Our Summer in Pictures Part 2

Well, July is over and school has started again - booo. We made the most of the last few weeks and packed in as much fun as we could. All the kids managed to earn the points they needed from the Super Summer Challenge (Charity pulled it out at the last possible moment - earning 45 of her 200 points in 4 days) and are now looking forward to the family trip to Holiday World in beautiful Santa Clause, Indiana over Labor Day weekend. We're hoping for a great school year for all the kids. Joseph has been dying to get back in the classroom for months. Mom is apparently not a great teacher, well - not a patient one anyway. So here is the month of July in captions. Now that school is in session the photos will be fewer but hopefully I can update a little more often. There is something about seeing mom on the computer that makes my kids DESPERATELY need my attention.


Our vacation started out on a rough note. The brakes on our van decided that they were on vacation as well - in fact they were retiring. So, while Eric was at the local Rotary meeting, the kids and I hung out in the auto repair shop until my friend Beth could rescue us. It ended up being a great afternoon somehow - hanging out with Beth, Jubal and the George clan. I'm so glad it happened in a place where we had friends to help us and where we knew a reliable and honest mechanic. Thanks to our friend Chris and to Dave's Automotive in Valpo for fitting our repair in so swiftly.


Michael and his buddy Jubal. We were able to help celebrate Jubal's (half)birthday while we were on vacation. We had a great time hanging out with these faithful friends and reconnecting with others from our church during "law school days".


Jonathan managed to get in on the bowling fun as well. He managed to beat both his brothers the first game, of course he had bumpers and they didn't but we aren't going to discount his victory on that technicality.




Burying small children in sand is a favorite activity of Eric's. We had a great time on the beach - it was a little chilly but the "under 10" crowd didn't care. The look on Jonathan's face here tells you exactly what he thought of being submerged in grit! It makes me laugh out loud everytime. I'm telling you - we are NOT nice people!


I said that the kids didn't mind the chilly weather - well Charity was the exception when we made her go wash off all that sand. Lake Michigan is REALLY cold. I don't blame her for being a pansy. It think I might have spent a total of 30 minutes in the water all week (but I got a lot of reading done and my tan was fantastic!)


Eric and his baby brave the water. I can't believe how brown Jonathan got this summer. I really thought that he would be a burn risk all summer but he has tanned up quite nicely. Granted - we were constantly putting sunscreen on him but still, I don't think he got the least bit pink all summer. Yeah me, for once I did it right!


Look at my handsome boys! It doesn't get much better than this.


Going for a spin in Mr. W's Porsche. This car is the definition of a "sweet ride"!


Last day at the beach. I have a picture of Michael and Charity like this last July. It is at times like this that I am struck again by just how much life has changed in one year.


Our last indulgence before returning to real life. There is a large dairy farm off of I-65 that has incredible ice-cream. Eric and I are normally really good and get kid size cones for everybody but this time he and I splurged and got the waffles. Ugh - my stomach was protesting the whole way home but I refuse to regret eating every bite of that cone!


I looked back at one point on our drive home to find my two oldest looking this cool. Rest assured that this picture will resurface when they are about 17 years old!


The day after we got home from vacation we dropped Michael off for a week at camp. I missed him like crazy and life was more than a little weird without him around but we made it. He had a blast and loved spending the week with Mr. Josh and a bunch of his buddies from church. He learned so much about what worship is and we have had several reminders since camp to keep applying what he has learned to real life. He made the decision to follow Jesus about a year or so ago but has been struggling with the idea of being baptized in front of our church. Many people do it in private (Eric and I did) but I really think it is important for Michael to follow Jesus' example and take this step of obedience in public. We are going to let him meet with our 1st-4th grade associate and bounce some of his fears off of her but my guess is he will be getting baptized sometime in the next few months.


Aaahhh fair time! Can't you smell the blue ribbons in the air? Or maybe it's the funnel cakes mixed with the unmistakable odor of the pig barn! Joseph loved working on his Mini 4-H projects. He is a little handy-man in the making and loves to work on stuff so this was right up his alley. I'm not sure he loved making cookies but his pillow was excellent and his model was above reproach!


Hanging out on the golf cart with Little Papa and my favorite niece (yes she's my only one but that is just a minor detail!) Jonathan had had some issues so he didn't GET to go to the fair - this also meant Eric didn't HAVE to go to the fair.


Jonathan did get to join us the next day and decided that he would like to snuggle up with one of the babies. Aren't they sweet!


Michael really enjoys working with the dairy animals. I think he will have a great time in his first year of "real" 4-H next year.


Charity and Hannah (my youngest brother's girlfriend). We LOVE Hannah as is evidenced by the fact that my two youngest yell her name at the top of their lungs EVERY TIME they see her. She seems to love them anyway, what a patient young lady!


I love this picture because this is how I spent MANY hours at the fair when I was a kid. Granted - they aren't playing euchre like I did but still.... Ah, memories!


We did take a break from the fair to take in an Indians game with Eric's family. (Jonathan took turns snuggling with everybody. Here it is with Aunt Laura.) It was a "dollar menu" night which works out well for our family. My kids feel like we spoiled them with ball-park food and Eric's wallet feels like we got out for cheaper than we could at McDonald's! Win-win situation folks!


Oh look, Aunt Teri got in on the action as well. That's okay, she took him home with her after the game so he could eat all the sugar he wanted that night as far as I'm concerned!


I know I'm slightly biased but I just might have 4 of the cutest kids on the planet.


The three older kids took part in the fair's jackpot show on the last Saturday of the fair. They each showed a calf. Charity's heifer was acting crazy but she managed to keep control of her in the ring and came out with the all important ribbon and bag of Skittles.


Joseph and Michael did a great job as well. They are both pretty mild mannered so not much phases them but Joseph's sweet smile caught the Judge's attention and he got second place in the class. This of course annoyed his sister to no end because, "he's never even showed a cow before and he didn't even know what kind of cow she is!" I'm sure what she really meant was, "wow! I'm excited for you, Joseph, and am very proud of your accomplishment and not the least bit jealous that you got $2 with your ribbon and Skittles."


Jonathan played baseball the last 4 Friday's of the summer. He got to play on the major league diamond at the park which made his older brothers jealous. He actually can hit the ball off the tee pretty well. Fielding is another story but he had so much fun and loved getting to do something the other kids had been doing.


This picture cracks me up. We spent the evening at our town pool celebrating the birthdays of 3 of the boys' friends. Jonathan scooted from the kid pool to the sprinkler area and left his version of "foot prints" along the concrete.


My two favorite 2nd graders after a night of swimming. I don't get very many of the two of them together so I nabbed the opportunity!


The end of summer signals the beginning of football season - Michael's favorite time of the year. Michael and Joseph enjoyed football camp with their friends Cameron and Aiden. They are so tough!


The last activity of the summer was a trip to the state fair with some of our friends. We don't get to spend nearly enough time with these great people and so this day was ideal. The weather was beautiful and the kids were behaving, making it a great day!


Little farmers in the making. This area of the fair is my kids' favorite every year. They love walking through each area, collecting their harvest, selling it at the market and then going to the store to "buy" a snack. The lovely green Pioneer Seed hats are just a bonus!


Jonathan and Lucas getting up close and personal with some baby dairy steers. I can't decide who's cuter - the kids or the calf!


This is my favorite picture of the whole summer. We will call it "Back to School Blues". The kids and I had spent the morning buying school supplies and they were exhausted and hungry. I was in line at Subway (conveniently and ingeniously located at the exit of our local Wal-Mart) and looked over to see these happy campers. I don't know why I had my camera on me but I'm so glad I was able to capture this moment for posterity's sake!

Our Summer in Pictures (part 1)

Michael is at church camp (booooo! In general, I hate it when my kids are gone for more than a few hours) and for the first time in way too long we have absolutely nothing on the calendar for the day today. The fair will be starting next week and we have the kids' mini 4-H projects done (2 days early thank you very much!) If you know me personally you know this already, but for those of you who just know me through my blog I'll let you in on a little secret about me - I am a complete fair rat (who happens to married to a "fair hater")! My dad's side of the family has been producing fair rat's for years and my brothers and I caught the bug as well. (My sister escaped somehow, but even she comes down for at least one day of it.) We were all 10 year 4-H members and Michael will begin his journey in 4-H next year. The kids and I will be at our county's fair nearly every day and while it is my favorite week of the year, it always signals the end of the summer to me. This summer has gone way too quickly and it is just nutty that we start school in 25 short days (another booooo!) With that in mind I thought I would take the day to post a bunch of pictures and just caption our way through the summer. The plan is to do June today and July another day.(This will take me all freakin' day since I have dial-up internet - don't even get me started on how much that irritates me:) But I promise I will be a mother to my children as the pictures take 5 hours to upload.) I know it is a lot of pictures but we just have so much fun and my kids are so stinking cute! My cousin Heather gives me a hard time for saying that my house is in a state of perpetual "play group" but it is really true. We definitely have moments of anger, irritation, and insanity - there is no doubt about that - but with the ankle biters being SO close in age, they can play happily pretty much all day every day - they just switch up who they are playing with when they get annoyed.

Group photo taken after hiking at a local nature park. Eric called me and told me he was coming home early and we were going on a hike. This was the first time we had gone since the boys had been home. It will be challenging figuring out how to do the whole Jonathan thing as they get older but for now he rides on Eric's shoulders and off we go.

Eric hasn't gotten fishing licenses for the kids but on the free fishing weekend we killed some time before a birthday party by fishing. (I'm the official photographer because I don't touch fish or bait so....) Anyway, Michael got the first (and only) catch of the afternoon and his kind father made him "kiss" it before throwing it back.

Aunt Teri takes the kids to the zoo at the beginning of the summer every year. For the past couple of years I have been invited along with the stipulation that I have to be "Aunt Mommy" all day - in other words, not overly concerned about little things like rules and manners. I also have to be WAY more fun than I would be on a normal day. This picture is as we were waiting for the dolphin show to begin. They all want to sit in the splash zone - of course - but inevitably as soon as Charity gets wet, she starts whining about how cold she is. This year was no different and all of us got drenched!

The goats at the zoo (especially this white one) could not get enough of Jonathan's wheel chair. They kept nibbling it and nudging it and basically invading Jonathan's personal space. And I, like the good mother I am, laughed and took pictures of it instead of coming to his rescue!

VBS week at our church is a big deal. Over 800 kids came through the program this year and they always have such a great time. The theme this year was "Treasure Quest" and the week was filled with all kinds of pirate fun and of course learning about God. Michael and Joseph were in the same group and I caught this moment. This especially warms my heart because they had no idea I was standing there. These two are such good buddies and they love each other as brothers should. Again, one year ago we didn't even know we were missing Joseph and Jonathan. Now we can't imagine or remember life without them.

This was the day after the last evening of VBS. The kids had gotten pirate masks the night before and decided to wear them as we did the grocery shopping. Some things just aren't worth arguing about - so here is Michael and 2 pirates eating cookies that they pillaged from the deli.

Jonathan has been taking an adaptive sports class as his PT for the summer. This is him "playing" soccer. He's actually not a bad little goalie - as long as the goals are low to the ground. My kids have decided that when they are playing at home they put Jonathan in one goal and whoever is in the other goal has to sit on the ground too.

Michael's baseball team made it to the league championship game but lost by one run. It was a great game and the boys had a great time. Poor Sam (1st base and pitcher) broke his arm the week the playoffs began so he had to miss out, but he was there every game cheering his team on!

This isn't a great picture but the evidence on Jonathan's face makes me laugh - Smores! We have three large trees in our yard that drop sticks with each stiff wind. We throw these in the portable fireplace, get out the newspaper and lighter and have a grand 'ol time getting all chocolatey and marshmallowey.

Joseph had never encountered lightning bugs in real life. One night we were good parents and let them stay up until 10:00 (that's when it is finally dark at our house in June) so that they could catch some. Classic summer fun!

Another week, another VBS. The church down the road - which happens to be the church I went to as a kid and a large chunk of my extended family still attends - had their VBS the week after ours. It ran Sunday through Thursday evenings with the closing Program on Friday. Michael enjoyed being chosen to help share with the parents what they had learned that week at "Crocodile Dock". The kids had a great time and Eric and I enjoyed the 2 hours to ourselves for those 5 evenings. I wonder if there are any more that I could ship them off to....

My friend Beth says that Eric and I haven't raised kids - we've raised fish. My kids would live in the pool if we would let them and luckily Michael and Charity can swim very well. When the Ukrainian kids were being hosted this summer we attended a pool party/cookout where we got to visit with the families a little bit and most importantly let the kids be kids. Charity wasn't content to go down the water slide like you're supposed to. Head first is way more fun!

This is Grace. She came home from Ukraine about 3 weeks after our kids did. She really loves Jonathan and he can't get enough of her. Every time we see them those two pair up and pretty much ignore everyone else. My boy has good taste! She's beautiful - inside and out!

Charity attended church camp at the end of June. She was gone for 2 nights and had a great time. She didn't have to be there until 6pm and we only live an hour away so all day she was on pins and needles, antsy to get going.

Umm, aren't you supposed to fall asleep on the way HOME from camp? All that anticipating apparently got the best of her as she fell asleep about 30 minutes into our drive TO camp.

Bunking beside her buddy Mariah with Mom nowhere to be found - what could be better? Oh I know! She's a picky eater and so I asked her about the food at camp and her response was, "Great - we got dessert at every meal and it didn't matter if I ate my real food or not!" That's my girl!

The camp missionary for the summer was from Italy and he taught the kids a funked up version of "Jesus Loves Me" in Italian which the kids performed for us when we came to pick them up. As I walked up to the cabin to pick up my precious darling daughter she came running up to me and yelled, "What are YOU doing here?!" That's love ladies and gentleman!

Each kid was given a certificate at the end of camp by their group leader that expressed appreciation for an outstanding character trait that the child had exhibited over the week. It's awful to admit, but this kind of stuff always makes me cringe when it comes to Charity. We love her dearly but that girl keeps us on our toes. One day she is all sweetness and light and the next she is doing her best impression of the spawn of satan. (Not in a clinical sense - she isn't bipolar, just strong willed.) I never know which Charity is going to show up for me and so I cringe when someone else begins to talk about her. I have to say, they pegged her very well. She got an award for Leadership, which is accurate. We have always said she will either be in prison or president, she will lead the chain-gang or the country. Either way, watch out America!

My mom will not like that I put this one up but I just love it! She loves my kids so well and is a HUGE part of their lives. She has been up north with my grandmother for the past couple weeks and we are missing her terribly!

Jonathan loves playing with bubbles so I broke down and bought a bubble machine for him. The other kids love it as well of course so let the hours of bubbly fun commence.

This year our church held it's annual volunteer celebration/thank you day at an Indianapolis Indians game. Our family sat with several families from our small group and some of our long-time friends. We had a great time and the Indians won in the 10th inning. I was a good mom and got sunscreen put on all the kids - forgot to put it on myself. I paid for it as I sat in the shade and wore a hat at the pool the next day to keep from adding to the sunburn I had received. The above picture is a chunk of the kids from the aforementioned families - Charity is the odd man out as there was only one other girl in our little group. The story of her life.

Joseph and our buddy Jordan enjoying the game while listening to some tunes. We have been blessed with great friends who also have great kids. Jordan is the kind of teenager I hope my boys will emulate. He is kind and respectful and will carry on a real conversation with adults. At the same time he jumps right in there to wrestle around with the other boys. Love that kid!

So there you have it - the month of June. July will be coming in a few weeks with all the lovely fair pictures that have yet to be taken. Pray for my marriage as Eric and I duke it out again this year over the amount of time the kids and I spend at the fairgrounds - fair hater!! :) I love the man dearly. It's too bad he has that one BIG problem!

Hanging out on a beautiful day

Today we spent the day with 3 other families from my "pledge class" (this is what I call the people who hosted at the same time as we did.) We've each brought home kids within the past six months and today was the first time we've been able to get together with all the kids (the last one just came home last week!) 3 of the kids are from the same orphanage and it was fun for them to get to see each other again and for the moms to just hang out by the pool and enjoy watching our kids play and reflecting back on the process that each of us took to bring home our children. The timeline, challenges, and process was different for everyone but our joys now are the same.

I love this picture - every kid on this bench is one or ours. Oh the fun we will have!


Jonathan and Lukas hanging out at their neighborhood pool. Lukas takes good care of him and Jonathan wants to live at their house so "my friend Lukas would be my brother."

Michael, Charity and Joseph refuel after swimming for awhile. Joseph has pretzels hanging out of his mouth. The kid can't hardly take a normal picture to save his life. He's a ham with very sensitive eyes so he's either being goofy or squinting!

This little cutie is Lucas - the last of the crew to arrive from Ukraine. He is such a joy and a little spitfire. God has placed him in the perfect family. It is amazing to see individual family traits coming out in these kids that were born several thousand miles away from their "forever families." God is so amazing!

One year ago....

As I began looking forward to this summer I naturally started looking at pictures from last summer to see where we have been. I can’t believe what a difference a year has made in our family. First there was Michael – he was missing his top 2 teeth and looking cute as a button. He was also looking forward to his 1st time at church camp, and I was mourning the fact that he was going (some things don’t change!)

Charity had super long hair and was still spending a lot of time in that preschool mentality. She was dreading reading and we were worried how she would act for her 1st grade teacher. (Unfounded worries, thank goodness! It was a great school year and she loves to read now!)

Perhaps the biggest difference was that we were missing two yahoos – and didn’t even realize it. We decided in early July 2008 to host a little boy from Ukraine and he changed our lives.

There’s no way to fully explain how we feel about our Andriy (even though he probably has an Italian name now). We loved him dearly and I still miss him and think of him often. I’m sure I’ll always wonder how he is doing, if he is happy and most importantly – if he knows Jesus. I would love nothing more than to see this little guy in heaven with me. At the same time it breaks my heart to pieces to think of never meeting Joseph and Jonathan. I am their mom in name, function, and in my heart. It seems like they have been with us forever. (Just don’t ask where the accents come from and I can’t explain the lack of baby pictures: ) ) It is obvious that God had these little ones picked out for us from the get go and he used our wonderful hosting experience and the heartache that followed, to teach His fearful daughter (that would be me) to just hold on to him and let go of everything else. What a lesson and what a blessing. So, one year ago we began to think of our family this way:

And today it looks like this (only more tan and with shorter hair on the boys - and probably a ponytail on me. Apparently I need a more recent family photo!)

I’m scared to imagine what this year may hold even as the next group of Ukrainian kids comes over. We have 2 families from our church that have decided to host kids this summer. There is also another family from our town who will be having an orphan staying with them for the 3 weeks. Eric and I have agreed to act as mentors for 2 families as they enter the exciting, busy, terrifying and fun world of hosting. If any of these families decide to pursue adoption from Ukraine after their hosting experience then we will follow them through that process as well. Our experience is anything but typical - from hosting to the day the boys came home was 5 months! - but we learned a lot about the process in those 5 months and more importantly we learned a lot about trusting in the ultimate adoptive parent - God. (For a great book on this subject try Adopted For Life by Russell D. Moore.)

Summer is here!

Jonathan, Joseph, Charity and our cousin Alida at Michael's game last night. It was a bit chilly for a June game in Indiana but they pulled off a win and a good time was had by all.

I love the summer! I hate the humidity and heat but I love having my kids at home and the freedom to just hang around and be “us”. The past few weeks have been busy ones but we’ve had some laughs and we’re ready for the slower pace that the summer brings.
Eric and I ended up going to the Indy 500 this year and had a great time. It is insane that we live as close to the track as we do and neither of us had been to the race – especially since we really enjoy the racing (me more as a tagalong fan. I’m blindly loyal to a team or driver and out of love for my husband have chosen all of his favorites for my own. I like Danica though and he really doesn’t – but she races for the right team and was the only Andretti-Green driver with a shot after the first half of the 500. Poor Marco and TK.) Eric was bummed because his favorite driver (Marco Andretti) was knocked into the wall on turn 2 of the first lap and after that it just seemed like every other driver he likes was having trouble. It’s hard to let it ruin the day though with all those fast cars zooming by. We sat behind the pits and were able to see turns 1 and 4 as well as the main straightaway and a lot of pit action. We had perfect weather and really enjoyed the day. Eric’s sister came and stayed with the kids for the day so they had a blast as well – thanks Aunt Laura.
This is my cousin Heather and I before the race. Fun times!

Jonathan had his preschool graduation on the last day of school. He was only in the class for 6 weeks but he had so much fun and loved his teachers. I know he’s going to miss them this summer. He was a complete and utter cheese-ball during the actual ceremony and I was about ready to throttle him but over all it was a fun afternoon. Jonathan cheesing it on graduation day.

We celebrated the last day of school with Charity’s “friend” birthday party. She invited her whole class plus some girls from her soccer team and her class last year over for a cookout and some capture the flag. The evening ended up being on the cool side with a threat of rain up until party time but the 21 kids had a great time and so did the birthday girl. Charity waits for her guests to arrive on her birthday.

On Sunday my crazy kids decided they should go swimming at my mom’s house. Apparently the fact that the water was a chilly 72 degrees at the top was not a big deal. I got cold just watching them but Charity and Joseph were in for at least 20 minutes. Jonathan got pulled out after half an hour and Michael swam for about an hour or more and got back in the next day too. They are nuts!

Michael on the inaugural swim in Grandma's pool.

Michael is still playing baseball and Jonathan will have OT/PT once a week but for the most part we have nothing on the calendar on a regular basis for the next few months. We have put the chore chart away for the summer and instead have instituted the 2nd annual Super Summer Challenge. I went to a workshop at the Hearts at Home conference on this topic in March of ’08 and decided to give it a try. I basically print out a list of chores/goals for each of the kids to accomplish. I set a point value for each task and give them a total goal to reach before school begins in the fall. If/when everyone reaches their goal before the first day of school, we then plan a trip for Labor Day weekend. (Last year we went to Mammoth Cave.) They also earn money as they reach milestones along the way. (During the school year they earn commission for completing their chore chart. This money replaces that “income” for them.) Michael and Charity had a blast with it last year and it motivates them to do some of the stuff that they would normally complain about. Yes, I know it’s shocking, my perfect angels occasionally have fits of whining! It also fights the “I’m bored” battle. Rule number 1 of the SSC is you can’t use the “b” word. Today is day one of the Super Summer Challenge and so far I have gotten the laundry folded (6 loads!) and hung up, the sticks picked up in the yard, and the two older boys have each spent 45 minutes weeding the garden. Charity has yet to join in the fun (she has to finish writing thank-you notes from her birthday party before she can begin) but I’m sure by this afternoon she will be earning points as well. Now before you all think I’m breaking child labor laws, I should point out that they can also earn points for going to church camp and VBS, reading, doing puzzles, running, working on 4-H projects, etc. Jonathan earned a point this morning for coloring for 15 minutes. I don’t expect motivation to stay this high but we’re off to a great start!

Soccer is over!!!

The Sharks celebrate the end of a great season.


Joseph in goal. He is so incredibly intense when he is on the field.


Riding on the cart at the plant farm. This was always the favorite thing to do for my brothers, sister and I as well.


Joseph and Michael at 2nd grade field day. Joseph was an honorary second grader for a day and loved every minute of it!

Well, we are half-way done with spring sports. Soccer was finished on Tuesday. Joseph and Charity’s team went undefeated (not that anybody keeps score) but had a dismal showing in the jamboree. Their team only scored one goal. (The winning team scored 4 goals by 3 different players.) Both kids had great seasons though. Joseph is pretty competitive and very intense on the field. He is kind of like a cheetah – can run very fast for a little bit but tires quickly. We need to work on his stamina. He scored a handful of goals over the season so I think he was pleased. He says he’s playing “American football” in the fall and baseball next spring so we’ll see – this may have been his one and only foray onto the soccer field. He seemed to really enjoy it but that also seems to be the case with all other sports – except basketball. For some reason he has NO interest in playing basketball. That’s almost a crime in Indiana so we’ll see how long it takes him to cave to peer pressure. I personally don’t care if none of the kids play a winter sport. I like the peace and quiet of the winter months but as athletic and active as they are, I can’t imagine it will stay that way. Charity had a great soccer season. She scored 3 goals – the most ever for her and actually appeared to begin to understand the game a little bit. She has a tough time standing still and so soccer is a great sport for her. (It also means I don’t have any pictures of her – they are all blurry. Even when she is in the goal she is dancing around.) She also has very little fear and will get right in the mix no matter who she is up against. If we can get her a little more power and some control we may make a soccer player out of her yet. (This breaks my heart since soccer is pretty much my least favorite sport to watch – besides boxing – but I’ll suck it up for my darling daughter’s sake!) Towards the end of the season it started to look like soccer and not “magnet ball” which is pretty impressive for a U8 team.
With the end of soccer though comes the beginning of summer! We have planted the garden and are beginning to see some seedlings. The kids have had their last field trips and spent this week enjoying field day and kickball tournaments (Joseph even managed to finagle his way into the fun with Michael’s class for those 2 activities!). Just 3 more days of school. And Charity’s birthday is just around the corner (her mother’s too but I’m at an age where we can conveniently forget that – as long as I still get presents and a chocolate or DQ cake! Actually my friend Erin makes an awesome Kahlua cake that sounds pretty good right now too.)
Michael is still in the middle of baseball season. It’s been a good season so far and we’ve seen a lot of improvement in Michael’s skill level. It’s amazing what a difference one year makes. He’s such a good kid and I don’t brag on him enough. He is fairly athletic but more importantly he is a good sport and a good friend. I love to watch his heart as he plays. The season will be over the second week of June and I’m looking forward to the down time. Of course Jonathan starts soccer and baseball the first week of June so I guess I’m just dreaming. He is taking an adaptive sports class as his OT/PT for the summer. He is really excited and I’m hoping he has a great time. It has been tough for him to watch the others play this spring but his day is coming! As he gets better in his chair his options will expand as well. We’ll get there little man, we’ll get there!

We have not fallen off the face of the Earth...

but it has been a whirlwind of a month. I can't lay my finger on what has kept me from my computer but I do know I haven't had more than a spare minute or two to check my email a couple of times a week, let alone spend time on my beloved blog. I've been trying to figure out the best way to tackle this post after being "away" for nearly a month and I think I'll just do a quick update on each of the kiddos and go from there.

Michael has started baseball practice and is surprisingly improved from last season. As discussed I’m sure in previous posts, football is his game of preference by far and every other sport he has played has suffered because of his devotion to tackling! The strange thing about this kid though is that he’s our cautious one and therefore, in past seasons has had a hard time getting over his fear of the baseball. Luckily, he is on a young team this year and has been expected to show some leadership and has stepped up to the plate like a champ – literally and figuratively. It will probably be a dismal season as far as our record goes but I’m just proud of the report I’m getting from his coach (aka dad) on the progress we are seeing on the bravery front. They’ve even had him pitching some which is a far cry from the outfield of the past 2 seasons.
I had a sad moment with him last week. We went to the birthday party of one of my cousin’s daughters. She was turning 7 and so our whole gang pitched in to help her celebrate (and pull off the party with 18 kids!) Michael and Alida decorated (see above) for the party but as the afternoon went on Michael got sulkier and sulkier. Apparently my 8 year old boy is too old for girl parties anymore. He’s such a sweet and sensitive boy that I’m surprised it came this quickly but there was no doubt that he wanted nothing to do with all those “little” kids. Eight doesn’t sound that old, but I’m seeing it more each day – my little boy is growing up. (sniff)


Joseph has had several “firsts” in the past month. Over spring break Jonathan had an appointment as Shriner’s hospital in Lexington (more on that later). Because nobody had school we decided we would all go and make a mini-vacation of it. Eric’s sister, Teri, had the week off as well so we suckered her into going with us as well. When we got to our hotel the kids immediately wanted to go swimming. Now we had a pretty good idea that Joseph had never been swimming in his life (even though he grew up on the Black Sea) but Mr. Modest was convinced that he could swim so we sat back and watched as he jumped in the pool – and promptly sank like a rock. (Eric was in the pool and it was only 4’6” – no worries.) The surprise on his face was priceless. He was completely SHOCKED that he couldn’t swim. He knew all the motions, it made perfect sense to him that he would jump in and be an Olympic swimmer in no time! He’s a determined little bugger so after some coaching from Aunt Teri the next day he was able to show us that he is no longer at risk for drowning at any given moment – he can at least get to the side of the pool. He also started playing organized soccer this month. Again, he was convinced he would be the best player on the field (his modesty is astounding) and this time met with a little more success. While he wasn’t the best player by any stretch of the imagination, he at least was able to handle the ball and was able to figure out how to get his body to do what he wants it to. We have our first game on Saturday so we’ll see how it goes. He is continuing to make progress with his English. He understands almost everything that is said to him and speaks almost entirely in English. He uses short 2-5 word sentences but is beginning to use more adjective, adverbs, and pronouns. He’s also started using the proper tenses and corrects himself if he hears himself say something wrong. His reading is coming along nicely and he should be ready for second grade in the fall. His goofiness comes out more and more each day. He loves to make us laugh and will try anything to get that reaction. He’s also figuring out what to avoid in order to get the opposite reaction! For all his silliness he is a good boy and enjoys being good so he really tries hard to avoid annoying us.


Charity continues on as normal. She loves school but has her fair share of “girl drama”. I didn’t realize just how early that stuff starts. Granted, she’s a little on the dramatic side anyway so we’ll attribute some of it to that. She is playing soccer again this spring. She and Joseph are on the same team and she loves having him there. She gets a kick out of dancing around on the field. It’s a very good sport for her because there is very little standing around. She has adjusted very well to having 3 brothers and holds her own amidst their chaos.

Jonathan has had quite a month. As stated earlier we went to Shriner’s at the beginning of the month. We were able to meet with the ortho doctor and see PT as well. After taking x-rays we had our talk with the orth doctor. He explained a lot to us and was extremely helpful. Unfortunately it is his opinion that Jonathan is not a good candidate for surgery. Apparently as these AMC kids grow, their joints want to return to their “natural state”. He had surgery a little over a year ago to straighten out his feet but they have already reverted enough that he can’t wear his braces anymore because his feet are no longer at a 90 degree angle. The doctor said he was willing to get aggressive if we wanted him to but there is not a high likelihood of success and any results would very likely be temporary. As we talked to him we came to the agreement that we didn’t want to put Jonathan through that ordeal at this time, so – he is now a wheel-chair kid. God provides in such amazing ways. Shriner’s pays for medical care at their hospitals but wheelchairs are not covered. Occasionally they get one donated that will fit one of their patients. The OT left us to go check “upstairs” for us on the off-chance that they had one. She came back about 5 minutes later wheeling this cute little black chair and we were off and rolling. What an answer to prayer. I haven’t done any research into custom chairs but I don’t even want to know how much we would have had to pay to get him what he needed. We will be returning to Lexington on May 8th to meet with the hand doctor. It is a wonderful hospital and we couldn’t have been happier with the way we were treated. They really took their time with us and made sure we had all our questions answered. We never felt rushed and they obviously love taking care of kids. It is a beautiful campus too which is a nice bonus.
Jonathan also started attending the developmental pre-school in our local elementary 2 afternoons a week. He really enjoys it and will be getting OT and PT through them as well. We registered him for kindergarten too. My house will be empty again (at least ½ day) in just a few short months. It’s amazing how quickly I’ve gotten used to the chaos.

Moving up in the world

Charity and Jonathan - I tried to post one of MJ and Joseph too but it wouldn't load so...they'll have to wait until next time! Also, this picture has nothing to do with this post but it was too cute, I had to share it!

Well we’re moving up in the world. Joseph decided that he has had enough of training wheels. I had a feeling they were just a crutch for him anyway but yesterday I made time out of my busy schedule to take them off for him. (You know, it takes all of a minute and a half to complete the job, with the first minute spent figuring out what size socket I needed on the wrench.) I told him to go for it and then I went inside to do more stuff since I’m not really an outside kind of girl. He and Charity came inside to play about 5 minutes later. I wasn’t really paying too much attention to them because Michael was in the middle of homework. I kicked the kids back outside when Michael was done and told Joseph to go learn how to ride that bike. He looked at me like I had grown horns and told me he already knew how to ride it. I fully admit that I was skeptical so I followed him outside and sure enough – the kid rides like he’s been doing it all his life. He’s still a little shaky on stopping and he’s got what Eric refers to as the “orphan curse” – aka, no fear – so he rides really fast. Not necessarily a pretty combination, so I think we’ll avoid the road for a little while longer but it looks like we now have 3 real bike riders. Jonathan, it seems, can ride a tricycle too. This is the bribe that his OT and PT are both using to get him to work hard for them. He’s gained a lot of strength since he’s been home and he’s gaining more and more ability to steer. He needs about one more inch in his legs and he would have no problems with the tricycle at the hospital. His feet keep slipping off the pedals. We had gotten rid of all of our tricycles before moving back home after law school so now we have to add that to our arsenal of wheeled toys in the garage. What joy! In the winter they don’t bother me that much but this time of year becomes hazardous and mom gets rather annoyed. Every time I get ready to pull my van in or out of the garage I have to do a perimeter check to ensure I don’t run over anything. The kids are pretty good about putting their wheeled arsenal back in the garage when they are done playing but they don’t necessarily take the time to put them away safely and while theoretically I would like to let life teach them a lesson or two about what happens when cars and kid toys meet, I really don’t want to deal with the whining and imagined “trauma” that would ensue if I actually ran over one of the stupid things. (Don’t tell my kids that I just used the “s” word!) I can only imagine what it will look like when they are actually on the things every waking hour. I now know how people can have 4-car garages and all their cars sit in the driveway. It’s not because of adult stuff – it’s because of kid paraphernalia.

P.S. Sorry the pics don’t match the post but my camera had to be sent off for service. I’m going through serious withdraw and the fact that I didn’t get any pics of Joseph yesterday is messing with my “mommy guilt” gene.

Hanging in there

Jonathan looking cool in the dentist's chair.

Charity enjoying spring weather. This time of year drives me bonkers. I'm so ready for spring and they just keep teasing me with warm days and then a week later we have snow!

Michael and Joseph paging through fishing magazines as we wait for - get this - a doctor's appointment! (Actually I think it was x-rays, but whatever - we were waiting!)

Okay, so life with 4 kids can certainly never be described as boring. As mentioned in a previous post, we are in the midst of many doctor’s appointments right now. Most of them are for Jonathan but we’ve had a few other one sprinkled in here and there as well. Charity failed her vision screening at school – 3 times – so we took her to the eye doctor fully expecting to walk out with a child in glasses. Yeah right – the girl has 20/15 vision so I don’t know what went on with her and the screenings at school. She also caught strep throat last week and this week developed some wheezing and coughing so we were at the pediatrician for her a couple of times and have added antibiotics and breathing treatments to our “to do” list. Jonathan continues with PT and OT once a week each and we have met with several other doctors/therapists to try to establish a base line and figure out what direction we need to head in with his care. We have an appointment with Shriner’s Hospital in Lexington on April 2nd. We’re hoping to get a majority of his care there. Several surgeries have been suggested by the specialists at Riley so we’ll see what we end up doing. Obviously we will still continue the PT and OT at our home hospital and school but if we are looking at any surgeries and new braces then it would be wonderful to get that taken care of through Shriners. We met with Special Services at our school last week and Jonathan was evaluated by the school’s OT and PT on Wednesday. There is a small chance that he will begin attending the developmental pre-school a day or two a week this year but my real goal at this point is to have his IEP in place so that we can hit the ground running with Kindergarten in the fall. Both new boys are picking up English rapidly. They understand a ton and speak quite a bit in English/Russian mixed sentences. Joseph and I have started reading lessons and they are going well. I’ve learned through this time that I am not cut out to be a home schooling mom. It’s so hard for me to get these 15 minute lessons in during the day. I don’t know how people do it long term and with more than one kid at a time. One of the biggest challenges with it is getting Jonathan involved in something else while we have our lesson. I really don’t want him learning to read yet (academic boredom in Kindergarten would not be a good thing) and I know he would pick it up very quickly if I would let him. I may just have to suck it up and let the kid read so that his older brother will learn it too. Michael and Charity continue to adjust well. Charity has moments when she feels like the odd-man out but that’s to be expected and she gets over it pretty quickly. The four of them tend to pair up by age but Michael and Joseph have started arguing once in a while and they don’t play with each other exclusively anymore. I know it is a little backwards to want the arguing but I really want them to act more like brothers and less like best friends. I’m a little concerned that Joseph will be upset when he realizes that he is a grade below Michael since he’s been SO attached to him. They are playing different sports this spring so that should help in the separation as well as help Joseph find his place in the family. I see the lost look on his face at times and I want to reassure him that with time everything will make sense. He’s a good kid and loves our family and living in America. Every day he tells me a little bit more about his life in Sevastopol and makes it clear how happy he is to be away from there. Being an orphan is no fun – even when you are adequately cared for. That’s not to say there haven’t been “moments.” A couple of weeks ago he was irritated at us because we had run errands and stuff all day and then had to come home and work too. At dinner that night he told us that his name wasn’t the name we had given him – it was the name on his birth certificate. For the rest of the night he insisted (when he remembered) on being called “Roma”. The next morning he thought it was hilarious and we were able to tease him about it so...life goes on as normal, one small event at a time.

International Adoption Clinic

The boys both had their appointments at Riley on Wednesday. This children’s hospital in Indianapolis runs an international adoption clinic. The boys each met with a developmental pediatrician who is familiar with difficulties that these children may have faced as well as medical issues that may be common to their country of origin. They also provided a translator so the boys knew exactly what was going and could voice any concerns they had. It was a great appointment and one I am glad we took the time to attend. Joseph has gained about 5 lbs since he’s been with us and has grown ½ an inch. Jonathan has gained 2 lbs too. It is amazing what a stable environment can provide. I have to say that both boys were cared for in the orphanages. They were fed regular meals with fruits and vegetables every day. They had appropriate clothing and shoes and led very structured lives. Jonathan was truly loved as well, but apparently being “home” is all they needed to really thrive. Dr. Keck was pleased with their health and didn’t see any issues of concern. We received orders for blood work, got stuck for their TB tests and were on our merry little way. After discussing it with Dr. Keck we decided that both boys will just repeat all of their vaccinations. We have no records of what (if any) they have received and so we will just start over. We had their blood work done on Friday. (I had to collect stool samples for each of them as well. That is NOT an experience I want to repeat!) Joseph – as usual – was a trooper and hardly made a peep as they took the 5 vials of blood they needed. Jonathan on the other hand, threw a big enough tantrum for 8 kids! I understand it’s no fun being stuck and seeing all that blood leaving your body. I’m not a big fan of it myself. The thing is, he has had tons of surgeries and so you know this is not new to him. I think a majority of the issue was that it was at nap time and he was exhausted. I felt bad for the poor phlebotomists who had to stick him though. It took 4 of us to get the job done. What an ordeal. He’s only 33 pounds and his mobility is limited but he gave mom a workout that day!
After picking up Michael and Charity from school we then went to have the TB tests read. Unfortunately they came back positive so we had to have chest x-rays done and then read. That took a little over an hour and then we had to go back to our pediatrician to see what we needed to do next. Luckily the chest x-rays were clear and so neither of the boys had to be put in isolation (understatement of the year) but they are on an antibiotic for the next 6 months. The plus side is they should never have to be tested for TB again since they are already carriers and will have been treated for it. The antibiotics also turn their urine bright orange – which for an 8 and 5 year old boy is a pretty cool thing!
We go to Riley again on Monday to meet with the ortho doctor about Jonathan. I don’t know if this is a consultation appointment only or if they will actually be taking x-rays and stuff too. Hopefully after we have met with him we will have a clearer picture of what we are dealing with.

So much fun

Michael, Joseph, and his friend Carl wrestle around on the big mat.Joseph, Andrew (came home Jan 18th) and Carl.
Jonathan and his "older woman", Grace (came home on Jan 18)
Family picture time - check out the matching Purdue hats!
The Sevastopol kids.

We were able to spend the afternoon with a bunch of kids from Ukraine (and their adopted families) today. What a great afternoon! Many of these families had never met us but had heard our story and vice-versa. Joseph was able to reconnect with some of his friends from the orphanage and Jonathan made a friend in a beautiful "older woman" who just came home about 3 weeks ago. I think one of the best parts of this adoption process (besides bringing the yahoos home of course) has been the wonderful people we've met. It's invaluable having people to talk to who have been through the things we have and who have insight and wisdom. I love that these families invited us to join them today and that they welcomed us with open arms. We were especially excited for Joseph to reconnect with one of his best friends from the orphanage. Carl came home to Ohio from Sevastopol about a year or so ago. Apparently he has been telling his mom and dad that they needed to go back to Ukraine to bring home Roma. Imagine his excitement when he found out that Roma DID get to come to America! They were reunited today and after an initial warm-up period on Joseph's part, they had a good time wrestling around and playing like 8-year old boys. I love that we were able to give the boys a taste of home today. Most of the time they do great but I know there are moments when they are sick to death of hearing English and long for someone who understands every word they say. Again, what a blessing these families are to us.

Snow Days

He even has to look cool in the dentist's chair!
Yes, I really did wrap my son's hands and feet in Kroger bags and painters tape (we are out of duct tape). It kept the kid dry and for once he could be outside without Mom!
Dream on boys - we are NOT buying you a snowmobile!
Charity and Hannah wait for Uncle Brian to bring back Hannah's snowmobile (it rides smoother) so that Charity can take a turn.Jonathan and Uncle Brian. The goggles are as big as Jonathan's face but he LOVED that he got to ride too!
Michael and Joseph getting ready for rides on the snowmobile.

Well, we have had two snow days in a row. The kids are loving it but they are getting on their mom's last nerve. The three older ones can't get along for 5 minutes to save their lives. You would think with the amount of building materials (Knex, legos, lincoln logs, magnetix, etc) we have in this house that they could figure out some way to play peacefully for a while but apparently that is asking too much. There is never enough for each of them to have every piece they want. I'm tempted to toss them all out the door - kids included - and let them back in the house after the spring thaw! I also can't seem to keep up with the house when they are all home. I haven't been able to put my finger on the reason or the solution yet. I just know that Eric is going to be irritated when he gets home again tonight because the house will look like it has been ransacked by short people - oh wait, that is exactly what has happened. Maybe I'll just make them pick up one hour before he gets home and then I'll tie them to chairs. Of course I'll have to gag them because the whining and yelling will be more than this mom can take. Boy, I sound pretty violent! Please don't call CPS, I promise I would never harm one of these angels with the crooked halos. I think I just need a nap. The yahoos are so accustomed to their school schedule that even on snow days they are up before 6:30. That is NOT sleeping in.
In other news, we continue to check things off our list as far as the boys and their medical "stuff" goes. Joseph went to the dentist this week (thanks for seeing him John) and we were pleasantly surprised that he only had one cavity. There are some enamel issues to watch and we need to talk to an orthodontist about spacing but overall it is much better than we had feared. Jonathan had PT/OT this week as well. He did great but it was a long afternoon. He will be going back for each every week but we have scheduled them on different days in order to get the most out of him before he is too tired to cooperate. Thank goodness we aren't dealing with school for him yet. I can't imaging working that hard after being in school all day too. The first visit was mostly an evaluation. I can't tell you much about the PT part of it because we really need to talk to the ortho people before we have any kind of prognosis but the OT girl was thrilled and impressed with my little trooper. She said she see a lot of potential which did wonders for this mommy's heart. I just want this precious little one to accomplish everything he wants to do and be able to get in there on the same level as his brothers and sister. I'm going to be completely transparent here and tell you that having a "special needs" child has always been one of my biggest fears. There are so many things that fed this fear but ultimately they didn't matter. God began working in my heart from the moment we saw the pics of this little guy in the Ukrainian SDA office and he continues to shower us with blessing in the form of little Jonathan. Sometimes my heart catches when I think of what we would have been missing out on if we would have said "no" and left him there as other (Italian) families had done before us. I'm so glad that I actually listened to that still small voice and trusted God and His promises. The Bible tells us to care for widows and orphans in their distress and our Jonathan certainly fits the bill. I know God has had and will continue to have his hand on this child. I can't wait to see what He is going to do in his life.

Poor Jonathan

I don't often pity our youngest child. Yes he has some disabilities, but he is such a happy child and can pretty much do what he wants to do so I kind of "forget" about his limitations. The weather the past couple of days has made me feel a little bad for the poor kid though. He hasn't been able to go out to play with the others and it makes him so sad it breaks my heart. I try to make it up to him by playing with him or putting in a movie but he just wants to be out with his big brothers and sister. Even the dog ditches him for the great outdoors. I'm dreading the first big snow (where it isn't in the -degrees). He's going to hate that he can only be out if I'm with him. The shape of his feet make it very hard to find shoes as well so when it is cold he can't be out long. I'm hoping that the doctors can point us in the right direction and keep that beautiful smile on my boy's face. (Speaking of smiles, the bottom tooth got knocked out in the orphanage a few days before Eric picked him up. Apparently it had been loose though because the new one is coming in already - surprise!)

Let the (medical) fun begin!

So I took the kids to their pediatrician last week. Everything looks good on the surface. They are both small for their age - which we knew - but they appear very healthy. A Russian-speaking dentist is high on the list of priorities for Joseph and we will be starting OT and PT with Jonathan on Monday. Both boys go to Riley in a couple of weeks for their international adoption clinic and then Jonathan goes back on the 9th to see their ortho doctor. We will follow it all up with another visit to the pediatrician on the 11th to pull everything together and come up with a plan of attack for Jonathan. We are really hopeful that with therapy he will gain quite a bit more independence. He is only 31 pounds right now so lifting him is not a problem but in a year or two I'm going to have to start training to be a professional weight lifter in order keep up with him. And to be completely honest - if it is possible I would like to get out of having to be involved in the toilet process! : ) We have a child's toilet that he can use but he can't pull his own pants down or empty the potty so...yeah for me, I get toilet duty. For some reason the kid LOVES the bathroom and would go every 1/2 hour if I would let him - so I'm sure he is antsy to be able to go without mom's help as well - then he can go whenever he feels like it.
We still continue to adjust well. The boys are doing great and really starting to understand a lot of English. They aren't speaking as much of it but they pick up a word or two every day. Joseph and Michael continue to be the best of friends which is trying at times. They get very riled up and our house is so small that it just seems to be magnified. Joseph also tends to exclude Charity which goes over like a ton of bricks so we're working on it. Most of the time having 4 isn't much different than having 2. (Just don't ask me about that at dinner time or when I'm folding laundry - again!) I think it helps that they are old enough to do a lot of stuff on their own. They play really well together and are very helpful around the house. They keep us laughing too. I think we're going to have our hands full when this group becomes teenagers.
The other night we went to a chili supper for some friends of ours who are adopting from Ukraine and hoping to travel in May. It was a great evening of fellowship, worship and sharing. Their church has gathered them in and supported them like nothing I have ever seen. I love to see God's people acting like we are supposed to and these people are living it out! Many of the other families that we have met through this adoption journey were at this event as well. Most of the adopted kids (all but one of them are girls) were from Sevastopol and so Joseph recognized a few of them. One in particular had his attention and he had hers as well - I have the "love notes" to prove it! I am SO not ready for this!

Our new "normal"

You don't have to speak English to love the antics of Bob, Larry and all the other Veggies!
One of Jonathan's many funny faces.
The two sick ones at Eric's dad's Christmas.
The two healthy ones in the same moment as above. Note the difference in energy levels!
Joseph's favorite birthday gift - cold hard cash!
Jonathan making sure he got his share of fudge on his birthday cake/ice-cream combo.
The happy couple - 10 years later!

Well the kids have been with us for 2 weeks as of yesterday, and what a 2 weeks it has been! We’ve survived 4 Christmases (not the movie!), New Years, 2 birthdays and our 10 year anniversary – which we celebrated early by taking a one month trip to Europe and dinner locally at a great little place in a nearby town. New Year’s Eve was spent hanging out with some of our best friends. We had a great time just playing cards, watching the kids run amok and trying to pick up new songs on Wii Rock Band. We’ve been incredibly blessed to land in two wonderful small groups over our tenure at our church. The friendships that I made in the first one and am making in the latest one are so important to me and I’m extremely blessed to count you guys as friends – and not just the facebook kind of friend! Okay, enough of the sentiment!

Joseph’s birthday is the same day as our anniversary. Poor kid didn’t get much of a birthday with it being just a week after they had come home. But, we had small group for church that night, so he got to play with all the kids, got lots of extra hugs and kisses, a few presents and a yummy banana cake. This also meant that we had to keep Jonathan’s birthday low key as well (which quite frankly is fine with me!) Next year they will have made friends and I’ll do the whole sha-bang for them. (What am I doing? I’ve just put that in writing and now I’ll have to follow through with it!)

We had Christmas with Eric’s side of the family on Saturday. Jonathan and Charity had both contracted fevers in the night but John (Eric’s dad) wanted us to come anyway and the kids were feeling great as long as the Motrin was working. John and Teri (Eric’s older sister) had been with us at the airport on the night the boys got home but Laura (Eric’s little sister) hadn’t met her new nephews yet. It was fun to watch her fall in love with them and overall it was a wonderful day. Joseph was his normal goofy self all day. I’m not kidding – that child is going to give Charity a run for her money for the nuttiest kid in our family. A month or so ago I would have told you that she had that title locked up but Joseph is a complete clown! Give him an audience and about 10 minutes to loosen up and stand back! Today’s theme was “monkey man” and he did everything in his power to prove that he belongs in a zoo. He got a card from my sister for his birthday with a monkey on it, they watched Curious George on PBS a couple of times this week and Jonathan got a stuffed George for his birthday plus it’s one of the few animal names Joseph knows in English. All of these circumstances combined made for a pretty entertaining day. We were standing in line for the citrus truck this afternoon and he kept telling me over and over “Ya monkey mama. Ya monkey mama. Papa panda, mama kangaroo, ya monkey!” (Ya = I) I’m not sure what makes Eric a panda or me a kangaroo but it doesn’t really matter because at dinner we all got assigned to new animals – except Eric who is still a panda, and Monkey Man of course!

Jonathan prefers to do most of his expressing with his eyes. He makes the most hilarious facial expressions! He’s also quite pathetic when he wants to be. He does this silent cry with these HUGE crocodile tears that would work their magic on anyone who didn’t know what he was up to. I asked him to put his blanket and monkey back in his bed this afternoon and you would have thought I told him the most heartbreaking news ever! Now granted, it is harder for him to put stuff away when he doesn’t have his braces on but he is perfectly capable of the task I asked him to perform, he just didn’t want to do it and so he played the pity card. Next time Mom might buy it but this time I won the battle. Go me!!

Michael and Charity are adjusting pretty well to having 2 new brothers. I really thought that it would be hardest on MJ since he was the one giving up his room, closet, toys, etc. but I think he’s had the easiest time of it. He and Joseph are the best of friends (for now) and Michael is such a mother hen that he has naturally gravitated toward Jonathan as well. Charity feels left out a little more often. Joseph prefers Michael’s company over anyone else and Jonathan wants to be just like his big brothers so they tend to exclude her. Today I kicked Joseph and Charity outside and made MJ stay in and work on homework. It was nice to see the two middle ones playing together. They will most likely be in the same grade in the fall and so I really want them to be friends as well as siblings.

I am adjusting to being the mother of four as well. Most of the time we have a pretty good time but the hour before dinner is the worst. I call this the “arsenic hour” – you either want to take it or give it to someone! Finishing up homework, getting the house picked up before Eric gets home, and getting dinner on the table while dealing with all the “Mommy, can I…, Mommy, I need…, Mommy, Michael did this and Mommy, Charity did that”, not to mention all the complaints and requests in Russian about drives me crazy every night! We’re working on getting a routine down and I’ve got my awesome chore chart going for the 3 oldest ones ( http://www.familytools.com) and my supper swap group has started again, which helps tremendously. On the plus side – I sleep really well at night!

In many ways the time has gone quickly but in others it feels like these boys have been with us forever. They experience new things every day and it’s so much fun to see our life through their eyes. Everything is new and exciting to them and so different from what they have lived up to this point. I’ve told you all before that the transition has been very easy and that continues to be true. Both boys pout when told no but they eventually obey and we haven’t seen any of the signs or symptoms of RAD, which is a relief. (For those of you who are not familiar with the world of adoption or foster care – this is basically when a child has difficulty “attaching” to their adoptive/foster family. Feel free to Google it if you want to know what we are NOT experiencing.) They are both affectionate and have been telling us they love us for a week or so now. Joseph cried with us for the first time today. He hit his leg on the door frame during one of his “ya monkey” escapades. I know that sounds like a ridiculous thing to be happy about but I’m pleased that he knew that his tears wouldn’t be ignored by me and he let me love on him without even thinking twice. It’s the little moments like this that reassure me that even when the “honeymoon” is over, we will still be alright. Both boys will be going to the doctor on Tuesday for a well-child visit. I believe this will also get the ball rolling for Jonathan and his PT and OT. I’m antsy to get that going so that I have some idea of what challenges we will be facing. I take comport in the fact that God’s promises are true and it has been abundantly clear that He has been in this process every step of the way. We are so, so blessed!

Settling in

Ummm, they were supposed to be doing dishes....

This is the definition of brotherly love!

The Bears were playing (we won't go into the outcome - but the first quarter was GREAT!) We'll make a football lover out of Joseph yet. Football is with a brown oblong ball, soccer is the black and white one!

The sand box is fun even in December!

I know many of you are wondering how things are going now that everyone is home. I can only tell you that we must still be in the “honeymoon” phase because it has been absolutely wonderful. The boys both love playing with Michael and Charity. They are helpful and polite but not TOO polite. (We have our fair share of “bathroom humor” at the dinner table.) They make jokes and tease each other and all of us too. They basically are fitting in very smoothly. I’ve had lots of people ask me about their English skills. To begin with, they don’t speak any English. They are starting to pick up on what I call the politeness phrases: please, thank you, hello, goodbye and excuse me. Michael and Charity go back to school on the 5^th and we will begin working hardcore on English with Joseph and Jonathan after that. If anyone has any brilliant ideas or sources of info on how to make this happen feel free to let me know. I’m hoping to have Joseph ready for 2^nd grade by the fall and Jonathan should be ready for Kindergarten by then as well. I think it will be helpful to have both of them working on the same things at first. Nothing like a little healthy competition to move things along. We’re able to get around conversationally pretty well. Luckily we know the words and phrases for taking care of basic needs – eat, toilet and sleep. Everything else is taken care of by pointing and trial and error. Luckily we haven’t had any major issues or needs. If and when those come up we’ll just have to rely on our Russian phrase books and the online translating sites. Today we have stayed home and played, well the kids are playing, and I am doing laundry and dishes and all the other fun stuff that gets backed up whenever I’m not looking. I kicked the 3 oldest kids outside while Jonathan took his nap so that gave me some time to work on the blog and check up on some of the other ones I like to follow. I found a new one today of a couple that adopted 2 brothers about a year ago. I was reading about some of the attachment issues they were dealing with from day one and feeling very fortunate that we aren’t having any of those. Both boys have loved us from the near the beginning of this process and seem to be getting more and more comfortable and thinking of this as “home”. Joseph is fairly comfortable around strangers too which could be a sign that we are in for some rough waters in the future but Jonathan does not warm up immediately to strangers. He does very well when his brothers and sister are around but if they aren’t there he is VERY hesitant. We saw it come out in full force this weekend. He absolutely hated church on Sunday. Eric thinks it reminded him too much of the orphanage – all those kids and no parents, just teachers - and he was having NONE of it. Eric and I had planned to tag-team it that morning and each spend an hour in his room anyway so it really didn’t change our plan much but it will be interesting to see how much time it takes him to figure out that Mom and Dad always come back. Joseph didn’t have any trouble. He is in the same room as Michael and Charity so they showed him the ropes and made his morning down right fun. (Miss Lisa and all of her volunteers had a lot to do with that as well.) Time will tell us how this is all going to play out. The more time we spend as a family the more we are convinced that these little guys were meant to be in our family. They had a rough start in life but they are home now and we are absolutely thrilled. Keep praying for us and for their transition.

They are home!!!

Waiting patiently for the luggage to arrive. (Michael, Joseph, Jonathan, Charity)
We begin the festivities with stockings.
Our first breakfast together.
Yes my boys are in matching/coordinating pj's.
The happy family!



I know you all have been anxiously waiting for this post – everyone is home!!!! Eric and the boys got in on Christmas Eve at around 7 pm. They were met at the airport by Michael, Charity and I, of course, but also my mom and step-dad (Roger) and Eric’s dad and older sister. The meeting was a long time coming but it was definitely worth it. Eric had taken an earlier flight from Chicago and so we had to wait for his luggage to arrive on the later flight. It gave Joseph and Jonathan some time on neutral ground to play with MJ and Charity and to warm up to everyone a little bit before heading home. Joseph was ready and willing to love us but it took Jonathan about 20 minutes to look anyone in the eye. Eric eventually took him away for a few minutes and then brought him back and played with him and that did the trick. He has been on “go” ever since. Coming at Christmas has really been great timing. They are completely overwhelmed anyway so we might as well pile it all on at once and get it over with! : ) Christmas morning was great! Michael and Charity were up at about 7:30. Joseph was up at 8:00 and we got Jonathan up about 15 minutes later. (Michael and Charity couldn’t stand the waiting anymore and we knew he would get a nap later anyway!) My mom and Roger and my brothers arrived shortly after everyone was up and we let the kids start the madness that is Christmas morning. We don’t do HUGE Christmas in our house (many of you know our theory on Christmas presents – if 3 presents was good enough for our Lord and Savior then it is certainly good enough for my little sinners) but by the time you get those 3 gifts plus stockings plus gifts from each other, times 4 kids it gets crazy nonetheless. But, it was the best kind of crazy I could ever wish for. Definitely a once in a lifetime kind of morning. We spent the day at home and then joined my dad’s side of the family for the evening festivities. The boys got to meet most of their new cousins and seemed to fit in quite seamlessly. They got their first taste of “dirty Santa” which is a traditional game in our family that involves cards, stealing of white-elephant style gifts and making small children cry – always good Christmas fun. Today we are taking it easy. Eric returned to work and the kids and I are lounging around, eating candy and watching movies. I’m such a good mom. But what else would you do the day after Christmas, especially when it’s raining outside. Tomorrow and Sunday will be filled with more Christmas fun, so the downtime is appreciated.

On their way!

Eric and the boys will be starting their journey home in 5 short hours!!! I know I said I would post as soon as I knew something but when it came right down to it – I had to Christmas shop for a couple of extra kids and figure out how we are going to fit all their new stuff in “the dorm”. We’re also going to be sticking pretty close to home for the next few days so getting it picked up is a necessary evil. I talked to Eric yesterday morning and he had received the passports and was flying out to Kyiv. When we talked this afternoon, he had finished all the stuff at the Embassy (took about 4 hours) and was getting ready for bed. He and the boys will be picked up at 2:45 am (That’s 7:45 pm tonight local time) to take their 5:30 flight from Kyiv to Frankfurt. From Frankfurt he will go to Chicago and then to Indy. The weather is looking okay for tomorrow evening – not great, but definitely okay – and hopefully there will be no delays. We’re all so excited it’s hard to even think about anything else, let alone form coherent thoughts on my blog. Everyone have a merry Christmas. I can pretty much guarantee I won’t be posting for a few days but keep checking up on us. I’ll try to keep you posted as we transition to a family of 6!

Still Waiting

Another day, another morning of facing jet lag. I’ve also figured out the downside of not having to share my bed with my husband – Charity! It’s been very windy at our house the last two nights and she has come in wanting to share my bed because “it’s scary and the tree might fall in my window and Olivia is licking me!” I have been too tired to argue but I warned her that this was the last night this was happening. It sounds like I just bought myself a rough night tonight. Maybe we’ll go stay at mom’s. On today’s agenda – Christmas shopping. I had everyone but the two new boys finished before we left so I don’t really have much to do but it’s so stinking cold out that I’m not really looking forward to it. On the plus side – my van has been parked right behind the house since we brought home the loft (too tired or too cold to move it back to the garage) so I don’t have to go far to warm it up. Eric will not be very happy when he reads that. I promise I'll put it back in the garage today, honey!

Talked to Eric yesterday. Things with the boys are still going well. Jonathan is singing instead of sleeping but I guess that’s better than screaming! (It also sounds hilarious. I can just imagine this little 4 year old singing away in Russian while his older brother tries to sleep and his father tries not to thump him!) Eric is also figuring out the leg braces. We knew Jonathan didn’t like wearing the new ones but thought it was just because they were new and not as comfortable as the leather ones. Not the case. Apparently there is a spot were the plastic rubs against the bone on one of his feet so the new ones are actually painful. Poor little guy. I’m ready to get him home so we can get started figuring out how best to proceed with his care. We will know this afternoon if they are going to make it home on Wed. I didn’t realize that Eric had already booked his return home flight. Apparently Angelina told him to, so he did. Then she started back tracking a little bit and has him really nervous that he’s going to have to pay transfer fees – again! I’ll let you all know what the latest is as soon as I know myself and have a chance to log on.

Our little house in the country

So another day back in the good ol’ USA is complete. Eric’s sisters came over on Saturday to help me get Michael’s room ready for an additional two boys. For those of you who have never been to my house I should tell you – small is an understatement. We love living here though. The location is ideal and we have the best landlords ever. The layout of it is great and it doesn’t feel like any of the 950 sq. ft. is wasted, however – fitting 6 people in this house is going to take some maneuvering. MJ’s room - from here on out to be called the dorm ; ) – already had bunk beds so yesterday Teri (Eric’s older sister) and I braved the shopping crowds and ran into town to see if we could find a loft to finish off the sleeping arrangements. We lucked out and the one we found was not only the perfect size but it was on SALE. With the help of some of the boys at Meijer we were able to load it up. A stop at the mattress store – where again, SALE – and we were on our way home. (I’m just kidding about the sale thing; I would expect nothing less than for everything to be “on sale” 5 days before Christmas!) My brother and cousin were kind enough to come over later that evening and unload the van for me and hopefully today we will have it set up and ready to start figuring out how we are going to make this work. The highlight of my day today will be going to church. I always miss my own church when I’m away but the nature our adoption – being in a VERY foreign country with no real access to transportation – didn’t even allow us to attend someone else’s church while we were away. I’m excited to feel that connection again and see some of the many people who have been praying (and I hope will continue to pray) for us during this journey.

I talked to Eric again yesterday. He and the boys are settling in to each other. Joseph is a big help with Jonathan. He’s apparently a good translator too which makes me laugh. The boys don’t know any English so the fact that Joseph is able to communicate for Jonathan to Eric is hilarious. It sounds like they are sticking pretty close to home which I’m sure is driving Eric nuts but I know they have ventured out a couple of times and seem to be doing very well. Eric confessed that he will be ready to “thump” Jonathan before they come home so that’s a very good sign. Let me explain myself – first of all, we would never “thump” our children, it just sounds funny and we say it often around our house and secondly, I figure if he is attached to him enough to want to discipline him then we’re in a very good place. Jonathan is going to be high maintenance. He has been in the orphanage since birth and has been doted on by all the staff there so he’s very spoiled. He’s very smart and has elevated manipulation to an art-form. He also hasn’t had a lot of freedom. This first taste of it is thrilling for him and so he’s testing the limits. Bedtime is especially a struggle – Eric compared it to the issues we had with Andriy (the little boy we hosted this summer) and equates it to the same reason, newfound freedom. We’re very thankful that Joseph is setting a good example and is able to communicate with him. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea about Jonathan. He’s only 4 years old so all of this is normal and not overly concerning to us. A lot of the characteristics I see in him are also evident in Charity (feel free to laugh out loud) so we know what we’ve taken on and also hopefully have a little bit of wisdom dealing with the issues and blessings that arise with a strong-willed child. Being so determined will serve him well with the physical limitation he faces so as long as we can harness this quality for good instead of evil we will be in good shape.

I'm going to beg you all now to pray hard that everything works out and they are able to get home as planned. Not only are we anxious to have our family together again but we really need Eric to get back to work. Lawyers don't make money when lawyers don't work and stay-at-home moms are priceless but they don't bring home a paycheck! : )

I’m going to finish off today by sharing a short list of things I’ve missed or will miss, just random things I’ve noticed in the first 48 hours.

Things (not people – that goes without saying) I’ve missed in the States:

1. tucking my kids in to bed at night
2. fitted sheets
3. clothes dryers
4. being able to read labels on food packaging
5. cooking my own meals
6. hearing the words “merry Christmas”
7. driving
8. being smiled at by nearly everyone you come in contact with

Things I will miss about Ukraine:

1. my friends there
   
2. Jenia's ringback tone on her cell phone!
   
3. Joseph’s friends there
4. the market – more specifically the prices of the fruit and veggies IN the market. I had sticker shock in the produce department when I went Krogering on Friday.
5. high speed internet – even if I had to walk 10 minutes to get to it
6. eating out for much cheaper than I could cook a meal in the States
7. Greek salad and blinis
8. the Black Sea - it’s a shame Indiana is land-locked, I really love the view and the smell of the air
9. the time spent just hanging out with Eric – a month is way too long but a day or so here and there would be nice, heck an hour during daylight hours would be nice!

Things I won’t miss:

1. figuring out what things actually cost based on the exchange rate that day
2. the dog at Roma’s orphanage - she’s MEAN; I don’t care what any of the workers say!!