End of Summer 2014

Well, it's Labor Day - the end of summer.  Where did it go?  June, July, and August were a blur!  So I decided to catch everyone up on some of our other activities as we shut the door on summer and say "hello" to September and a new school year.

Andrii (center) spent 2 weeks in Cambodia!

A missions trip is a family requirement for our teens.  Wayne Jr., Curtis, and Sierra have all been to Cambodia at least once, and Missy went to Ukraine and India.  Andrii enjoyed his trip even though he got sick for a day.  And I'm grateful that he made it home just in time to see my mom before she passed.  Andrii actually graduated high school by the end of the summer and will be working and taking online college courses until Fall 2015 when he will enter Hudson Valley Community College's electrical program to pursue his goal of becoming an electrician.  

 Sierra's new wheels!

 Last week we took Sierra to college.  I now understand what the word "bittersweet" means.  Although Wayne Jr. & Curtis both attended college, neither of them went away.  This is our first experience leaving a kid on campus.  But Sierra is so ready to spread her wings and fly!  We know God has amazing plans for her, so it makes it a little easier to leaver her there - a little easier.

Sierra's Dorm

 God showed her much favor too.  She got assigned to a brandy-new dorm.  They had just finished painting and moving in the new furniture the day before we arrived.

Family photo in front of the chapel.

After Sierra was all settled in we took the rest of the kids to Gloucester, Ma., for a seafood dinner and a stroll along the ocean.

Slava with Jordan the photo-bomber!

Andrii & Anna at the fishermen's memorial.

We spent Sunday in Boston visiting all the historic sites.  Here we're at the site of the Boston Massacre.  It was a great "educational" day for us home schoolers!

Once we returned home from Boston it was time to start gearing up for our new school year.  This will be a very different school year for us.  For the first time in 13 years of home schooling, I will only have 3 students!  Sounds like a piece cake, except for the fact that our youngest two have special needs and learning disabilities.  Let the games begin!

Anna & Avalon cooling off after a ride!

One of the best things about home schooling is the freedom to focus on the kids' interests and strengths while also helping them in weak areas.  This year we're going to focus on a lot of life skill lessons, hands-on activities, and behavior.  I'm actually looking forward to this new year!

We spent our Labor Day enjoying a low-key day with my dad, Wayne Jr., Kerri, Iona, and Kerri's family at our house for a picnic.

Of course I had to include at least one pic of this baby!

Well, I guess I'd better head to bed.  Tomorrow we will begin doing school "lite" for the week.  Next week we'll jump in all the way.  That basically translates into, "I'm not quite ready yet"!  

Summer Season

My last post, over 2 months ago, was about changing seasons.  This post comes as I walk in yet another season of life - the loss of my mom.  The summer was a blur as from January 2014 to the end of July my weeks were increasingly full with taking my mom to doctor appointments, blood and platelet transfusions, setting up in-home hospice, and caring for her daily the last week of her life.  Every prayer I prayed for my mom was answered, in fact, every detail of her passing reflects the love and mercy of God.  And I was blessed to be with her as she took her last breaths.  

Joan Elizabeth Blondell Barger Roberts

2/4/38- 7/24/14

A few days after the funeral we headed to our camp in the Adirondacks for a much-needed week of rest and family time.  It was the first time we'd ever spent a full week on Otter Lake, but Wayne was all for it.  So in one way or another, most of our family was there through-out the week.  On Friday night Wayne and I headed up with Jordan and Slava.  On Sunday, Wayne Jr., Kerri, Iona, and Kerri's parents - Tom & Linda, arrived to stay in a rental camp a few doors down from ours.  Monday morning brought Andrii and my dad and Monday evening brought Sierra, Anna, and Shannon (Kerri's sister).  Curtis arrived on Friday night to spend the last couple days with us.

Enchanted Forest-Water Safari, Old Forge, NY

 While the men all went golfing Linda, Kerri, and I took all the kids to Water Safari for the day.  

Grammy & Iona selfie!

Linda, Kerri & Iona on the Lazy River

Slava navigating the Lazy River

 Back at camp we enjoyed the lake, boating, kayaking, fishing, camp fires, and lots of eating.  Iona enjoyed her jumper out on our porch.  Most early mornings as I enjoyed my coffee and quiet time, Wayne Jr. and Iona would arrive to join me on the porch before anyone else woke up.  My precious perfectly-timed granddaughter brings me much joy during this difficult season of life. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away.  Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

We all took a day trip to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake.  It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed the hands-on activities.

Slava & Jordan

Sierra, Andrii, and Anna - my teens!

 Blue Mountain Lake in the background.

Jordan & I

Friday night fish-fry at Van Auken's Inn in Thendara

 l-r:  Curtis, Shannon, Linda, Tom, Wayne Jr., Iona, & Kerri

Saturday we hiked Bald Mountain.

Andrii with 4th Lake in the background.

Up in the Bald Mountain Fire Tower

 l-r back row:  Andrii, me, Linda, and Shannon

front:  Jordan & Slava

On top of Bald Mt.

 Andrii, Wayne, me, Anna, Curtis, and Sierra

Slava & Jordan in front.

Uncle Curtis, I want the guitar.

I love this pic with Curtis, Iona, and her other Grammy.   

Curtis often has a guitar in his hands - even while on the boat.

Iona was intrigued and kept reaching out to touch it.  

The week at camp flew by and it was wonderful, but returning home meant returning to the reality of my mom's passing.  It also meant it was time to get Sierra ready to leave for college, prepare for another home school year,  and celebrate Jordan's 11th birthday.  My next post will feature these events.  Seasons change.

Good Bye Summer - Hello September!

Well, it's official.  Jordan is 10 years old!  We had a family party complete with this policeman birthday cake.  He was very blessed.  

Birthday Boy, Jordan!

 I've been pretty busy at the computer lately with orphan ministry stuff, getting ready for another year of home schooling, and life in general.  I looked up from the key board only to discover Slava had dragged a ladder in from the garage and was proceeding to do some household repairs.  At least he has initiative!

Workerman Slava!

 We spent a long Labor Day weekend up at our camp in the Adirondacks.  I ventured up on Thursday afternoon with Sierra, her best friend Luci, Anna, her best friend Mary, and Jordan and Slava.  Friday night Wayne arrived with Andrii and his best friend Ezra.  Luci, Ezra, and Mary are siblings and live right next door to us.  They're also a homeschooling family too.

The girls at the Old Forge playground.

 The girls watched the little boys for me at the playground while I ran to the store.  I don't think they minded;  They had just as much fun!

Sierra, Luci, Anna, & Mary cozy on the boat.

Yes, the big girls are reading books!

 Saturday night we headed to town and the kids had some fun racing go-carts.  Wayne got in on the fun too.  

Andrii getting ready to pass his dad!

 The days were warm and mostly sunny and the evenings were cool but nice.  The kids had fun on the lake and played a lot of card games.

Back: Sierra, Anna, Andrii

Front:  Mary, Jordan, Ezra

Friday night we roasted hot dogs on the fire.

Anna & Sierra did the cooking!

Sierra & I 

 Sunday  afternoon our friends, Lauri & Dennis, came up for the night.  Luci, Ezra, and Mary belong to them.  We enjoyed a boat ride around the lake and then headed into Old Forge for fireworks.

 On the way home we almost always go to the Soda Fountain in Remsen, NY for lunch.  It's a 50s style diner with the best chocolate milk shakes ever!

Jordan & Slava being silly at the Soda Fountain.

That pretty much sums up our holiday weekend.  We arrived home Monday evening in time to meet the 13 year old boy that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are fostering.  Our whole family was excited to meet him.  He will be spending a few hours with us the next couple of afternoons as public school doesn't start until Friday.  I'm so glad we had all of our clearances done and completed the MAPP classes so we can help our family as they foster.

Another bit of exciting news regarding our orphan ministry is that we have been asked to share a table with The Sound of Life radio station at the Casting Crowns concert in Glens Falls, NY next Thursday night.  This is a huge blessing!  And our 60 second spot has begun running 4 times daily on the station as well.  We are so excited and blessed by all that the Lord is doing!

Summer Fades

As summer fades and August draws to a close we are gearing up to celebrate Jordan's 10th birthday!  It amazes me that the little "lala" that we brought home from Ukraine 7 years ago is now 10!  

Slava Taking Out the Trash!

 Don't worry, there is no mower blade on this ancient tractor. The boys just love riding around on it, and they even figured out how to hook a trailer up to it!

Surfer Dude Jordan

 As the summer days wind down our pool water has cooled off.  The pool was barely getting used until Wayne turned on the water heater.  Finally a few hot days last week got the kids back into the water.  We'll be closing it soon since school is starting up next week.  Ssshhhhh....don't tell Anna!

Slava & Daddy Chillaxing!

 We spent another weekend up at our camp in the Adirondacks.  It's really cooled off up there!  The days were sunny and warm but the lake water was cold.  Andrii flew around on the jet ski and the rest of us lounged around on the pontoon boat.  It was a nice relaxing weekend.

Mommy & Jordan

Happy 10th Birthday, Jordan!

Jordan seemed to have taken over this blog post!  Probably because today is his special day.  We'll be celebrating with a big family party tonight.  Jordan is sitting on his birthday present.  Of course now Slava wants one!  We keep telling him he has to wait until he turns 10 too.  Since he'll only be turning 8 this October we figure it's a safe promise.  Except he keeps saying he will be turning 10 in 2 weeks. I guess I'll have to start teaching him days/weeks/months/years when school starts up again!

Blessings Abound

So many blessings to be thankful for today!  First of all I'd like to announce that I'm expecting------  to be a Grandmother that is!  Wayne Jr. & Kerri are pregnant with their first child due in early February! Our family is grateful and blessed!  And this past week Anna (and my dad) were baptized!  Add in another weekend trip to camp and the fair and we are feeling extremely blessed!

Pastor Bart, Anna, and Pastor Stan

 Anna's testimony brought tears to many eyes, especially when she said she was grateful that Mom & Dad came to Ukraine to adopt her so she could know God!

Gram & Slava playing horse-shoes!

 We are thankful that our kids have both sets of grandparents to pour into their lives.  Did I mention I am so excited to join the Grand Parent Club?!

Officer Jordan

 The kids enjoyed going to the fair last night.  Between the rides, games, and food, I think Jordan's favorite part was the Local Heroes building which was filled with police cars and fire trucks.  He got to question a few policemen too.  He really wants to be a policeman when he grows up.

Captain Slava

 Last weekend we spent up at our camp in the Adirondacks.  We learned that "Adirondack" is an Indian word for "bark eater" - interesting.  This time we took a boat cruise that ventured up the Fulton Chain of Lakes.  Slava got a turn at piloting the boat.  Wayne & I drooled over all the beautiful camps and breathtaking scenery along the lakes.

Anna on the look-out!

We often enjoy walking around the little town of Old Forge.  This summer we stumbled upon this new playground the little boys (and big girls) can't resist romping around.

In other news:  our Justice For Orphans' radio show "Orphans No More" officially launched with it's first show on August 9th.  The show airs every Friday at 1:30pm on The New Light WDCD 96.7.  If you can't get the station, you can stream it via the web:
http://www.streamingthe.net/WDCD-The-New-Light-96.7-FM-Albany-New-York/p/29575

Eventually the recorded shows will be available in pod-cast form on our JFO website:
http://justicefororphansny.org/

If you check it out, let us know what you think!

August is winding down and were looking forward to celebrating Jordan's birthday, Labor Day up at our camp, and the beginning of the new school year.  Where did summer go????

Blessed Chaos

Our summer so far has been a time of blessed chaos!  I can't believe it's August already.  That means homeschooling, at least in the formal since with text books and all, will begin again soon.  I've been cleaning and organizing our school room here and there so it's coming along.  But let's not go there too soon.  I still want to savor the summer!

Anna on horseback!

 Like so many girls her age, Anna is a horse lover.  She recently started weekly lessons at a horse farm close by.  Her dream is to have her own horse...like right now.

Happy Campers!

 We spent another weekend at our camp in the Adirondacks.  This lovely couple is enjoying their morning coffee by the lake.

Pirate Slava

 Slava recently saw the eye specialist again.  Now that he is able to read, he can take the more thorough eye examination which includes letters.  The more thorough exam revealed how poor the vision in his left eye really is. So now we have to patch 4 hours each day. That's not going over so well.  I started him off at 1 hour and will add an hour here and there.  The whole idea is to strengthen the sight in the left eye by forcing it to work while the right eye is patched.  We'll see.

Bubble Blowing on the Boat

 Sierra enjoyed making big bubbles using the wind generated by the boat.  The bubbles traveled pretty far and took a long time to pop on the water.

Andrii Wakeboarding

 This is a great shot of Andrii just before he crashed - on purpose.  He's so athletic and can do jumps and spins too.

Watermelon Twins

 We go through a lot of watermelon in the summer.  My kids love it.  And these two, Slava and Anna, eat most of it!

Lego Maniacs!  

 Funny how reorganizing the school room and putting 5 trillion Legos into new plastic bins that will fit under the little boys' beds can reignite one's passion for playing!  Curtis is my original Lego maniac.  He got Lego sets every Christmas Eve from his grandmother and would build them late into the night.  He passed that legacy on to Andrii, and now Jordan is able to follow the directions and assemble sets too.  I'm always so blessed when I see Curtis playing with the little boys.

Me recording our Orphans No More radio show.

 The Lord is opening so many doors for Justice For Orphans using radio.  Our weekly show will begin airing on Friday, August 9 at 1:30pm on The New Light WDCD 96.7fm.  If you don't pick up the station on the radio you can stream it live from the internet.  Eventually the shows will be in MP3 form on the JFO website.

Partnering With The Sound of Life!

Wayne, me, Tom Michaels Zahradnik, Mary, and Aaron.

We are so thrilled to announce our family and ministry partnerships with The Sound of Life radio network.  The Flach family businesses have underwritten the Albany transmitter project.  By October 1st the Sound of Life Albany station will be loud and clear throughout the Capital District on 94.9fm!  And to go along with that, Justice For Orphans will be heard daily on the air in 1 minute feature segments each week.  We are also kicking off a November campaign on SOL to celebrate Orphan Sunday and National Adoption Awareness Month.  Sound of Life can also be streamed over the internet.

Check out more about our ministry at:  http://justicefororphansny.org/

God is good!