And They Are Off!!!!!!

Well, today was the big day. The kids and I drove mom and Rick up to Fayetteville to fly out. We let the kids miss school so they could spend some time with Rick because he has been so busy at work and not had a lot of time at home. Everything went pretty smooth for check in but when it was time for "good bye's"....well, it was pretty rough. The girls got really upset and started crying. It got so bad that one of the employees came over and gave them mints to try to console them...he said he couldn't stand to see them so upset over their daddy leaving...pretty sweet guy. Luke was busy running under all the lane ropes and kept saying, "Is daddy and ma getting Jake?"! I did pretty good at holding it back at the airport and on the way home.....but when we walked into our empty house I have to admit I cried! I know it sounds silly but Rick and I have only been apart a couple of times for only a couple of days in almost 12 years. We are very excited about everything but it also a little overwhelming too. We have waited for this moment for almost two years and when it finally happens it is very hard to describe all of the emotions you go through. It is very hard for me not to be there with Rick but I know it is very important for me to be here for our other three children too.....especially after the day and night we have had...lots of tears shed.

Once we got home we decided to go to basketball practice to get our minds off of things and it did help. We then went to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant and to see our friends who own it who are actually Vietnamese. They are so kind and it was comforting to see them tonight and let them know Rick and mom were off. They could tell we were having a "sad" night and were so good to talk to the kids.

It is completely hard for me to imagine...but tomorrow my sweet husband will be holding our new son. They are leaving Los Angeles in a couple of hours and flying to Hong Kong....should get there around 4 pm tomorrow (Wed) our time. They will have a couple of hours lay over and then on to HCMC, Vietnam by 10:35 am (9:30 pm our time). Rick thinks he will have Jake by noon and said he would call me tomorrow night on the way to the orphanage. I wish I could type into words how amazing this experience is for all of us. It is exciting, scary, overwhelming and joyous all at the same time. A friend of mine whom I have not even met...only through CHI via email.....was so kind to share words of encouragement with me this morning and it meant so much coming from someone who recently went through all of this.

Through this entire journey, God has shown us so much and brought so many wonderful people in to our lives. It is our hope that we can provide a life pleasing to God for Jake and that we can bless his life with our love and hope for a wonderful future. We know he will bless our lives in ways we can not even imagine at this time. We are very thankful that God has placed him into our lives and it is with every ounce of our being that we want to glorify God through this journey. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we go through this together. Please pray for all four of our children that they will all adjust smoothly. As soon as Rick and mom get settled into their hotel room tomorrow and prayerfully can figure out the laptop and digital cameras...I will post updates and pictures. Natalie

Only a couple of days left

Well, Nadia had great fun with all of her friends at her 9th b-day party. They did pottery and we came home to some games, movies and crafts. They all seemed to have a really great time. They have such a sweet group of friends in their class at school. Today they had a basketball game in Mountainburg and won the game in three over times! Most of her friends had been at the party and we had to get up at 6:30 am to be there on time! They were all pretty sleepy but were able to pull through with a win. It is so fun to watch the kids play basketball at this age. After the game, the third grade class was selected to be in the Fort Smith Christmas parade. It was a very fun busy day for all of them. Rick is on call today/tonight so it has been just the kids and I. Believe it or not, I actually got Jake packed during Luke's nap and with the great help of Mia. I am glad I did it today because I was able to make a list of things I forgot and will run out tomorrow after church to get all of those things. One bump in the day was that I took Luke back to the hospital today b/c I was up with him all night last night crying and had noticed his fingers were very swollen and he kept saying "too tight!". They had to cut the cast tonight to relieve the pressure from swelling. It seems to help some but he just can't stand having the cast on. It breaks my heart when he says, "please take it off momma". Thanks for all the kind encouraging notes you have left on the blog and emails. It is so nice to have so many people supporting us and praying for us on the wonderful journey. I have attached some photos below. Talk to you soon. Natalie


Nadia's birthday party!

Luke and his broken arm :(
I'm trying to smile momma but it hurts

We got our VISA's!

Yea! We got the visa's, airline tickets for Rick, Mom and Jake, and the international phone all in the mail today. Such a relief before the weekend. Now all we need to do is pack but my mind is racing with things I have forgotten! I am throwing Nadia's b-day party tonight and I am focusing on that this afternoon...she is so excited. I have the basement all decorated with balloons, signs, goody bags and lots and lots of snacks! They will do pottery and pizza tonight and then come back to watch movies and do crafts! Mia is getting to bring a friend too and I am sure Luke will be right in the middle of all of it! Luke is having a hard time adjusting to his cast. He keeps asking us to "take it off!". I feel so bad for him. He was so brave at the doctors office...not a tear was shed! Well, I will be busy this weekend with parties, basketball and packing but I will try to update more before they leave. I will be updating and putting pictures on the blog (hopefully...if we can figure it out between Vietnam and Fort Smith) during the entire trip. Have a great weekend. Natalie

Just as things were starting to calm down..........

Well, we are still waiting on our phones and more importantly VISA's. We have done our part and now we wait. We just need to pack now. Last night Rick surprised me with a really nice "last date before adoption" dinner in Fayetteville. It was so nice to just visit on the 45 minute drive and have some one on one time together. We got seated and ordered a salad and just as it was being brought to the table our phone rang. Our babysitter called and said Luke was on top of the stairs and had fallen. He cried for several minutes but seemed to calm down but not using his arm. We told her to call us back in a few minutes to see if there was any change. We inhaled our meal and got the phone call that it starting to swell. From experience, we knew it was probably broken. Our babysitters mom met us at the hospital so that our babysitter could stay with the girls. Sure enough....Luke broke his arm. Our romantic evening was spent in the hospital! Oh the lives of mommy's and daddy's! Life is always busy at the Nelson house and will soon be even busier with number 4! I guess Jake will get to meet his new big brother with a colorful cast. Have a great day. Natalie

Jake's First Shower at Church

One Week Til Travel

Well, it was certainly a very busy day. I worked hard to get the passports sent to the Vietnam Embassy with the hopes to have them back by Friday. My dear friend Patty drove all the way from Muskogee to bring me my mom's passport and paperwork so I could get it out with Rick's today. I started laying out clothes and going down the check list of things to bring and getting our paperwork ready to travel. I also booked plane tickets, got our international phone on the way and Rick worked hard trying to get his partners schedules rearranged. It has been incredibly stressful but we have been blessed with so many wonderful friends who have been very helpful with all of the arrangements. We have been so impressed with our agency too. They are on top of things at all times, very organized, always available to answer emails and phone calls (which I have provided them with so many) and they are so caring. They have truly made our experience wonderful. I can't imagine going through any of this without the help of Nicky and Sara. They and the rest of CHI have been amazing! I will attach a few photos of Jake's shower. We haven't received any new pictures lately so I will try to post some other pictures until we get in Vietnam and get some more. Have a wonderful evening. Natalie

An Amazing Day!

Okay...where do I start? We got up this morning and found our letter from US CIS Immigration stating our I-600 had been processed and we were ready to travel. We were so excited and I spent the day running everywhere trying to finish up Christmas shopping and things for the trip. We were told our G&R would be on the 17th but leaving around the 13th so I had about a week and a half to wrap things up. Well, tonight I got an email from Nicky and she said....do ya think you can leave earlier???? We said sure! Mom and Rick will now be flying out on Monday the 10th! Now I am really panicked. Rick is going to have to get someone to cover him next week and we have some major packing and paperwork to do. I am sending out mom's and Rick's passport's tomorrow and PRAY they get here by Friday...yes, in four days! Stress!!!! Anyways, as if you can't tell by my update....I am in 5th gear and not slowing down any time soon. We are hoping by traveling sooner so that we can be home with Jake by Christmas. We didn't want to get stuck in Vietnam over the holidays because the US offices shut down and we would be waiting until they got back unable to do any paperwork. It is our hope and prayer that we can get back before Christmas. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this huge journey. This is truly the journey of a lifetime. Natalie