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!