Flashback....5 years ago: A message to my son.

At about 4:55 pm today Angarsk time (3:55 AM EST) the judge uttered the words we longed to hear. "The court grants the petition". Vadim Scobstov is now Michael Francis Holmes. JR. The judge even said his new name and congratulated his new parents. Tradition was that we take the people responsible for assisting in our successful court hearing out to dinner and (finally) we arrived back at the apartment to greet the newest member of the family. Skip (aka Michael Francis Holmes, Jr.) is eager to meet all of you. We're posting his latest picture in a few minutes and then, after hours of meetings, practice and court were all gonna take a long sleep. Momma gets breakfast in bed tomorrow morning.... she earned it!!!

Dear Skip:

Above is the blog entry that Poppa wrote on 23 August 2004 - the day a Russian judge legally made us your parents. I say legally, because in our hearts you had been ours since the day God placed you there nearly a year earlier. With those words that the judge uttered, you, Vadim,

became Michael Holmes, Jr:

and we began our new life as a family:

Yet, it doesn't seem possible that FIVE years have passed. Just not possible that the

beautiful little boy we arrived home with several weeks later:

has morphed into the handsome little boy you are today:

While I've been here every step of the way since then, it sometimes seems surreal.

You grow before my eyes:

You grow physically, socially, emotionally, and most importantly, closer to God. We love you SO very much, and look forward to the next 5 years! Well sorta. Could you slow down, just a little and not grow so quickly?

Love you forever,

Mommy & Poppa