One Year: Ukrainian Celebration

Today we CELEBRATE the one year anniversary of officially adding Irina to our family! 

Today marks the day we became a family of six. This photo was taken in the court room one year ago today. 

We sat in this court room for over two hours and never took off our jackets. It was chilly!

We decided to celebrate the day with an authentic Ukrainian dinner and dessert. 

I began prepping the food on Thursday. It took me over three hours to make vareniki with potatoes and cheese. 

I had no idea the recipe would make 104 vareniki!! (I froze about 3/4 of them.) 

 I served them with sour cream and "zazharka" (which is a bacon/onion topping). 

 I got all my recipes from this site HERE.  

We ate in the dining room and decorated the table with our Matroyshka's.  

The kids were GIDDY with excitement...a little impatient to begin our feast and celebrating. 

Ethan wore his Ukrainian shirt. I also served steamed broccoli (not a Ukrainian recipe!) and Chicken Kotleti. Darin and the kids ate kotleti quite often while we were in Ukraine. It is a meat patty made with ground chicken, bread crumbs, milk, sour cream, egg, onion, salt and pepper. 

For dessert I served an 8-layer honey cake called Medovik. This is the kind of cake we bought for Irina to share with her classmates at her going away celebration. This was another labor intensive endeavor. When I cook, I make a terrible mess. There was flour every where. I should have taken a picture. For two nights in a row, Darin graciously offered to clean up my mess when I finished all my cooking at almost 11pm. Thank you Darin!

I bought the ingredients and fully intended to make borscht and buckwheat. I simply ran out of energy. 

Not to worry though. Everyone was very satisfied and happy with what I prepared. 

Are these the same kids? Below was at Irina's orphanage... getting ready to say goodbye.

We finished out the day watching a slide show from our two weeks in Ukraine. 

It has been a bumpy ride. There have been highs and lows, but I can proclaim boldly that the Lord has been with us every step of the way. We are exercising our faith muscles and so thankful for God's love and mercy as we walk down this path together as a family of six. 

Receiving and Giving

About a month ago, I was talking with the kids about filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. (If you don't know about this program you can read more HERE.) Irina saw the logo and a picture of a box and instantly announced that she had received an OCC shoebox at the orphanage in Ukraine the Christmas before we hosted her!! Before I had even described what we would be doing, she told me in detail what she had received in her shoebox and how happy she was to receive it. I was stunned and so excited! 

Over the last month, the kids and I have been gathering and collecting items for our shoe boxes. This has probably been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activities over the last month. 

When I learned that there was a way to label the boxes to go to Ukraine, 

my excitement grew. Learn more HERE. 

 We have been praying and praying for the FOUR kids who will receive our boxes. 

Irina is praying her box will go to someone at her orphanage. She knows exactly who 

she wants it to go to. That is highly unlikely, but we will ask God for big things and 

trusts that He knows the special girl who will receive her carefully selected items. 

This is especially close to my heart as I received an email last week from our friends in 

Eastern Ukraine. Two of their three family members were able to escape the horror 

and relocate to Kiev. Here is an excerpt from their email: 

Thank you for your support and your prayers...it's really super important for us at the moment... All is going on here is just non-stop nightmare, during last 6 months every minute we thought that somebody has to stop this..No...it's still horrible..They bomb Gorlovka every day and it's indescribable what life there looks like... It's very dangerous to travel to our city at the moment, never know what can happen on the way.. And nothing is working in Gorlovka- banks are closed, mail services don't work, no police,people with weapon everywhere...scary..

We think about you very often and still can't belive that a year ago nobody could expected that such tragedy would happen with our country, especially Eastern part of Ukraine..very sad..

If you are looking for a way to tangibly help with the crisis in Ukraine,  

I learned of a way through this missionary. You can read more HERE. 

Here they are delivering our boxes to the drop off location. Can you believe 

it was one year ago today that 5 of us flew to Ukraine to get our sweet daughter? 

Mount Vernon

Last Tuesday, we took a field trip to George Washington's Mount Vernon. 

It was a great way to celebrate Veteran's Day. 

We certainly enjoyed the discounted rates for Homeschool Day. 

Darin was not able to join us due to work commitments, so we teamed up with another 

Mom and her 3 homeschooled kids. What a blessing to be alongside this family! 

History is not my strength, so I am thankful we could learn from my friend 

Amy who is full of historical knowledge. 

 There always has to be a silly pose, right? Ethan looks ill. ;) 

 It was a gorgeous day! The sun was surprisingly HOT. We all wished we were wearing short sleeves and shorts. 

Hard to believe that considering the temperature right now is 36 degrees! brrr...

 It was a really terrific day. We stumbled upon a ceremony at the tomb of George and Martha Washington. 

It was crowded, but the kids each got to place a red carnation by the tomb at the conclusion of the ceremony. 

They loved the drum and piccolo music. 

Later my friend remarked by email, "You were so patient with your kids today." 

Ha! I think I may have left my patience at Mount Vernon. Perhaps I need to drive back and retrieve it. 

Sort it out

I've mentioned before that we have a room in our house that is primarily used for playing with legos. We call it "The Lego Room." It stays locked each day until school work is completed. Although, they are pretty handy with a paper clip and have been known to break in if they are looking for a certain piece in the morning. ;)

We still have rest time each day when they get a turn to be in the lego room. (Yes, I have a spreadsheet of whose turn it is in the lego room each day so we don't forget.) For my sanity, I need QUIET for one hour each day. That is all I get until they are in bed asleep. Frankly, I also think it is good for them to play apart from each other because they always choose to be together the rest of the day.

Luke used to store his big sets and scenes in the lego room, but unfortunately siblings were not treating them as carefully as he would like. Over time, the room consistently began to look like this. Legos scattered everywhere, lonely socks left behind, instruction manuals thrown here or there, or maybe even used tissues crumpled under legos. gross!

I just had to let it go. There were too many other battles to face. 

(Their bedrooms, the bathrooms, the school room, family room, etc.)

Every day I would intend to tackle it (with them) to get it in order, 

but gave in to their desires for outdoor play in the afternoon instead. 

Sorting legos is sedentary. :) 

But then I had a gracious offer to help get the ball rolling. 

She would like to remain nameless, but you can see her socks in the right corner. 

If you turn the word WOW upside down, you'll know who she is. :)

After hours of sorting, here is our never decorated lego room. 

Someday, I'd love to repaint, decorate and make it fun. 

But who has time for painting now??

And yes, I know there are all sorts of snazzy ways to organize legos on pinterest. 

For now, these cheap bins will fit the bill until decorating becomes a priority. 

It's much easier to keep the room clean if we work at each day. 

Thanks mystery helper for all your inspiration and hard work!!!

Thankful Tree

Last week, my bookends (Irina and Aaron) had a great time painting a "thankful tree" for a fall project. 

It's been a few years since we've recycled this project and all the kids were really excited. 

 I drew the picture and they got busy painting. 

 The intention was for each of us to write what we are thankful for on a leaf each night at dinner. 

 Instead, it's become more spontaneous. As they walk 

past the tree they think of something and write it down. 

It's filling up, but we have lots more leaves ready. 

It's time to make a pile of leaves on the grass. 

I'm thankful that simple projects like this inspire and excite them ALL!

Broken World

Ever since last Sunday, my mind has been churning. Orphan Sunday and life have done a doozy on my heart this week. I've been thinking and thinking. Torn between trying to process and wanting to stuff my thoughts down. It didn't help that Darin was away most of the week on business so I didn't have a processing partner.  Or someone to talk good sense into me when I was up too late scouring orphan care websites and blogs!

Up until about 4 years ago, I don't think I ever thought about the orphan. How sad is that? Perhaps I was too busy thinking about myself. Then God put it on my radar front and center. I learned more. I read more. I listened and thought I had it figured out.

Until I stepped foot into Irina's orphanage in Ukraine and my eyes were opened in new ways. The faces of the children who ran after us begging for candy will forever be etched in my brain. The names Katya, Anya, Stas, little Irina, Luba, Sasha, Lena, Vika and Aloyna are uttered in regular prayers. I can still smell the sweet little girl with cross eyed blue eyes that I had the privilege to hold and pray over.  She was wearing a blue fuzzy sleeper and couldn't bend her body. She had severe disabilities due to alcohol abuse in utero. I think this brokenness grieves my heavenly Father. It wasn't meant to be this way.

As we near the one year mark of adopting Irina, I can't help but look back. Irina is amazing and she has come a long way. She has had a lot of hurdles to leap over as she has learned for the first time how to be in a loving family. She is discovering that we are worthy of her trust and that we will care for all her physical needs. For 10 years she survived. Now she is realizing that she can LIVE.

However, as I consider her future I've found myself grappling with a new emotion. I feel angry. Without the brokenness of this world, Irina would be in a loving family with her birth parents in her homeland. She would have been fed, clothed, and CHERISHED. She would not have been abandoned. Isn't that how God really intended families to be? I don't doubt for one minute that God knew we would have the opportunity to step in and show Irina real love, BUT she still has so much more to face as she overcomes the wounds of her past. It's not fair.

A new compassion is being uncovered in my heart for my daughter. A new compassion is being uncovered in my heart for the orphan. The reality is that Irina has new opportunities that MANY other orphans will NEVER have, especially the older kids and the kids with disabilities. How can I dare complain? How can I take even a moment for granted? I long for heaven.

Oh Lord Jesus, keep my heart soft for ALL your children. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come.

Train Day

Last Saturday afternoon, I took the kids to "Train Day" in a nearby town. Darin stayed home and continued to work on a shoe/coat closet redo that he is almost done with. Hooray! (So thankful for a handy husband. Maybe I'll post pictures soon?)

It was COLD, rainy, and windy. Not the ideal conditions, but it reminded me of some days in Ukraine last fall so that warmed my heart. The kids had fleece jackets and rain coats and were still freezing, but very happy!

 We rode the Trolley shuttle from a nearby parking lot to the center of town. 

 We walked around town to many different train displays and the kids indulged my need for pictures. 

 The next two pictures will demonstrate what a good sport both Luke and Ethan are. They had NO interest in having their picture taken with these bears. Irina urged them to be in the picture and they came willingly. She has such a youthful spirit and truly enjoys simple things. They are good big brothers.

 Both Irina and Aaron wanted to ride on this little train. Again, Luke and Ethan were not so interested. 

But, the "bookends" (I & A) begged them to come... so they went. 

 Train tracks run through the center of town and all day there were MANY trains to watch rumble down the track. 

Aaron and Irina blew their train whistles loudly as the trains passed. 

 When we FINALLY got to the lego train display, Luke was in heaven! He pulled out his camera and began taking pictures of all the lego creations so he can duplicate them at home. The guy on the left is the "Master Builder." I think he is college age (?). He told us it took him 5 hours to assemble his lego scene.

We had a great afternoon together despite the weather. Yeah!

No Longer an Orphan

Irina is still producing at least 5 "drawings" every day. Her favorite speed is fast, so her drawings are not usually very detailed. However, last week she produced this all on her own. (I think she asked Luke to help her with some spelling.) It was all her own idea. Yes, I know the Ukraine flag colors are upside down.

WE are her family in America. I am her mother (the teacher). The boys are her brothers. She adores her father, Darin. She embraces us as her new family, but we will never forget her Ukrainian family and heritage. She needed a family able to love her and God chose US. What a privilege!

Over the past year, walking alongside our daughter as she has learned and grown has been full of many amazing moments. Is it always easy? No. Have there been many hard moments over the past year? Yes. Do I regret or doubt our decision to adopt her in any way? NO! We are forever changed.

This Orphan Sunday (Sunday, November 2nd), God has really burdened my heart with the plight of the orphan in new ways. A year ago, our precious daughter was living in an orphanage as a social orphan. Seeing, hearing, smelling, and observing orphan life in Ukraine for only about 6 hours last year left a permanent impression on my heart.

I read this quote today and I find it very true.

"We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes." Radical by David Platt

I also found this video very touching. You can watch it HERE.

If you are interested in participating in a tangible way, HERE is one option.

At the very least, take time NOW to pray and thank God for the family He has blessed you with. Pray for those children around the world without the loving care of families. Please? Will you join me in praying?