If you’re here because you saw the “Citizen Spotlight” about our family this month, WELCOME! We invite you to read back as far as you’d like to and you can follow both of our adoptions. The latest adoption was completed just 3 short weeks ago.
You can check out our adoption ministry website at www.eliproject.org
There has been a major meltdown on our ministry website, but we hope to have it back up and running in the next couple of days.
Blessing the Name of the Lord.
This time, 19 years ago, we were finishing up our rehearsal dinner. We were less than 24 hours away from becoming husband and wife. We were so young! I was 21 (just barely) and Mary was 19. That’s just 5 years older than Hannah. And that’s CRAZY! But we wouldn’t change that even if we could.
We had dated for several years and spent all of our free time together. There was no reason to wait and lots of reasons not to wait. We dated since high school and I was about to be a senior in college when we wed.
It’s been an amazing 19 years. Of course there are always rough moments. But they are FAR outweighed by the wonderful and amazing times. We’re best friends, lovers, partners in life, and parents to 8 kids. Wow!
Here’s just a few of the reasons why I’m still madly in love:
So happy anniversary to the sweet bride of my youth. It’s been an amazing journey so far…I can’t imagine what’s next!
Chris
Happy Father’s Day (to me… 
).
And it IS a happy Father’s Day. I woke up early this morning (as I do every Sunday morning) and lay there thinking about today. How blessed can one person be was my thought. Laying beside a beautiful wife, lover, friend, companion, helper; surrounded (literally) by kids who are GREAT kids; my kids who are old enough have a real and living relationship with God; our younger kids have a heart for God and will grow into a wonderful relationship with Him; our four little treasures with Down syndrome bring joy, laughter, amazement, (and yes sometimes sadness).
Here’s some things I never knew could bring such amazing and real joy:
So to my Heavenly Father, God, the ultimate Dad, thank you for being my Papa and loving me no matter what. I hope I bring you joy and make you smile.
To my earthly dad who left earth so many years ago…too early, unexpectedly. I love you and miss you. Wish you were here to see these great kids and that they could know you. Happy Father’s Day.
I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that’s what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, ‘Are you there, God?’ he said. ‘Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed….’
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he’s 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.
He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Clause is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.
I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.
He does not seem dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.
He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day’s laundry chores.
And Saturdays – oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That’s the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. ‘That one’s goin’ to Chi-car-go! ‘ Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.
His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.
He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent.
His life is simple.
He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.
He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.
Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God – to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an ‘educated’ person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.
It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances – they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God’s care.
Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.
Kevin won’t be surprised at all!
-author unknown (to me)
It is hard to believe we have been home almost 3 weeks…my how time flies when you have 8 kids!
Overall Eliana is doing well. The first week home she was very quiet and somewhat withdrawn, then later in the week she began having diarrhea and a little bit of a fever. We watched her closely and made sure she stayed hydrated. Thankfully this only lasted about 3 days. She remained pretty quiet and lethargic until last Friday, but is gradually becoming the chatter box we knew in Ukraine. We knew there would be, and will continue to be, a time of attachment and adjustment to be made, so none of this took us by surprise. Really, for the most part I think she has done quite well with the transition.
Tuesday she had her check up with our pediatrician, everything looks good for the most part. She will have an ultra-sound of her heart(she was born with a hole in her heart and it is believed to be closed, but no one knows for sure.) She has an eye exam scheduled in the morning. Sometime in the next few weeks she will also have routine blood work done and a visit to the ear nose and throat Dr. Thankfully she as no pressing health concerns that we can see. She does have really low muscle tone…(I thought Eli was bad!) She will be getting some AFO’s (orthopedic splints) and is being scheduled for a physical therapy evaluation. So, yes, we have a fun filled summer of Dr.’s appointments! The sad thing is, is that it is also time for the little boys to have their yearly blood work and trips to the ENT to check for tube placement and all that jazz! Needless to say, our family alone is creating a mountain of paperwork for the pediatrician’s office!
A few things we’ve learned about our girl since she’s been home:
She does not like to finger feed herself….but we are making progress and she is eating more on her own everyday..she will also use a fork (some.)
She likes to chew on EVERYTHING..esp. books
She will eat any and all fuzz balls!!! (So we have a new vacuuming routine)
She loves to be held.
She rocks herself to sleep.
She smiles a lot.
She is now responding to her name an seems to be understanding more of what we are saying to her.
She still loves music and give hugs!
She is absolutely precious and we are so glad she is apart of our family!
It really is amazing to us how smooth the transition has been for bringing her home and into our family. Last year, the boys were so much more work….and dealing with Micah’s “institution” behavior so exhausting. I remember just getting a shower in those days was like a mini vacation! But of course they were and are still worth it!!
More pics coming soon!
Blessing the Name of The Lord!!
Saturday, Matthew wanted to get a balloon that was across the room, and he hopped off the couch and took off. He has been walking the short distance from the couch to the love seat, but Saturday he just took off and walked all over the room for about 15 minutes. He was more than proud of himself. He was just ecstatic and laughed and clapped. He not only walked, he would bend down and stand back up without holding onto anything. He got up from the floor and stood and walked without touching anything. Wow. We were excited! He has continued to walk all about. Such a surprise blessing! WATCH THIS!
