Spring has sprung! I know, I know, I said that before- but then it snowed a couple days later. I think I can say it with confidence this time. SPRING HAS SPRUNG. I declare it!
This is one of those weeks when so much happened that I don’t even know where to start. I don’t think I’ll try to describe it all, I’ll just put it out there and maybe the descriptions will come out over the next couple of weeks.
-Grammy and Papa are here visiting from Montana. YAY!!!! They leave on Wednesday. BOO.
-We drove to Lutsk last weekend (a town about 3 hours away) to visit some of Grammy and Papa’s friends who pastor a church there. It was fun to take the van on our first family road trip. 🙂
-A team from Hull Vineyard in the UK came to Ukraine for a Vineyard conference and spent a few days with us here in Zhytomyr. They got to meet our Boys, encourage our church, and just be all around awesome. Their visit was such a HUGE blessing to us as a family. We were so sad for them to leave! We posted an awesome video of the team on our Wide Awake Facebook page. Check it out!
-One of the Vineyard team members was a speech and language therapist and she and I got to spend two days at Romaniv observing meals, helping with feedings, and advising the staff. It was a very valuable time and the staff seemed very receptive. Follow-up will be key. Being at Romaniv for meals and in the early morning hours was very insightful for me, personally. Peeling back the layer of what makes our boys and that place who they are and what it is. I’ll probably blog about that at length on another day.
-We had a super fun game night with the young adults with disabilities. How awesome to be able to meet outside in the sunshine! Our pasty white skin needed that!
-My fingerprints were rejected again for our adoption- this time they were rejected for US immigration approval. SO FRUSTRATING. So, now I might be flying to London to get them redone. Grrrrrrrr. Apparently women who do a lot of dishes and nurses have a higher likelihood of having poor quality fingerprints. Double whammy for me. 🙁
Now for pics. If you have any questions, of course you know you can always ask! 🙂
I always love the little girl offering a fistful of dandelions!
Question: are the red abrasions from self-injury?
PS: Your story is like those exciting chapter-by-chapter installments from back in the day serial dramas. Always “to be continued” and “will the fingerprints EVER be approved? Stay tuned!!”
Hi hi! Finally replying. Yes, the red marks on Boris are from self-harming. Poor guy has been having a rough time lately.
I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I’m so inspired by you and your family : )
Is that young boy that little one you shared about before? I can see so much life and hope in his eyes, something I didn’t recall seeing in some previous pictures. Hope he keeps improving!
Hi! Sorry it took me so long to reply. Yes it’s him! He is coming back to life, slowly but surely. We are so thankful!