It has been a wild and crazy week.

I’ve been checking on our goat Pearl.  She is notorious for getting her head stuck in the fence.  About the time we think she has learned her lesson and has stopped, she pulls another one of her tricks.  Billy and I both have had to dislodge her several times recently.  We try to keep it from happening, but that is easier said than done.

Pearl was also expecting babies so we really were watching her closely.

I went to the pasture about this time last week and noticed she was up to something.  I thought she might be in labor.  She didn’t really want me watching her so she stood up and started walking off.  It appeared from the looks of things that maybe she had already given birth.  I attempted to scan the pasture.  It was about that time that I heard a faint little noise and saw some movement.

I made my way closer…..

Yep…two of the cutest little girls I’ve seen….well, since our last batch of cuties were born.

Jack and Moses were also curious…

 

This little white cutie wasn’t intimidated by their size whatsoever.

I had to snicker when she gave a big cry and the donkey’s gave a startled jump.

Pearl was watching from a short distance but made no attempt to come closer.  I could tell she wasn’t acting herself.  Then again she had given birth recently so…that pretty well explains things.

I shooed the boys on and took a closer look at the babies.

They appeared healthy.  The reddish brown girl was smaller, but having one smaller than the other is not unusual, she was still a good size.

I backed away and watched.  They were not crying like they were hungry so I felt like Pearl was taking care of them.  It is always so hard for me to leave the babies where I can’t see them because I am constantly wondering if Mama is tending to them or not.  After all we are still having a lot of cold weather and….well you can see I play all the scenarios in my head.

The next day I went to check in on everyone.  I saw the white baby in about the same spot I had seen them both the day before.  But I couldn’t see the reddish goat.  As you can tell in the other pictures she really blends in with the surroundings this time of year, so I began to look more closely.

There she was…..laying on her side.  My heart sank, she looked dead.  I ran to her and picked her up.  She gave a little cry and opened her eyes.

Mama was a good way off in the tree line and the white baby goat was a short distance from this one.  She was standing and seemed perfectly fine.

Quickly I placed the reddish one in my jacket and started running.  I’ve learned that you have to really rub an animal to stimulate them when they are found like this.  Heat and stimulation is critical.

My heart was sick….but I had hope.

Thankfully, I have learned through trial and error to have an emergency kit on hand.  I whipped out the heating pad I have set aside just for animal use.   I’ve also found that blow dryers are a great source of quick heat too.

Once I was able to raise her core body temp a little I attempted to hydrate her with an electrolyte.  If they are too cold they can’t swallow.  It is a slow tedious process.  They look so pitiful though that you just keep trying everything possible.

We were scheduled to be at my grand daughter’s birthday party within an hour.  I was a little frantic.  A friend stopped by the house and once he saw my predicament he offered to take care of her for us.  What a blessing!  I loaded him up with a bottle, heating pad and instructions a mile long like a mother of a first born baby.  Bless his heart.

After the party we called to tell him we were on our way.  I was almost afraid we would hear bad news.  BUT instead he had taken great care of her and also had another helping hand.  A sweet lady that volunteers  her time helping with odd jobs at the Vision cuddled her in her lap.  They were sitting in the warm sunshine when we arrived.    I was amazed at her recovery, she was holding her little head up by herself.  She was also obviously loving every moment of snuggle time.

She was in absolute heaven.

Although still weak she was much…..MUCH…. better.

I checked in on the other baby in the pasture.  She was fine.

Mama was taking good care of her…..

 

What a beautiful picture of a Mother’s love.

I left not understanding why one was in such bad shape and the other doing fine, but was happy that these two were good.

Meanwhile, here on the home front we continued to nurse baby girl back to health.

She was babied and cared for the rest of the night.

We placed a dog cage near the wood stove in the sun room and she settled down for a good nights sleep.

Matter of fact we all slept real well that night.  🙂

 

 

 

Perhaps you remember all the way back to May.  Billy and I had heard a Mama cow calling for her baby.  We had been out of town and knew that the birth had to have taken place within those few days.  We finally located the Mama and saw that her baby was in the creek.  The creek bank was steep in this particular area, she couldn’t get to the baby and the baby couldn’t get to the Mama.  Billy got into the creek and lifted the baby out placing it at the Mama’s feet.

Baby was extremely glad to see her Mama and immediately tried to nurse.

Mama was not convinced that it was her baby, so she kicked it to the ground.  The Mama proceeded to cry out for her baby….looking into the water. The baby would attempt to nurse again and well the same thing happened over and over.

According to some of the neighbors, who have raised a few head through the years, the water apparently washed enough of the scent off the baby so that Mama didn’t recognize it as her own.

We contained the two of them hoping they would bond….NOPE….it wasn’t gonna happen.  Then we tried to see if ANY of the other Mama’s would feed her…..NOPE…that wasn’t gonna happen either.

Babies cannot go very long without colostrum from Mama.

She was growing weak from the lack of nutrition and from the knocks to the ground….which I could barely stand to watch.

She just wanted her MAMA.

But her Mama didn’t want her.

So……it began.  I became her Mama and Billy became her Papa.

Matter of fact she ended up with a lot of caregivers through the months.

We took her closer to the house and she spent some days with the newborn goats.  Friends, neighbors, the orphans we hosted for the summer, our grandchildren, everyone helped us show her love and attention.

 

But the day came when she needed to go back to the pasture and be around other cows.  The bottles and attention just moved with her to the farm.  

I was so happy to see that Tug, another cow that we had bottle fed, was the first one to greet her.  Possibly he remembered how it felt to be the odd man out.  He is our happy, loving, gentle and kind steer.  He too was kicked over and over for trying to grab a little milk from anyone that would stand still long enough.  Eventually he did get a swig here and there.  Three separate cows finally allowed him to nurse.  He has grown up to be a nice sized steer.

Margaret looked at all these cows.  All the Mama’s and all the babies.

This picture of the babies just standing there looking at her reminds me of the song Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.  “All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games”.

These babies never wanted to hang out and play with Margaret.  They would each other…but not with Margaret.

Later in the summer Stephanie was born.

She and Margaret became friends.  However, Stephanie still hangs close to her mother and Margaret is often by herself a lot of the time.

Despite all the alienation she gets from the others, she remains sweet and loving.

She has suffered physically from not having an ample supply of mother’s milk.  I gave her milk replacer, lots of love, sweet feed and plenty of green pasture, but there is just something special about being raised by your Mama.  I think it is the whole package.  It is everything that a Mama cow can give her baby.  The way a mother licks her baby as she cares for her.  The soft hum of her voice calling her babe close.  The warmth of a cuddle on a cold night in the pasture.  Humans are affected like that as well when they are newborns and not nurtured.

Here you can see the difference in growth.  The cow standing behind and to the right of Margaret was born two months after Margaret.  You can see how much bigger she is.  She has a Mama that takes care of her.

I could only do so much.

A few days ago I went to the pasture to sneak Margaret some grain to help fatten her up and make her strong.  She ran to the gate to greet me,

that will make your heart melt.

We took this selfie.

She knows without a doubt….that Billy and I love her.

 

After the selfie I took this picture….the other girls just stare at me when Margaret and I cuddle.

I love all our girls, but I had to look at them on this day and tell them…don’t act jealous.  Not even ONE OF YOU would step up and take care of her.

I had prepared this post but decided to post the story of our visiting Orphans ahead of this one.  Since then we had a terrible thing happen to our sweet Margaret.

Bitter cold weather moved in recently.  Billy has faithfully provided bales of hay all winter for the girls.  Eating help to keep them warm but it is hard for us to walk away to a warm house and leave them out in the single digits.  Billy’s tender heart has led him to light a few fires on the coldest nights so they would have another source of warmth.  They love seeing him coming, just the view of his truck gets them all excited.  Oh, if you could just hear the mooing!

Coming home from the store the other afternoon, I passed the pasture.  I usually slow down or stop if I’m able and try to count heads.  This particular day they were too far away to count.  Best I could tell they were eating from the hay ring and everyone looked good.

I arrived home and started unloading the car.  As soon as I carried in the first load my neighbor came to the door.  She expressed that her son had pulled a calf out of the water and it was barely moving.  I knew in my gut who it was.  Thanking her I immediately grabbed my coveralls and some mud shoes and headed to the farm, calling Billy along the way.

I looked all along the creek, not seeing anything unusual.  I counted all the cows….all but one was accounted for.

Yes, Margaret was missing.

My heart sank even deeper, I kept looking but couldn’t find the neighbor or the calf.

Billy arrived and we drove through the pasture in his truck.  About that time the neighbor saw us and started waving us his direction.  There she was lying on her side on the edge of a big water puddle.  The water isn’t deep, it is just a low spot that holds water when it rains heavily.  HOW? HOW in the world did that puddle cause her to get in this shape?  All we could figure is the puddle froze.  She lost her footing and couldn’t get up.   We do not know how long she was there.  People had been in and out of the pasture, but no one had been at that particular spot.  So no one had seen her in trouble.

We were so glad the neighbor happened to cut through the pasture on his way home from hunting.  Especially thankful that he cared enough to help her and contact us.

Billy and I jumped from the truck with some towels and immediately started rubbing her.  Her eyes were rolled back in her head.  Once she heard our voices and felt our touch she tried her best to look at us.

I whispered in her ear as I rubbed her with a towel…I’m so sorry Margaret…we are here now….hang on girl…. hang on.

We all lifted her cold wet body into the bed of the truck.  It sure didn’t look good.

Closing the tailgate she lifted her head and partially sat up.  We clung onto that as a good sign, she was at least trying.

While driving we were trying to decide what we were going to do and where we were going to put her.

Once we arrived home Billy and I took her arms and legs and carried her into the sun room where the wood stove had already been at work.

I know…I know….it’s crazy….but what else do you do.

We had to get her core body temperature up….immediately.

We were NOT going to just let her take her chances out in the cold.

I loved on her for a few minutes as I figured out my plan.

I called my brother.  He knows animals….he knows cows in particular.  He stressed that we had to keep rubbing those legs.  It would be essential to get that blood moving in her extremities all while raising that core body temp.

I started racking that noggin of mine.

Days before I was aggravated that a mouse had gotten into a sleeping bag I had pulled from storage, making holes in the lining.  I had placed it in the garage.  Hmmm…. I ran and grabbed it.  I quickly retrieved other things from my emergency animal kit.  That sleeping bag and a heating pad came in handy.  I placed the pad under her tummy moving it around often.   I filled some old socks with uncooked rice warming them in the microwave for a minute or two and placed them under her legs.  I mixed up some electrolyte and slowly administered it inside her cold mouth with a syringe.  She could barely swallow, so I had to administer it slowly.  Much of it would run back out of her mouth.

She was pitiful, still shivering up to four hours later.

We continued to love on her while moving the items around that were helping her body warm.  She took her nose and started nudging Billy’s hand. She gave a little lick and began to suck his finger.

GET THE BOTTLE, Billy said.

I quickly warmed the electrolyte a tiny bit and filled her old bottle.  She started drinking!

Woo Hoo!!!!! That was a great sight to behold.

We both felt much better about her chances of survival once she took that bottle.

We were able to help her stand for a few minutes, it wore her out and she went back down quickly.  But the fact that her legs were working was important to her getting well.

We arranged a barrier so she would hopefully stay in one corner of the room near the heater.  We finally called it a night telling her we would see her in the morning.  We sure hoped so…….

Sometime in the wee hours I woke up and checked on her….she was sitting with her head up in the same spot we had left her.

Whew…I thought….. at least so far, so good.

The next morning Billy and I hurried to the sun room to check on her….yet with reservation.  Part of us didn’t want to look, fearing the worst.  The other part had hope that all was well.

WOW…. She had gotten up on her own.

She ate a little hay.

By afternoon the temperature had warmed nicely outside.  Billy walked her to a roll of hay we have near the house.

She just stood and ate for a little while, eventually I led her into the goat pen.

She seemed to settle in nicely.

I showed her where the water was and she stood and drank a while.

She’s doing everything she is supposed to do.  She looks strong and happy.

Well, until we walk out of the gate that is.

We will eventually take her back to the pasture where she needs to be…..but for now….she is where we can keep an eye on her.

I think she actually wouldn’t mind staying in the sun room until winter is over.

Can’t say that I blame her……..but that isn’t gonna happen.

Famous last words huh?!?!?!

We sure do love that girl!

 

I know….I know….it’s been a while since I have written.

I suppose I’ve just been busy living life.

The weather has been great and the end to the chores or the “one day ” list seems to never end.  But that is alright, cause I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This last week I was busy in a different way.

I asked if I could keep our older grandchildren during their school break.

I racked my brain trying to plan some things to occupy their time.   The first day they arrived they asked if we HAD to go anywhere.  We don’t want to go anywhere ME ME.

They just wanted to stay on the land.

I should have known that they would be perfectly content just hanging out with each other.

So, that is JUST what we did.

 

There were king of the hill climbs. Complete with cattails which seemed to be the main attraction for the week.

Some tad pole catching after a hike with Poo pa.

 

And there may have been a little playing in the hose.

Ok….so the kids went home several days with different clothes on due to a little moisture from the hose or a little slip of the foot into the pond…but nothing major.

The girls loved feeding the hens and gathering their eggs everyday.

But our little man seemed to enjoy spending time with the cows.

 

We even had a visit from cousin Itt.  They didn’t know who cousin Itt was….man I’m old.

We even ate Octopus for lunch.

 

Visited with the goats each day when we would take a walk.

On this day it was as if Frieda was waiting to tell them something important.  I love the look on the girls faces.  She talked to them…….

 

while Andy was busy gathering nuts.

 

I suppose we walked a million miles that week.  If they weren’t climbing rocks they were climbing around like monkeys on the playground equipment.

Matter of fact we decided to have a spend the night party at the cabin that night too!

I just knew they wouldn’t last long after all the hard playing they had done that day and all week.

However, they were having such a good time they wanted to keep playing after dark  So we did.  They drew some beautiful  pictures with sidewalk chalk.  And even made a delicious mud pie.

 

They did a little night time bug watching….

 

And stopped in their tracks to marvel at God’s beautiful night light.

Once we were back inside we played tic tac toe…..

Barrel of Monkeys and Uno.

Each child read Rainbow Duck….over and over.

 

It is so neat to have these little ones read to me now.  Rainbow duck provided us with a lot of giggles as each one quoted sentences from memory.

Yes, I have it memorized too.

It’s a sweet treat to tuck them into bed at night.  A treat usually reserved for their parents.  But this night I was blessed to hear their sweet conversations with God.

Before they got off their knees and into their beds they said oh….and God…please be with Artur, Vlad and Vika….we miss them.

Well, I believe those kind of things make God smile.  I know it did me.

Kids are just kids…..

I am so blessed when I take time to see life through their eyes.

Sweet stuff……

New International Version
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On June 2nd, three Ukrainian children came through the airport terminal to meet us for the first time.  Billy and I were a little intimidated.  I mean we didn’t know what to do.  How do you greet someone that you do not know and can not speak the same language.  Do you run up and hug them?  Do you just smile and shake their hands?  What?

We soon found out that every one of the families standing with us had the same things running through their minds.  Maybe the kids did too.  We were introduced by the translator and had a picture taken before we headed to the car.

Just like that…..

We had three children for the summer.

 

You’ve seen this picture several times by now.  I always think that Vika looks so sad here.  They had traveled a long distance and I was told she had slept about 20 minutes the whole trip.  I knew she had to be exhausted, but she looked so very sad.  She stood next to the interpreter until the very last minute.  Once we walked away she slipped her tiny hand in mine and as I mentioned before, I had a heart meltdown.

I was glad to see that she perked up once we got settled in the car.

I look at this picture and laugh as I see that they ended up riding in the car in this same position most of the time they were here.

 

This was taken when we were headed back to the airport at the end of the three months.

The same seating arrangement.

They were being super silly here.

We had a great summer.  I was amazed at how well they picked up the English language.  When they first arrived they could say very few words.  Thank you very much was a phrase Vika said all the time.  Except she said it so cute, it was more like Zank you very much and would roll her r’s.  It was precious.

Billy and I had only learned one word from a friend of ours before the kids arrived.  That word was gnett.  I doubt I spelled that correctly.  But it means NO.  Yes is easy to get across, but no was nice to have in our vocabulary.   I remember the first time I said gnett, the kids were running around the pool and I was afraid someone would slip so I said it.  The kids almost stopped in their tracks as they looked up at me.  I think they thought I knew more of their language than I had let on.

It was probably like the day we were all in the car and a song came on the radio that Billy and I knew, we started singing to it.  The kids started singing too, in English.  Billy and I swung our heads around so fast it is a wonder we didn’t get whip lash.  It was strange.  They had learned one or two songs in English and they could sing them perfectly.  It was actually a wonderful thing.  We all smiled and kept singing.  Through the summer that happened more and more, songs were a great learning tool.

When I saw that they could learn the songs so easily I enrolled Vika and my granddaughter Layla in music camp at our church.  They were given a cd that contained all the songs they would learn that week.  Every time we went anywhere they wanted to play their music.  It just about drove the boys crazy.   But the girls had a wonderful week. That was another instance where she, Layla and I could all sing together in one language.  I can’t tell you how special that is when the rest of the day you can hardly understand one another.

The last day of the camp they shared a program with the families.  Layla and Vika were pretty goofy that night.  For one they were just exhausted from a full week, but that day after camp they played in the sprinkler, rode their bikes and and were just plain worn out.

They wore their sunglasses that afternoon in the car on the way to church.  They had them in their hands I guess when I ushered them inside.  I took my seat and was so excited, because after all…now I knew all the words to these songs too.

They both came out with their sunglasses on, I couldn’t help but get tickled even though I shouldn’t have.  They were really into the songs, and looked so cute.  I thought Artur and Vlad were going to crawl under the carpet.

As I go through my pictures I smile at all the fun things we did.  Most of them were things that weren’t even planned, they just happened.

Like when we found a huge patch of blackberries.

 

and picked several buckets together.

Except for Vika, she didn’t care for all the stickers. Notice her hand in the basket….she pretty much ate all the ones she picked while we were still busy.  Little stinker!

And one day I noticed Billy gathering tarps from the garage.  The next thing I know the kids were running in the house to put on bathing suits.  Seems Billy had made a home made slip and slide.

 

The kids had a ball.

I think the kids rode a million miles on their bikes.

 

We caught lightning bugs, tadpoles, frogs, fish….

 

Oh…and a big beautiful moth.

Billy and Vika danced in the den….

 

while Artur walked on his hands.

We made homemade banana splits

 

Snapped beans…..

and got caught in the rain.

 

Enjoyed family movie nights, complete with popcorn or ice cream for a treat.

And those were just a few of the things.

We got to see their silly side…..

 

Watch them pose for the camera

And enjoy the little things in life……

 

You get to know each other pretty well in three months.  Well to be exact it was 86 days. That adds up to a lot of good morning hugs and good night kisses. A lot of meals shared where conversations blossomed as we shared words from each others language.  A time when the kids started volunteering to pray out loud…..in English!

We all knew from the beginning that it was only for a limited time.  The kids were to start school as soon as they returned.  About a month before time to go back Vika got a little home sick.  Billy and I hung a calendar where she could reach it and mark a day off at a time with a marker.  About two weeks into marking the calendar she must have gotten over the homesickness.  She then started counting the days and would say, no Ukraine.

However the days continued to march on.  Billy and I teased that if the kids had acted worse the longer they stayed then parting wouldn’t have been so bad.  But instead the days just got sweeter and sweeter.

That dreaded day came, it was time to load the car and head to the airport.

 

We stopped on the way and ate some of their favorite food….yep…McDonalds.

The boys were making their famous sign for being crazy as they watch Vika drool over the Barbies in the display case.

 

They’re boys…they don’t understand girls.

We arrived at the airport, we all helped pull luggage out of the car.  I instinctively reached down to help with Vika’s biggest bag.  She looked up and said “it’s ok” as she took the handle.  I instantly remembered that she was independent like that when they first arrived.  She enjoyed the time I helped her with things through the months, but now it was time to be a big girl again.  I watched them walk toward the entrance.  Backs loaded with new book bags for school.  Stuffed with the treasures they accumulated while here.  Pulling heavy bags behind them.  Bags loaded with clothes and shoes for them and other children at their school.  They looked so small, so young, and yet I couldn’t help but think about how brave they were.

We visited for a while with the other families that had also hosted some children.  Every so often we would stop for another hug and a picture.

 

 

 

 

Trying to keep things light…and upbeat.

 

all of us just enjoying the moment….

 

Yet, wanting time to STOP…. for just a little while.

We gathered together for the last family pic to be taken….

 

It turned out a bit goofier than the first picture we had made three months earlier.

And then….

As quick as they walked into our lives.

 

Just like that…..they walked out……taking our hearts with them.

Please continue to pray for the next chapter of their lives.

Prayerfully it will be a forever home.

 

 

 

Artur, Vlad and Vika were embraced  by our family from day one.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how awesome it is to have family and friends support you with prayer and encouragement.  The night the children arrived I sent pictures to our kids so they could see them.  I received a text back from one of our daughters telling us they had received the message while they were praying for us.  WOW, that touched our hearts.

The next day most of us gathered together for a family vacation.

The kids and our grandchildren never skipped a beat.  They interacted as if they had known each other for years.

Playing in the pool, at the beach or doing fun activities doesn’t require a lot of words, being silly to make someone smile or giggle crosses all language barriers.

We celebrated our daughters birthday that week and the kids loved being a part.

My sister and her family happened to be vacationing at the beach that same week.

They took time to came over and meet the kids and share a meal.  Our kids were eager to know how we were related and even though they spoke very little English, they learned everyone’s name.

After vacation,  Billy and I settled into our routines of work and farm chores.  The kids were eager to help.  That’s what you do in a family, you help one another, you love each other and you enjoy spending time together.

Vika helped me feed the goats, chickens and gather eggs, as well as giving Margaret her bottle .  She seemed to love it.  If I fed Margaret without her, she was disappointed every time.

Margaret was born just weeks before the kids arrived.  The Mama cow would not feed her.  I remember thinking, I do not have time to bottle feed a calf right now, we are about to have three children to tend to.  However, God must have had a different plan in mind.

I watched these kids take time with Margaret.

Quickly, Margaret became a favorite animal to them.  They absolutely loved taking care of her.

Especially Vika.

She even let Margaret suck her finger, and would giggle with glee.

It seems that Vika could relate to that calf.  Both having a Mama, but one that wouldn’t take care of them.

She would comfort Margaret, telling her it was alright and that she was a good girl.  She would shake her finger at Margaret’s Mama.

At first Margaret tried to nurse from other Cows but they would kick her to the ground.  Margaret had no one, but us to take care of her.

Vika liked being the caretaker.  I often commented that one day Vika would be a really good Mama.  She would shake her head yes, smile and hug me tight.

Since Margaret wasn’t nursed by her Mom she is small,compared to the other calves born around the same time.

All summer long they nurtured her.

 

I remember one day the boys came running in the house telling me that Margaret was eating.

We all cheered as we watched her grazing daily and gaining weight over the past three months.

Even the day the kids left we all loaded up, before going to the airport, and fed Margaret one more time.

She loved them too, hanging around for a little love even after the bottle was gone.

I don’t know what all they took away from loving and feeding Margaret.  But I know that a connection was made by the kids and by Margaret.

Early on we learned that the boys really didn’t have many men at the orphanages.  They needed a male role model.

They witnessed Billy going to work everyday.  They saw that he worked hard at his job and when he came home, he continued to work hard accomplishing things at the house and on the land.  The boys in turn wanted to go with Billy wherever he went.  There were days they could and there were days they couldn’t.   David, our son in law, works along side us on the land.  The boys  knew him from the beach trip, in no time flat they were inseparable friends.  Wanting to be with him as well.

One afternoon I was watering plants when I noticed that all the kids had spotted David setting a sign at the goldfish pond.  Everyone of them had ceased their bike riding to spend time with him.

They have grown to love one another.

I can’t even begin to tell you all the stories of the family love that has been poured into these kids.  Every act of kindness big and small has been an important piece of their puzzle.  Everything from airing up bicycle tires, rides on motorcycles or just giving them love and attention.  Listening to them, watching them play or taking them for a few hours to spend time with them.

Including regular visits to spend time with Billy’s parents.

It has been really good for the kids to be able to experience love from grandparents.

Bonds were made, love was shared by both parties and lifetime memories were made.

 

There were so many instances not captured by the camera.  Love shared from mine and Billy brothers and sisters, Aunts and Uncles, nieces and nephews.  It’s been beautiful to watch.  Some of our family have not been able to meet in person, but they followed our journey holding the children up in prayer.

I suppose one of the things that has bothered Billy and I the most was that the kids didn’t seem as close to one another as we would have liked them to be.

Family is important.  I love that they had time with all our kids and grand kids through the summer.

With the children in the orphanage they do not spend the same kind of time together that you would in a home setting.  The boys are closer to each other because for one they are closer in age, they are both boys and have the same interest while living together on the boys side of the orphanage.

Vika sees them at meal time, but is younger, likes girly stuff and lives on the girls side of the orphanage.  We have stressed the importance of loving one another in a way that only siblings can.  No one can take the place of a brother or sister.

Through the months we have seen growth in that area and are so happy that it is headed in the right direction.

We’ve encouraged them to continue to grow close even after they return to make time for one another.

Prayerfully, they have seen the importance of family.  Not just with our family, but with all the families that have touched their lives since they arrived.

There have been many that took time with them, laughed with them and loved them.

Most importantly, I pray they have seen the love of Jesus Christ through this experience this summer.  I pray they feel His love and presence in their lives.  I pray they take that love back with them and share it with everyone they come in contact with.

 

John 13:34-35 New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

 

Our children went back to the Ukraine Tuesday.

They took a huge part of our hearts with them.  We love them sure do miss them.

I hope one day I can finish telling the rest of their story.

Meanwhile, please remember them in your prayers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Vlad and Artur, brothers and best friends. This picture was taken the first full day after they arrived to America.  They were so excited to go to the beach.  It was evident from the start that they were adventurous kids.

They love just about anything and everything, except sitting still.  I’m kidding, they sit still….. when they watch a movie.

Seriously, they are fully involved in life.

They love to swim.

Clown around…..

and they have found that Billy is just a kid at heart too.

They have made us laugh over and over.

You just never know what they will do next.

They love anything with a motor.

They constantly call out while riding down the road, Ford Mustang, Corvette, Mercedes and any other car that catches their eye.  In that way, they are typical teenage boys.  They have taken a million pictures of cars like this one that they have seen in parking lots.  They are hilarious.

We took them to a local car show this weekend.  We were admiring a car when we met Mr. Mark.  He allowed the boys to sit in his car.

It made their night!

Mr. Mark also gave each of the boys a Dragster Magazine.

I’m pretty sure they know everything in that magazine by now.  A big thank you to Mr. Mark for his kindness.

You see, they are just boys.  Artur is 15.  If he lived here he would be driving with a permit, and Vlad is 14 he isn’t far behind.   Maybe one day they will drive a car of their own.

They do not have easy access to the same things we do here.  It isn’t a bad thing necessarily, just different.

One day I was vacuuming with the central vac while they were playing outside.  Artur came in to get something, I continued vacuuming.  I saw something out of the corner of  my eye.  As I turned to get a good look I saw Artur on the floor holding the hose in his hands.  He was feeling the vibrations.  He followed the hose to the wall socket.  The look in his eyes were one of puzzlement.  I turned it off and tried as best that I could to explain what this contraption was.  He smiled big.

Another day I was loading the washing machine.  Vlad walked past and watched for a minute.  He saw that the other machine was on.  He reached over and touched it.  He looked at at and with eyes big as saucers said “HOT” —–“What Sonya? What?”  Apparently he had never seen a dryer.  Once I retrieved the clothes and all the kids felt the warmth from the dryer they were amazed.  Vlad still doesn’t understand it all.  The other day he asked me “WHY”?  He pointed that the washer and dryer look almost identical, so why was one water and one hot.  With broken English, I did my best to explain.

Yesterday Artur brought his dirty clothes down to be washed.  As he walked by he said “clothes want shower”.  I couldn’t help but giggle.

They are inquisitive about so many things that they don’t know.  Yet, they are very knowledgeable about many other things.

They absolutely love spending time with Billy.

He really tries to listen to them, stopping long enough for them to show him things that are of interest to them.

He cuts up with them.

I laughed the other day when Artur asked me…What is…”WHAT’S UP”?  His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand.  Some things are just funny, especially when you try to explain why in the world we actually say them.

They love making goofy pictures of  Billy.  They thought this was the funniest thing, Billy with Vika’s Barbies and a blanket!

He in turn loves to “monkey” around with them too.

Even the other day I heard a ruckus and went around the corner to call the boys down.

It was two boys alright….but one of them was grown.

Yep.  Busted, kicking a soccer ball in the house!

Most of all the boys just want to be with him, they want to go where he goes.  They love to work along side of him.

They enjoy that Father figure.

Sure there are those times when he corrects them.  Like when it is late at night and the boys are still laughing and carrying on when it should be lights out.  He goes to the bottom of the stairs and says….”Boys, knock it off and go to sleep”.  Now, do they understand every word?  I don’t know, but they get quiet and go to sleep, and arise ready to work along side him once again.  Or when they are mean to their sister, and he explains that she is family and is to always have their love.

Every kid needs guidance, correction and love.

Fortunately, they have been able to spend time with grandparents as well.

I see the boys don’t just need a father figure, they need that mother figure too.

Always wanting me to stop and smile for the camera.

Which most of you know, I would rather be the picture taker, not the subject matter.

But, they have let me take a thousand and one pictures of them, so I oblige occasionally.

They show respect and are kind to me, quick to open a door or unload groceries from the car.

They pat the couch for me to sit next to them when it is movie time, slipping their arms in mine for some quiet time together.

They have even on occasion given me a break from cooking by preparing a meal.

I know they can do a lot of things for themselves, they are big boys.

But at the end of the day,

I think they just might look forward to that good night hug as much as I do.