Drivers License

Thursday was a big day at our house. Nicole and Catherine went for their driver's license test and both passed. But not without a little drama. Catherine had not heard of the emergency brake. It was always refered to her as the parking brake. When she was not able to identify it she was forced to get in the back of the line and wait her turn again. Upon her second try she had no problems and passed with flying colors.
Ah, the little things in life that seem so big at the time they happen.

St. Nicholas Food Festival

We have a Russian Orthodox church in our area, the only one in Alabama, that has a food festival every year on the first full weekend of November. We have taken the girls there each year to enjoy the food and visit with the priest who is from Ukraine. The food is from recipes handed down from generation to generation and reminds the girls of Ukraine.

Our girls like to cook and bake and they will come home with at least one item that they will try to make. Two years ago it was Blini, a very flat pancake looking thing with a sweet center. It is very good though labor intensive.

They sell pastries and baked goods as well as a variety of meals. They also have a gift shop with items from Ukraine and Russia.

On one of the days they have a dance troop come in and perform Russian dances. The lady who heads it up is Natasha Russo who is from Russia. The name of the group is Natasha and the Russian Beauties. They dance in ethnic costumes that they have made themselves.

The church is located in Brookside Alabama and I recommend it to anyone who has adopted children from Ukraine or Russia. It is a small way to help them stay connected with there home country.

It is open Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm. The dancers will be there Saturday in the afternoon.

Gotchya Day

Four years ago today we were Blessed to have four lovely girls become a part of our family. Wow, four years have gone by fast. The girls have become young women and the younger two can speak very little Ukrainian. The older two can still speak and read and write it but have forgotten some.

Today we all went to have Mexican food for dinner. This has become their favorite food. The meal was great and the time spent sweet. We ate, laughed and enjoyed the day together.

After dinner we spent the rest of the day playing with the horse. We rode laughed and just enjoyed each other.

Our girls are 18,16,14 & 12. They like to be with us, even when their Friends are around. They would just as soon spend time with us as to be any where else. We are so Blessed to have these beautiful girls. We have many Friends who have children their age who would rather be any where than with the family. I am not sure who is Blessed more, them or us,but I know one thing, God has put us together.

Cat ran this week with a hurt hip and still managed to finish in the top 1/4 of the field she ran against. This week coming is the last event and then they start the sectional series. She has done better than anyone would have thought and we are very proud of what she has done.

I am truly a Blessed man. I have a wife who loves me and children who look up to me. I pray I can live up to the challenge God has placed before me.

I pray God leads me in all I do and shows me what I need to do next to be the man they all need to see. I love them dearly and would do anything to help them see the love of Christ.

Thank you Jesus !!

Meeting the girls

On the first day we were in Ivanciv we checked into our room. We were late getting there and were to meet the girls at 2:30 pm. We opened the door to the room and pushed our bags in and left to go to the orphanage.

The next 15 minutes were very anxious for me. It was like a cross between that first date, asking my wife to marry me and our wedding . I thought all of the what if's, what if they didn't like me, what if I didn't like them?

As we pulled up to the orphanage I noticed a girl coming through the bushes ( we would later find this was a short cut for the kid's) towards the building. As I got out of the car she came to see us and I saw it was one of our girls. She saw wife and a huge smile came across her face. She gave us a hug and ran into the orphanage to get the other girl who was there. We found out we had missed the Orphanage Director by a few minutes and nobody knew if or when she would be back. Protocol was to see her first and give her some paper work and then she would bring the children in for a formal introduction. Instead we walked over to the town stadium located next the orphanage and sat in the stands with these two girls and tryed to talk to them through the interpreter. They were shy and only gave yes and no answers. A few minutes later the Director came up and we all went inside where we did it the right way.


As we headed in the two girls ran off to the school to get the other girl and bring her back. Upon her return the director gave them a pep talk about there lives would be different and that sh had met us in America and we were good people etc. She excused herself and we had a few questions asked back and forth. The youngest one was antsy and couldn't sit still. The oldest one looked as though she was going to burst out of her skin but they remained reserved. We decided to go to the market area and see if we could find some banana's. The girls came with us to show us the way. As we were walking there one of the girls gave wife a hug. That started what became love fest. Another one hugged me and it was one hug after another from then until we left them to go back to the hotel 5 hours later.

After getting a box of banana's we went back and the director brought the kids into the great room and told them who we were and what we were there to do. Most of them smiled and for the first time I felt awkward. It dawned on me that all these kids wanted to go home and some had the why not me look. The fruit was enjoyed and we saw that our girls all had a servants heart as they passed out the fruit and the candy we bought for all them.

The time flew as the girls wanted us to see there beds and the few things they possessed. They each gave us a little trinket as a gift and we gave them some things we brought for them. They would bring their Friends over and introduce us to them through the interpreter.

At about 6 pm the interpreter announced she had to leave and go back to Kyiv. We were there with only a little girl we had met in the states to help us talk with them. The girl and her brother were going to be adopted by another couple we knew. The girl had been to the states and had been taking English lessons. She could speak some and spent the remainder of the weekend helping out. One of the first questions the girls asked was what do you want us to call you. I asked what do you want to call us and they answered Mama and Papa.

That was settled and in time it was time for us to go leave as the orphanage locked down at 9 pm. We left and felt as though we walking on clouds. These children were all so loving and ours seemed to need it the most.

After cleaning up the rooms enough to get by we called it a night about 11:30 pm. At about 12:30 I was awakened as wife was shaking me and I heard someone coming in the door to our room. I looked at him and he was bobbing back and forth, obviously drunk, and I said hay!! He said something I didn't understand and backed out into the hall and closed the door. It took me a minute for it to sink and I got up and stacked the bags against the door so no else could get, key or no key. When I woke up the next morning I looked around to see if we had any other visitors.

Hilton Hotel Ivanciv

While we were in Ukraine we stayed at a little hotel in Ivanciv. This was the town where the orphanage was. The best way to describe this hotel is to imagine a double wide mobile home with another one stacked on top of each and about two long. It would shake as the trucks went by but after a week you didn't notice. The hallways were up and down and crooked. It left the feeling of being tipsy when walking down it.

On the first level there was a few rooms and the rest were used for hotel needs ie; laundry room etc. The first floor also had a restaurant. It had a small eating area inside and another one on a patio. Inside had about five or six tables with four chairs each and a small bar that seated five or six more. Every time we went there you could cut the cigarette smoke with a knife. We ate outside every time, even when the weather got cool.

The owner of the restaurant was not friendly and never smiled once while we were there. The waitress was the same. No expression, no reaction, no matter what. They had about four or five things on the menu and the best was a steak platter that had a cubed steak covered with grilled mushrooms, peppers and onions and a cheese with potatoes. It came with a salad made with green peppers, onions, squash cucumber and a light oil & vinegar dressing. It was good but it was the only thing that was.

I lost about 20 lbs. while staying there. There were no super markets as we know them.The food stores were about the same size as our gas stations. They offered a wide variety of food but in small quantities. Bread, for instance was brought in twice a week. If you wanted a loaf the day before it came in you had a choice of take it or leave it. We always left it and remembered the days it came in. There was not a lot of choice in foods and we ate a lot of bread ( which was very good) with tuna we brought with us. As long as it lasted. Then we bought chicken cooked there and made sandwich's, but that got old after a week or two. Our biggest treat was to go into Kyiv every Saturday and eat at McDonlds or TGIF's.

Now , all that being said, there was great food in Ukraine. We only found it when we moved back into Kyiv at the end of our trip. We enjoyed a few meals that were great with Friends we made in Ivanciv but the restaurants were non existent while we were there.

The hotel was filthy. No other way to put it. When we checked in the room looked as it would if you had people stay in it and didn't clean it for months. Which is what it was. They give you clean sheets and bed covers and all the dirt you want. The bathroom was so bad I was afraid to use it. We spent hours cleaning it in order to make it acceptable.


We had the deluxe suite which included a towel each, a small bar of soap each, and two wash cloths for three of us, no matter how long you stayed . There was two rooms, one had a bed dresser and amoire. The other had a sofa that pulled out to make a bed and a chair, Coffee table and end table and a book case that also served as a closet/ storage area. On the coffee table was a huge ash tray with a couple of cigarette butts left. Under the end table was an empty wine bottle. Each room had a window. In the entryway you had four doors, one to the left had the sink and toilet. The next to it had a shower. Straight ahead was the bedroom and to the right was the other room. It was set up so each room could be rented separate and you would share the bath.

Friends or ours who also adopted three girls from the same orphanage called it "The Hilton Hotel Ivanciv". They had been there, in the same room, about six months before us. We thanked them for leaving the dirt.

It was interesting to me that the girls and their Friends who came by to visit were in awe of this place. The girls wanted to be able to spend at least one nite there before we left.

We were just living it up at the Hilton Hotel Ivanciv !!

Home

As I sit here writing this I can hear two my girls practicing their clarinet's. The third one started playing two years ago. Her younger sister started this year. They practice together most afternoons. The oldest girl is preparing dinner. It is soup made from scratch, a stew made with potatoes, sausage and vegetables. Corn cut off the cob and fryed with seasonings and raspberry and cream cheese mix in home made batter for dessert. The next oldest girl is dragging around because of hard practice she went through today. As she improves each week at running cross country she is pushing herself more and more.
Four years ago the couldn't speak ten words of English, had no idea what it was like in America and were very cautious about us not knowing what they were getting into by being adopted by this family from America. Now.... They have become Americans in the truest sense. The youngest has an American southern accent, the next one has lost almost all her Ukraine accent. The older two still have a strong Ukraine accent but have learned the true art of shopping in America. Shop until Mom drops is the call !! Wife is not a shopper but has done well to show the art to the girls.
It is incredible to see how far they have come. The language, the change in customs, being in a family, all was new to them. I remember the oldest girl making a statement after having trouble adapting to some of our rule. She looked at wife and said " It's a lot harder to be in a family than I thought it would be."
Now all the girls cling to wife and always get excited when she returns home from work. Daughter #3 still runs out the door and to the car when she arrives to be the first to give her a hug. I love them dearly but I would feel smothered if they clinged to me like they do wife. She is a trooper and shows much love and patience with them. Unlike most teens that our friends have who want out of the house and to run around and have fun, our girls want to be around us and at home. They 18, 16, 14 & 12 now. They enjoy doing things and going places but home and family is something they craved when in the orphanages and are just happy to be here.
Two years ago we moved from the house they knew upon arriving here to a bigger house with a lot more property, in part to buy a horse. They took it hard and one of them said that the other house was there first house they lived in with a family. Even though they shared two bedrooms and now have their own they still talk of the other house with fond memory's.
This is a good life we share together and we are Blessed to have them as our children.
Over the next few blogs I will share stories about our trip to get the girls.
Ah !! The dogs are barking and the kids are running out the door....Mama's home !!!!!!!!1

RUNNING

One of my daughter's is running cross country this fall. She is the most athletic of all the kids and a natural runner. In her first meet she ran very high 29 minutes and change. In her second she cut almost 5 minutes and last week she cut about 30 seconds. This past week she ran Varsity instaed of JV. She said it was differant, the girls would push her as they passed. She is a gamer and has a good kick. Her attitude is to try and pass just one more before the end.
On one of her starts there were about 400 giirls atarting across about 200 yards. The course funneled down to a normal ten yard wide opening with in the first 300 yards. She didn't want to get caught in a crunch so she sprinted out to the lead for about the first half mile before falling back.
While we were at the orphanage Our son, who thought himself to be a fast runner, and the girls were playing with a soccer ball in a field next door. At one point he grabed the ball and started to run across the field. He had a bout a 30 yard lead when Catherine, who was in flip flops and he in sneakers, took off after him. She caught in no time and decked with her forarm. He went head over heals and she returned with ball telling him Ukraine not to do it again.
The first time she touched a football, American that is, she threw a perfect spiral about 40 yards. She can do just about what she wants too.
We now have two daughters who are learning to play Clarinet. Alexandra has been at for two years ans Olivia is learning this year. Olivia has a good ear for it, she has been able to play things by ear. Not an easy feat if you are learning to play an instrument.
This time of the year always reminds me of our adoption of the girls. It was on 8/28/05 that we went over and returned on 1o/31/05. I remember writing in my journal during the end of the time there that as I was praying to God thatall I wanted to do was get home in time to see a little football and could He help speed things up. It worked, out oof the blue we got a phone call that all things blocking us were removed and we had a court date set. I wonder what would have happened if I had prayed that a few weeks earlier? Oh well, it was worth the struggle because we have Blessed abundantly since with four of the sweeetest and loving girls that anybody could have.
I love my wife and I love my children. I only wish there was a way for us to get more. After seeing all those children we left in that orphange I still dream of ways to get some of them home. Lord willing it will happen one day.

Modesty

MODESTY HONORS BEAUTY

First, Let’s get this straight: Modesty is not putting on more clothes. Modesty is honoring God by acknowledging the value He placed on your body when He created you. If it were just about clothes, then Adam and Eve would have been created wearing something more than skin. Modesty isn’t about your closet, it’s about having a heart bold enough to throw aside that which the world tells us, and holding on to that which God tells us: That we are a beautiful creation wrapped in the wonder and glory of the perfect artist.
Today’s world of advertising will never tell that. Girls, you will never hear an advertisement tell you how beautiful already are. Instead, it will tell how beautiful you will become if you do this or buy that. And, even more disappointing, that end result of beauty will have nothing to do with the exploitation of your sexuality. Guys,you will rarely see an advertisement that encourages you to be a respectable man who spends his whole life loving one woman, but you will see plenty that tell you success is measured in how many scantily clad females your deodorant can attract.
Is life really so shallow? Is there not more to life than an insatiable sex drive?
In today’s media- commercials, music videos, movies and television programs- the bottom line is that sex sells. Always. Why? Because, at some point, we actually started to believe that sex was a measure of success. Women think they have to look sexy, dress sexy and be willing to have sex constantly. And men think they have to have sex, a lot of sex, to be worth something. When you take those two idea’s and throw them into fashion and the pop culture, you will end up with styles and trends that depend upon targeting of our sexuality. That which God created for mystery becomes a commodity, and something glorious becomes common place.
This is where modesty comes in. Modesty is the decision to reclaim our bodies and tell society that we do not need to sell ourselves to one another just to feel worthy. Modesty is a girls decision to encourage a guy in purity by accentuating her love for Christ, not the curve of her hip. Modesty is a guy’s decision to prove himself a man by running after God, not making himself available to every girl.
Modesty is choosing to let your beauty speak of love, not lust.
Choosing to be modest is not sentencing yourself to a life of baggy clothes and long dresses. That’s not what this is about. Modesty, quite simply, is daring to live a life submitted to God. It is a choice.


Are you daring enough to be MODEST ?

I found this some time ago and copied it for my girls and boy. I forget who wrote it.