My Jordan - The Winner!

Jordan won first place in our church's annual pine wood derby today! His car was the fastest in his class and was the fasted Royal Ranger car overall! As you can see he's pretty happy about it.

Papa & Jordan in Ukraine

"Big Slava" our driver & Jordan.

We were having lunch in Vasylkiv waiting for Slava's new birth certificate.

In case it isn't obvious, this post is about 7 year old Jordan! I wouldn't have ever thought it would be possible to love a child as much as I love this kid. And it's not just me; Everyone who has the privilege of knowing him knows what I mean. There is just something special about this boy. Four years ago when we were in Ukraine for our 1st adoption I remember praying that he would one day allow me to cuddle him. Well, the Lord has certainly overflowed my cup in answer to that prayer. Jordan is the most loving and affectionate boy I've ever met. He tells me, dozens of times every day, that he loves me. We usually have this dialogue running where he says, "I love you." I say, "I love you infinity." He says, "I love you eternity." etc. and we try to out do each other's love. And he is constantly hugging and kissing me. Jordan is so above and beyond well adjusted that it's hard to believe that he's only been home with us for 4 years. Within the first 5 months of being here he had eye muscle surgery. Two years ago he underwent major surgery to insert rods in his back for his severe scoliosis. Since then he's returned to the hospital every 6 months for rod adjustments which requires one overnight stay each time. He is such a trooper too. The hospital staff in pre-op, the OR, and post-op all know him by name since we are frequent fliers there. He is such a brave boy.

In the past 6 months Jordan's had his best growth spurt ever. For the first time in 4 years he's actually outgrown his clothes! He's still small for 7, but he's finally growing. As with most children who spend their formative years in an institution, Jordan has some delays, mostly in his fine motor skills. In September he was finally "ready" for tackling the academics of home schooling. Even with a month in Ukraine and a month of Slava adjustment and holidays, Jordan has actually finished his Saxon Kindergarten math curriculum and is almost finished with the A Beka K Phonics program. Jordan is reading!!! And his math skills are very good. His biggest challenge is writing because of his fine motor skill delay. Lately he's really been enjoying drawing, tracing, coloring, and cutting. All of which will help strengthen those little hands. He is very smart and has an amazing memory. I know God has an amazing plan for Jordan's life. I am honored to be his mom.

When I stop to think about what Jordan's future would have been like, had we not said "yes" to the call to adopt, I am overwhelmed. Jordan was in a baby orphanage (the same one as Slava). Children are typically moved to an orphanage for older kids once they reach school age. Children with disabilities are put in institutions of nightmare proportions. Jordan, with his crooked eyes and twisted spine, would have certainly ended up there. He would have never received love, stimulation, education, or medical intervention. He would have never developed to his full potential nor would he have had a very long lifespan (with his spine continuing to twist as he grew). I thank God often that He called us to adopt, and that we chose to be obedient and go. I thank God that He placed all 4 Ukrainians in our family. We cannot imagine life without them. These kids have enriched and blessed our lives above and beyond what we have done for them.

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. James 1:27

Happy 4 Month Anniversary, Slava!

We stand in awe of the faithfulness of our God when we look at how far Slava has come in the past 4 months! Could this be the same little boy who was more like an untamed, wild animal, and had us overwhelmed and wondering what we'd gotten ourselves into? Yup, it's Slava! He's still very busy and runs non-stop from about 6:30am until I finally tackle him for bedtime at 8pm! Thankfully he sleeps like a rock all through the night. I've tried keeping him up later and even hoped that more outside play would help him sleep until 7am....nope! My quiet time has been bumped to 6am if I want it to be just me and the Lord...and quiet. On Tuesday nights I go to Bible study, so Papa puts Slava to bed. Wednesday morning he found me in the living room with my coffee and my Bible. When he saw me he proclaimed, "I love loo, you're back!" And he jumped into my lap. I definitely don't mind an interruption like that! He's still not too thrilled with kisses and is tolerating hugs, so I've been telling him I love him. Now he's telling it to me several times a day. At bedtime he names off practically everyone in the family (including the dog): "I love Mama, I love Papa, I love Kerri......"

Slava's language skills are amazing. He's speaking mostly English with only a few pet Ukrainian words mixed in. He is very smart and so funny and entertaining. His playing skills are improving daily and he often initiates play. Right now his most favorite activity is to go outside to play. We're having a hard time keeping him in the house especially since we have 3 doors which he can escape out of. It's most difficult when we're doing school and he wants to go out. Plus the weather isn't really all that inviting for the rest of us to want to spend all day outside. I find that little Ukrainian orphans, who most likely have some fetal-alcohol issues, can be obsessive about whatever idea pops into their head. It can be very exhausting trying to balance teaching them patience and navigating how their mind works.

All in all Slava is bonding, attaching, adjusting, etc. Wayne and I are feeling like we're getting back into the groove of life. Things are getting easier in some ways now that Slava is listening to us and mostly obeying us. But things are never easy really. It takes a team, the whole family, to successfully make it through the day. The Lord is very good to me. I am blessed with an awesome team from my husband, who is highly involved in all aspects of family life, to my big kids, who will (usually) drop what they're doing to play with the little kids so I can make dinner. It takes a team to accomplish school, to clean the house, to run errands, to do just about everything. My parents are such a blessing too. Since they're retired they go to town every day just for something to do, and every time they go they call first and ask if there's anything I need! "Ummmmm, yes, milk!" We always need milk. I think we go through about 6 gallons each week! We could never do what we do without the support of our entire family in addition to the amazing prayer support that we get from so many believers. We are so thankful and so blessed. The other night when I got home from Bible study the little boys were in bed. I asked Wayne how Slava had been. He answered, "Good." Wow..."good"! Just a few months ago we weren't sure we'd ever say that. Yes, God is faithful and we know He will continue the good work He's started in Slava. We can't wait to see what another 4 months will bring!

Busy, But Blessed - Post #1

Yes, it's been a busy week here. I've broken the details up into 2 posts, so please make sure to scroll down and read Post #2.

Anna in Missionettes

This is 11 year old Anna. Yes she's Ukrainian, yes she's American, no she's not from the West Bank! Our church missionette program has been studying and praying for the persecuted church. Wednesday night each class did a presentation for the people group they learned about. Anna's class was praying for the believers in Gaza. Sierra's class prayed for Sudanese Christians, and Missy (who took over my class of little girls) taught them about India.

Home School Field Trip

A couple of weeks ago we went to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in Mass. I love this picture of Anna & Slava. They certainly do look like bio siblings! She is very good and helpful with him. She usually gives him his morning bath by his request. This helps me out because while Slava is soaking Jordan and I are doing his phonics lesson.

Like most 11 year old girls Anna loves horses. She is taking bi-weekly horseback riding lessons and loves it. She seems like a natural in the saddle. And like most horse-loving girls her age she's hoping to one day have a horse of her own. I keep telling her "good luck"! I've been asking Dad for a cow or 2 (one to milk and one for beef) and he's not interested! Anna is also a white belt with a blue stripe in karate and she's quite the shot in archery. She wants to be involved in everything all the time. Probably eating is her most favorite activity! Pickles (polish dill) are still at the top of her list with soup, hot dogs, salami, and salad rounding out the top 5. That's my Ukrainian princess! Anna is doing very well in school also. She's in 4th grade and is reading and doing well in math.

I realize that my posts usually just include the glowing reports that sound like the kids are perfect, but that's not accurate at all. In the future I will try to include some of the struggles and challenges our kids (and their parents) have. One issue we've been dealing with is sibling-bickering. Oddly enough my bio kids didn't really have this problem. Wayne Jr. & Curtis (2 1/2 years apart) were always best buddies from day 1. Sierra was 3 when Missy joined our family at age 9 and they were like best friends too. The boys had each other, the girls had each other and that was it. No rivalry, no bossing, no bickering, no arguing...really. That is until Andrii & Anna arrived. I should have been tipped off when they used to argue in Ukrainian before they knew enough English. But that's stopped... now they only argue in English! It's always been at a normal level, however lately it's increased. Maybe because Andrii, at almost 14, has gotten a bit bossy with her or maybe because Anna has to have the last word. On Saturday while I was at NYSSMA with Sierra they both were to help my mom watch Slava since Wayne was on a men's retreat. Grandma had less then glowing reports on the pair. They argued over whose turn it was to watch Slava (come on guys, Gram can't run as fast as Slava), who had him for the longest time, who was going outside with him, etc. They basically argued themselves into cancelled sleepover plans and early bedtimes. We've discussed their behavior and treatment of each other. I've reminded them that they are on the same team. And I've informed them that whenever they begin to argue their consequence will be to sit right down and write 10 nice things about the other. It's been 5 days and I haven't had to issue this assignment yet, but secretly I'm looking forward to the day I do!

Thank you for taking the time to follow my blog. Please remember to scroll down and read part 2. Our family is busy, but we are so very blessed. God is good to us!

Busy, But Blessed - Post #2

I cannot believe it's been over a week since my last post. Life these days is very busy, and yet again I've had to break the update into 2 parts!

Jordan & Slava - Brothers!

Last week Slava had an eye doctor appointment. He is scheduled for eye-muscle surgery for June 9th. Jordan had the same thing done his first summer home too. I'm hoping he won't need glasses afterward. Keeping track of where his glasses are and dropping them off for repair is exhausting.

Slava "post-surgery"!

I can't even look as this picture with a straight face! His favorite game to play is "doctick" and this week he loved being the patient. The bigger kids each took turns being the doctor. We are now out of masking tape.

Slava Sandwhich

Last week we spent one whole afternoon getting hair cuts from Aunt Bree. We all voted for Subway for dinner and Slava loved it. I got him one just like Jordans: a 6 inch with turkey, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, pickles, and mayo. While he was eating he kept saying, "All Slava's?" He ate the entire thing only leaving some bread behind. The next morning at breakfast he looked at me and requested, "Slava Sandwhich"! His English is coming along so well. He's like a little parrot. I've been telling him, "I love you!" with much enthusiasm a dozen times a day. Now he tells me, "I love loo too!" Sometimes he even initiates this dialog. Though he doesn't really understand exactly what we're talking about, I'm confident that before long he will get the point! The time change has been a real blessing. Prior to setting the clocks ahead Slava had been appearing ready-and-raring-to-go in my room by 6am. I love getting up early but not to run a marathon. I much prefer making a cup of coffee and getting cozy with my Bible study and enjoying some quiet time with the Lord before the children wake up. Thankfully since Sunday morning Slava isn't making his appearance until 7am or later!

Sierra With A Grand!

On Saturday Sierra performed at NYSSMA for the first time. She did well for her first time and will know what to expect for next year. She was very nervous which us unlike her but it was a very formal atmosphere. It was over all an excellent experience for her.

This week was filled with piano lessons, drum lessons, Bible studies, horse back riding, homeschooling, dentist appointment, karate, shopping, and home school coop. Thankfully the weekend will be much quieter with archery, a bridal shower, youth group, church, and a birthday dinner. Notice house cleaning didn't even make the list! I just discovered that what I thought was our cat in the corner of my bedroom was really just a huge dust bunny! Hopefully by the time I post again I will have had time to clean my room. Sigh.

Andrii Abraham

Andrii is our very athletic Ukrainian young man. I can't believe he'll be 14 next month! Whether it's wake-boarding, snow-boarding, karate, or soccer, he excels in sports. He's also an excellent student, but he does not like correction (or doing corrections)! He's a wiz at math, but if he gets any math problems wrong he declares, "I failed!" I've had to explain that we learn from our mistakes, and I don't expect him to know the answer to every math problem.
Andrii is now a yellow belt in Karate and is hoping to compete along with Sierra in a semi-knockdown tournament in Canada at the end of April.

My Boys (pre-Slava)

Andrii loved being in Wayne Jr.'s wedding. He admires and respects his big brothers which is good because recently Andrii got himself into a bit of trouble. Wayne and I set down with him and had both Wayne Jr. & Curtis join us. I'm so thankful that I have Godly, older boys for him to look up to. We don't have perfect kids, but it's a tremendous blessing to have my big boys walking with the Lord and setting a biblical example. Andrii is a good boy and his heart is tender towards the Lord. He started taking drum lessons recently from the same Christian teacher who taught Curtis. He's looking forward to playing on the worship team for youth group and eventually in church when he's old enough.

Andrii is very helpful with chores, the little kids, really anything that I ask him to help me with. He's fun, creative, and very sociable. Even the adults who know him enjoy his company. He's certainly growing into a fine young man, and our family is so blessed to have him a part of it. It still amazes me that it's only been 4 years that Andrii, Anna, and Jordan have been with us. It seems like they've just always been in our family. Shortly after we brought them home I remember looking up at the starry sky one evening. I was overcome with awe for our Lord who placed each of those stars in the sky exactly where He wanted them, and He placed these 3 (now 4) Ukrainians in our family exactly where He wants them. As Psalm 139:16 says, "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." I am so thankful that the Lord, for only reasons He knows, chose to write Andrii, Anna, Jordan, and Slava into my story and us into theirs. I also think of Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." We've met people along the way who tell us that these kids are lucky to have us and that we're doing such a wonderful thing. Well, not exactly. I say we are blessed to have them! And we aren't really doing anything. The Lord is doing it. All we are doing is saying "yes" to Him. We believe that God has an extraordinary plan for their lives. He saw to it that they were rescued from the pit. He did the rescuing. He placed them in a Christian home where He knew that, though we are imperfect parents, we would train them up to know Him personally. We would rely on Him, trust in Him, and seek His will daily. So it's God doing this wonderful thing. To Him be the glory for the great things He has done, is doing, and will continue to do! Amen!

PROGRESS!!!

Dr. Curtis operating on Slava.

This post is part 2 for the week. So much is going on here that it just doesn't all fit into one blog post. Once again, Slava steals the show! He absolutely adores his older siblings, and they just eat him up. Here Curtis is operating on Slava which kept the little guy occupied for about an hour while I was busy putting together our monthly shopping list and dinner menu.
It looks like Dr. Curtis performed plastic surgery. Every time they came out to show me a new boo boo Slava would beg Curtis for "one more". He even insisted on going to bed that night with all his bandages on!
Notice the absence of Slava's eye glasses. I think children's glasses should be welded to their heads! It's a good thing that we have 2 pairs because one pair is always missing or broken. Last week he "lost" his blue glasses, and we couldn't find them anywhere. Finally I offered a $5 reward for whoever finds them. Within 15 minutes Andrii had located them. An hour later Slava took them off, put them on the floor (under a rug), and they were of course stepped on. They were better off lost!

I titled this post "Progress" because even with the lost/broken glasses I must say that tremendous progress has been made in the last 3 months. God is so good to us. He is so faithful. Last week I ran out to a hair appointment. On my way it dawned on me that I left Slava home with Sierra (14) and the rest of the kids. A month or so ago I could not have done that. Last Sunday we stayed after church for bagels and fellowship. Up until now we pretty much dashed out of church to buckle Slava into his car seat so we wouldn't have to chase him all over. Wayne has also taken him to archery the past 2 Saturdays because I've had women's meetings at church and with our home school group. Yesterday was a biggy. We went on a home school field trip to a butterfly conservatory in Massachusetts (we even hit up Yankee Candle on the way home)! Thankfully Papa was able to get away from work and go with us. Slava did pretty well on the 2 hour ride there though he got a little car sick on the ride back. Mainly he kept asking for food everywhere we went. Thankfully I packed snacks, but I forgot to bring some toys for entertainment which meant WE had to do the entertaining. Upon arriving home, Slava was bouncing off the walls. I think he was over-tired & over-stimulated. I put him to bed early, but it took him almost an hour to finally settle down and fall asleep. All in all it was a good trip though. Again something that would have been impossible just a couple months ago. I'm starting to believe that there is hope for us to be able to go to the annual home school convention that we attend every year in Rochester. Wayne & I have been going every year since we started home schooling 10 years ago. It refreshes us, sort of like a marriage/family/home school retreat. Slava has made so much progress in the past 3 months that when the convention rolls around in June (another 3 months) he should be adjusted well enough for us to go. Now I'll just have to round up some unsuspecting family members to "volunteer" for the job! I'm sure God will provide...He always does!