To all of our wonderful family and friends:

As I create this blog Jim and I are preparing to travel to Moscow on May 8th. I just can't believe the day is almost here! As you can tell in the blog title, we have decided to name our little Russian princess Ellie. Her full name is Elliana. We chose this name because of its meaning. In Hebrew "Elliana" means "God has answered". He certainly has! We are almost sure her middle name will be Grace, but want to see what her Russian name is first. Grace International is who our agency is, plus we love the name Grace and also have been shown so much grace by God...it seems a natural fit. I will let you know what we finally decide once we meet her.

At this point all we know about Ellie is that she is 12 months old, and asian or part asian. We actually meet her on May 12th, so stay tuned for more details and pictures after that day!

As you all know we have been on a long and sometimes heart-wrneching journey. After so much prayer and many doors that were shut, we know God has chosen this little girl for us. I can't wait to lay eyes on her and hold her in my arms, I can't even imagine how we will feel when we first see her. I am honored and humbled that God has given us the opportunity to adopt this sweet child. I can't wait to someday tell her the story of how God brought us together, how much she is loved, and how long we waited for her.

I can't even begin to thank you all enough. Your prayers and thoughts have seen us through the darkest days and made the wonderful days even sweeter. Your love and support is the most precious and greatest gift...thank you.

I will write more in the days to come. I am just learning all about this blog thing!