So Many Firsts, So Little Time! Gosh, the time is really getting away from me lately. As we get more and more involved back in regular life, the time for blogging gets smaller and smaller! A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. Dasha started school two weeks ago and is absolutely loving it. I think she was home for exactly the right amount of time to get some great English skills and more importantly, to learn what it means to be part of a family. She is very secure in her surroundings now and really feels like she is where she belongs. She actually couldn't wait to start school since she is at the same school as Amber and Mitchell. On the first day we all walked into the school as a family and as we approached her class we saw a big sign that said, "Welcome to Kindergarten Dasha!" When I pointed it out to her she got a huge grin and ran to see it. She has the same kindergarten teacher that Amber and Mitchell had, and I just love her. She makes the school day so much fun, and she is making Dasha's first experience with school so positive. Dasha had very little hesitation when entering the class on the first day. The whole class had been expecting her and all of the little kids said "Hi Dasha - do you want to sit by me?" It was so sweet! The funny thing is that the parents all knew that a new child from another country was starting school. What they didn't know is that she was the only member of the family to be new to the country. When I picked her up on the first day, a few of the moms stopped me to ask where I was from. One of them said, "Wow - your English is so great. How long have you been her for?" I started laughing when I answered "All of my life". Dasha and Jacob have transitioned from extreme sibling rivals to partners in crime. They have their own inside jokes and can be heard laughing and playing together all the time. They think their jokes are hilarious, and crack themselves up all the time. I'm pretty sure neither one of them is going to be entering a career in stand-up comedy, but at least they are having a good time. Her English skills continue to amaze me, despite what the language testing at the school district says. She had to so some mandatory testing before starting school so they could get an idea of how far her language skills have come. I figured she was going to wow them since she communicates so nicely at home now. What I hadn't figured on was that the test was really a test for kids that have grown up in the United States. The very first question she was told to look at three black and white pictures. One of the pictures was a carrot with the greenery at the end. She was asked to point to the carrot. Well, in Kazakhstan they do not have carrots. She is missing most of her teeth still, so I have certainly not fed her any raw carrots. She has never seen or heard of a carrot in her life. Failed that one. The next question had three more pictures, including a picture of a doctor. I thought to myself, "Okay - she will definitely get this one". Instead, the lady pointed to the picture of the doctor and said, "This is a doctor. Tell me what the doctor does to help up." Okay - in Kazakhstan the doctor hurts you, he doesn't really help you. She has no concept of a doctor helping her yet, though we are working on it. So yep, failed that one too, and it was all downhill from there. That's okay, all it means is that she qualifies for English as a Second Language assistance. The goal of school this year is just to learn the language. Everything else will come in time. For now, she will not be graded or expected to perform at the same level as the other kids. Of course, she is already excelling, though, and is wowing her teacher with her writing skills and math skills. She is one smart cookie! Last weekend, Dasha was invited to her first birthday party and had a great time at one of those "bounce house" parties. She has told me every day since then "When it is my happy birthday, I want a big slide and bounce just like that!" You got it, sister! Doesn't get any more American than that, does it? Speaking of that, I had forgotten to post about the documents that we received in the mail a few weeks ago. I actually started getting tears in my eyes when I read it out loud to Dasha. It was a letter from the President of the United States that read: Dear Fellow American: I am pleased to congratulate you on becoming a United States citizen. You are now part of a great and blessed Nation. I know your family and friends are proud of you on this special day. Americans are united across generations by grand and enduring ideals. The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, and that no insignificant person was ever born. Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by principles that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every citizen must uphold these principles. And every new citizen, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American. As you begin to participate fully in our democracy, remember that what you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to serve your new Nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens building communities of service and a Nation of character. Americans are generous and strong and decent not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it. Welcome to the joy, responsibility, and freedom of American citizenship. God bless you and God bless America. Something in that letter just struck me as so powerful. I really take for granted what I have by just being born in this country. I am so happy to be able to teach all of my children this simple fact. I am sure that Dasha does not really understand what is in this letter, but I do, and I will most definitely raise her to understand. Have a great weekend!

From Princess to one of the kids...

We survived Christmas and now our house resembles a Toys R Us store. As I feared our family went nuts. Not only did Dasha score tons on presents, all of the kids did. I'm not complaining, but who invented the ties that attach toys to their boxes. On average it takes about an hour per present. I even broke out the wire snips. Anyway, we had a great Christmas. It turns out Santa finally found Dasha and made up for lost time. To see the look on her face when she came down the stairs. She saw the presents she wanted, but wasn't sure they for her until we explained that they were. She went from trepidation to joy. Jacob, had no problems finding his toys. Though I think his Christmas Eve prayer summed it up. As it turns out Jacob was having a rough go of it, and found a few sessions in time-out and even a spank here and there in December. I think the pressure was too much, he just couldn't be good the whole year. So, for his Christmas Eve prayer, he prayed that Santa would bring presents to all the kids, even the kids on the naughty list. Everyone thought it was very sweet, I knew he was covering his bases., smart kid Fortunately, he made the cut. I'm sure his hard work in Kazakhstan helped, and the fact that he gave up his room for his new sister made an impact.

I was not sure how Dasha would respond. Keep in mind, she has never been given a gift, and didn't understand about gift exchange. She's a quick learner. The week before Christmas, she and her Grandma Barbara made necklaces and bracelets for all of the girls (cousins, Mommy, Granny, aunts etc). She did really well, and as hard as it was for her, she thanked everyone, and really enjoyed all of her gifts. She also won the prize for putting her toys away the best. I think her training in the orphanage helped, but I also think, these gifts are like treasures to her. She really came out of her shell this Christmas. She's not shy around the immediate family, but very shy around the rest of the world. That changed on Christmas. She played with her cousins, uncles, aunts even the neighbor kids.

Now, it's two weeks later. Our Broncos choked, USC dominated in the Rose Bowl and I lost my Fantasy Football Superbowl, to the Houston Hommies. It sounds like the end of days. I may have to check Revelations. How could the Broncos lose to the 49ers? Sorry, back to Dasha...

Dasha will have language testing on Wednesday. She will be tested in Russian to see her comprehension and in English to see how her skills are coming along. I'm very proud of her, her English is so good. She works on it daily. She even likes to listen to the "learn Russian CDs" in the car. She thinks it's funny to hear us speak Russian, and it helps her to learn English. After her language testing on Wednesday, she will join her Kindergarten class. She is very nervous, but one of her new friends Delaney Crowe will be in her class, so that helps. She had Kim ask Delaney's mom (Tricia) what kind of back pack does Delaney have? Apparently, I'm buying a pink Hello Kittie Backpack tomorrow. I think she will do so well in school. She really is a bright kid. She is pretty, great sense of humor and a strong right cross. I know this as she decked Mitchell once while rough housing. Good girl, hit the boys when they get too close.

All is not perfect in our little world. When Dasha came home, we treated Dasha like a princess. She pretty much got whatever she wanted, and could eat when and whatever she wanted. This was fine, while we were bonding and getting her used to this strange land. Over the last few weeks we have changed that approach. Now she is expected to do what the other kids do. That goes for chores, eating and bedtime. In general it has gone very well. She is a strong willed girl and she and I have had a few face-offs. We learned that you can't give Time-Outs to orphans for bad behaviors, as this is what they are used to. Kim found a great book, that talks about Time-Ins. When there is mis-behavior, we hold Dasha, almost in a fetal position in our lap. We hold her to where she can't wiggle, kick or squirm. As her behavior improves, she is given more freedom of movement. We haven't had to do this in over a week. I think she is now confident that this is her home, and she is learning to follow direction from her parents. I'm pretty sure most of her bad behavior is a lack of understanding, but also she is testing limits. This testing of limits is common with most kids. As we had to reverse the princess syndrome, it was difficult at times. We explain what is appropriate and that we expect good behavior from all of our kids. Lord knows Dasha has seen Jacob as an example.

We never know who's reading this blog, so please feel free to leave comments. We've had a few people ask us questions, and we're happy to answer them. I spoke with our friends Kevin and Sandra tonight. They are thinking of adopting, and want to learn more. Sandra is so nice, and said something to the affect, that we had such a perfect family. I'd say perfectly crazy. It's not always easy raising kids. Brining home an orphan is no bed of roses either. For me, I feel so blessed. The Lord has taken a guy who is really a two striker, and given me an angel, in my wife Kim. We are not perfect, and I'm sure we've made a lot of mistakes, but God has still built a happy home for us, for which I don't deserve, but am eternally grateful. Please pray for Kevin and Sandra as they consider this life changing event. Pray for all of the families considering adoption, like Joe and Jesi. There are so many great kids out there that could use a good home. I don't think adoption is for everyone, but I pray that God helps those who are ready, like our other friends the Reeds and helps them add a new family member.

Happy New Year