Baseball, Fireworks, and Swimming .... Oh my!

Yes, we have had a very busy few days, already!  Friday morning, both boys slept until 11:30. V*ktor immediately made up his bed, got ready, and motioned that he wanted to go outside to exercise. A joined him.  After I made breakfast, we all got ready to head into town.
I must admit, for awhile I had just kind of assumed they would be the same size and I wouldn't have to worry about clothes. Then, right before he came, I kind of got a little worried about coming up with enough clothes or having to buy stuff new and it being expensive.  Our first stop of the morning (oh wait afternoon) was my friend's house to pick up the bike she is letting us borrow for V*ktor to use while he's here.  She handed me a huge stack of clothes that are the perfect size for him! So, by the time we got to the thrift shop, we didn't need as much, and they had all we needed there (plus it was kindly covered by a family member)!  He REALLY liked this pair of roller blades, so I ended up getting them for him. He said it was "super" and he has been using them when we're home! Plus, patient, sweet kid that he is - he has already helped A learn how to use them, too.

Later, we went to Walmart to pick out a pair of shoes (awesome family members had already offered to buy them for him :) Brian's work gave out tickets to the Saltdogs Game that included dinner. So, we picked Brian up, ran a few errands, and headed to the baseball game. YUMMY pork sandwiches, baseball, and of course a few times around in the bounce houses!  This is the smile I got as he hopped off the obstacle course.

He is so patient, helpful with the kids, and easy-going. We have all loved having him here! It gets frustrating sometimes when I know he wants to tell me something, can't figure out how to communicate it, and just gives up rather than push through so he can tell me.  We are trying to get a translator app on the tablet, but haven't been successful, yet!
This morning, he was up at 7:45! After playing at home for awhile, we left baby C (and cousin S) home with B and went to the pool with Aunt R and H.  My cousin's wife, N, had asked him if he could swim, and his answer was something along the lines of "not very well."  Uh- guess he was being modest or something because he's a FISH, just like A! He was all over the pool, and we all had a really good time.
Tonight, we headed in to watch the Jaycees fireworks show! I think he had a good time, but soooo tired. He and A were sound asleep in about 5 minutes from getting in the car. They woke up fast for the promised ice cream, though!

I'm so tired I've fallen asleep a few times writing this, so I'll say goodnight! Hoping it makes sense :)

He's HERE!!!

I know it's 3:30 in the morning, but just wanted to do an update while everything is fresh in my mind - plus C & B are now wide awake!!!!

I have been through so many emotions today - "Can time hurry up?" "Oh my goodness, I'm not ready, time needs to SLOW DOWN!" "Will he like us?" "What if we can't figure out how to communicate at all?" "I already love him. What will it be like to let him go?" "What else can I possibly clean or organize to make me feel ready?" "I'm so excited I could jump up and down squealing like a kid in a candy store!" "I'm so nervous, please don't let me puke all over the floor right here in the airport."

Then - "Wow! There he IS!" He came straight over to us and we got the first really good smile. When asked "What are you most looking forward to doing now that you're here?" His answer was "rest!" Poor kid has been travelling for 2 1/2 days. He was pretty quiet and not much emotion after that initial big grin. Then, when we got in the car, he and A immediately were "talking" and getting along in the back. So awesome! After about a half hour, Brian pointed to our printouts to ask if he was cold. He said he was fine, then before we could say anything he had unbuckled and went to the back of the van to grab his backpack. I pulled over and he got out a beautiful embroidery he had done just for us. What a sweetie :) Not sure why it struck him at that moment, but it was definitely from the heart. We'll have to go over seat belt safety tomorrow, though!

After the looooooooooooong drive home, we gave him a quick tour and let him get ready for bed at 2:30AM. The smile when we showed him his room was just priceless! HUGE thanks to my friend Ashley for staying with the girls while we went down to the airport :)

I hear him stirring a little every now and then, but I hope he's getting some sleep! Laptop battery is running out, so I'll say goodnight! ... I don't think C is saying goodnight anytime soon, though!

Do NOT say the "A" Word

This is an extremely important post for you to read if there is a chance you will see V*ktor this summer. 
What is the "A" word?  Adoption.  We are called to be a host family this summer.  At this point, we truly feel that's our calling from God and that He has a plan for V*ktor. Could His plan include us adopting him?  I really don't think so, but I don't know. I've kind of learned not to say never.  Honestly, though, that is not our intention.  However, it is EXTREMELY important that the word adoption not even be discussed in his presence for any reason.  We ask that you respect that rule as well. Below I am copying and pasting exerpts from other people's blogs and our training manual, but it will get across why.

"New Horizons is not an adoption agency. They are a hosting program only and any mention of the word adoption jeopardizes their program. And while it is true that 65% of the children who are hosted this summer will go on to be adopted by families in the United States it is not beneficial to the children for adoption to be discussed in their presence. The ONLY thing they have been promised is a summer in America. They are essentially going on a 5 week vacation to another country, that is it! They all know they will be returning to their own countries once the 5 weeks are up! The only thing worse than a child living in an orphanage is having hopes raised that their life is going to change, they will be adopted, and then they are not. More often than not, children who are told they are being adopted, or being led to believe this, are the same ones WHO ARE NOT EVER ADOPTED.
You may think the kids do not understand any English, but they may have actually picked up on various parts of the conversations. We've been asked to be super proactive in letting others know this rule before we run into a problem.
In the past, slip ups have occurred in the following ways and have really caused heartache:
     In the concept of discussing a pet's "adoption" a child heard the word and didn't realize it was in relation to a pet. He thought it was for him. It wasn't :(
     When attending a church service, the pastor was so excited to welcome the hosted children present, he asked for church members to pray that each child would get adopted.
     When a mom was driving down the road with music playing, she thought her hosted child couldn't understand, so she called someone and discussed adoption of the child.  The child heard and soon spread the "news" to others at group events that they were all being adopted."

Please help us to protect V*ktor. We appreciate your help in this matter!  Well, that's the really important stuff. The rest is just my final ramblings, so you don't have to read any further if you don't want :)
Only 3 days left until he gets here!  He will actually get on a plane in less than 36 hours - and may be travelling by bus or other mode of transportation for several hours before that!  Please continue to pray for him, for any anxieties he is feeling, and for us that we would be prepared to give him the best experience possible.  I finally have his room 100% ready.  LOL - I'm looking at the living room, though, and it's full of stuff that came out of his room.  Oh well, I still have a few days :)  I just finished the sign to welcome him at the airport. Actually, to be fair, I should say "we" finished it. Brian cut out almost all of the hands :) He has been sound asleep since I started gluing, though!  I'm going to let the kids draw on the white parts tomorrow.

Somewhere around here is a list of all the things I still need to get and do.  At the moment, I can't really remember much except that it's only THREE DAYS AWAY!!!!  YIKES!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Don't Worry. Be Happy

The blank page starting a new post is so intimidating!  We are STILL having computer troubles, and we are hopeful that all will be resolved in the next 10 days because I'm thinking we will NEED google translate!
Things are still coming together for V*ktor's stay.  We feel so blessed by everyone who has donated towards our hosting fees and been continually in prayer for us.  All but $400 of the hosting fee was raised, and we paid that out of our emergency savings.  God has a plan for it, so no worries!  We either won't need that money down the road or it will come later. (Actually sounds like $110 is already coming tomorrow!)

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplicaiton, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Phillipians 4:6-7

So far, we already have a dresser on loan from awesome friends, I have picked up some clothes at the thrift store, and I even found a REALLY nice winter coat (oddly - it's even almost identical to A's coat) at a garage sale for $7. The mattress, bike, luggage, and Bible have all been promised by friends, church, or family. Oh, and I got the cutest sockmonkey stocking cap for him! It seems kind of unreal that in 10 days he will be here!  Here's what we still need:
To keep: cheap MP3 player, needles/cloth for embroidery, size 10 or 12 boys summer clothes and shoes,
Strings, book, etc. for violin (I will get a more specific list if anyone is interested in getting these).
To borrow: Nightlights, alarm clock, bike helmet
Thanks so much for your continued prayers!





Unrelated to V*ktor, but just wanted to share...  Yesterday was 5 years since the last time I got to tell Dad Happy Father's Day.  Sure do miss him!   Here are the lyrics to the song I wrote for the Father/Daughter dance on my wedding day.

Daddy's Little Girl

I graduated and packed up all my things.
You drove me down to my new home and let me spread my wings.
It wasn't always easy, no-one ever said it was,
but wherever I go, I always know I take my Daddy's love

You always give me hope and make me smile
Just to hear your voice lifts my spirits for a little while
Your love, your laugh, your happiness- it shines out to the world
and I'm proud to be my Daddy's little girl

Summers trickled by and I moved further away.
Many times I thought of you, I bowed my head to pray,
"Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
A father on this earth who shows me what I need to be."

You always give me hope...
and I thank God I'm my Daddy's little girl

Daddy, Daddy, oh how the time goes by.
It seems like only yesterday my childish tears you'd dry
Throughout my lifetime, my failures and success
You always believed in me and you never let me forget
... Now here we dance on this floor
The day I change my name,
And though our lives are different,
One thing will stay the same

You always give me hope...
and I'll forever be my Daddy's little girl

SIXTEEN DAYS!

SIXTEEN DAYS UNTIL VIKTOR ARRIVES!

I have been MIA with computer troubles for a bit, and I went on an awesome weekend trip with girlfriends!  So nice to have that every now and then :)  Here's just a quick update.

My wonderful eye doctor - Jennifer Yager - has happily agreed to do V*ktor's eye exam when he is here. I still need to talk to the optical manager because that's who would authorize free glasses if they happen to be needed.

The last post mentioned several things that we want/need for V*ktor.  Some of the things we will just need to get sometime while he's here.  These are things we need to BORROW that I would like to have when he arrives in just 2 short weeks: night lights, dresser, radio/alarm clock

We are getting closer, closer, and closer!  We have less than $600 needed to cover our hosting fees - Praise the Lord :) We are so thankful for those who have been able to give. If you would like to donate (any amount), here's the link to the fundraising page.
http://www.active.com/donate/summer2012/Hope4Victor

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:14  I will praise You. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works!
That was our verse for VBS last week. HOW awesome to know that we are each special to our God, wonderfully made BY HIM, and loved beyond any earthly comprehension.  I can't wait for the opportunity to share this with V*ktor by showing him!

Saturday, baby C and I left the house at 5AM and got home at 11:45PM.  She was a champion traveller! Slept the whole time on both flights. We got to Denver pretty early and went on over to the hotel where they were having the meeting. The leader and another host Mom were there, so we kind of got started on training little by little as others arrived.  The best part of the training was that we got to spend a good 2 hours hearing from (and asking questions of) 2 amazing young ladies who came from an orphanage in Ukraine. They came over to America several times as host kids with a different program and eventually were adopted. These girls just had so much self confidence it was a joy to see! They told us about life in the orphanage and how it changed them to come here and see people who cared about them. It was really encouraging that they talked about how even just sending a letter once a month (after kids return from hosting) can make a very big impact on their lives.  I have sometimes wondered how much of a difference we can really make for him since we won't have him forever, and it just renewed my excitement about the importance of this opportunity for him!
We only have TWENTY-THREE days left until he gets here!  I'm now entering list-mode.  I'm making list after list of things I need to do and the things I need to get.  Here are some items on my list.  If you have any of the following or would like to get it for V*ktor, please let me know!  Some are truly needs, and some of them are "wants."

Items to get for V*ktor:
cloth and needles for embroidery (already had some rings and thread donated)
Ukrainian-English parallel Bible (this might be covered, but not sure yet)  COVERED
MP3 player that charges by USB (CANNOT be name brand, must be a very inexpensive version) COVERED
Christian music for MP3 player. I am waaaaaaaaaay technologically challenged, so will probably need someone to help me get it onto the MP3 player!
hard violin case ?  COVERED
size 10 or 12 boys summer clothes and shoes

If you have any of these items below, we will only need them while he's here and can return to you.
night lights
dresser
radio/alarm clock
bike helmet

Tomorrow, I have my eye doctor appointment and will ask her if she would be willing to do V*ktor's eye exam when he is here.  Please be praying for my eye doctor that she is open to that! Also, we have an extension on our hosting fees, and they are due on the 15th. We are over halfway there, so please continue to pray!!!  Thank you all so much :)