Life Goes On

No blogs for a long time, we are pushing forward. Mostly, it is just life. School, homework, learning how to get along with siblings. Weddings, boyfriends, sleepovers, girl scout outings. Baby teeth coming out, diseased teeth pulled out. Cooking lessons, sewing lessons, gymnastics, therapy. English, English, English, ugh! Bodies changing, makeup, shoes, hair curling. I hate you, I love you, I want you to love me. Losing MP3 players, IPods, phones, pets dying. Getting a job, losing a job, interacting with the police. Church, youth group, KLOVE. Letters from Ukraine, phone calls to Ukraine, trips to the Ukrainian market.

Are we a family yet? Or just a small internot? Do our kids trust us yet? Or do they still feel the need to always be in control of the events surrounding them. In so many ways, they are doing better and better. Love, patience, consistency, listening, sympathy; they work their way through the small cracks in the armor our kids have had to build around themselves, and eventually the armor falls off. We are coming up to our 2-year gotcha date. What will things look like in two more years? Ages will be 12, 15, and 21. Once again, they grow old too fast. And we keep getting older and slower. And it is *so* worth it to watch these girls become women, people, adults.

Tempus Fugit

Well, if one had to break a leg, it should be at the end of January. Let's face it, there isn't much to do all of February except long for spring and well, long for spring! I was blessed, if I can say that as much as anyone can be blessed when they break a leg. I had very little pain, a computer to pass the time and my dear mum made a special trip out for a couple of weeks to care for us. (Thanks Mom!)
Now, I'm almost 100%. A little swelling around the ankle (normal). Working on the thigh muscle that seemed to almost instantly sag after it noticed the broken fibula. I hope the last of the x-rays will be Monday and the doc will say I can start jumping and running again. (yeah, right.)
I was afraid to ask if the break was age related (I'm 51). He assured me that he has seen 23 year olds that have breaks just the same and they have bones made of marble. Not old yet, my friends.

And what of the girls? Even as I write, Tanya is on her promised visit to Ukraine. When we adopted her, we promised a trip to visit those she has left behind once she turned 18 and could travel without a caperone. She is having a great time, though she asked me to call her every day. She will come home on Monday.
Sophie has continued to struggle but we see so much of her character popping through. She has a hard time completely letting go of control. Darn if those adults in her life have been so unpredictable, getting thrown in jail and dieing and not being attentive to her needs. After almost 16 months here, we have shown her a different side of care-taking adults. She is slowly learning to control some of her anger that gets her in trouble. We have a sweet child that will someday be glad to be our daughter. We are seeing that Sophie more and more. Baby steps.
Last weekend she asked me why we adopted. I told her, "Because Jesus said to help the widows and orphans in their distress." I said, "Not only that but every child should have a family to help them, encourage them, be with them in sadness and happiness and celebration. Everyone needs a family." I was glad she asked.
She has a good head on her shoulders. She could go far.

Anna. This is the grateful one. She gets it like you want every orphaned kid you adopt to get it. She is so happy to have a mom and dad and live here. She doesn't often need correction and when she does, she is remorseful. She is finally gaining some weight. She doesn't look like she has been sitting under the table begging for scraps. She is still one of the smallest kids in her class and is distressed about that. (Not something I'm sympathetic about. I was always the tallest kid in the class until I was 13. Haven't grown much since.) She has improved in almost all subjects in school. The teachers say she is bright. I believe it though she sometimes likes to play dumb just for laughs. I'm home-summer-schooling her this summer in hopes to catch her up for fall.
Rolan is also behaving himself.
The kitties? Well, you know. . .

Laying in Bed

On January 30, Eileen managed to break her leg. Not just a simple break, either. The orthopedic surgeon must have looked at the X-rays, and decided that surgery needed to be done right away. So Eileen went in that Saturday night for a two hour surgery. She got a nice titanium rod, right down the middle of the bone, and some screws on the sides. She was in almost no pain for the first 24 hours, but that changed. She now must stay in bed, mostly on her back, "hopped up on goofballs," as they say in MST3K. I'll try to get her to post soon.

A New Year and Everything In Between

My goodness, I had no idea it had been so long since I wrote last! If there is anyone out there who feels abandoned, I do beg your pardon. End of November and all of December got to be a whirlwind of activity. I'm sure you must experience at least a piece of that yourself, if not totally empathize.

Thanksgiving was a kick. With all the food preparation, Tanya got the cooking bug and wanted to add to the chaos. I was okay with that but was concerned about not having enough fridge space! We almost ended up with a sign-up sheet for kitchen time.

I was informed, at one point, that there are turkeys in Ukraine but people don't eat them.

The emergence of the Great Bird (22lbs) from the oven brought super-star reception! Flashes of cameras and ohs and ahs. The next day we decorated the house for Christmas. It's kinda nice to have help. The guys weren't into that so much. Finished in record time.

What is it like when you have kids who are new to America, celebrating an American Christmas for the first time? A great deal of highs and lows. Neighborhood parties, shopping, wrapping packages, the tree, oh my. We got our tree early. The girls really wanted one packed with branches. I tried to explain that we have a bazillion ornaments and we have to have some room to get them all on. We ended up with a compromise. A lush tree and mom with her pruners. I got to practice tree trimming, literally!

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Rolan was offered a job with a new start-up company. Just in time. He was going to comute to Denver for a down-town job at a greatly reduced salary and only for a couple of months contract at that. The new job is only 10 minutes from home,stuff he knows and at the salary he was used to making (and need to help raise the girls). Thank you Jesus.

Tried my hand at a couple of Holiday Craft Fairs with my creative crocheted hats, scarves and other goods. I only did okay breaking even. Not sure about doing this next year. I'll have to see how badly I need to express myself. It was great doing it with friends of Josh and wife Sarah. That was my favorite part.

It was a delightfully snowy month. December snows make me cry with joy. Rolan set up most of the outside lights only to be stopped by snow on roof and ground. He put lights on the back tree. We haven't seen the cord leading from house to tree since.

On the way to a rehearsal for Sophia's school dance recital mid month, I hit a deer. Traffic, snow on the road, going downhill, I didn't get to do anything to try and minimize the impact. I cried all the way to her school. Surely, I killed the thing. Front passenger headlights and signal lights gone. Front fender is crumpled but we can still get the door open. Hood, just the tiniest bit damaged. On the verge of the holiday, Ransom's graduation, relatives coming in, etc, my car is out of commission. Wahhhhhh. Does God still love me? I have no idea if the engine is okay. It doesn't matter. The car is unsafe to drive. We still have the mustang. My hardy Swedish husband can handle it! There were a couple of days, when he stood in the foyer upon returning home from work, and just shivered.

Ransom's graduation was wonderful with my mom and dad coming out. I worried about the crowd in the mustang but Rolan took blankets. Macky Auditorium was full and warm and bright. I got a cake with a shoe (Ransom's request) walking toward a dollar sign at the end of a frosting path. He is working half time at LASP just a few blocks from his apartment and still working for Campus Ambassadors. Busy but not too busy to plan for a . . . .

Wedding!!! A few days before Christmas he proposed to Jessica Foster and she accepted. I'm ever so thankful that they aren't planning to get married next month! Maybe November, they say.

Anna turned 9 on the 20th. Christmas. On the 4th of Jan, Tanya turned 18. Rolan and I toasted to another child successfully reaching adulthood. Whew! We joked about our long painful journey to this point (10 months).

I retired from the catering guys so I can concentrate on all the kid stuff that still needs to be done. Way behind in paperwork, immunizations, and as you can see, this blog.

Here's to a productive, peaceful, calm, slow paced, New Year.

Did I say calm?

Halloween Drama

The bride, the movie star, the witch and the haul!
It was coming. That fever and cold thing that was going around. Rolan got it on Thursday, I got in on Friday, and I knew the kids were next.
Halloween is the Disneyland of holidays. The way the girls were anticipating it, you would think it was the second coming. Anna had not one but two Halloween costumes ready to go.

The morning of, Sophia dressed up and knocked on the door just for practice (at 7:30am). It was going to be a long day.

At 1pm, Anna started to get drowsy. Sure enough, she had a fever. I never thought I would pray that someone could go trick or treating! We gave her some medicine and put her to bed. A few hours later she still had a low grade fever but there would be certain death if she were not allowed to go trick or treating with the rest of the American children.

She survived. I manned the home front and Rolan took them out. He said, when they came back from a house, they would run screaming as if they had found a vein of gold.

Later, Anna reveled in her haul, "I've never had so much candy!"

American Scary

At the local pumpkin patch. You never know who you will meet.

This is the House That Josh Bought -Sarah Too

In a desperate attempt to get in on the great Obama tax deal, our young heroes purchased their first home. They moved in on the 17th. It could use a gutting of kitchen and bathroom but everything is strong and in working order (like the roof, walls and floors!). Okay, it could use a little more curb appeal but guess who gets to be in charge of that? Ha! My mouth is watering, my chainsaw warming up, and the landscape plan possibilities abound.
I just have to avoid plants and flowers Sarah is allergic to.
I also need to find the time.
And the weather needs to co-operate.