KluckStock 2010!!

As I, Kristin, make my re-entry back into the world of blogging, I thought I would start off with a bang – and tell you all about Kluckstock!

Kluckstock was the kickoff of our adoption fundraising efforts – a little party we hosted at our church (URC) to tell people about our plans and needs. It was also, incidentally, super fun! We had a boatload of desserts (all homemade by me, and a group of friends – I figure we logged about 48 man-hours last week baking. But boy, what fun!) karaoke, a sweet silent auction, trivial pursuit, and a kids movie! There were lots of folks there (estimates range from 70 – 200)and it looked like everyone was having a great time – we sure did! It was pretty amazing to look around the room and realize that lots of people who are dear to us (it was mostly people from church, but there were several who came to a strange church just for the purpose of supporting us, which was awesome!) took time out of their busy schedules to come hear us talk, give us money, and have a good time. It was even more amazing to see lots of people we didn’t know who came for the same reasons! I was humbled to see lots of college students there too – students who are a lot more mature and selfless than I was when I was a student!

There were tons of people who helped us pull this whole thing off. Trisha and Amie did lots of work getting the silent auction stuff together – which was a huge hit! And a huge amount of work to do, I’m afraid, but I wouldn’t know because I just left it in their capable hands, showed up, and there it was… beautiful! I had lots and lots of kitchen helpers, baking the yummy delicacies we all enjoyed: Heidi, Danielle, Priscilla, Katherine, Steph, Amie, Booty, Margie, Megan and Jami – thanks so much! I think I has as much fun baking as I did at Kluckstock! A big shout out goes to Sherre (facility manager at URC, and Evan and Cheese who undoubtably had more stuff to clean because of us) and the diaconate for letting us take over the building on Friday. Thanks to the DeLeons who let us use their karaoke equipment, that really made some memories! To the unsung heroes, those who took care of kids so the rest of us could have fun, thanks so much! The singing heroes deserve some props too, for getting up there and putting it all on the line -- most notably Carissa, who endured so much razzing beforehand. Your performance was worth the wait! Then there were those who helped us set up and clean up – most notably our beloved Scottie, who stayed with us to the very end. But maybe that was just because he had nothing else to do. And then, there were lots and lots of donations, both items for the silent auction and those who bought the items and just flat out gave us money – thank you thank you thank you!

So you want to hear the best part? Ok, this is pretty amazing, so get ready. We had a bill sitting on my desk from our agency for the remaining agency fee for $7,100. The fundraiser brought in $7,240. Coincidence? I don’t think so! I am so encouraged and thankful to see this tangible evidence of support from the body and God’s ability to provide.

What's next, you may ask. Financially, we still have a long ways to go. Our next big expense (we won't count paperwork and medical exams as "big") will be to buy our plane tickets, and have $20,000 in cash to take with us whenever it is we leave for Ukraine. And there is the little thing of needing a bigger car when we get home, one that will actually fit 3 boosters/carseats (this means a minivan, folks, read it and weep Ted!) So we will be applying for grants and looking for all sorts of ways to make money in the next few months -- more on that in my next post.

Paperwork wise, we've still got the lion's share to do: medical reports & labs, police reports, income documentation (this one's especially fun), FBI fingerprinting, birth & marriage certs, and the dreaded immigration papers. Sometimes I feel like completing the dossier is like having a full time job -- only it's a job I pay for instead of getting paid for!

A big thank you, everyone who made KluckStock so awesome, and thank you readers for caring about this long and torturous process -- and caring about our family! Stayed tuned, I'll be posting weekly...

Mission Accomplished (The Great Return)

After our last post, I sort of figured anything else I would have to say would be a bit of an anti-climax. But then I started thinking about all of you who have followed this blog from places outside Lansing (including our new, but dear, friends in Ukraine) who might be wondering if we got home safely and how it's going over on this side of the pond... so then I thought I would just wait until we had a great new family picture that made me look hot... and realized if I waited to post a blog until I had that it really would be forever!

So, with no further ado, here are some pictures of us happily at home. My mom did a little Easter egg hunt for the boys. As you can see, Maxim caught on very quickly to the concept, and was even more delighted when he realized there was candy inside! He has also been soaking up the love -- notice the big happy smile between 2 loving grandmas (my mom is in white, Ted's mom is in brown). Oh, and it's been comfirmed several times over that Maxim is indeed much cuter in real life even than in the pictures.

Tristan has already been back to school, where he was the star of the show. Absolutely everyone, teachers and kids alike, had lots of questions for him and were happy to see him back, where he in turn basked in the attention. Maxim made a brief cameo at the end of the school day, so all the kids could gawk and admire. A special shout-out to Mrs. Promer and Mrs. Boyd, who really are the sweetest, most understanding, supportive and loving teachers ever -- they welcomed all of us back with open arms and helped Tris transition back into school like he had never been gone.

The trip back was overall pretty uneventful. In retrospect, the boys did amazingly well (although there were a few times, mid-flight, that I thought -- we are not going to make it! Those of you -- Jen L -- who have flown that far with little kids understand.) Ted did well too -- only a few worry-wart meltdowns, wondering if we were going to get on the flight, get through customs, make our connection, etc. However, I firmly believe it was his insistence on getting us to each gate as early as humanly possible, and even the very worrying itself, that was responsible for getting us home safe and sound. That, and possibly God's faithfulness.

It has been so wonderfully good to be home! Everything here is so dear and familiar, yet new again. (I've had trouble remembering where I keep a few things! weird) The highlights have been our own dark, quiet bedroom complete with comfy bed (and privacy)! My kitchen (although I haven't used it much yet, as Ted's mom loves to take us out to eat. We don't protest.) with it's automatic ice maker, dishwasher, and many culinary tools! The great food we've been eating! Separate beds for the boys! A closet full of different clothes and shoes (hooray for flip-flop season!!)! Cars we can drive to destinations we are familiar with! Washer and dryer and clean-smelling clothes! But most of all, it has been so good to be back with those we love -- knowing that we'll soon see all the people we've missed so much, who have been so supportive in holding us up in prayer. We are eager to get back in touch with everyone, show Maxim off to everyone, and just generally get back into the swing of things! It may take us a while to get around to everything we want to do and everyone we want to see (jet lag really is a bummer) but know we are eager to see all of you.

Thanks again for laboring through this with us. Thanks for commenting, and making me feel important. Thanks for your prayers and concern for our family. What a trip it's all been!

Love,

Kristin (mom of 2 :)

Going the Distance

You're welcome, those of you who have requested more cute pictures :) Really, it was hard to narrow it down to these 4, the boys are so incredibly photogenic. And for all you football fans out there, please notice Maxim studying intently for the upcoming draft -- yup, that's one of Ted's draft mags he's using to pass the time on the pot!

So now, let me tell you all the terrifyingly thrilling news: Maxim has a baby sister. Her name is Anastasia, she's one year old (as of November) and she lives in the same orphanage he did. Because we have adopted her biological brother, we get preference to adopt her -- only a biological relative of hers could "trump" our claim to her; no other foreigners, or even Ukrainians, can adopt her if we wish to. We've already begun the process that will allow us to return in about a year and a half to adopt her, Lord willing. It's funny, when we came over here, we prayed that God would give us contentment with the referral for the child He would give us, regardless of their gender, even though we all really wanted a little girl. And Maxim is so amazing, we love him dearly for the sweet person he is in and of himself -- but he is also the link to the little girl we've always wanted. We wouldn't have dreamed of trying to do another adoption, but we feel compelled to try for this little girl, Maxim's sister, and feel God has graciously given us this blessing. We can't even begin to express the excitement, hope, and fears we are experiencing due to this wholly unexpected opportunity. I've cut a little section out of Ted's epilogue from the upcoming adoption book:

The idea of coming back here both freaks me out and thrills me. This trip has been, in many ways, easier than the first. The adoption was smoother, and one would expect, it will be again with little Anastasia because the first step (her referral) is out of the way. In other ways it’s been tougher, mainly due to the fact that we’ve grown soft and spoiled by our suburban lives. I miss my comfy couch. My bed. My playstation. My carpet.

The potential challenges in Anastasia’s adoption are many, namely, cost. We’ve gone into a significant amount of debt – but do-able debt – to get the boys, and hadn’t planned on adding a third $40,000 adoption into our budget. But when we were asked about Anastasia, we said “yes” after praying about it for a night. The Lord has provided for all of our needs, financially, even through some very lean writing years, and we know he’ll be faithful to supply our needs in her case. But for the first time since a one-year stint as Campus Crusade missionaries a decade ago, we’ll be raising money. This freaks us out, to say the least, namely because we just don’t like asking people for things, but also because there were things about it (fundraising) that didn’t sit well the first time. We’re trusting God to smooth over the rough edges in this area.

Also scary is the fact that she’ll be without us, in an orphanage, for at least another year. Please pray for her health, safety, and spiritual development during that year. We’re sad to not be able to experience that year with her, but sadder still that it will be a year before we can begin to tell her the good news of Jesus Christ.

So there it is, in a nutshell (or bombshell.) What started out to be the end of our adoptions is actually the beginning of another -- assuming many, many things work in our favor. There is a lot of uncertainty, still, the greatest of which is how on earth we are going to come up with this kind of money, again. Plus, it's terrifying to think that somehow it won't work out - her biological mother will come back, or she'll just disappear somehow between now and then. So sharing this is a significant emotional step. It's hard to make public something so uncertain.

We've got several showers and parties on the horizon once we return to Lansing, and some of those, I suppose, will include the option to contribute to Anastasia's adoption in lieu of a gift. So celebrate Maxim with us (he's a miracle, in and of himself!), and pray about Anastasia with us. This has been a wild ride, and we thank you for being a part of it.

We hope to see you all soon!

love, Kristin

Some Pretty Depressing News

Due to the Easter Holiday, and full flights, we can't get out of here until Tuesday the 14th. We're tentatively scheduled to arrive in Detroit Tuesday evening, at 6:55 PM. Needless to say this is a little bit of a blow...being done with the adoption yet unable to leave pretty much sucks.

We're thankful as can be for our boys - they're wonderful, and cute, and funny - but please pray for our sanity in these last few days...as each day feels like a huge, gaping expanse of time needing to be filled in a dirty, expensive city and/or a 400 square foot flat. Neither option feels great.

Oh, and by way of a PS, all of this could change and probably will...because that's par for the course over here (things changing). Though if it does we'll let you know...

Dima or Maxim?

More pictures here, for you to enjoy. As you can see, Dima is doing all the normal stuff little boys do -- playing outside, going potty, and especially eating! He really knows how to do a meal justice... And even though spring has sprung here (praise God for this major improvement in our quality of life -- even more important now that there are 2 boys in the apt with us!) we have to be very careful to bundle him up, or every grandmother we pass on the street will scold us for exposing him to a draft! We've been having a great time, just getting used to being together. We've done lots of playing outside, and just hanging out together -- the boys are already fast friends!

And now, for the burning question -- what do we/will we call him, Dima or Maxim?! The answer you have all been waiting for: we don't know yet! We have always liked the name Dima (short for Dmitri) but also wanted to give him a name we picked out, thus Maximilian. Right now, he knows himself as Dima (it's so cute, when he wants something he'll point at the thing, usually food, and then point to his little chest and say in his throaty, baby voice "Dima! Dima!!") We've all gotten used to calling him this, and really like it. But I imagine, in the long run, we'd transition to Maxim, which is a bit easier for American tounges (there have been almost as many questions about how to say and spell Dima as there have been about which name we're going to call him!). I'll probably start working Maxim in to his vocab pretty soon, using both names at the same time, so he'll get used to it. But if he doesn't that's ok with us too. And he has so many things to adjust to, so many new words to learn, that we haven't pushed that too much -- it's one of the few words that we all know what it means! I guess only time will tell which name really becomes his...

Keeping Dima

Well, we did it! What a day of firsts yesterday was! It was another long day of sitting in the backseat, waiting for mysterious paperwork to be completed -- but this time, it with 4 people in the tiny backseat. We picked up Dima from the orphanage early on in the day, and then got to take him with us into the wide world. He was enthusiastic and amazed by all that he saw, commenting on cars and busses, dogs and pidgeons he saw out the window. He was especially excited any time a car honked -- which happens all the time in the heavy traffic of Kiev! He is such an even-keeled, sweet tempered little boy. He seemed happy to be with us, and unbothered by missing his nap, having strange and irregular meals, and a huge chimpy brother who can't leave him alone!

We've all got a lot to learn right now. Ted and I have to learn how to manage 2 kids, and their personalities and the way they interact, and just keeping track of 2 instead of one. Tristan has to learn how to share the spotlight (that's going to be a hard one, old habits die hard), how to play on Dima's 3 year old level, and how to give Dima a little space and let him sleep (let's just say Dima didn't quite wake up on his own this morning...) And then Dima himself has a lot to learn -- a new language, how to live in a family with all our little quirks and rules (the concept of relaxed family dinner, for example, is a totally foreign concept), and to adjust to a new home. We're all going to need patience and a lot of God's grace to help us through. It might be possible... that the transition will be hardest for Tristan. He is so excited, and just loves being a big brother, but we all have to learn how to help him channel that energy and excitement. The picture of Tristan and Dima on the couch in their jammies is a perfect example -- notice the manic gleam in Tristan's eyes?

Thank you again for your prayers! We are so thankful to get to share our joys and frustrations with you all -- and we eagerly anticipate the chance to really share our joy as we introduce Dima to all of you in a week or two!

Kristin

Tomorrow's the Day!

Hey ya'll (that was for you, Catha) --

We had a big day today, as we were able to collect the final piece of paper necessary to be able to get Maxim released from the orphanage and into our care. So tomorrow morning, early, we leave to pick him up and begin the process to apply for his passport (which also officially starts the countdown to our return home! We're hoping to make it back for Easter Sunday service...) We'll take with us to the orphanage clothes for him to change into (leaving all the stuff he's been wearing there for the other kids) and some treats for the children he leaves behind, as well as some tokens for those who have cared for him. Then we will buy a stroller, and head back to Kiev to do some more "paperwork" (we have no idea what all these papers are, just that they have to be "done".) and then ... we begin life as a family of 4!

Tonight, as we are surveying the flat, we are realizing how very much things are going to change tomorrow. We've been waiting so long for this day, yet now that it's here there is a slight sense of ... well, panic! There is so much a busy 3 year old can get into, and pretty much no way to child-proof this place. And it's a huge change for Tristan, as he steps into a totally different role, both with his brother and with us. As we were tucking him into bed tonight, we were talking about the fact that it will be the last time he goes to sleep alone! He told me he was pretty sure he will be too excited to go to sleep tomorrow night -- whereas we will be too exhausted to stay awake!

We are thankful for the many blessings God has shown us in the last few days -- beautiful sunshine and warmer weather, a very kind social worker today who helped us to get his birth certificate prepared, continued health, and a speedy process. We would appreciate your continued prayers for this next, BIG step and all the transition it will involve. Hopefully tomorrow night we will have the energy to do another post and tell you how it went!

Goodnight to all of you -- Kristin