Is it really this quiet?

I can't believe I am actually posting to the blog. No hubby looking over my shoulder, no loud boys, no distractions...except maybe my growling stomach! I really enjoy writing/journaling if I have time without interruption but up until now that has not happened. I am at a loss as where to begin. Maybe I will just write what comes to mind, what I want to remember when everyone who reads this one time doesn't need or want to re-read it in the future.


First I want to talk about Cody. I simply cannot wait to talk to him. I remember feeling that way about Elliott. Not so much Nicky because somehow he was communicating just fine before he mastered the English language! (Imagine that) Cody doesn't seemed to be interested in learning English here, he is too caught up in the boys and the excitement of being adopted and coming to America! The funny thing is he told Nicky shortly after we got here that he was going to be able to speak English better than he did! El got a kick out of that! If our family is engaged in a conversation in English, he doesn't want to be left out. He is always saying "Show Show?" (what..what?) He also has a sense of humor and also seems to be able to take teasing, which is good if he is going to be able to hang in our family! The other day Elliott was singing passionately directly to him (not at his request), kind of an American Idol performance you could say. After a while, Cody said something to him in Russian and Nicky started laughing. I ask Nicky what he said and he told me Cody said "I'll buy you some ice-cream if you quit!" Of course, Elliott didn't. Cody just shook his head and smiled!



When our family was squeezed around the dinner table the other night I had Elliott ask Cody about life before the orphanage. Cody said he doesn't remember life before the orphanage. I have thought about that a lot since then. He has been in the orphanage for 10 years, since the age of 5. Wow. No memory of life before a government facilitated institution. I don't think I can wrap my brain around it. Actually, this whole adoption thing is over my head. C'mon...if I really stop and think about it...at my age, limited finances, 4 teenage boys. What in the world? BUT, we know the answer don't we...WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! He gives hope to the hopeless. When I am weak, He is strong. He has my back and my front. I am hemmed in. He covers me with the shadow of His wings. I can't BUT he can, because He is in me and I am in Him. He gives Peace when I should have none. To know HIM...the ultimate gift. The giver and the gift. The God of second chances. The kinsmen redeemer. The great I AM. Ahhhh.


Okay more Cody stuff. This is like snippets of my Cody baby book so bear with me, please.

He has a lisp. It's so cute. Alright, I know it is not suppose to be cute, but it is! I thought some kids were making fun of it the other day and I was seriously ready for a fight! The other night he took a shower at the apartment. Can you imagine it being the first shower he took in an actual home/apartment? Anyway, afterwards he came out squeaky clean with wet hair. It was wavy and standing up all over the place. It was sooo cute (there's that word again)! Also, I checked out his feet. They are kind of wide like mine. I felt like I did right after Tobi & Spencer were born and I was checking out all of their features! Oh and his face gets really red, really quick and he has this little white spot right in the middle of it. Ty actually noticed it first. I have so many things yet to discover. My friend Kim McCormack, who just adopted 15 year old Kai (from Ukraine)just discovered he was ticklish. She never knew. The wonder of it all.



Now, some funny Ty stuff I want to remember. So, as some of you know Nicky's bio family started coming out of the woodwork. No money was given by us and they finally disappeared. Ty and I were a little creeped out over it though. One day (kind of in the middle of all this drama)I ask Ty if he wanted to go to the market with me and he said yes. Dave ended up wanting to go with us at the last minute. Right before we left Ty slipped into the kitchen and opened one of the drawers. I ask what he was doing and he said he was putting the butter knife back. I ask why he had the butter knife and he said "A butter knife has many uses, you never know when it might come in handy!" :-) That's our Ty! One day Dave were walking down the street with Tyler and I commented on how cute looked. He said "that makes me want to take this off right now and barf!". I said "what?" He told me "CUTE wasn't the look he was going for!" I said "Okay, what should I say?" "Nothing, just say nothing" I said "How about when I think something like that again I will just look at you and say NO COMMENT" and we will have an understanding. He smiled...dimple and all. Gotta love that boy! (No comment)


Nicky had way more fun here than he expected to have. A little of his Russian back, female classmates swooning over him, playing soccer and hanging out with his brothers! He had a little bump in the road about the bio family thing but Nicky is like the everready bunny..just keeps on ticking. It concerns me some...BUT GOD. He heals and restores.


Elliott seems to be glad to be going home. As I think I stated before, re-kindling relationships were both good and hard. He saw many needs and is processing what he can and cannot do about it. Watching him journey through this trip was not easy for me. He was excited, sad, exhausted and reflective. His sister, Ruslana ask me why he is so sad. I wish I could have talked to her without him being the translator. I tried to tell her that he is not sad at home, but sometimes it may appear that way because in his relationships he carries the wisdom and the burden of the Lord. She said that she knows he is younger than her but most of the time he seems older than she does. I regret not being able to really communicate well with her.


So the TV interview. What a whirlwind! Oles calls us the day before telling us that we are being ask to be interviewed for Children's Protection Day on the local news. The inspector evidently set this up. The inspector was also the same inspector for our adoption in 2006. When we first saw her then, she told us she remembered very vividly Nicky's story. She remembered that he lived on the streets, begged for money, and paided his paid his parents bills as well as other things. She was involved in taking the parental rights away in 2003. It made an impact on her. She was interested in him and us. Why would we do this again? The interview took place in a park. Dave, Nicky and I were ask a few questions each. Dave went first. I'll tell you what I remember. Dave's questions: Why did you adopt this child? Was it a hard process? Dave talked about the kids coming over as part of a choir and us meeting Nicky through that and falling in love with him. He said it wasn't a hard process, but a very long process. They didn't seem to want to expound on that. Next...me. They ask me how why I would want to do it again. I thought about saying "I DON'T HAVE A CLUE!" :-) I told him how we met Sasha when we adopted in 06 and spent a lot of time with him and how we had been praying for him ever since. We felt led to come back and adopt him. Let me tell you that talking through an interpreter and trying to look ino the interviewer's face was not easy! Then he ask me what Children's day meant to me? Okay, well now I was at a loss for words. What was he looking for? I just heard of children's day a few days ago. As far as I knew it was a celebration for kids. Then, they through in a word like "protection of children". I just smiled and said "adoption...hope". He seemed to be okay with it, or he at least smiled. A rarity in Ukrainian adults, especially strangers. But..he was a TV personality. Okay, last but not least...Nicky. He could understand what the guy was asking but wasn't comfortable answering in Russian, so he responded in English with a translator. He basically said he loved America and loved having the support of a family and the opportunities available to him in America, especially since he was living on the streets before. I was proud of how he handled himself!

Court on Friday and hoping to come home Sunday or Monday!