Walt Disney World...Where dreams come true....

Walt DisneyWorld...Where dreams come true....
Since starting the adoption process, we hadn't been back to Disney in 2 years. For those of you who know us, we are a Disney family and try to go atleast once a year. In September, we were all getting the itch to go back, but wondered how we would manage with a 14 month old. We decided to Just Do It and treat ourselves to our first vacation as a family of four! We went for four nights, stayed at the Contemporary, had Park Hopper passes and the dining plan...all of these elements made the difference while going with a 14 month old and it gave us so much flexibility. The Contemporary being only one monorail stop away from the Magic Kingdom, was perfect. Brady and Julia had an absolute wonderful time at Disney as brother and sister. Brady went on as many rides as he could and loved the characters. We booked four character meals and he loved everyone of them. We also bought tickets to Mickey's Not So Scarey Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom one night. Julia was able to trick or treat with the characters and ride as many rides as she could!










We were also selected the Family of the Day at the Contemporary Resort! When we arrived, there was a resort executive waiting for us to see us in. There was all of this music playing, balloons, pictures, our picture and name displayed throughout the lobby that day and they upgraded our room to a wonderful view of the water. What a way to start our trip - we were so excited!!!


We viewed this trip as a way to welcome Brady into our family. We are truely blessed to have him in our lives as he continues to develop into this adorable little boy everyday! The journey was long....but so worth it in the end. To see his smile during this entire trip brought tears to our eyes!!

"By choice, we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being. Great expectations are good; great experiences are better"

Walking....

Brady takes his first steps....

A New Taste For Food...

When we brought Brady home, he weighed only 16lbs. He was not even on the growth curve at the pediatricians office. Now, three months later, he weighs 21 lbs. and loves food!! He has recently made the switch from strained baby food to Toddler food. Here are a few pics of his recent transition and meal time with Brady.

Brady's Baptism (October 10, 2009)

Brady was baptized at St. Raphael's Catholic Church (also where Julia goes to school) on Sat, October 10, 2009. It was a beautiful ceremony and Brady was welcomed into our parish with open arms. His godparents are our close neighbors/friends whose daughters are close with Julia, Amy and James Hickey. We celebrated this special ceremony with our parents, my Godparents (my Aunt Irene & Uncle Tony) and The Hickey Family.

Dave's 35th Birthday

We spent Dave's birthday at Blue Jay Park this year. It is a great park with playgrounds, hiking trails, picnic areas and great soccer fields. Dave's mom made a great meal and we had a family soccer game as well. Happy

Birthday to Dave!!!

Julia Fall 2009 Soccer

Julia had a great Fall soccer season. Her team ended with a 6-2 record thanks to Dave's great coaching skills :) She has really turned into a great player defensively and offensively. Her last game she ended up scoring 5 goals. Almost a double hat trick!!! She continues to play soccer with Next Level Academy through the winter and CASL soccer starting back up again in the Spring.

Brady's 1st Birthday!!

We celebrated Brady's 1st Birthday with 40 of our close friends and neighbors. It brought tears to my eyes to hear everyone singing to him on his 1st Birthday and to know that we made it home safely after the long journey. His birthday theme was Elmo. When we brought him back to the hotel the first day in Russia, we played "Elmo's World" from You Tube and he loved it!!!

Welcome Home Brady (July 25, 2009)

What a long, but amazing journey to bring our son home. On July 25, 2009 we welcomed home Brady Alexander Peter Scott, born in Tver, Russia. Dave and I logged a total of 70 flying hours to and from Russia during the months of May - July of 2009. We are truely blessed to have Brady in our lives and feel that we are complete as a family of four now.

The orphanage "Tepemok" that Brady lived in in Tver, Russia.

Our family away from home! Tatiana, our translator and Helen, our adoption coordinator and attorney in Russia. We could not have made it through this journey without them.

Hamilton Sportsmanship Award - Fall 2008

Julia received the Hamilton Sportsmanship Award for her soccer team during the Fall 2008 season....we are so proud of her.

http://www.caslnc.com/files/home/hamilton%20award%20AD%20spr%2009%20VER%204.pdf

Our I-171H Arrived Tonight....

Friday night we received our I-171H form that we applied for on 8/10/08. What does this mean? This means that we have been given clearance from US Homeland Security to adopt a child (male), 0-18 months from Russia. As a result our application (dossier) has been forwarded to the Russian Ministry of Education (MOE) where it will be translated. This is the final step in submitting our paperwork. So it is now OFFICIAL!!! We have been waiting for this letter for 4 months now!!! To read more about our adoption process from Russia go to http://scottjourney2russia.blogspot.com/

Global Knowledge Holiday Party - 2008

Here are some photos from Jennifer's company Christmas party with Global Knowledge. It was held at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC.

Thanksgiving 2008

Gobble..Gobble..we celebrated Thanksgiving at Mom & Dad Bellavia's house this year, joined by Dave's parents. It was a wonderful day, the menu was balanced and the food was delicious. We are thankful that our family was all healthy, happy and together during Thanksgiving this year.

Raleigh Christmas Parade - 2008

Santa Clause is coming to town........we attended the Raleigh Christmas Parade for the first time this year. It was a 2 hour parade that went through downtown Raleigh. Despite the freezing cold temperatures, we had great seats up front on the parade route and the girls were bundled up. I was quite impressed with Raleigh's Christmas parade. There were approx. 60,000 spectators and the parade featured dozens of bands, floats, super-sized balloons, marchers, twirlers, entertainers and Santa Clause at the end of the parade.

Indian Princesses Tribe - Dazzling Fireflies

How How....Dave and Julia formed an Indian Princess tribe this Fall through the YMCA. The YMCA Princess programs are for girls in the first through third grades and their dads. Tribes are composed of seven to nine fathers and their daughters. Tribes meet twice a month in a member’s home with fun activities. In addition, there are monthly outings such as camping, hiking, community service, rollerskating, baseball games, hockey games, retreats, etc. It is similar to the Girls Scouts if you were involved with this growing up, however, the difference is it is for fathers and daughters.

As I watch Dave and Julia enjoy all of the activities that come along with Y Princesses, I wish there had been a program like this for me and my dad growing up. It is really amazing to watch them involved is such fun activities as father and daughter.

Tribe name is "Dazzling Fireflies"

Dave's name is "Crashing Wave" (He is Chief)

Julia's name is "Blazing Sun"

http://www.arapahoe-nation.org/index.htm

Snow in North Carolina....

Let it Snow.....we had our first snow fall in NC a few weeks ago right before school started for the day. The last time Julia saw snow was when she was 3 years old I believe. She loved being outside and trying to catch the snowflakes on her tongue as they fell all around her. Too cute.

Julia Learns To Rider Her Bike...

Look mom - no hands....Well the time has finally come. Julia is off and riding her bike with no training wheels and absolutely loves it. We never pushed her and she just decided on her own one day that she wanted to ride her bike in the cul-de-sac with her friends with no training wheels. We are so proud of her. We are pretty certain that there will be a New Trek Bike under the tree this year from Santa :)

Mom S's Birthday

Happy Birthday....We celebrated Mom S's Birthday in November. Wow - alot of family birthdays in the Fall. We had a wonderful time ordering in Chinese food and relaxing like old times. Of course no birthday of Liz's would be complete without her favorite cake from the Marble Slab - "Sweet Cream and Raisinette's"!!!

26.2 Miles...What An Accomplishment

26.2 miles in 4:59.......We are so proud of Dave for his completion of the Raleigh City of Oaks Full Marathon in November. He began training for the marathon in June and had never run before (aside from while playing sports). He was so dedicated to completing his goal that he would wake up and run 3-4 times a week (sometimes at 5 am). The first 13 miles of the marathon were pretty easy, but as Dave entered into Umstead Park where the course is rocky and hilly, he knew it was going to take alot of will to complete his dream. We were so proud to see him heading for the finish line and to complete the marathon in under 5 hours. What an accomplishment for a first time marathon runner!!! Dave - we are so very proud of you!!! http://www.cityofoaksmarathon.com/