BACK TO NORMAL???

So, Monday Jordan & Slava had eye doctor appointments. Tuesday I figured we could try to have a normal, routine school day...however, Sierra presented with symptoms of a migraine headache so she was down for the count all morning. I had to rely on Andrii & Anna taking turns with Slava in order to do school with Jordan and check their school work among other things. Sierra was better by the afternoon, but she'd missed the new Bible lesson we'd started and I had to skip history & science with the other kids. The good news is that Slava cooperated nicely with hanging out in the school room and playing with the other kids. Wednesday I had to take Jordan to the spinal surgeon to have his cast off prior to next week's surgery. So, needless to say he didn't get any school work done by the time we were back from that appointment and a trip to the grocery store. The other kids got their work done, but we missed history & science...again. While I was beating myself up for failing to get it in again, the Lord reminded me that He is in control and the solar system will be there when we finally get to it. It's funny to worry about cramming in something that never changes: the names of the planets, the facts about them, the distance the sun is from the earth, etc. that stuff never changes, so whether we cover it today, next week or next year...it won't really matter. Phew, I'm off the hook, for now! Today was a good day, no we didn't get science in, but I did manage to cover some New York state history with the younger kids. And Slava is really doing well during the school time. He seems to be settling in to our routine finally. His English is still growing. Tonight he saw Papa with some tools and announced, "Slava man, fix it!" He likes to pretend he's a worker man, and Andrii taught him the "fix it" phrase while he was fixing something for him.

Sierra, Andrii, and Anna all go to Karate For Christ on Thursday nights. Here's Andrii with his yellow belt. Sierra is not pictured (shockingly) because the "social butterfly" wasn't home.

Anna with her white belt with a blue stripe.

Jordan got his cast off yesterday. This is a pic of his back which is actually much straighter then ever before! You can sort of see his scar which runs from his neck to his buns (or lack there-of). He's so skinny, but he's actually grown more this past year then in the other 3 years combined. It amazes me that exactly 4 years ago, on 1/7/07, we arrived home from Ukraine with Andrii, Anna, and Jordan. It seems that they've just always been here. I cannot imagine life without them. The Lord is so good to us for He's given us the privilege of raising them for Him. But of course, we cannot do this task without Him and it helps us to keep our eyes on Him.
Here's our "bespectacled" Slava! He loves his new glasses. He keeps them on, but I keep catching him looking under the lenses instead of through them!

I'm hoping Friday will bring a productive school day. Thankfully, I don't need to leave the house until Sunday for church. These days church for me is just the worship service which Slava loves, but once things quiet down I have to duck out with him into the nursery. He doesn't yet get the "shhhh, be quiet" concept, especially when he sees someone he recognizes. Then he yells out their name! Usually it's my daughter-in-law. When he spots her he starts yelling, "Kerri, Kerri"! Good thing he's cute! Since I don't get much spiritual nourishment at church, I've taken to listening to my father-in-law's adult Sunday school messages which I've downloaded from his church's website. These messages are excellent and make me wish I could actually attend the class in person! My mother-in-law has promised to get me the notes he hands out in class, so I don't feel so left out :) Thanks, Rita!

If you could remember us in prayer, please pray that Jordan's surgery will only be an adjustment and not a replacement. An adjustment would mean just one over-night in the hospital, but a rod replacement would mean up to 5 days. Also pray that the surgery and recovery go well too. Thank you so much for your prayers and for faithfully following this blog.