Our Northern Family

I've been meaning to post about our visit with the Schattes and just haven't gotten around to it.

They drove here from PA and spent a few days with us. It was so wonderful to see them again. They are and always will be a big part of our family.

For several weeks it was just the four of us adults and the two kiddos in a small apartment in Siberia. And when I say small...I mean tiny!! It was a 3 room apartment...okay 5 if you count the bathroom and closet. I'll never forget when they arrived...April 11th, 2004...our anniversary and Carol's birthday...we had been there for about a week already. Mark just kept walking in circles saying, "This is going to be hard" and we're thinking...yea, tell us about it...this place has been ours for a week already. It's a story that we will always laugh about, but God was totally in control.

The only thing to sit on was the tiny kitchen table with very uncomfortable chairs. Not only did we survive with no amenities, but we actually looked forward to bedtime each night when we could sit around that tiny table in the uncomfortable chairs, eating chocolate and onion and garlic favored Pringles, talking about our wonderful God and our wonderful gifts.

Do you ever have those moments in life where you think about them and just wish that you could do it over, but not change anything...just to be able to experience it over again, exactly the way that it was? Does that even make sense? I have so many memories of our second trip like that, I wish I could freeze them...like when Evan kissed us for the first time or when he called us Mama and Poppa. Another one of my favorite memories of that tiny apartment was the four of holding hands in a circle around that table praying aloud for each other and about what was going on and trusting God so much to grant our adoptions of our beautiful babies with tears in our eyes.

I will never forget the judge saying "Brandon Clay Hodges and Brandi Lee Hodges...Evan Denis Hodges" in very broken English. She was saying that the adoption was granted but our names were all that we could understand and when we heard Evan Denis Hodges...WE KNEW! Now it is even more evident of how blessed we are.

That tiny apartment was a bit sad when Mark had to leave to come back home and when we left what seemed so tiny and cramped must have seemed huge and empty to Carol. I was so sad to leave her and Hannah there all alone.

Anyway, to get back to our visit. We had a lot of fun...just hanging out together again. Carol and I took the kids to the zoo and Evan's baseball practice kept us pretty busy. Hannah looked so cute in a pair of Evan's old baseball pants, tee, and cleats and her baseball cap that she bought at the zoo added to her look! It was precious!

One amazing thing about both children is how they have this unspoken bond between all four of us adults. They remember the connection...Hannah to me and Clay and Evan to Mark and Carol. As soon as the arrived it was family reunited.

We formed a bond with this family that will never be broken or taken away from us...it is one that God created and formed in His thoughts when He first thought of Evan and Hannah and one that we will forever be thankful for. We love our Northern Family!

Their First Visit to Georgia...October 2005

Their Second trip to GA...March 2006

"FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE" (on their shirts)
Man, how they've changed!