I know it's been forever since I've posted. Just thought I'd give a quick update. Our new little pistol is GREAT!! He attends a private school and just got an excellent report card. He speaks fluent English, knows all the letters and sounds he's been taught, as well as, numbers. I am just a little proud. He and his brother are four years apart and love each other. They also fight, ha! just like brothers do. Mostly, this is the older one wanting the younger one to stay out of his room or leave his stuff alone. The holidays were wonderful and each day is sweet. We are happy and I can only encourage all those who are thinking of international adoption, DO IT!!!!!!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Three more days till we leave

Hi everybody. Well since I last posted, we went to the zoo on Saturday and it poured rain on us so we could only stay about 30 minutes. I mean it poured. Yesterday, Sunday, we stayed in all day because it rained and, I think it quite possibly could of been the longest day of my life, ha! Today was a little better. We took Andrey to a park with carnival rides. He had lots of fun but enjoyed the pony ride the best. He is a good little boy. May move to a Hotel tomorrow, we'll see. It is almost 8pm here and it is like we are laying on the beach it is so bright in this apt. We've been up since 4:30am as that's when the sun comes a barreling in. We go to the Embassy appt tomorrow. I'll write more tomorrow night. Love you all and appreciate all the messages. Cherie

Stir Crazy

Yeah, Anita, you understand. He doesn't understand us and he is very hyper not to an extreme but all boy to be sure. I brought Bendryl but have not used for fright of exactly what you said, backward reaction. Being closed up in an apt where I'm afraid he'll break something is frustrating for me too. And, this apt is definitely not kid friendly with computer wires, like I said windows that would kill him if he fell out and stove and need I go on. It'll be a hundred times better when we are at home; however, he will require lots of hands-on learning. Our facilitator, A, is very nice and wants to accomodate. I just think this apt is probably better suited for infants rather than older-child adoptions. Miss my other baby too!!!! Maureen I'm glad your following this, tried to call you before I left. Alex said you were out of town. Ursula, wish you were here, Moscow is not to be believed. We are fixing to go outside as it is 10:00am and we've been up since 5am trying to entertain Andrey. I love you all. Cherie

Moscow on the 4th of July

Ok, I know I've asked ya'll to pray for the last fifteen months to get this child in our arms. Now, help us get through this next week in this two-room apt. with no air, big windows with no locks or screens and a child that is basically bouncing off the walls. Mark and I are afraid to go to sleep that he might fall out the windows. They don't lock and we are on the fifth floor???? Besides all that, no drapes and it gets dark at 11pm?? what's up with that? We need a fan. Other than that we are here in Moscow, now we are only eight hours time differnence away. We woke at 4am, left hotel at 5am, flew from Novokuztesk at 8am and arrived four hours later in Moscow at 8am. Andrey has not slept once. Cannot beleive we don't leave until a week from today, oh happy 4th everybody. One good thing is there is a computer here and I can post more. Moscow is humongous; 10 million people. You cannot even believe the traffic, nightmare!!!!!!!!!!! I'll write more tomorrow. Love you all, Cherie

All Boy!!!

Good morning everyone!!! Susan, I think Michael might have met his match, ha! Andrey is very active and very independent. Mark has to go back to Kemerovo today for passports and I'm nervous about staying with Andrey because he is so stong-willed. He loves Mark to pieces and Mark has to be stern with him. I, on the otherhand, don't want to make him pull a tantrum in front of others. But, so far, so good. He ate a good dinner, took a bath and slept very well. This morning they came and woke us up and said we needed to leave because there was a fire in the building; it was a false alarm??? Mark is out trying to wear him out with the ball before leaving me for about 7 hours. I can tell you this, I cannot wait to get HOME!!! We fly to Moscow in the morning and Andrey has a dr appt there. He has a little cough and nose thing going on, so I'm kinda glad he has to go to the dr anyway. Well, I'm attaching a picture and will send more later. Love you all!!!!!! Sorry, picture won't take on their computer and it is so hard to help each other on the computer when you speak different languages. Tuesday on the three hour drive back from Kemerovo after court, there were three of us women in the car. You'd think there would be lots of chatter, but alas, one spoke German, one English and one Russian. You could have heard a pin drop. Later, Cherie

.We are proud to announce......

That today at approximately noon, Adrian became a big brother to Andrey Charles Snyder!! Let me start out by confessing to my Frazzled Female friends that I have been your case study for a bad attitude. If you've started this week's lesson, you know, it is fabulous! I've basically had two crying jag meltdowns, poor Mark, and just basically did not feel God's presence.... until today after court. It was almost like the light came out from behind the clouds and God was saying now that you've followed, I'm here to rejoice with you! Enough of the mushy stuff. Court was scary, very formal and intimidating. We were in there for almost an hour. But in the end, he was pronounced ours. It was a three hour drive to court and we started out in a car with a driver we did not know and that is a whole other story I'll have ya'll in stitches about next time we all need a laugh. I came back with the women folk, Mark isn't back yet. We pick up Andrey tomorrow at 11:00 am and I'll have pics just as soon as I can. I love ya'll for all the sweet messages and especially for all the prayers, we have felt them.
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!