Crazy Dayz

What a week it has been... A most inconvenient time for head lice to reappear - grrr. Half the week was spent washing laundry, medicating hair, knit picking (ha) and bug bombing the house. Fun times.

Today we are off to a wedding of a sweet couple who have ministered to us this past year, in many ways, but one big way is loving on our children through tutoring (Amanda) or babysitting (both Stephen & Amanda) while Tony & I had worship responsibilities. Praying God's richest blessings over this God-fearing, Gospel driven, Global minded pair! I'm hoping to snag a couple great pictures this morning since I have a great seat at the piano on stage - ha! Speaking of which, I need to do one more run through and get the kids dressed and ready to go!

All week as pockets of opportunity have presented themselves, we've worked to finish our educational requirements for this adoption process. Our agency sent us a package dubbed the "educational toolbox". It was great! Some helpful reading and assignments. Thought I'd share a little of my answers from Raising Adopted Children by Lois Ruskai Melina...

What type of feelings did the authors address that may be experienced after a child arrives home? Post-adoption depression (similar in some ways to postpartum depression with biological mothers); anxiety; fear; grief from the loss of an idealized version of a child; parental insecurity... It is important to anticipate these, prepare accordingly, understand as normal and deal with appropriately.

What is the length of time it takes for an adopted child to attach to their parents? Learned trust is the basis for attachment and takes more time and interaction between parent and child. The author writes that attachment is "a reciprocal process between parent and child that develops during the first year" together and "solidified throughout the relationship."

Name unrealistic expectations parents might have for themselves or their child after placement. Anticipating parenthood can lead to fantasizing and projecting unrealistic expectations on the child or themselves as parents. Examples include "expecting parenthood to bring a high degree of happiness" or the ability or expectation to be "super parents." Also, expecting the child's grief of loss to subside after only one year, instead "adoption issues are never completely put to rest."

And so on...

What a blessing and joy it is to be a part of another adoption journey! Looking forward to having our Joshua home!

Makeshift Summer School...

This summer we are trying to keep the learning going... a challenge at times with four... they have a difficult time staying on task but are getting better... it is amazing to see how far they have come in a little over one year! Angela is working (pictured below) on skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's... the goal in the end is to learn how to count money... she is doing a tremendous job in her reading....

James is working on multiplication tables, division and reading everyday we are able... he is learning how to read while learning about animals and science... he loves it...

Jana and Victoria are coloring while they wait their turn to learn... both are working on reading English (of course), as well as basic math skills...

We are all looking forward to news from immigration which will in turn point to a travel date to bring Joshua home!

Happy Independence Day!

Visiting with Promise139 Group...

Promise 139 is a non-profit organization in Southern Mississippi formed by people that are passionate in helping orphaned children. Our organization consists of adoptive parents and others concerned with the well-being of the fatherless. Our mission is to reach out to the fatherless and make a difference in their future. Promise 139 exists to provide a cultural exchange for underprivileged orphans living in foreign countries. The cultural exchange will be a camp-like experience, which will coincide with their summer and winter breaks from school.

Friday evening we headed out to visit with a group of 6 orphans from Ukraine, along with their translators (friends, Sergai & Natasha) & orphanage 'mama'... food, fellowship & fun... our kids were excited to practice 'Russian' as we drove out... once we arrived, they didn't speak a word... ha... they have forgotten most of their birth country language... kind of sad... I'd love to learn the Russian language beyond the few short survival phrases acquired while living in Ukraine for 6 weeks last year...

Promises from Psalm 139

1. God knows me. (1)
2. God knows where I go. (2 & 3)
3. God knows my thoughts. (4)
4. God has put his hand on me. (5)
5. God is always with me. (7 – 12)
6. God has made me. (13 & 14)
7. God has made me unique. (15)

The Week...

We received news this week that July is the month U.S. Embassy workers in Ethiopia take vacation. This means the number of children waiting to travel home with their forever families will be delayed as the actual number of appointments are cut in half. We are still awaiting our immigration approval letter which could delay us further. As it stands, the later the more likely but we may be squeezed in as early as August 12th or August 26th or September 9th or perhaps even later. Yesterday provided a timely message just when I started to feel the stress of uncertainty: "We have no power... we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chronicles 20:12) The prayer of Jehosophat. A prayer of humility expressing trust in the Sovereign God, the great I Am... our eyes are on You, Lord as we wait to welcome our new son... (Pictured Below: Joshua with two friends awaiting their parents' arrival)

This week James has been participating in Winshape's C3 Day Camp at our church. He has returned home each day with the remnant of a voice recounting the day's highlights and Bible lessons. Needless to say, he has had an absolute blast! He has done archery, flag football (see below), wacky science projects, and more...

The girls have done what girls often do: play dress up, sing and dance around the house... :)

The other night we sat around the dinner table sharing the day's events with one another... what a priceless time...