tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73388292459503716522024-03-12T18:42:25.673-07:00Family Life in St. Petersburg (and sometimes in the US!)Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-40869784806279238872014-10-11T19:33:00.002-07:002014-10-11T19:33:20.811-07:00Six Months Home!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been exactly six months since Ilya came home.</div>
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And we have fallen in love with the <em>boy </em>whose picture we fell in love with first.</div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-11448181853163704922014-07-30T14:11:00.004-07:002014-07-30T14:11:47.637-07:00Almost 4 Months<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Once again I'm long overdue for a blog post!<br />
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Our new son, Ilya (Ilyusha), has been home for about 3 1/2 months now. We've almost made it to four months. Somehow, four months has been like a magic number for me. I have heard other adoptive parents say that at around four months home, things got better, life started feeling more normal. Near the beginning things were tough for us. Ilyusha was plucked from everything he ever knew, and thrown into a completely different world, and that is a rough adjustment for any child. Tantrums, meltdowns, super-clingy behavior... that was our life for several weeks. During that time, I thought to myself, "If we can just make it four months... it will get better." That was the hope that I clung to, and I tried to chase away the thought that would follow... "What if it doesn't?!"<br />
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And now, here we are, at almost 4 months, and it has gotten MUCH better. We've all adjusted to a new normal. Ilyusha has some more growing to do, emotionally, but he has come SO far. He is learning and experiencing new things every day, and he LOVES being part of a family. "Family" was a concept he didn't even know, four months ago. He's not the same little boy we met in Ukraine. Aaron described the way he seemed then as being "on autopilot." I don't know how else to describe it. Now, he is truly living.<br />
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Adoption is messy and hard, but absolutely beautiful. It's beautiful how God led us through the whole process, and how his timing was so perfect. We flew into Kiev right after the worst fighting ended there, and Aaron left Slavyansk with Ilya less than a week before the militant separatists took over that city. We got Ilyusha out at the very last minute, and we had no idea. (And we thought the paperwork process was delayed longer than it should be!) It's beautiful how Ilyusha is fitting in with our family, and it's a beautiful picture that is painted of how our heavenly Father loves us unlovable people, and how He invites us to be His sons and daughters. It's redemption.<br />
<span class="text Gal-4-4" id="en-ESV-29119"></span><br />
<span class="text Gal-4-4">"But <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-29119B" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-29119B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup>when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-29119C" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-29119C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup>born <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-29119D" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-29119D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup>of woman, born <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-29119E" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-29119E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></sup>under the law, </span><span class="text Gal-4-5" id="en-ESV-29120">to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-29120G" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-29120G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></sup>adoption as sons." -Galations 4:4-5</span><br />
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<span class="text Gal-4-5">Finally, here's what you all really want to see. Our video slideshow of the adoption experience. Enjoy!</span><br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-14857183060332808902014-04-09T15:31:00.001-07:002014-07-30T12:59:44.616-07:00Allow me to introduce...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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OUR NEW SON,<br />
Ilya (Ilyusha) Daniel Miner!<br />
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We LOVE this spunky little guy! And he should be coming home with Papa on Friday!!</div>
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I'm sorry that I woefully neglected my blog while we were in Ukraine. I sometimes get the idea that no one is reading it anyway, but then today someone told me they checked it recently to see if I had updated. So at least one person reads it!</div>
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Aaron and I were both in Ukraine for about 4 weeks, until we had court. After court, I was able to come back home to our kids here in the US, who had been staying with my parents. Aaron is still in Ukraine, finishing up the last part of the adoption process in Kiev When he gets home (hopefully) on Friday, it will be 3 weeks that he was there without me. I can't wait for that joyful day, when we are all reunited as one family!</div>
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Our experience in Ukraine was amazing. It's too much to write about right now. All I'll say right now is that adoption is hard, but beautiful. I'm sure we'll experience much more of the hard when Ilyusha gets home, and immeasurably more of the beautiful.</div>
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Praise the Lord!</div>
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"Who makes the orphan a son and daughter? The King of Glory. The King of Glory!"<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-14192230038274857672014-01-31T10:14:00.001-08:002014-07-30T12:59:35.151-07:00We Got Our Travel Date!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is a little excitement around our house right now...<br />
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We got the long awaited phone call this morning...<br />
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WE GOT OUR TRAVEL DATE to go get our son from Eastern Europe! Our appointment is on February 26 with the adoption authorities. We're not exactly sure which day we will leave, because we might go a few days early to visit some friends there.<br />
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WOO HOO! We have about 3 weeks to get ready! Aaron is already in trip planning mode... (He loves planning flights and travel stuff)!<br />
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Check out our fundraising thermometer on the right side! We are so close to the goal to be fully funded! THANK YOU so much to everyone who helped! It's hard to know exactly how much money we will need, because the stay in country can vary, but this is our best estimate. If you can help us get that last bit of the thermometer filled in, please click on the link to the right, with Camden's picture on it. We appreciate your prayers as we get ready to go and travel, too!<br />
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We also still have the fundraiser with Just Love Coffee Roasters going on. Click on <a href="http://www.justlovecoffee.com/miner" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this link</a> to go to our storefront and get some fantastic coffee, while helping us bring Camden home. A portion of your purchase goes to our adoption fund. I think some of this coffee would make a great Valentine's gift<br />
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There will soon be ONE LESS ORPHAN in this world! Praise God for his goodness and faithfulness! "I will not leave you as orphans..." -John 14:18<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-74246761692977940502014-01-15T19:41:00.000-08:002014-01-15T19:51:40.536-08:00Soon...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every time the phone rang today, my heart skipped a beat!<br />
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We are expecting a call any day now, that will tell us when our appointment with the adoption authority in Eastern Europe is. We know that we, and a few other families that had their dossiers submitted on the same day, are next up to find out our dates! It is hard to be patient! We are SO excited!!!!!<br />
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We will soon have a travel date to go get our little boy!<br />
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What will it be like to meet him for the first time? Will we bond quickly? What is his orphanage like? Sometimes I can't sleep because I'm running the scenarios through my mind. Or else I'm thinking about how to pack lightly for a 6 week trip! :)<br />
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Our fundraising thermometer has continued to rise, and we are so close to being fully funded! This fact blows my mind! How did that happen, and where did all that money come from?! We trusted God in stepping out to adopt a little boy who needs a family, despite all the "logical" reasons not to, and we have already seen Him bless that decision so much. His provision has been amazing! I know I can never say it enough, but THANK YOU to everyone who has donated and been praying for us. We have SO much of this journey still ahead of us, so we appreciate your continued prayers, and we trust that God's faithfulness will continue. We know that lots of things can still go "wrong," but it's all in our Father's hands, and He knows what's best.<br />
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Here's a picture of my adoption folder, where I organized all the documents we had to gather for our dossier. The picture is bad (just snapped with my webcam), but I wanted to point out the verses on it. <br />
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The first one (Psalm 68:5-6a) is one of the many verses that shows God's heart for the defenseless and the fatherless. The second one is one of my favorites, Ephesians 3:20-21:<br />
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"Now to him who is able to do<strong> immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine</strong>, according to his power that is at work within us,<strong> to him be glory</strong> in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever, Amen."<br />
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We don't know how this whole adoption part of our life's story will play out, but we know that God can make it happen and use it to do much more than I can imagine (immeasurably!), or even think to ask, for that matter! And he will do it all for his glory! That is one of my prayers in this adoption. Whatever it brings for our lives or Camden's life, <strong>may God get all the glory</strong>!! I can't wait to see what He does! Praise the Lord!<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-2191461557605932302013-12-10T20:45:00.001-08:002013-12-16T19:45:35.611-08:00Submitted! And Calendars for Sale!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We had great news last week! <u>Our dossier documents were submitted</u> to the adoption authorities in Camden's country. That means they are being processed, and we are <u>simply waiting</u> for them to tell us to come! It will be several weeks though, so we need to be patient! We were told there is a deadline mid-December, after which they don't take any more submissions before the holidays, and we were so glad that we made it right before that deadline!<br />
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We have a couple of new fundraisers going on right now. The first is calendars! We had these printed with pictures taken by some talented people, included my dad and some other friends, and a couple from us. Each picture has a Bible verse included. The calendars are spiral bound, and the pages are 8.5"x11" in size.<br />
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Here are you can see all the pictures for each month of the year:</div>
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Special thanks to Phil Nebe for some of the photos! You can see and purchase more of his work <a href="http://www.rvawanderer.smugmug.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. And also Laura Pittman for the cover photo. She has some of her work for sale at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IslandEncounters" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The purchase of her photos and artwork supports the great work she and her husband are doing in Fiji through Island Encounters. You can find out about it <a href="http://islandencountersfiji.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, and see her awesome wedding photography <a href="http://photo.islandencountersfiji.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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We are selling the calendars for <u>$10 each, plus shipping.</u> Send me an email to find out the shipping cost, at <a href="mailto:home4camden@gmail.com">home4camden@gmail.com</a>.</div>
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You can use PayPal to pay here:</div>
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<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">
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If you don't need a calendar, how about some great COFFEE?<br />
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You can order coffee from Just Love Coffee Roasters, and a significant portion of the cost goes to our adoption fund! Just be sure to order through our storefront at <a href="https://justlovecoffee.com/miner" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://justlovecoffee.com/miner</a>. We just ordered some ourselves, so we can't tell you personally how great it is, but we have a coffee connoisseur friend who thinks their coffee is fantastic! And how great is it that they are willing to give a portion of their profit to adopting families!?<br />
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We are getting so close to our fundraising goal, and we are so thankful to all who have helped! It's hard to believe that we will be traveling in the very near future. We are so excited to bring Camden home!<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-61257162817357914502013-11-26T19:54:00.001-08:002013-12-10T18:18:37.672-08:00And the Winner is....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you so much</span><span style="font-size: small;"> to everyone who participated in our American Girl doll giveaway!</span><br />
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We are thrilled to report that we had 364 tickets sold or given out, and the profit for our adoption grant was <span style="font-size: large;">$1,651!</span><br />
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That is <span style="font-size: large;">awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THANK YOU</span><span style="font-size: small;"> to each person who donated or shared the information about the contest on Facebook, for helping us to bring Camden home! So many people gave so generously!</span><br />
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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...<br />
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The winner is... <span style="font-size: large;">Becky M.! <span style="font-size: small;">Becky will get to pick the American Girl doll of her choice. </span>Congratulations!</span><br />
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And thanks again for my dear friend who let me use her little girl's picture all over my blog and Facebook! :)<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-30972047084971181342013-11-24T11:55:00.002-08:002013-11-24T11:55:53.261-08:00Time to (Try To) Wait Patiently!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On Thursday we got our USCIS approval. On Friday we drove to the state capital to get apostilles for it and a few other final documents. Then we walked to the nearest post office an MAILED that dossier! What a GREAT feeling!<br />
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That envelope you see me holding is precious and priceless! We sent it to another couple who is traveling to Camden's country on Sunday (today). Once they hand it to the team there, they will translate it and submit it to the adoption authorities. Then we wait for them to tell us when we can travel! Wait patiently... maybe patiently.... I am SO SUPER EXCITED to get to Camden's country and meet him! We're thinking it will be possibly in February, but we're not sure how the holidays will affect the processing time.<br />
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In other news, Lydia and I had a big morning yesterday. I ran in my first 5K race, and then Lydia got to dance in our town's Holiday Parade with her dance class!<br />
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I think I placed 155th or something like that, but it was fun to be in a race. Here's Lydia's group:<br />
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Lydia did great in the parade! She loved it too. Maybe partly because she got to wear eye shadow and lip stick! :) Here's a clip of her group dancing. It's hard to spot Lydia, but Aaron zoomed in on her back when he realized where she was in the group.<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-49769810814407405822013-11-21T19:43:00.001-08:002013-11-21T19:43:36.706-08:00We're Approved<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today our USCIS approval came in the mail! This was the last piece that we needed for our dossier! So... tomorrow we will be driving to our state capital (thankfully not too far away for us), getting apostilles for the last documents, and sending everything off to someone else who can carry them to Camden's country this weekend! I am SO excited!!!<br />
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Only 4 days left in our American Girl doll giveaway. Check out the details <a href="http://www.stpetersburgfamily.blogspot.com/2013/11/november-is-orphan-awareness-month-its.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and help us bring our little guy home!<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-48280041452265553532013-11-15T08:04:00.001-08:002013-11-15T08:09:33.367-08:00Seeing the End!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We are getting SO excited to get over to Eastern Europe and meet our Camden!<br />
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And the end of this process is in sight! Earlier this week we got our fingerprints done for USCIS approval (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). Yesterday we talked with the USCIS officer assigned to our case, and she said she thinks we'll get our approval next week! Please pray with us that it will be early in the week, because we would then be able to send our dossier over to Camden's country with another adoptive family that is traveling over the weekend.<br />
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After our dossier gets in the country, the team can translate it and submit it to the adoption authorities there. Then we wait for them to tell us to come! Can you imagine what it will be like for us to meet this sweet boy in person?<br />
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We pray that God is preparing him for our family, and us for him. When I typed the title of this blog, I felt a little bit like it was the wrong thing to say, because the END of this adoption process is really an amazing BEGINNING! The beginning of a huge adjustment for Camden (and us) and a new life in a loving family. The beginning of new struggles and challenges, but also hope and healing. Bring it on!<br />
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We think we will probably travel to Camden's country sometime in February. We are getting close to our financial goal to make it possible. Can you help? Now is a great time to donate and also get a chance to win an American Girl doll! See our <a href="http://www.stpetersburgfamily.blogspot.com/2013/11/november-is-orphan-awareness-month-its.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-79980581988251433792013-11-04T14:25:00.001-08:002013-11-07T12:58:54.522-08:00Win an American Girl Doll!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
November is orphan awareness month! It's also the month of Camden's birthday! So... it's a great time to do a new <span style="font-size: large;">GIVEAWAY</span>, as a fundraiser to help us bring Camden home!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We're giving away an American Girl Doll!</span></div>
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(Above: A sweet friend of ours with her doll)<br />
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There are<span style="font-size: large;"> two ways</span> to enter the contest. Here's how:</div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Donate</span> to our sponsorship site on Reece's Rainbow (<a href="http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorminer">www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorminer</a>) Each $5 donated will give you one ticket! Please let me know if you donate, because I can't find out immediately who donated. Email me your receipt to <a href="mailto:home4camden@gmail.com">home4camden@gmail.com</a>, or send me a message on Facebook.</li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Share</span> this blog post on Facebook, your blog, or other social networking site. You can earn <u>one</u> ticket this way! You must let me know if you do this, too; otherwise I might not notice it. Please send me the link to the site where you shared this post, either in the comments here, or at <a href="mailto:home4camden@gmail.com">home4camden@gmail.com</a>.</li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only 1,000 tickets will be given out!</span></div>
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All contestants will be entered into a spreadsheet, and the drawing will be done through RandomPicker (<a href="http://www.randompicker.com/">www.randompicker.com</a>). We end the contest whenever we reach 1,000 tickets, or on November 25 (The Monday before Thanksgiving). Please make sure I have contact info for you, so I can let you know if you win! If you are the winner, you can choose your American Girl doll (up to $110), or Bitty Baby Twins (up to $115).</div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-53842599646130315042013-10-27T12:58:00.000-07:002013-11-04T12:42:07.076-08:00The Mercury is Rising!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had an exciting phone call two days ago. We were told we will receive some grant money that we applied for, from a great orphan ministry! It was more than we were expecting! PRAISE THE LORD! We are so thankful for this! Check out our thermometer on the side!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-47744981331318861452013-10-18T19:36:00.000-07:002013-10-18T19:36:17.770-07:00Home Study Done!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been wanting to post this for a few days, but every evening when I sit down at the computer, I'm too tired to think about what to write!<br />
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I'm tired tonight, too, but I have to at least let the blog world know that our home study report is DONE! It got delayed for so long, but it is finally done, and one copy has been sent to USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services), for approval! We are praying that this approval process will be expedited by a letter that our wonderful doctor wrote to go with the documents. After we get approval, then our dossier can be sent to Eastern Europe! We can't wait!<br />
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We are also excited that our fundraising thermometer on the side of our blog looks like it's about half full! For those of you who have given so generously, THANK YOU! We are planning another fundraiser (which might be great for people looking for a certain Christmas present)... Details coming soon!<br />
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Now hoping to bring this little guy home early next year!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-62361338051587437102013-09-23T19:52:00.001-07:002013-09-23T20:01:45.648-07:00"Adopt a Ducky" Duck Race is Done!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Saturday, we finally had the big day of our "Adopt a Ducky" Rubber Duck Race, at Lititz Springs Park! It was so much fun!<br />
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On Friday though, we weren't too sure how things were going to turn out! If you see my posts on Facebook, you know that we thought the first box of duckies we ordered was stolen off our front porch. So, I ordered more duckies. They were set to arrive just in time either Thursday or Friday. But Thursday night, when Aaron checked the tracking, something strange seemed to be going on. They reached our post office, but didn't ever get delivered. Friday morning, Aaron checked the order information and realized that I had put the wrong street address... on BOTH orders! So they were never stolen; they were just sent to a non-existent address, and on Friday both boxes were on their way back to the company. Panic! I was in tears. I made a dumb mistake and now we had no duckies! Thankfully, Shreiber Pediatric in Lancaster had mercy on us. They do a big ducky race fundraiser every year, and when we called them and explained our situation, they were very happy to let us borrow some of their ducks. It ended up better in the long run, because we didn't have to pay for duckies (just for the shipping on the ones I tried to order)!</div>
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The other thing that made us nervous was the weather. They had been forecasting rain all day Saturday, starting in the morning. But Praise God! When we got up Saturday morning, the forecast had changed, saying the rain would only start after 3pm. We had GREAT weather, as you can see!</div>
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It's such a pretty park too! Here are some of the "adopted" duckies before the race, and some kids choosing their ducks.<br />
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We also had face painting and a peanut/candy scramble:</div>
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And finally, the ducky race! Here they come, slightly freaking out the real ducks!<br />
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Who's going to win?<br />
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Here they are, crossing the finish line!<br />
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Unfortunately, I didn't think of getting pictures of the winners, but they were three sweet kiddos! Congratulations to these winners!<br />
1st place: Brooke B.<br />
2nd place: Yana B.<br />
3rd place: MacKenzie R.<br />
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And a big thank you to these businesses for donating prizes:<br />
Weavers Store, Inc.<br />
Stauffers of Kissel Hill<br />
Wilbur Chocolate!<br />
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I have to add here that one of the coolest things about the race (for us) was that we met a man who grew up in the VERY TOWN where Camden's orphanage is! This is totally amazing, because it is not the capital or even a large city in that country. It's just a little dot on the map. And here, in little Lititz, we meet someone from there. We talked for quite a while, and he said he would be happy to connect us with his friends and family there, and also with a church there (his son-in-law's brother is the pastor)! It will be so great if we can have a little network of people willing to help us out while we are there! It was so "random," that this guy just happened to be at the park with his grandson. So much so that it is obviously NOT random, but totally arranged by the Lord. Praise the Lord!<br />
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I posted on Facebook that we raised a little over $300 for the adoption, but some more donations have come in since then, so it looks more like $550! Praise God for that, too! Every bit helps to bring our Camden home! Thank you so much to everyone who gave, helped out, let us borrow things, or donated food to sell! You are all a blessing!<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-50230653786249570292013-09-14T12:12:00.001-07:002013-09-14T12:12:47.821-07:00Yard Sale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Praise the Lord! We had our fundraiser yard sale this morning, and we made about $545 to add to our adoption fund!<br />
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Thank you to everyone who donated items to sell, and to everyone who shopped and gave generously!<br />
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We also have some good news about the home study. Our social worker finally contacted us last week, and she told us she had been out sick for about a month, which is why we couldn't reach her. She said she will have the home study done next week sometime.<br />
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Now we pray that all the paperwork moves as QUICKLY as possible! First we'll send the home study to the USCIS to get approval from them. Please pray we can get the medical expedite. Our wonderful doctors are going to write a letter, so hopefully we can. Then we get apostilles for all the documents that still need it, and then we send it all off to Eastern Europe. Then, we wait. And wait! It will be so hard to wait! And then when they give us a date, we go! It looks at this point like it will be sometime in December. We really hope it doesn't go past the new year, because all the holidays would really delay things.<br />
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Next Saturday: Ducky Race!<br />
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I need to remember to take pictures next Saturday. I forgot to take any at the yard sale today.<br />
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I'm missing the girls today. They are camping with Grandma and Poppaw this weekend! They were so excited, and I just got an email from my mom, saying they are having a great time, despite it being really cold this morning. Apparently Lydia put on 3 pairs of socks, because her feet were so cold!<br />
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Just for fun, and because I'm missing my gals, here are 2 of my favorite pics from this summer, taken in Arkansas:<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-61919872498967175822013-09-08T12:20:00.000-07:002013-09-08T12:24:27.609-07:00Bits and Pieces<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been feeling discouraged this week that our home study is still not written up, and we're not sure what the hold up is.<br />
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But God has given us some bits and pieces of encouragement!<br />
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Bits and pieces from the past of our little "Camden." A few days ago I stumbled upon one organization's website (I won't say which one right now, since it would give away Camden's location), and I found some pictures of him from 2010. There was even a short video clip of some people visiting Camden's group, and it shows a few second of him in action! Then, just last night, I read an email from someone who found me on Reece's Rainbow. She had adopted a girl from Camden's group in 2011, and she sent some pictures of him from that time. We also now know his real name, and which orphanage he is in. (Can't say yet though, until the adoption is finalized!) I was so excited I could hardly go to sleep last night. It is SO special to us to have a few more little pieces of the puzzle; some glimpses of who this sweet boy is. I think I'm in love!<br />
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Here are a few pictures we have. First, from 2010:<br />
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And the new ones we got that are from 2011:<br />
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And of course, the most recent one:</div>
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I keep reminding myself that we have no legal hold on him until the adoption is finalized, but we pray that God will allow us to bring this boy into our family.<br />
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Can you help? The estimated total cost of the adoption is $23,000. Please click on the Reece's Rainbow link on the right (with Camden's picture) to make a tax deductible donation to our adoption grant. Thank you!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-71907569954087218152013-09-04T19:22:00.000-07:002013-09-04T19:22:10.194-07:00Adoption Process Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just a quick update for anyone wondering where we are at in the adoption process right now.<br />
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We have done pretty much all we can do at this point. We have submitted everything we need for the home study, and we're waiting for it to be written up. Once we have it, we can send it to the USCIS right away for approval, and then we can send our dossier to Camden's country. Then we wait some more! Please pray with us that our home study will be completed soon. It feels like a "hold up" right now, when we want things to keep moving. We're trying to trust in God's timing for everything!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-42798589233439865202013-09-02T17:31:00.000-07:002013-09-02T17:31:53.360-07:00First Day of Home School (and What the Pictures Don't Show You!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today was our first day of homeschooling! I did a little homeschooling with Lydia the past 2 years, so that she would be learning to read and write in English, along with the activities at her Russian preschool, but today felt like REAL homeschooling. Especially because I'm trying to do some pre-K activities with Birdie.<br />
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I posted these pictures earlier on Facebook:<br />
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After posting them, I thought, "Wow, these look good. People will be amazed at what a great Homeschooling Mom I am." In the pictures, it looks like we're all happy and learning together in perfect harmony.<br />
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But then I did a reality check (and a humility check!) We did have some harmonious learning moments, but...<br />
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Here's what the pictures don't show you:<br />
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<li>They don't show me trying in vain to round everybody up for the start of school, and only finally getting started at 10 am.</li>
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<li>They don't show Elliot screaming and throwing temper tantrums for Lydia's whole first lesson, because I wouldn't let him grab the book out of her hands.</li>
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<li>They don't show Lydia rolling her eyes and chanting, "Boring, boring, boring..." when it was time to do her reading lesson.</li>
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<li>They don't show Birdie whining and defiantly plopping to the floor when I asked her to go wipe the yogurt off her hands before she touches the chairs. (How unfair of me!)</li>
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My consolation is that even those homeschooling bloggers that look like they have it all together, probably don't. At least not all the time. Because we're all human, trying to teach little humans. So I'm sure we'll have these "moments" every day. My prayer is that even those unharmonious moments can be chances to show each other grace and forgiveness; that they can be lessons learned in the midst of real life.<br />
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Overall, I'd say our first day went pretty well. Especially since it ended with a bowl of Turkey Hill All Natural coffee ice cream for dessert. Yeah, that's a happy ending!<br />
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<em>(Credit to Erica at </em><a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/"><em>www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com</em></a><em> for the Letter of the Week activities that Birdie is doing!)</em><br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-34603515893540752492013-08-23T19:50:00.000-07:002013-08-23T19:52:11.198-07:00Exciting Adoption News!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Life had been busy lately, to say the least! We are somewhat settled back in PA, and I have a lot of pictures that I want to post from our time in Arkansas, but that might have to wait until I have more time. What I really want to post right now is this:<br />
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That's my adoption paperwork binder, and to the right is the first set of documents that are on their way to Camden's country!!! Yea!!! It's not the whole dossier yet, but we are getting close to having that done too! Very exciting!<br />
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AND<br />
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We have some fun fundraisers in the works! We will have a yard sale at the community yard sale at Krall's Mennonite Church on September 14. If you have anything to donate for the sale, please let us know.<br />
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And this is the one I'm really excited about:<br />
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Join us for some family fun at Lititz Springs Park, and race your ducky down the creek! Any questions, you can email us at <a href="mailto:home4camden@gmail.com">home4camden@gmail.com</a> or comment on this blog. We also need some volunteers to help out, so let us know if you are interested! (Anyone want to be an official rubber ducky catcher?)</div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-19289689282300837342013-07-26T18:46:00.002-07:002013-07-27T14:50:44.540-07:00We Have a Winner!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just did the drawing for the Matryoshka giveaway on RandomPicker.com! And the winner is... <br />
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Jill R. of Arkansas! <br />
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Congratulations!! And thank you so much to everyone who participated in this contest/fundraiser! It brings us a few steps closer to bringing Camden home!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-74260362976214483922013-07-19T13:08:00.003-07:002013-07-19T13:09:14.869-07:00One Week Left for the Giveaway!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Only one week left for our "matryoshka" giveaway contest! Check out the previous post to find out how you can enter to win...<br />
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And help us bring Camden home!<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-7850339119041292892013-07-01T21:18:00.000-07:002013-07-01T21:18:04.403-07:00A Fundraiser Giveaway!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm so excited for our first fundraiser! We are doing a GIVEAWAY for this VERY beautiful matryoshka doll that we brought from St. Petersburg, Russia. You have a chance to win this doll and help us bring Camden home at the same time!<br />
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It is about 8.5 inches tall, and there are 7 hand-painted dolls inside.<br />
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The detailed painting is lovely...<br />
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And the pictures show scenes from the Russian fairy tales about the "жарптица" (firebird).<br />
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<u>Here's how you can have a chance to win this doll:</u></div>
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1. Donate toward our adoption fund, through<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/57866/sponsorminer" target="_blank"> Reece's Rainbow</a>.<br />
$10 gives you 1 chance<br />
$20 gives you 2 chances<br />
$30 gives you 3 chances<br />
$40 gives you 4 chances<br />
But if you donate <strong>$50</strong>, you get <strong>10 chances</strong>!<br />
Each additional $10 gives you one additional chance, but each $50 gives you an additional 10 chances to win.<br />
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To donate, click on the Reece's Rainbow link above or at the side of this blog. Then, send us an email to let us know the amount you have donated. Email us at: <a href="mailto:home4camden@gmail.com">home4camden@gmail.com</a><br />
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2. You can also get a chance to win by <strong>sharing the link</strong> to this post on Facebook or Twitter! Please either comment on this blog or email us to let us know if you have done that! (<a href="mailto:home4camden@gmail.com">home4camden@gmail.com</a>)<br />
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We will use randompicker.com to choose the winner on <strong>July 26</strong>!<br />
Thank you in advance, for helping us to adopt this little guy and give him a home!<br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-17174444670387420512013-06-27T15:52:00.003-07:002013-06-27T15:52:57.906-07:00In the USA!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's about time for another post! We've been back in the USA now for almost a month. We arrived in Pennsylvania late on May 31st, and it was a wonderful reunion with my parents. It was their first time to meet their grandson Elliot, in person. We got to catch up with lots of other family, too!<br />
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Relaxing with Poppaw:</div>
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Exploring Grandma & Poppaw's yard:</div>
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Story time with Grandma:</div>
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Camping:</div>
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Happy 4th birthday, Birdie!</div>
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Family reunion, rural PA style, with "The Jitney":</div>
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During our stay in PA, we were able to get some things done for the adoption process, including a good part of the home study. We were able to do the home visit with the social worker in a little house that we will be renting from some friends, which will be perfect for our family for the coming year. We'll move in when we get back to PA from Arkansas.<br />
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Two days ago we flew to visit Aaron's family in Arkansas. We've already had lots of fun, with much more planned!<br />
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Breakfast at McDonalds this morning:</div>
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The splash pad!</div>
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Stay tuned for a fundraiser giveaway on this blog... coming soon!</div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-51230459747154906902013-05-26T05:20:00.000-07:002013-05-26T05:20:45.062-07:00More "Do Svidaniya"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My last post was about Lydia saying "do svidaniya" to detsky sad (her Russian kindergarten), since it is her last year there.<br />
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Now we are saying a lot more "do svidaniyas."<br />
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Do svidaniya St. Petersburg.<br />
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For now, at least. Maybe forever, but we hope not.<br />
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I've been dragging my feet about writing this post, because I didn't really want to face it, and because I've been busy packing up all our stuff. We had been planning to just leave St. Petersburg for the summer, but last week we suddenly decided that when we leave, it needs to be for probably a year. Why? Because adopting our little "Camden" was becoming way too complicated to do while living in Russia. After investigating lots of possibilities and searching out lots of information, we realized it would basically be impossible. So, we have to return to the US for a while and do the whole adoption process from there. This decision started a flurry of packing, getting rid of things, figuring out what to do with our apartment, our furniture. Saying goodbye. The whole idea is, of course, bittersweet. We hope we can come back in a year, and that is our plan, but only God knows our future. We have to lay down our desires and dreams, and place the future in His hands. The good thing is that we think all these changes God is asking of us will bring this boy into our future...<br />
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And will give him the future God has planned for him!<br />
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So today we said goodbye to our church friends here, and this week will hold goodbyes to the colleagues in our organization, the families at the school where Aaron teaches...<br />
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And on Friday, it will be hello USA, and lots of hugs for Grandma & Poppaw!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338829245950371652.post-83262313865318167322013-05-12T11:24:00.000-07:002013-05-12T11:31:39.471-07:00Do Svidaniya Detsky Sad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lydia still has a few more weeks of "detsky sad" (Russian kindergarten) left, but a couple of weeks ago, she had her "graduation" program. The kids in her group all sang, "Do Svidaniya Detsky Sad!" They are all 7 years old or almost 7 now, and in September they will start the first class. Lydia, however, will start at the International Academy, where Aaron teaches, and she will be in 2nd grade. Hopefully the 1st grade homeschooling we have done in the afternoons will have her well prepared. I know that at least her reading will be OK; she has become a voracious reader. She has read all the Boxcar Children and Little House books we could get our hands on, and now she is reading Hardy Boys.<br />
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Here's the video of her program. It's a little long, but the best parts are the dances at around 3:40 and 11:00. So cute!<br />
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After the program, they had a little feast set up for the kids and parents.<br />
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Here's Lydia with her music teacher, who must be amazing, to get all these little kids to learn so many songs and dance steps.<br />
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And with the director of the detsky sad and her teachers.<br />
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Lydia will miss all her little friends at detsky sad, but she is excited to go to IA next year and be a big girl!<br />
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We also celebrated Easter here on May 5th. The Russian Easter is usually on a different day than in the West, but this year it was almost a month later!<br />
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We colored some eggs and had a little egg hunt in our living room on Easter morning.<br />
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Here's Elliot with his <strike>ball</strike> Easter egg. He is a little obsessed with balls right now, and one of the eggs got a few cracks in it, because he wanted it to be a ball. :)<br />
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In other news, it is really feeling and looking like spring here. It always feels so good after the long winter. Lots of new little green leaves and playing in the park! They even turned the heating off in the homes, and we're not too cold inside.<br />
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AND, only about 3 weeks until we land in the USA! We're SO looking forward to spending June and July there, and having time with grandparents! (And Lydia says, "And running in the green grass barefoot!" I agree!)</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14322955994603888093noreply@blogger.com0