Happy Easter & Happy Anniversary

As I write this Easter is over. Our day was filled with church and family and food. I always take the opportunity to really focus on the Cross. We usually watch the Passion of the Christ, but this year the days flew by and we never took the time. I did find myself searching You Tube and found an awesome video that sums the meaning of the Cross up very well. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dooif2-yAoI&feature=fvsr

Here Jordan, Anna, and Andrii with Slava on his lap all plant some seeds. They were doing it just for fun, but I can count it as science class!

This "Easter basket" is filled with Ukrainian goodies. On Friday I went to a local Ukrainian market to pick up some of the kids' favorites. They love "cemeshky" which is sunflower seeds while my favorite is the chocolate.
Here's Jordan pictured with "kulich" a traditional Ukrainian Easter bread. It's a sweet-yeast dough baked in a coffee can. The babushkas would bring it to church so the priest could bless it. We didn't bring ours to church. We just sliced it, toasted it, smeared it with butter, and enjoyed it for our Easter breakfast. Apparently I'm more Ukrainian than Andrii because he wouldn't touch it.

Sierra, Jordan, & Slava on Easter morning.

Wayne & I at Wayne Jr.'s wedding last summer.

Today is our 24th wedding anniversary. We hope to go out to dinner one night this week, just the 2 of us. Tonight Wayne's at Bible study (our favorite restaurant isn't open on Monday anyway). It amazes me that 24 years have gone by. They've been wonderful years filled with love, kids, more love, and more kids! The Lord has been so good to us. All I can say is that when you build your marriage on the Solid Rock foundation of Jesus Christ it lasts. It also doesn't hurt when you're married to your best friend and the love of your life!

Whirlwind Week

We've had another crazy week since my last post. On Tuesday Wayne had a routine colonoscopy, Sierra had piano lesson, and I had Bible Study. Wednesday started with Sierra's orthodontist appt, Anna's horseback riding lesson, and evening church. Thursday was a dentist appt for Andrii and karate. We had coop classes Friday morning & youth group. Saturday the kids had an archery party in the morning, Andrii had an air-soft (gun shooting) party with about 15 buddies in our woods, and Wayne & I went to an archery banquet in the evening while Aunt Becky &Uncle Aaron took some of the kids to the movies. Somewhere in there my beloved I-Mac computer caught the flu, so I had to rush it to the Apple store on Saturday too. Thankfully they fixed it in 20 minutes. It needed a new RAM, but it was still under Applecare so it didn't cost anything to fix! We also had a couple of meetings with Melissa this week and we're praying for a breakthrough - spiritual warfare is exhausting!

Sierra is an avid reader. She manages to read several books at once (something my little brain cannot handle). Currently she's reading Alice In Wonderland, Screw Tape Letters, Watership Down, Bless the Beasts and the Children, East of Eden, and Kidnapped.
Here Curtis is holding a soils class in the sand pile. The little kids love it when he plays with them.
Anna caught the first fish of the season in our pond on Monday. She loves to catch them but isn't too keen on taking them off the hook!

Slava has become quite good at driving Jordan's gator around. He has come so far in the last 5 months. He is speaking all English and never stops talking! The "why" question is still asked 100 times a day, but it's amazing how he's picked up the language so fast. The other day Missy was speaking to him in Russian. He wasn't too crazy about it and just kept saying "I don't know."
Last weekend Wayne set up the pop-up camper and Slava just loves it. He wants to play in it all the time. Sunday morning (while I was down with the flu), he escaped from the house even with all 3 doors dead-bolted! In under 3 minutes he'd wandered out of the living room, into the school room where he proceeded to stack 2 chairs on top of each other so he could unlock the door. He got outside, tried to get into the pop-up only to find the door locked. So he climbed into my Expedition, grabbed the car keys, and attempted to unlock the camper with the car keys! He earned a timeout for this and a warning that a spanking would happen if he went outside alone again and a warning to stay out of the cars. Just a little while ago he earned that spanking (don't worry it was just a little swat and more time in time-out). We were all in the kitchen with Grandma & Grandpa Roberts visiting when one second he was here and the other second he was gone. Andrii discovered him in my car again...with it turned on! We've always left our keys in our vehicles since we live in a pretty secluded area, but that practice has now stopped! Other than not letting him out of our sight and keeping all the doors dead-bolted to keep him in the house, Slava is really doing well. He's been sleeping to about 7am which makes me very happy. The best part is when he wanders into the kitchen calling "Mommy" and curls up on my lap for some morning cuddling. He's becoming affectionate and often says, "I love you." We are so thankful to the Lord for all the good He's done in Slava, and all He will continue to do in him. God is so faithful, we see the transformation daily. Thank YOU, Lord!

Two Birthdays, A Shower, and the Flu!

I've been intending to update this blog all week, but the time to sit down to do it always seems to elude me. On April 2nd we had a family birthday party for Curtis who turned 19 on the 2nd and for Andrii who turned 14 on the 10th. The whole week was busy with school and a lot of running around. The running really stretches me. Wednesday I had to finally make a trip to BJ's where I stock up on household necessities for the month. $754 later, I guess we're stocked up! But I also had to make a trip to Price Chopper on Friday to finish the stock up process with stuff I don't really need in bulk and stuff that BJ's doesn't carry, that added another $200. Food prices are skyrocketing! Before I make these trips I make a list of 3 weeks worth of dinner meals so I can purchase everything needed. So for the most part I'll just need to pick up milk, produce, and the occasional needed item. In the end it does save me time and money, and I've been adding in meatless meals each week too.

This week I also made a trip to the DMV to obtain a non-driver ID for Andrii. He and Sierra will be competing in a semi-knockdown karate tournament in Canada at the end of the month. She has a passport, but he needed the ID since he doesn't yet have a US passport.

Me, Tara, & Sierra

On Saturday Sierra and I attended a bridal shower for our friend Tara. Tara grew up around the corner from us and was our babysitter from the time Sierra was born until Tara went away to college when CC was around 5. It was a very relaxing day on Plum Point overlooking the Hudson River in Newburg, NY.

I'm glad Saturday started off relaxing because by the end of it I came down with what I thought was a cold. By Sunday morning I had to face the fact that I had the flu! I'm so thankful that it was Sunday because Wayne took all the kids to church and I slept. After church he took all the kids to Care Group, and I slept more. Today I'm feeling mildly better, thankfully.

Happy Birthday Curtis & Andrii!

I've got quite a bit to post on Slava's progress, but I'll save that for the next one. At some point I'd like to post more than once each week. For now though I've got to get back to school!

He Restoreth My Soul

What a week. The 23rd Psalm kept coming to mind, but I kept brushing it aside (mostly because I didn't want to think about the "walking through the valley of the shadow of death" part). But as the week wore on I finally revisited this Psalm that I'd memorized long ago. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul... Stop right there. Boy do I need green pastures and still waters. And oh how I need my soul restored and my strength renewed. But the key is in the first part, the Shepherd part. The only way to the green pastures and still waters is by following the Shepherd. He is my Renewer and my Restorer. I need to remember that when I find myself overwhelmed. Overwhelmed. That's a word I used too many times this week.

Wayne Jr. replacing our cabinet doors.

Probably the construction that was going on here was a huge contributing factor this week. We had 3 windows replaced along with all of our cabinet doors. We'd remodeled our kitchen 5 years ago and over the past year we noticed the finish starting to peel off. The manufacturer actually made good on it and sent us all new doors and drawer fronts. Our son, Wayne Jr., came and did the work (what a blessing having a family business is). Construction is a disruption in itself, then add Slava to the mix and it's chaos. We've been having a hard time keeping Slava in the house, so we keep all the doors dead bolted. However, with the construction and the guys needing to come in and out we had to keep the doors unlocked and most of the time one was open. Slava, of course, wanted to be where the action was which is usually where little boys shouldn't be. All of it made it very difficult to have productive school days. I am so thankful that Kerri comes 2 days each week. Staying on top of Slava is very exhausting.

Curtis with his pinewood derby car.

Thursday was especially draining, and it was the only day we didn't have the construction going on! While I was making dinner and dealing with a big kid with major issues, Jordan came inside crying with blood spurting from his forehead. His foot got caught in his bike when he got off of it and he landed forehead first on the rock wall that boarders our sidewalk. So off to urgent care we went. We returned home with a glued up forehead and 3 half-gallons of ice cream. After getting the little kids to bed and making some preparations for Friday mornings coop classes, I finally crashed in bed to work on my Bible study. Before long the sound of the "big kid with major issues" sobbing wafted into my room. Reluctantly, prayerfully, I checked on big kid. Big kid is not doing good. After almost 2 hours I collapsed back into bed exhausted, drained, and unable to sleep. Lord, I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do...

Anna with her pinewood derby car.

Andrii with his"guitar car" which won best-in-show & 3rd place.

Sierra with her "Honest John" car.

Friday was a full day of coop classes and construction which is now thankfully completed. We shuffled kids around to youth group and Curtis offered to watch the little kids so Wayne & I could have dinner at our favorite restaurant. I think the quiet hour together just might count as beside still waters. Even in all the craziness and difficulties I wouldn't trade what we're doing for anything. I know we are walking in God's will. I know He will equip us for what He's called us to. I know we must not run out ahead but must follow His lead. And our Good Shepherd will provide the green pastures, cool waters, strength, and restoration that we need. Thank you, Lord.

Thankfully tomorrow is Saturday which is a slower paced day with Papa usually home all day. The only thing we have going on is a birthday party for Curtis (who turns 19 on the 2nd) and Andrii (who turns 14 on the 10th). We're having our usual family party with only about 40 people...easy day!