Our "GallaGirl"

Our Galyna is a little locomotive who puts all our parenting skills to the test! Yet she's also brought so much positive energy and creativity into our family as well. One day she decided that she wanted a new purse, so she just sat down and started making one!

She says she doesn't like her "G" purse very much, but I know this will become a treasured family keepsake. It also provided me with one of those special moments when I was able to appreciate our daughter's gifts, as opposed to complaining about how little education they received in Ukraine, etc.

Galyna recently prepared family dinner all by herself, with just a little coaching from mom.

On the menu was her favorite...

Galla-Chops - seasoned with flour, bread crumbs and pepper. They were a smash hit!

Of course just about no dinner around our house would be complete without our staple -- instant mashed pototoes. We go through at least two jumbo size boxes a week! (Dana recommends a very dry Chardonnay to top off this scrumptious combination!)

Rats Rule!

"The cat will lie down with the rat."

Isaiah 65:25 (my paraphrase)

After being disparaged on Leslie's blog, :) I felt obliged to come to the defense of the rats. They are awesome pets! Admittedly, I felt much the same as Leslie and probably most everyone, but as we considered granting Galyna's wish for a small pet, we kept hearing the same thing over and over from people at the pet stores: Rats are the best. As you can see in this shot, everything about these amazing creatures come as huge surprise. Our cats are actually afraid of them!

Aren't they lovely? Their home is a cage of course, but they run around Galyna's room all the time and are very playful and fun. Why are rats the best? For starters, they are highly intelligent, and it doesn't take long to appreciate this. The rat propaganda even says they can learn tricks and obey commands. We haven't gotten that far, but I can say that Ashley and Gabriella have distinctive personalites, and they do seem to recognize you - I'm not kidding! I've never seen a child who loves animals as much as Galyna. Of course she wants a dog (and a horse!), but the rats have been a great learning experience, as she has responsibility to feed them and clean their cage regularly. The rats have been great practice for Galyna and Christian, who has announced that he would like his own pair!

When I asked Galyna a few days ago why Gabriella was not allowed out of her cage, she said, "Gabriella has conz-a-quence" - something Galyna is quite familiar with!

Just look at that adorable face! Now Leslie, don't you feel bad? Oh, I forgot to mention, the best part is that rats don't stink nearly as bad as hamsters or gerbils. If you clean the cage once a week, you don't smell em at all.

Happy Birthday Galyna!

It's so hard to believe that it's been almost two years since little Galyna first came to visit us for Christmas in 2005. She was teeny-tiny, and looked like she was perhaps eight or nine years old. This weekend, we celebrated her 14th birthday! She is a beautiful girl who loves life and has embraced her new country. Before the party she asked me not to speak any Russian as she now wants her identity to be American. We've been home less than three months and this young lady is thriving.


I've never seen a child who loves animals more than Galyna. She's been asking for a dog since day one, but we let her know early on that adding a dog to the mix would just be too much for our family right now. So......

Hello rats!!! One of Galyna's teachers gave a hearty endorsement to pet rats and I was surprised to learn from pet store employees that rats make great pets. They are the most intelligent of all small pets and easy to take care of. Did you know that rats can learn tricks and even remember their names? Galyna was ecstatic! She named her new pets Ashley and Gabriella.

Seven of her classmates helped her celebrate her first American birthday and they had a blast!

Ellen kept us laughing all night long!

Jailene and Anna provided impromptu song and dance
Galyna won't forget this Birthday!

We are so grateful for the kind of young women who've befriended our daughters. Katrina and Margaret helped make this a very special weekend.

Cate is hilarious and quite talented as she writes and sings her own songs!

Galyna doing some High School Musical moves

Our 14 year old daughter with Chris and Deborah Winans.

Happy Birthday sweetheart...We love you!

Lampost Goes Kaput!

What happens when your 13 year old Ukrainian adopted daughter mows the lawn for the first time? .......

Lampost goes KAPUT!

She looked so cute in her Sponge Bob pajamas, and was having such a great time, all I could do was laugh. When she quit before finishing and I asked her why she didn't cut around the Crepe Myrtles, she said, "I no want kees (kiss) with tree!"

It occured to me how symbolic this incident is for those of us on this kind of adoption journey. It's a bumpy ride allright, but a wonderful one!

Our Daughter Galyna

Just the mention of the name "Galya" (as she's known to her friends) brings a smile to the face of anyone who knows this spirited 13 year old. She may weigh 70 pounds on a good day, and is much smaller than all her friends, but this little dynamo makes her presence felt immediately with her energy, confidence and sense of humour. Although she likes to display total self-assurance, we are discovering that she is much more sensitive than she lets on. Earlier today she cried for an hour after sister Anastasia cold-cocked her and admonished her for something we were not aware of. Following a talk about being gentle with each other, she quickly forgot about it all and showed no resentment toward her older sister. Obviously, she is blossoming into a beautiful young lady. When she first visited us in Virginia a year-and-a-half ago, she looked like she was seven years old!

She calls her little brother "Cee-Pic" - a Russian version of "CP."

Galya adores her beautiful mom. It is so sweet to hear her call Dana Mommy!

This is a very positive sign. She loves and displays instinctive tenderness toward animals...

And that's a good thing because we are big animal lovers! She has two kitties waiting at home, and is already negotiating for a dog.

She and Christian are eight years apart, but share similar interests. When I took her to the grocery store last Summer she hopped into the baby seat of the cart!

Both of our girls love fruits and vegetables with watermelon topping Galya's list.

It's hilarious to see her go to the fridge, grab a cucumber, and eat it just like an apple!

I love this shot of our younger daughter looking out over the Black Sea. It reminds me of the very first morning she spent at our home in December 2005. I got up early and found her sitting quietyly by herself, watching the sun rise. I knew then that this girl has soul. She is full of life and honestly, a bit of a wild stallion! I reckon we'll take our lumps trying to break her in but I'm betting the the payoff will be great for this impassioned little Ukrainian girl.

Galyna

Galyna is a little firecracker! She is a spirited, funny and athletically gifted 13 year old who was barely 70 pounds when she left last summer. The first time she had ever picked up a baseball bat, she nearly took my head off with a linedrive. Same thing on the bicyle. She was cruising around the block in a matter of minutes.

When we went to the beach last summer, I was amazed watching her comfortably interact with other kids. She grabbed a boogie board and bravely faced some nasty waves breaking right on the shore. A couple of times she disappeared under water and went right back out for more punishment. This little girl is one tough cookie!

The highlight of Galya's summer was learning how to horseback ride. She attended a two week camp and instantly fell in love with the sport. Seeing her sitting on that horse, riding so gracefully and smiling so proudly, is the enduring image of the nearly three months we spent together.

Every time we've corresponded, she's always asked about "Terry" the horse. Not surprisingly, Galya also showed great potential as an ice skater. She's not as academically enthusiastic as her sister, but she is also very smart and capable.

Our prayer request for Galya is for God to give her motivation to work hard on her English lessons, and a desire to follow the rules!

posted by jim