God has a sense of humor...

...and so do we! If we had any doubt that God guided us to hosting Nastya, the silly pictures in this post should prove it. She's as wild and crazy as we are! 

Photo bomb!

Not even sure what to say about this one...

Many of you have commented on how much she lookes like Samantha. Ironically, she is also very much like Samantha in personality as well. Sam has always hated going to sleep and this kid is no exception. We've made a joke about Nastya saying in a sing-song voice "no sleep". Picture this said with a cute Ukrainian accent, and you'll know what we hear almost every night. 





This kid loves her "booble bat", which is good because she also likes to play with ink pads!

She is pretty particular about what she eats but she can devour a plate of chicken wings and leave very little but the bones behind, she's a huge fan of pizza and anything from the potato group (especially chips..."cheeps"), and she loves chocolate (my kind of gal). She's told us she doesn't like spicy foods so our diet has been pretty bland, but I've been impressed with her willingness to at least try any new things we offer (usually with a little bit of proding however).

 
















You already know that she loves skating and anything that involves being active, but she is also very focused when it comes to playing board games. We have introduced her to Memory, Zingo, the Busytown Game, and a few others. She may actually be the luckiest person I've ever met because she wins nearly all the time (which is good because I'm finding that she's not a great loser!)


Auntie Mer made us matching braids!

Wild hairdo time for Mami (payback for my poor braiding skills?)

She says she has studied English for 5 years so even though we don't get a lot of sentences spoken, I'm fairly confident that she understands us a lot of the time. I am really impressed with her because she often takes the initiative to practice while she is here.

She enjoys playing our kids' MobiGo game system that has alphabet games on it. She has been willing to watch some of the Netflix selections that teach basic English (Leapfrog stuff...geared toward toddlers and such). And she has instigated games like "my name is____" with us where we point at something and say what it is in English. I keep telling her that I'm proud of her and love watching her face light up when I tell her how smart she is for practicing.

She has shared with me that she does go to church (or rather church comes to her) back at the boarding school in the Ukraine. I had not purchased a Bible for her yet...just a storybook version...so I was happy to hear her say that she would like one and have ordered that for her to take back home.

After this past week's church service I asked her what she thought about our church. She said it was very different (we happened to have a more contemporary musical presentation this week to add icing to the cake). She is familiar with an orthodox service so I'm sure it was quite different than what she's used to. So far she has sat through services, but I could tell she was bored.

Next week I plan to take her to Samantha's Sunday school class so she can see what that's all about. They usually have a basic lesson and a craft and I think she will enjoy that a bit more than sitting through a service in a language she doesn't understand.


Just put on a silly face

It's hard to believe it, but we are already past the two week mark of her visit. Time is flying by! We have a few more big outings planned while she is here, but I am also looking forward to the week I have with her after Sam and Trevor are back in school.

I feel like we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg with her and I'm hoping that the kids being in school will slow the pace down and provide the opportunity for me to have some more meaningful interaction and some quality time chatting on Google Translate with her. We shall see!



Just one of the (crazy) family

Facing the rain and licking my wounds...

So, just in case I've been painting too pretty a picture of sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, I have to admit that we had a little rain fall earlier this week.

Before I share, I want to point out that, not only did I expect these things to happen, but they are completely normal for a child coming from Nastya's background. On top of everything else, she must still feel like she's landed on Mars sometimes...everything is still so very new for her...I wish I had even half the resilience that she has!

We were told in our training that it would be very likely that we would experience some pouting from our host child from time to time. Most of these kids only know how to deal with adults as authority figures and so when told "no" about something, they will sometimes retreat and pout. We have experienced this a few times with Nastya and it is so hard. She is normally a vivacious, energetic, and silly girl and to see her face go blank and have her retreat has been very difficult to watch.

This is where Greg and I have had to have a thick skin and make sure that we are making ourselves available to her. So far we have given her a few minutes, but then gone in to comfort her. We explain why we said no, address the disappointment, and then invite her to come join in whatever it is we are doing as a family. Lucky for us these pouting sessions don't last long and she seems to understand that we are setting boundaries in order to have fun. I hope that eventually she will see that this is what loving parents do.

My favorite pouty moment so far was when she wanted me to french braid her hair the other morning (which I haven't done since I had Barbie dolls...what...30 years ago?) and I did a sloppy job of it. She ripped the braiding out and pouted all the way out the door and into the car. I was staying home that morning with Trevor who was sick so I had a chance to lick my wounds. Truly, it had to be disappointing for her...she is a comparative master at working with her hands! I was able to sit down with her when she got home and I typed into Google Translate: "You are trying hard to learn English; I will try hard to learn to braid." I got a big smile out of that one...I think we've got a deal!

She's also been experiencing a little homesickness which makes me so sad for her. We let the kids exchange their gifts to each other on Christmas Eve and when she opened up her gift from Samantha she ran up to her room. I found her in bed crying. I asked if we had made her sad and she shook her head no. I said "are you feeling homesick?" and she nodded and said "sisters". Poor girl. She has several siblings back home...of course she misses them!

At this point I was crying too so I told her it was OK to cry and then we prayed together that God would comfort both her and her sisters while they were apart. She seemed a little down in the dumps the rest of the evening but we just took things easy and muddled through. By the next morning she was back to her usual peppy self and has been doing well since then.

As tough as these experiences have been, I am so glad for them. Many of these kids don't feel like they can show emotion and I was relieved to see her shedding tears and giving in to what she was feeling. I was thankful for the opportunity to pray together. And I'm glad she is testing us because it gives us a chance to show her unconditional love. It also means that she is comfortable enough with us to try and be a normal kid while she is here. She really is fantastic!

And guess what? We are still having fun:

* Every day she asks us to "skate? skate?" She loves it and after that first day of falling has been doing an awesome job on her own!



...still skating!

We are...














 





The whole bunch of 'em

* Shopping for gifts. This girl is incredibly generous. When I suggested we go shopping to get some gifts for Sam and Trevor she was thrilled. She never once asked for anything for herself but just loaded the basket with things that were perfect for them.





      Hitting the Target $1 bins

Exhanging gifts on Christmas Eve

* Enjoying a few gifts of her own: Our tradition is to give three gifts to our kids (to commemorate the three gifts the wisemen brought to the newborn king) so we got her a friendship bracelet maker, a Jesus Storybook Bible in Russian, and a Wildlife Storyteller (a stuffed animal which has a solar chargeable MP3 player inside with a pre-recorded story of Jesus's life) which she has been listening to everyday!



Sitting with her Christmas goodies



Playing the Disney Dance game on the Wii



* Later on Christmas Day we sat down as a family and watched the Story of Jesus for Children. This is an excellent film that teaches about the life and death of Jesus in a way that kids can understand. It has been translated into every possible language worldwide so my awesome tech guy (aka Greg) was able to cue up the laptop to run it simultaneously in Ukrainian so that Nastya could sit with us and watch with her headphones on. It was a great way for us to have a family discussion about the significance of Christ's birth and all three kids were clearly moved by it. Nastya said she had seen it before and it syncs well with what is on her Wildlife Storyteller recording so I am hoping to have more discussion with her about this in the coming weeks.



Watching the Story of Jesus for Children together

* And we finally finished and hung our "blessing" ornaments for our tree. Each one represents those of you who helped to fulfill our dream of bringing Nastya to America. Nastya added the bow at the top...probably because she thought it would look pretty, but how fitting that those of you represented on this tree have given us the best Christmas gift ever. With 2013 just around the corner, I pray that God brings your blessings back to you and multiplies them in the coming year!

Tree of Blessings

Still busy, but still good...

It's hard to believe Nastya has only been here for six days...it feels like we've known her much longer. She is completely loveable, persistent, yet compliant when told "no" about anything (which rarely has to happen), great with my two kids who absolutely adore her, and very responsible.



This girl has very clever fingers

Prior to her arrival, I did a lot of reading and preparation to help me understand how to help her to be more connected. Many kids who grow up in institutions don't bond well, don't have a well developed playfulness, are fearful or defiant. I'm not naive enough to believe we won't have some boundaries tested in the next three weeks, but Nastya is bunking all the stereotypes so far.

The unexpected reality I'm facing is that she is causing ME to be more connected...to my kids, to all of you, and especially to God. I have been praying more than ever now that she is here. Even though she is a fantastic kid, being a host parent is tough. Every day I run the gamut of emotions. And if I didn't completely have unconditional love nailed down with my own kids, I'm getting a good grip on it now.

I'm also being forced to be way more intentional in my parenting than I have in a while. I'm realizing how I have had the tendency to overload our schedule and I have been missing out on quality time with our kids. It has been so fun to see all three of the kids (and, let's be honest, the two adults) blossom with her here. The pace has been frantic, but look at all the fun we're having!

Here are the highlights for this past weekend:



Looking for goldbug

More Mail! Thanks M...











* The girls got dressed up to go to a musical/interactive media show about Christmas called Winter's Dream produced by Christ's Church of the Valley. It was a great show and the girls looked so cute. Prior to the show we were able to go to dinner at Souplantation with our friends the Beckers and their host kids Nataliya and Vitaly. This was great timing because Nastya had asked the night before to call her caregiver at the boarding school back home...she was feeling a little homesick. Talking to N and V seemed to really perk her up!



Posing



My little ballerinas 

 

Souplantation with the Beckers and their host kiddos

 

* Sunday we went to church with our friends, the Cash's, and got a pic of us all dressed up. Afterwards we went to their house for brunch. Nastya seemed to be feeling insecure with all the unfamiliar faces (understandably) and we were considering taking her home but then she said she wanted to go out and use their rope swing and that seemed to break the ice for her. She went on to try her hand a cookie decorating with the rest of the kids. Everyone was so nice and made her feel welcome. Hooray for good friends!

All dressed for church

 



Trying out the rope swing

Cookie Decorating





Goofing off with the family

*That night we had Greg's parents and Uncle Johnny over for dinner. She really warmed up to them and it was a fun night. 

Crazy bubble bath time!

* At bedtime I asked her if she'd like to take a bubble bath (she's only taken showers so far). She said yes, and the pic above pretty much says it all. Right after this shot she started splashing around and throwing bubbles all over the place. The floor was flooded, but it was worth it to see her having a blast. Next time she wants Samantha and Trevor to join her so we'll have to bust out the bathing suits and make that happen soon.

We've had many more adventures (and a couple of misadventures) in the past couple of days, but those will have to wait for my next blog entry. Stay tuned and I'll try to make that happen soon!

What to expect when you're expecting...from the Ukraine


One of the previous host parents likened hosting to the experience of having a new baby in the house. I have to admit I was skeptical that it would be that intense, but the description is pretty spot on. A beautiful, new little person comes abruptly on the scene. There are so many things to get to know about her; so many things that are unfamiliar. You forget to eat, your sleep schedule is off, and you wouldn't trade it for the world.
Yesterday (Friday) was another fabulous day, but I am exhausted. Highlights from yesterday include:

*Ornament decoration. (We are making foam ornaments and putting the names of all those who donated to make Nastya's trip possible on them. It's a work in progress but we got a lot done.) I'm pretty sure there is some glitter that is now a permanent part of my dining room carpet, but look at that face...worth it!



Making Foam Ornaments











 *Playtime at the park. She was loving the slides and it was just dry enough out that we got some good static hair experiences from the friction. She also started a game with us "my name is" and we would take turns filling in the blanks with english words. Who says learning can't be fun?




Static electricity!





*You've got mail! I can definitely say that she was not expecting this. As I handed her three letters with her name on them, she looked bewildered. But she did start tearing into them before we made it back home. She loved the stickers and is looking forward to meeting my sister's dog Baxter!

Her First Mail Haul

 



Checking the Mail
















*Trying rollerblading for the first time. Wow! She was falling all over the place. I learned the hard way that you don't stand directly behind someone who is blading for the first time and I have a huge bruise on my shin to show for it...doh! However she loved it and I had to eventually tell her that even though she wasn't tired (whatever) that I needed a break. I know she would have kept going until her legs literally gave out! She is tenacious and not afraid to keep trying, that's for sure.




All suited up and ready to roll



Rollerblading...and falling...a lot (I need some Icy Hot!)



*Crafts with Greg and the kids. After dinner, Nastya found some construction paper in our craft cupboard and looked very excited about it. She started cutting away and Greg asked if he could help.


Cool paper crafts with Greg and the kids


















 

This beautiful star (made by a beautiful star) 
is now hanging in our dining room

*Kids bunk up together. It was bound to happen. These three are as thick as thieves already and they wanted to sleep in the same bed. We compromised and let them sleep in the same room at least. They were so tired, they were out immediately. I know the feeling you crazy kids! And you'd better not wake me up at the crack of dawn again tomorrow (wishful thinking...)



Slumber party!

What a day!

I...am...so...tired! But in a very good way. It feels so natural having Nastya here and she is already fitting right in. She is a joyful and sweet girl who is quick to laugh and has been excited to do just about anything offered to her.

We started the morning pretty early, I with my coffee and she with her "flakes" as she indicated on Google Translate (thank goodness I had corn flakes on hand for my holiday cookies...don't normally stock those!)

When Samantha woke up, Nastya types in "What's up Samantha?" I'm surprised we still got Sam to school on time with all the "chatting" they had going on. Trevor woke up soon after and, with hair sticking up all over as always, started his morning of goof-ball entertainment which had her giggling all over again.

After dropping Sam to school, T and N had the morning to hang out. We baked cookies (I should say Nastya baked cookies...she was a pro), they covered my fridge in magnets, and colored on white and chalkboards. They explored Trevor's room and we discovered she is very afraid of snakes (so I now have about twenty rubber snakes in a box in my room). She also swept T and I (beginner's luck!) on a boardgame that we played. Super fun morning. 

Cookie making pro!

Snuggle time (watching Wonder Pets)



 

I was so glad my Mom came over to lend a hand. She picked Sam up from school and then watched Trevor while he napped and the girls and I paid a visit to Kohl's. (It turns out Nastya is about right on track for her age...some size 8's I had fit, but some of the things I had were too small and we needed 10's!)We went a little crazy over there, but got Nastya several nice things and the girls got matching dresses...cute! N is a little fashionista and modeled all of her clothes for Mom and I when we got back. She then proceeded to try on every one of Samantha's costumes and play dresses. It was neat to see her having so much fun!


Fashionistas!



She is so sweet with S & T.

They wanted matching dresses...






















I had suspected earlier in the day that she understood more English than she was letting on and when we left Kohl's (and she was on a high from our shopping spree) she started busting out all kinds of English..."stop" as she pointed to the stop sign, "mom", "dad", "sister", "brother", "grandmother", etc. in rapid fire. I was quick to let her know that her English was very good. I think we will be hearing more from little miss in the coming weeks!

She was visibly tired this evening (almost passed out at dinner) but every time I asked her about it (which was frequent through the afternoon and evening), she insisted that she was not. She didn't want the fun to end. The whole family piled up on her top bunk tonight before bed and looked at one of those "seek and find" books. Then we read one of the English/Russian storybooks I had bought. I'm not convinced she can read Russian, but I think she enjoyed the family time and having us all there. She went right to sleep after that.

There is so much more I want to share, but I'm beat and I have to get my sleep so I can whoop it up again tomorrow. I'll have all three kids at home so it will definitely be a party! Here's the highlight reel from today:

* I translate "do you want to go look at the clothes in your closet?" and it comes out as "do you want to go look at the clothes in the toilet?" Laughter ensues.
* She takes the longest shower ever. When she comes out she's clean, but also hands me her freshly washed clothes.
* Eats very little all day until I make a special cucumber, tomato and onion salad with sour cream (popular in Ukraine)  for lunch. She takes the bowl and entire container of sour cream to the table with her and eats like it's been days!
* She tells me she has a loose tooth early in the day. Late in the afternoon she bites into a banana and out it comes!

She's here!!




Anxiously awaiting...




 

Welcome Nastya!



Stonicks: Party of 5!




 
 


The whole LAX Ukraine hosting crowd and their kiddos!


 

Well, she's here and she's just precious. She smiled and walked confidently up to us and after hugging each of us said "my name is Nastya". For those that have asked, I can now confirm, she pronounces it with a soft first "a" and the emphasis on the last syllable. Nah-styah.

Trevor immediately started up with his crazy antics in the car and had her giggling. Then about half way home she completely knocked out (even though she said she wasn't tired)...can't blame her! She suited up in jammies and went to bed soon after we got home and I haven't heard a peep since. Looking forward to what tomorrow brings...
 

Tonight's the night! Well, actually tomorrow's the morning...

Wow. It seems like we've been counting down and anticipating this forever, but we are finally here...sort of. Nastya's flight from Kiev to JFK was delayed for almost two hours and so she missed her connection in New York and had to be re-routed to a later flight. So now we are picking her up in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow. She is going to be exhausted!

We had previously made the decision to not bring our kiddos with us and, while I'm going to be sorry to not have that family shot at the airport, I think it will be best for all of the kids this way. Sam and Trevor still have two more days of school before break and Trevor has a special concert at his school tomorrow morning that we didn't want him to miss. For those of you who know my kids well, you also know that Trevor would be overtired and running around the aiport doing flips off the luggage carousel and Samantha would be talking Nastya's tired ears off for the entire drive home (so we have two more good reasons for our decision)!

We did want the kids to be involved in her arrival so they helped make her welcome sign:


The master of the gluestick...

I will make scrapbookers out of them yet!




Welcome Nastya! (top line is welcome in Ukrainian, bottom is Russian...
thanks Anna for the translation help!)


And they helped pack up a welcome bag for her:



Sweet Samantha made the bracelet for her and helped pick out a snuggly blanket


Some of our host families live hours away from their nearest airport so I am thankful that we have less than an hour's drive to get her home. I'm sure it will be a relief for her to finally lay her head down in bed! So many questions are about to be answered and I'm sure they will be followed by many more. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time...can't believe that she's almost here!