The Sun'll Come Out...

Well actually it is quite rainy here in Texas but we are thrilled about that - we need it :)

This has been a much better week! We've had some more medical and dental stuff but as far as the children's attitudes and behavior (but most importantly my attitude and behavior), the sun has come out. Challenging days/weeks occurred before we adopted the girls and they occur now - it is just part of parenting and life in general. But it is these times that help me to draw nearer to the Lord.

Thank you to those who prayed for us this week! We had what should be the third and last round of work to repair cavities and remove some teeth (for Nastya). And Nastya finally got the decay on her front teeth fixed and is so thrilled to have white teeth in the front now!! She has been a trooper through what has amounted to fillings and/or crowns on every tooth in her mouth and at least 6 or 7 teeth removed. Two of those had to be done under anesthesia as they were her permanent molars. The orthodonist hopes that her next set of molars and wisdom teeth will come in strong and that we can move them forward to fill in those gaps. It will be a long term plan but for the moment we will get a break from dental work.

We also got to visit the endocrinologist to address Nastya's small size and they are running a bunch of blood tests and took a ton of x-rays to determine what possibilities there may be to help her grow. We are very happy with the pediatric endocrinoligist.

So after tomorrow we have a week of Spring Break! Woo hoo! We all need the break from school and are excited about our niece's birthday party and then getting together with some sweet friends that we have not seen in two years.

Mighty To Save...

This song was a powerful reminder to me throughout our journey to bring our girls home that God could move the mountains that stood in the way of bringing our girls home, that God alone can save, that God pours our compassion and offers hope. When the journey seemed daunting or impossible I would play this song in my heart and God used it to renew my hope. And indeed we saw Him move mountains and pour out grace and compassion to bring our daughters home.


Yesterday God used this song to remind me that He is mighty to save me right now.


I will be honest. The past 10 days have been hard. The morning after writing my last post on how grateful I was, life went a little crazy: Nastya had major dental surgery, later that afternoon I was hit super hard with the stomach bug (as well as some of the kids), Zach left town for a few days for a work conference, and then we kept my sisters' two sweet kids for five days while they went on a vacation. Throw into that piles of officework that have built up for me to tackle, a dryer that just quit working, and that wonderful time to go through clothes and make a lists for what my children need for spring/summer. Did I mention that these kids keep eating and wearing clothes and needing instruction/discipline?


Then on top of the 'normal' busy stuff I had an emotionally draining few days with one of our girls. Nothing huge, but many days of correcting the same issues (over-dramatizing minor injuries, some lying to get her way, constantly asking for more stuff, and just being very pushy in general) has taken it's toll. Plus we have realized that we have not been consistent in disciplining one of the boys and have been letting issues slide. All the sudden we realized it and are needing to tighten down and make sure that we are not allowing disobedience for our own convenience - so easy to do when I am overwhelmed with other stuff. All in all I was getting really discouraged and overwhelmed...


Yesterday morning, however, the Lord reminded me not only of my need to call out to Him and to seek Him first, but also that He has compassion on me and on my children. That the same God who brought our girls home can take care of these 'little mountains' that seem to be so huge right now. God has compassion and shows kindness to me no matter how many times I mess up, and I need to have the same compassion towards my children even when it seems that I am correcting the same issues so many times. I am praying (and would appreciate your prayers for us) that I would rest in Him and that I would seek Him first so that I have His love to overflow out of me no matter how sharply or how often I am jarred.

And today was a very good day even though we haven't quite tackled the piles of officework and the laundry is PILING up - come on over fast dryer repair people!!!! Thank you Lord!

Psalm 61:2

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Just Thankful Tonight

Tonight as I put each one of my children to bed I was just overcome with thankfulness for our family. For each one of these precious children. Sometimes it is such a heavy responsibility to be a mom and I see things that cause my mother's heart to worry. But then when I step back and look at what God has done and is doing in our family and the lives of each one of us, I am just at peace and so very grateful. Grateful that the Lord gave us Allee so many years ago and used her life to turn our hearts back to Him. Grateful that she is growing more mature and lovely in her character and spirit each day. We have especially seen such growth in her this year and she is just an incredible joy and delight. Grateful that we had a sweet time to talk about friends and ideals and just life as we jogged under the stars tonight.

Grateful that Nastya and Katya are here - our precious daughters forever. Grateful that they are growing and healing and that we can see God's healing hand in their lives. Grateful that they have learned English so well that Katya wrote a page long letter tonight in English and all I helped her with was spelling. Grateful that Nastya prayed that God would heal a sweet friend who was recently diagnosed with a very serious cancer. Not only did she pray for this woman but that God help her children as well. Grateful that Nastya will tomorrow have dental surgery that is very desperately needed. Her severely decayed lower molars are being removed after many consultations. And just in time - they began to abscess with infection just last week. So thankful that God kept them pain free until just before her surgery.

Grateful that my children are friends with one another. That they all interact and play together and truly love and enjoy one another. Not that they don't have their moments but they are close friends and value those relationships. We have prayed and worked to cultivate that kind of relationships as each one has been added to our family and continue to pray that these bonds would be strengths as they face struggles in their lives.

Grateful that Jadon is not too old to ask me to sing him a 'song about God' as we snuggled for bed time tonight. Grateful for the joy this sweet boy is to me.

Grateful that I still have one child who often quietly slips into my bed to snuggle in the middle of the night. Grateful for my precious, funny Benjamin who loves his mommy so much.

Grateful that I am married to my best friend who loves me at my very worst. Who serves me when I least deserve it. Who dreams and plans and prays with me.

Grateful that no matter how daunting the task sometimes seems of raising these precious children, my own perfect Father is right here with me and He more than makes up for all that I lack. I can rest in Him. Lord let there just be more of You in me and may your love continue to knit our hearts together and more and more to You.

Grateful that what seemed impossible and frightening and scary just a year ago (or for that matter just four months ago), now is an amazing reality that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Valentine Sweethearts!

Zach took three little princess to a daddy-daughter dance last Saturday night. It was themed "Daddy's Little Princess" and he made cute little invitations that he put on their pillows a few nights before the big event. They were all three just beside themselves with excitement but I think Katya was especially walking on clouds for days :) She loves all things princess and dreams of being a princess - I think it just made her feel so loved and cherished by her Daddy.

So finally the big day came and I curled hair, let them borrow a little perfume and tried on many dresses before their Zach made his entrance. He escorted his little princesses to a lovely dinner at Johnny Carinos and then off the dance.

After much negotiating and persistence, he was able to secure a ride in the horse drawn carraige, which had acutally sold out weeks in advance. They all had a lovely time and came home very tired from all that dancing :)

This week has been full of other fun Valentines parties for all the kids, making cards and cookies, and talking about what love really means. We had some great discussions about God's love for us and the differences between real love and tv love. When I first asked the girls what love is, Nastya replied, "I think love is God and family." Well that isn't too bad a definition if you ask me!!

Below we are celebrating with our sweet friends by making cookies and exchanging valentines....

Finally, Zach and I got to have a little Valentines fun ourselves. My parents kept all five kiddos last night so that we could go out to dinner and SLEEP IN this morning. I have felt like a new person today!! Thanks guys!! What a happy Valentines!

Here we are this morning (after they came home from my parents') openning valentines surprises...

Round One Goes To...

The Dentist!!! Woohoo!

OKAY THIS POST WAS WRITTEN LIKE 3 WEEKS AGO AND THEN I FORGOT TO POST IT. SO HERE IT IS BUT I AM ABOUT TO POST ANOTHER - MUCH MORE INTERESTING :) MORE DENTAL WORK COMING SOON TOO...

After close to six hours of being at the pediatric dentist last Thursday, we walked out with a little bit of bling-bling in Nastya's mouth and one of her teeth in my purse :) Katya had at least six fillings done but at least none of hers needed crowns at this point. They survived getting about half of Katya's cavities filled and at least a third of Nastya's cavities filled. The girls had to fast from all food and water that morning, and then when we arrived at the dentist they were given a little orange cocktail with Valium and a few other ingredients. They watched movies while we waited for the medicine to take effect. It was pretty humorous to watch it take place. Katya fought the effects and was determined to not sleep. Nastya curled right up and could barely walk after thirty minutes. Since it hit Nastya harder and because she is just a tough cookie, she handled the dental work pretty well. It was difficult for Katya who seems to really have a lot of fears about dentists and doctors. I can't say I blame her considering the time she had to spend in hospitals in Ukraine - not fun!! But I think she made the dentist and assitants earn their money - it was hard for her to stay still and to relax... But they did get it done!

Nastya has the most dental issues - lots of bad decay, some weak teeth structurally, and even some permanent teeth that are just missing (they never formed in the first place). But the good news - it is getting worked on, we will get it all fixed, and she will one day have beautiful, healty teeth. When we think of what her dental situation would have been in just a few years had she stayed in Ukraine, it is with great thankfulness that consider the opportunity to get our girls this much needed work. I hope that one day they will also be thankful for it! Actually, as much as they hate it, we have explained what would happen if these cavities were left unfilled. Nastya is a little upset that she has all these problem, but they both take the neccessity of dental care and good brushing very seriously now. Katya might brush her gums off in order to get those teeth clean if we don't watch her :) I do hope they keep up good brushing and flossing forever because they will always be at a greater risk for developing more cavities due to weakened tooth structure.

Very soon we will be getting two root canals done on Nastya's back molars and then back to the regular dentist for round two of basic fillings and crowns. After that we should be done with decay and move into maintenance and cosmetic work. No problem right! Well considering that I just had a filling fall out and had to have a crown put on (at an enormous cost) and considering that we have no dental insurance - it is not exactly painless for us either. We are spending just about all our time and money at varying dental offices! But like I said before, we are just truly thankful we are to be able to get all this done - for the girls and that the rest of us have always had the blessing of good dental care.

Cardiac Pediologist...

Oh I mean Pediatric Cardiologist :) The last few days have been filled with lots of initial doctor visits and scheduling appointments for more. We went to a wonderful international adoption clinic and did all the basic lab work and testing for the girls. Their medical records from Ukraine were translated and recommendations were made for a few follow-up visits. Basically, we got a lot of very good news. Labs all came back looking great, the therapist was really impressed with how they are adjusting both behaviorally and emotionally, and the academic assessment pretty told us that although they are behind academically - they are smart and are more educated than a lot of the kids that they see coming out of Eastern Europe. All pretty amazing and says a lot about the orphanage where they were. They received better food, education, and, most importantly, emotional support and love than most children are offered in EE orphanages. We are so very grateful to the people at their orphanage who continue to go the extra mile to love these children and to do the best they can with very limited resources. Now this by by no means that it is all smooth sailing and we have plenty of trials that we are facing, but it is nothing compared to what could have been. We are just incredibly grateful for how God has provided for them in the midst of despair and of how He has protected them physically against the odds.


On the down side - we did discover that Katya has a very small kidney on one side while the other kidney is enlarged to compensate. This is not necessarily a big deal and all tests showed that she was having normal kidney functions. However, we will visit a nephrologist to make sure that all remains healthy and that there are no other concerns. Katya also has a diagnosis from Ukraine of an undetermined heart condition. There are no signs that indicate a problem and more than likely this was due to panic attacks. However, to be on the prudent side, we will be visiting a pediatric cardiologist, which I continually refer to as the cardiac pediologist. There are just too many 'ologists' to keep up with!!


Nastya of course is very small - not even on the growth charts. But what she lacks in size she more than makes up for in energy, love and wit :) She is very healthy in every other way and was blowing away the academic assessment person with her comprehension on some things. Her body may begin to grow on its own but if it does not then we will be visiting an endocrinologist in about four more months. Yet another "ologist"...

Here we are eating breakfast just before all day at the clinic. My mom was so sweet to go with us so that everything could be done in one day. They loved having their Rere with them!!



We are glad to be back home and have one more step done in the area of medical concerns.


Leslie, if you are reading - sorry about totally falling off the wagon on being tagged for new years resolutions. I honestly tried to make some but feel like it is hard to make any firm commitments right now... Hopefully soon I will be able to get to that point. For now we are just still in survival mode of adjusting and still having a ton of interruptions that make weekly routines challenging! If I could commit to it they would definitely include exercising at least 3 times a week, reading through the whole bible, and memorizing two scriptures a month. Oh and blogging at least once a week. But I'm not sure I can honestly commit to all that right now so we'll see!

Christmas in Pictures!

As you can see we have been having way too much much to stop and write about it! The holidays have been such a special time! Here are a few photos...

Here are our two clowns showing off as we kicked off the Christmas season by decorating the tree.

We first celebrated Christmas with Zach's parents and brother's family. It was so much fun with special gifts, great food, and just a sweet time for the girls to get to know their extended family a little better. They loved it and were as delighted to give gifts as they were to recieve. We were also able to go to the State Championship game for Zach's highschool team. And they won State!!

We celebrated Poppy's (Zach's Dad) birthday at the same time!

Fun times openning gifts!

Just before Christmas Eve service.

Nastya finding out what type of goodies were in her stocking!

Jadon received a new castle and lots of knights and other creatures to go with it.

Benjamin is flying around now in his new scooter!

Katya loves all things princess and was delighted to be a princess herself on Christmas with her new Aurora dress!

Allee absolutely adores her new Elsie doll. She has read all the books at least three times each and has been wanting the doll for sometime.

My mom was very surprised by a new bike from my dad!! Since his frightening heart attack, he has taken exercise and healthy eating very seriously. Bike riding is his new favortie pastime and now my mom can join him! Go get 'em guys!!

The kids ventured outside to play - no coats needed since this Texas Christmas was almost like summertime!

One of the favorite gifts for the big kids (like my sister) was rollerblades!!! They've got wheels! A few injuries but everyone is quickly mastering this sport and loving it!!

So a few days after Christmas we tried our ice-skating as well! It was lots of fun and finally we were cold :)

One of the nights after the kids went to bed the adults tried out our new present - a microphone that works with an ipod. We had a couples' sing-off and my parents won!! Ahhh! So sweet!

What a memorable and fun Christmas we had! Thank you to the One who makes all this possible and gave us the gift of Jesus and of our precious family.