FRUA picnic in Colorado Springs

Good to meet the adoptive community is Southern Colorado.
Took some pictures. Been a long time since I added pictures.

Why I Love America, by Sophia Christofferson

"America is not as hot as Ukraine. My family not hit me every day like in Ukraine. I like the supermarkets, they are bigger than in Ukraine. I like my house, because I don't have a house in Ukraine. I don't have a computer in Ukraine. It is beautiful outside in America. I like America because we never in Ukraine go to camp, and not go swimming and I never saw before fire trucks. I like America because the school helps me learn English. In Ukraine we learned a little English be we cannot understand, but in America I learn a lot. I like America because in Ukraine I never had good house, but slept outside. I like America because all my sisters are close to me. In Ukraine I was never very clean, but in America I can take a shower. I like America because there are no boys hitting me. I like America because the teachers never take money away from me."

What not to do

Ann learned a lesson this week. Don't wear a T-shirt to school, if the T-shirt has the name of the rival high school. Within an hour, she called: "Please bring another T-shirt, right now!"

What's up?

Summer is over?? Rats.

In June, we had a vacation in a beautiful home on Lake Elmandor in California.
The girls lived in their swimming suits for a week.


In July, the two little girls lost 3 teeth in as many days. Sophia had a loose tooth, and worked very hard to take it out, but the tooth refused. She was in tears, partly because it now hurt. Before putting them to bed, I gave them a small glass of warm milk. Sophia looked at me, and said, "I swallowed it." Sigh. The next day, she found another loose tooth, and worked that one out. Two nights, the tooth fairy visited her pillow. Then, I was driving Sophia and Anna from the swimming pool. Sophia had gotten Fritos, and the girls were eating them, when Anna said, "I broke a tooth." Knowing how rotten some of her teeth are, I believed it. She leaned out the window so she could spit blood. Finally, she gave me the tooth, and it was obvious a baby tooth had come out. It did have a hole in the top.

Then there was Josh's wedding. Eileen's brothers and her mom came out. For many, this was their first time to our house. The groomsmen got to wear tuxes, and the weather was hot. Sarah had a beautiful dress.

And then came August. Rolan lost his job. We had to get vaccinations for the girls. Sophia caught a cold or bronchial infection that has lasted into September. School started. We have visited all three schools due to problems of one sort or another. Eileen has started working at temp jobs, doing cooking and food delivery, but is not sure that working is the right thing. Rolan had a birthday, too. I can now play a card for every year of my age.


And now the whining. We sure thought we were doing God's will when we set out on this adoption trip. We tried to believe that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He would take care of us if we took a chance and went to get these girls, even though the economy was not good. After all, what is faith without action? And now we have medical and dental bills and no income. The stress level is high, there are tears and anger and frustration. Did we bring the girls from poverty in Ukraine, just to show them poverty in America?

We have been through hard times in the past, so hard that we cried out and said, "Enough! I can't take any more!" And now here we are again. Here is how I am feeling: #%!^*#@. No, that's not a regular expression (programming term). That's confusion and anger and fear and exhaustion. The only hope I have now is that I came out of those other times, and maybe I can make it through this one.

This week is Sophia's birthday. She wants to take "pupcakes" to school. :)

Rolan