Saturday, October 25, 2008

Meeting with Friends

Saturday we had the opportunity to meet with two other families who have recently adopted from Russia. We actually met Meghan and Bill while we were in Moscow finishing up our paperwork to bring Daniel home, while they were there on their journey to meet their son Nick. We hadn't met Karyn and Norm yet, only seen each other through the glass at the airport when we were getting off the plane on our way home and they were boarding to take their first trip to Russia to meet their son Ilya.

We had great plans to meet at a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins, but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead we met a the Virginia Discovery Museum for children and let the kiddos play and play and then we all enjoyed a lunch out. It was wonderful to connect with others who have been through the process and to be able to talk about our experiences and our children who have a lot in common.

I'll leave you with son pictures of Daniel, Ilya, and Nick. I know everyone can appreciate how, shall we say, impossible it is to get a picture of three children looking at the camera at the same time??!!
The train table was a big hit, especially for Daniel!
On stage checking out the things to do.
Daniel loved the ball that balanced when air flew up.
I love how he wanted to make sure Papa was watching!

Future accordian player? Daniel loved this!

Ilya had a good time playing!

Nick and Daniel still checking out the train table!

And just in case you wanted to see the parents...

16 comments:

ana said...

It's great you got to see the other families. It looks like you all had a fabulous time! The boys are all so cute!

Mama Fish said...

You look like you had sooo much fun! That photo makes me want a train table... we have all the train stuff, but I need to look for a nice big table. :-)

Tiger & Kar said...

We had such a great time yesterday! It was great to see you guys minus the airport security glass. Thanks for forwarding some of the other photos you took. I'll send mine to you asap. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Kar

Michael, Carrie, and S said...

It looks like you all had a fun time! I LOVE the picture of Daniel playing the accordian! :)

Meghan, Bill and Nick said...

We had a great time yesterday! Thanks for coming up with our backup plan. Next year we'll have to do Round Hill Farm.

Daniel is such a sweet boy and you all make a beautiful family.

Thanks for the pics. I'll send mine as soon as I can.

Carey and Norman said...

What a fun trip. So glad you were able to meet up with Meghan, Bill, Tiger, and Kar. The boys are adorable and it looked like they had a fabulous time.

Hopefully you can visit soon. I would love to catch up as well!

Kim Abraham - Mom to the Fabulous Five! said...

I think it's wonderful that you got to meet for a play date with other families. It looks like you found a great place too!

Kevin T. said...

Hi! That is so amazing that the boys got to meet - Sooooo adorable!!! It looks like you had a great time meeting up with some of the other families. That is a great picture of you all!

Shane & Marie said...

Just like I told the other two mommas, I think it's awesome that you all got to meet up. Sounds like it was a very fun day.

Dan and Alicia Marlowe said...

As I'm sure you already knew... Accordian music is big in Russia. You may have to get him lessons.

Craig and Phyllis said...

That sounded like a very fun weekend! I'm sure there was not a quiet moment between any of you! Loved seeing the pictures.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, we have been in contact with each of these three families at various stages of our adoption process, so it is neat to see you all there together! How wonderful to have this network of friends, and what a special thing it will be for the boys when they are old enough to understand their unique backgrounds!

orange1986 said...

Hi Williams Family!
I am currently doing a paper on international adoption from Russia for my American foreign affairs class at school and I am in need of some "interviews" as primary sources for my paper.If you wouldn't mind helping me out, the questions are below.If you would like I can change your names and whatnot.Also the paper itself will not be published anywhere or anything like that,its simply my school term paper.Thank you so much in advance!!
-Kelly
kkroeper@pegasus.rutgers.edu
The Questions:
When was your child adopted,or when do you expect the adoption should be complete?What age was your child when you adopted him/her?

Do you feel that the Russian people, not just those working the orphanage, were accepting or friendly towards you?

How do you feel the court system/adoption process ran, was it fair, or was there too much red tape on either the US or Russian side.If there was red tape do you know why this was so?

Why did you choose to adopt from Russia as opposed to another country?

Thank you SO Much in advance!!
-Kelly
kkroeper@pegasus.rutgers.edu

Joy said...

Oh I am so jealous. I think it is great that you are all able to meet up and have a play date. Maybe one day soon I will get to meet up with a blogger friend too.
Joy

Mary and Michael said...

It sounds like you had so much fun meeting up with everyone. What a great day!

Dede said...

Looks like fun. I know what you mean about trying to get the kids to cooperate for a photo...it's impossible!