America!!

Nine Months Home!

Today the ticker hit the nine-month mark. It's hard to believe we've been home for that long. What a great nine months it has been! Slav & Sergei are doing remarkable well. We couldn't be more pleased with them. The Lord has been truly good to us all!

It's been a great week. Clarion's parents spent a few days with us and we had lots of time to visit and spend time together. We had a family afternoon at Incredible Pizza on Monday. The boys were excited to hang out with Grandma & Grandpa and several of their cousins. It was a day for pizza, games and good times.

We'll keep the post short today. Enjoy the pics! The Lord's blessings to you all.

Love,

Joel, Clarion, Slav & Sergei