For Those Interested

...no.

We do not have an assignment yet.

For those keeping track, yes, we were to have been notified two weeks ago.

We do know that because Mr. YH was an Olmsted scholar, we will not get the assignment we had hoped for. The commander we had been communicating with in regards to this job was kind enough to let us know that we have been matched to a flying assignment but unfortunately, not in his squadron.  So, still waiting.  Our replacement is shipping his household goods in two weeks.

In other news, it snowed on Tuesday and it might again this weekend.  Of course, I had washed all winter gear to put up for moving the week prior.  Not a big deal if your washing machine holds more than one winter jacket at a time and takes less than an hour to complete a cycle.  Not that I'm bitter or anything.

On a happy note, a girl from the embassy contacted me and wants to buy a bunch of Baby Girl's clothing and I've sold our piano.  I'm down to one bottle of vitamins, 4 canisters of oatmeal, 10 boxes of raisins, 5 bags of American sugar, and other odds and ends.  And we have 5 weeks of school left.

Have a happy weekend!

Sounds Like a Must-See Movie

Have you heard of the movie October Baby that opens this weekend?  I was sent this you tube video several weeks ago with an interview from one of the actresses and I was in tears.

I am not an abortion supporter. I am convinced that life begins at conception.  And I believe that so many lies are fed to us about this topic to make it more palatable.  I am amazed at the number of people who talk about women's rights and yet these same people don't seem to have a full disclosure policy on what exactly happens to the mother - her body, her emotional and mental health, and her spiritual state; much of that education seems to be ignored in the quest to achieve the agenda.

This film looks like a great conversation starter, a challenge to rethink, an opportunity to uphold the value of life,  and a fantastic way to show support for those who help bring these moral issues to the big screen from another perspective than the liberal media and their supporters.

Here is the link to the movie site where you can watch the trailer and here is the link to where you can pre-order tickets.  And perhaps you can post on your FB or Tweet about it to get the word out.

If you get to see it, please let me know what you thought.  I'll have to wait until this summer to get the full viewing.

Following Through

Do you remember when Holly Homemaker took on scrapping in this post?

And I said at the end that I needed to start planning for Baby Girl's album?

That would be all the way back in 2009 when I said that.  And even though it's been 2 1/2 years, I have been working- albeit SLOWLY- on her book.  But I'm kicking it up a notch now because we're moving, she's asking all about her ABCs and how to write them, I hate unfinished projects, and...we're moving (still no word).

{J is for Jewelry- this was a contender- 

who could resist the kinder egg shark bracelet,

dinosaur ring and white plastic beads?!}

I am actually short 2 pictures.  Who knew R could be so difficult!?  And I know what to do for N, but just need to take the photo.  I went ahead and ordered prints this afternoon, and hopefully they'll arrive quickly and be printed decently so that I can start this final ABC book and finish it before her birthday in May.  Sounds easy, but this stuff always stresses me out.  At least I had the forethought to put pertinent stickers in labeled envelopes for each letter the last time I took this on!

What have you been working on lately?

Brain Dump

1. We were told 19 March was the day assignments would be out.  We're still waiting....
2. I'm looking forward to being able to buy soft kleenex and absorbent tp.
3. My friend Kristi is a missionary here and cut my hair a week ago; it's the best cut I've gotten on this side of the pond!  I paid her with a bag of American sugar and other foodies from the commissary.
4. I'm making zuchinni bread and it smells delicious.  It's part of the "using up what's in the freezer" purge.{update- it tastes yummy!}
5. Speaking of purging, I'm in the pre-move mentality to do just that.  We've been cleaning, giving things away, selling....so proud of my little hats!
6. I'm completely out of my early morning routine after being sick and I bought some Easter candy at the commissary last week....and I really need to get back to exercising!  
7. My nails grow quickly and rarely break.  And I hate having to take the time to deal with them, but I can't stand the feel and sound of clicking long nails on the computer or piano!
8. I finally took my maiden voyage up to the new embassy complex last week; they moved in 2 months ago!  My taxi drivers were something else- not sure why they always want to talk about politics with me.  I just want to say, "I studied SHOPPING words, ok?!?"  {I do tell them sometimes!}
9. I'm so disgusted with the tiny little holes that I find in the front of my shirts when I'm so careful about how I do laundry!  And I'm over the front loader thing- so glad this is not my property and I'll get  my own back in a few months!
10. My sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law and I had a "favorite things party through the mail.  We each put together a package for the person whose name we drew (Sarah did that part for us so we could keep it a surprise) with some of our favorite things using $10 or less.  I mailed mine last week filled with some favorite goodies from the stores here, and can't wait to see what I get!  Building relationships long-distance has to be very intentional.  
11. I think spring may have decided to finally arrive here.  I suddenly realized this past weekend I needed to order new shoes for the kids pronto- I don't bother during the winter because they wear slippers or boots.  Saves $!!  But now, The Boy (who really only needs one pair of shoes at a time) really needs new tennis shoes!!  Hoping those come over quickly! 
12. I also ordered a new spring jacket for Big Girl and a new backpack.  LL.Be.an had few colors available for the bag, but the color she wanted was on clearance for $20- hooray!  Getting those last things for the plane trip home...!!!!!!!!

Schooling a Boy

Mr. YH brought home the nastiest virus and I finally succumbed to it this weekend.  I had to supervise school from the sofa in-between naps yesterday.  The Boy's math unit is time related.  You can see below that he had to draw three things he had done yesterday.  

I heard him snickering at the kitchen table as he told his sister that he was drawing a picture of himself going to the bathroom yesterday.  His daddy (who was home from work sick) clued in and had to inform him that even if he went to the bathroom yesterday, it was not appropriate today (or any day) to draw a picture of that in his math book!

Note the bottom drawing:

 "That's me watching you being sick on the sofa, Mama."

Also note, Mama thought the whole thing was hilarious despite the virus!

Is This Appropriate?

A couple of weeks ago we headed over to the other Tara's house for dinner after we all hung out at the water park that morning {and I totally didn't write about the lifeguard who insisted my bathing suit that covered my whole midriff and has a tiny little skirt was not a bathing suit...they just don't see quite so much coverage here- case in point found here in about the middle of the post}.  

ANYWAY, The Boy is really doing well with his reading.  He has moved into blends and and long vowels, and it's so fun to see him get excited about reading a story.  He even asked his little sister if he could read to her this morning.  

So, Tara's husband Jonathan is from Louisiana and made a big gigantic pot of gumbo for us that was absolutely scrumptious.  The Boy was helping clear the table off later on for dessert when he picked up the Cajun seasoning.  The look on his face was priceless- a cross between, "Did I just read that correctly?!" and "Can I laugh because I really want to but I don't know if it's appropriate?!"

via

We praised him for his reading abilities and had a good laugh with him. ☺

How to Make a Paper Bow

Thursday is a holiday for the locals.  It's International Women's Day.  I think it might be as international as Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus!  At any rate, there are some lovely women here to whom we are very intentional about showing kindness and encouraging, so this holiday is a great opportunity to do just that. 

I don't know exactly when we'll see each of them, so I bought some chocolate bars and wrapped them up in some pretty paper.  I could have added some ribbon had I had any on hand...

but I didn't, so I opted to use a little trick my mom taught me years ago,

and I made a matching bow from the paper to dress the package up a little.

Praying for the Courage to Go

A father to the fatherless,

a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families,

he leads forth the prisoners with singing...

Psalm 68:5-6a (NIV)

We have had some wonderful opportunities while we've been stationed in Kyiv to meet other Americans and Canadians who have simply inspired us.  They have understood God's heart for the orphans of the world and have stepped out in obedience when God has asked to put one or more of them in their homes.

Money aside, adopting from Ukraine is no easy task.  Couples are in country for no less than about six weeks- and that is if all has gone "smoothly."  Add in a different language that is not remotely like English, a culture that has so many layers that it's hard to figure out even when one has some familiarity with the language, corruption, food, travelling, loneliness, and isolation.  And then begin to imagine all the issues surrounding the children themselves- backgrounds, siblings, orphanage life and all they're exposed to there, medical issues, and on and on.

Each adoption is so unique.

Of course, it has to be, right?  We're talking about people and we're all unique with a story of our own and we act and react and respond differently even if the externals are somewhat similar.

And I suppose that is what is so inspiring as we meet these families.  They've been on this journey with the Lord and now they're here in this part of it and we get an up close and personal view as we watch them do spiritual battle on the front lines.  Because that's what adoption is- a spiritual battle.  Our friend Steve said that to a couple not long ago- "Adoption is not a charity case.  It's spiritual warfare."

And as they fight {well, I might add!}, we see God act in amazing ways.  We see Him keep His promises to give wisdom, to encourage, to uphold truth, to empower with His strength, and to love.  God Almighty is a Warrior and He fights for these kids and families.

Back in December, we met the Stoesz family from Colorado.  They were here adopting their fourth child.  While they were waiting out the myriad of holidays (read "days off and no one is working so we're sitting here in a foreign country over Christmas waiting") to finish up the process to bring Samantha home, we were able to have them over for dinner a couple of times.  After they left, Kris sent me an e-mail introducing us to their friends, the Degnan family, who would be arriving at the end of January.

They arrived around Super Bowl weekend.  We had them over for dinner after church the following Sunday.  Just yesterday, they had their third appointment with the national adoption office here, hoping to finally get a referral for a little girl.  Their journey has been tough, and I'd love for you to read about it; I'll include the link below.

First, however I'd like you to stop at the end of this paragraph and just say a prayer.  The little girl they will meet today has said she does not want to be adopted.  This is not uncommon, but after you read their story, you'll understand how it's another challenge for them to fully trust the Lord after a really rocky road thus far.  Thankfully, they have an orphanage director and an inspector who have the best interest of this child in mind and they are going to talk with her prior to her meeting the family.  Can you imagine, though, the amount of trust this child must come up with to say "yes" and to leave with essential strangers to a world she has only heard about and then she must deal with culture shock and language and all her baggage from her past?  A child.  No person can do that on their own, so please, please, take a few moments to petition the Lord to empower her to trust the adults in her life, to flood her with a sense of peace and safety and love, and to have the courage to go.

Thanks.  And here's the Degnans' blog site so you can leave them a word of encouragement!!

Counting Down

It's the little things that can make a person's day...

like another bottle of vitamins emptied.

Because it means we're that much closer to coming back to the States.

We're all ready...just waiting for the AF to tell us where we're going!