Exceeding Abundantly Above

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worth in us.  Unto Him be glory...   Ephesians 3:20

It's been a long winter, but God has been faithful and blessings abound!  

I came home from a day of appointments and found the kids all outside and playing with these giant icicles.  We've been studying the American Revolution and it has affected their play time!

Icicle Guns!

Jordan, Slava, Neighbor Mary, and Anna

Slava - Burrito Bongo!

 Slava often has trouble managing himself and deep-pressure touch helps him to regulate.  I'm always on the look out for ways to help him manage.  He has a weighted blanket which I wrap him in burrito-style when he feels the need.  The other day I added these weighted core discs and played "bongos" on him.  He loved it!

Patriots!

 We've been watching the Liberty's Kids dvd series as part of our history curriculum.  We've also been following the current events in Ukraine since our kids are from there, we have friends there, and it's a country near-and-dear to our hearts.  While watching an episode of Liberty's Kids which included a battle between the Patriots and the British, Jordan commented, "This looks like what's going on in Ukraine."  Hmmmm, very good observation, my son!

Baby Shower Shenanigans!

 Sierra, Missy, Anna, & Kerri (opening gift).

We finally were able to pull off a baby shower for Kerri.  Between snow storms, sickness, and Iona arriving early, this was no small fete!  

Me and my girls!

 L-R (Anna, Kerri w/ Iona, Me, Missy, & Sierra)

Sending off a son.

 Recently our pastor's son, Sergey, who was adopted from Ukraine over 10 years ago, embarked on a new adventure.  He headed back to Ukraine to do a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission (YWAM).  He's with a team that works with older kids in orphanages.  Serg has a heart to minister to orphans in Ukraine, as he had been one.  In the pic Pastor Stan is preparing to pray for his son.  On the left is Victor, Sergey's younger bio brother.  These 2 young men know what "adopted to sonship" really means.

JFO - "Love In Action" wrist band fundraiser.

 We are currently preparing for our biggest JFO event to date.  Our Love In Action - Finding Families For NY's Waiting Children event on May 16th is a foster care focused event.  Our fundraiser includes these wrist bands we're asking a $3 donation each for.  Let me know if you'd like one...or ten!  To learn more visit our website:  http://justicefororphansny.org

JFO's Justice Conference booth!

 Wayne decided to take our little boys skiing for the weekend recently, so I used the opportunity to represent JFO at the Justice Conference in Clifton Park, NY.

Radio Show Recording

 This is my view front the hosts' seat for our radio show Orphans No More.  For this episode we interviewed Stepan & Oksana Terletsky of Mercy Trucks Ukraine (pictured on the laptop).  It was our first attempt to record a show from a remote location, in this case Ukraine.  In the background is Mary's son, Kireel.  He was watching from the producer's studio.  You can listen to past episodes of the show by visiting our website http://justicefororphansny.org and click on "Events" and then "Radio Show".

Slava's Stitches

 Friday evening, while everyone was out and I was home all by myself (a rare occurrence) the phone rang beckoning me to urgent care.  Slava was bitten by a friend's dog.  With Slava's many issues, impulse control and reasoning are weak points.  He has pulled a very large dog's tail and was bitten as a result.

 He got 3 stitches in his left cheek, 1 on his head, and 5 in his ear.  He's on an antibiotic and we're watching him closely.  When I discussed with him that we should never touch a dog, he pretty much declared that if that dog bit him again he'd punch it.  I guess we still have a lot of work to do!

Singing Sisters

Missy stopped by the other day to practice music with Sierra.  Missy works at an assisted living facility and she's had Sierra come in to play the piano for the residents.  Now they're  working on some songs together.  I was blessed to hear their music!  

So that's what's been going on here!  Feeling very blessed!

Christmas Day at Flach Manor

Merry Christmas from Flach Manor!  Keeping up with blog posts might be a bit easier now that I got this handy dandy Mac-book Pro for Christmas!  Yup, I got the best hubby and family in the world!  We enjoyed a couple wonderful family celebrations the last few days.  Christmas Eve we traditionally spend with Wayne's family.  The evening includes delicious food, my mother-in-law reading from the Bible about our Savior's birth, my father-in-law sharing a word, prayer, gifts, and family fellowship.  It was a good evening.  

Rita, John and Victor on the right.

Christmas morning started peacefully.  I was up at 6:30am enjoying some quiet time, coffee, and Luke chapter 2.  Then Wayne joined me for coffee at 7am.  I think it was the first Christmas morning ever that we were up before any kids!  Jordan was the first kid up at 7:30am, then they all started rolling out.  

 Wayne watching Jordan opening his stocking.

We let the kids open their stockings until everyone is up, then Wayne reads Luke 2 and everyone has to share something they're thankful for.  I pray and then presents begin flying!

Wayne and Slava enjoying some cuddle time!

 Breakfast includes Christmas Quiche, which I make the night before, and our newest tradition - home made cinnamon rolls.  Seven years ago when we spend Christmas in Ukraine, our precious missionary friends, Joey & Laura Stoltzfus, welcomed us into their home on Christmas morning.  Laura made home made cinnamon rolls for us.  Missy and I decided that if Laura can pull that off in her kitchen in Kiev, we could pull them off in our kitchen here in NY!  We've had them every year since.

Awe...Kerri opened a blanket for Iona!

 Our kids pick names among themselves to exchange gifts.  This year Sierra got Kerri's name and sewed her a baby blanket.  She stitched a Bible verse (Let the little children come and do not forbid them for such is the Kingdom of Heaven) and stitched Iona Elizabeth in the corner.  Kerri was tearfully happy with this special gift!

Slava aka - Little Drummer Boy!

 All Slava could talk about was getting a drum set for Christmas.  Every gift opened from under the tree he scrutinized to see if it could possibly be a drum set.  The poor little guy, we made him wait until the last gifts were opened, then Andrii carried the big box up stairs.  He was soooo excited!  It was the perfect gift for him.  Slava has incredible rhythm combined with his sensory processing disorder which drives him to bang on things - I'd say he's destined to be a drummer!

Jordan and Officer Andersen!

 Jordan wants to be a policeman when he grows up.  Our good friends and next-door neighbors - the Anderson's surprised Jordan on Christmas morning.  Their son, Elias who lives in Vermont but was home for Christmas, came over to arrest Jordan!  The hand cuffs fell off and he tried getting away, so Officer Anderson had to taser him - only kidding.  But Jordan was thrilled to see a real taser!  Elias just completed police academy a few months ago and is an officer with the Rutland police.

Poppy Ken

 After the police left, Christmas morning returned to normal and my parents arrived.  They opened gifts, ate dinner with us, and spent the day visiting.

Annual Mom & Curtis dinner date.

 Curtis and I enjoy an annual dinner date around Christmas - just him and I.  We don't get to spend much time together since he's a busy college student and works when he's not at school and I'm busy with the little kids all the time.  Pretty soon Curtis will be moving into his own apartment.  It won't be far away since it's nearby, but it will be different.  Bittersweet.

Missy, Anna, me, Sierra and my mom!

 My girls love to take pictures of themselves.  They decided that on Christmas day the tree and their grandmother made great props!  Seriously, I love this pic with my mom.

Andrii & Jordan - Lego Maniacs!

Jordan is now our official Lego maniac.  He got 3 sets for Christmas from various family members.  He was on a building mission all day and thankfully, Andrii was his helper.

All in all it was a quiet, blessed day.  Wayne Jr. & Kerri spent the day with her family, so they are coming over on Saturday and we'll do Christmas all over again!  I am so blessed!  Thank you, Lord!

Merry Christmas from Flach Manor!

It amazes me how busy life has gotten.  It's been 2 months since I updated this blog and my goal is to update weekly!  Well, time to get you caught up on what we've been up to!  

When I last updated, Justice For Orphans was in full swing of preparing for our annual orphan conference on 10/26 and Orphan Sunday on 11/3.  Then we launched a month-long campaign on The Sound of Life radio network to celebrate National adoption month in November.  As our weekly radio show wrapped up at the end of November, Mary and I sensed that God wasn't done yet, so we renewed our contract with The New Light WDCD and are back in the studio recording our weekly Orphans No More show.  We are in awe at how the Lord has grown this ministry.  We are prayerfully seeking Him for a vision for 2014 as we anticipate many exciting opportunities to share God's heart for the orphan with the Church.  

On the home front, life is busy and blessed as usual.  We celebrated Slava's 8th birthday, Anna's 14th birthday, and Wayne's 50th - all in October!  Then Sierra turned 17 in November and I officially graduated her from homeschool-high school in December.  She is now enrolled in Liberty University's online degree program, and since all her credits she'd been earning through Liberty's Edge Program (for high school students) transferred over to the degree program, she will have an Associates Degree in Psychology by August (at the age of 17 I might add)!  Curtis just completed his first semester at RPI and plans to move into his own apartment in late January.  We just survived the 1st quarter of our homeschool year with all the kids doing great.  Slava is still attending OT, PT and Speech weekly too.  We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Iona Elizabeth!  Kerri has about 7 weeks left to her due date of 2/11.  Did I mention we are excited!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wayne Jr. sharing his espresso expertise with Sierra.

 Sierra got an espresso machine for her birthday and has been busy caffeinating the whole family!

Orphans No More!

 Mary and I were so excited to interview my good friend, Phyllis Whittam, and her 2 adopted children as we celebrated National Adoption Month on the show!

Orphan Sunday!

 As Mary spear-headed the Orphan Sunday celebration at our church, I was at Goodwill Church in Montgomery, NY with the Sound of Life radio network.  Sierra and Andrii joined me as orphan ministry is a family ministry!  I got to speak at both services at Goodwill and on the air with SoL.  We had a long, exhausting, blessed day which ended with a dinner date with Wayne's cousin and her husband who live down by Montgomery.

My heart swells with blessing...

 ...I walked into church early one morning to discover my boys (left-to-right):  Curtis, Andrii, Jordan, and Wayne Jr. in an impromptu jam session!

Making Dreams Come True!

 Anna has long desired a horse of her own.  She's taken lessons for a while now and we'd been on the look out for a good "first horse" for her.  Anna's instructor found this horse for us.  And it seemed that  if we were ever going to make her dream come true - this was the horse to do it with.  We welcomed Avalon, an 8 year old mare, American Quarter Horse - paint to the family in December.  She's boarding at the stable near our house where Anna takes lessons, but in the spring we plan to move her to Flach Manor once we're set up for a horse.    This is a big step for us, but since equine therapy can have such a positive impact on kids from hard places, we feel it is worth the investment.

What is Flach Manor you ask?  Well, it's an affectionate name for our home that our teens came up with.  They've even started answering the phone, "Hello, Flach Manor."  It stuck!

Jordan plowing the driveway after a recent snow storm.

Slava "helping" with the snow blower!

Happy 8th Birthday, Slava!

 He wanted his own Bible for his birthday.

Happy 14th Birthday, Anna!

That's all from Flach Manor for now.  I pray you have a blessed Christmas season and a Happy New Year.  If you enjoy following our family you can find me on Facebook at "Sandra Flach" and our ministry at "Justice For Orphans"!

Busy Family Blessings

We are enjoying a busy summer full of blessings.  Everyone is busy going somewhere and doing something all the time it seems.  With teenagers working, radio shows recording, graduation parties, birthday parties, and other social gatherings which our teens just cannot miss, I'm wondering if the lazy-hazy-days-of summer really exist!  Good thing I have 2 little boys who need to be supervised in the pool so I can sit and catch my breath!  

Curtis, Andrii, Jordan & Wayne Jr.

 I walked into church last Sunday just before worship started and discovered the Flach boys in a jam session.  This always blesses me.

Happy Birthday, Missy!

 We had a birthday dinner for Missy last week.  Of course she picked out her favorite meal:  steak and rigatoni tomato salad.  We added baked beans, potato salad, and water melon.  It was delish!

Mother/daughter date!

 Friday night Wayne took Andrii, Anna, Jordan, and Slava up to our camp in the Adirondacks.  Sierra and I stayed behind until Saturday night because we were working a fund raiser for Justice For Orphans on Saturday.  We took the opportunity for a date to our favorite seafood restaurant! for dinner Friday night!

Mary & I with NY Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk

 We had a fund raiser at our church during the Coxsackie Yard Sale Day.  The Senator was visiting our booth so we took this photo-op.  She purchased a hand bag and an "orange julius" in support of JFO.  We were thrilled to have raised $800 for our orphan ministry that day!

After the yard sale event, Sierra and I hit the road for camp.  We enjoyed a beautiful lake day on Sunday.  Sunday night Wayne and Andrii left for home so they could go to work Monday morning.  I remained at camp with Sierra, Anna, and the little boys.  We went to the movies in Old Forge on Sunday night and enjoyed the lake on Monday morning.  We got home early Monday evening.

Jordan & Slava on the pontoon boat with Andrii & Anna getting ready for water sports.

Our camp is in the background.

Silly Slava & Wayne relaxing.  

My husband's favorite place in the world is the Adirondacks.

 Andrii & Sierra on the jet ski.

Anna getting set to wake board.

Wayne & Slava on the jet ski.

 We enjoy our time on Otter Lake.  It's just a small lake in comparison to others in the Adirondack park, but it's perfect for family recreation time!

My view on our Monday morning kayak adventure.

 Slava and I manned the big green kayak and Jordan went solo in the gray one.  I can't believe he is now big enough to maneuver his own kayak!

Now we're home getting caught up on laundry and paperwork that seemed to multiply the 2 days I was away.  Looking at the calendar I see Anna has a horseback riding lesson at 11am, Slava has an appointment with his social worker at 1pm.  Back to reality I guess!

Jumping Into July

Now that we're home from our vacation we've officially jumped into July.  We've been enjoying the hot summer days in our pool which got a new liner this year.  

Jordan (in the cast) and Slava (aka - The Fish)

 Jordan got his cast off so he could enjoy the beach for vacation, but Dr. Carl wanted it right back on when we got home.  His next surgery is scheduled for Sept. 23rd for a rod lengthening.  Thankfully they use a fiberglass cast so he can swim...and bathe.  Slava loves the water and is in the pool much of the day.  He jumps off the diving board and can do a pretty good hand stand too.

Anna Perfecting Her Back-Flip

 I honestly believe Anna could have been a gold medal olympian had she had the opportunity.  She is built like a Ukrainian gymnast and can do back flips, splits, and is so flexible.

Other family stuff:  Sierra got her drivers' license and some summer jobs.  Anna started horseback riding lessons again, the big kids (Wayne Jr., Kerri, Curtis, Sierra, & Andrii) all took Missy to a Reliant K concert for her birthday last night.  It was great seeing the kids reaching out to their sister.

Justice For Orphans has jumped into the studio at The New Light WDCD 96.7fm to begin recording for our "Orphans No More" radio show.  The shows will begin airing every Friday at 1:30pm on 8/9 and run through November.

Mary with the Bethany Ladies (Cindi in the middle/Dianna on the right)

This week we recorded a show with Dianna McGreevy and Cindi Fabozzi, Adoption Specialists with the local office for Bethany Christian Services.  Bethany is one of the oldest and is the largest Christian adoption agency in the U.S.  The topic of this show was the climate of international adoption and will air on 9/6.

Cher Joseph, Mary, and Sandra in the WDCD studio.

We also recorded a show with the dynamic Cher Joseph of Albany County Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families. Cher is a Home Finder and Adoption Case Worker for Albany County.  For this show we discussed foster care in the Capital District area which will air on 9/13.  We are so excited for the doors the Lord is opening for JFO to work with Albany County on behalf of kids in foster care.  Our ministry has a mission to rally the Church for the cause of the fatherless and we advocate for Christian families to adopt and/or do foster care.

Winter Wonders & Wanderings

Winter Fun

 Our kids love winter sports and activities.  A few weeks back Wayne brought (l-r) Anna, Sierra, Andrii, and our neighbor, Ezra, snow boarding at Windham Mt.  Jordan (front) kept Wayne company in the lodge since Dr. Carl said 'no' to him skiing with rods in his back.  Jordy wasn't too happy with that!

Andrii the Ginger

 Andrii has gorgeous red, wavy hair.  He's decided to grow it out until his birthday in April.  We'll see if he makes it that long!  He's also counting down the days until he can get his drivers' permit.  He's only got 2 months, 7 days, 23 hours, and 44 minutes until he can drive!  Not that he's counting or anything!

Slava working on fine-motor skills.

 Slava is really doing great in homeschooling.  He's beginning to read and loves learning phonics.  We're focusing on developing his fine-motor skills, so I thought I'd get him to paint some numbers here.  He did a really good job with this.  He also found a pen with a light on the end of it on Daddy's dresser.  He proceeded to fill several pages of paper with tiny circles that he was drawing.  It's really the first time that he initiated drawing/writing on his own.

"I love you back and front"

 Slava loves playing with these radios.  He started this game where he would radio me and say, "I love you back." Then I would answer, "I love you front."  This went on quite a while covering every opposite I could think of.  Notice he's wearing glasses again.  Sometime before Christmas he lost the spare pair he had.  Last week we saw the eye specialist and she changed his prescription a little bit (amazingly his sight actually improved slightly).  We ordered up 2 pairs of glasses - because one pair is always either lost or broken.  Actually he's being really responsible with these so far.

Ice Hockey anyone?  

 The kids were thrilled when our pond finally froze enough for skating.  Last weekend they had a bunch of kids from church over to play hockey.  And as I type this, they will all be back again in a few hours!  Anna is seated closest to the camera.

Miss Melissa

 We abducted Missy again after the little boys' karate class and took her to Subway for dinner.  We had a nice visit with her before she headed off to work.

Sierra loves taking pics of herself.

More skating fun.  

 Curtis is far left in brown - without skates!

Annnnnnaaaaaaa!

Anna loves hamming it up for the camera!

The last 2 weeks have been packed full of appointments, activities, and issues which kept me very busy and very stretched.  Having a large family is challenging, and having a family of kids from hard places is especially so.  I can't always post the challenges out of respect for my kids' privacy, but have no doubt that we're dealing with much more than I post here.  But God is faithful, and when He calls - He equips.  He has never let us down.  We experience much joy each day, and some heartache along the way.  But it is worth it.  Each and every one of our kids is worth it.  God calls us to love and to live out the Gospel.  He never said it would be easy.  He guarantees that He will be with us and that in Him we have victory.