The Tarantella with Papa John

My dad has introduced Brady to "The Tarantella" and they have a really cute tradition of waving napkins, tissues, anything that they can find when the song comes on. They play the song in the car, at home, etc. It is absolutely adorable.... I was fortunate enough to capture this precious moment between the two of them....

Brady Discovers the Redneck Doggie Door...

When Coco was a puppy, she ran through the bottom portion of our screened door that leads from the screened porch to our deck. We had always considered a doggie door, but had not found the right type to fit this door. When Coco broke through the screen, we just decided to leave it...heck it was a really cheap option!!! So 4 years later the "Redneck Doggie Door" is still there.

Unfortunately, Brady discovered it the other day and I was lucky enough to capture his cute discovery. I always have my camera handy. His expression when he makes it to the "outside" was priceless. We continue to love to watch his many new discoveries...

Pizza...Squisito!!!

Brady is doing really well with his transition to toddler food. We have made one discovery...he absolutely looves pizza and the crust makes a great teething toy!!! He was completely covered head to toe in pizza - it was alot of fun!!

Hark the Herald Angel Sings....

Julia came home the other day excited that she had been given the part of the "Herald Angel" in the class play. She also informed me that the teacher said I had to make her costume. Those who know me well, know that I can't even sew a button...pictures to come of her in the play and my fabulous creation!!! :)

Formula Free....

The Scott family has reached another milestone...no more formula. We are so happy to be done with the cost of formula and to have to make bottles on a daily basis! Brady has transitioned really well. He just woke up this morning, I poured whole milk in his bottle, shook it up in front of him to make him think it was his formula and he drank it all! Now on to the sippy cup and fully off of baby food.... The big joke is now I can get back to drinking "good" wine as we will be saving close to $100 a month now :)

Brady's First Christmas....

An excerpt from our Adoption Blog below written back in August of 2008...be on the lookout for the holiday weeks to come...there may be a picture or two of Brady with his stocking!!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

And One More Makes Four.....
Julia's 1st Christmas, Jen bought "4" matching stockings from Pottery Barn that could be embroidered with each family members name. She loved them so much and knew that PB typically does not carry the same items from year to year, so she decided to buy one extra. For 6 years, she has unpacked the holiday items, passed over the lone stocking with "no embroidered name on it" and wondered if it would ever be claimed. Well....it soon will be claimed. We have decided to adopt a baby from Russia. We have always felt that we were meant to be atleast a family of four. After many years of trying to conceive a second child, a miscarriage, multiple visits and procedures with a fertility specialist and a round of invitro, we have decided to adopt.

Working Mom....

"I don't like my mom working...sometimes she freaks out. Last week she told me to clean my room or I was fired!!"


This week was my first full week back to work. This was definitely a harder transition than with Julia. I had really enjoyed my three months on leave bonding with Brady. Not to mention, he was at such a fun age. It was also harder for me because I put my heart and soul into bringing Brady home. We have not shared the many obstacles that we faced in our journey to Russia with many people (in the grand scheme of things this is trivial), however, it definitely took alot out of Dave and I mentally and physically. So for this part of my journey to be coming to an end is tough. However, I look forward to the many memories that are to come with this new found love in my life:) Fortunately I was able to experience many of Brady's firsts : first word "Mama", first steps and first tooth. Time has really flown by as it seems like yesterday that I was at Myrtle Beach on vacation filling out our initial Adoption registration forms!! WOW!


This first week has definitely proven to be a juggling act as we shuffle two kids out the door, do carpool, make lunches and bottles, layout school uniforms and sports uniforms, go to doctor's appointments and make sure that Julia has what she needs for soccer, tennis and her drama class...oh and we can't forget sweet Coco...she must be fed!!! The good news is we are managing.

Favorite Websites:
www.workitmom.com
www.workingmother.com

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.