Sarah & John Storozuk
A Journey for a new life
Welcome to our archived site, stay as long as you wish and be sure to sign our guestbook.
Welcome to our journey! We have created this site to allow our family and friends to join us in our experience to adopt our daughter Neve. This is a rollercoaster of a ride to becoming parents for the first time. We have a great support group behind us of friends and family who are being so supportive and sharing this exciting and emotional time. If all goes as planned we hope to be making the trip to China late 2005. Drop by anytime and stay as long as you like.
It has been a very long 15+ months of waiting for the day when we would find out who was destined to be part of our forever family. It is with the greatest of pleasure that Sarah and I present to you our referral, our daughter, Neve Storozuk.
Click here for the referral and our travel journal
October 21 2006 - Well it has been almost a year since Sarah and I became parents to Neve Jamie Jun Yan, who would have thought that the biggest kid I know, (namely me) would be a daddy. We have had an incredible time watching Neve grow and develop into the little person she is today. It has been my intention to assemble a documentary of our journey to gotcha day similar to what was done when we were waiting for our referral (see below). I want to wish all of the families of CB group 224/225 a happy gotcha and forever family days Halloween and November 1.
Please enjoy our gotcha video.
Small: Gotcha Video Click here to watch
Large: Gotcha Video Click here to watch
The video is in Windows Media format, If you are having difficulty viewing the video follow the below instructions
- Open Windows Media Player> Click File> Click Open URL> In the open url dialog box paste or enter the following: http://www.johnstorozuk.com/gotcha.wvx
Happy Canada Day 2006
We participated in the Canada Day Citizenship ceremony at Woodside park, William Lyon MacKenzie King House, Neve was officially given her citizenship certificate and was joined by several famil members to help celebrate the day. Although she was granted citizenship on April 10th only about 2 months after submitting the paperwork, we are still not where we should be in this process being automatic. Something the government is working towards but not there yet.
Our baby loves to splash around in any water around, the pet water bowl, the tub, the pool if we left the toilet seat up I am sure she would be all over that too :)
Water Baby Number 2
My little girl
What a little angel....this is the same look she gets right before she uses those chompers for no good!
Today we went to the Twin Valley Zoo with the Bamboo Bunch (Brantford) lots of neat animals and fun...while fun when I was awake anyways.
Up close with a Camel
Maya gets a close encounter with a Goat.
Fun at the Zoo with Maya
Playing with my best friend Maya
It is kind of payback, considering she will sit on the cats and dog at a moments notice. Casey trying to sleep ON Neve.
Easter Sunday at Aunt Linda and Uncle Ray's
Heya Mommy, I see you behind that lens.
My first baseball lesson from Dad!
My first soccer lesson from Dad too.... see the ball on the right hand side, she was giggling like crazy. Strange little child I know :)
April 10,2006 - It is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce one of Canada's newest citizen's above. Neve Jamie Jun Yan Storozuk became a citizen today. The paperwork took just over 4 weeks from start to finish, although this should have been automatic when we became a family it is a start andnice to see the government has improved the pace quite a bit. Thank you to everyone who signed the Automatic Citizenship petition, it is with that support that the process is as fast at it is now. Watch out Canada, here she comes!
I want that car and yes YOU are going to give it to me....playing with the kids at Kaiden Stevens (aka the leaf troll) 1st Birthday party and Kaiden eating cake.
All dressed up for the CB Information Session
Swimming Lessons - She passed :)
For the most part Mommy has been the Swimmer with Neve, Daddy has taken her in the pool once as well. She loves the water and has great fun splashing around.
Well I have been playing around with Photoshop as I had previously mentioned, the result of my latest adventure is below. Click on the image for a larger version. It is actually designed as a 13 x 19. I call it the next generation "Scrapbook"
From China to Canada to Florida in 3 short months. Our 1st Family Vacation in Panama City Beach Florida.
Ai Yer! Well she learned to completely walk in Florida, I suspect the cold tile floor forced her up as before she would only take a few steps at a time. This is after she emptied her clothes drawer.
Unfortunately she moved. Mommy took what would have been my favorite picture to date. Still adorable none the less.
Mommy and Neve our first day on the beach, windy but no snow
Whoops there goes my shades!
The friday before Daddy leaves, enjoying the birds with Mommy and Grandpa.
Yes Daddy I DO have sand where the sun doesn't shine!
Neve Turns 1 on February 8. Happy Birthday my love.
February 8 2006 - This is what happens when you turn 1 and have soo much fun with Mom and Nana!
Happy birthday baby! Opening gifts with Mom and Rachel the weekend before her actual birthday.
Neves birthday cake...after!
Neves birthday cake....before
I won't walk but I can sure climb
Great Aunt Nancy gets some Neve time.
Spagetti dinner..."All Gone"
Paddy cake with Uncle John
Fun with Aunt Rhonda
My 2 angels napping...well one angel anyways :)
Our first incident, what happens when Willy (the dog) is looking behind him as he runs forward. Poor little thing was knocked over like a bowling pin.
Our basement looks like a toy store exploded but the tupperwear still is more fun
Neve started Swimming lessons tonight. This is what resulted.
Christmas morning, Santa brought me a new door!
If Neve will not open the gifts...Willy will
Neves first Christmas Eve with Mom.
Nana's arm is finally well enough to hold me for the first time!
Christmas is here!
Neve and Papa
Neve and Great Grandma
Daddy and Neve at the Dougherty Xmas
Opening gifts at the Dougherty Xmas
We have been back from China for a couple of weeks and I would like to share some of the more recent pictures. Neve is doing well and bonding well with Mommy. She is not really fond of her car seat but this seems to vary day to day, hopefully she learns to settle in, Mommy would like to return to the front seat some time this century...I think she misses the butt warmers but will have to live without them for the time being :)
China was an amazing journey, I cannot wait to return. It is a place that we will all have very fond memories of each and every time we look into Neve's eyes.
I also want to thank everyone who has signed our guest book and for all of the personal email messages while we were in China. It is so nice to have such a supportive group of friends and family.
Neve with Great Gramps and Muffin
Neve feeding herself for the first time. Yummy pasta.
The results...
Neve and Grandpa
Neve and Grandma
Fun with Uncle Dave and Uncle Dan
Playing with Gramma (no this is not a typo :-) )and Papa
Neve and Mikaela
Cosmo Girl! (Daddy playing with Photoshop)
Bath Time
First Visit with Santa
Chillin with Dad
Maya and Neve at Santa Breakfast
A happy baby Nov 2005
Preparing for a Wedding Nov 19 2005
Visiting with the "Leaf Troll" Kaiden Stevens
Precious Moments
Sarah and John November 02
John and Sarah Spring 2004
John and Sarah Summer 2003
John and Sarah Halloween 2002
Journey To Neve
We have waited many years to have a child of our own, and we are so fortunate to have a loving group of family and friends that have been there for us through time. There have been ups and downs along the way and many moments have been captured for eternity. We decided to take some of our favorite recent memories and make a tribute to our close family and friends and create something Neve can watch years down the road thinking of all those who will then be part of her forever family, who waited as patiently as we are now, for the day she comes 'home' to us.
The video is in Windows Media format, If you are having difficulty viewing the video follow the below instructions
- Open Windows Media Player
- Click File
- Click Open URL
- In the open url dialog box paste or enter the following: http://www.johnstorozuk.com/journey.wvx
