In With The New!

Building our family for the past six months has been such a blur that we've seldom taken the time to get out and enjoy the natural beauty of our hometown. The James River runs right through the middle of Richmond and features what has to be one of the premiere urban retreats in the country.

The River's most visited destination is Belle Isle, which is accessed by a suspension bridge. In a matter of minutes, you can leave all the hustle and bustle behind, and be transported to a place of rare peace, where the only sound you hear are the rapids rushing through the rocks.

This island was an open-air prison in the Civil War, where thousands of Union prisoners of war died of disease, exposure and starvation. Visiting here is always a moving experience.

As I watched our children enjoying the beauty of God's creation, it occured to me how important it is to spend time outdoors as a family. Is it any wonder that the more urbanized our culture becomes, and the more time we spend indoors, the more agnostic we become?

I read about a fascinating study where kids with ADHD were treated by simply spending time outdoors and the results were overwhelmingly positive in reducing ADHD symptoms. I am diagnosed with ADHD myself and have found that outdoor therapy works wonders, even if it's just taking a walk. CS Lewis and John Adams were both big believers in daily walks, and I mean long ones! Lewis prayed every day during his "peregrinations." I just don't think God intended for us to sit in front of computer screens and TV's all day. One of my goals for the New Year will be more outdoor activities with my children. And the best part is, it's free!

I've never seen our daughters happier. Anastasia is the only shy person in our family, but she is asserting herself as the conscientious, older daughter.

It's hard to believe that this is the same girl who rode in the baby seat of the grocery cart last summer! Galyna can still be a bit rowdy at times, but she is fast becoming a lovely young lady.

I am most grateful for my beautiful, amazing wife. Dana is the most "can-do" person I've ever met. She meets every challenge with optimism and faithful perseverance.

We've got some big decisions ahead of us, but as I think about 2008, I do so with a profound sense of gratitude and hopefulness. Thanks to all of you who've given us so much encouragement during this unforgettable year. May God pour out his love and mercy on you in the New Year.

An Unforgettable Christmas

Our first Christmas together as a family was just about perfect. Our children all exchanged meaningful gifts with each other and demonstrated a loving and grateful spirit.

Anastasia knitted beautiful scarfs for the whole family!

I'll never forget the look on Christian's face when he saw that Santa had granted his request for a Polar Express electric train!


This has been a wonderful week with many sweet moments shared by all. We give thanks to God for every blessing.

Christmas At Home

One of the things I love about our daughters, and that we hope to preserve, is how content they are with simple things. They will sit down and draw, paint, or knit for hours. And although these shots capture them watching a movie, they don't have to be entertained. As we approach the six month mark of our time together as a family, it's easy to focus on how frenetic our lives have become. But as I saw them sitting by the fire with their mom, enjoying a movie while knitting Christmas gifts, I realized how important it is to give thanks for how good things are.

We are all on vacation now, and anticipating Christmas like never before. The girls love Christmas music and we play it throughout the day. By the way, our favorites are Moya Brennan's "An Irish Christmas," and Aimee Mann's "One More Drifter In The Snow."

Brennan's rendition of Christina Rosetti's poem "In The Bleak Midwinter" has to be one of the most sublime things I've ever heard. The entire disc captures the devotional spirit of Christmas perfectly and beautifully, while Mann's CD is more playful at times, but also quite soulful.

And, I must be honest and mention that "Christmas With The Chipmunks" is also a household favorite, but be careful, because if heard more than three times in one day, it can lead to insanity!

Christian is so amped up, he can hardly go to sleep at night. Rumor has it that Santa is considering a Polar Express electric train set, which has father and son counting the days!

Christmas Blessings

My recent postings reflect on some of the struggles we've been facing, but as these pictures demonstrate, our daughters are anticipating the Christmas season with much joy. It is shaping up to be a very special one as we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior, who has made all this possible, and who more than makes up for all our deficiencies.

It's been a bit rowdy around here the last few days. Christian and Galyna are hilarious together!

From our family to yours, we pray for all God's blessings and a joyful Christmas. Your prayers are needed especially for Oleg and Nataliya, and the Haug family as they complete their adoptions in Ukraine.

Halloween

Cat Woman and Captian Hook on the loose!

The Blessing of Adoption

These pictures are a beautiful witness to the blessing of adoption. Banner Christian School recently held a pep rally and I've never seen Anastasia smile so much. I had to fight back the tears because I couldn't help but thinking about her life in Ukraine, where there was little to smile about.

When you see pictures taken of her at the orphanage, it's almost as if she didn't even know how to smile. This is my favorite shot of her previous life. Everyone we talked to in Odessa told us that Nastia spent most of her free time in the art room, putting her heart and soul into creating beautiful works of art. Art remains her passion, but today she enjoys so much more.

Katrina is a vivacious young lady who has reached out to both of our daughters.

Mr. Tom Burkett is not only the headmaster, he's also the varsity volleyball coach and very much in the "old school" tradition. Banner Bearcat volleyball is not for the faint of heart as "Mr. B" runs a brutally tough practice. He's a demanding coach who prefers not to lose, but his off-court demeanor is gentle and soft-spoken. He got a kick out of posing here with Nastia. Afterwards he asked, "Did she smile?"

Nastia and her teammates should compete for the conference volleyball championship. They've been a bit inconsistent lately, but should be ready by tournament time to be a contender. This Christian volleyball is ferocious competition and we love the games. Go BearCats!!!

Galyna with her best friend Anna Winans. Anna is the youngest of three children in an extraordinary missionary family, who recently returned from a five year mission to Japan. Anna's mother grew up in Saigon during the Vietnam war. Their family's incredible story is told in the memoir of Anna's grandfather Sam James. They never left until the fall of Saigon. It is a miracle they didn't become martyrs for Christ. This is an example of how adoption has blessed our entire family as we've all become good friends with the Winans family.

"Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice."

School Days!

It's hard to believe that this day has come. Anastasia and Galyna weren't thrilled about having their picture taken at 7:15 AM, but clad in their kilts, sporting new haircuts, they marched off to their first day of school! They absolutely hated having to wear a uniform, but of course their parents are delighted. Their courage to face their fears has been impressive, as they are now immersed in the strongest sense. By arrangement with their school, Dana is accompanying them this week to ease the transition. Anastasia will be starting out in the 9th grade and Galyna has been placed in the 6th. We'll see how it goes and adjust down the road if necessary, but for now we are amazed at how smoothly everything has gone.


This is a shot I never thought I would be posting! Nastia suddenly decided that she wanted to play volleyball, and went to practice yesterday. Dana and I were stunned because she has always refused to do anything of a physical nature. It has been so wonderful to see her confidence soar recently.

My daughter running wind sprints. These workouts are just brutal! Nastia will play on the Varsity team and the first two games are Friday and Saturday requiring a family road trip to Winchester, VA and Maryland. Oh my, how our lives have changed!


No doubt about it, Galyna is going to be a star. She will play on the middle school squad and has already made alot of new friends. She got in the car last night with Dana and said, "I happy!"
I know we're in for some tough times ahead with school, but we are so grateful at the enormous blessing our daughters have been.

A Month At Home

It is still hard to grasp that this beautiful young lady is our daughter. Anastasia loves spending time with her mom. It's like they've been mother and daughter forever! Her English is rapidly improving to the point where we can have basic conversations and her ability to read is excellent. She read all of Heidi in one day! The big news is that the girls start school on Tuesday, August 21st. Everything has fallen into place for them to attend full-time at Banner Christian School. The story of the first five years of this school is an incredible story of God's faithfulness, and we are so humbled and grateful for the way God has provided.

Galyna has already practiced two days with the volleyball team. She was scared to death on the first day, and couldn't even say her name when she was asked to introduce herself. But several girls on the team reached out to her, and she never stopped smiling for the next two hours, which was a brutal workout! She is a natural athlete, and quickly found that she fit in with all of her teammates. Now, if she only worked as hard on her English! Fortunately, we've found a great tutor who will give them English instruction at school five hours a week. I've got a feeling that little Miss Galya is in for a shock!

I love these moments! Anastasia is a great big sis to her little brother, and Christian is mostly happy about having two sisters. He only threatens to send them back to Ukraine once or twice a day!

We don't have cable or satellite TV, so we watch alot of movies. I highly recommend The Miracle Worker, a newly released version of the Helen Keller story. This is a great film for children and parents in adoptive families, or anyone else for that matter.

Galya rode for the first time last summer, and she couldn't wait to saddle up again. She walked around the house for a week saying, "I want horse!" The lessons are pricey, but it is a joy to see her doing something she does so well. And a huge confidence booster. She'll need it when school starts next week!

Three Weeks At Home

After three full weeks at home, I am happy to report that our newly adopted daughters are doing very well! We've had some, shall we say, "challenges," but overall the girls are happy and adjusting nicely to their new lives. I love this shot of them, taken at sunset in Kill Devil Hills, NC. After just one week at home, we took our first family vacation at the beach. Galyna and Anastasia are very different, but we're learning to appreciate their different personalities. I'd say we're off to a great start!


It is a joy to see them bonding so well with their mom. Dana is taking a maternity leave and it has been an incredible blessing. They absolutely adore their mother and it has been amazing for me to see things in my wife I never had an opportunity to see before. Unlike me, Dana thrives on structure and she is always a patient, loving teacher.



Galyna and Christian are constant companions. She turns 14 in October, and they are seperated by seven years, but they share many common interests.

Our church put on a great Vacation Bible School, and both girls chipped in to help.

Nastia is naturally sweet and tender with children. She helped out in the nursery.

She is the only introvert in our household! Nastia is extremely shy and prefers sedentary activities. She is also very bright and has an excellent work ethic, not to mention a beautiful smile.

We got a big scare at the beach when a fearsome 40 pound pirate appeared and demanded that we surrender our booty!


Our little Galyna also has a good amount of God given athletic ability. She is on the go all the time and always eager to participate in games of any kind.

I love this. Galyna eating the first of two sloppy joes for breakfast!

I still can't believe it when I see them all together. Our home us much louder and rowdier, but God has blessed us richly. I love our family!