Organized Chaos!

I am really not sure if there is such a thing but that sums up life at the Settle house this week! We are preparing our house ,children, pets and family for our final departure to Russia. And I have to say this is not an easy task! We have survived the first week of school. Nick did great ! Jake on the other hand had a slow start and so did I.We spend all of time together so it was like having that umbilical cord officially cut! He seems to be settling in his new routine and so have I.Now, I just have to get my Mom ,Dad, Aunt and Grandmother into our chaotic routine for the next few weeks while we are away. We are so excited to get back to our little girl but I absolutely dread being away from my boys. I pray that the time fly's by for all !
A huge thank you to Uncle Jim and Aunt Carol !!! Today,I was informed by the Secretary of State that some documents needed for court on Monday would not be returned to us for another 10 days! Well, they saved us an unexpected trip to Austin(and a good case of the hives!) and I will forever be grateful!
And last but definitely not least I would like to congratulate Michelle and Ian on the arrival of their daughter,Ana! Welcome Home Curly!
Well, I have to get back to my organized chaos!
N

Hold on Ava...Mommy and Daddy are on our way!!!!

We got the most wonderful call this morning from our Agency stating that we will be in Russia for our court date on Sept 8th!!!! There is nothing more exciting than to look down at that ringing phone and see your adoption agencies number displayed on caller I.D.!!! With court taking place on September 8th that means we will officially pick up Ava on September 19th and return home on September 27th! We are thrilled beyond words. Congrats to the other CSS families that received good news today. Now, I am off to make all the arrangements!
N

Introducing... "The Dolphins!"

Today we had opening day ceremonies for Katy Youth Football. This will be Jake's first year to play flag football. Bret was recruited for the head coach and Nick is one of his assistant coaches. Games start in a couple of weeks so the team has been practicing hard. The team is composed of 3-5 year old players so I am sure the games will be full of surprises!We have been keeping busy while we wait for word of a court date . We are so anxious to get back to our little girl! I have already packed her suitcase full of clothes and goodies. I have already packed up the clothes for the orphanage too.Now, we just wait for the phone to ring.(Hint ,Hint K!All phone lines are wide open!)We are expecting news this week. So, say a prayer that it is good news and we will be reunited with our little angel soon!
The dreaded first day of school starts tomorrow!Jake starts Kindergarten and Nick starts high school! Pray that I do not ball till after I leave the building! All it takes is one little look from Jake and I am history!I told Jake that I will come have lunch with him tomorrow . He said how about you just stay after you drop me off in the morning...Oh lord, this is not going to be good!Our backyard backs up to the elementary schools playground. So hopefully that will give Jake some comfort being so close to home.Who am I kidding ...I hope it gives ME some comfort being so close to him! Nick on the other hand has informed me that he is way to big to be escorted into the school so that saves me a little trauma from leaving him! Pray that we ALL survive tomorrow and the boys have a great new year!i will leave you with some photos of KYF opening day ceremonies.
N

Ava's Silent Takeover!!!

It is amazing that someone so small can take over such a large house!The pink wave has travelled down the stairs and now entered the master bedroom!Today we put Ava's second bedroom together.This is where she will sleep until we feel she is ready to go upstairs. As Bret is assembling the baby bed he said wait till Jake finds out that Ava's sleeping in our room .Mind you he is five years old but currently holds the title as the "baby".At least till little Miss Ava gets here! There is an unwritten rule in our home when one child ends up in our room they ALL end up in our room!!! So, when I told Jake that you are a big boy and need to sleep upstairs in your room, he got the biggest grin across his face. But the grin did not happen before he asked if he could get IN the baby bed! Oh boy are we in trouble or what!Bret and I imagine that we could sell the house and get a one bedroom house with a fifteen car garage!Even Cody,our dog, stood and looked at the bed and then looked at me like how am I supposed to get up and in that bed!Just wait till Rocky gives it a trial run!
Ava, Mommy will do her best to keep them out of your bed ...but you better hurry up and come home!

Faith

I have posted a link to a ABC segment that featured an interview with the Chapman family.This was one of the most moving interviews that I have ever seen. Despite having the most unimaginable loss that a human could ever experience, they have such an solid faith. After the tragic death of little Maria ,their unwavering faith continues to carry them through.May we all be blessed with the level of faith and conviction that the Chapman family embraces everyday of their lives. May God continue to bless this family and his littlest angel.
*Sorry, I could not get a link but here is the address. Take a look it is truly a wonderful interview.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=5524419

A room fit for a princess!

We had started on Ava's room long before we knew who she was. When we were in the building process the boy's came in and laid claim on their own room. Nick picked the room that is on one end of the upstairs. Jake had a choice to choose the room next to Nick's or choose one of the other two. He surprised us all when he chose one of the other two empty rooms. He told us he chose this one because he wanted to be close to the new baby. He had decided he was going to take care of his new sister at night...so sweet! I believe that God had placed a special place in each of our hearts for this little angel long before we even got to meet her. Well, after meeting Miss Ava we realize that she is not quite ready for a big girl bed! So, I am posting some photos of her "big" girl room .I still have her bedspread to sew and lamp to find but it is near completion. I have ordered a crib and some bedding that should arrive this week. So, her other room will be in the sitting area of our bedroom.(A wave of pink is slowly taking over the whole house!) We both agreed that this will be good for attachment and not so far away from mom and dad! Sorry Jake, we will take you up on your offer as the "night shift" later! So, we are still waiting and praying on word of a court date soon. If not, we will have a long two months before we will see her sweet face again. That is unimaginable, so we will be returning to Russia for a Ava fix !Michelle has been appointed my official babysitter ,tour guide barbie and partner in crime (that involves our checkbooks) while I am in country! In between the wait I will keep busy with all of my projects. And pray that the time will fly!
N

Retail Therapy

The boys and I have been getting a jump start on the new school year by doing some school shopping. With one going into kindergarten and the other a freshman in highschool we hit a variety of stores.Each has their own distinct style and of course sizes ,so we went to two different malls.I wanted to make sure that both the boys are all suited up in case a miracle occurs and we travel for court in the month of August. Ava also scored some new duds ! We also could not resist getting some more clothes for the kiddos at the orphanage.They had a great sale on sleepers , blue jean jackets and jeans. Wait till Our driver and translator (V &A ) see Bret and I coming with those bags again! A was a pro at getting all of those bags and all of us in the car! I hope he is ready for round two!!!! I will leave you with some photos of the orphanage donations. Jake has volunteered to be our model . Cody has the night off!
N