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!!