Catching snow...

 

 

I wonder what snow feels like on my tongue?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gotta love the spontaneity of 4 and 5 yr. olds!  Oh my, these girls are tooooo much fun!

A march and a slushy?....

A couple weeks ago I was watching Josh and the Big Wall (one of Annie's favorite movies) with the girls and Davy.... Jr. Asparagus said something that I cannot get out of my mind. So, finally, on Sunday afternoon I sat down with them and watched it again - this time with my computer and Word and copied down Jr. 's thoughts.

(Jr. Asparagus was challenging his fellow Israelites to do something that didn’t make a whole lot of sense from an earthly perspective, but was very obviously being obedient to the LORD.)


And so says Jr. Asparagus...,


“Wait, don’t you see what you're doing?

God gave you directions and you’re ignoring them.

Don’t you remember what happened when you were supposed to go into the promised land but you got scared and ran away instead?

Cuz You didn’t follow God’s directions, you had to stay in the desert for 40 years!”

Jimmy fumbles for an excuse, “Welllll, yeah but, that was….”

Jr. continues….

“I know God’s directions don’t always make sense to us but things work out a lot better when we do them Gods way instead of trying to do things our own way.

It didn’t make sense when God told you to walk right through the Red Sea, but what happened? The water dried up.

And it didn’t make sense when God told you to live in the desert even though there is no food in the desert.

But what happened? God gave you manna to eat.

Don’t you see, sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense to us…

Like walking around a city to make the walls fall down or being nice to someone who hasn’t been nice to us

But, when we remember that God made us and loves us and always wants what’s best for us we can be sure that His way is the best way.

(Jr. sings the following song….)

The Lord has given this land to us. No need to fuss. He knows what He’s doing. We know that he will take care of us if we will follow Him. God’s way is the best way. Now that I know … He loves me so… His way is the best way and that’s the way for me!"

And then Jr.'s final challenge,


"Tomorrow morning Josh and I are going back out there to march around Jericho.

Who’s coming with us?”

What I am thankful for

To:  Karen

From:  Lee

This thanksgiving - I am extraordinarilly thankful for YOU!    I am taking over your blog to tell you why.

First, I am thankful that you love Jesus with all your heart and desire to be obedient and follow him.

Second, I am thankful that you love me unconditionally;  almost 18 years and you are still beside me - all the time; I appreciate that so much.

Third, I am thankful that you have a vision and compassion for orphans; not just the two that we adopted - but the many others that we saw, you care for and loved and continue to pray for.

Fourth, I am thankful for banging pots and pans.   Today the girls saw Macys and replicated in their own smiley little way - what a treasure.

Fifth - I am thankful that you bought and brought 100+ sleepers to Ukraine with us last summer.   I have smiled many times thinking of those little kids outside Kharkov @ Zelani Guy who have warm jammies - because you had the foresight to shop every Wal-Mart and Target looking for close-outs.

Sixth, I am thankful that you take care of all of our children in a compassionate and loving way - even after a week when most of us feel pretty crummy.  

Seventh, I am thankful that you have been supportive even when my job has taken me away.   For those that don't recall - 2 days after we came home from Ukraine - I started a new job at our corporate headquarters; and until this week had been gone every week for the past 12; Karen has been behind this all the way - even with all the additional work.

 

Eighth - I am thankful that you are a tomboy; girls need to learn to climb trees, hike in the woods, dig for bugs, explore and make life fun.

Ninth - I am thankful for your good common sense.   You know the right thing to do and you do it.    I appreciate that - and maybe that is why I trust you when you spend 15 hours shopping at an outlet mall.  

Tenth - I better stop - I haven't seen the kids for a while and they are under my charge - because you are busy with the turkey. 

I love you with all my heart - Happy Thanksgiving

Your partner in parenting and crime:

Lee

Annie part 2....

Thank you for praying for Annie!

She is better - at least the fever is down. She is eating and drinking and dancing once in while. :) Now comes all the coughing to get all that crud up...(which translates to Mom or Dad holding her upright at night so she can sleep) Oh well I will take that any day over a sick little girl who just lays in my arms going in and out of sleep because her fever is so high.

Now for the rest of us....we seem to be batting 0 for 2 at the last 2 major holidays. Last Christmas we all had the stomach flu and now to celebrate Thanksgiving we all have awful colds and coughs. The big difference this time is we get to share it all with 2 more little sweethearts in our home!

I wonder if Katie and Emie have ever had stuffing or pumkin pie or cranberries?

Annie....

Thank you for praying for my little Annie. She is sick. Its such a bummer to be sick, especially when you are only 4 and you want to be playing with your new sisters.

We have had cold after cold after fever after fever after cold after cold this fall. I can't remember the last time David didn't have boogies coming out of his nose. Poor little guy.

Anyway, Annie had a rough weekend - high fever, congestion and cold. Fortunately I had lots of help from Auntie Rufie and Kelsey because Annie has been one sick little girl. I took her in this morning to the Dr. and found out she has pneumonia. Fortunately, it is mild enough I can keep her home with us. I am praying it will stay that way.

Today has been a long day. I have held her all day and we have definitely (remember I can gate the family room to keep us all together!) watched our share of TV today...several Praise Baby DVD's, every episode of "Frances", Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (I have never actually watched that before), and then to cap off the day a few episodes of House Hunters International.

She is sleeping off/on all the time and still has a high temp. (up to 104 at times) I am trying to push the liquids as much as I can and medicine for the fever periodically. (anyone who knows Annie, knows Annie does not do medicine.) I have tried disguising it in every bloomin' thing I can think of without success. Usually, I just hold her down and squirt it in the side of her mouth. Sometimes, it works.

Anyway, thank you for praying for Annie and the rest of us.

Thank you Jesus for giving us bodies that heal. And thank you for giving us such wonderful friends that pray for us and help us out!

Don't you think my new sisters are pretty?

 

I do!  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ago they were sitting in a Ukrainian orphanage, doing nothing, with no mom or dad  or sisters and brothers. And now, they're with me!

 

People think they're twins but they're not.  I like to feel their hair but my mommy wants it to grow out so she can braid it or put it in ponies, just like mine!  (she says orphanage haircuts are awful and she's pretty certain, Katie's last haircut was performed while she was running)

 

We like to play in our kitchen center that is in our room.  We make pie, muffins, pizza, spaghetti, and coffee.  Mom is always asking for more coffee.  She seems a little tired. I can't imagine why.  We also love to look at books.  One of our favorite books is, "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom".  Mom loves to read that to us.  Davy likes it too.   We also love to listen to music and dance. My favorite song is "He Reigns" by the Newsboys.  I am teaching my new sisters how to dance to that song.....sometime Mom will post pics or a video of us.   I'll try to post again sometime...hope you enjoy the pictures of my new sisters! 

- Annie

Can you believe our family...

...is this long?

A couple weeks ago my friend Laura came over to take a couple pics of our family. It was a fun day! Enjoy!...

The guys...

The girls...

My baby, Davy...

My beautiful, little girl, Annie...

My beautiful, little girl, Katie...

My beautiful, little girl, Emie...

Sisterly affection!

We have been blessed with 2 dear friends, Laura and Kim, who have taken professional pictures of our family. Thank you to Kim for our before Ukraine pictures and to Laura for our after Ukraine pictures! You ladies are the best!

Leaves & Halloween

Fall has come to the northern plains. This year seems to be a late fall for us - usually by the time the twins have their birthday on the 24th - most of our trees have changed color and leaves are falling. This year - we still had some green ones in late October.


Today was a day for all hands on deck - the girls (and dad) worked on leaves all afternoon.


We did have an afternoon of wet snow last week - letting us know what is next on the schedule. Before that happens - we have to show some good leaf pictures and a few little trick-or-treaters. We have had a few beautiful days to enjoy. . .

There are lots of leaves to rake and throw - making for a fun afternoon.




and now for Halloween
We had 2 in the cat family, 2 in the dog family and one superhero!

Youngest to oldest -
David as a tiger - the amazing binkie loving tiger who can roar!


Emelia Anastasia
As the always lovable and ever bouncy Tigger appearing in her first Halloween! She enjoyed every moment of it!


And to the canine family -

Scooby Doo - or Scooty Boo - as Annie calls him. She is a halloween veteran - this being her 4th Halloween.



And Katherine Victoria - our last little puppy; she also enjoyed her first Halloween.



And the amazing Sam - saving the world from crisis and doom - every single day!



And we are off to the races. . . .




The twins stayed home with a friend and had the duty of handing out candy to all the little ghosts and goblins that came to our door (and eating as much as they could while mom and dad were away).

Twins turn 12!!!

Friday, Oct. 24, 2008...

Twelve years ago today Lee and I became the blessed parents of Andrew and Daniel!

Happy Birthday to my best Andrew and my best Daniel!!!

The fact that they are alive and healthy is an amazing miracle! No one reading my blog would ever guess that at one time Lee and I wondered if we would ever have children! But, after struggling for several years with infertility, the Lord decided to double bless us! Seventeen weeks into my pregnancy, I started pre-term labor. In the end I spent 13 weeks in the hospital, on bedrest, in trendellenburg. The twins were born 6 weeks early - 2 little healthy mites that just needed to spend a few weeks in NICU to grow! Thank you Jesus for my big boys, Andrew and Daniel!

Daniel: 4 lbs. 1 oz.

Andrew: 3 lbs. 9 oz.

(yes, that is a little straw craft hat, tiny pumpkin, and 1/4 of a bandana!)

How to outwit a Ukrainian orphan...

1. Go to Wal-mart and buy lots of gates and put them in every room in the house.
2. Go back to Wal-mart and buy even taller gates. Although Ukrainian orphans with Down Syndrome may not be as agile as their American counterparts because of institutionalized inactivity, they are still very flexible and appear to have an innate ability to flop their leg on the top of seemingly insurmountable gates and throw their body over said gate.
3. Tape the wet wipes box shut.
4. Tape the wet wipes box to the changing table. (so they don't run off to a hidden corner and remove the tape. )
5. Tape the light switch on or off, depending on desired light in room.
6. Unscrew the light bulb.
7. Move everything to the middle of the kitchen table so little Ukrainian hands can't quickly grab desired items and run.
8. Quickly realize that little Ukrainian arms can stretch further than one could ever imagine.
9. Move everything from the kitchen table to a very, very high place or a gated room.
10. Install safety cupboard latches on anything in the house that resembles a door.
11. Most definitely -put locks on all doors to the outside of the house. (in so doing unfortunately lock Daddy out of house)
12. At the dining room table - invest in booster seats that not only buckle to the chair but also buckle the little Ukrainian in place.
13. When eating at the table with one said little Ukrainian named Katie - keep a distance of at least one and a half arm lengths away from her - to prevent loss of your own meal to her mouth. (seriously - we have a large, old library table for our dining room table and she gets to use almost 1/4 of it!)
14. Definitely keep little Ukrainian buckled up after meal until absolutely everything is cleared off the table and back in the (gated) kitchen.
15. At bedtime sit outside door until little Ukrainians have fallen asleep.
16. Sit inside bedroom until previously assumed asleep Ukrainian orphans are truly asleep.
17. Sit outside room again at 3 or 4 in the morning when Ukrainian orphan decides its time to play.
18. Learn how to say, "Go to sleep" , "Be quiet", and "Stay in bed" in Russian.
19. Never, never let Ukrainian orphan have unrestricted access to the bathroom.
20. When orphan is given access to bathroom for toileting necessities, always remove toilet paper roll to a very, very high shelf.
21. Invest in house flood insurance for every time Ukrainian orphan takes a bath.
22. Increase flood insurance for times orphans are accompanied in bathtub by newly acquired little brother and sister.
23. Never, never forget a pen, pencil, marker, or anything resembling a writing instrument on table.
24. When painting windows on outside of house, always put paintbrush up high.
25. Be thankful you used latex paint after realizing your newly adopted Ukrainian orphan just painted your wife's clothesline pole, her own sweatshirt and then just wondered what American latex paint tasted like. (that's for you Lee:)
26. When mother of Ukrainian orphans is absolutely exhausted, gate TV room, put in Praise Baby or Signing Time, spread out blanket on floor, offer copious amounts of popcorn, and lay in recliner peacefully for at least 5 minutes before all 4 young children wiggle their way onto your lap.
27. Never assume that just because your backyard is fenced, an Ukrainian orphan won't find a place to wriggle under bottom board to follow the fleeing housecat named Scooter.
28. While relaxing in your backyard as all the children happily play, suddenly realize that one of your newly adopted Ukrainian orphans is standing out in the middle of the street.
29. Definitely add more boards to the bottom of the fence.
30. If you are the Daddy of an Ukrainian orphan, lay on couch or floor, pretend to fall asleep and then receive millions of tiny little kisses and hugs from newly adopted Ukrainian orphans. :)

Our house and family will never be the same...but oh how we love our Ukrainian orphans!!!

Blog Police...

I am fairly certain I should be turned into the Blog Police for extreme lack of activity.

I can only hope I haven't lost all my readers...I did think I would be posting at least once a week and I am barely at every 2 weeks right now. I know its a pitiful excuse for a blog. I have lots of posts in my head and on my camera...they just don't seem to be making it to my computer!

I think I can only claim that I have been attacked and conquered by 2 little former Ukrainian orphans and 2 little American accomplices.

Other than my inability to get on the computer, life has been settling down around here. Thank you so much for all your encouragement and prayers!

We have been home now from Ukraine for 7 weeks - that's hard to believe! I am feeling much better - like I am finally starting to come up for air! The girls have settled down immensely which is so encouraging. I haven't been hit, bit, or spit at in several weeks! There's still quite a bit of the orphanage bark resonating in our house but even that has quieted down considerably. Both girls have a long ways to go in adjustment, attachment and behavior modification but now that I feel better I can handle it. I am confident with time they will improve.

Life, at times is incredibly difficult but also very amazing. I know the Lord will continue to go before us. We praise and thank Him for all that He is doing in our lives.

Mud...

So, the girls and I were out playing in the backyard the other day. I noticed by my potting bench a large washtub full of water. Realizing that I had probably provided an incubation nursery for half the mosquitos in our neighborhood, I quickly dumped it out. It was heavier than I thought and didn't really empty in the place I intended it too...instead it flooded a little brick and dirt path near the house. I didn't think much about it as I then abruptly ran into the house to get the phone. I was gone...maybe 2 minutes?

Apparently little girls love mud...

This is what I found when I returned....

Annie... (note mud on face and pants)

Katie... (note mud on face and in ponytail)

Partners in crime....

Trying to make a fast getaway?

Emie... (definitely trying to cover up evidence!)

(note mud on pants and corners of mouth!)

The question is..."Where was David in all of this?" Taking a nap of course - poor little guy, missed all the fun!