anoter happening...the Wokurka family!

About the same time we were in Chicago (a few days prior) our friends in SC (the Wokurka family) got home from Irkutsk with their son, SV.  We are so excited for them!  Thanks to all of you for remembering them during their time in Irkutsk, and lifting them in prayer. 

I wish we could have met them at the airport - but getting to the Carolinas just wasn't possible.  BUMMER! 

This photo I borrowed from Lisa's Facebook page.  It was taken at the airport as they entered the US and were reunited with their other 2 boys.  And may I just comment on one thing - do you remember how haggard and almost ogre like I looked when I got off the plane in South Bend when we returned from Russia?  Look at Lisa!  Seriously people, she looks like she has been on a 30 day spa retreat!  ...although I know she was NOT!  ...but she looks amazing! (a little jealous!)

Congratulations to the Wokurka family!  We love ya, and are so happy for your Christmas miracle!

Christmas - part 1, the Chicago edition

I have NOT been good about updating this blog.  I get all these great ideas for Blog posts, and then forget.

So I thought I would just sit down tonight and remember all that has been great about this holiday season - anyone want to take bets on how much of this "writing" I actually get done?

Our holiday celebration started the weekend before Christmas when we went to meet our friends, The Ninmann's.  They are from Wisconsin so it was nice to meet them kinda in the middle.  I can't tell you how much this family has come to mean to us.  Every time we get together I find myself wishing that we lived closer together.

Their son Nathan (seen in this pic...he is the one with the bunny ears) is also from Irkutsk.  Our kids all love each other, and play together so well.  Anya just adores these boys.

We had a great time in Chicago...ate WAY too much.  We walked Michigan Ave., went to the museum, of course hit the Shops at North Bridge and 900 N Michigan (because really, it wouldn't be a trip into the city without a stop at both of these places).  I will say, however, now my stops at these addresses is a bit different than in the past.  In my BA (before Anya) life, North Bridge meant that I would spend some time at Nordstrom visiting with the personal shoppers there.  Getting caught up on the latest in the shoe department, and maybe stopping in to see some familiar faces in the cosmetic department. This trip...I only went into Nodies to use the ladies room!


Debbie hurt her leg before they got on the train into the city...and Marty and I were fighting colds.  So it was an interesting trip for the adults!  ...but the kids had a great time, so that is what matters!

a year ago today...

A year ago today, I posted THIS:

After 5 years, 4 months and 3 weeks…

After 5 trips to Russia,

After working with and through 2 agencies, 4 Judges, 3 lawyers, the Secretary of State, Embassy and DHL…

After unmentionable sums of money, energy, frustration, anger, humiliation, praise, glee and prayer

OUR DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE JUDGE IN RUSSIA…and we will have a court date the end of January.

The emotions are still raw.  The memories haven't yet faded (good and bad).  And some days I still wonder if reality has hit me yet. 

So many times people told me that soon after we get Anya home I won't remember the torturous wait.  I remember.  

People have said that I will have such fond memories of our 2 month stay in Russia. My memories are not fond.  Yes, I miss our friends - but thinking about the apartment, being asked time and time again for money, missing home and everything that was normal and familiar...I do not miss that. 

A year after the hardest chapter of our lives; after losing friends, respect and losing my sanity at times, I have never questioned if it was worth it.  

A year later I am amazed by Anya.  I look at her with awe and pure joy.  The gut level feelings I have to protect her is something I never NEVER knew I would have. 

There is so much I know about my daughter today that I didn't know a year ago.  That makes me sad.  I had no idea how funny she was.  How sensitive she would be.   I didn't know how much she would love gum, soccer pants, ice cream or music.  I had no idea that she would hate mushrooms, green beans and mustard.  

I prayed that God would protect her.  That HE would keep her in a little bubble and not let any harm come to her.  We prayed with callused knees that she would be safe, happy, healthy and feel peace. 

He heard our prayer.

the saga continues

Child thought she wanted a ping pong table, but she really wanted a foosball table.  Mommy, Daddy and Santa found this out AFTER they already purchased a ping pong table...and now, more of the story...

The Mommy and Daddy think about taking the ping pong table back to the store, and looking for a foosball table; but they can't.  Daddy thought it would be a good idea to "hide the evidence" so he took the box to the burn pile, and it went up in flames.  [Burn Pile: noun / a word that describes how you get rid of burnable trash (i.e. paper, boxes) when you live in the middle of nowhere]

There isn't enough room in the house for BOTH a foosball table and a ping pong table, and the Mommy and Daddy don't think it is a good idea to get BOTH things for Christmas in one year.

Oi!  What is a family to do?!

Houston...we have a problem

Houston, we have a problem.

Child told Santa she wanted a ping pong table. She has been talking about how much fun ping pong is, and how good she is getting at the game.

So, Santa (and Mommy) had a conversation and decided that maybe a ping pong table would make a fun family gift this year.  Santa searched high and low for a good priced ping pong table, and just when he thought it would cost too much money to get a ping pong table this year, he found one for a very good price. 

Many preparations were made so that Santa could get the ping pong table in the car with out any children seeing it.  The coordinated effort was something that fairy tales are made of!

Then...it happened. The child was looking through a toy catalog that came in the mail.  She saw a picture and came running to Mommy saying, "Look!  It is a ping pong table, it is JUST what I want Santa to bring!  It will be SO MUCH fun!"  ...it was a picture of a Foosball table.

To Be Continued

it is good to look back

I was looking back at what I posted a year ago at this time.  It seems that I was (again) sending a round of documents to Russia to be presented to the Judge. 

We had been told if we were able to get these last few documents, the Judge would accept our case and offer a court date to bring Anya home.  I remember thinking "ya right, I'll believe that when I see it". 

I can't believe THIS WEEK a year ago was the LAST TIME I jumped through crazy, unbelievable document hoops for the courts in Irkutsk.

Anya - aka Petunia

 

I love this picture.  It was taken at a political rally over the summer.  I just wanted to share...

Ahhhh memories

Our friend who is in Irkutsk was able to pick up her son from the orphanage today.  I think for the rest of my life, when I hear of someone bringing their child home from the orphanage - I will be flooded with memories.

3-2-1-0 (or March 2, 2010)...it was a big day. 

Like so much with the final stages of the adoption process, I didn't know what to expect - and what actually happened wasn't what I expected. I blogged about that day HERE.  Anya was so ready to leave the orphanage, we were expecting her to be a little hesitant; to be sad or hug her friends and caregivers goodbye.  I remember walking to the top of the stairs where her room was, and seeing her waiting at the door.  When she saw us, she got a huge smile on her face, and ran into her room to start to put her coat on.  We showed her that we brought a new coat for her to put on, well she just thought that was the greatest thing ever.

She sat in the car clutching Daddy's hand, very interested in everything outside, very quiet.  Wow, has THAT changed!

Those first few days I remember being in a fog.  So much of it felt like a dream...if I am honest, sometimes it was a good dream, and other times it felt like a bad dream. 

I remember one first walk to the grocery store together.  Anya was proclaiming "MAGAZINE" at every turn.  We could not understand why she was looking for magazines...there are news stands on corners, but when we would pass one, she would not be that interested in those kiosks.  We soon realized that the word 'magazine' in Russian means 'store'! 

Another funny language thing was the word 'spot'.  In Russian, that means sleep...well, don't say to your 7 year old at noon "sit on this spot please".  What your Russian speaking child will hear is "go to sleep"...and you will quickly see a very sad faced 7 year old!

I'm sure over the next few days I will be flooded with memories as our friend Lisa goes through her set of "firsts" with her son SV.

Mayberry + Halloween = costume parade

We're fortunate in that we live so close to a decent size city, but are in a very small town school district. The town where Anya goes to school is known because of the large Amish / Mennonite community. This makes for a very nice dynamic in the schools, and a very conservative environment in the town.

So when Halloween came around, I wondered what we would do, where we would go, if we would participate. When I heard about how our little town handles Halloween, I loved it - and we decided that was how we wanted Anya to be a part of Halloween!

There are a lot of schools of thought out there about this "holiday". To us, it isn't a holiday, we aren't celebrating anything. We simply are engaging in a seasonal tradition by carving pumpkins and allowing Anya to dress up in a costume. For us, it isn't anything scary, satanic or spooky...it is simply a little girl dressing up as Ice Cream and running from house to house with her friends. And that is how our little town thinks about it too - a celebration of the children.

Since the majority of the area is made up of farms and rural homes, everyone comes into town and collects treats (for please and thank-yous) up and down Main Street. There are several churches along the route, and they open their doors to the community by welcoming people and passing out candy to the kids. One church also offers a meal, free of charge, to anyone who wants it - don't you love that? Rather than condemning they have decided to embrace and take advantage of those who might be looking for a church, or seeking an answer. I actually saw one Pastor praying (off to the side of the line of kiddos in costumes) with one of the parents.

After an hour or so of getting to as many homes as possible, all the kids meet near the center of town, the street is closed and the parade starts. All of the kids march around and the town council (or maybe town Marshall...not sure) offer prizes for the best costumes. We saw a jelly fish, 3 little pigs, lots of princesses and Supermen, so many cats and dogs I lost count...but what I noticed was the absence of Snookie, Lady Gaga or anything scary.

For Anya, a child who complains about new things (until she does them of course) and is easily scared - this was the perfect way for her to start to learn about this American tradition.

The best part of our Halloween / Parade / Costume Festival were the lessons learned. We went around with 2 other families - between us we had 3 kids. At one house, one of the girls didn't get a piece of candy (for what ever reason). So Anya gave her one out of her bag.

Anya got 33 pieces of candy (don't you LOVE that? Not an overload of candy that you have to say "no" to a thousand times a day). When we got home, she was very excited to spread out the loot to see what she got. She divided up all the candy into 3 piles, and gave one to me, one to Marty and kept one for herself. She said, "not fair that Mommy and Daddy don't get candy too".

Now what kid do you know that does that?

A Time for Prayer

Today is a time for prayer. Another family will go before the Judge in Irkutsk tomorrow morning (tonight our time). They will face the same Judge and same prosecutor that we did in February.

The nervous feelings they are experiencing right now can't be explained..and no one can understand unless you've been there.

In the past, the court hearing was a formality - and in truth, this is still the case in most regions of Russia. Unfortunatley this is not the case in Irkutsk.

You may remember our friends from Georgia that went before the Judge in April. They were not successful in that hearing.

Please join with me to pray for this family from South Carolina that will go before the Judge...that the prosecutor will not ask for more documents or clarification, that the changes in their son over the years will not effect the opinion in the court room, that the adoption center and the director of the orphanage paint a glowing picture for this case and agree whole-heatedly to the adoption. I am also praying for L and D's nerves, that they are able to rest tonight (I know praying for sleep may be overly optimistic) , that they feel and rest in the comfort of knowing HE has a plan and HE has gone before them in this situation. I am also praying for protection to surround L and D (and V).

It will be a gut wrenching next 24 hours. I can hardly think about it without tearing up.

L and D -know that so many of us are praying with you now!

He is MIGHTY to Save!

3-2-1- BLAST OFF!

It's happening again, another American family is heading to Irkutsk to go before the regional court to complete the adoption they've been waiting SO LONG for.

This time, it's Lisa and Darren.

It will happen in about 2 weeks. And we should pray. Pray really really REALLY hard.

Regardless of your opinion of adoption, international adoption or really...anything, I think we can all agree that every child deserves a home and a loving family...that is what I am asking you to pray for.

Walking through this with Lisa and Darren brings back so many memories and emotions. I can remember how on-edge I was 1-week to that flight taking off to Russia. The slightest thing would make me break out into tears. I had so much to do, so much to think about...and no time to do it.

I remember getting a speeding ticket about 3 days before we left...and being so mad at the cop who clearly had NO IDEA what I was going through, what I was getting ready to go through - I honestly thought he just wanted to make me miserable. After the cop pulled away, I drove down the block, parked the truck (yes, I was driving a big HUGE truck at the time) and cried. Really boo-hooed for a long time.

I also remember trying to think and re-think what we would need to live in a foreign country for 2 months. I am a person who takes comfort in having a routine in my world (when normally, there is nothing normal about my world). Normal for me is the kind of toothpaste I use, my eye drops, makeup, shampoo...you get the idea. It is a kind of security blanket for me.

I remember all too well that feeling I had in the pit of my stomach for weeks. I didn't think it would ever go away. That nervous almost sick feeling...when you have no time to get sick. I know I told myself more than one time "mind over matter, you can not get sick now!"

The one thing I thing I remember the most was that NO ONE knew what I was going through; the emotions, the random freak outs...except one person - my friend Debbie. She was the only one who had REALLY been in my shoes (a year earlier).

So I know what Lisa is going through; I feel her stress and anxiety. I understand her questions and relate to her fears.

As time goes on, I continue to wonder why, really WHY it took so long to bring Anya home. Maybe one of the reasons is to pass-it-on...to be more compassionate to those who come after us. That seems to be the legacy of the Irkutsk Moms. Generally...we've all bonded together in a unique way. No one can understand what we went through (or are going to go through) than each other. It's a strange sorority.

To those who have gone before, what is your one piece of advice to Lisa and Darren? Please leave it in the comments...and you don't have to be an Irk Mom to comment :)

on life...

I have to say, I can't remember a time in my life where I felt so, well, OK with things. At peace maybe.

It seems that all I can remember is running toward something, fighting for something, stressing over something. In my 20's it was a marriage (or lack thereof), then it became a job/career (or lack thereof), then relationships (or lack thereof), then of course for the past 6 years working, fighting, stressing over the adoption.

Some days I have to pinch myself. I have a beautiful daughter, a great husband, a perfect job. I even have a daughter that likes to help me at work (yes, this is Anya helping me at the beginning of this season...unpacking boxes upon boxes of new samples of current season clothing)

I have found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for something bad to happen. Odd, huh? I am FINALLY settling into LIFE. This is it!

So - fair warning. I am pretty protective of what we've got going on over here. We've worked hard to have the kind of marriage we have, we've worked hard to bring Anya home, and I've busted my booty to get my career on the path that it is currently on. A lot of blood, sweat and tears are behind us now...and we're taking deep breaths - and it's all good.

Maybe this is joy?

The Love of your Life

Today we were in the car...a song came on WFRN, and part of the words are "be the Love of my Life". I am trying to teach Anya the REAL words to her favorite songs...so I was singing 'love of my life' very deliberately. This was a great launch into a "love of your life" conversation.

After explaining to her what that phrase means, the conversation went something like this:

"so, Anya - who is the Love of YOUR life"

fully expecting her to say Mommy and Daddy, she said...

A: "um, God and Jesus"

I might not be the best Mom in the world, and I know I fail more than I get gold stars for the day...I know her teacher doesn't think I work enough with her on reading, spelling and English...but I think we're doing the really important things right.

...and thanks, WFRN - for allowing these kinds of teachable moments.

Good Tips

I was reading a blog today (Destinations, Dreams and Dogs). The blog author is a parent of several adopted children from Russia. The children were adopted at an "old" age (crazy, that anything over 4 is considered an 'older child' adoption). The thing I really like about this blog is it's authenticity. So many adoption blogs out there only post the good times, the rosy sunny days when everything is peachy. I honestly had to stop reading those kinds of blogs because I knew it wasn't real.

Anyway - the most recent post on DD and D talks about thing to think about when you get your (older) child home...home in Russia, home here. I agree with what is said here, so thought I would pass it along"
http://www.destinationsdreamsanddogs.com/?p=901

Let me interrupt our regular programming...

Every now and again, I use this blog to talk about things other than Anya and what is going on with her. Now is one of those times.

I have several friends that I hold close. By several, I mean I can count them on one hand. These friends I would do anything for. They've prayed for me, and have been my strength in ways they don't even know about. Now, I get to payback that favor for one of my precious friends.


A few years ago, my beautiful sweet friend, Kim got married. Actually - she got married in our front room! Our staircase was her aisle, and our backyard and deck served as a reception hall.

Kim married Bart. Bart is a good man. A strong Christ-follower, loves his family; holds Kim on a pedestal - which in my opinion, is right where she should be! When Bart and Kim first got married, I was bummed because that meant that my friend was moving. Kim's moving has become a real blessing in disguise. We still see each other every few months. Kim lives fairly close to another one of my friends whom I hold close. It has been great to visit both of them and be able to spend time with both of my friends at the same time!



Kim and Bart's marriage blends 2 families to form one with a lot of kids! Correction, a family with a LOT of daughters! One of Bart's girls has cancer. I talked about it several times before (in 2008) here on this blog.

A few days ago, we found out that this precious little girl is fighting cancer again. She is 10 years old, and is facing another fight of her life. I don't know what to say, other than to ask you to please pray. Pray for her, unceasingly.

Thank you.

________________________
If this sounds familiar, and you are a regular reader of this blog...it is because a year ago (almost exactly) I was asking you to pray for another daughter of a friend. I don't want to make this an annual thing...I hope this is the last time I am on my knees with this kind of a prayer.

going to the dentist

We had our first dentist appointment yesterday. When we have a doctor appointment, Anya always tells me about her adventures at that kind of doctor we're going to. It's no surprise that most of her experiences with the medical profession in Russia were less than good ones.

So we head to Dr. Julie Plagens' yesterday. Julie is a friend, so I totally trust her. She is also my dentist, and has her practice in the same building where I went to the dentist as a kid. Not that any of that matters, it's just fun trivia.
We found out that Anya has surprisingly good teeth. I was ready for cavities and all kinds of problems with her gums. Dr. Plagens said that she has great teeth! No cavities. nothing! And (get this) very little tarter! Guess the fact that they don't allow kids to eat sugar in Russia is a good idea for their teeth! The only things that we need to think about are some sealants on her back teeth, paying attention to the few baby teeth that she still has to loose, and making a consultation appointment at the orthodontist (she has a bit of an overbite).

She did very well at the dentist, and was overly excited about her new purple toothbrush!

a word about the mess

I don't know what is wrong with the layout here - something went haywire...please be patient while I figure out how to make things tidy and pretty around here again.

losing my manners

I've always been a bit of a fussbudget about manners. You know, the common courtesies like 'please' and 'thank you' .

Well, since I've become a Mom, I've lost my manners.

Before March 2, 2010 - I was borderline anal about thank you notes. I loved spending extended periods of time choosing the RIGHT card for a proper thank you; and sometimes even making by hand thank you cards (which is pretty funny considering how NOT crafty I am).

I think it all started at the airport. So many people came to welcome us home and showered Anya with gifts; the thoughtfulness of taking time of of their lives to come to the airport at 11pm, and to bring a gift...well, that needed a very special thank you!

Then there are those who constantly prayed for us when we were gone. I should write a heartfelt thanks to them too.

And so many kind things have happened in the past (almost) 4 months that we've been home...all deserve a note.

We even got a package from a family we met through the Irkutsk adoption process - so sweet! I NEED to get a note to them!

...and all the friend's birthdays I've missed - Oi!

So - if you are one of those people who I owe a note to, please know that I have not forgotten. It's simply that I seem to be choosing sleep over manners lately.

I don't want to forget...

...these days. They seem to be going so fast - time just keeps going, no matter how badly I try to slow it down. I don't want to forget:

• the time I was watering plants on the deck, and Anya asked to help. I told her that was fine, and that it was OK to get the patio furniture wet. She was so excited! She told me at the Detski Dom she was not allowed to get anything outside wet. She spent the next hour drenching everything on the deck.

• Wildlife is such a big deal to Anya. We take for granted seeing animals outside - well, at least we do. At our house, I get annoyed when I see a raccoon on the deck, or a possum on our front steps. Not Anya...she gets very excited. She spends hours a day looking for groundhogs. She stands in the window with binoculars looking...just looking.

• What is real punishment? We've tried to find the thing that tips her into really considering her actions and words before she gets in trouble. Thankfully we have found what works - food. If she is bad, she isn't allowed to have candy, gum or popcorn. Funny how that one piece of gum a day can have so much power!

• I never want to forget how kind Anya's heart is. If someone is hurting, she gets sad. When someone she loves leaves, she says her heart hurts. She looks for ways to share, to connect with people.

• She tries so hard at everything. Her nature is to please people (just like all of us!), and she tries SO HARD. Some days she tells me that "today, it was hard to be a good girl! Everything she does with all of her energy and might.

• She is so talkative! She loves to tell stores. Every day she tells me a story about the Detski Dom. But what I love is when she is making up a story. The other day it was a story about Daddy - and how he stole her dreams because he woke her up, and then he was dancing like a monkey with girls hair.

• I giggle every time Marty and I are talking and she NEEDS to say something. She will raise her hand and jump around to get our attention. When we're done speaking I will ask her what she wants, and generally by then she has forgotten...
  
  

• I don't want to forget how she prays and what she prays for...

• She loves to surprise people. My birthday is this weekend. this morning she was very excited to tell me that she and Daddy....oops! She covers her mouth and said "never mind, it is a surprise!".

where does time go!?

Not being rhetorical here, being serious...where does time go?

It occurred to me a few weeks ago that we've been home as long as we were in Russia. How is that possible? I mean, the 2 months we were in Russia dragged on...every day seemed like 4 days - and every week felt like a month.

Since we've been home, I've lost track of weekends. What we did 3 weeks ago seems like it was yesterday.


IN GENERAL
We've settled into a nice routine - kinda (I am still working it out - and from what I understand, by the time Anya is 18 I might have it figured out). Anya is a very happy, very good girl. We have very VERY few issues with her at all. I know this sounds like I am painting a rosy picture, but it is true (I have nothing to hide). She is loving, considerate, well behaved. She knows boundaries, and understands consequences. When she does act up, she is quick to feel bad about what she did, and say that she is sorry.

Anya's birthday was this past week - and I tell ya, she has grown up so much in the past 7 days! Things she loved to do before don't seem to be that important; and those things I wish she cared about now are a big deal. Before - she liked to dress like a boy (for those who know me, this was killing me!). She loved sports - and wanted to play football...which I was OK with, as long as she did so with a pink ribbon in her hair and a pink helmet.

Now, she wakes up and wants to wear skirts or dresses. Still loves soccer and plying ball...but understands that she needs to change clothes to do that. She told me this morning that looking like a girl is very good! ...and my heart skipped a beat.

She loves puzzles and SpongeBob. She loves to swim in the pool and has mastered going under water. It took her all of about 15 minutes to be an expert on bike riding (without training wheels).

She told me one of her favorite things to do is to "help Mommy".

Anya loves church, loves to pray. She completely understands praying and we find her praying for things she thinks are hard or that she can't control. Many times during the day, she will come to us and ask to pray...generally this is about being a good girl. She has learned to feel her emotions rather than to act on them. I am so proud of her! She will also be the first to tell you that being a good girl is hard sometimes!

EDUCATION
Her school is exceptional - I was leery of the public school thing. I was a private (elementary) school kid at first, and truly believed that the small classes and special educational experience that can be offered at a private school what was what Anya needed.

I was wrong. Yes - I WAS WRONG.

Her teacher (Miss Williams) was not only answer to prayer, but has been gifted to love children and really care about how and what they learn. In just 4 weeks, Anya's language skills quadrupled. She got perfect scores on spelling tests and homework.

Miss Williams understood that I was "that mom"...that I needed to talk through things. That I would probably email her every day and ask a question - that I didn't get it, and that I needed more hand holding than Anya did.

Anya also had a helper named Mrs. Lambert - who is as equally amazing as Miss Williams.

Both of her teachers told me things like:

• she is such a joy to have in the classroom, I will miss her
• she is such a smart girl, she has picked up on things in just 4 weeks that the other children have been working on all year

...and I agree, she is a complete joy and incredibly smart!


FRIENDS
Because I am "that mom" and we are "those parents", we are picky about who Anya hangs out with. Anya also plays rough - many girls her age don't play like that, and I don't want anyone to get hurt. But, Anya has had some really fun play dates with my friends kids.

There are things God blesses you with that you don't pray for - it just happens. Let me just tell you how blessed I am to have such incredible friends with kids all Anya's age!

One of her favorite play buddies is Dasha (who is also from Irkutsk). She asks to play with Sam ( our friend's little girl who lives close to us), and wonders when we will see Matthew again (another friend's son). She tells funny stories about her friends Belle, Maddie and Whitney...and what I think is the funniest thing is that she can never remember anyone's name - so trying to figure out who she is talking about is kinda like a game of charades.

Some of our friends was here over the weekend (the Ninmanns)with her boys, Nathan (from Irkutsk too) and JJ. Anya loves LOVES JJ! I kinda felt sorry for JJ - Anya was smothering him. We had to talk to her about how it really isn't OK for her to hug and kiss JJ all. the. time.

ON FAMILY
I can't put into words what it is like for our family to have Anya as an active part of our every day. I also can't put into words what happens to my heart when I look at her, or see her 'getting it'. Likewise, there is that "thing" that happens when I don't think she is being treated fairly or not being given enough attention to "get it" (hence the nickname...'that mom').

more good q's

I'm glad that those of you who read this blog who don't know me well feel comfortable enough to post or email me questions.

One of your questions I thought blog-worthy...here is the Q: Why are you allowing so much press coverage of your family?

Good question!

There are several reasons...

First, the media is my friend. Some people see the media as an enemy - but I don't. Maybe because I've worked in and with media my entire adult life - I feel very comfortable sharing information.

I have nothing to hide.

There is a lot of negative information out there about international adoption. A lot of misinformation and a lot of horrible stereotypes. If there is anything we can do to put a positive spin on that, I feel that is what I/we have to do.

And no - our home phone number and/or address are not published anywhere.

I stopped reading the negative comments on the news stories. I have no time for the idiotic thoughts of those who have nothing better to do than to slam us. I dare those people to come up to me on the street and say something to my face...they won't. These people hide behind that anonymity of the internet. They are cowards who don't have all the facts.

let the birthday parties begin

So, Anya got invited to her first birthday party. The invitation was in her school bag, with her name (kinda) on the envelope - so I know it was intended for her.

But, I don't know who this child is who is having this party...and neither does Anya (not so surprising, she still can't remember most of the kids names in her class). I want her to have friends, and get invited to parties, but for some reason I don't feel OK about this. I am not at the point yet where I would just drop her off at a party and leave her there. Um, NO!

I hope something comes up so that we can't go...does that make me a horrible mother?

Speaking of school - you've asked me a few q's about school, I'll try to answer them here:

• No, we are not homeschooling.
• She started school on May 5th - 9 weeks after we "got" her
• She is in a public school - but I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by how attentive they are and how well she is doing. We are fortunate in that we are in a small school system.
  
• Proof that I should not homeschool is in how well Anya is doing in school...in the 9 weeks she was with us, she learned English; but in the 12 days she's been in school - her vocabulary and communication has grown and flourished in ways that astound me!
• Summer school is till up in the air - in this school system, you apply and then are accepted into summer school. We are still waiting to see if she is accepted into summer school. We're looking into a language program that one of the local colleges has for kids her age, as well as a day-camp at our church and some other day-camp type things.

Hope that answers your questions...if you have more - ask away!

I think I forgot...

As if we haven't been in the news enough, on Mother's Day a story ran in the Elkhart Truth. It was on the front page that Sunday morning (and for all you news junkies...yes, it was above the fold).

Funny thing about the headline - they left off a zero (you'll see when you go to this link).

http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?id=512693

(Photos from Elkhart Truth, Photographer: Jay Seawell)









This is another story that ran on WSBT - this was a while ago, right after the news broke that Russia may close adoptions to American citizens.




I think I forgot to post this too. This is a story that ran on Fox28 WSJV a while ago as well. I think this was the Friday after we came home.

oh, really?

Yesterday, this came in the mail.

and this was inside...


This is Anya's Certificate of Citizenship. Every child who is adopted in Russia and brought into the United States gets one of these. The officials in Tennessee who WRONGFULLY believe that the child Torry Hansen sent back to Russia was not an American citizen need to carefully read this document. It says that pursuant to Section 341 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, he/she is a citizen of the United States. That is pretty clear.

I rest my case.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day. I still don't even know what to say about this first Mother's Day. Like so many "firsts", I don't know what I expected.

The best part of Mother's Day was picking up Anya from school on Friday. She was SO EXCITED to show me the present she had made for me.

It came gift wrapped in this bag:


Basically, it says:
Mommy, I love you so much
You help my ouchies
Mommy I love you so much so much so much so much
(sounds so much better when she reads it to me)

I love how she wrote this in what appears to be Russian, but it actually phonetic Russian characters (in English)...I think.

Inside this jewel of a gift bag was this flower:

I don't know if you can see in this picture, but she painted grass, butterflies and flowers all around the pot, and wrote ANYA on it. It is precious, and will always sit in my office window.

I had to work on Saturday, and was NOT looking forward to coming home from work and cleaning the house. We hosted Mother's Day at our house this year. When I got home, my hubby was cleaning the house, there were cards and flowers waiting for me in the kitchen.

HUSBAND OF THE YEAR!!! The award goes to my hubby!!

On Mother's Day, everyone came over to our house for a cookout.

...this is where the "first Mother's Day" story gets juicy.

So that morning, I was taking my own sweet time getting ready. Darling husband has gone to the grocery store, planned out what we were going to eat, cleaned the house. Everything seemed to be ready for company. He even decided to mow the lawn that morning. As I stood at the kitchen sink, I realized he probably hadn't thought about where the 10ish people (that were going to be at our home to eat) were going to sit.

I decided to pull out the linens, dishes, silverware - set the big table...get the little table up from the basement. Made both tables look pretty...

I decided to start getting ready - again, taking my own sweet time. I was finishing my hair, when I heard my mother-in-law come in..then everyone else showed up. We were all in the Kitchen when I noticed that the oven wasn't on. I knew one of the things we were going to eat was mac-n-cheese (which takes an hour to bake). Then I took note that none of the snacks were out on the table. Oops!

This is where communication in a marriage is key. Now, Marty and I are really good at this communication thing. We don't put unrealistic expectations on one another, therefore we don't have disappointments in our marriage.

Unless it was Mother's Day.

I guess I thought since he went to the store and everything, that he was going to cook. I saw the chicken thawing in the sink, and assumed that everything else was in-process too.

He assumed I would handle the food...since I always do...and given the fact I had set the tables, got out the serving dishes and so on - why would he think any different?

Oi!

After I asked him about the Mac-n-cheese, and had a moment of freak out when he said "oh, I thought you were cooking" followed by my comment "um, no - I thought YOU were cooking"..it all came together and had a very nice Mother's Day dinner.

My sincere apologies to my family who saw my freak out.

Hoping your Mother's Day was as memorable as mine!

What did we do on Friday?

There are things that I think are funny. One being "what do you do all day, since Anya isn't in school yet?"

Here is what we did yesterday:

First, we "played" on the computer. Anya is learning how to sound out words to spell.





Then we had a picnic lunch. It was really windy outside - so the picnic came inside. Meet the giant "Anya doll". She had to eat too.



Then we went outside to plant some seeds.




Then we had a snack, played on the scooter, hunted groundhogs, tried to read a book to the kitties, and did a lot of other really fun things that weren't so photo worthy!

At Home...

Thanks Cathy Dietz for the great pics!

don't ya hate it when...

When we were in Russia, we came up with the best 'new name' for the blog. Since we're not really 'bringing Anya home' anymore...I remember it was still 'Bring Anya Home' - then a word that started with a 'C'. I can not remember what that very special, very appropriate word is! And, it is killing me!

So - give me your best "c" words...maybe it will spark some memory!

'C'

Moscow - and then HOME!

After an almost 9 hour delay, we FINALLY lifted off, and the heck outta Irkutsk!

Good bye Irkutsk!

In Moscow, one of the first things we did was head to Mc Donald's. I don't know why. We don't eat there EVER at home...but it seemed familiar - so to McD's we went. Anya DID NOT like the hamburgers. But thought the nuggets were OK.
She was particularly fond of the orange drink (which was orange juice)
The inside of the McD's in Moscow doesn't exactly look like the McD's around our home.
And then, after a few days of running, exhaustion, tension and then relief...we're headed HOME!

I have more pics of our time in Moscow, but they are on another camera that I'm not allowed to mess with (haha!)...those are coming, I promise!

..and then

After we got home from the Jackson's home on our final day in Irkutsk, we continued to finish packing - and Alex stopped by to drop some things off, and wish us well.

Honestly, I cried when he left. Alex and I have talked at least every few weeks since 2005. We have had a lot of candid discussions about adoption, Irkutsk etc. I have the utmost respect for his heart and what he his work ethic. Time and time again, he did the right thing for us. We hope to see him again.

final hours in Irktusk

Of course, it was important during our final hours in Irkutsk to have pretty toes (Anya's purple, mine red)

And finish up the last bits of laundry...
And check the "closet" to make plans what we will be wearing in Moscow.

Me and Tami

The kids made Easter cookies (Anya had never decorated cookies before)
And colored and decorated Easter Eggs (again, Anya had never done this before)
The whole group coloring eggs.

the last supper

I'm trying to get caught up on posts here from our final days in Irkutsk - and first 2 weeks home.

Thought I would post a pic of our last meal at the apartment. Truth is, on our last LAST day - we ate at the Jackson's - which was a HUGE relief! But, here was the last thing that I cooked - and I'll call it Mexican Fiesta...Russian style!


My no-meat version

Anya gave it a "thumbs up"...which for this picky eater - that is a big deal!

And here is the meat version (with chicken).