Winter 2021 - Ukrainian Boys Visit Our Family

The great news is that the boys made it back to Ukraine safely! It was a long day of travel for them but they made it safely which is what I can only hope and pray for at this moment.  I want to use this post to update everyone on a few different things. First, the house feels very quiet. It is hard to say it is quiet with a 7, 3 and 8 month old in the house. There are things that I miss and see that remind me of those sweet boys. For example, we have 3 packages of Hawaiian buns. Why? Because Y LOVED to eat them with ketchup. It's weird driving what feels like a bus with empty seats. I have a few pairs of their shoes sitting out because we just could not fit everything in their bags.  And with all my sadness, comes the sadness of my kids. Hunter wrote something in school (see below). It says "I miss my friends. I feel alone." Hudson wanted to pick up donuts today and asked to pick up a donut for N and Y. We are all grieving. There are some rays of hope now and again. Y ha...

So the kiddos slept in late (nothing really new - only new part was Hudson NOT going into their room and banging on their heads to wake up).  As soon as N and Y woke up, I got a huge hug from both of them.  Over the last few days I've received so many hugs from them.  It makes me wonder how much physical connection they get when in the Ukraine.  No matter what I feel like I barely scratched the surface regarding how much love and affection these boys need.   The boys had to be at the airport by 630 pm.  Since I wasn't sure how the airlines would work that day(any cancelations or delays) I decided to get a hotel room to be close.  We were able to get into our room early so the kids could swim. We ordered in pizza for dinner.   By 6 it was time to get to the airport.  We all got in my car and headed out. When we arrived we had to make sure we got out all their stuff.  Each boy was taking home a large duffle bag, scooter, overflow...

Today was the last full day that N and Y that would be here with us for this hosting session.  We kind of had laid back day.  I spent the day doing laundry and doing my best to pack everything.  Needless to say, it was not easy.  As I packed their things I was happy to see that they had been provided with so much.  At the same time I was extremely sad.  Almost all of their belongings in the world fit in a large duffle bag and back pack.  It's gut wrenching to really think about this.   I also took the boys to get a haircut before they left.  They look so handsome.  After the haircut we came home and I asked the boys what they would like for dinner.  And they did not disappoint.  N wanted hot ham and cheese sandwiches and french fries.  Y wanted spaghetti.  So I made it.  And they ate like they wouldn't eat again.  My heart had never been so happy and full and breaking all at the same time.   W...

When I started this journey, the director asked all host parents to take the kids to the dentist and eye doctors.  In a previous post I talked about how Northshore Hospital system helped with eye doctors.  Well, they went above and beyond and also had their dentists saw many of the Ukrainian kids.   We could not make appointments for the kids until they arrived because we did not have all of their information. This meant that many of the appointments were made towards the end of their time here.   Well, some kids couldn't wait that long.  There were stories of some of the children having teeth that were rotting upon arrival.  Again, Northshore came through and made arrangements to see those kids that so badly needed it.   Fast forward to today.  N and Y had their appointments.  I was nervous as to what we would learn.  N's teeth were by far better but still had more than 6 cavities. Y had more cavities than that and most l...

Let me start off by saying that N and Y do not leave until Sunday but Hunter leaves tomorrow to be with his dad.   I think the best part of the day was when we delivered lasagnas.  I'm part of a great organization called lasagna love.  We deliver lasagnas to people - sometimes it is for people who do not have food and sometimes it's for a front line worker too exhausted to make a home cooked meal.  When we pulled up to the house, N and Y were a bit confused.  I explained everything and they wanted to take the food with me to the doorstep.  It's great having them help me give back.   We also had fun building a fort and, being a teacher, I've never had so much fun watching the kids learn! I hope that they are able to come back so that we can do some more learning together! Lastly, when I started this journey, the director asked us to take the kids to the dentist and eye doctor. Again, thanks to a good friend, Jessica Bakker, Northshore was will...

Our days together are slowly coming to an end. Overall it has been an amazing experience. A friend who has been doing this for awhile has given some really good insight as to why hosting is wonderful for all involved.  Why HOST? -Share the love of a family with a child. -Teach them about who Jesus is and eternal life through Him. -It is a life-changing cultural experince for the entire family -Give the child the gift of hope and love -Show a child life outside of the orphanage -Raise awareness for orphans worldwide, serve as their advocate -A child will touch your heart and impact your life. Thank you Wendy Frump! I could not say it any better. If you are interested in hosting in the future, please reach out to me. Yesterday, a very good friend of mine, Emily Tritschler, took some quick pictures of all of us together. To stay that getting ready started on the wrong foot would be putting it mildly. When the boys first arrived, we went to church with family and N had a really diffi...

  So, I can't believe it. These boys leave on Sunday. I am doing everything I can to learn more about how I can help these boys, even if adoption is never possible or they are hosted through another family, I want to do what I can to help.  I am so thankful to Industrial Dance Project in Crown Point, IN. My son participates weekly in a jr parkour/ninja course. I took N and Y to a class last week. To say they loved it is putting it mildly. They were so pumped on adrenaline that they couldn't sleep when they came home. I surprised them this week with another class, and they will be able to to do open gym on Friday (again, thanks to Miss Bunny and Coach Chili).  When these kids do the parkour, EVERYBODY is in awe. Both N and Y are really in their element. Coach Chili loves watching them and is regularly pushing them to do harder obstacles. It really is like watching an episode of American Ninja Warrior Jr. Check out the videos below! While I may never really know how I impac...

 I can't believe these sweet boys leave in less than a week. All of our lives have changed dramatically. It will tear me apart to send them back and to send them back to an area that is in the middle of political issues with Russia. There has been so much that I have learned over the last few days. I don't even know how to wrap my head around it.  When I started on this path, I did not know what to expect. Heck, even after the honeymoon period ended, I was not sure how we were going to get through it. These boys arrived, smaller than expected (my 10 year old is smaller than Hunter and my 13 year old looks more like a 10 year old), but with very big personalities. After a week, I learned so much about them. They have siblings - a 6 year old sister and a 16 year old brother. Their parents rights were terminated. They have been in the system since 2018. They live in a very poor orphanage. They are both developmentally behind - struggling with the math that Hunter is doing. Their ...

Today may have been the first full day where we had the full day together without school, work, etc.  To say that I'm getting a bit emotional as my days with these boys decrease is putting it mildly.  I've always loved a full house.  My favorite memories growing up were always those at my grandma and grandpa's house with all the aunts, uncles and cousins.  This house and my heart have never been so full. We had a few woodworking kits that I thought the boys might enjoy putting together, and boy did they! So we spent the afternoon putting them together. Lots of pounding, measuring, nailing and lots of fun!  We also decided to go and look at some puppies.  Because I recently had to put down my dog, my other dog has been pretty lonely and depressed.  I plan to get a rescue, like all my previous dogs. But I wanted to see the new pet store in the area.  We went and the kids were in heaven! They even got to play with one.  They kept asking to take ...

My oldest bio son started back to school this week on Tuesday.  He comes home with homework daily - either written or on the computer.  We normally try to do it right when we get home otherwise we forget.  Well, N and Y wanted to join in.  It was amazing to see how eager they are to learn! It was also sad to learn where they are at academically.  My son is 7 and in kindergarten.  N and Y are 13 and 10 respectively.  They did not easily finish the same work that my son was doing.  But that didn't seem to bother them.  So I asked my son's teacher if she'd send home copies of the homework my son is working on.  And boy did she! And did these kids enjoy doing it! Oh! I've also taught them a new card game - golf. And boy do they love it! They'd play it for hours if I'd let them.  But it's great being able to do this with them. We have finally gotten into a good routine regarding food.  I'm pretty lenient with lunch and dinner as lon...

I wanted to take some time to reflect on this experience. No, it is not over yet and many things can change in the next 11 days as they leave on January 16. However, there is so much I have learned over the last 3 weeks. I want to share as much as I can.  First, I want to discuss how this has impacted me. I have learned that these kids have had a very traumatic life thus far. They have only been in the system since 2019 and the parents' parental rights have been terminated. Therefore, these kids had parents in their lives - for N for 13 years and for Y for 10 years. And I have been told that in Ukraine, it is very hard to have parental rights terminated. I can now have a better understanding how angry these kids can be and where it comes from.  I also wanted to share some comments from other Ukrainian kids that were adopted. Some of the common comments: Large orphanages are horrible. The kids often do not leave to go to school. Many of the helpers try to teach them to the best...

The last day of winter break for my kids. Some schools had started back up.  So I saved two special activities for the last day.  It wasn't busy at all and the kids had a blast! We first went to jaks warehouse.  N and Y had so much fun on the climbing ropes. They spent half of the time there.  They easily went to the top level multiple times.  It was fun seeing them so happy! My oldest son Hunter participates in a parkour class in Crown Point weekly. After watching N do flips and such on the school jungle gym I knew he had to try it. I spoke with the manager and she allowed N, Y, and Hunter to join an upper level parkour class.  To say they loved it is putting it mildly.  They couldn't fall asleep afterwards! They've already started asking when is Monday so they can go again! N at parkour see  video

The last two days have been pretty good.  We are definitely getting into a routine.  N is an amazing help.  He always takes out the trash even without me asking.  He also even shoveled the driveway and the trampoline! He's been such a big help.   Yesterday was the first big snow of the season.  So the kids have played outside a little. I don't believe snow is new to them but going down a slide on a sled is! My friend made a chocolate bomb board and so we had hot chocolate after playing outside.  Today was movie day! We went to the movie theater and saw the new Spiderman movie! It was great! We sat close, had most of our area to ourselves and got to eat some movie snacks.  I also introduced the boys to our themed movie nights. We watched Sonic and ate chili dogs, golden rings (funyons) and ate sonic cake! The kids had a blast. My friend Andrea joined us and I think she had the most fun! She taught them how to shuffle cards and play poker! ...