Seven Weeks and the Racoons

Not a magical number, but it was a good day so I thought I would blog. We've been home from Russia for seven weeks tonight. In some ways it seems like forever and in other ways it seems like it's barely been a week. Most days are very difficult. There are seven people living in this house and each of us has had to make huge adjustments. Why haven't I blogged? Well I guess mostly because I got stuck in the negative and didn't figure anyone would be interested in hearing about the temper tantrums, selfish outbursts, and fist fights happening in our home. Why blog today? Because the last couple of days have made me think there is hope in this process. Now please don't get me wrong there have been great moments all along the way, but I find myself longing for good days of togetherness.

So David began his workout this morning at 4:30 and heard a loud bang outside. He went out to find a huge raccoon had turned over the trashcan. We had seen their prints on the trash can every morning and knew they were invading but this was the first time they had been spotted.

School lessons went great. Our 9-year old discovered that he is progressing faster on his Rosetta English than his older brother. That gave him a great burst of excitement.

We made a cake from the Amish Friendship Bread starter that our new friend Sara shared with us last week. It was liked by all, which doesn't happen very often. Now the kids are each tending to their own batch so we will have lots to give away in 10 days.

The kids look forward to their PE class on Fridays. They are learning to play tennis right now. The three youngest boys also had guitar class today. And friends came over to 'hang out' this afternoon. It was a great Friday.

Then came dinner. Bar B Que chicken is liked by all so there were no objections to dinner. Baked beans for half the family, sauteed mushrooms for the other half. Mom is in both halves. ha ha Peaches and cucumbers for everyone.

One of the most unusual things to get used to in our house is that there are always two conversations going on -- one in loud Russian because that is still the only volume they know, and one in louder English because they want to hear each other. And occasionally the two conversations intersect like tonight when Dad was retellling the racoon story and it ended at the computer looking up racoon pictures and everyone laughing at the thought of dad chasing the racoon. Wonder if we will all be up in the morning trying to catch a glimpse of our newest critter.

Just a piece of paper

It's an important piece of paper. It will get our new kids on the family insurance. It will get them social security numbers and passports. This important piece of paper makes David & me responsible for them. But the adoption decree is just a piece of paper. It does not make us a family. Our new daughter announced two days before leaving her country of birth that she would not leave. She changed her mind. She did not want to have brothers that teased her, constantly talked about cars, and made disgusting body noises. Brothers were disrupting her life and she was done. Several of our friends, who are now young women, have assured me that they now realize that growing up in a house full of boys was vital in who they have become as women. It challenged them and they grew from it. When our communication is better I will tell our daughter of how important my brother is in my life. I will tell her that, with David and the kids by my side, when we arrived home at the airport it was seeing my brother that meant the most. It was his welcoming arms that I clung to. Yes we spent many days as kids fighting with each other, being annoyed with each other and we don't agree on many things now. But, he is my brother and I cherish him. Some day our daughter too will cherish that special relationship with her new brothers. Some day that piece of paper will be a treasure to her in many ways.

Home Sweet Home

Those special words have never meant so much to me. It is wonderful to be home. Thank you to every person that has been unpacking boxes, decorating in incredible ways, and getting our new home ready for a grand homecoming. The new children have been exploring every nook and cranny, so excited with their new home. We all love their new rooms. The painters and decorators made them so personal and beautiful. Thank you for accomplishing so much.

Last nights homecoming at the airport was overwhelming. We were shocked, wowed, and awed at the wonderful support. As one friend put it, now phase 2 begins. We are so thankful for the many friends, co-workers, and fellow lighthouse families that are surrounding us for this next part. Somehow it makes walking into the unknown a little less intimidating.

So for everyone that isn't calling or dropping by today because you think we are asleep, think again. Everyone was up and going strong by 7:00 am. What does a family of 7 eat for their first breakfast in America? 1 large canteloupe, a small box of cereal, 15 eggs, 1/2 gallon of milk, 1/2 gallon of orange juice, and 1/2 a large pizza.

Thoughts from Russia

My apoligies for not blogging.  I would love to be sharing many stories of being with our new children, but there are none to share.  The children had to return to the orphanage last Friday.  At that point it was thought that I would be able to see them frequently.  I'm definitely learning not to make any plans.  Plans change often.  Plans change quickly.  The children have been gone for a week and today is the first day that has seemed discouraging.  Perhaps it is because we may get to see the boys tomorrow and I'm afraid to be hopeful.  Perhaps it's because I was so excited to get to help our host deliver a birthday gift and candies to a waiting child and we just learned that the orphanage will not allow our visit today.  During the summer months, the orphanages 'close' or have minimal children living in them.  The children go to live with families while the orphanage undergoes repairs and cleanup.  Visits with the children can be complicated during the summer months.  

On Wednesday I had opportunity to tag along with Jackie Payton to pick up their new son, Jacob.   It was so exciting.  First, the director of this orphanage is precious.  He has such a love for the children.  We found this when he supervised the trip that brought our B to America to be hosted in Michigan.  I may feel a little attached to him because he was there in our borrowed home when we asked B if she would like to join our family.  It was great to visit with him again.  

This is the first adoption from his orphanage.   Can you imagine?  It was such an honor to be there as Jacob shared loving hello hugs with his new pappa and intense goodbye hugs with the man who had cared for him for the past 7 years.   I'm at a complete loss for words to share.  (Maybe if I could quit crying it would be easier ;-))  As Jacob stood on the steps of the orphanage prepared to leave,  it occured to me that there were no children there to tell him goodbye.  They were all in homes for the repairs of the orphanage.  Jacob would not see those he had grown up with, perhaps ever again.  There were no goodbyes.  No 'see you laters'.   Just Jacob standing alone on the steps.  

What if he was the last child to leave the orphanage rather than the first?  Will there be a day when there are no more children living without families? What if there are no children to fill the empty halls because each child has been united with a forever family to love him, care for him, help him through the hurts and celebrate the joys in life.  What if?

By the way, Jacob didn't stand alone on the steps long before his new pappa had him in another bear hug and they were wrestling their way to the car.

It's a Girl!

It's a Girl! We have a daughter!

Paperwork Frenzy

Sorry I've been quiet for a few days. We got word yesterday that some of our paperwork hold-up may soon be over. It was exciting news and kicked us into gear to complete more paperwork. Our goal--all current paperwork complete by Tuesday, January 27. Please pray for us as we complete the official dossier that will go to Russia. We excitedly anticipate the day we will bring D and V home.

The Airport

The airport was today. Time to say goodbye to the 14 Russian Orphans who have been visiting Tulsa this week. Host dads fought tears. Host moms gave up the fight and let the tears flow. Young host children were extremely distraught over saying goodbye to their new friends. Lots of hugs and wishing we could say, "See you real soon."

Anton was himself, through and through. Mr. Personality was as charming as ever. All of the host families and adoptive parents walked the kids up to security, said our final goodbyes and watched as they went through security and headed to board the plane. All the way through the lines at security, Anton kept wilding waving with both hands, calling my name, Juuuuliiiiii, and blowing me kisses. We will miss him terribly. We pray for his forever family. For them to hear clearly from God. For them to know without any doubt that God will equip them to care for Anton's needs in incredible ways. We pray for Anton's safety, for him to seek God, for him to use his leadership skills in positive ways to honor God, for him to find his permanent home soon.

Geography Fair

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We appreciate so much the families that participated in the Geography Fair and Fundraiser for Dima & Vova last night. Thank you to Laura Barnes for coordinating and to Osage Skiatook Homeschool Association for bringing everyone together. Christy Rowden has blogged about the evening and put up some incredible pictures.

http://momof2girlygirlz.blogspot.com/

Anton has arrived!

He's here. The plane was delayed with the weather in Chicago so we just arrived home at midnight. It was great to see so many people at the airport! Wow! Thanks for all the support of the kids. Anton has a smile that lights up his whole face. He is adorable. He knows how to say 'thank you' and 'My name is Anton.' in English. It was cute watching our young friend who wasn't too sure he wanted to say 'minya zavoot Jude' and then Anton broke in in English to tell him his name. We look forward to everyone getting to know him this week. Goodnight. Julie

Merry Christmas Video

Ran across this video today about waiting for your orphans to get home at Christmas. It says it all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy8RW6aHXWQ&eurl=http://abbafund.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/third-day-adoption-video/&feature=player_embedded
OK, I can't figure out how to add in a video so here is the link.

Happy Birthday V!!

We're having a birthday party and the guest of honor is missing. Today is V's 9th birthday and we really wish he was here with us as we celebrate. How do they celebrate birthdays in Russian orphanages? Hmmm. We are celebrating with cake and ice cream. 'Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear V. Happy Birthday to you.' You can just imagine the second verse that Nathan and Timothy are adding in , something about monkeys and zoos. Those lines might be lost in translation.

Missing D

It doesn't seem to matter what I do, something will remind me of D. I miss him terribly. His trip to our home with the Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project was only 8 days, yet it seems as though he has always been part of our lives. We had alot of fun cooking together so every time I'm in the kitchen I wish he was there cooking with us. He loved being in the kitchen, exploring the refrigerator and mixing. He's also a great potato peeler. He loved playing Wii games with Timothy and my neices. So we all missed him extra yesterday while we were playing together. Every time we eat ice cream we're reminded how much he loves ice cream. D also loved to try new things. Often, Timothy will say, "I wonder how D would like doing this?" There are even some things that we start to do, then we say, "No, let's wait until D and V are here to do this with us."

I've never been one to wish away days because I believe every day is important. But, I must say I really long for the day that D and V are home, the day when we are all together.

I wonder how they spent Christmas. How are they doing in school? Is their English progressing faster than our Russian? Are they enjoying the snow? Are they warm at night? Did V enjoy the blanket present D picked out for him while he was here? What will we cook together for our first meal as a family?

Soon we will be done wondering. They will be home.

Blogging Fears

Perhaps it's my own fears that are keeping me from writing on this blog thing. For one thing everything I've ever written has had to be proofed and overanalyzed multiple times before being seen by anyone. That obviously won't work if I'm ever going to put anything on this blog. So I ask your forgiveness for typos, misspelled words, and blatant incorrect grammar. I'm going to write away without fear of your judgement of my mistakes. Second is the weirdness that everything I write can be read worldwide by anyone and everyone. That is completely mind-boggling to me. So to get over this fear I'm going to pretend that I'm just writing to those of you that have been so supportive. You are friends that I appreciate very much. Thank you for your support and prayers. Please keep holding me accontable to getting D&V home. Julie

Six Weeks Ago Life Changed

Six weeks ago today life suddenly changed. On that day we agreed to host a child on the first Russian Orphan Lighthouse project in Tulsa. Nine days later D arrived in Tulsa with five other children. Never did we realize how attached we could quickly become to a child from around the world. It was an incredible 10 days that led to our pursuing adoption of D and V.
We have never blogged or shared our lives in any way online so sharing this way is a little bit of a challenge. We're overwhelmed in many ways at the support, questions, and interest that this venture has generated. Many have suggested this as the best way to let all of you know what is happening so here we go with our family blog. Thank you to everyone for the support. We really appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, and interest.