PDA

View Full Version : A few pictures from our Russia trip



Jim Becker
11-27-2005, 9:59 PM
I figured you folks would enjoy a few pictures from our visit to Russia over the past week and a half.
Moi in front of St Basil's--yea, it's even more beautiful in person than in pictures. Who'da thunk I'd ever be standing in Red Square?? LOL!
Right after buying my nice rabbit hat...unbelievably warm
The family after we completed the last step...securing the immigrant visas for the girls at the US Embassy in Moscow. Alison knited the hats for the girls (and matching scarves not shown--hers in the previous photo is part of the set.
Post court picture at the hotel in Tyumen. Nastia (Anastasiya) was getting a little uncooperative at that point from over stimulation. She had to appear in court and agree to adoption since she is 10
The girls just after boarding our Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Philadelphia yesterday. They really enjoyed the "very entertaining" seats in the new business class, coincidently including multiple runs of the Lion King...how convenient!

Jerry Clark
11-27-2005, 10:40 PM
Congratulations
Jim and FAMILY-- you are truly blessed!:)

Bruce Page
11-27-2005, 10:48 PM
Great pictures of great lifetime memories!

Thanks

Wes Bischel
11-27-2005, 11:00 PM
Great pictures Jim. Thanks for sharing. Oh, and welcome home - to the whole family!

Wes

Roy Wall
11-27-2005, 11:32 PM
A beautiful family indeed!!

Congrats MR. and MRS. BECKER!!

Those girls are terrific!!

Chris Padilla
11-27-2005, 11:38 PM
Priceless! :)

Frank Pellow
11-27-2005, 11:45 PM
Great looking family Jim! It's great that you are now all home and ready to commence your lives together. My best wishes to the future of the Becker family.

Vaughn McMillan
11-28-2005, 3:02 AM
Great pics, and I must say, the photo album site you've set up is stunning. Did you do the design yourself?

- Vaughn

Dan Forman
11-28-2005, 3:05 AM
Jim---You look very at home in that hat! Thanks for sharing the pics, hope everything settles in nicely back home.

Dan

Michael Stafford
11-28-2005, 6:08 AM
Wonderful! I am very happy for you! What a Christmas gift!

Joe Mioux
11-28-2005, 6:14 AM
Jim and all the other Becker(s!)

Congratulations to you all and Jim, I love your new doo.:D

Alan Turner
11-28-2005, 7:07 AM
Jim and Alison,
This an overwhelming wonderful event.
Alan Turner

Jim Becker
11-28-2005, 8:00 AM
Great pics, and I must say, the photo album site you've set up is stunning. Did you do the design yourself?
Thanks, Vaughn. The basic Dreamweaver template was from Macromedia (It was originally designed for a photographer's photo site. I modified it quite a bit to best suite my needs. It was a nice opportunity to play with the underlying Javascript (I'm not really a programmer) to add more functionality, such as the popup browser windows for the larger photos. I'm also playing with the WordPress PHP code to see if I can even think about moving our BLOG to our own domain and have more control...backup with BLOGspot is, umm...cumbersome.

One of the things I want to add to the picture site is some video. That will be an interesting exercise!

Joe Blankshain
11-28-2005, 8:55 AM
Jim,

Congrats the your family additions. Looks like the trip was great and ther reason for going even better.

Mark Singer
11-28-2005, 8:59 AM
Jim,
Congradulations! It is wonderful to share this joyous event..

Martin Shupe
11-28-2005, 9:00 AM
Great looking family, Jim.

How is the banana supply holding out?

What are you guys going to do about school? Do they get a year to learn English before immersion? I think that will be the next challenge.

Congratulations again!

Carl Eyman
11-28-2005, 9:07 AM
My best wishes with the rest, but remember: Mr. Moderator that hat doesn't give you the distatorial powers of Tzar Petrovitch.

Jim Becker
11-28-2005, 12:09 PM
My best wishes with the rest, but remember: Mr. Moderator that hat doesn't give you the distatorial powers of Tzar Petrovitch.
The "Mr Moderator" doesn't mean a whole lot outside of the Finishing Forum, either!! ;)


How is the banana supply holding out?

What are you guys going to do about school? Do they get a year to learn English before immersion? I think that will be the next challenge.
Bananas are not the fruit of preference this time...oranges get the nod. Alesya just ate four Clementines "as we speak"...

School will likely start for the girls after the holidays and they will have about an hour and a half of ESL every day. Otherwise, it's full immersion. Kids learn functional language fast. Even in a few days, they are picking up a lot and Nastia (Anastasiya's nickname) learned some more in school in Russia after returning there at the end of July. "Academic English" is a longer haul just because the nuances of any language are harder to learn than basic communication. Condider "branch", "twig" and "limb"...(to keep it woodworking related...LOL!) Not something that one picks up without a lot of explaination.

We are also minimally functional in Russian, (especially Dr. SWMBO) so that eases the transition. In fact, I'm having trouble stopping speaking it in public after spending 10 days in-country! ;) Responding with spacibo (thank you) now seems normal! :D

Rich Konopka
11-28-2005, 1:58 PM
Outstanding Jim !! All I can say is that having children changes your whole perspective on life. Congratulations and thanks for sharing the news.

Jim Becker
11-28-2005, 2:14 PM
Outstanding All I can say is that having children changes your whole perspective on life.
Yea...who'da thought I'd be kicking a soccer ball around with a 10 year old in an evening gown and feather boa on a Monday afternoon. Really. Not the same perspective on life for sure!
----

Edit...I just re-read this jumble of words and I want to assure you that "I" was not the one in the evening dress and feather boa!!

Ted Shrader
11-28-2005, 2:15 PM
Jim, Alison and Family -

Congratulations to you all. We wish you luck, health and happiness as you start your new journey together.

Ted and Maggie

Ian Barley
11-28-2005, 4:53 PM
Jim - the hat looks just plain foolish - but the rest of the pics look anything but - give my regards to all concerned.

Andy Hoyt
11-28-2005, 5:35 PM
.... Edit...I just re-read this jumble of words and I want to assure you that "I" was not the one in the evening dress and feather boa!!

You know the rules, Jim. No pics - it DID happen.

Richard Wolf
11-28-2005, 5:45 PM
What a great benchmark in you and your wife's life. I am sure you will make these two beautiful girls very happy in life.

Richard

Vaughn McMillan
11-28-2005, 6:29 PM
...I just re-read this jumble of words and I want to assure you that "I" was not the one in the evening dress and feather boa!!
Likely story...c'mon Jim, you're among friends...no need to hide behind the facade anymore.

- Vaughn

Jim Becker
11-28-2005, 8:33 PM
You know the rules, Jim. No pics - it DID happen.

I can't show you a shot while playing as I was playing and didn't have a camera handy...Alison was taking a nap as we are both exhausted compounded by nasty head colds. But I can show you the Princessa Anastasiya and her royal consort Lady Alesya...

Dave Ray
11-28-2005, 10:51 PM
Welcome home to the Becker family. Thank you for allowing us to share in your joy. The girls are beautiful, the parents magnificent people. May your days be filled with love and all God's blessings.

Dennis Peacock
11-29-2005, 9:54 AM
Congratulations to the Entire Becker Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing with us the joyous occassion. Now....give them younguns a great big Arkysaw HUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D

Scott Coffelt
11-29-2005, 9:58 AM
Awesome, glad to have you back home and with a full household. The girls look like they are doing fine and happy. Congrats again and thanks for being a good human.

Christopher Pine
11-29-2005, 10:53 AM
I guess I didn't realize you were getting two critters! Wonderful! Congratulations! Children truly are a gift from God and I see that your cup overflows!

Blessings!

Chris

Jim Becker
11-29-2005, 11:55 AM
...I didn't realize you were getting two critters!

Yup. Dva diete. (two children) And in case folks didn't know, the minute the bolshoy samalot (big plane) touched down in Philadelphia at about 4:43p ET on Saturday, 26 November 2005, these two also became US Citizens. (President Clinton signed into law in 2000 a provision for the automatic naturalization of adoptive children who are issued IR3 visas when they first touch US domestic soil)

Wes Bischel
11-29-2005, 2:00 PM
Jim,
You guys are SOOO lucky. Sam came home in June of 2002, and even though the "law" had been passed, INS (then Homeland Security) still required us to go through all of the paperwork - their rules. Fast forward three years later, we are just now permitted to turn in his green card for full citizenship. (HS is running about 8-10 months behind as I post this)

It still floors me how the bureaucracy can ignore the "law" until it is convenient.

I'm so glad you won't need to go through all that mess.

Wes

Don Baer
11-29-2005, 5:26 PM
Jim,
I've been out of town with no internet access till now but wanted to say congrats and now the great adventure realy begines...;)