You can make a difference!

Shortly before leaving for Ukraine in 2010, my fairly new blog friend Erin and I realized that our SDA appointments were just a few days apart. The night before we went to the SDA and saw Daniel's picture for the first time, we met up with Erin & her husband Larry at TGI Fridays, along with several other families. Erin & Larry were seated at the opposite end of a very large table, so we didn't get to do much more than say hi.

The next night, we were at Puzhata Khata for dinner with the Reed and Urban families. As we were praying at the end of dinner, my phone began to ring. I ignored it at first, but it started ringing again, so I stepped away to answer it. It was Erin. They were hoping to meet up for ice cream somewhere in Kyiv. Good timing, as they just happened to be passing by the restaurant where we were. We walked around Kyiv as they told us about meeting their daughter for the first time.

During our second adoption, we met quite a few American families, and we were very thankful for that. But we really seemed to 'click' with Erin & Larry. I was a little sad that we were leaving for Mariupol the next morning and wouldn't see them again.

Fast forward to our return to Kyiv with Daniel in tow. Nerves shot. Frustrated. Stressed. The first night was virtually sleepless. Daniel fought it hard, and it was one of the longest nights of my life.

Larry & Erin were back in Kyiv, after a short trip back to the states during their 10-day waiting period. So we decided to meet up for dinner the next night.

The Loraine's were the first of our friends or family to meet our Gremlin. At dinner, they thought we'd been exaggerating about him. Once we got back to our apartment, he came out of his shell.

Larry & Erin gave us much needed encouragement, listening ears, understanding. And melatonin. God bless them for sharing their melatonin with our little man. We made it through our last few nights in Kyiv and through the long flights home (with chicken pox). And those events were all much better because of some MUCH NEEDED solid sleep for Daniel.

Since the summer of 2010, Erin and I have talked numerous times on the phone, and emailed frequently. We have encouraged each other through frustrations and periods of difficulty, and rejoiced with each other during moments of progress and triumph.

Now, this precious family is on their second adoption journey, this time to Bulgaria to bring precious Anya home. And this is where you can help.

The Loraine family just received a $4,000 matching grant from Lifesong for Orphans. The good news: they can get up to $4,000 of their donations matched by this grant - for a total of $8,000! Donations are tax-deductible. The tough part: they have less than 8 weeks to raise the remaining $3,000 to get the full match.

100% of all donations go towards our grant unless paypal is used in which case 2-3% are taken out for fees. Donations are tax deductible and can be made by a check made out to Lifesong for Orphans with a memo that says "preference Loraine #2473 adoption" and sent to:

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St

Gridley, IL 61744

Or donations can be made online through paypal at http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html with the same memo under "purpose" by the dollar amount. (Again, 2 - 3% of paypal donations are taken out for fees)

Please prayerfully consider giving to this sweet family so they can bring home their daughter!

Riding a Bike

Two posts in one day - be sure to read Daniel's birthday blog post below this one!

It's a day that I really thought might never come...

Daniel learned to ride a bike!

We tried about 8 or 9 months ago, and he just wasn't getting it.

Then, while Zack and I were in Germany, we learned about push bikes (pedal-less training bikes). Our friends' son had one. He would ride it anytime they went out walking. It was great, because it allowed him to learn how to balance, without having to learn how to pedal at the same time.

So once we got back home, we ordered one for Daniel. He's been riding it for about 2 1/2 months.

Last week, Zack decided to get out the big boy bike again, and within 5 minutes, he was riding it a little by himself.

On day 2 (Friday), we tried again, and he was a pro!

National Gremlin Appreciation Day

We dubbed Saturday National Gremlin Appreciation Day... aka, Daniel's 7th birthday.

No big party this year like we did last year, but we celebrated our little man in big ways.

He had a basketball game at 8 AM. Seriously - who makes these schedules? But all 6 grandparents were awesome to join us so early! Good news: he scored the very first basket of the game, and kept a good attitude throughout. (We had no subs so he had to play the whole game, and was worn out!). We celebrated the game with cupcakes for the team!

Back to Zack's parents' house in between games, and Daniel opened gifts. He was so excited and thankful for each and every thing he received.

Then it was off to William's game. He continues to excel in basketball. He was not feeling very well, but pushed through it and played well.

Then it was off to lunch. Daniel chose Five Guys - this boy loves hot dogs!

After lunch, we had cake. Daniel requested that I make a monkey cake for him. I am NOT a baker, but tried my best because that's what he wanted, and he's probably never had a cake made just for him before (a friend made cupcakes for his party last year).

He loved it, and especially when we let him just make a mess with it & eat it with his hands. We figured that every child deserves a smash cake, so that's what he got! Messes can be cleaned up, but he likely won't forget the fun he had anytime soon.

Once all the grandparents went their separate ways, we got ready for the big surprise of the vening. We took the boys to Medieval Times. They were both thrilled. William was feeling worse as the day went on, but was a real trooper and had a great time despite feeling lousy. Daniel was THRILLED. I honestly had as much fun watching him as I would have had watching the show. He loved the food, the horses, the battles, the knights... everything.

We got about a million thank-you's on the way home from a tired but happy boy.

It was a great day for a great guy. Daniel continues to make progress and become more secure in his role as the little guy of the family. He is doing well academically in school. He is excited to start reading. He is still working on self-control and following the rules. Bottom line: he's an incredibly social creature with ants in his pants - that's about the best way I can describe him. But he's doing better, and has an incredible teacher that really works with him to get him to reach his potential.

We are thankful for another birthday celebrated, and pray for many, many more.

2011 in Pictures (and video)

The year in pictures...

January

It snowed. A lot. Funny, each time we added a new son and brought him to America, we told him "it doesn't really snow where you'll live." And for each of them, their first winter included some pretty decent snow! In January we also celebrated Daniel's "first" (6th) birthday. He was in heaven!

February

Daniel participated in his first "church performance" - as all of the preschoolers helped with worship one Sunday morning. The video is about 10 minutes long. He is right in the middle, wearing a dark green sweater. He appears throughout, but there are some really good shots at 7:40 and 8:25.

March

Daniel went to his first hockey game. We also went to the MLK memorial in Atlanta.

April

We did a big Spring Break road trip, driving to New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. We got to see a lot of cool things, and got to spend a few days with some awesome friends!

May

William turned 9. His last year in the single digits. We had a fun time celebrating with good friends. We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Josh (Zack's brother) & Savannah got married. Daniel completed pre-k.

June

I travelled on my first official international mission trip, to Ethiopia. While I was gone, the fellas enjoyed a few days at Hilton Head. We also had some family pictures taken.

July
We celebrated one year with Danichka! Zack and I had a weekend alone in Memphis. The boys participated in a photo shoot at the church for our Orphan Care Sunday. And I got to meet Vera in person, in the arms of her forever family! We spent some time at the lake and visited some historic spots in Milledgeville.

August

Back to school! William began third grade, and Daniel started his first year of public school as a kindergartener. We also went to a great conert at a local church where the boys got to meet their favorite artist, Josh Wilson.

September

Overall, September was a fairly quiet month... picture-wise anyway! We actually had A LOT going on and we simply didn't get a lot of photos taken. The month ended with a bang: our first trip to the ER. The boys playing in the front yard resulted in a broken collar bone for Daniel.

October

Zack and I started the month by heading to Germany for some missions work with friends in Jena. We stopped off in London on our way there. It was a great trip! Later in the month, we all spent a weekend in Knoxville with Josh, Savannah, and some of the extended family. This was the first UT game for the boys.

November

Thanksgiving, plus some time off of school. Daniel performed in his class Thanksgiving play (he had the same role that William had when he did this play in kindergarten at a different school - funny thing is it's the only part that is reserved for a single player - the rest are groups - so Dove boys must just do well in this particular role!). The boys also got to go to Zack's aunt & uncle's farm. And they got to go to their friend Brayden's super fun birthday party!

December

Started off with a big Gotcha Day - #4!! - for William. We went to see Santa at the mall, and then headed to the Fox Theater to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas the Musical. We also spent lots of time with family, saw the Nutcracker, and just enjoyed Christmas with a little more simplicity.