The beginning of the end...

OK, so I'm just going to come right out and say it.

I AM NOT ready for Mareks to leave. Yes, we still have the rest of this week and we're certainly going to make the most of it.... but his flight leaves EARLY Sunday morning-- and I'm going to be even LESS ready then than what I am now.

We went ice skating in Wooster today- just me and "the boys." Mareks, of course, is an excellent skater and has his own skates at home. In fact, he plays ice hockey in the winter. Me... I can't honestly remember the last time I strapped on some ice skates. I was probably in high school, but that was longer ago that what I care to think about. Joe and Kyle had never been.
The rink in Wooster had "public skate" today from noon-2, and we took advantage of the entire 2 hours. Joe and Kyle actually did pretty well, all things considered. Good enough, in fact, it really makes me wish we had an ice rink in Ashland. I'd make a GREAT hockey mom. :-)

Mareks, I think, was a little surprised at the cost. In Riga, he says if you have your own skates, you can skate for free; and from the looks of him today- he must take advantage of that on a fairly regular basis.

He's been so good with Joe and Kyle. Very patient and taking part in things they want to do. He and Kyle will chase each other around the house... hiding, and then jumping out trying to scare the other one. Mareks had Kyle laughing so hard today that Kyle had to call a "time out" just so he could stop and catch his breath.

Rick and I are exploring the possibility of sponsoring Mareks on a student visa to go to school here in the US for a year. The high school in Ashland doesn't currently have the certification it needs (SEVIS... SEVP?) in order for us to do this; but I'm calling the school tomorrow to see if it's something they'd be interested in pursuing. I'm not sure what that certification costs... or even what it would cost to sponsor Mareks for a year. At this point we're just at the "information gathering" stage. There are a lot of "I don't knows" right now... but this much I DO know. If The Lord wants him here, He will open the doors that need opening and provide the finances we need. He will grease the wheels that need greased, and lead the people into our lives who can be of help.
Truth be told, Mareks may not even be interested in studying here for a year.
But before we (or someone at the orphanage) approaches him about it, I need to make sure it's even a possibility.

Please join me in praying about this. It's not something we're taking lightly. It's a big responsibility and a lot of things have to "go right" if this is going to happen.

Please also pray for all the Latvian kids who fly home on Sunday, as well as their host families. (Some will start their journeys on Saturday night.)
These kids will have been part of a family (some maybe for the first time) for the last four weeks. Now they have to leave and go back to their former lives. Some will be excited to go back... friends, familiar surroundings, familiar food, familiar schedule, familiar activities, etc. Others will beg and plead to stay. Beg and plead to be adopted...

cry for a Mama and a Papa....
cry for someone to love them.

Playing catch-up...

It's been way too long since my last post... keep reading, you'll understand why.

Here's the Reader's Digest version:

Sunday 12/18: Toy Show- LONG DAY
Monday 12/19: Packing to leave for TX; Celebrate Christmas with just the 5 of us; Kyle starts running a fever in the pm.
Tuesday 12/20: Scheduled day of departure for TX- NOT happening, Kyle still running a fever, obviously not feeling well.  LATE Tues pm, Kyle's fever breaks. He sweat so much I thought he'd wet the bed.
Wednesday 12/21: Still no fever, we leave for TX; arrive in St Louis. Marty starts coughing.
Thursday 12/22: See The Arch and drive to Lebanon, MO to stay with some friends. Marty's cough getting worse.
Friday 12/23: Leave Lebanon, heading for TX. Marty still coughing, slept in the car most of the day. Marty starts feeling BAD in North Dallas and asks Rick to pull over off the interstate. Marty throws up in a parking lot and passes out (landing in the former contents of her stomach) and scraping up her face on the asphalt. Rick can't get Marty to wake up. Rick calls 911. Marty "comes to" shortly before the ambulance and fire truck arrive. Medics check vitals- blood sugar a little low but not dangerously so. Marty refuses transport, but decides to get checked out at the ER near her parent's house. On arrival in Scurry, Marty (still coughing) and Dad go to ER while everyone else eats supper. Everything checks out at the ER. Marty leaves with Rx for heavy duty cough syrup and Vicodin.
Saturday 12/24: Celebrate Christmas with Marty's extended family. Marty still coughing, starts running a fever in the pm, went to bed early.
Sunday 12/25: No church for Marty- still running a fever, still coughing and VERY tired. Spent most of the day sleeping. (Everyone else went bowling) Sunday pm, fever hit 104.4.
Monday 12/26: Marty's fever down to 102.6, still coughing; called Dr. on call here at home- he said to go to the ER. Dad took Marty back to ER. Flu test negative, diagnosis- bronchitis. Rx for "Z-pack" and a different cough suppressant. Marty back home to take a nap- slept the rest of the day. (Marty still running a fever, everyone else went to the movies.)
Tuesday 12/27: Marty starting to feel human again but still coughing, took Mareks shopping in the afternoon.
Wednesday 12/28: The 5 of us went shopping in Mesquite. Introduced Mareks to Whataburger (aka manna from heaven.) Packing to head back to Ohio the next day.
Thursday 12/29: Leave for home, no mishaps. Marty slept a lot in the car.
Friday 12/30: Arrive home, start unpacking.
Saturday: As of this moment, Mareks and Joe are still alseep and I've got laundry going. I think we'll start on the Christmas decorations this afternoon.

And now, for a few photos:

Meet Mareks :-)

Our "small family" Christmas

Mareks DOES NOT like having his picture taken, so
getting a pic when he's smiling is a rarity!

Putting "the boys" to work.

McDonald's- on the way to St. Louis.

In front of the Arch

In "the egg" waiting to go up to the top
of the Arch

Mareks, Kyle (being silly) and
Joe at the Arch.

At the top

Thursday night at the Chaffin's

I love this pose/expression. It's so "teenager."

Christmas with Marty's extended family.

Joe opening "what he's always wanted!" (It was a skateboard)

blue from his vitamin

playing with silly string

Joe going for a ride around the block
on Papa's "trike".

Kyle, pouting because he wanted to
go 1st.

Double thumbs up, Kyle gets his turn.

At Chick-fil-a on the way back to Ohio. I think Joe is
explaining how to get rid of an ice cream headache.

He caught me trying to take his picture.
Notice his "bling". He already had his
ear pierced when he got here. He used
some of his Christmas $ to buy some
outrageously large earrings.

I'll post photos of my facial lacerations another day. They're on my phone and I don't have the cord handy.

Getting comfortable

I don't know that I'm going to have time to post tomorrow, so this will be a short one....
Mareks helped me set up for the toy show tonight (The 23rd Annual Ashland FFA Alumni Farm Toy Show) which I'm sure is like NOTHING he's ever done or seen. LOL.

Tomorrow we'll hit church and then he'll help me in the snack bar at the toy show. It will be a LONG day, but we're doing our small family Christmas tomorrow night, and I think he's looking forward to it.

I finished up my Christmas shopping today and left the bags in the car. In the busy-ness of the afternoon, I forgot about them. When I remembered, I remarked that I still needed to get the Christmas presents out of the back of the car.
Mareks cheekily offered to get them for me.
HA!
Then, after supper when I mentioned I needed to wrap the rest of the presents tonight, he of course, offered to help.
Help--- yeah right!
Then, ON PURPOSE, he stayed up an extra 30 minutes later than he usually does to see if he could catch me in the act.
His sense of humor is really coming out... and I LOVE it!

I had a neat moment with Mareks tonight...
He and I were on youtube. He was showing me the music he likes to listen to as well as dance styles that are popular in Latvia. I went to put the boys to bed and when I came back downstairs, he'd pulled up google images and wanted to show me pictures of Latvia.... a huge new library they're building, famous landmarks, the president's house, etc. There's even a bridge in Latvia that we're calling "my bridge" because it reminds me of my favorite bridge in Toledo. What I REALLY liked, was that he initiated it. I didn't have to ask, he WANTED to show me. It wasn't "personal" per se... like talking about his family; but he was still sharing about himself... about his culture... about where he lives.
It was a perfect way to end our 1st week.

1st week??? ALREADY!!?? ARRGH!! You mean I only have 3 weeks left with him??

Revelations...

This being our second time hosting, I've talked to quite a few people who want to know "is it different this time?"

Absolutely, unequivocally, 100% YES!

First, Vladik is from Ukraine and Mareks is from Latvia. That in itself will mean there are SOME differences.

I think the biggest difference is that the language barrier (for the most part) is gone.
Vladik spoke, for all intents and purposes, no English. Mareks, on the other hand,  has been learning it since he was a young boy. What this means is that: 1. I'm not tied at the hip to google translate. 2. He can interact more fully with us and our boys because he understands whats going on.
     I didn't have to explain much about the dentist or the eye exam. What I DID want to clarify, I was able to do so in the car, on the way there.
     We went to the kids' school's Christmas program last night, and I was able to explain things in detail, or point out different people. He was able to laugh at the things that were funny-- because the understood what was going on.
     More so than with Vladik, I know a little more about his daily life. I hope the longer he's here, the more I can discover; but because he can respond with complete sentences (without having to use the computer) I'm learning more about him. Now, I will say that is seems like I'm the one asking all the questions, but I'm making a point of keeping them very neutral. Questions about school, what he does in his free time, teasing him about girls, etc.

Mareks is having a harder time adjusting to the time difference than what Vladik did. Not that that's good or bad either way... it's just different.

Mareks plays with Joe and Kyle differently that what Vladik did. Again, not good or bad... just different. With Vladik, there was always a little competitive edge with Joe. Much of that, I'm sure, is that they were closer in age (6 years difference with Vladik, 9 with Mareks), and even closer that that if you figure "emotional age."  Vladik interacted with the boys as a peer- as a contenporary. Mareks is more like the "really cool uncle." He still plays with the Joe and Kyle- being goofy and having fun, but there's no element of competition. He's a lot less physical with them that what Vladik was.

He eats a lot LESS than Vladik- and that surprised me. Mareks is every bit of 6'... slender, but not malnourished or underweight. Although he did eat 3 BLTs (minus the "L") for lunch yesterday, so maybe his appetite will continue to increase.

Mareks is a lot more brand conscious that Vladik was. Vladik didn't care what he wore, or what label was on the shirt. Mareks is MUCH more aware and desirous of "name brand" items. And we have to be careful with that. Not only are the name brands more expensive, but in some cases having them can make him a target when he gets back home.
Additionally, Mareks seems more... mature? aware? self-posessed? experienced? worldly? I can't put my finger on the right word. But it's like the difference between a "big city" kid and a "country" kid.... urban vs. rural. Mareks is the big city kid, Vladik the kid from the country. Again- one isn't any better than the other-- it's just different.

We ate at Wendys' last night before the Christmas program. During the course of the meal, I asked Mareks if he wanted more to drink. When he said "no," I let him know that refills were free. He looked at me with the disbelief clear on his face. (I'm told there's no such thing as free refills in Eastern Europe.) I assured him that not only were refills free at Wendy's... but at every restaurant in the US that I could think of. He was dumbfounded. Still a bit skeptical, he went and refilled his Coke. Then, when he ran out of ketchup, I told him he could get more if he wanted. When he said "no," I let him know that we didn't have to pay for condiments; that if he wanted more ketchup, he could get more. Again, the disbelief was clear on his face. "Come on... really?!" He said. (I'm told there's no such thing as "free" ketchup in Eastern Europe.)
THEN, because I was having so much fun shocking him... I told him about buffets like Cici's Pizza and Golden Corral.

I don't think he believed me. :-)

Doctors...

Things are going really well.
Mareks has a wonderful sense of humor, and although he's not cracking jokes yet he gets along quite well with good natured teasing.
He's still adjusting to the time difference, which is fine... and probably good for his sanity. Joe and Kyle are "up and at 'em" by 6:30 (if not earlier.) The first words out of their mouths? Not "Good morning, Mom," or "What are we having for breakfast?" It's "Is Mareks up yet?" Poor kid has groupies.

He slept about 14 hours yesterday, and we're going on 13 this morning... but maybe it's not so much jet lag as it is normal sleeping patterns for a 16 year old boy? Regardless, I was going to let him sleep as late as he wanted this morning, but Kyle has a Dr. appt at 9:30.

Dr. yes. Poor Mareks, it's been 3 days of doctors.
Monday was the dentist. (3 cavities down, 6 to go) We'll go back on Friday for the rest of the cavities and then once again probably early next week for the cleaning and to fix a chipped/broken tooth.
Yesterday was the eye Dr. (no glasses needed)
And today I'll have to wake him up for Kyle's appointment. Kyle has a weird rash on his face. It's not 5ths. Joe had fifths and thats not what this is. To be honest, it looks a bit like the online pics of Rubella, but Kyle doesn't have many of the other symptoms- AND he's had both vaccinations. Nor do I want to self-diagnose. So, in case he's contagious Kyle won't be going to school today.

Joe won't be going to school today either. He didn't go yesterday, and we had to pick him up before lunch on Monday. Fever, cough, dizziness, crud. The fever is gone, but he was up coughing so much last night  (and the night before) neither of us got any sleep. I told him he could stay home, but that he wasn't going to watch TV all day and if he DID stay home, he had to take a nap this afternoon. He agreed to both... so I KNOW he's not feeling well.

I'll write more about this in the next couple of days, but it's been interesting to me how DIFFERENT Vladik and Mareks are. Not that I expected them to be the same- I mean after all, they're from different countries, Mareks is 3 years older, Vladik didn't speak English, etc.
But the differences are STRIKING.
They're on complete opposite ends of the spectrum in so many ways.
Not that either way is wrong or bad... it's just different, and I hadn't consciously anticipated that.

Most of the Ukrainian kids arrived last night. It pleases me a great deal that Vladik is back in the US for Christmas and with a family who will love on him. I hope they enjoy him as much as we did.

Sleeping....

Well, it was quite a night :-)

All the Latvian kids, plus one chaperone arrived safe and sound... and early at Akron/Canton Airport last night. And before I go any further, can I just say- here and now- that I LOVE that airport!
SO easy to get in and out of, and easy (and CHEAP) to park.

But let me start at the beginning.

Their flight was due to arrive at 10:15pm. I needed to be there by 9.
I left the house a little after 7 as I was going to stop at Target and do a little Christmas shopping on my way.
So I loaded up the car, and headed out.
15 minutes later, (just north of West Salem for my local readers), OH CRAP!!!  I forgot to grab the "Welcome"sign. It was still sitting at home by the refrigerator.  So I turned around and went home to get the sign.

No big deal... I still have PLENTY of time.

On the road again, headed to Akron. :-)

I discovered, much to my annoyance, that my Garmin needs a map update; because the "Target" it took me to in Akron was actually a Church's Chicken. Yeah, not gonna find what I was looking for there.

So again... I turned around and headed back towards the airport. On the way I found, WITHOUT the help of the Garmin I might add, the Target I was looking for in the first place.

~~I should mention here that before leaving the house, I checked the Target website to see which stores had the item I was looking for in stock. I went to this particular store because it WAS in stock.

Yeah.... no.
None on the shelves, none in the back.  <sigh>

So I continued on to the airport, made it there by 9 and I met up with the other host families. It was neat to see their excitement and their love for these kids!

The kids' flight landed a little early, and since they'd already been through customs at JFK we didn't have long to wait.

Group shot of host families, host kids and chaperone. Mareks  is on the far right.

After pictures, greetings, medication instructions, a little paperwork, and more pictures, we were all off with a bunch of tired and wired kids by 10:30ish. We only had an hour drive as opposed to the 3 I had this summer, so it seemed like a quick trip.

Mareks and I talked a little on the way home. I wanted to let him sleep- and he was definitely tired... but I think he was a little too keyed up.
I can't even begin to tell you how WONDERFUL it is that he speaks English (and speaks it pretty well). That was probably the hardest thing with hosting Vladik this summer. Not that I couldn't get my point across, but because so often our conversations were one-sided. He spoke/read a mix of Russian/Ukrainian, and google translate usually didn't like it. So more often that not, what he tried to tell me- wouldn't translate.

I'm excited to be able to talk to Mareks without having to use the laptop, but even more excited that he can talk back.

Rick, bless his heart, took the boys to school this morning; and Mareks is still asleep. I'll let him sleep another hour and then get him up, showered etc. so we can pick up Kyle at school by 11.

Tomorrow....

Tomorrow, Mareks and dozens of other orphans from Latvia will board planes (most for the 1st time) and head to various destinations in the US.
Tomorrow, chaperones, airline ambassadors and a host of other people will help these precious kids settle their nerves, and calm their fears to arrive safely and with as little drama as possible. :-)
Tomorrow, while I'm still asleep, many of these travelers will receive their letters of introduction written by their host families. This will be their first clue as to what kind of family they'll be staying with.
Tomorrow, host families all over the country (myself included) will rush around checking off the final items on their "to do list" in anticipation of the most memorable Christmas of their lives.
Tomorrow, some families will be reunited with their previous host kids... kids they are in the process of adopting... kids they haven't seen since summer... future "legal" members of their family... already the children of their heart.
Tomorrow, much past my bedtime, Mareks and a dozen other orphans will, after a couple of other stops, land at the Akron/Canton Airport. Many will have been up for close to 24 hours.
Tomorrow, there will be tears of joy... smiles... hugs..... and nerves.

Tomorrow, marks another opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
To show love... compassion... patience...
To be a family...
To let the joy of life in Christ be evident, obvious, infections... and something Mareks wants to know more about.