Carving Pumpkins

No, they don't carve pumpkins in Latvia! So, it was quite an experience for my son to dig out the inside of a pumpkin, draw a face, carve it out, stick a candle it and put it on the front porch! In fact, he asked why we sit it outside and I honestly didn't know. I resorted back to my... "because that's just what we do" excuse! I use that one quite frequently. Ahhhh.... so many "firsts."

This kid has a "first year" photo album that would rival any baby! He's the most photographed teenager on the planet. Happy Halloween!

Salvation & Baptism

On September 8 & 9, Ryan attended a conference with his Christian School. It was called the "Get Real" Conference. This conference focused on exactly what it said... getting real with yourself, your family, your friends and most of all, God. I knew from the title alone, it would be a great conference for Ryan. He wants so much to please others, but we want so much for him to simply be himself and let his own thoughts and feelings known. We never want him to do anything just because he thinks we want him too, much less salvation and baptism. We've had alot of conversations about it, but have never fenced him into making a decision, that needed to come from him. Honestly, he's gone back and forth as to whether he was a Christian or not. Before you think that's normal for an orphan... Ryan was incredibly blessed in a "spiritual" matter of thinking. He was chosen to attend a Christian summer camp 2 summer's in a row. It was a camp put on by a Riga church. Their members and kids would attend and they would invite some orphanage children as well. Ryan took to "God" like a fish to water. He saw and heard something there, in the message and in the people, that made a huge impression on him. He came to us knowing alot about the bible. Granted it was a head knowledge that we will now apply to the heart, but it was pretty remarkable. In fact, he would travel from his orphanage into Riga city most Sunday's just to see them and attend that church.

Well, at the conference, on the last day, he did walk forward, feeling he had not made a heart decision for God and it was time. That Sunday, he went forward in our church and the following Sunday, September 21st, he was baptized. So that nothing is seen as "ritual," we showed him in the bible where Jesus was baptized. Baptism isn't a thing done over there, so it was important that he understood what he was doing and it was "symbolically" following in the footsteps of Jesus. My dad, who is a pastor, was able to baptize him. He baptized me of course, many moons ago, so it was a real special thing for me to watch my dad baptize my son. God is pretty awesome in general, but that day, it felt as though my heart would explode with the knowledge of the amazing thing he had done in all our lives! Enjoy the photos and God Bless!

Walk for Hope!

Ryan and I will be walking in the "Walk for Hope" on October 25, 2008. This walk benefits orphans. Unless our names move... you can see "Michelle" and "Ryan" at the bottom of this page to show that we are registered. http://nhfcwalkforhope.eventbrite.com/

Ryan has been given the opportunity to be rescued from the life he was living as a child in an orphanage. We will both walk together, in honor of the thousands of orphans that are still waiting in line behind him. We praise God for leading us to Ryan and having the opportunity to make him our son. Now, we work and pray for the other children who remain. Please join us as we raise funds to offer more orphans the chance to change their destiny. There are MANY more just like him... waiting.

If you are able, we'd love to have you as a sponsor on the "Vernon" team. We have both already received a $50 sponsor each (Thank You Hatcher's in Texas) so we're off to a great start at meeting our goals. New Horizons is a non-profit, 501c3 ministry, so ALL contributions are tax deductible.

You can make your check payable to New Horizons for Children and send it directly to our home address. Thank you! (33 Autumn Woods Dr, Dallas GA 30157)

Spirit Week

Well, it's safe to say Ryan never spent a week of school in Latvia dressing up in ridiculous costumes! This is spirit week, also known around here as Homecoming week. Each day, the kids dress up in different things. Monday was pajama day, Tuesday cowboy day, Wednesday decade day, Thursday sports team day and Friday is Lion Spirit day, because they are the "Lions." He and I both have had fun pulling the costumes together. Not easy, as we don't have a lot of wardrobe to pull from, but we have great friends who loan us things like cowboy boots and hats! (Thanks Boyers)

I knew you couldn't miss what my little European has dressed up as this week. On cowboy day, he looked awesome! He had pearlized buttons, big belt buckle, really great boots and a great hat. Some girl from 12th grade asked him if they even had cowboy boots in Europe! His reply, of course not. Him walking on a pair of "heels" was hilarious, he's never had anything on that had a heel. Anyway, we've had so much fun. His 80's hair is courtesy of his momma's fabulous hair skills! He was a most excellent looking 80's breakdancer. On Thursday, sports team day, he wore his Latvia soccer jersey and hat. We figured no one else in school would be wearing that team! It will stink to go back to uniforms next week... well not really, this has taken alot of effort. Enjoy!

Tooth Fairy suggestions?

I don't post alot about Ryan's "old life." Mostly, to protect his privacy. But, in this case, I'm going to share what he told me the other night. Two reasons... for you to really get a picture of the complete dysfunction they come from. I want you to really see why it's so important for these kids to, at least, be hosted. They really, truly NEED a new model of family. Second, to shine a spotlight on the childhood they've missed out on. If there was ever a reason to host and consider adopting an older child, this story might be it...

Ryan said to me that if he ever broke his tooth, he was going to put it under his pillow. I didn't know where that was coming from, but he is taking karate, so I suppose it's a completely plausible scenario. He said he'd "heard" that sometimes, if you placed your tooth under your pillow, it would get taken and there would be 1 Lat in it's place (which is like 50 cents here). I told him yes, that was known as the tooth fairy and little children place their tooth under their pillow for her to visit and leave something for them. He laughed out loud at the notion of a tooth "fairy." I asked again how he knew about it and had he ever done it? He said, yes, he had done it once, but nothing happened. I asked how he knew to do it and he said his "mom" told him about it. Puzzled, I asked why his "mom" would tell him that but then not actually do anything? He said, "I don't know, probably just to see if I was dumb enough to do it."

So, I'm taking suggestions on what our new Vernon family tradition can be, something to place under the pillow. Feel free to comment. My baby will be putting SOMETHING under his pillow and I... I mean the newly created Vernon family fairy, will be leaving him a dollar. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Please pray for the waiting children. Winter hosting signup will begin soon. This is a perfect picture of why I'm so passionate about these kids, especially older kids. They aren't perfect, they have challenges, but they've been so short-changed, they really deserve some extra grace and alot of love!

"Kid-legs" (inside joke, read on)

Thanks to everyone for praying for Ryan's first weeks of school. He is settling in very well. This smaller and Christian environment was great for him. Everyone has been welcoming and gracious. He has been doing fantastic with his school work. Everyday after school we sit down at the table and review what he brings home, do the homework and study concepts if needed. He's had a test in virtually every subject. His first test was in English and he got a 90! I was so excited and so thrilled. He studied very hard, he's learning and memorizing well when I put things on note cards for him. He's learning so much, how to take notes, how to listen, how to keep up with assignments, how to do homework, how to change classrooms, how to get books and get to the next class within 5 minutes, how to read directions, how to study... it makes me tired, but he's had a great attitude. He also got a 100 on a history test. He has struggled initially on science and vocabulary tests, but goodness, those words are just so foreign to him, they aren't everyday common conversational English. It's like this, if you put 20 Chinese words in front of me and told me the Chinese meaning and I needed to memorize them, it would be very difficult for me. I'd need to learn to recognize the word by sight, memorize how to say it properly, know how to spell it and know it's meaning! Yeah, exactly, feel his pain? In fact, he studied so hard for his health test last week and didn't get a good grade. I told him I was disappointed, NOT in him, but he worked so hard, I wished he had more to show for it grade-wise. He memorized 46 index cards of material. His response... "yeah mom, but look at all the stuff I know now that I didn't know before." If only we could all see things that way. His payoff didn't come via the grade, it came because he KNEW he was smarter for learning so many new things. He likes to use the word "symbiosis" now just for fun!

Funny story. I was teaching him where the adrenal glads are located. For those of you who haven't had 7th grade health in a while, they are above the kidneys. He didn't know what a kidney was. So, to teach him, I start with sounding the word correctly using visuals and phonetics. With kidney, I told him "kid" and pointed to the "knees." Later, as we reviewed the material, we got around to the adrenal glands/kidney question. Here's the conversation:

Mom- Ryan, where are the adrenal glands located?

Ryan- Well, let's see... hummm... (the universal sound of thinking)........ kid.......... kid........... the kid legs!

Mom- (laughing hysterically, virtually crying I'm laughing so hard, almost falling out of the chair)

Get it? Kid-knees.... couldn't remember the knees part... knew it had something to do with lower extremities..... kid-legs.

The kidneys will forever be the kid-legs in this house! Bless his heart, he's just so precious sometimes.

Citizen Vernon

Today was a really important day, Ryan's citizenship ceremony. Adopted children over the age of 14 must appear in person to take an oath and sign some papers in order to get their citizenship certificate. He was a citizen when he entered the US with me from the last adoption trip, but this gave him the official document that he will have to keep up with for the rest of his life! Here's a few pictures of the morning, it was a pretty neat experience to see all those people becoming "new Americans." The majority of people there were probably immigrating, but there were 2 other adopting families from the host program. Congratulations also to Jessica from Russia and Aleksandra from Latvia!

I confess I'm a mess!

My baby started school today... I confess to be a mess!

After I left him in his homeroom class, I went in the school office to ask a question and just started crying! I had been holding it in all morning and the levy broke! Bless their hearts... I promised to not cry daily at the front desk. Thankfully, there was another 7th grade mom there and she made me feel so much better. I am sad because I just lost having my boy with me every day. Other moms have 5 years to get ready for this, I only got 4 months! Whatever will I do with myself now that he's not here with me? I miss him terribly. Of course I took a picture, so many "firsts."

Special Guest

We have a special Latvian guest for a few weeks. Igor will be here until August 24th. He was a hosted boy in this summer's orphan hosting program. However, he was also 1 of 3 that missed the European connection flight because of major delays in their originating city. So, we've added yet another boy to the household... why is it always boys? Igor and the other 2 children will travel with the mission team when they leave for Latvia/Russia on August 24th. We were given approval to do so by Latvia, seeing as they don't start school until September and they certainly do not want them traveling alone. I met Igor in his orphanage in September 2007, he's 16 years old. He and Ryan are having a good time together. He speaks Russian, so Ryan's Russian is getting a workout. Ryan's starting school though, so he'll likely be very bored with only me during the days and my Russian is limited to about 5 words! Just a few pictures in case you see him with us.

Birthday Bash

We had a wonderful 1st Birthday in America, what a fun party. Ryan just wanted everyone to come out and play soccer, volleyball and any other games they wanted to bring outside. All the kids brought water guns and we had a water war later in the evening with most every child ending up soaking wet. Our church soccer fields were the perfect spot, God held the rain and it was overcast; we couldn't have asked for a better night. Ryan blew candles off a cake for the first time, what a blessing to watch. A night of many firsts for our very deserving boy. It really is a gift for us, to be able to offer him so much, not materially, but in life experiences. Jon asked him if it was the best day of his life and after he thought about for a minute and said, "well, it was the best afternoon!" Not sure what the best morning was, we'll save that for another day I guess, but the point was that he thought about it and really did enjoy his party and his friends coming out to play with him. I pray it was a special afternoon he'll remember forever. We thank each of you for coming and supporting him! I've posted several pictures but made them smaller size. Remember, you can always click into one of the pics to make it larger. Then, just press the "back" button to get back to the blog. Other than his trampoline, he also got a soccer goal to practice kicking in the backyard, some toys and this way cool spiderman suit... in case you wondered how it was that Spidey just came to hang out in our house on the loveseat! (hee, hee)

The "BIG" Present... Literally

Why is it that one present on your birthday or Christmas has to be called, "the big present?" You know, "I got so and so, and such and such, but... that was my big gift." Well, a trampoline was his "big gift." In fact, after it was home he said, "That's the biggest prsent I ever got. Well, parents are biggest, then this." But, for the record, the trampoline is actually bigger than me. Ryan had jumped on trampolines at other kid's houses and really liked them. However, Iwasn't crazy about buying a new one, because I wasn't sure his long-term zeal would match the price tag. We hunted a used one and luckily our church friends had a neighbor selling one. We got a fantastic deal, $60 for this commercial grade trampoline! And, since it's hard to keep a giant 14 foot circle a surprise... he got to help put it together. He loves it.

Come to Ryan's Birthday Party!

Everyone is invited to Ryan's 1st Birthday... in America that is. It's his first real birthday party, according to him. However, he does not understand the concept of a theme, so don't ask us if we have one because he's just decided to incorporate EVERYTHING he likes! After explaining all the ideas for celebrating a birthday, he decided he wanted a "soccer parity." When pressed for what that would be, he simply said, "I just want everyone to come over and play soccer." Well, that's easy and it's what he wants. So, as I looked online for soccer plates and cups and all that jazz, he sat and thought. I asked if he wanted something different, "American stuff?" Yes, ok, so we are having an international soccer party with Americana accents. Got it. Next, the cake. Last night I showed him the cutest soccer cake, complete with little plastic player people. Again, he sat and thought. I asked if he wanted something different, "Iron Man?" Yes, ok, so we are having an international soccer party with Americana accents and now an Iron Man cake. Got it. Like I said, we're sort of all over the place, but he's so excited to just make his choices known and work everything into one party!

Our Soccer/Americana/Iron Man Party takes place at the Fortified Hills Baptist Church Soccer Fields, 4705 East Paulding Drive, Friday July 25th, 6:30-8:30 pm. Bring your soccer cleats and your water gun. Eat dinner before you come so you're not running around on a full stomach. This party is for the whole family. Join us as we celebrate Ryan's biggest gift this year- family! No gift required, it's your presence that's desired.

Independence Day

What a great Fourth of July we had! We went to see my mom and dad for a couple days in Gatlinburg. It was a double header for sure. Ryan saw his first parade. Gatlinburg has a midnight parade in order to be the first Independence Parade in the nation. So, he and I, along with mom, stayed up for that and it was worth it. On the 4th night, we wandered up in the hills a bit to get good seats for the fireworks over the city. Boy oh boy did we. We pulled the car off alongside the road. Shortly thereafter, others came along, jealous of our location. It was perfect, the trees just sort of parted and there was the sky! One other family finally stopped and pulled in behind us. Then, a local guy came and said he had been coming to that spot for 6 years. Come to find out, the fireworks were directly underneath us, literally. Just at the base of the hill we were parked on, sat all these little white boxes... which contained fireworks. We had a front row seat and I've never seen a show to that magnitude. It was awesome! I know the video is going the wrong direction, I can't figure out how to rotate it, but you'll get the point. This was the finale, about 60 seconds of it. I'm taking it from behind Ryan, just to get him in the shot. It was a great holiday, celebrating America's Birthday. Of course, while we were there, we used our Dollywood passes and rode some go-carts. We packed alot in a couple of days, that's just life for us here lately. We wish we had time to do more, but this summer is just packed with a million things to handle for this new youngun', as we say down south.

Who will cry for the Orphan?

Who will cry for the orphan boy who is lonely all his years
Who will cry for the orphan girl whose eyes have run out of tears
Who will give an orphan child the things they really need
Like home and love and family, yes who will hear and heed
Who will love an orphan child, the Bible says we should
Who will give an orphan child a loving home for good
Who will love an orphan child, the Bible says we must
Who will give an orphan child a sense of belonging and trust
We live in a culture that has it all, but tells us we need more
Will orphans without home or love ever see our door
What use is faith that fails to love the orphans as we should
God gave us wealth so we could give an orphan a home for good
What use is faith that says to a child who desperately needs a home
"Go in peace, be warmed and filled", but then leaves her all alone
How can I tell an orphan child of a God who loves them so
They'll never understand God's love, if my love they don't know
How can I tell them Jesus died to take away their sin
They won't care that Jesus died when they are dying within
God said we're all orphans here, and sent Jesus to pave the way
And if we accept His gift of love, we're a Child of God today
Adoption is God’s proof of love according to His Word
Adoption is the word of love the orphan has never heard
Adoption is God's gift of love, the love that we all need
Adoption is the orphans cry, but who will hear and heed
Who will cry for the orphan child, it's something they cannot do
But, who will cry for the orphan child? If they can't, will you?

Copyright © 2007 Gerald D. Clark Author grants duplication privileges for non-commercial ministry use only. Any such use must include this copyright notice. The Home For Good Foundation can be found at www.hfgf.org

Final Trip Complete

We have just returned from our third and final trip to Latvia. As for Jon and I, we are so happy to be finished with this part of the paperwork journey. More is to come now here in the states, but at least we can unpack our suitcases for a while! For Ryan, well, I think there is probably a mixture of emotions. Just as the enemy has sought to shake Jon and I over the last 5 months, he has tried to shake Ryan and make him question himself and his decisions. We just keep reminding one another that God has done a big work, in all our lives, and we must continue thanking him for the gift of one another and trusting Him with the path He is leading each of us on. We praise him for Ryan's opportunity for new life.

We ask for your continued prayers when Ryan comes to mind. It will not be easy, he has been led astray in so many areas; by his former parents and the incredibly tough life of an orphanage kid. However, we believe in the plan of God for his life and believe He will give all three of us the discernment, patience and direction to set him on the right path, especially as we begin to breakdown long-time strongholds, re-frame life experiences and set a new moral standard (a Godly standard according to His word) for his life. It's a gift for Jon and I to be a part of this young boy's life and we thank everyone who has walked and prayed with us in this journey. I've posted a few pictures from our trip.

In the way of continued prayer, we've only been able to raise $1885.00 towards our adoption costs. I need to finalize my receipts today from this trip, but it looks like start to finish cost for this adoption will end around $21,000. We've long since trusted God with this debt, as we knew it would be a reality of the process. Next tax year we will receive a tax credit from the federal government of about $10,000 of the costs. Until then, we had hoped to fund raise at least $8,000 of the adoption. I'm afraid this economy has kicked in and everyone is strapped. Grant organizations are being bombarded and there just isn't enough for everyone and it's completely understandable. If you are able, and feel genuinely led, to make a donation towards Ryan's rescue, please see my May 9th post entitled "status of grants/fundraising." Details are there on how to make a tax-deductible donation. We KNOW that not everyone who would like to help financially can do so. Please just pray alongside us for God to open the door of opportunity, wherever and however it may come. We will not place God in a box or any limitations on how He plans to guide us in accomplishing this feat! (Singer for hire... ha, ha)

The other two remaining prayer needs are that God will guide us quickly in the decision of Ryan's new school. We feel very strongly that he needs to be in a Christian school environment this fall. He is simply too vulnerable right now to throw him into a gigantic public middle school. Also, we've been praying all along about moving Ryan's age and whether that is the right decision. As you know, Ryan "technically" turns 15 this summer, but was only at a 6th grade education level in Latvia. Quite simply, he isn't a true 15 year old when compared to American 15 year olds. He has developmental delays as a result of the traumas he's been through. For institutionalized children such as him, that cannot enter our society at the level of their age counterparts here in the states, you can actually apply to roll back their age up to 2 years. Sounds crazy, I know, but it can be quite a gift to give a child who is severely off in their mental, emotional and social development. After 5 months of observation and prayer, I do think we need to do this for him. Pray for that process, for God's will to come to pass.

God Bless everyone who has traveled the journey with us. Your prayers have sustained us. Your encouragement has lifted our spirits. Your willingness to help has blessed us. You are our treasured friends and we pray that God is working miracles in your life as well. We pray He astounds you today with His love for you. We pray an answered prayer of this magnitude finds it's way into your life. If it does, but looks a little different than you pictured it, follow Him. He will affirm you and guide you every step of the way.

Thank you- Jon, Michelle and Ryan

"My Mom Rocks!"

Ryan was given a T-shirt that says, "My Mom Rocks!" Can you imagine how much I love that shirt? Seriously, I think it's super-fabulous. Well, without too much nudging, my precious son agreed to wear it to church today. Isn't he awesome? Also, my parents surprised us by showing up at our church this morning. A nice surprise on my first Mother's Day. Just a few pictures from My Day! Sorry to make this post all about me...

(by the way, you can always click inside the picture to make it open up larger)

Status of Grants/Fundraising

Well, we've not had the best news as far as grants are concerned. One still hasn't completed the review of our application submitted back in March. The other let us know we didn't receive an award. That one did, however, set us up a non-profit account to allow donors to receive a tax deduction for any donations made. We submit receipts to the organization for our costs, and they disperse funds to us that are collected in this account. I'm very grateful for this because the least we can do is provide non-profit status for donors to be good steward of the funds pledged to us.

I genuinely LOATHE talking about money! I also genuinely LOATHE that adoption costs are upwards of $20,000 for adopting families. This is the number one factor in Godly, Christian families deciding whether to adopt. It's not usually a matter of the heart, but a matter of the pocketbook. There are many grants out there, but many families competing for them. There just aren't enough funds to help every family and every child. I honestly wish I could do something to change this! I refuse to look at an orphaned child and see a dollar sign, it breaks my heart! But, I know the reality of costs because we are living them. We are not people to live above our means, we never have and hopefully never will. We've never lived on credit, both our parents taught us to live inside what God provides. But, we also know the stress of acquiring almost $20,000 of debt in only a 5 month window. We haven't had that kind of debt in 11 years of marriage! It's un-nerving and I regularly speak with God about it, but I find myself feeling the need to justify the debt, which I know is crazy because it's not like we went out and refurnished our home or bought a new car on credit. For heavens sake, we are saving our son. That shouldn't have such a high cost, but it does. It's not unlike someones medical expenses when an emergency strikes. I tell you, the enemy looks for ways to shake your faith. This is new territory for us though. It's times like this when I think about the prayer of Jabez, I really wish God would enlarge my territory and my boundaries. My greatest passion in life is helping these children in their orphanages. My new second greatest passion, is seeing them be completely delivered and into a Christian home. I honestly pray that God would allow me to do more for them.

For this reason alone I mention this. Many of you from afar have asked what you can get Ryan as far as a welcome gift. Truthfully, Ryan has been blessed with much. We have quite a few people in our church that have given him gifts, freely given us used items like bikes, etc! He truly has what he needs. In lieu of purchasing him another gift, I would ask you to consider making a donation to his rescue. It is just as important for Ryan to learn that "gifts" aren't always tangible things. Consider a spiritual gift, it isn't always something you can "see." In the past couple years, I've learned what a gift it is when others faithfully pray along side me! Prayer is free, but it's worth cannot be measured. In While we would never desire to make him completely aware of the costs associated with this adoption, we do think it can be a good lesson to teach him that Christians help one another in the ways they are capable. Some pray, some put their hands to service, some give financially. So, while I know it's not a "tangible" gift, for those wishing to give him something, I'd ask you to prayerfully consider a donation to his rescue. Then, when you give him a card welcoming him here, please just write a heartfelt message that says how proud you are that he is coming here forever and for that reason you desire to help complete his adoption. It points to God as the only Savior in this picture, the only true Deliverer. It also mirrors that we as Christians do nothing alone, we need one another and we need Christ.

LifeSong for Orphans (www.lifesongfororphans.org) is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world. They believe adoption, at its core, is evangelism; a vital part of the Great Commission to bring the mission field home. God desires orphans from all nations to be adopted into Christ-honoring families so they may ultimately be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ. If you would like to be a part God’s plan financially, you can make a tax-deductible gift to LifeSong for Orphans. Write “preference Vernon Adoption” in the memo section of your check. Deadline to have funds received is June 30, 2008. Send your gift to LifeSong for Orphans, PO Box 40/202 N. Ford St, Gridley IL 61744

We're home... again!

We returned from Trip #2 last night. What a fast and furious trip! Court was a little nerve-wracking. This court was in an actual courtroom, 9 people present; Me, Ryan, My translator, Our attorney, the Orphanage social worker, the Tukums Court director, the Judge, Court secretary and Prosecutor. Yikes! It was the real deal this time! I had the "pleasure" of a new prosecutor that had never done an adoption case, so I think he wanted to prove to everyone that he knew what he was doing. He asked me every question listed in the adoption laws, though all had been answered a million times over in the paperwork. Oh well, all gave their final consent and approval to the adoption and as of May 7th, 2008, we are the official parents of Mr. Ryan Blake Vernon. The court takes 14 days to finalize the verdict, then there is a 20 day waiting period, then we can pickup our verdict. So, about 5 weeks from now, we will revisit Latvia again and finalize all the paperwork for the adoption. Next trip looks to be around June 15-21st. Thanks for your prayers, we are weary, but home!

School Days... ???

Ryan and I have been very busy. It's nearing the end of hosting signup, which means I am trying to get any and every opportunity to speak about the orphan hosting ministry. Between last Sunday and today I've had 5 different singing and/or speaking opportunities. One was in the evening and as I was leaving Ryan said... "you are going to talk about me again?" Funny, but yes, I'll be talking about you for the rest of my life. I followed up with, "don't you want to hear me sing again?" He quickly said no, then followed it up with, "but I hear you sing every day." Truly though, he's been a great sport about accompanying me to the daytime functions.

Ryan is LOVING having a soccer team. This is his first chance ever to be on a "real" team. He loves the team concept. All during the week he talks about his game coming up on Saturday. Coach Dad is, of course, "required" by law or something to teach him about American football. With that, Ryan asked me this week if his Upward team won the next 7 games in a row, did they get to play a big, final game? As you can see, the sports are running together and there's been too much superbowl talk! (Ha) Yesterday I used the NFL draft to point out that the people sitting at those tables with those athletes were their momma's and daddy's... i.e. I will always be important...always! And, one day when he has his name etched on a table sign, I will gaze ever so sweetly into the camera and wave to everyone and say, "that's my boy." Now I just need one of those Chunky Soup commercials to come on so I can further illustrate my point, that momma's are FOREVER important, not just at draft tables but in his subsequent commercials as well!

Oh my, now my need of prayer! While we never considered this before now, we are now and find ourselves in new territory. Observing Ryan, getting to know him, realizing the special needs he has to build foundational, key things these next couple years in particular... we are considering and entertaining the idea of Christian School. This is for several reason. This is not about dogging public education, seeing as we are both public school teachers. Ryan's class in Latvia was TINY. Now that he's gone, he said there are 3 remaining 7th graders! His entire school was in sort of a small two-story house. Plus, he is not a fan of crowds. If there is a crowd, he would just as soon find a way out of it. He's quite social, but larger group settings just make him a little uneasy. So, throwing him into a 1000+ enrollment strikes me as something he's not ready for. He will also need very patient teachers. He has alot to learn, not just in subject matter, but in boundaries, cultural norms, social skills, etc. This first year will be critical in how he embraces schooling in America. In that regards, being surrounded by Godly people who will practice grace, mercy and loving discipline, will be a priceless addition to his growth and maturation here.

Finally, he's been surrounded by the "world" for so long. I want to think he's paid his dues in full to meanness, abuse, apathy and cruelty. He's more than seen the darkness of humanity, he's lived it. I think he deserves and needs to be surrounded by love, salt and light. I pray he never again has to re-visit the depths of human sin that he has witnessed. Everyone should pray their children never experience such, but mine already has.

This schooling decision isn't as much about his protection as it is about his redemption and his restoration. We as humans and sinners don't deserve much of what God blesses us with. But, every once in a while, he just blesses us for our patience and faith. I'd like to think that's how it will be this fall for Ryan. He isn't perfect, but he's had a certain amount of faith and patience, he's held onto hope when everything around him was screaming otherwise. I'd personally like to think this is God's plan, just to bless my son for holding on, not growing hard-hearted and not becoming bitter. Joel 2 says, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten." I believe God is opening our eyes and placing this idea on our hearts because He himself wants to bless Ryan with an environment that is loving, kind, gracious and patient. For how long? I don't know. I'm thinking at least 2 years, 7th and 8th grade. Then, if he's ready and grounded, maybe he'd like to go to high school with his dad. I can't see the future, only what I feel led to right now and this is how we are leaning. We would ask for your prayers. As public educators, we are not wealthy people and this type of education is not free. We desperately need God's wisdom and guidance starting now. One thing we're praying about is if it's God's plan for me to get a position at such a school, that would certainly help, as the children of employees are on reduced rates and it would be an answer to two prayers 1) our son's education and 2) where does God plan to plant me this fall job-wise?

Everything is our world is so new, not unlike many other brand-new parents. I pray alot. I cry alot. Not because I'm sad of course, but I just look at the face of this precious commodity God has given me. I feel so vulnerable and, at the same time, he looks so vulnerable to me. Not in the natural of course, but I see the condition of his heart. You know, I have my first Mother's Day coming up and I'm more than a little excited! I was thinking in church this morning, if someone asked me on my 1st Mother's Day what I loved most about my child, what would I say? Others could draw on their child's strength's and accomplishments. They could reference all the wonderful things their child has done. But, I don't even know entirely who Ryan is yet! I don't know all his strength's and bless his heart, his first accomplishment might have been the red star (for best defense) he won at the Upward game on Saturday. The only reason I'd be able to give is... because he's mine. And, know what, that's pretty good reason to me! God Bless everyone! Thanks for your encouragement, thanks for reading, thanks for praying!

2nd Adoption Trip Coming Up

I got a call this morning. Our 2nd of 3 court appearances in Latvia will be Wednesday, May 7th. The 2nd court appearance is incredibly simple and short, yet requires one parent and the child's attendance, if over age 12. Appearance for the 3rd court requires an elapsed time frame of 21 days minimum after the 2nd court. So, it's possible our 3rd and final court completing his adoption could be late May/early June. We have an additional legal issue we need to enter into here in the US, but can't start until his adoption is complete. It would be wonderful to begin that at the start of the summer so hopefully everything regarding him legally could be complete before school begins. God is in control of all these dates and times, He's moved this child along so fast that we can barely keep up! It's just greater evidence that He too wishes him to be able to begin his new life without any more strings or legal proceedings.

Celebration "Shower"

As I understand it right now, Ryan's "shower" will be Saturday, May 3rd, 10-12am. Amy Herring is hosting it at her home. Her email is jaboherring@bellsouth.net.

I've been asked for ideas and these are my thoughts. I've taken Ryan to Target and Walmart and he did a registry at both. (Check under my name at each) Granted, the registry might drive you a little crazy because we were all over the store! There are some duplicates between stores, but other things are originals. I tried my best to corral him on some things, but some I know he will have to save his money for. Just know that I don't actually expect any of my friends and family to spend exorbitant amounts of money, please do not! He can save money for the higher priced items just like the rest of us. It will do him well to learn the art of saving for what you want.

With that said, other than the registry, I think gift cards to Gamestop, Blockbuster, Marshall's, Ross, Lifeway, Chick-fil-A and McDonald's are all great ideas. He would also love passes/tickets to bowling or the movies, especially since I've already been informed there are 3 superhero movies coming out this summer. He is saving money for karate lessons and a six flags/whitewater season pass. Size wise, he's about a 14-16. I think he's doing pretty good on summer clothing right now, I hit some consignment sales prior to our trip to Latvia.

Again, anything you do for him is a gift beyond your comprehension! With $10, he feels like he can buy the world! Everyone I know has bills and needs so please do not feel obligated to get him a gift. Since he's not a young child, gifts don't come quite so cheaply and Jon and I understand that. We really just appreciate your prayers for all of us as we continue the adoption process which still requires two more trips to Latvia, wisdom regarding Ryan's schooling options this fall and for his transition into family life. Thank You!

Settling in...

We've had some fun moments this week. First, I want to share a cool story. I really wanted Ryan to be able to play Upward Soccer. He's never played on a team in his life. But, I didn't know when we'd get to go to our first court and whether we'd be allowed to bring him home, so I hadn't signed him up. Sunday, I emailed our church Upward soccer coordinator, told him we were home and that I really wanted Ryan to play if there was still room. Later that day, he called me to say he had a spot and his team's first practice was the following night. As if there was any question about God's timing regarding this child, Rich told me how he had prayed and felt God tell him we would have 300 kids this year in Upward soccer. A few weeks ago after printing the initial rosters, he had 279. He prayed again, leaving the 21 other kids in God's hands. As of Sunday, Ryan was officially the 21st child added to the rosters; making him #300. Every once in a while God lets us see his unique timing in simple, but tangible ways. Other people have first steps, we have first soccer practices!

An equally wonderful moment... a couple days ago, after I asked him what he wanted to eat, Ryan sat down to a warmed up piece of cheese pizza and a yoo-hoo. He looked at it happily and said, "Life doesn't get any better than this." I guess it is all about perspective isn't it.

Finally, in the quiet of the morning, I wrote this little number. I have some sweet people that are planning a "shower" for me. It makes me laugh only because I envision women actually having to use their husbands and sons for this shower, otherwise they are doomed to stand in the boy action figure aisle wondering who in the world all those strange creatures are. It’s a special feeling though, that even though we are "unconventional," friends and family still wish to celebrate our first child. Thinking about that, this came to me:

Bottles and formula have I none
But I’ll always have plenty of bubblegum

Instead of rotating mobiles with bears, moons or stars
I find myself looking at the remote control cars

My days won’t be filled with Baby Einstein DVDs
I’m asked to download music into his MP3

I don’t know about percentiles, but I think he’s fairly tall
Forget about training wheels, he’s already shooting a basketball

Between skates and scooters, plenty of Band-Aids for the knee
I know the combined fear and joy of hearing, “Hey mom, look at me.”

I haven’t a clue about karate and can only guess at a soccer game
I’m guessing my video game skills are also pretty lame

But, as he snuggles in beside me, he let’s out a sigh
Says, “mommas are always warm,” and a tear forms in my eye

My job isn’t to swaddle him, but to be his biggest fan
He’s not a baby, but a boy, growing into a Godly man

Ryan's Friends

We were so fortunate to be able to attend church services with Ryan on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday. Ryan traveled from his orphanage into Riga most Sunday's for church. He had to take a bus and a train to get there and was the only child that did this. His orphanage was about 80 miles from Riga. The social system kids have a public transportation pass and he knew which routes to take to get there. That church has been kind to him and for that I will forever be so grateful. They are the ones who sponsored him to Christian camp and each Sunday they fed him after church when all the families ate together. He had no many to pay, but they fed him anyway. It reminds me so much of Jesus' statement, whatever you do unto the least of these, you have done unto me. We never know whose need we are meeting as the body of Christ. In this case, Christians on the other side of the country were sowing seeds into the life of my child.

It was wonderful to follow him into church and watch him say hello to friends. He was so proud to introduce us as his new parents. While church was in Russian, they were some familiarities. We could tell when they were saying the Lord's prayer and I could easily sing along to the Russian version of "Via Dolorosa" and "Up from the grave he arose" on Easter Sunday Morning. Because of Easter, they weren't having their normal services so Ryan did not get to attend his Sunday afternoon kids church service, which is where he would have seen many more friends. Easter week was a holiday week in Latvia, so I think many children were away with their families visiting relatives. We only got to meet a few of his friends, but I thought you'd like to see some of those photos. The main shot was taken inside his church while the kids choir was singing. I hope, when he and I return for our third court trip, to attend services again with him and get more photos.

Slavic was a boy from church who met us on another day and toured Riga cathedral with us. He was out of school that week, like the other kids. While out, Jon and I stopped to check emails and Slavic and Ryan went off walking by themselves. As a nervous mother, I was just praying and hoping nothing happened and that they made good decisions while they were out and about. Imagine my surprise when the two of them returned on time with presents... for us. Slavic had spent his own money shopping with Ryan to buy us gifts. Jon got a pair of sunglasses and they bought me a snow globe. I felt bad that Slavic had spent so much money and I wanted to repay him, but he wouldn't let us and just said that he felt we were very good people and we were doing something very nice for his friend. He and Ryan had a good time, he seemed like a very sweet boy. He liked hearing about America and even came back to the apartment to watch movies with us later that night. We were sad to see him go but grateful for the time he spent with Ryan.

We were not able to go to the orphanage this trip, but plan to go there on our 3rd trip to Latvia. At that point, we'll have pictures of the children and teachers from the orphanage.

Old Town Riga

Because of the location of Ryan's orphanage and the court proceeding, we stayed in Riga, which is the capital city of Latvia. In Riga, we reserved an apartment with two bedrooms. Sometimes the court would rather you reserve an apartment because it's more like a home setting. Renting apartments is actually fairly common there, just as common as reserving a hotel here. There are many hotels, but only one "brand" name hotel in all of Riga that you would even recognize, a Radisson. Other than that, just a hodge-podge mix of hotels and furnished apartments. I think they are more economical for adoption because you can go to the market to get food to prepare in your kitchen, which is far cheaper than eating our for 10 days. We only ate at a restaurant 2 evenings and went to the McDonald's a couple times. Other than that, we cooked food in our apartment.

In Riga, there is the Old Town Riga area, which is where we stayed. This is really a neat area, full of history and really interesting buildings and churches. We walked all over the place. Our tour guide, Ryan himself, knew Riga very well and took us everywhere we needed to go. He really loved taking us new directions and yet always ending up at "home." We had a good time just walking and looking. These are some of the beautiful pictures we got in this Old Town area. I made sure to include a good snow shot so you could see what we were walking around in. The birds are right outside our window. Ryan leaned out to take that one. We were on the top floor of the building so we had a great view and the birds visited us often.