Closed Doors

We didn't hear anything back from the agency yesterday. I was a little disappointed, but also recognized the agency was in LA - and it was after hours by the time they had received our inquiry.

God woke me up early this morning at 5:30 and I couldn't get back to sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Now if you knew how much effort it normally takes to drag myself out of bed each morning, you'd know how incredible it was for me to be up and going that morning.

At 7:15 the phone rang. John wasn't up yet, so I answered the phone, fully expecting it to be for him. It was Terri with Grace International - it took a second to register, but then I realized she was calling about the little boy in the Waiting Newsletter yesterday!

We talked about the little boy, whom we learned was named Mekhrob, and the Russian adoption process. We were looking at a fast process, and an expensive one. Moscow, Russia is their most expensive program - running about $35,000 with everything. And, we'd be looking at pulling together our dossier right away, and traveling within a couple weeks. Grace International's accreditation in Russa expires March 1st, which means the first trip must be completed by that time. Apparently they have been assured that a court date (the 2nd trip) would be scheduled, as long as the first trip was completed before the agency accreditation expiration. So- that explains the very short timeline.

Terri explained she had received 80+ emails in response to the Waiting Child Newsletter - but there were only 3 families who were "immigration ready" - us being one of them. Basically she was going to share the same information with all 3 families, and then see whoever could be ready to say "Yes" to Mekhrob first. Not that it was a race between us all - but given the reality of needing to move quickly, she had to go with whomever first agreed to his adoption. Terri sent over some additional pictures of Mekhrob, so I've included them here...

After sharing the information with John, we began praying earnestly about the situation. I'm always ready to say "Yes!" in cases like this, but thankfully God has blessed our family with a little sanity in the form of John! About halfway through the day, I showed the kids Mekhrob's pictures and explained what was happening. To say they were excited would be a huge understatement!

To make the time pass a little more quickly, I also did some searching online about this little boy's name - Mekhrob. Even though he was born in Russia, his birth mom was actually Tadjik (from Tadjikistan - a former republic of the USSR). Assuming Mekhrob was a Tadjik word, I started searching, and found out that Mekhrob actually refers to the "Holy of Holies" in a temple or mosque. The Arabic version is Mihrab.

Embracing our children's heritage is something we highly value, and although Mekhrob is a challenging name, I thought it would be neat to find another traditional Tadjik name that would be a little easier in the US. Most of the names were challenging, just like Mekhrob, but eventually I came across "Kia". It means defender or protector...John loved the name like I did, and slowly we began referring to this little boy as Kia Mekrhob (we'd keep his birth name as his middle name).

Now, understand this was a huge leap of faith for us - after all, once you start naming a child, you've really made an emotional commitment to him! Understanding that on some level, we mostly referred to him as "he" - still afraid to become too attached. We continued to pray all day about "him" - asking that God would show us who He intended to be Kia's family...

Late in the afternoon, John was painting and I was "making the case" for Kia....We were both starting to feel like Kia was supposed to be part of our family, but weren't quite ready to step out and say "yes". And then the phone rang....

...and God closed the door. One of the other families came forward to say "yes" to Kia. I was very disappointed, but also accepted God's answer to prayer. We HAD asked Him to show us who He intended to be Kia's family, and He had answered. We didn't "like" the answer, but accepted it.

Perhaps today was an opportunity to meet Terri at Grace International, and God had another plan for our paths to intersect in the future. We don't always understand the big picture - and that is certainly true today.

Strangly enough, a short time after Terri had called, we received a phone call from immigration. I had left a message earlier in the day to check about switching our approval to a different country. Our homestudy had approved us to adopt 4 children, and since we are only adopting 2 girls from Haiti - we have 2 "extra" approvals; we wanted to switch one of these to Russia for Kia's adoption. That phone call didn't make sense to us - it had all the wrong timing.

So we move forward - still having two wonderful girls in Haiti to work on bringing home. Sometimes God's answers aren't always what we want to hear, but we know and trust they are always correct...Signing off sad and disappointed tonight...

"You've got to get off those waiting child newsletters..."

It was just a few days ago when John teased me about the waiting child newsletters that I receive via email. I've been receiving the Rainbow Kids newsletter for quite some time. Actually, I hadn't read it for months - and everytime it arrived, I was reminded to sign off the list. The newsletter arrived today, and almost immediately, I went to delete it. But right away I felt VERY STRONGLY that I should read it. This is exactly what I saw and read...

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Rainbow Kids Waiting Child Newsletter

Here is our little peanut from Russia. His DOB is October 28, 2005. His Pictures were taken in November 2006. He has been in the orphanage since he was 3 months old. His Nationality is Russian and Tedjik. His Birth Mother was hospitalized at 25 weeks gestation with premature labor. She was stabilized and he was born at 34 weeks in the hospital. His birth weight was 4.0 pounds with apgars of 6/6. He was born premature but is growing well and has been proportional in size since birth. On November 1st his weight was 14 pounds, length 70cm, head circumf.44cm and chest circumf. 43cm. From 4 months of age to 12 months of age positive development has been observed. He can crawl and stand on his own, and he is taking steps.Russia is a two trip adoption and the family that is interested in this baby could leave for their first trip as soon as February of 2007 and will bring him home in March. A family must have immigration clearance to adopt this baby. All labs are negative.



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I was blown away - immediately I forwarded the message to John and began praying. John came home for lunch before he saw my email - but looking at me right away, he knew something was up. "What waiting child newsletter have you been reading now?!" How did he know?!

I showed him the newsletter - he said I could pray about it. That was happening anyways, so I also emailed, and eventually called and left a phone message at the agency....

Oh, where to even start?!

The Marble family is back! We're complete with upgrades, newer versions and more! As we embark on blogging on our continuing adventures, this blogspot will be a frequent place to share our thoughts, ideas and developments with our friends and family.

We are now a family of 9, complete with 7 children. But, we are also in the process of adopting two little girls from Haiti - which will bring us to 9 kids and 11 people all told. So many people ask - are you done? And honestly, we can't say that we are. God has so richly blessed our family, and so strongly turned our hearts toward adoption that we know we will always, in some way, be involved with adoption as a ministry. That may be through reaching out to other families, helping others with adoptions, and of course, adding to our own family. As John said - as our older children move out, that will open up more opportunities for our family to grow again!


So for now, I will log off, with promises to return and to update you all on our family at this point. So much has happened in our lives since my last blog in June '05. God has really stretched us, and we have been doing our best to follow Him and His plans!

It's great to be back!

We're back - and with Twins!!

Whew! With a four month absence, one hardly knows where to start. I apologize for the long absence - I have enjoyed your "don't leave us hanging!" emails encouraging us to get back going with the blog.

Obviously, I can't go into a lot of nitty gritty details of everything you all have missed for the previous months because one - it would take forever, and two - I'm not sure I remember it all!

But, I will try and hit the highlights (and yes, I'll get to the meaning of our title above!).

School
We've been really busy doing schooling this spring. We are using (and loving) Sonlight curriculum. The kids really enjoy school (for the most part) and are excited about things. It has been fun to see some of their growth, while at the same time frustrating, seeing what all they need to learn and do.

Our "two oldest" as they have been coined (oldest adopted and oldest bio - Mariyana and Lillia) have just taken off with school. At first they were competing with one another and I had to remind each of them that you are 12 and you are 4! So, that has backed off a little, but they are my over-achievers, always asking to do more.

As mentioned, we are using Sonlight curriculum and chose to start with PK Core, using Janet's enhanced schedule. For math we have been using Singapore. Mariyana has finished the Earlybird series (1A, 1B, 2A and 2B workbooks) and Lillia isn't too far behind as she is on the final workbook, 2B!

We have added in a lot of critical thinking books which the kids enjoy and get a lot from. One of the struggles we are facing is teaching our new kids HOW to think and learn, and these are a good source for learning those skills.

We've instituted Science Notebooks - and have been working on science experiments each week. Right now the kids are growing bean plants, and our kitchen counter has been taken over by snails, worms, and millipedes. If you knew how small our kitchen is - you'd know this is a pretty big deal! Anyways, the kids write up their experiments in their notebooks - usually a date, title and drawing of the experiment set-up. They also draw the results of the experiment.

Mariyana has really taken off with her reading. She can pick up and read through many of our kids' books around the house and is getting more and more confident with her skills. Lillia has picked up probably 20-30 sight words she can read. I think the funniest was the word "up". I asked her to get me a 7up from the fridge one day, and ever since then, she reads it everywhere! She will also dissect words to read the part she knows - the other day she saw "now" and told me - "if you take the 'w' off of that word, it says no! And if you turn the letters the other way, it says on!" Reading isn't too far off with her - I haven't been working with her at all on it - I figure since she is only 4, there is no rush, and we are worried about her burning herself out with school because she pushes herself so hard. Sasha has successfully learned all his letters and their sounds. That was a huge task - something we've been working on all spring. But, I think he has them down - at least most of the time, with most of the letters. Olesya has managed to pick up most of her letters and sounds too - mostly from interacting with Lillia and Mariyana and wanting to do what they are doing! Vanya can recognize his name, write it and now also recognizes the first letter in Anabella's name. So - progress there, albeit only a little, and rather slow!

Olesya and Vanya have actually been doing less and less school throughout this spring. While they are 6 and 8, they really aren't ready for a lot of academics. So, we have been having them practice writing their names, coloring, drawing, playing with playdough, doing puzzles - that sort of thing. Olesya is starting to show more interest and aptitude to do school, but only in limited chunks and only if it doesn't require perseverance and a lot of thought - otherwise she is in tears. But, that is the beauty of homeschooling - we can give her a little extra time that she needs...Vanya is progressing, although it is very minimal. I think he can consistently identify 3 colors now! And, that has been a lot of work getting there! (It isn't a language thing either - he didn't know any of his colors in Russian.)

Sasha is coming along - it is 2 steps forward, 1 or 2 or 5 steps back with him. He really struggles with a lot of concepts that seem pretty basic, and so we are taking our time with them. Patience has been key with both boys, but especially Sasha. I have to almost "forget" that he is 10 and just meet him where he is. Where he to enroll in public or private school next fall (which he won't), he would probably be up to handling a 1st grade classroom, as long as it moved very slowly and didn't expect much prior knowledge coming out of kindergarten. We keep hoping he starts taking off, but I'm not sure we'll ever see a huge surge forward with his learning. It will be very slow and not so steady.

Relationships and Behaviors
We've had our share of challenges this spring with the kids. But, we are starting, with some of them to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Mariyana has really adjusted the best of all the new kids. She has turned into a wonderful helper. Her attitude is usually very positive and upbeat. She is quite obedient most of the time, and encourages her brothers and sisters to act accordingly. She is a very black-and-white-type kid, and so if mom and dad say something - that is the way it is! She has integrated herself so well in amongst our family. It has been fun to see her personality - especially her humor - come out.

Mariyana and Lillia have become best buddies - they go and do everything together. Watching them, you would never believe there are 8 years difference between them. That has been a real encouragement to us for homeschooling too. Had Mariyana been attending school all day elsewhere, she wouldn't have been around to develop those relationships - and when she would get home from school, she would have "learned" that hanging out and playing games with your 4 year old sister isn't "cool" and isn't supposed to be fun.

Mariyana has also taken Anabella under her wing. She usually helps her get dressed in the morning, does her hair and is always around to change a diaper - often without even being asked. Anabella thinks her older sister is the best thing going!

Olesya has been a joy to watch over the past few months. She had some very rough times at first with not being the center of attention and not being the favorite. That evolved into a lot of disobedience and hurtful, mean behaviors (on purpose) without showing any remorse. How John and I cried and prayed over her mean, hurtful heart that saw really nothing wrong with what she had done. It seemed like nothing was getting through, and we really wondered where this little girl was headed...

I am very happy to say that we have seen a huge turn-around in the past few weeks. She is truly remorseful, asks forgiveness of not only us, but also Jesus on her own. Just tonight she and Vanya got into an argument over Olesya hitting Vanya's seat in the van. Olesya was in tears (authentic tears) asking forgiveness of her brother and of us. When John said prayers with her, she wanted to pray to ask forgiveness. And, as we left their room, she was praying on her own to ask forgiveness again, and was once again crying. It doesn't sound as significant as I type this, but if you had seen the change, and what this has come out of, you too would be praising God for a true miracle in her life!

The boys continue to grow and develop. We have had so many struggles with them, and they continue. But, I think they are getting better. This past weekend went very well, and gives up hope to keep going. Sasha continues to be only slightly engaged in our family. We found out that he had been stealing food at night and other opportune times when he was supervised. So, he has spent a lot of time within arm's reach of mom or dad, and the boys have an alarm on their door at night. He continues to struggle with lying, and shuts down - maybe more now than before - when confronted about doing something, even as simple as wearing his dad's socks that were mistakenly put in his drawer. We still search for the thing that he is passionate about and truly cares about.

Vanya is making progress and that is another true answer to prayer. He continues to struggle with control issues and his bedwetting is a perfect example. It has expanded some days to just wetting his pants during school when he doesn't like what is happening. But, lately John has been cuddling with him and reading books with him one-on-one - IF he stays dry. Today after nap, Vanya actually asked John if he could sit on his lap and read books. That is the first time he has ever asked - and the reward of cuddling with dad seems to be a good incentive for the time being. Vanya is also becoming more of a kid. Just this weekend at a picnic, he collected worms, snails and a millipede and filled a cup with goodies from the woods. Even a month ago, he would hardly look at a worm, and would avoid anyone like the plague if they had something dirty or "icky".

Vanya is the type of kid that doesn't seem comfortable in his own skin. He doesn't seem to know what to do with his hands, how to hold his arms when he is sitting, how to run and play...so we are trying to teach him all these little details of life. Most times we don't feel like we are getting through, and then every once in awhile, he comes through with something that floors us - and we think, "so you were listening?!"

Lillia is just blossoming. If you talk to many, many social workers, they will warn you against disrupting birth order of kids by adoption. Well, we certainly did that - Lillia went from being the oldest to the second youngest. Honestly, we were concerned with how Lillia would handle being in a large family. She was the type of kid that enjoyed being by herself, and regularly avoided large groups - even if they were groups of people she knew well. But, our concerns were without merit.

Lillia has really emerged as a leader among the kids, in many regards. She has grown up so much, and come out of her shell. Now her least favorite thing is to be alone! In fact, that is one of the greatest punishments she can receive - is being left out of the group or having to spend some time by herself.

Anabella is truly the baby of the family. She is doted on by all the kids. Everyone looks after her and loves on her. She adores each of her brothers and sisters and often asks to just sit on one of their laps! With her 3rd birthday coming up in August, it is hard to believe she is that old already. She seems so much younger than Lillia did at that age, but we also see Anabella growing up a lot before our eyes. She talks quite a bit, but, like Lillia, can be hard to understand a lot of the time. Luckily, her brothers and sisters seem to understand most of what she says - so they translate for mom!

Homeschooling has been such a blessing for our family. So many people ask us when we are going to enroll our kids in the local school - as if homeschooling was just a quick fix for the kids right when they came home - and I would be hard-pressed to give up our situation! It is a joy to see the kids playing and growing and learning together. They have solid relationships amongst each other. There is probably not a combination of kids that you could come up with, that I don't see together at some point during the day. Even the boys who tend to be a little more stand-offish, get pulled in (literally!) by Anabella taking their hand and getting them involved. If Anabella isn't doing that - then Lillia certainly is!

We have moved the boys into the downstairs bedroom, and the four girls are upstairs. It is a real joy to "have to" ask them to stop talking and go to sleep at night. This is a far-cry from the silence that there rooms used to be. (Or the bickering that would end up with everyone in tears that was a many-times-a-day occurrence when the kids first came home!)

Faith
Our personal faith has been an important part of our lives and continues to be. It is a real joy to see the kids grow in that faith.

The most exciting news is that Mariyana has been saved and is a born-again believer! Today at church we had communion and I told each of the kids they needed to sit and wait for us to get communion because it was only for people who had asked Jesus into their hearts to be their Savior. Well, Mariyana told me, "I did that!" So, just to be sure, we prayed together as we waited our turn for communion and then she accompanied us to communion for the first time! What a real joy that was!

Olesya and Lillia are also really close to making that important decision as well. It has been so fun to see the kids taking their faith and making it personal for themselves - praying on their own, talking about what Jesus says about this or that. My favorite is when Lillia asks me something, and I say, "I don't know." is her immediate response of, "God knows!" She is creating a list a mile long of things she is going to ask God when she gets to heaven!

Lillia is our little Evangelist too. She is very interested and concerned about who is going to heaven or hell. And, she understands the difference. Her little spiel is, "If you ask Jesus into your heart - then you go to heaven. If you no believe and obey Jesus and no ask him in your heart - you go to hell where there is a big fire!" If you ask her about heaven, she'll let you know what you need to do to get there without any qualms!

The boys haven't really yet shown any initiative in the areas of faith. They do faithfully count the days until church (that is how our week is organized according to the kids - how many days until church!). They enjoy going and participate a little during Bible time. They will occasionally incorporate something we've learned into real life, but it is usually prompted by us or one of the girls. They have yet to really come to terms with being obedient (to anyone!), why it is important, why it is wrong when they aren't, and feeling badly about their disobedience. So - that has to come before a lot of personal faith and growth is going to occur. We continue to pray for the boys' souls, and are rejoicing at the growth we've seen in the girls!

Our Growing Family
Well, I guess if you have read this far, then you have earned some exciting news about the family! We are expecting twins! But not in a conventional way (we don't do anything conventionally - so you shouldn't be surprised!)...

I am currently 23 weeks pregnant and due October 3rd. The baby will probably be delivered around September 26th (which is exciting because we don't have a September birthday!). I have been feeling pretty good, although tired. When I was complaining to a friend about that, saying, "after all, I am passed the first trimester when you're supposed to be tired!", she reminded me that I do have 6 other kids, and that might explain some of the tiredness!

We thought for a short time that this baby was twins - I was hoping, probably more than anything. I have always wanted twins, and always pictured twins as part of our family. Well, with the ultrasound come and gone - it is only one child. We didn't find out whether it is a boy or girl - we wanted that to be a surprise.

So - now you are really confused - right? First I say we are having twins, then I say I am only carrying one child...

Well, we are adopting again! This time we are adopting from Guatemala - a baby boy. We are just starting all the paperwork chasing, and expect to be done with our homestudy, immigration approval and dossier right around the time of our baby's birth. Once our documents get turned in, we will get a referral for a baby. Because we are requesting a boy, there is little to no wait (most parents ask for girls)!

Last week, as I was praying about my pregnancy and adopting again, I really felt God impress on me - "I am giving you your twins". So - we expect our Guatemalan baby will probably be born about the same time as our biological baby!

It typically takes about 6 months for the paperwork to be processed in Guatemala - so the baby will be about 6 months old when we can bring him home. We are so excited - in a way I am more excited right now about the adoption. At least with that, we can do something! With our pregnancy, we just wait and wait (and add on the pounds!).

Oh - and the kids! Well, they are besides themselves with excitement. Mariyana says Mama is pregnant with two babies - one in her tummy and one in Guatemala! The problem is that she can't pronounce "Guatemala" and so it comes out sounding like "watermelon". And, let me tell you - I am starting to feel like a watermelon!

And, so, if you are asking yourselves - yes, we are indeed crazy! But, God has been preparing our hearts and minds for this adoption and we are so excited that He is allowing us and calling us to adopt again. Guatemala was a country that I was interested in before even leaving for Ukraine, and so God has been working on our hearts since then.

Some day I will write about some of the ways God has led us to Guatemala - but for now - that's where we are headed and with much excitement!

Well, it is late and this has turned into a huge book. I'm not even sure there is anyone out there interested in reading this anymore, but it at least is a good memory book for us!

Until later (and it won't be four months later either!),

Kristen

Family ski trip - take 2! (Straight to the hospital)

Tuesday night our house was in a flurry of excitement and activity. Tomorrow we were going skiing - and this time, we were going to be even more organized, and less spur-of-the-moment as last time!

The table was piled high with 8 piles of ski clothes - one pile for each person. The fridge contained a prepared lunch - enough to feed an army, or at least our hungry crew of skiers.

The kids were sent to bed with prayers and well-wishes for a great night sleep before our big skiing day. The next morning, John went early into the office to work for a few hours before everyone got up and ready to head to the slopes. Lillia came into my bed as she often does around 7 AM - I thought she wanted to cuddle. I quickly awoke, however, when she said, "Why is Mariyana crying?"

I wasn't sure - in fact, I had no idea, but knew that if she was crying, as Lillia indicated, it had to be serious. We have one who will cry at most anything, but Mariyana isn't like that. I went into her room, and saw Mariyana laying in bed, crying, in obvious pain. Her stomach hurt - it started hurting early this morning. She showed me where - lower right abdomen, and I knew our ski day was off.

I called John and told him of the developments - he looked online for symptoms of appendicitis - that was what immediately came to both of our minds. She seemed to have a bunch of the symptoms - so he came home to stay with the rest of the kids, while I got ready to bring Mariyana into town.

In the meantime, our feisty 2 year old, had climbed on top of the bookshelf, and managed to open the child-proof lid on the kids' vitamins. Rather fond of the vitamins (we have had to hand-deliver each vitamin to each child in the morning, because when we used to just put them at everyone's place, Anabella would walk around, take and eat everyone's!), she decided to help herself - to about 50! In doing so, she ingested 100 days worth (she is supposed to just have 1/2 a vitamin each day!). So, in between getting Mariyana up and going to bring her to the doctor, I was on the phone with Poison Control to determine if Anabella was also a medical emergency. With some calculations, it turned out she was in the "gray area" - and we opted to just watch her at home. Poison control called our house several times later that day to check on her, and except for some really nasty diapers, she seemed fine. (She is still on vitamin-restriction, and will be for quite some time!)

Mariyana and I headed into Bozeman, with directions in hand for the local "Urgent Care" facility. Even though Big Sky has a medical clinic, they don't start seeing patients until 10 AM, and since we figured it was appendicitis, we predicted we would have to go to Bozeman for the operation anyways.

By 9:15 AM we were at the Urgent Care office, and the doctor quickly summed up Mariyana's case as "classic appendicitis". The hospital was called, a surgeon arranged to meet us at the ER, and we headed (with map in hand - because we had no idea where we were going!) to the hospital.

By 11:30 AM, I said goodbye to her at the operating room, and she headed to surgery. And then, I started getting nervous. Up until then, I was keeping busy doing things - filling out paper, talking, reassuring her - but once all had been done, I started worrying, as a mom does, and should.

While Mariyana was in surgery, I was able to run downstairs to the cafeteria and get something to eat (hadn't yet eaten all day), call John and his parents, and come back up just in time to meet with the surgeon. All had gone well, and they would allow me into the recovery room as soon as she was stable.

Before long I was in the recovery room with Mariyana as she came out of the anesthesia. After a short time, we were moved upstairs to her room, where she would be the rest of the day, and they predicted would be able to go home from the next day. As Mariyana rested, we had visits from Nana and Gramps, as well as John and the kids. Mariyana was a trooper and did a great job recovering. By 2 PM Thursday afternoon, we were checking out of the hospital and heading home.

The care we received at Bozeman Deaconess hospital was wonderful. People were friendly, helpful, kind and caring. Even the pull-out chair I slept on that night was somewhat comfortable! After being spoiled by our care at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, we weren't sure how well any other hospital might stand up. We are happy to say that the care was indeed comparable.

So, we never really made it out skiing again on Wednesday, but more days would come in the future, we knew. We were instead quite thankful that all had gone so smoothly. Mariyana was feeling pretty good when we arrived home and kept saying how different her recovery was from Sasha's. Apparently, Sasha had his appendix removed while he was at the orphanage. Mariyana said a big group of kids had theirs removed all at once (so I don't think all or even any of them had appendicitis!). Apparently, Sasha slept for an entire day following the operation (drug-induced), and was in the hospital for 10-15 days following!

Family ski trip

The day was gorgeous and sunny. It was a Saturday with nothing planned and nothing to do. We hemmed, we hawed, and finally, decided to go skiing!

The kids got dressed and we loaded the van. By 11 AM we were headed to the ski rental shop to get skis for all the kids - yes, all 6! None of them had ever skied before, and we never stopped to question whether we were crazy or not taking them all skiing, with just two adults.

Within 30 minutes we were in and out of the ski shop, loaded into the van, and headed up the mountain. We parked in the free parking lot, loaded onto the free shuttle and got dropped off right in front of the lodge. A quick walk up to the bunny hill and we were on our way. (The bunny slope is free at Big Sky Resort - so we didn't need any tickets. And, all Big Sky residents in K-8th grade, get free season passes as well!)

The reality started hitting home when we were crazily trying to get everyone's skis on, and figure out how to get all of them up the hill without causing a local catastrophe. Big Sky Resort has a great bunny slope lift - it is called a "Magic Carpet" - it is a rubber mat that whisks you up the hill (well, not really that fast - these are beginner skiers, after all!). But, it is this little mat you just stand on - kind of like the moving sidewalks (but up a hill) in the larger airports.

We managed to get a majority of the kids up the hill and I volunteered to be the first one to go with the kids down the hill. Mariyana went first - I was skiing backwards, and she skied frontwards (most of the time!) facing me. She didn't have much patience for learning the snowplow - didn't understand why she couldn't just ski like all "those people over there". It took some stern words to let her know that all started out with the simple snowplow and that she needed to learn this before anything else. She got a little mopey, and I know didn't believe me, so it was onto another child, who was a little more willing to try. John mostly stayed at the bottom of the hill and make bathroom runs!

Sasha was next and had the most amazing contortions of the legs and arms you have ever seen! He hardly looked like a natural out there. Sasha is the type of kid that doesn't really try very hard - if it is too hard, he shirks away and gives up. However, he is also great at blending in, and it takes a lot of work to notice that he is giving up and not trying. We went down a couple of times, and once he had the hang of what to do, it was up to him to be willing to try. He would just keep sitting down!

Then it was onto Olesya. She probably picked it up the fastest, except for Mariyana (who finally came around and decided Mom was right, and she would do what I told her to do!). After just a few times down the hill, she was good to go on her own.

Then it was Vanya's turn. John had gone down with him and gotten frustrated, so it was my turn to try. I spent most of the remaining time working with Vanya. He could not get his legs to go into a snowplow! I spent most of the time on my hands and knees (all contorted at funny angles because I had my rather-long skis on the entire time), placing his feet and skis in the correct position. The next morning, my arms ached, and I had bruises on my knees! In fact, I was so tired at the end of the day - I think it would have been less work to just go skiing myself! But, not nearly as enjoyable as far as the day went.

Vanya started getting the hang of it toward the end of the day. That freed me up to work with Lillia a little. Unsure how she would like it, we started out slow, but that wasn't for her. It was a struggle to ski backwards fast enough to stay ahead of her. Considering her skis were crossed more than they weren't she did quite well. She didn't really leave the ski hill able to venture down the hill (safely!) by herself, but wanted to go again, so that was a good sign.

I know you are all wondering about our dare-devil, Anabella. At the ski shop, she was so excited about wearing her ski boots, walking around and saying "ski!" Unfortunately, by the time we reached the ski hill, it was getting to be naptime, and her enthusiasm was outweighed by fatigue. Most of us had stripped off various amounts of clothes because the weather was so gorgeous and the sun was so warm. Anabella figured that nice soft pile of clothes at the bottom of the bunny slope looked like a great place to take a nap. She laid down and was promptly asleep in just a few minutes. My only regret is that we didn't get a picture of her sleeping!

By about 3:30, the kids were getting tired and hungry, and we packed up and headed home. It was a great day - and we looked forward to the next day, which was going to be the following Wednesday. Wednesday was a homeschool ski day, and John already had taken the day off work! We were looking forward to another fun day on the slopes, as were the kids....

Jesus Sees

We drove into town yesterday to run some errands. The weather was snowy, blowy and blizzard-like through the Bozeman valley, particularly on the drive home.

While the driving was, at times, white-out conditions, the Lord blessed me with a peace and joy that not only would all be well, but just how much our children are a blessing.

You see, we had a CD playing in the van. It is one that we've often put on at night in the kids' room, after we say their goodnight prayers. The CD is a favorite, and if a CD could wear out, this would be well on its way! The CD is "Songs 4 Worship Kids Awesome God".

Sadly, I didn't have a camera, but hopefully I can describe the situation that brought not only joy to my heart, but tears to my eyes. Most of the kids were singing along with the CD, but Olesya was really getting into it. She was clapping, singing aloud and really enjoying the music.

After awhile, she raised her hands to the Lord in worship, and sang, face heaven-ward and with eyes closed, directly to Jesus. When the song "Jesus Sees" came on, I couldn't hold back the tears. Here are the words...

When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.
When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.

When you help your mother with your little baby brother, when you share your favorite toy, when you give your pennies to those who don't have any, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.

When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.
When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sess, Jessu sees.

When you help a widow or an orphan who is little, then your heart will be filled with joy, when you share your bread and the hungry ones are fed, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.

When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.
When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.

When no one else is looking and no one seesm to care, He is there with you and me, Jesus sees.

When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.
When you do it to the least of these, Jesus sees, Jesus sees.
Jesus sees, Jesus sees. Jesus sees, Jesus sees.

Kids' Day #1

We've started a new tradition for Wednesday nights, and with the first one under our belt, it seems to be a success.

A little background - the kids are fascinated looking through my cookbooks and drooling all over the yummy looking recipes. The cookbooks are used quite often because I love to cook, and we usually have a new recipe 3-5x/week. Any excuse to try something new, and I'm there!

So, I decided that a good way for the kids to learn about meal planning, meal prep and cooking, and give me some one-on-one extended time with each child would be to have a Kid's Day.

Each child got to pick out there own menu. They had to have a meat, starch, vegetable, and fruit. They could also choose a dessert if they wished. I then drew names to determine the order of the Kid's Days. (We draw names a lot around here - to determine who gets the last piece of Pepperoni pizza, who goes on the computer first, who gets to pull the purple sled, who gets the yellow plate...it works great, incidentally. In fact, we don't have arguments about "No - me!", nor complaints about it not being fair. The kids actually ask to draw names when something comes up, so it seems to work well....Anyways....)

So, every Wednesday, starting two days ago, for the next 6 weeks (and then beyond if we decide to continue, which I think we will), is Kid's Day. Mariyana was first and her dinner was halibut steaks, marinated cherry tomatoes, garlic & rosemary braided bread, fruit salad and raspberry sherbet jello mold. Yummy!

The meal turned out great, and as it turned out, Mariyana discovered she really liked to make bread, so I think that will be a more common occurrence. The recipe actually made 3 braided bread loaves, and so Mariyana and Sasha brought the extra loaf to our neighbors who arrived for the weekend.

Here are a few pictures....
Mariyana kneading her bread dough. She said it was hard work, but fun, nonetheless!


The beautiful results!


The entire family enjoying the first ever Kid's Day Dinner.

Adopting again...Our New Year's Prayers for You!

We are still unpacking and putting things away. The other morning, the girls were in my room while I finished getting dressed. On the table in our room (the long-term plan is for that table to be my scrapbooking table) was a pile of bathroom stuff to be put away (lotions, soaps, shampoo, etc.).

Lillia found a pregnancy test (left over from a 2-pack when we were pregnant with Anabella) and wanted to know what it was. I explained it to her, and all the girls were very excited about another baby. I tried to explain that no, there was no baby coming now. Of course, the next question that came was, "Why not?" I explained to them that Mama and Papa were praying about having a baby and adopting again, and that we probably couldn't do both right away. "Why not?" came again.

Mariyana decided that we should have a baby and then adopt. I explained we wouldn't be able to travel with a new baby, so that wouldn't work very good. No problem, she reasoned - adopt first, and then have a baby!

The conversation shifted to adopting and they wanted to know when we were going to adopt again. I said that I wasn't sure. With only 3 bedrooms, I explained, there was limited room for adding to our family. It would work fine for us, but I don't know how well a social worker would view the arrangement, and what they think does matter for a homestudy!

Again - the girls thought having enough room wasn't a problem. Mariyana offered to sleep on the floor, Olesya said her new brother/sister could use her sleeping bag and Lillia decided her new brother/sister could have her bed!

As if that was the final hurdle that was now cleared, Mariyana said, "We adopt tomorrow?" She was so disappointed when I told her that no, we couldn't adopt tomorrow, or even the next day, as she requested. She was quite surprised when I told her it took us a year to bring them home!

My heart has really been stirred in the past few weeks to adopt again. John is feeling the same way. In the way is our wanting to be sure our new kids are attaching and adjusting well, before we add others to the family, and also our living situation. I trust that God will work everything out in His timing. But, once again, I find myself dreaming about who else He has chosen for our family. I don't know the number, age or gender - but am trusting that He does! Just last night, I dreamt about a family with 20 kids that we met somewhere in dreamland...

As the new year unfolds, I would request that you continue to pray for our family as we reach out again through the joy and miracle of adoption. We pray for God's timing and His will in our endeavors. We feel so blessed to have learned about the joys of following God's will in our lives at such a relatively young age. We aren't concerned about what new toys we are going to buy, what vacations we are going to take, or even what special vacation home we'll enjoy in our retirement. Investing our lives in God's kingdom work is so much more important and enjoyable. It doesn't leave you disappointed when the next year's model comes out, or when the vacation is over. It doesn't leave you longing for the next fun time here or there...It doesn't leave you feeling empty, only clinging to accomplishments or purchases.

Our prayer for all of you is for you to find the same joy we have found. Maybe it isn't through adoption. It could be missions trips with your church. Full-time ministry. Leading a Bible study in your church. Witnessing to your good friend and neighbors. Whatever it is that God is calling you to do, it is there that you will ultimately find peace and joy. It isn't always easy or fun, but it is always right. We thank God daily for leading us down the path He has called us to!

Ukrainian Christmas

Yesterday was January 6th (Yea - I'm finally caught up!) and in Ukraine, people everywhere celebrated Christmas. In planning for Christmas, we decided to open presents on Ukrainian Christmas. We thought it would be a great way to once again, share the meaning of Christmas, and bring in some Ukrainian traditions to our family.

I've received several emails from many of you, wanting a "sneak peek" into our Christmas celebrations with all 6 of our kids. This is what we did...

Each child drew another's name. Together we helped each child shop for their sibling - they spent between $5-10 each. The kids did a good job coming up with ideas for gifts. Most of the gifts were "projects" - sewing for Olesya, models for the boys, needlepoint for Mariyana...

We bought stocking stuffers for the children. They included an ornament for each child, Ukrainian chocolate bars we brought home with us, a pair of socks, knit gloves and bubbles.

We bought each child one gift. Again, these were "project" gifts. The boys got tool belts, along with some small-size real tools "just like Papa", Lillia & Olesya got kits to make mosaic stepping stones, Mariyana got an American flag latch hook pillow kit, and Anabella got a kids' nativity set. Simple little projects that will bring a lot of enjoyment and learning - not just more "stuff".

Finally, we bought a game for everyone to enjoy. We have spent many hours this past week in the evenings playing games ("Sorry!" is the favorite!) and putting puzzles together (we currently have a 1000-piece puzzle spread out over the dinner table).

So - that was it. We began and ended the evening with prayer and the true Christmas story to try and keep their attention directed to the right direction. Here are a few pictures...

Stockings!


Anabella had Sasha for Christmas - this is her giving Sasha his gift.


Vanya and Sasha opening their tool belts.


Mariyana showing off her new gloves and socks!


A family time before bedtime....


It was a very special evening together. In no way did the kids feel like "that's all?" - in fact, they were overwhelmed with how many things they received.

A sweet note - at lunchtime, the kids were asking me about whether Mama and Papa had presents to open. I said no, just the kids. That was not OK in their books - they tried to convince me to go to town - I could buy Papa a present, and then they could buy me something on their own and hide it from me. A very sweet gesture.

Another final note - all of the kids shared their candy and little toys/games with each other as they opened presents. We are so blessed by how great these kids are....Merry Christmas!

A LARGE visitor

The other day, I was upstairs folding laundry and happened to look out the front window. I dropped what I doing and went racing downstairs. My slippers flew off halfway down the stairs and the kids came running to see what was the matter....

Well, nothing was really the matter - I just wanted them to see our friendly visitor that was inches away from our front windows - a yearling moose!

You see - the kids had seen every possible animal at Yellowstone just days before: bald eagles, wolves, bison, elk, antelope, and deer. We'd seen mountain sheep driving into town one day. They had become quite familiar with Grizzly Bears from the Bear Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. So, the only thing missing was a moose, and here he was, standing front and center out our front window.

Apparently, moose frequently come down into Meadow Village when the snow comes. He took quite a liking to our plants and trees outside. In fact, he was so engrossed by eating, he hardly noticed 6 peering children and a mom with camera and video camera in hand!

Wolves and Junior Rangers

On the day after Christmas, we set out for Cooke City, Montana. This is the only road kept open through Yellowstone in the winter. While Cooke City isn't anything to get excited about (think Princeton, Idaho!), the drive is gorgeous and takes you through several areas that offer opportunities for great wildlife viewing.

One great excitement of the day was spotting a single wolf whom we watched for probably 30 minutes. There was a dead animal which he was coming toward to feed on. He was very skiddish and it took him probably 25 minutes (of our viewing) to finally get over there. He was a black wolf and so we could spot him quite easily in the snowy field. We also enjoyed seeing a herd of 350 elk, and another herd of probably 200 bison.

We stopped for lunch at a picnic area - it was a little chilly for an outdoor picnic, but with the scenery and great company, we could hardly complain!




On the return drive to Mammoth, we were treated to seeing a pack of 5 wolves. It was an enjoyable site, and one that many people aren't so blessed to see when visiting Yellowstone. Throughout the entire day, I couldn't get a thought from Beth Moore out of my mind. In one of her Bible study videos, Beth talked about enjoying God's creation and the distinction between worshipping the CREATION versus the CREATOR. What an awesome God who creates such beauty simply for our enjoyment and His worship!

*******

We have really enjoyed the various options and activities we can participate in, now that we have older children. One of those things is the Junior Ranger program. Offered by Yellowstone, the Junior Ranger program is for children ages 5-12. Depending upon the children's ages, there are program requirements to complete which involve learning about their surroundings. It is quite an involved program, but one that was enjoyable as a family to work on together....

The older children had special assignments to do that required various scientific equipment that we had to check out from the Rangers. Sasha was quite proud wearing the fanny pack with the equipment! If you look closely, you'll see the blue Junior Ranger badge the kids earned on the fanny pack.


Mariyana measuring the wind speed and air temperature. After we came inside, they figured out the wind chill - which was pretty chilly!


Hiking up the Mammoth Terraces. There were many steps, so Sasha and Mariyana packed the stroller and Anabella up, up and up!

All 6 kids - aren't they great?!


Anabella - the youngest Junior Ranger. (She was too young to participate in the Junior Ranger program, but she earned a sticker for circling all the animals we saw.)


Reading the map for our Junior Ranger hike.


Working on our Junior Ranger newspapers.


It's badge time! After completing the entire program, we turned in the newspapers and the kids received their special Winter Junior Ranger badges.

Christmas in Yellowstone

Christmas Eve arrived and it was time to head to Mammoth Hot Springs. Last year we began a family tradition of going to Yellowstone together with John's parents for Christmas.

Of all the 30+ Christmases I have enjoyed, our time together at Yellowstone last year was by far the best. Being surrounded by God's glorious creation, with innumerable outside and inside activities to enjoy, the focus of Christmas was not on opening presents. Last Christmas was honestly the first Christmas I haven't felt some twinge of disappointment and feeling of, "that's all?". And so, we decided to make the trek to Yellowstone a yearly tradition to be enjoyed.

This year, our family looked a lot different! With 6 children, instead of 2, the excitement and joy was even greater.

Mammoth Hot Springs is the only entrance into Yellowstone that is open throughout the year. Last year we bought a year pass for Yellowstone ($40 instead of the one-time entrance fee of $20!) and were able to use it again. Living so close to Yellowstone, we will definitely get another year pass. But, I digress.

Coming through the gates, we were asked if we were a commercial tour! I guess they aren't too used to seeing big 15-passenger vans being operated by families - usually they are some special tours. We assured him we were just a family, and weren't operating any sort of commercial tour!

When you stay at home at Mammoth, you stay in the old lodge. It is a beautiful lodge that has been upgraded, but still retains much of its historical appeal and charm. Out back behind the lodge there is an ice skating rink. A cabin next to the rink is open all the time with skates to use.

Across from the lodge is the dining hall which is where we enjoyed special family dinners. Down the road is a beautiful stone chapel - this is where we attended a standing-room only candlelight service on Christmas eve night.

All around the lodge are hills for sledding and trails for skiing. There was minimal snow this year, so we weren't able to do any sledding or skiing this year, but we had plenty to keep us busy.

After Christmas eve dinner, the kids opened a special present - all new PJs! Here they are all decked out in their new pajamas, cuddling with Gramps.


After opening their PJs and pictures, we headed over to church for the candlelight service. The evening was rounded out by attending an ornament decorating party in the "Map Room" at the lodge. Everything was supplied for participants to make special Christmas ornaments, including hot cider and cookies!

The next morning, we slowly woke up, enjoyed breakfast, watched the elk wander among the grounds of the lodge and eventually headed down to the Map Room to open stockings. John's parents' gift to us all is our trip to Mammoth and so we just do stockings for everyone. But, I think stockings are the most fun anyway - and apparently so did the kids.

With the Map Room empty except for our family, we opened gifts and played with everyone's new coloring books, crayons and lego contraptions for several hours. Apparently, we were quite the sight because we had several people come in to ask if they could take our picture. So, somewhere, pictures similar to these are in someone's Christmas photo album!



John and Sasha are building a Lego barn. Gramps is teaching me to play "Pick up Sticks" (and he beat me terribly!).


After cleaning up, it was already time for lunch. We headed out to the fire pit, and had an outside hot dog roast and picnic! What a great Christmas lunch!


Yum!


After lunch, it was naptime. And then, out to the hot tubs! Mammoth has hot tubs you can rent by the hour - individual hot tubs are outside under the stars, with a cabin close by for changing clothes and even showering. Most everyone enjoyed the hot tub. Lillia sat right down, while the rest of us eased into the hot water. And, Mariyana went "swimming" in the hot tub, even going under the water! Anabella and Sasha weren't too sure about the hot water, but all in all, it was a lot of fun.

There is nothing better than being in a nice hot tub outside in the cold winter air, under beautiful sunny or starry skies.


We had just enough time after enjoying the hot tubs to get dressed and head over to the dining room for our special Christmas dinner. The dining hall is quite a fancy restaurant, and it was the first time several of our kids had been in such a nice restaurant. We had discussions about why there were 2 forks, what to do with a bread plate, how to order food from a menu, where cloth napkins go while you're eating....We had to smile when all the kids about licked their salad plates clean that night. They didn't realize the salad was the first course, and more was coming! They thought that was all, and were a little surprised when another huge plate of food came, and then was followed by dessert! Needless to say, we brought several doggie bags back to our room!

Enjoying Christmas dinner.


With everyone dressed up and looking their best, we tried to take a few family pictures by the lodge's fireplace - this is the best we could come up with!





Goodnight!
familydinner.jpe

School in December

In between packing, moving, unpacking, taking another trip back to Moscow, more unpacking and Christmas activities, our month has been quite full.

We have focused on learning about the true meaning of Christmas. And honestly, the kids haven't been exposed to anything but. With no TV, very limited video watching (and everything has to be approved by mom), little to no time in the stores, no "browsing" through endless Christmas catalogs, no making a Christmas wish-list....the kids know exactly what Christmas is about. And it's wonderful.

They haven't even been asked the typical, "What do you want for Christmas?" questions. Their wishlist for Santa, mom and dad, or whomever, hasn't been made, and certainly doesn't grow by the day. What a joy.

The beautiful Christmas tree is enjoyed for its beauty, its memories and for what is represents. Not for what might be placed under it. In fact, our tree doesn't have any gifts under it. At most, you might find some pine needles and some pieces to our Veggie Tales nativity set which the kids have been playing with.

Are the kids sheltered? Maybe, but, in our minds, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just looked up the word "Shelter" in the online Webster dictionary - shelter simply means to cover and protect. Isn't our job as parents to protect our children? We think so. And, if they "miss out" on the gimmees of Christmas, the endless wishlists, the commercialization of a very holy holiday, then I think we've done our job well!

Each day this month, whenver possible, we have made special ornaments or projects for Christmas. Here's a few pictures of the kids making dough ornaments - first mixing up the dough and then cutting out and painting them...Mariyana and Lillia even ventured out from ornaments and made their own nativity sets.

Our newest skiier

For those of you loyal readers of our online journal (not sure if anyone really reads this, but it is a good way for me to keep track of our family memories!), you know that Anabella isn't exactly one to be left out.

Skiing hasn't been any different. She has decided she wants to cross-country ski too, so several times throughout the week, she gets her skis on and "skis" around the condo.

All I know, is that she is pretty cute!

Mariyana is a great big sister, always willing to help the little kids get their skis on (or whatever else - she even changes stinky diapers!).

Tree decorating

With a Charlie Brown tree brought in from the forest, it was time to start decorating. In all reality, our tree would hardly be considered part of the Charlie Brown style. It was quite full (relatively), no holes to hide against the wall and of course quite large (they always look so much smaller in the woods!).

With Christmas music playing in the background, the mood was set and the kids were excited. In all reality, it was a bittersweet time. You see, as a tradition, we get our children an ornament every year - something that is significant to them. I don't think we have any typical store-bought ornaments - they are all ornaments that were John or mine growing up (presents or homemade), or ornaments that have been given to Lillia and Anabella.

The children all enjoyed unwrapping the ornaments, hearing the stories of who made what, and when, and decorating the tree. The bittersweet part was the realization we all had, quietly in our hearts, that all of our children hadn't been with us to celebrate Christmas for each of their years. There were no ornaments for four of our children - no stories to tell of their youth. No special memories to laugh about from Christmas-past.

Olesya summed it up best when she said, "We still at Detsky Dom, right Mama?"

The kids didn't really have many memories to share about Christmas - just Mariyana and Sasha had some stories to share from school, and what they had done at school for Christmas. Our friends from Odessa, the Andersons, had shared with us that New Year's is a much bigger holiday in Ukraine than Christmas, and so we weren't very surprised with their limited experiences and memories.

Unwrapping ornaments and sharing stories...


Christmas lights - shining in the darkness of night. Just like our Saviour whom we celebrate at Christmas...


After the tree was decorated, we gathered together on the floor around the tree with Christmas cookies (brought over by our neighbors) and hot chocolate, and read the Christmas story. A wonderful ending to a special night.

Cold Days in Big Sky

The weather here in Big Sky is quite a bit different than what we are used to in Moscow. And, for the most part, we love the difference!

When it snows, the snow sticks.

When it isn't snowing, the sun shines!

And when it's cold, it really gets serious about being cold.

For a few days before Christmas, the weather got quite chilly. The high one day was -8 degree FAHRENHEIT! But, when the air is dry and the sun is shining, it doesn't feel all that cold. And so, the kids still love to go outside and play.

One night after dinner, some of the older kids wanted to play outside before bed. It was -18 F, so we didn't figure they would last too long, nor did we figure the younger kids would want to venture out. Were we ever wrong! Anabella didn't want to be left out, and insisted on going outside. So, all bundled up in pink, she headed out the door to play for probably 35 minutes!

What beautiful rosy cheeks!


Because it was so cold, the snow didn't pack very well. A snowman was out of the question, so the kids improvised and made a snow lion!

Going hunting...Christmas-tree-style

With Christmas quickly approaching, it was high time to get ourselves a Christmas tree. Back when Lillia was a baby, we started a family tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree in the woods. While we don't always have the most beautiful tree, we certainly take away some great memories and have some good laughs about our "Charlie Brown tree".

After church, we changed clothes, donned hats, gloves, snowpants and jackets and headed out. Before we got all dressed, little Anabella was asleep in her Gramp's arms. So, Anabella and Gramps stayed home and took naps while the rest of us adventured out to get our tree.

Ssshhhh! Anabella's sleeping! (And Gramps isn't too far behind)


I still can't get over the beauty we are surrounded by here in Big Sky. It took us just 10 minutes to get to the National Forest to find our tree. When we first got out of the van, the kids were a little hesitant about exploring and were complaining it was cold! It didn't take long, however, until we were having to reel in the kids and leave because we (the adults!) were getting cold.

John and I were a little concerned about just how long it would take to have all 7 (with Anabella sleeping) of us agree on one tree. In the past, it has taken quite a family conference to decide, and there were only a few of us! But, the perfect trees were obvious to all and within a very short time, we all had made a decision and were cutting our tree. All the kids had a turn using the saw, and while waiting for their turns, they collected pinecones, snow berries, dried bear grass, puzzle plants, twigs, rocks, pine needles and rosehips. I am continually amazed and delighted with their creativity and inventiveness. They wanted to collect various items to make wreaths! Pretty clever - I certainly hadn't thought of doing that, but what fun they had filling up our pockets with all sorts of great finds!

That's the one!


Having fun in the woods!


Olesya, our little woodsman.


"Timber," yells Lillia.


After loading up the kids in the van, along with all their treasures, John tied the tree on the top of the van and away we went. Just as we turned onto the highway, our tree went flying off the roof and onto the road. We turned around at the first spot we could find, and as we returned for the tree, we saw another truck had stopped for the trees. "How nice," I thought - they are picking up our tree for us. It became quickly apparent, however, that they were doing a little tree hunting for themselves! John, in his leisurely, calm manner, sauntered out of the van while they were throwing the tree in the back of their pickup, and jumping in to leave the "crime scene". I wasn't quite so calm, and laid on the horn and shook my head (complete with my "Teacher Look"!) at them. I wasn't about to have some young girls take off with our perfect tree! Once we convinced them it was ours, we loaded it inside the van and headed home.

Always an adventure!!!