Our Adoption video...

It is apparent on many fronts that I am behind on things in our life....I am sure that anyone who reads our blog wonders if we ever update it!

I am finally getting around to posting our adoption video. We finished it a year ago but then it was misplaced in our move.

Katie and Emie have been with us for almost 2 years now! I can hardly believe its been that long. Seems like only yesterday that we were meeting our 2 sweethearts! :) (Meeting our girls for the first time!)

In fact, it was 2 years ago exactly on July 19th - Katie's birthday - that we left for Ukraine. It was an exciting and difficult time. Every year at this time we are flooded with intense emotions and memories.

We have known from the beginning that Katie and Emie were meant to be in our family. But, the last 2 years have not been easy. Adopting an older child with special needs that has grown up in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, brings with it a unique set of challenges. I have never blogged much about these - most of the time I've been too tired and overwhelmed to sort it all out. Someday, maybe I'll write a post about it.

But, for now we just keep trying to be obedient to the Lord and raise these 2 little scamps to love Jesus. And we thank Him immensely for the opportunity to serve Him by loving 2 of His orphans!


The video is posted at the side of our blog - you can watch it there. Or if you click on the 'original video' underneath, you will see it bigger. Enjoy and be warned - its pretty long!




(and yes, there will be a birthday post for Katie...just as soon as I pull myself out from under the latest 12 batches of laundry!)

Birthday girl!…

Annie turns 6 yrs. old! 

 

 

 

 

The little Princess celebrated her party in fine style…with an ice cream cake decorated with her favorite animal – an elephant and her favorite color – purple!

 

 

Seems like only yesterday!…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a miracle…

 

This is Emie…she is a miracle.   

This is a paper Emie brought home from pre-school a couple weeks ago – this is another miracle!  I will treasure it always.

You have no idea what a miracle this picture is and what this picture means to me!    

Our first weeks and months with Emie and Katie were really (REALLY!) rough.  Emie had happy times but actually spent much of her time in  her own world.  Emotionally and physically she shut down numerous times a day.  Any transition - any change - anything she didn’t like -  sent her back into her world- often accompanied by crying, sobbing, laying on the ground, sometimes grunting at us  -  pushing us away.   She would let Lee in sometimes – she has always adored him. :)  But, not me much.  It was at least 6 months before she crawled up in my lap and “wanted” me to cuddle her!  That first time -I think she sat with me for 20 minutes – I couldn’t believe it. 

 

Now – its almost 2 years since Emie became ours. Seeing her develop  - seeing her come out of her shell – out of her own little world  - its the most amazing thing to behold  - its like watching an exquisite  flower  unfold and bloom.   Now, when I rock her and hold her and love her  -  she truly loves me back.    That is a miracle!

 

Every day I thank Jesus that instead of rotting away in some Ukrainian mental institution… Emie has a Daddy and Emie has a Mommy and Emie has sisters and Emie has brothers…Emie has a family! 

 

Adoption – that is another miracle! 

 

Thank you Jesus!  

Signs of Spring…

 

(note big brothers snow boots)

 

 

 

 

(chalk on the face…)

 

 

 

(escape?…)

How to paint a house in 1 week…

 

1)     First and most importantly, find someone gracious (and crazy) enough to take your 7 children for 7 days so you and your husband can paint like maniacs.

 

(Thank you, thank you, thank you….Aunty M., Aunty J.,  nieces – L. and A.,  Papa and Nana S.  You guys are incredible!!!) 

 

 

2)   Analyze dozens of colors and buy way too many sample quarts of yellow.  Paint sample spots all over the house trying to decide what colors look good.  Finally, make a desperate phone call to your neighbor who you think might  know colors.  She does. 

 

 

3)   Buy paint and start painting!   Paint rooms as follows:  kitchen and dining room – Endless rain (blue) ; hallway to garage – Delightful Daffodil (yellow) ; laundry room – Tiffany Light (yellow) and Endless Rain;  bathroom – Northern Pear Tree (green) ;  living room, foyer, and upstairs hallway – Mesa Tan.     Gotta love all the paint color names!  

 

(above picture of lee is actual re-enactment)

 

 

4)   Be good friends with an amazing  professional painter who offers to come one evening and paint your entire 20+ feet high foyer!    (saves us from swinging from the chandelier to reach high spots or falling and breaking bones!)  Thank you Mark!!!

 

5)   Work like dogs the first 4 days so you can spend the last 3 days… sleeping in, eating out, taking walks, looking at magazines,  hanging pictures and lights, drinking lots of coffee and eating lots of ice cream, reading, shopping at IKEA and thrift stores, shopping for tile for kitchen backsplash, cleaning off your desk, cleaning out your 9 year olds room.  But, most of all, enjoy each others company and a few days of peace and quiet!

 

Stay tuned for a future blog post featuring,  “How to spend a week at your cousins without your parents around…”     

Buckethead…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You  gotta’ love a kid who dons a bucket and runs around the house squealing with delight!    Love ya Davy!

Robin Hood - AKA Andrew

Andrew participated in the MN regional archery tournament in Stillwater today.

He did really well. There were several hundred archers and it was a very well run day.

For those not familiar with how an archery tourney works. 3 rounds (5 arrows) at 10 meters, and 3 rounds (5 arrows) at 15 meters. Scoring is the total of all arrow (10 is bullseye). He shot a 202 - which we think is terrific. Out of 150 total points @ 10 meters - he shot 133. Pretty amazing for us - we are proud of him!

We celebrated by eating @ McDonalds for lunch - it was a fun day. We had prepared a few chants - but when we got there - we realized chanting was not really appropriate. It was kind of like a golf gallery. Anyway - our favorite was: "Andrew, Andrew shoot it straight, if you don't you'll never get a date"

Set your clocks ahead anyone who is reading this on Saturday night.