Family Fun

My plan with this blog is to update weekly...ha ha...easier said than done! Life is so busy and full that I just don't get to everything. I've stumbled upon a plan of success recently though. I begin my day with a list of things I'd like to or need to accomplish, then I give it to the Lord and ask Him to accomplish what is on His list instead. Amazingly, when I remember to do this, my days are much less overwhelming and much more productive.

We've had some fun family times since my last post too. Sierra turned 15 in November! I just can't believe it. We also attended a bridal shower for my nephew's bride-to-be. Now we're mid-way into December and Christmas preparations are upon us. Our tree is up, the house is decorated, cookies are baking, and there's a whole lotta shopping going on! This week will be the last week of school for us (another advantage of homeschooling). So the week before Christmas we can enjoy the season while getting all the last minute things done.

Toilet Paper Brides

Sierra & Gracie (victims of a bridal shower game)!

Some Flach Girls

Sierra & Missy with Grammy Flach

The Birthday Girl

Mr. Slava

This picture cracks me up!

Wayne took pics of the boys in his Royal Ranger class for a craft project, and this was Slava's pose!

This week is shaping up to be a marathon week: Jordan has a doctor's appt, piano lesson, church ladies' Christmas party, Royal Rangers/Missionettes' Christmas parties, Christmas shopping with Curtis, attending a play with the kids, a hair appt, a birthday-movie-date with Sierra, and the last week of school until January!!! Tis the season to be jolly! But after this week things will slow down and we will snuggle in and enjoy the celebration of Christ's birth with our family!

It's November 22nd Already!?!

It amazes me that it's been a month since my last post. Life has been incredibly busy and just when I finally said "enough" I look at the calendar and realize that it's Thanksgiving, Sierra's birthday, and the Christmas season! Well, maybe I'll take it break in January!

October flew by and we finished it up with a trip to New York City for a David Crowder Band concert. Wayne & I went with Sierra, Andrii, Wayne Jr. & Kerri, Missy, Curtis, Aaron & Becky (Wayne's bro/sis-in-law), and Linda & Shannon (Kerri's mom & sister). The weather was wet and cold, but we had a great time. We saw the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at Discovery Channel, ate at Pete's Tavern, and enjoyed the show. The next day I came down with a cold which ended up as the flu. It was a rough week especially since our homeschool group hosted an art camp for 50 kids that I had organized. I'm so very thankful for the moms in our group who really took care of things while I was out of it sick. That same week I'd planned an evening of facials for my Missionette class. My sister-in-law, Bree, came in to teach my 13 5th-7th grade girls about skin care while I was flat out on the couch at home still sick. God was very faithful to take care of things during a very busy week.

This week I've been feeling very sentimental. On this very day last year we picked up Slava from his orphanage in Ukraine. The whole month I've been revisiting my journal where I'd documented our adoption adventure last year. God is faithful and amazing; He has done (and continues to do) amazing things in Slava. He has grown into such a loving, cuddly, little boy. He walks around all day saying, "I love you," "I love God." I make sure he knows that we love him and God loves him. He's still a lot of work, but I wouldn't trade him or our experience for anything. November also happens to be National Adoption Awareness Month and our church celebrated Orphan Sunday on the 6th. Wayne & I have become members of Christian Alliance For Orphans which works to inspire, connect and equip Christians to "defend the fatherless" through effective adoption, foster care, and global ministry rooted in the local church. I encourage you to check them out at www.christianalliancefor orphans.org

Yet again I loaded the pictures on backwards, so they start with the most recent ones.

Here are a bunch of the kids at my niece's wedding last Saturday. From l to r around the table: Missy, Jonathan, Sierra, Andrii, Curtis, Julie, Kerri, Wayne Jr., Shane, and Jed. Not all ours but mostly!

Homeschool Art Camp with Visual Manna

My precious Missionettes class.

I love teaching these girls!

NYC!!!

The weather was so cold and wet that we decided to hail a cab (or 3) to take us the 20 or so blocks to the concert. Amazingly, a limo pulled up and said he'd take all 13 of us for $100...he even made our dinner reservations for us. It was so much fun that we called him back after the concert. He picked us up and took us all the way back to Grand Central Station!

This week I've been savoring the Thanksgiving holiday. Last year we arrived home from Ukraine just after 6pm on Thanksgiving Day. My mom had made dinner for us at our house and it was wonderful to come home to that delicious American meal after 4 weeks in a foreign country. This year I'm in the kitchen again, and I'm loving the shopping, baking, and cooking...especially with all my Ukrainians running around the house! God is so good, and I'm so thankful for all the abundant blessings He's poured out on my family!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Women's Retreat, Field Trip, & Life

Oct 14th-16th I got to go on our church's annual women's retreat. This year it was up in Schroon Lake, NY, and I was thrilled to go. Last year was the first time I'd ever missed a retreat, but I had a pretty good excuse because I was in Ukraine for Slava's adoption. This year about 30 women converged on the Silver Spruce Inn for some fellowship, fun, and awesome teaching. Carol and Jocelyn Heneghan shared on God's love, how to receive it, live it by dying to self, and give it to a needy world.

Saturday morning a bunch of us hiked up a mountain for a few of Schroon Lake. Here I am with some of my hiking buddies:

L to R: Shannon, me, Catherine, Sandy, & Gabrielle

Kerri & Shannon strolling outside of the Silver Spruce.

Nothing brings you back to reality like a home school field trip. More than 50 of us converged on Conbeer's organic farm in Fonda, NY this past week. The kids enjoyed a hayride, hay maze, wagon train, a corn maze, a sunflower hunt, a petting zoo, and cider & donuts.

Slava feeding a goat, another first for Slava!

It was a fun, fall experience, and the weather cooperated - we were freezing!

October is certainly topping September's busy-ness. Lately I'm feeling like I just can't cross all my "t's" or dot all my "i's." Last week at a glance:

Mon: school, Tues: school, piano lesson, Bible study, Wed.: school, prep for church, fife/drum/flagging & Missionettes and Royal Rangers, Thurs.: dentist appt, school, help parents move, Fri.: field trip, lunch at Panera Bread :), grocery shop for birthday party, Sat: cook, clean, party, clean up, Sun: church, help parents move. And on top of all the daily stuff, I'm working on an art camp for our homeschool group, an adoption message for church, and did I mention moving my parents? A glance at my calendar reveals the next 8 days straight are just as busy. Please don't even mention there are only 63 shopping days until Christmas!

Yet again I could not put everything in 1 post, so please scroll down and check out Slava & Anna's birthday party post. It amazes me that exactly 1 year ago we travelled to Ukraine to bring home Slava. That little boy who, a year ago, didn't like hugs or kisses now pounces into my bed in the morning declaring, "Ooo, Mama warm" and "I love cuddle." His latest obsession, asking me 100x a day, "Why Jesus die on the cross?" "Big cross or little cross?" "Why bad guys hit him?" I do my best to answer each question, "Because Jesus loves Slava." That seems to satisfy him for about 5 seconds, then he asks, "Why Jesus die on the cross?" His bedtime prayer: "Thank you, Jesus, for the food and Jesus, and God, and Lord. Amen." Priceless!!!!

Happy Birthday Slava & Anna!

On Sunday we celebrated Slava's 6th & Anna's 12th birthdays. For Slava it was like his very first birthday ever since birthdays go by pretty much unnoticed in an orphanage. He was so excited!

Here he opened his present from Missy, slippers! He was thrilled. He loves slippers. Missy commented how cool it was that he'd worn them to church this morning...something I hadn't noticed until she pointed it out!
Here Anna is surrounded by her friends relishing the special day. We got her a portable dvd player which she'd asked for. She loves movies!
Uncle Aaron & Aunt Becky got Slava this power tool. He loves tools. I wish I'd gotten a pic of him with the Thor hammer that Curtis got him. It's a giant foam-rubber hammer, exactly what this little guy loves. He went to bed that night with his new flash light. hammer, and drill. He's one happy little guy.
Slava with his first ever birthday cake. I made 2 ice cream cakes, one for him and one for Anna. He loved it when we sang "Happy Birthday" which he yelled at the top of his lungs. Surrounded by friends and family, both Anna & Slava had a very good day.

I'm feeling a bit sentimental since exactly 1 year to the day (Oct 23rd) we had just arrived in Ukraine for Slava's adoption. The 24th marks our appointment day and very first visit with him in the orphanage. That very difficult little boy has grown into a very loving, cuddly, and much loved little boy. God is so good!

I've got so much more to post, but yet again I've got to break it up into 2 or even 3 posts. The days and weeks are so busy that I just can't always get to it, but I'm committed to keeping you all updated on our shenanigans.

Autumn Amusements

This is my favorite time of the year. The foliage, the apples, school, the crispness in the air...ah make that mosquitoes in the air. Anyway, I love it! But it doesn't matter what time of the year it is it always seems like a busy season around here.

A couple weeks ago Sierra forced me to go bowling with a bunch of her friends. I in turn forced my daughter-in-law to join me for back-up. We really did have a good time though...all 10 of us!

Slava lost his very first baby tooth. He had no idea what was going on and was upset with the fact that his tooth was loose. Thanks to big brother Andrii, it came out in one swift pull. We had to explain that it was ok and now he'll get a big boy tooth in its place.
Missy and Slava had some fun playing in the leaves. She kept throwing them on the trampoline and he kept bouncing through them. The trampoline is a great tool for burning off Slava's steam. However, I think we'll need to be purchasing a new one since the springs have been literally popping off.
Looking through my kitchen window I can view my favorite tree all dressed up for autumn. Andrii captured this picture for me.
Tonight Wayne & I are headed out for a "date night" which are few and far between these days. So when he mentioned that he'd like to see the new Courageous movie, and since men's Bible study is cancelled for tonight, I seized the opportunity. I'm also looking forward to this weekend for our annual women's retreat. About 30 of us are heading up to the Silver Spruce Inn in Schroon Lake. I can't wait! I missed the retreat last year because of our Ukraine trip to get Slava. I cannot believe it's been almost a year. Sometimes I find my sentimental self reflecting back at what we were doing this time last year. I even find myself missing Ukraine.

I'll be sure to bring my camera so I can share some pics of the retreat. Until then, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to read about mine!

September Here and Gone! Part 1

I cannot believe so many weeks have gone by since my last post. August went and September sprang upon us with a full calendar! We started school on Wednesday the 6th. Slava still makes things interesting and each of the kids takes a little time during the morning to play with him. Now he sits up at the school table and asks to do "schoom" which is a blend of the 2 words school and room. He actually does sit for quite some time as long as I engage him with some activities. We are presently focusing on recognizing numbers 1-10. He can count, but he doesn't really know which number is which. We also do a lot of hands on educational activities with him. Thankfully, Kerri has resumed coming 2 mornings a week to work and play with him.

We also started our Wednesday night church programs last week. I'm teaching Missionettes and have 13 lovely girls (grades 5-7) in my class. The only way I'm able to teach this year is because Wayne switched his Royal Rangers class. He used to team-teach the teenage boys class, but now he's partnered with the teacher in the little guys class. The reason for the switch is so we could put Slava in Royal Rangers too. He's old enough to join, but not quite ready to fly solo...I wouldn't wish that on any teacher! He did really well his first class. The only hitch is getting him to sleep at night since he's up much later than normal and overtired. And believe me, he does NOT sleep in to make up for it the next morning!

Royal Ranger Slava

September means apple picking! Wayne insists on going every year (I think he has more fun then the kids)! It was Slava's first time and he had a blast.

Slava & Jordan

I wanted Slava to pick a pumpkin. It was the first time he'd ever seen one. We had the kids sit on some for the pictures. Then Anna, Jordan & Slava picked out their own. When we got home Wayne put them on the steps outside. Slava walked into the kitchen and asked, "Where's my seat?" I guess he thought pumpkins are for sitting on!

Sierra, Slava, & Anna

Youth Group resumed at church also. They kicked it off with a youth retreat to Mt. Snow, Vt. Eric & Ginny Hanson (visiting from Cambodia) did teachings on the Holy Spirit throughout the weekend. Sierra, Andrii, & Kerri (youth leader) are among the kids in this pic. Wayne Jr.(youth leader) & Curtis rode up with some others after work that Friday evening.
This was only the first half of September. I posted the rest in a Part 2 post, so please be sure to scroll down and read that one too. Other things going on...I started running for exercise and now I'm addicted. I finally got tired of being so exhausted by 3pm that I needed coffee to get me through until it was time to make dinner. And the thought of making dinner, cleaning up, and doing bedtime with the little kids just seemed unbearable some days. Running makes me feel so much more energetic (I'm hoping to lose some weight too). I started off briskly walking our road (round trip is 2 miles), then I worked up to walking/running in 2min/30 sec intervals. My friend, Lauri, and I started doing it together with another friend, Kristi, who is our coach. Kristi's a beast, but now we're up to walking/running 1 minute intervals each. Kristi works with us 3 days each week and we fill in the other days on our own. I've been going everyday, it's a great stress reducer too.

Well, it's time to run. It's Tuesday night and I'm off to women's Bible study. We just started a study on Jonah-Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. One of my favorite things to do is study the Word of God with a bunch of women! Actually it's a better stress reducer then running!

September Here and Gone! Part 2

It amazes me that our "baby boy" turned 22 this month! We had a small family party with all of us, both sets of grandparents, Wayne's in-laws, and a few others. Ok, small means like 30 people! We had a yummy dinner and Kerri made this delicious homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting - to die for.

Wayne Jr., Sierra, & Slava

My precious niece, Jessica, is getting married in November. We enjoyed a beautiful bridal shower last Sunday given by her bridal party.

Sierra, Jessica, & cousin Alexis

Tis the season for baking apple pie. We went apple picking (as seen above) and Sierra baked her very first apple pie all by herself. Her mother was out running...yes, I said running. And when I returned the pie was in the oven. I only had a spoonful to taste it and it was delish!

Slava has made great progress lately. Here he's playing Candy Land with Curtis. He's really good at it too. He knows his colors and understands the concept of the game.
Thank you for following my blog. I should be back up to posting weekly now that we're in a routine for school. Actually October is shaping up to be a very busy month to, but I promise to keep you all posted on the Lord's faithfulness and goodness to our family.