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.

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!

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!