Happy 2nd Birthday Joseph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the best little boy ever!! It was such a great day. We celebrated with a party shared by good friends and family. It was all about Blue's Clues here... That is Joseph's favorite show. We are so happy to be celebrating with our son. He has brought us the most amazing joy. We couldn't feel more blessed.
WE LOVE YOU JOSEPH!!
Mommy and Daddy

Our Trip to Arizona

I wanted to share some pictures with you from our trip to Arizona. Joseph and I flew out on July 30th and stayed for about 5 days. It was a great trip! He finally got to meet his Grandpa Jeffy. It was a wonderful time for them to bond. Grandpa Jeffy enjoyed every single second with him. And of course Grandma Jeanne enjoyed him just as much. We basically just layed low.. it was VERY hot.. I mean HOT!!! If you turn your oven on 500 degrees and open the door you might get the idea of what it is like.. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Update on Miss Sophia

Just wanted to thank everyone for praying for Sophia! She went into the hospital on Wednesday ( 7/23) and was released Friday(7/25) at noon. She is doing very well...Tricia said she is back to her old self and is healing very nicely. I believe she has 1 more surgery to go and that will be this fall. Again, thanks for praying for her.

Miss Sophia!

I'd like to take some time and share about my friend Tricia's daughter Sophia. Tricia and I were on the same path with our adoptions. We had the same dates and planned to travel together along with Kateri. Well, as all of you know the wait continued to grow longer and longer.. Shortly after Robert and decided to adopt Joseph Tricia and her husband decided to adopt Sophia.. They traveled to China 2 weeks after Robert and I. Tricia and I have become good friends over the last 2 years..she has been a continued source of encouragement since we've both been back from China. She is a great mom and her kiddos are blessed to have her.

Tomorrow Sophia is having surgery so I'd like it if you could say some prayers for her. I had Tricia email me about what exactly they are doing so Here is what she said. "Sophia's story:
Sophia was born 9/1/06 in Luzhou City, China. She is from the Sichuan Province. This is the province where the earthquakes happened in May. Sophia's "Gotcha Day" is March 17th. She was born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and an imperforated anus. Her cleft lip and imperforated anus were surgically corrected in China. Her imperforated anus was sugically corrected September 22, 2006 at the Luzhou City Medical Hospital. Unfortunately, the surgery did not fully correct the problem and she will be having reconstruction surgery this fall. Her cleft lip was repaired in March of 2007. Her palate surgery will take place on July 23rd at A.I. Dupont Children's Hopsital in Wilmington, Delaware. She will be in the hospital 3-4 days after her surgery!

Please keep the Hostert's in your prayers... Sophia is such a sweetie and Tricia and I have started planning an arranged marriage for her and Joseph =) ( Just Kidding!!!). Here are some pictures to share.

Summer Fun

We've been enjoying our beautiful summer here in Ohio! We've been to the pool, Kings Island, zoo, and plenty of Metro Parks. Joseph is getting so big! He has started to take steps on his own..Daddy and I are so proud! He is very active =) Devynn rode her very first Roller Coaster last week!! She is was so excited..

Joseph and Jack

A couple of weekends ago my sweet nephew came over and spent the night with us... Some of you might remember when Jack was born. He is not a baby anymore... Joseph and Jack are a month apart. Here are some cute pictures from the weekend. They loved riding in the wagon!

I know it's been forever... Sorry!!!

Hi Everyone,

Yes.. it has been a very long time since I posted to the blog. I apologize! Here is a quick summary of what we've been up to:

In May I went back to work and Joseph started Daycare. When I returned to work I found out my position is being moved to Houston, Texas in the next year. Robert and I are praying about what the next step will be. Of course I'd love to stay at home with Joseph but I don't think it will be possible. So.. if you any of you know of a very flexible job that pays pretty well let me know! Devynn also had a very big month. She learned how to ride her bike with out training wheels and she learned how to tie her shoes!! Big steps for her and we are very proud..

As far as the blog goes... I will still keep it but it will probably become more of a picture blog b/c time is so limited in the evenings and weekends. Here are some pictures of Joseph enjoying the nice warm weather and a picture of Devynn showing her finished tied shoe.

Joseph or Joey

The big question!!! When we first found out that we were adopting a boy we decided to name him Joseph.. Everyone asked what will you call him? Joseph, Joey, or Joe. At the time Robert and I really didn't care we told everyone whatever you would like. Well, we've changed our minds.... and figure since we are the parents we have that right =) .. We have decided to call him Joseph and only Joseph for now. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, he has already been given 2 names when he was in the orphanage and when he was united with Robert and I he was given a third name. Over the last 8 weeks we 've noticed that he doesn't respond to Joey or Joe however he does respond to Joseph. We believe being consistent with one name will be most beneficial to him. So we are asking all family and friends to call him Joseph.. the name fits him so well and when you meet him you will see it..

Here are some pictures of his visit to the zoo for the first time. He really enjoyed it!! One is a picture of his Grandma Jeanne and Mommy helping him to walk.

Love,
Kelly and Robert

The Happy and the Sad

Over Easter weekend we lost my Aunt Alice in a car wreck. Aunt Alice was a kind, happy, giving, caring woman and her death sure is a loss. If I tried hard I could probably count precisely how many times I had seen her over the course of my life, I have never lived close to that part of my family, but she always had a big hug for me, knew exactly what was going on in my life each time we got together and she always took me right in like I just lived next door.

I like my family.

It's only when the race ends that you know how you place. When I found out Aunt Alice had died (and her race was over) I said to myself "wow, that was a good woman".

I actually know another person who died over Easter weekend, He however did not stay dead for long.

Any of us can go at any time, the only question is where you'll end up. Heaven isn't the place where perfect people go after they die. Heaven is the place where people go after they accept that they need help down here and they reach out to the hand up that's being offered.

If you haven't accepted Christ's sacrifice and haven't talked to Him about some of the things you'd rather keep hidden, First thing: Don't wait, Second thing: Don't worry, you won't be telling Him anything He doesn't already know about you anyway. He's just going to be really happy to hear from you.

Write in with questions if you want to know more.

Robert

Happy Easter!

We hope you all had a very Blessed Easter and celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! This morning we went to church and Joseph really enjoyed the worship service. He kept waving his hands in the air. After church we drove out to Granville, Ohio and had lunch at the Buxton Inn which is right across the street from the Granville Inn. The Granville Inn is where we had our wedding reception. Joseph entertained us very well throughout lunch... he is quite the comedian. After lunch we drove home and Joseph opened up his Easter basket... it was a wonderful Easter and very special because Joseph is with us now. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I believe our son was the most handsome one at church today! Oh, and if you click on the picture you might notice some chocolate on his sweater.. that is from his peanut butter egg =)

Many Blessings,

The Bargers

Joseph meets his BIG sister Devynn

After a very long month.... we finally got to have Devynn with us for the weekend. She and Joseph instantly bonded. She was such a good helper.. whatever we asked her to do she did it with a smile. Her main job was to make sure we had the diaper bag and carry it to and from the car. She also enjoyed giving him his bottle at night. Robert and I were so impressed with her.. She is a wonderful big sister and we look forward to the many great times we have together as a family. Here are some pictures to share.

Christmas morning!

This morning Joseph opened up all his Christmas presents he rec'd from our family.. they have been sitting here waiting for him to open them. He wasn't sure what to do when we handed him the present so we had to assist him a little. He got lots of books, stuffed animals, a remote control car, Fisher Price farm, bath toys, and a puzzle. Thank you everyone for the gifts. It is snowing like crazy today so it feels like Christmas as well. All in all things are going good. We are finally getting caught up on sleep. Thank the Lord! Joseph is having a hard time with going to bed at night so I am little unsure of what to do. We are getting on a semi schedule which is starting to make things easier. I believe in structure =)

Yesterday we got out of the house which felt great. We took him to get his hair cut. He just sat there like a good little boy. He looks so darn cute! Then we to the mall and got him an Easter outfit.. He will look so handsome on Easter morning.

It feels so good to be home. We went to BJs last night up at Polaris ( great place to eat by the way) and Robert and I were excited to finally order whatever we wanted off the menu. In China it was slim pickins. We are so spoiled..

I honestly have to say I was going to stop the blog once we got home but there have been so many requests to keep it going so I will. =)

Next weekend Devynn will come up and we can't wait to see her! It has been a month..way to long to go without seeing her sweet face. We miss her very much.... I know Joseph will love his big sister very much..

That's it for now!!!

We are back =)

Hi,

We are finally home and adjusting to a normal life again. Joseph is doing well! He does have his days and nights mixed up so Robert and I are taking turns at night with him until he decides to fall asleep. Sunday he feel asleep at 3:00 am and got up at 3:00 pm.. he was very tired. He did sleep about 5 hours on the plane which was great. It was long ride back, I about lost it in the O'Hare airport. That place is huge and I just didn't have any more energy to spare finding our way through immigration, customs, and the TSA. Carrying around a 22lb baby plus our bags was a bit much. Once we got to our gate I wanted to freshen up a bit only to realize my makeup bag was gone.. it must have fallen out on the plane. To say I was irritated is an understatement. Then we sat in the airplane for 45 min while they fixed some part for the bathroom.. I could barely keep my head up. Finally we took off and landed 40 minutes later in Columbus and our family and friends were there to welcome us home. Seeing them was the best thing. I couldn't hold back the tears.. It felt good to be home. I have to say Robert and I are exhausted. The jet lag is 10 times worse on the way back ( sorry Tricia and Kateri but its true) I can say I have honestly never been this tired. Being up for 30 plus hours and then only getting 5 hours of sleep is hard but I am feeling more rested today. Poor Robert he feel asleep at the dinner table tonight( I am not kidding). I am trying to get the massive amount of laundry done, put stuff away, get Joseph on a schedule, trying to make sure the dogs get extra attention, and most important get caught up on sleep..
We've been so blessed with our support group they are providing meals for us for about 2 weeks..Isn't that awesome! Thank you everyone for your emails, calls, and cards.. we appreciate the warm welcome home. I will try and get to my emails tomorrow I promise!! Kateri, Congrats on your LOA!!! Praise the Lord!! I will be emailing you and Tricia soon! Lots and lots to tell you!

Good - Bye China... and HELLO USA!!!

Good Morning for you, Good Night for us!

Well, It is 100% offically over.........can't believe it! Can you??? I am kinda emotionally about it since it has consumed me for the last 2 years and especially the last 5 months. It's been by far the hardest thing I have ever done but the most rewarding experience of my life. I love my son and I am grateful to the Lord for such a sweet and perfect gift. His little giggle brings joy to my heart. You will all quickly fall in love with him and I am excited for you to meet him. A huge thank you goes out to all of you who encouraged, prayed and loved us through this journey.... it would have been so much tougher without your support. We love you and we are grateful for each one of you. I am giving you all a great big hug right now!

Yesterday we went to the swearing in at the US Consulate. There were about 100 american families there adopting. It was so heartwarming to see. We all stood, raised our right had and swore to take care of our little ones.. took about 2 sec but it sure felt good when it was done. Then we had dinner at a great Thai resturant called Cow and Bridge. We ate with the Debraals ( hope I spelled their last name right) it is the family we've been with since we got here. They are great!! We are going to miss them.. we've been through a lot together!

Well Robert is getting antsy with me on the computer.. we need to finish packing =) so I must say goodbye. Thank you everyone who followed us, I hope you enjoyed our story! We will be leaving at 5:45 am for the airport, flying to Hong Kong. Layover in Chicago and then finally home ( Columbus, Ohio). We will be up again for 30 hours... basically leaving your time at 5:45 pm ( Friday) and getting to Columbus at 4:20 pm Saturday. Please pray for us....... its a long time for a baby to be confined and for Ma Ma and Da Da to be confined as well.

Again Thank you!! Lots of Love, Robert, Kelly, and Joseph Barger

( see in Columbus)

Flash and Rascal

Just had to share this picture with everyone.. This a picture of our basset hound Flash. He and our other dog, Rascal are staying at a local "Dog Resort" if you will.. We had drama earlier this week. We rec'd an email from the Kennel saying the boyz were not getting along and Rascal had suffered a puncture on his paw. They "think" Flash may have bit him but aren't sure.... so Rascal was taken to our vet who had to stitch up the wound. They also separated them so they would have their "own" space. Our wonderful friend Marilyn has been our voice since we can't be there. She has been wonderful and we are so thankful!!! WE LOVE YOU Marilyn! She has been out to visit them a couple of times and sent us this picture today.. Isn't it cute. There was another one with Rascal but it is taking forever to download the pics. The Kennel has also been emailing us to give us regular updates and pictures.. they say Flash is finally warming up and being friendly since he has his own run.. Can't wait to see the bill when we get home. !!!!Yikes .. okay well just had to share this picture.. I love it!!

We are off this afternoon to do our swearing in at the US Consulate.. last government thing in this whole process!!! What an unbelievable feeling after 2 plus years of bureaucracy. Joseph will get his passport and Visa today!! Hurray!!!

We will post more later...

see ya!

Part II of the trip

Hi All,
Well we left Xi'an yesterday.. it was bittersweet. The city is so dirty and very polluted. We could hardly see the sky even when it was sunny out. But it was where we spent our first week with Joey so we will never forget it and it is special to us. I am glad to have experienced his culture so we will be able to share with him someday. On our way to the airport we visited a foster home. A woman named Amanda fosters children from different orphanages. She is from South Africa. We took many pictures and will post a lot more about it at a later time. It made me sad and I wanted to take home all of the babies. But I am so happy the babies have her home to go to. She is an amazing woman with the biggest heart I have ever seen. Please pray for her!
After the visit we went to Pizza Hut and then flew last night to Guangzhou. Joseph did great on the air plane. He didn't cry at all. I hope and pray we have the same experience on our way home. We are staying at a very nice hotel ( thanks for the tip jane!). We upgraded to a suite so we have a computer in our room now. Unfortunately I can't get onto the blogger so Kateri is helping me out. Kateri and Tricia if you stay at the Victory make sure you get the suite! It is very very nice.. and the beds are super soft! We are actually on an island that is surrounded by the Pearl River. It is beautiful here. Reminds of us of Charleston, SC. We haven't had a chance to get out and walk too much... but we made it to the Starbucks!
Joseph had his medical check this morning. Boy was that interesting.. lets just say I hope none of us need medical attention. Honestly my perspective on things has changed so much. We are so blessed to be in the US! Joseph is sleeping now, he had a late night and only got about 8 hours of sleep.. once he is done napping we will take a walk around the island. It takes about 25 minutes to walk around the whole thing. The air is clean here, and there are leaves on the trees and lots of palm trees. I think it will get to be about 65 degrees today. Being here is such a welcomed change.

We finally got out today and went shopping and got some great deals! We are having a king size quilt made. We picked out the silk fabric and the girl said it would be done by Friday, oh and we got 2 matching pillow cases to match. It was very cheap.. trust me. We also bought Joseph his little Chinese outfit and a dress for Devynn. I can't wait to get their pictures taken. Tonight we ordered Papa Johns pizza, it was good lets just hope it stays good if you know what I mean. Joseph stood at coffee table and ate his pizza..we were so amazed. The first couple of days we had him he just sat where we put him, he didn't move at all. Now we can't keep up with him he scoots everywhere and he is pulling himself up a lot more. He will be walking in no time. You can tell he just loves every ounce of attention he gets.. and we LOVE giving it to him. When I put him to bed I sing softly to him, my voice is horrible but he seems to really like it. It is a special time for us. I just look at him in awe and praise God for this gift of life.. it has changed me forever.

Love and Hugs,
Kelly and Robert

Good Day!

Ni Hao,

Today was a good day... Robert is feeling much better ( Thank you for praying). He decided to stay home again today to be close to a bathroom. I on the other hand did some more sightseeing. We went to the City wall and walked to the top of it. It is 9 miles all the way around...but we didn't walk the whole thing. It was so cool! We also went to the Muslim Market.. and believe you me we experienced China first hand. It is a huge market in the alleys of of the city. It was a great time. We did a lot of bargaining. =) Debbie helped me with that. Joseph is doing really well. Everyday he just does more and more. I took him to the pool and he LOVED that! He looked so darn cute in his swimming trunks.. Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou where we will finish up our stay... I can't believe it is almost over. Oh.. and I also enjoyed a manicure and a pedicure today it cost 24 bucks for both, can you believe that! I will surely miss being waited on hand and foot. The staff here is excellent and they do everything for you. That has been a huge perk! Okay it might be a day or two before I Blog b/c we will be traveling. Here are some pics of the sights and of course Joey =)