Where is his forever family???

Where ARE they? I know that somebody has to be out there for this wonderful kid! He sits here now holding baby C while playing checkers with Brian.  B always says, "MY baby sister!" when A or anyone else is playing with C. A minute ago, V*ktor said "MY baby sister!" when I started to pick her up off the floor next to him. He and A played running all over the house tonight - like they did the first week and have sporadically since then.

I could ramble on and on, but I'll give a quick recap of our last 3 days... Sunday, church was hard on him just because we can't really even try to interpret for him and he just has to sit not understanding.  After church we went home for lunch and then headed up to the zoo. It was a fast, fun day! We were all worn out, but we decided to hit the Grand Buffet afterwards. I don't think I've seen V*ktor eat that much this whole time! He was thrilled to keep going to get random food that didn't go together at all!

Monday was a rough day. We were warned that the kids start to withdraw the last week - kind of a self-defense mechanism. We saw that most of the day yesterday.  He didn't even swim with us.  Finally, while I was making dinner we had a "talk" via google translate. I just told him I was really sad that he was going, I love him very much, and I will miss him terribly. I said that I knew he felt the same way and that it was natural to try and make it easier by pulling away. I just said it wasn't going to be easier by hiding out and not spending time with us. I got some shrugs and not any typing back, but when I asked for a hug I got one immediately. I said to take 5 minutes and then come back and join us!  He did, and we had a great night. We at borsch for supper :)

This morning, we all got moving relatively quickly for a loooooong shopping day. First was to get all the last minute things that I had missed. Yikes! I really forgot a lot of things because it was $120! Of course, it included gifts for a few teachers and friends, Tylenol, athlete's foot cream, neosporin, bandaids, shampoo/body wash, laundry soap, a rubber stopper for the sink to help him when he washes his clothes... All things that he can't get at home.  There were some fun things in there, too - 2 long-sleeved jackets, soccer socks, and a photo album that I need to fill tomorrow.  Afterwards, we headed to Chuck E Cheese and quick lunch. Finally, back to Wally World for groceries.  We had Brian's family over for fruit salad and Pelmeni (which is basically ravioli with sour cream).  Of course, V*ktor and I were the only ones who ate it the right way. Everyone else put spaghetti sauce on it!  We had a cake that said "We love you. We will miss you" in Ukrainian (at least I hope that's what it said!)
The tears for this precious kid come at the most random times. I just can't imagine him on his own in just 2 years. He is still a kid! He deserves to be one. He deserves a family to love him and take care of him - to show him Christ's love. He should be ADORED for the rest of his life by a family. If you are reading this, is it you? Is God calling you to be his forever family?  Are you reading this and thinking that WE are to be his forever family?  At this point, we really don't feel like that's the plan, but we're always open to God's leading. We are going to miss him horribly. Yesterday morning, I was telling B that V*ktor would be leaving soon. She said, "Well, isn't V*ktor still part of our family?"  Ugh! How to explain this?!?!  My heart is broken over what may happen to him, what his future must hold.  I've heard, "No Ukraine" a few more times the last couple of days.  He's about to beat Brian- who is very competitive and kind of growly about it - LOL! He sits there dancing around and laughing as the music plays on the Olympics.
PLEASE continue to pray for him. Please pray for us as tomorrow night/Thurs morning will probably be one of the hardest days we've ever had - putting him on a plane not knowing what his future holds or whether we will ever see him again.

"For I know the plans I have for you..."   Jeremiah 29:11

God's Hand in the details

This has been another fast 3 days. So awesome to see God's hand at work in everything. 
Months ago, we planned to camp with friends at a state park (M).  Several weeks ago, they bought a camper so we decided to go to a different park (IC) since we couldn't do 2 campers on one site at M.  I thought I cancelled, but realized this week that it didn't go through. So, I put it on craigslist and hoped to sell the site since we wouldn't get anything back if we cancelled now.  Thursday, our friend (who works for the power company) called with bad news that the power to IC was out and wouldn't likely be back until Friday. Plus, he had to work trying to restore power so they weren't going to be able to go with us, now, anyway.  So, we ended up heading to our original spot at M.

This kid totally cracks me up! While I was cutting watermelon to pack for camping, he kept picking up the throw away pieces and eating off every last little bit of watermelon! I have to force food down him half the time but he'll do that with watermelon rind:) Goofy kiddo!  While packing, about every half hour he was asking "Camping now?" "Drive?" - he was REALLY ready to go and super excited! Then, I was getting a Diet Coke out of the fridge, and he asked for one. I pointed him to his "Coke" on the counter. He all of a sudden started wiggling his arms and legs all around and asking me a question. I finally figured out he was acting drunk asking me if the Diet Coke was alcohol. So, I had to show him a taste test so he could see that they just taste different!  Oh the neverending charades!
 At one point during the day, he was telling B that he would go back to Ukraine in 6 days. A few minutes later, he looked at me and said, "Ma, no Ukraine. I stay here. Ya?"  Awww, kid are you trying to break my heart any more than it is already?????  I think it's starting to sink in for him, too :(
We were finally ready to go and Brian was done working, so we headed on up to the park! We got set up, had supper, the boys played a little, had the obligatory s'mores, and got everyone in bed. Then, I had to drive to the lodge at midnight to get a wireless signal to do my weekly report for New Horizons!
Friday, once we all got moving, Brian and the boys went fishing while the girls and I got ice for the cooler, bought bait for them, and then ended up watching them for awhile, too. V*ktor is quite the angler - he caught 7 fish! A even caught 3 :) We did crafts at the craft center after that, then back to the campsite for lunch. Later, we started potatoes on the fire and went to the giant indoor playground - I do mean GIANT!  They had a blast. You always know it's a success when you're in air conditioning and kids are drenched in sweat!  Steaks for supper, then Brian took the boys fishing again while I worked on getting girls in bed.  Of course- more s'mores :)
This morning, we got a slow start, but finally had our yummy bacon/eggs/taters. I had asked V*ktor what he wanted to do - paddleboats or minigolf. He chose minigolf, so our plan was to head over there after we ate.  Plans change! He went with Brian to get water, then he came rollerblading back to the campsite soooooooooooooo excited! I couldn't quite get what he was saying because he was talking so fast and flailing his arms trying to add some charades in there to help me understand. Brian got back to tell me that there was a Ukrainian church youth group at the picnic shelter 3 campsites over!!!  WHAT?!?!?! So, we all went over and had a lot of fun hanging out with them for awhile. Everyone there was bilingual-  kids, adults, everyone!!! V*ktor was just beaming! Well, after that we had to hurry and pack up the camper to make the 2PM checkout time, then went to play minigolf. My dear competitive husband made sure to get a scorecard. Once he saw B- who hit it about 3-4 times and then picked it up, threw it in the hole, and started clapping/squealing with delight (on every hole)... Then, he saw A hit it 10 times on the first hole. V*ktor was a tiny bit better than A...  Brian said, "I think I'll just keep score for myself. "  LOL!!!  Yes, dear, that's a good idea :)
The church group that we met invited us to their church, but it is at the same time as our church tomorrow. Right after we left them, V*ktor asked if we could please go to the church.  They had a service tonight. Soooooooooo - we got home, unhooked the camper, ran everyone through the showers - Brian and B got the cold water... Then, we went to the Ukrainian church! V*ktor just loved it! All the people were able to talk to him in his language and he understood the speakers and the songs. They actually had headsets for Brian, A, and me with a translator. So we were able to hear most of it, too! What a wonderul, welcoming group of people who were just really excited to hear about V*ktor, the hosting program, and happy to meet us!  It sounds as though there could be a future for families in that church to host kids!
God's hand was all over this! What if the cancellation had gone through on our campsite- or someone bought it off craigslist? What if the power hadn't been out that kept our friends from going with us? What if, months ago, I had reserved a campsite in one of the other areas at the park? What if we got going faster this morning and were already playing minigolf when the church group arrived?..... Well, none of those whatifs matter because God had it all under control. HE knew where we needed to be and when we needed to be there!
V*ktor told them he really likes it here and wants to stay. I felt in his prayers tonight some definite emotion (as I don't understand the words he says).  I had them ask him if there was anything he wanted to do that we hadn't done. Immediately he said he wanted to go to the zoo. So... It will be pretty hot tomorrow, and the zoo isn't exactly cheap... But, yes, we are going to take him to the zoo after church. There's a reason that we hadn't made any plans yet, I guess!

Matthew 6:26  "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

God LOVES V*ktor more than we can imagine. He has a plan for this sweet boy. Will you please continue to pray for his forever family that they clearly see God's plan for them to have him in their lives forever. I don't know who that is, but I know they're out there somewhere!

Break our hearts for what breaks yours

What will happen to this precious child? What is God's plan for him? How am I going to make it through putting him on a plane next week and saying goodbye? When will we see him again - or will we?  Praying hard that God's plans for him are great and crystal clear to him and his forever family - that I just KNOW must be out there somewhere!
We have had a great 3 days that rushed on by! Monday afternoon, we went to an Air and Space museum which was a lot of fun! We met another New Horizons family there with their kids and host son from Ukraine.  V*ktor really seemed to enjoy it. I felt like I was there with 5 kids instead of 4, though, because Brian was having such a fun time looking at exhibits that he kind of kept forgetting to watch kids!  Haha - so glad he can enjoy that kind of stuff, too!  We stopped by the music store to get a new bridge for the violin, and then it was over to the other family's house for dinner. She had tried Pelmeni (which is a Russian dish that V*ktor wanted), but it didn't turn out right so we ended up with pizza. I think everyone was just fine with that, too!  Got home late, but no rush to get up on Tuesday so no worries! (I plan to try pelmeni - N gave me the recipe.)
Tuesday, V*ktor had another dentist appointment. I was more nervous about it than him this time because of last time! We took the girls to a friend's house. A and I took him to appointment - which was still tough, but still better than last week. Then, we grabbed food from the drive-in. V*ktor couldn't eat food yet, so he got Coke and ice cream (believe me, he was NOT disappointed)! Dropped A at library time and went back to get the girls and change everyone for the pool.  Came back for A and headed over to swim with friends!  Then, his violin teacher had fixed it, so we picked that up. Talk about an elated kiddo!

Today, we planned to go to the Children's museum in the morning, but B was sick all night and had a fever when she woke up. A little ibuprofen did wonders for her! So, I ended up taking all the kids in for a Walmart Wednesday :) Sent B home with Brian after work and I took the boys (and C) to the museum. We didn't have much time, but I figured a little was better than none!  Stopped at the Dollar Tree to get a few small things for V*ktor to take back for friends at the orphanage.  Dropped A at home and then we went to youth group. I could tell that he was bored and ready to go since he didn't understand anything being said. I was soooooooooooo proud of him, though, because instead of withdrawing and claiming to be "sleepy," he stayed right there and tried to pay attention and not appear sulky.  Awesome kid!  Just love him to pieces!  Even though we got home late, he practiced his violin to get ready for his lesson in the morning.  Here he is in the Big Red Chair at the museum today :) 

Please pray for this sweet kid. He is so naturally helpful, thankful, loving, and deserving of someone to love him every day for the rest of his life!  I just can't get this song out of my head. I am completely brokenhearted that we will say goodbye and may never see him again.

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

Roller Coaster!

ROLLER COASTER!  We've been busy, busy. Lots of ups and downs. Knowing that we're getting closer to the end of his visit is hard on us, so I can only imagine all the thoughts that V*ktor is having.
Thursday, B went with cousin H and Aunt R all day. So, it was just me, C, and the boys! We hung out at the house in the morning, had violin lesson in the afternoon, and then met friends at the pool.  V*ktor was unhappy about having to wear sunscreen, but he ended up having a blast swimming anyway! I got the kids home, fed C, and took off to go have dinner with a friend and do a little shopping for V.
Friday afternoon, I took all 4 kids up to that little Aquarium I talked about a few months ago (with our friends that weekend we were camping). They had snakes there this time!  A rattlesnake taken out of a cage 10 feet away is kind of creepy, though! We had planned on feeding the geese at the hatchery museum up the road, but... Apparently, somebody STOLE the geese!  Really? Who does that? Losers. Anyway, so I took the kids to the state park where I knew there were plenty of geese.  Ummm, word of advice, don't try to feed 40 geese with only 6 pieces of bread. They will not be happy!  None of them touched us, but they were all very close and honking loudly! When more started coming across the lake, we made our way to the car QUICKLY!  LOL - Won't be feeding geese there anytime soon! Need some a little less tame who keep their distance :)  We had burgers and Dorito salad for supper. I put the girls to bed and Brian took the boys out to pick corn. He took more than 3 pictures, so they must have had a great time!  (I always give him a hard time because he never takes enough pictures.)
Saturday was hmmm.... shall we say - not a good day. The morning seemed to be okay when V*ktor had his violin lesson, but he was getting frustrated easily. Then, we went to a picnic. He was completely withdrawn and antisocial the whole time (claiming sleepy again), not wanting to eat. VERY frustrating! We had a Cub Scout derby - where they race the little matchbox cars, and he seemed engaged watching. He didn't really have to talk to anyone there, though. Back at home, he just wanted to be alone in his room.  We had prepared him several days ahead that for this one night, we would be going out and a friend was coming to stay at our house with him and our kids.  With this program, we can't just leave him with anyone anytime, so my awesome friend volunteered several weeks ago. We had to do a background check and everything! He had met her a few times already, and we thought things would go smoothly. Basically we spent about 1 1/2 hours out until we decided to come back home.  His violin had gotten knocked off the bed and the bridge broke.  The bridge is a small part that can be replaced, and since, thankfully, nothing else appears to be broken, it should be a quick, inexpensive fix.  My friend, S, tried to explain this to him on the computer translator, but he was inconsolable.  Imagine - you have never had anything of your own - nothing of much value or importance... Then, you are given a violin and lessons to play it. Now, it's broken, and you think that this wonderful, beautiful thing that was yours for just a moment..... is gone.  Plus, though you've tried to take SUCH good care of it, just a second of sitting it down, just once, has caused it to be ruined.  That is only what I can guess that he was feeling, plus add the anxiety of not being able to communicate your feelings because of a language barrier...   We just needed to come home.  I think at first he thought I was really mad at him, he looked scared as well as upset. Then, we got through it, he calmed down, all kids were asleep. We prayed for a better day today.

And we GOT it!  For as bad as yesterday was, today was 100 times AWESOME!  He didn't give us (much) trouble waking up this morning for church.  He was pleasant, talked to people, smiled, really enjoyed being at church. We changed clothes, grabbed quick lunch, then headed down to a car show. He LOVED that! Plus, there were bounce houses for the kids to play in. THEN, it wouldn't be a summer in the midwest without a Tractor Pull!  So, all the kids did the tractor pull :) What an amazing smile at the end -plus a blue ribbon.  Back home, we blew up balloons, put up streamers, wrapped presents. We are not allowed to disclose his actual birthday, but we just went ahead and celebrated a birthday today!  5 boys from our youth group and Brian's parents came over for cake, ice cream, and presents. Then, Grandma/Grandpa took the girls home while we had a blast with all the boys! Borrowed Wii from Uncle D, Bop-It, music (LOUD) from V*ktor's new MP3 player, chess, checkers, and soccer out in the front yard! They had sooooo much fun! Thanks to W - who let us borrow his ginormous Christian music collection, we were able to load up the MP3 player for him ahead of time!  We saw so many smiles, lots of laughter, tons of goofing around and just plain giddiness over everything! It was definitely an amazing day :)  When we said goodnight and he went to bed, he said it was "SUPER!"  He's still awake listening to his MP3. Since we're not getting up early, I'm inclined to let him continue :)

The emotions and thoughts that must go through his head are probably mind-boggling. Thinking about what fun he's having, how he may be missing home and friends, how he likes it here and the time is coming to an end, how hard it is to meet new people and be polite yet not understand them, how he must crave some privacy - but not necessarily enjoy feeling alone, how alone he must sometimes feel that he can't communicate everything he's feeling even if he trusts us and wants to talk to us...  All the thoughts we have - what a precious, wonderful kid he really is... how much we desperately want to know about his life and how he's feeling... how inadequate we sometimes feel in dealing with everything...
All of it comes down to this - we are making a difference in his life - through the help of so many of you. Whether he finds his forever family, this summer IS impacting him for the better. We trust in that, and we are thankful for all of your faithful prayers and support. Keep it up!

The shopping trip that never ends

3 hours in Walmart is long enough to drive a person crazy. 3 hours in Walmart with 4 kids deserves a medal or something!! It was a long day :)
We started our adventure to town with an eye exam from my awesome optometrist who did it free of charge. Thankfully, V*ktor did not need glasses because I could tell he was horrified at the thought he might.  As we got there, B burned her leg on the exhaust pipe of my van :( It looked a little blistered and she cried a bit more than usual, but after some ice it seemed okay. After the eye appointment, we grabbed some Runza because V*ktor kept saying he wanted "kartopla" - potatoes. Though that's all he wanted, he agreed to eat a salad, too (since mean Mama made him).

THEN - we checked out Chuck E Cheese. It was so funny. I kept saying we were going there, and having no concept of what it was, he was totally unenthused. He had a blast, though! The ticket idea there is ingenious and a big help getting them out the door since they get to pick a prize. Afterwards, B's leg was looking pretty bad, so we went to the pediatrician. Second degree burn which requires some bacitracin and rebandaging twice a day. Poor baby :(  She's so tough, though, she seriously hasn't complained much about it. I'm a big wuss and would still be whining!


Finally, we went to Walmart. V*ktor saw all the school supplies out there and was asking me to get some for him. I couldn't remember whether that's something we were supposed to send home with them or not, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Seriously, as excited as the kid was about the .17 notebook, I was thrilled to spend a little on a calculator, protractor, pencils, pencil case, and a few other things for "shkola."  Sweetheart just kept saying "thank you thank you thank you!" Of course about every 20 minutes (or so it seemed) somebody needed to go potty, so that involved a trek across the store each time.  V*ktor has been really easy to please when it comes to clothes. He's been happy with everything except jeans. He just could NOT seem to find a pair he liked. So, armed with some clothes $ from Meme, he tried on every pair of jeans in Walmart. He found one pair he liked and we got 2 of the same ones. Then some socks and he was good "Thank you, Meme!"  with big smiles.  Toy department... Okay, rotten idea but we were trying to find a birthday gift for cousin H. That took awhile! We still never came out with a gift for her, but A found some Hero Factory legos with his $ burning a hole in his pocket.  Attempted to find shoes for B - no luck.  Oops, back to the other side of the store for bandages... Almost 2 hours into the trip we finally got to the groceries!!!!!!  B was asleep before we even got out of the parking lot - I wished I could join her.
After pizza night (afterall it is Wednesday), I cooked and was blending some peas for C.  A came in and asked if I had made a chocolate shake for him.  Hee hee. I said, yeah, it's in the blender! When he asked why it was green, I said food coloring. He didn't want to eat it green, but I said "Oh try it and if you don't like it, I'll make another one."  The LOOK on his face when he ate a spoonful of lukewarm blended peas... LOL!!!  Okay, I'm so mean, but it was just too much to resist :)  Yes, I did make him a chocolate shake after that!  V*ktor practiced violin for almost 2 hours tonight. He and A built legos, too.
It was incredibly exhausting, but still a great day!  We only have 2 weeks left with this amazing kid! Please continue to pray that God has a forever family for V*ktor! We just adore him and want him to be loved and cherished every day for his whole life.

Maestro

After a loooooooooooooooong 2 day drive, we are back home! The first day of driving started out an hour and a half late - as they often do. We didn't look at a map first, and the GPS has limited helpfulness when travelling off interstate. So, we ended up taking a less than direct route - ugh. Then, we had some not so stellar service at a horrible Subway (story for another day) that added a lot of time. A McDonald's in the middle of nowhere took 25 minutes to get ice cream!  Anyway, you know how it goes...  12 hours later, we arrived at the home of a fellow New Horizons family! They are hosting a married couple - chaperones. So, we stayed the night there and had a great time visiting with them and hanging out in the morning before we headed on home. I think V*ktor had fun showing pictures to the chaperones and hanging out with their son from Latvia who speaks Russian.  Great visit!  We pulled into town back home just in time to pop over for cousin H's bday party - yaaa!
     All of us were REALLY glad to be out of the car. Monday, Brian worked from home, and I attempted to unpack and do some laundry. Doesn't look much different, though! Later, I took the kids to the thrift store, library, and a really fast grocery store stop.
     V*ktor is a typical teen in that it's IMPOSSIBLE to get him out of bed! I finally found a secret weapon today, though :) Baby C is just too cute to ignore even when you want to sleep!  We will have to see if it works again tomorrow.  First stop was the dentist which was seriously not fun. I think he was much more anxious about that than he even was the surgery last week! Poor guy :( Once that was over, we went home and just kind of relaxed for awhile. He is NOT a typical teen when it comes to eating. He never wants to eat, but will eat if you insist that he has to.  Is my cooking that BAD???!?!!! After lunch, we took A to library time, and V*ktor got a really special treat :)

 My awesome friend and church pianist spent about an hour with him getting him started on the violin. She's an amazing teacher, and he is a very smart kid. I was seriously impressed with how much he knows already! Thanks to a generous family, he also now has his very own violin to take home with him!  He is overjoyed, and he spent every spare minute at home practicing. He showed great-grandma and great-grandpa, played via skype for N and family, and I'm sure there will be many more concerts :) 


My doctor checked him out today and said he's good to go for swimming and bike-riding. Yaaaa!  I was really hoping he wouldn't have to wait 2 weeks.
It just doesn't seem possible that we are over halfway through our time with him. He's so wonderful, typical kid in some ways, loving, sweet. Please continue to pray for him and his future. I know God has great plans for him!

On the Road Again

I wanted to post last night, but the evening ended with V*ktor in so much pain that I was too discouraged to write such a negative post. Today was WORLDS better, so I'm ready to update :)

Yesterday morning, they woke us up bright and early - as they tend to do in hospitals... The doctor came in and said that since V*ktor wasn't eating, drinking, or moving around yet that we would wait and evaluate in the late afternoon. I spent a good part of the morning trying to get him to drink, begging him to eat, etc. A call with the translator got him up and moving a little. It took a skype with N and a good Russian "grandmother" talk from N's Mom via skype to convince him that if he wanted out of the hospital he was going to HAVE to eat, drink, and keep walking! So funny that I didn't understand a word of what N's Mom was saying, but I understood exactly what she was telling him - LOL :)
Brian and the kids came up around lunchtime carrying a balloon bouquet that got some smiles. I took B and A down to the cafeteria to eat. 2 spilled Diet Cokes later and we were finally eating-ugh (it was totally me and not the kids spilling). Later, I posted how to send V*ktor an ecard, and he received TWENTY cards that the gift shop printed and brought up to him. He was so amazed and kept looking at me like "who would send me a card?" I typed in google translate "friends and family, other host families, and some I don't know." He took a minute for it to sink in. I had to google translate and write the words on each card for him. I started to hang them on the wall, but he wouldn't let me because he wanted to keep reading them!  Seriously, I think the cards and the calls with N are the reason we left the hospital yesterday. They really perked him up and got him motivated to get out of there!
IF YOU DIDN'T GET A CHANCE AND WANT TO MAIL HIM A CARD, EMAIL ME OR CHECK MY FB FOR ADDRESS.

Brian and the kids left right around suppertime. Baby C and I waited for V*ktor to eat supper. He wolfed it down, and we were ready to go! You can see in the picture that he has the diaper bag in the wheelchair with him. Back to his sweet, thoughtful self, he grabbed it and was reaching for my purse and computer as we were leaving so I wouldn't have to carry so much! It was evident he was feeling lots better.




We got back to Aunt M's house, and he started playing Wii with A. They were disagreeing about something and he yelled trying to get A to stop something. This REALLY hurt him. He was in horrible pain. It was so, so sad to see after he had been doing so well. I gave him pain meds right away, but they, of course, took awhile to kick in. I found the "pain scale" online in Ukrainian, and he picked 9 :( It was almost an hour before I started seeing some relaxation on his face. He was still in pain, but it seemed a little better. When he finally got to sleep he slept all night and really late this morning.
It took awhile to get him out of bed this morning, and I had him talk to N again for some encouragement. Once he got up, though, I think he realized the pain with movement wasn't as bad as it was last night. He was playing Wii pretty much all afternoon- we had to keep reminding him to take it easy!  It took a lot of convincing to get him drinking and eating, but at least he was moving! We kept up on the pain meds all day as often as he could have them whether he was saying it hurt or not. I think that helped.
We started packing everything up so we can start the 2 day drive home tomorrow! In the morning, we'll be on the road again!

12 Hours

A little over 12 hours ago - I put on a swimsuit and got everything ready for a day at the beach! Baby C was ready to put her toes in the sand for the first time ever, B couldn't WAIT to build a sandcastle!  A and V were ready to use their waterguns.  My sis made our family chicken salad recipe, we loaded sunscreen, towels, blankets, food, a cooler, more food... You get the picture. 
12 hours later - I am sitting (still in my swimsuit) in a hospital room watching this precious, BRAVE kid and praying for his fast recovery so he can enjoy the next 3 weeks with us.

Just as we all arrived at the beach, Vikt*r said he didn't feel good. He had been sleeping most of the way there, so at first we thought motion sickness.  Got them all out of the car and started trying to herd people to the beach thinking he may feel better once he was moving.  Only 10 steps onto the beach and he just sat in the sand :(  Then back in the shade he started throwing up.  After an attempt at dramamine and a quick look from my aweome brother-in-law Dr. J, it was decided that he needed to have tests at the hospital. So, J and I drove to the nearest ER (45 minutes away). Throughout the day, we had several conversations with cousin N to translate on how he was feeling, what they were going to do with the IV, what was going to happen with the CT scan, and finally - preparing him for surgery.  We were super blessed with awesome ER staff who kept handing me their phones to use so that I could conserve the battery on mine (that wasn't charged very well because who needs a phone at the beach?)
B and baby C came to the hospital and got there just as Vikt*r was waking up from his appendectomy. I fed C while B sat with Vict*r. Then, I was sitting with him just rubbing his head. He seemed to be dozing off and on, but every time I stopped rubbing his forehead his eyes opened just a little to make sure I was still there.  B and baby C went home with J. Earlier in the ER visit, he had typed on the tablet translator asking if he would have to stay the night. I said "Yanis Nayo" (I don't know). He seemed a tiny bit worried until I typed "I will not leave you." Then there was a pretty big smile he sheepishly tried to hide as he turned over to rest knowing he wouldn't be alone. So, that's why leaving to go home with C tonight wasn't really an option.  Oh the Places You'll Pump!
I am just continually AMAZED at this kid - at his bravery, his strength, his sweetness, and just adore his smile.  So funny - when he woke up from surgery they said he asked "Finished?" Then started shaking hands and saying "thank you" to all the people in the room.  What a sweetheart!
Here in his room, he has finished watching Cars 2 and snuggled down to sleep.  Every now and then his eyes flutter open long enough to see me and then drift back off to sleep.  It breaks my heart to think that this could have happened to him back in his country. Who would have sat here with him rubbing his head, telling him it was okay, and praying for his comfort?  What kind of surgery would he have had in a rural hospital?  Would it be laproscopic? How long would he stay in the hospital... alone? THANK YOU Lord that he was here and this was the plan for him and for us.
Our vacation? Who knows how/when it will end.  All I know is that if he wasn't here and we had our "perfect" day at the beach, Vikt*r's day would have been FAR from perfect and we are all truly blessed and privileged to be a part of his life.  Please continue to pray for this terrific young man and for his future.

PS - B got to build her sandcastle with Daddy, I think that C put her toes in the sand (and if she didn't she won't remember anyway- haha), and A had a blast with the watergun and playing in the ocean :)  Just because I never made it that far doesn't mean it wasn't a success with Dad and Aunt M!
I'm so thankful for J spending the day here with me at the hospital. He not only welcomes our "traveling circus" into his home with open arms, he gave up the day with his Mom to make sure all was well with V (and his sweet Mom didn't mind a bit).  Many other people have been a huge help today with phone calls, prayers, and M watching kids :) We are super blessed!

There Could Never Be a More Beautiful You

Monday morning we packed everything up from Meme's house, and then we headed for the coast! After 4 stops in the first hour - we needed gas, and we HAD to get pictures at state lines :) - we made pretty good time. Chick-Fil-A in Birmingham was fun trying to order. V kept pointing at something he wanted, but we could NOT figure out what it was. The tablet wouldn't connect to the wireless, and we couldn't get the dictionary to work without it. Finally, I ordered him a salad with mayonnaise.  He was happy with that, and the thing he wanted was the waffle fries!  We had plenty of those, so it was all good :)  He definitely knows the word for fries, now!  We got to Aunt M and Uncle J's house and had pizza.
The first week I was a little concerned that he wasn't learning any English, but I can see that it's starting to click for him, now. He's learning more words every day, and he tries to teach them to me in Ukrainian.  They usually go in one ear and out the other :)  He continues to be super helpful with the girls, so good about saying thank you for things, and he is such an easy-going kid! He and A get along like brothers - playing and also arguing some, too.  We just continue to love on him as much as we can!

Today, we went to the thrift store and got him a jacket. I think the poor kid is freezing in all this air conditioning! At first I was thinking he may not find what he wanted because he had seen one at Target that he liked.  He's so easy to please and just really wanted a jacket - not particular about it looking a certain way.  Adding a pair of jeans made his day!

Later, we went to the Gulfport Children's Museum where fun was had by all!  Though I must say, children's museums are best conquered with a 1 to 1 adult to kid ratio because they go ALL directions. Good thing Aunt M was with us! V ran very quickly from exhibit to exhibit just wanting to see it all! Then, he went back to play once he realized we had more time.
For dinner, he ate spaghetti noodles with ketchup - ewwwwwwwwww.  I had been warned that this was common, though, so I wasn't really surprised!  When we got back to the house, he and A played Just Dance for quite a while. Aunt M joined in some, too :)

He is SUCH a sweet, special kid who can just melt your heart with his smile. We are starting to see more of his personality and likes/dislikes as he gets more comfortable with us. Please pray for his future and whatever God has in store for him. Pray that he feels loved and can see God's love for him through his experiences here.  Pray for us as we are definitely far from perfect, and ask that we could be the best that we possibly can be for him. He told N: "He really enjoys his "pretend family" in America, and is dreaming of having a real one of his own. He said that in the orphanage he is always worried about what will happen tomorrow, and here he is safe and feels content having fun and enjoying life."  Thank you so much for your prayers for this precious boy.

Hammer and dish soap?

I have so much to say that I keep putting off writing until I have more time/energy to do it! I've realized that's not happenin', so I'm going to give it a try!
What can you do in a week?  Hmmm...
Church last Sunday where he got his own Russian/English Bible from our church, family dinner, swimming at the pool again, dental cleaning, packing and driving across the country, staying in a hotel overnight, 2 family 4th of July picnics, fireworks, a visit to the caves (Raccoon Mountain Caverns), dinner at a marina feeding ducks and fish afterwards, bouncing half the day at Partyville with cousins, supper at cousins' farm including slipnslide and S'mores, birthday party, movie, power outtages, church again today, meals with family, and LOTS of checkers games (several of them by candlelight!

He is really a great kid! We have enjoyed getting to know him, seeing him smile, and watching him attempt more and more English. I have to laugh sometimes wondering what he thinks of us. Back home last week, the power went out for about an hour randomly one night. Then, on vacation, there was a bad storm and the power went off in the middle of the movie at the theatre (followed by 24 hours of no power at my Mom's house where we were staying)!  He seemed a bit confused why we were running around lighting candles and putting batteries in flashlights.... Industrialized country... haha.  (We had to go back and watch the movie today, and there were technical difficulties at the beginning of the movie!)

There are so many things to say, but there have been a few moments that really stuck out.  His first time really opening up was when we went online for him to show us pictures of his friends and orphanage. He was really proud of being able to show us more about him. 
Another night, he had taken a nap in the late afternoon... So, when he woke up, it was late and the other kids were in bed. The three of us spent several hours playing checkers and looking at pictures from his day in NYC (as part of his journey here).
One of the best moments... He has always prayed with us (after or before us) in Ukrainian. I found out from my cousin that what he says is the Lord's Prayer.  A few nights ago, when we prayed before bed, I could tell that after the Lord's Prayer he started praying from his heart (and I was hearing all our names). It's such a blessing to see his sweet heart!

It hasn't been all roses and rainbows. Most days have been wonderful. Yesterday, we had a rough day where he wouldn't communicate a lot and seemed very withdrawn saying he was sleepy all day. Honestly, he really might have been just sleepy, but it was still a tough day for all of us!  Oh wait!  I'm thinking teenagers are probably tough every now and then - haha!  He is back to his "old" self today, though, and maybe the extra sleep helped :)  He learned to play "Sorry" today with Papa G, A, and cousin M. All the kids liked the movie, but it was pretty scary for B - she was almost crying! So, just a headsup on that if you want to see Brave!

If you've kept up on facebook, you've read this part, but here it is anyway...   I really would have loved to know what was going on in his head when N walked in holding a hammer and a bottle of dish soap telling him to put on his bathing suit! (Hammer to put in the stakes on the slipnslide, and dish soap to make it go FAST!)  He ran right in to put on his suit once he realized the reason :)

We are so blessed to have him here with us and watch the world in his eyes. Our kids are just loving that they have him around to watch after them, too!  Can't wait for more adventures!