There are so many things that Halle Grace wants to send to her friends at Solnitchka (Little Sun Orphanage) in our Christmas care package. She and the boys asked if we could include others in our "collecting" for the care package. So, with Halle Grace's permission and input, we are organazing care package donations through the kids' school. We have our letter all ready to go. I wanted to get some input from those of you in the adoption world...
Halle Grace came up with many of these items (things they didn't have there, like children's toothpaste, no-tears shampoo, and PJs with feet!). Here are some things I listed as suggested care package donations:
Children’s toothbrushes (not electric)
Children’s toothpaste
Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo or body wash
Soft Kleenex
Warm pajamas (sizes 3T to 5/6)
Slippers
Hats and scarves and gloves
Underwear – girls or boys
Thick, warm socks, tights for girls
Shoes of all kinds (for children ages 3 - 6)
Girls’ hair bows or clips
Educational toys (no stuffed animals)
Art supplies
For those of you who have spent time in orphanages, do you have anything to add?
I also want to send some kind of children's story Bibles, but I haven't been able to find one in Russian. I'm thinking about making my own...coloring book style so the kids will have more interaction with it. Anyone have any experience with this, or thoughts/ideas?
Thanks, Bloggies!
More later on our Halloween festivites this weekend...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Solnitchka Care Package
Friday, October 24, 2008
Improving...
Halle Grace has been wearing a patch over one eye for two hours a day for the last 3 months. She had sergury in Ukraine for strabismus (crossed/lazy eye). But since then, her vision in that eye has deteriorated because the eye is working so hard just to stay in place. We patch her good eye in order to "wake up" the other eye and strengthen it. We went to the doctor yesterday and recieved a GREAT report! Her eyesight in her "bad" eye has improved from 20/60 to 20/40 in the last 3 months! We will continue with the patching and work toward 20/20 vision now, which the doctor fully anticipates. Once this happens, we will continue patching (though less often) to stabilize her vision. Her glasses will stick around for awhile - even when her vision is perfect. Their real purpose is to let more light into the back of the eye to keep the eye muscles stimulated and stabilized.
This was a great first-step-sucess and we are so proud of Halle Grace! She has been such a trooper with the patching - it was nice to see her efforts and cooperation rewarded.
So there's your lesson of the day in strabismus! :)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Our boys in action
I love my dad - and I love his photography skills! Thanks, Dad, for the great pics.
Garrett is a natural at soccer - he LOVES to play! AND he's super cute! :)
Grant pulled 4 flags today! Here's a shot of one of them...
Grant's team is undefeated - go Broncos!
Garrett's team....well...they're having lots of fun! :)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Garrett's other first day of school
(I know - 3 blog entries in one day. It's out of control. But there's just a lot to say, and each deserves its own post.)
Today was a big day for Garrett! Up until this point, he has been in half-day Kindergarten. Halle Grace gets to be in an all-day class (qualifying through ESL), and this has been really tough on Garrett. He didn't understand why he didn't get to stay all day (and go to lunch, and PE, and music...) like Halle Grace and Grant. Well, HG's little all-day class of 5 (yes - 5 students) was finally opened up to other students - and Garrett was given the opportunity to make the switch. At first it was a bit of a tough call because we'd rather the two of them not be in the same class. But in the end, we just couldn't turn down the chance for more time to learn all those important Kindergarten skills. It's really a great opportunity for him.
So...today was Garrett's first day with his new class! 10 new kids moved over from the half-day program. It was like the first day of school all over again - parents were taking pictures, the kids were all quiet and shy. :)
Garrett was thrilled with his new class and we know it's going to be a great place for him. I admit that I've had a bit of a hard time with this. I wasn't expecting to give up my afternoons with him so soon! I am now officially a school-age "empty nester" and it feels wierd. I am planning to begin subbing a little next month, so that will be fun to get back in my old game a little bit. Other than that, I guess I have to start keeping my floors sparkling, my closets organized, homemade cookies in the oven, and my Bible studies caught up. No more excuses.
Happy all-day Kindergarten to us!
Here are my little Wonder-Twins during Garrett's first official school cafeteria lunch.
6 Months with Halle Grace!
We can't believe it's been 6 months! It's hard to imagine life without this little girl who has captured our hearts. In these six short months, she has become fluent in English (and has lost most of her Russian, sadly), she has made lots of new friends, learned to swim, ride a bike and scooter, learned the English alphabet, learned about Jesus, learned to pray, riden planes and trains, fished, celebrated her 6th birthday, climbed trees, camped out, started Kindergarten, started gymnastics... she has become a US citizen, and she has become our daughter. Busy girl.
We love you, Halle Grace, and we are so proud of you! You are such a sweet and generous little girl. You are always thinking of others. Your sweet and kind spirit is such a blessing to everyone around you. We are so thankful that the Lord brought you into our lives!
Here are some pictures of our little girl then...and now.
The day we met...
In Kiev...
April 11 Homecoming
yesterday...practicing her gymnastics moves outside
Happy 6 months Halle Grace!
Farm Fest '08
Farm Fest is a fun-filled family campout hosted every year by my parent's good friends, the Grahams. They live on lots of acres out in East Texas and began Farm Fest several years ago for their extended family. It has since taken on a life of it's own and now includes friends, and friends of friends. They are amazing people that really know how to throw a party and we feel so blessed to be included!
It was non-stop action and fun from the moment we arrived on Saturday. The activities included hay rides, fishing, little train rides, scavenger hunt, painting pumpkins, cake walks, bird-house-building, and pumpkin ball. We also rode 4-wheelers and Wilbur, the horse. The boys got to make bottle rockets and shoot them off, which is always a big hit. Just being out in the country was entertainment for our city kids. Grant loved just exploring the trails and discovering new things. Garrett fell in love with the GIANT swing that hung from one of the super-tall trees. Halle Grace enjoyed her first s'more, first horse ride, tent sleep, etc. She loved every minute of it!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Happy Birthday Garrett!
Our Garrett had a 5-star weekend. Saturday, he scored his first soccer goal. Whoo-hoo! That kid can really tear it up on the soccer field (and, no, I'm not biased at all...he is truly destined for soccer greatness. :)
That evening, we hosted his Bouncing Basketball Birthday Bash at our house. We're not really sure where the intense love for basketball came from. He doesn't follow it on TV...he's not that great at playing it...he just loves the idea of it. He even wants to be a basketball player for Halloween. That's our Garrett - always beating to his own drum. The party was great fun, though! We had a bounce house, basketball, and a concession stand set up with hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and candy apples. The kids just ran wild and played hard. The adults really got to hang out and visit. It was truly one of our favorite birthday parties...and it was super easy! :)
Today (Sunday) was his actual birthday. Daddy took him out for breakfast (this has become a birthday tradition around here). He picked the donut shop (no surprise there!). We let him choose where we went for lunch after church and he chose Chili's. This decision was made purely for the Molton Lava Cake. He ordered Mac and Cheese, but then didn't touch it. I asked him why and he said that he just likes the smell of it, not really the taste. Are you kidding me? Maybe Chili's should come out with scratch and sniff menus.
It was like Christmas at our house today with all those new toys to play with. After a great night at our family life group, we tucked Garrett into bed with a big smile on his face. Our baby is 6!
So in honor of his 6th birthday...
6 Things I Love about Garrett (in no particular order...it's just too much pressure for the #1 thing to be REALLY good :)
1 - Garrett is my sweetheart. He loves to cuddle and love on his mommy. I hope he always will!
2 - Garrett is a mystery, and is always surprising us and making us laugh with his dry sense of humor.
3 - I LOVE Garrett's big brown eyes. They must melt my heart. I call him my brown-eyed-boy.
4 - Garrett loves to play with his sister. He will play whatever she wants (most of the time) and he has been such a blessing to her.
5 - Garrett is my little warrior. The Lord has revealed to us in so many ways that he created him to be a warrior. He's tough, he's passionate, he's protective, and he's focused. I can't wait to see what amazing things he will do for the Kingdom. Whatever he does in life, I have no doubt it will be off the beaten path!
6 - Garrett takes life slowly. He takes the time to really soak it all in and he notices EVERYTHING. This is not my strong suit and I think that's why I admire this quality, yet am driven crazy by it at the same time. :)
We love you so much, Garrett! 6 years ago today, you were such a tiny little thing! You weighed just over 5 pounds and you had to spend a few days in the NICU so you could learn to eat. When you were stronger, we brought you home. You were a dream baby! You slept well, ate well, and were always in a good mood. It was truly baby heaven - and you stayed that way for about 4 years. Once you hit 4, your passion and your strong opinions began to show themselves. This was a good thing, but it certainly was a change (and often a challenge)! Now you are learning how to balance out your passion and your strong will with your sweet, sensitive side. You are one amazing, smart, and talented little boy! We are so happy that God chose us to be your parents!
Pictues coming tomorrow...I'm heading to bed. My sister took some great pictures of the party, so check back soon! :)
