Meet Tot

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Abbie

In July, while we were in Ukraine, Ginger the Dog got very sick. Sadly, she passed away while we were flying home. It was very sad and we all miss her and called Sunny Ginger for several days.

A long time ago, I started researching different dog breeds and had decided that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels would be a good dog breed for our family. I laughed and told Mark that I did all this research but we’ll probably wind up with a good ol’ mutt rescue dog (when we were ready to get another dog…this was before Ginger got sick) because that is just where our heart is. He laughed and shrugged it off.

The week before we left for our court date in Ukraine, a neighbor posted that she needed to re-home her full blooded cocker spaniel. Her work schedule had changed and she was, sadly, not able to spend as much time with him as she wanted. Mark agreed we could all go meet him. We took Sunny along to make sure she approved. And all of us fell in love. She wholeheartedly agreed to keep him until we returned stateside. The kids and I picked him up on our way in from me getting home.
So, blog world, meet Tot. He had a big brother named Tater…cute, huh? Anyway, he answers to Tot, Totty, Tots and anything else I call him. He is definitely “my” dog and I am perfectly okay with that. We were excited that he is four years old (no puppy quirks) and housebroken! All bonuses for us right now. Mark is confident he’ll never get a puppy again (working on that one). And I am confident that spaniels are the only dog I’ll own (until we rescue a mutt…yeah, I can’t give those cuties up).

Emmie says, “My Tot.” And sometimes, she recognizes that he is “Our Tot.” But Bryant is a good cuddler and Tot knows that!

He likes to bring people gifts when they come over. If you visit, you’ll be greeted with happy barks and a toy…either a kids toy or his green and white polka dot bone.

Winter was trying to escape and decided Tot’s cage was a good place to hang.I did NOT put my large, elderly dog in the cage…we had left it open for a safe place for Tot while he adjusted to our crazy house. We looked and Sunny had gone in and was just sitting there. I think she is in denial that she is elderly. Sweet girl.

The Appendix

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Abbie

One day, while Mark and Silas (and Papa) were in Ukraine, Josiah started feeling bad. Complaining of a stomachache, I dismissed it as a come and go thing. When it didn’t go away the next day and he started walking a bit slumped over wincing when he climbed the steps, I thought it might be something a bit more serious. When he couldn’t jump and started running a fever, we went to see his pediatrician. Dr. B was not very happy with her assessment and sent us on to the ER and alerted the surgeons there.

After a couple of hours (and a bad assessment from a resident who, thankfully, was overridden by the surgeon and attending), we made our way to a room to await the surgeon to remove a very inflamed and pesky appendix.

He wasn’t too happy about being up until past midnight but managed a smile or two. I was very grateful to have a laptop for him to watch videos while waited.

He fooled everyone in the ER because his attitude and pain level didn’t come through in his attitude. He was so brave. He pulled through surgery in the early morning hours and by the mid afternoon was able to sit up.

He got a special visit with former submariners who showed him a video and told him all about the subs. He got a cool hat and an awesome picture.

I praise God for our wonderful pediatrician who knew what needed to be done right away. We also had several friends and family who dropped everything and came to help me with the rest of the kiddos. And for technology. Mark spend most of the night (his early morning hours) on Google Hangouts talking with us and praying for Josiah.

Meanwhile

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Abbie

Papa and Grandmere, once again, took on the crew while we were gone in August. We missed the kids but several of them seemed to have a really hard time this time around. I’m glad I was only gone for a week. Grandmere and Papa were so good at sending us pictures of their daily adventures which made the separation much easier.

It was time to clear Papa’s garden and get it ready for winter season. The boys learned how to use the plow and also got to practice with the lawnmower (a preview for next year).

Clearing out the garden, they found several baby rabbits.

Emmie loved her Papa cuddles. They visited a family friend and his grandchildren (who are the children of our former classmates). Grandmere had the boys help her old so that she knew what clothes belonged to what boy. A hard task when there are so many boys close in age. Learning to trim bushes. Silly face selfies. Papa’s hidden talent. Bubbles are great for piggy back rides. Grandmere and Papa pulled out Mark’s old Nintendo and the boys were in heaven! How to tire kids out…take them to the park!
Ceili Rain asked for curls. The girls! Emmie enjoyed helping Grandmere in the kitchen.

Just Waiting

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Abbie

After Silas’s court date, we were blessed beyond belief when he was allowed to stay with us during our waiting period. I stayed in country until that Friday and Mark stayed the rest of the time until Silas could come home. Hopefully, eventually, Mark can blog about his time in Ukraine. We were thrilled that they got to be there to celebrate their Independence day and that Papa was able to fly over to spend some time with them and seeing Ukraine!

For now, here are some photos from our adventures while I was there. We found a great park in Bila Tserkva with a fun ropes course. Just because he was standing there all handsome. There was a park near our apartment too. Plenty of space for soccer and basketball… And climbing!

Cotton candy in Europe is a bit different than the US. It was straight up just sugar. No flavors, no artificial dyes etc. Not our favorite but still edible.

My cooking went up a notch thanks to Google translate making sure I grabbed the right seasoning packets.

The sign in our elevator let’s us know not to use the bathroom in there. Just an FYI.

Silas insisted we grab these tiger hot dogs. Mark said they were terrible and only after he cooked them did he realize the stripes needed to be peeled off.

When I made it to the airport for my journey home, these beautiful art pieces were on display. A photographer had taken classic art and re-shot them with Ukrainian scenes. So much patriotism and pride for the country could be seen in each photograph.

A Look Back…

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Abbie

This is our yearly Christmas/New Year Letter. So here we pause, and take a look back at what 2016 held for us:

Our biggest highlights:

January saw our new son Silas still in Ukraine having to celebrate his ninth birthday without us. We’re grateful that we were able to send a cake to him to help him celebrate. We also found out that we would not be able to continue the adoption process until that summer.

In February, Emmie had spinal fusion surgery in her cervical (neck) spine. This was a big highlight in our year since no one knew exactly what would happen or how she would do with it. We praise God that she not only made it through surgery with no complications, but we are now 10 months out and the bones are fusing!

March brought two beautiful kiddos birthdays, Ceili Rain turned 7 and Malachi turned 4. We enjoyed celebrating Easter with our church family. Emmie had her halo removed (after 8 months in it) on March 30th.

April was a much cherished and random “quiet” month if you don’t count the kids’ annual school testing and mom’s weekend away with Tracy. Mark and I celebrated 20 years of dating.

May passed by with Emmie’s 2nd birthday. We had a wonderful beach trip, watched brave pirates, and met some sea lions. We turned in our dossier 2.0. And Mark and I celebrated our 16th year of marriage.

June was another quiet month but news came we would be traveling to Ukraine in July (and later in August). I traveled to Austin, Texas for the NF Forum. Emmie had her final neck brace off on June 10th! Emmie had her sixth MRI and found her UGGHH was stable! We celebrated Josiah’s 9th birthday.

July saw Zoe (her first plane ride and international trip), Mark and I traveling to Ukraine for our “second” first trip. We got to visit with our Silas, sightsee in Kiev and in Vienna. While recovering from jet lag, we managed to celebrate Ace’s 12th birthday and Bryant’s 6th one! And, last, but not least, Mark’s birthday.

August was THE month to have Silas become a permanent part of our family. He became a Character, officially, on August 9th. While Mark was finishing up the paperwork and requirements in Ukraine, Josiah decided life was too boring. He made an unscheduled stop at the hospital to have his appendix removed. We, once again, praise God for our proactive pediatrician. We’re also very thankful that his appendix didn’t burst!

In September, we welcomed home Mark and Silas and began our journey as a family of eleven by attending our church’s annual family camp. We started school pretty soon after and took a break here and there to go to the zoo and talk like a pirate.

October was another “quiet” month and we enjoyed settling in to school, learning to read and being a family.

November was just the opposite of October! We had my birthday (one year closer to 40). Our first NF walk went off without a problem and lots of smiles and laughter. All total, we raised over $7000 for NF Research! Liam started wearing glasses this month. We celebrated Thanksgiving with Papa and Grandmere. Mark and I learned that God had chosen to give us a new addition.

December brought joys, trials, and sadness. We found out early in the month that we were expecting twins but the babies, sadly, did not make it (“not viable” in medical terms). This has been one of the hardest miscarriages (mentally, not physically) yet and I learned later in the month that twin pregnancy losses can sometimes feel harder, even if they are early miscarriages. We rejoiced over Emmie’s spinal fusion successes and UGGHH continuing to behave. We also learned that she has another plexiform in her hip muscle as well as scoliosis. Recently, we have noticed a very small plexiform on her armpit. Also mixed in with all of our news, we mourned the loss of my uncle too close to Christmas and rejoiced in the time we knew him here on earth. Despite the hardships, trials and struggles this month, we have been able to fully rejoice in our Savior’s birth. We are continually reminded that we are not facing these struggles alone because He is always with us. We continue to feel God’s guiding, gentle, and loving hand leading, comforting and sometimes carrying us through.

Looking ahead…we have some fun trips planned for the kids and new experiences for us all (I’m going to be homeschooling a high schooler ya’ll!)! We can not wait to see what the Lord does in and through us this coming year. Yes, with new diagnoses, we are looking at another year of uncertainties and deductibles met too soon as well as meeting new specialists…but we know the Lord has carried us this far and we will continue to walk where He leads. Two things are certain, we’ll continue to raise awareness of NF and also advocate for children who need a home.

**I know that I started out with links and continued on to what I had actually posted. I’m doing my best to get everything up to date. Our months have been very busy since August! For now, we have an easy way to read up on our fun and crazy year.**

While Mom and Dad are Away

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Abbie

Papa and Grandmere did a great job watching our other babies while we were away and making sure we got to see all of their fun antics.

Ace, Liam, and Josiah worked hard building a retaining wall.

Papa cuddles were good subs for Mama and Daddy hugs. Ceili Rain did a wonderful job helping with Emmie. Word has it, she was able to get her to sleep for naps.While visiting, Josiah was able to celebrate his birthday with Papa and Grandmere.

Austria Not Australia

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Abbie

After a very sad good-bye, we headed back to Kyiv and then to Austria. We planned a 24 hour layover to check out all things Vienna and squeezed in as much of their culture as we could in that time.
Riding the train from the airport to City Centre. Our first glimpse of Vienna.

Riding through the country side is quite beautiful.

We probably spent way too many hours trying to find a hotel in Vienna. We decided on a art boutique hotel (reasonably priced of course). Our room’s air wasn’t working and there were dog paintings on the wall that made us giggle. I know. I know. It’s art. But it was fun art and that made us laugh.

Our main stop was Schonbrunn Palace, the hunting palace of the Hapsburgs. This wasn’t a fake backdrop. Nope. It was the real thing. A large, beautiful, proud Austrian piece of architectural and interior design. We toured and were able to walk where Mozart and Napoleon walked. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside the palace.

A small metal model of the palace grounds.

The gardens were fair game for picture taking. And just as gorgeous as the inside!

Roses were in abundance.

On the way back to the subway, we couldn’t pass by a golden Mozart street performer without taking a picture.

Speaking of the subway, we enjoyed the art. It was fairly clean and easy to navigate.

A beautiful statue on the way to our hotel.

For supper, we headed to City Centre. We saw St. Stephen’s and just basked in the beautiful architecture. And the crowds. It was so busy!

Every side of St. Stephen’s included a beautiful piece of art.

Trip Advisor gave super good reviews for Aida and was right in the city centre. And ya’ll, the desserts did not disappoint. Yes, supper was good…but dessert. Oh my!

Vienna was beautiful and we fit in as much as we could in 24 hours. I would love go back and see more one day.

At Last

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Abbie

After we had our appointment with the ministry in Kyiv, we headed to visit Silas. He was at summer camp which gave us a bit more freedom in spending time with him (school days are pretty structured). We were able to see him for four days in a row and stayed from lunch to late afternoon.
We made sure to bring a few toys that would be fun to share and goof around with. These silly glasses were a hit. Silas almost always had a friend with him. We enjoyed getting to know D. His English was okay and he enjoyed trying to talk to Zoe. There was a river across the street from the camp. Mark got in the river one day and they had fun. Zoe and I both forgot our swimsuits and purchasing them there was not really an option. I managed to get some snuggles in between venturing everywhere. One day, the older boys took us to a lumber yard area (Zoe said it said something about animals) and they convinced the owner to let us come look. We walked over to the gate and saw a forest of boars. Lots of them. From giant ones to little babies. Lots of fun to look at and all the boys were super excited to show us.
Silas writing his letter stating he wanted to be a part of our bunch. We brought our lunch each day but the director of the camp was insistent that we eat with them. We were able to try some very interesting and authentic food but we all agreed it was very yummy. Before

After

Welcome to Kyiv

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Abbie

As soon as we touched down in Ukraine, we set out to show Zoe everything we possibly could. We only had about a day in Kyiv before we had to head out to where Silas was. So, speedy sightseeing was on! Zoe was so excited to be on the main street in Kyiv. Mainly because she read the street sign without help. The Maidan. We had missed it on our previous trip (even though we stayed only a few blocks from it on our first trip) and it was a blast seeing it with Zoe.

Several Ukrainians have worked tirelessly to get rid of the old boring sides of apartment buildings (most of which were built during the Soviet occupation) and have brought in both local and international artists to spruce things up. This one, by far is my most favorite. You can check out more murals on Euromaidan Press.

Selfie with the sun in our eyes. Mark and Zoe put up with a lot of my silliness. Um, the food was, of course delicious and did not disappoint Zoe at all. The food was the highlight for her! We love Pirogi for lunch. Never disappoints. St. Sophia’s Traditional Ukrainian Borscht at a local Soviet style restaurant.

Milkshakes for yummy desserts!

Can I just say this trip was not just for Zoe? She was wonderful to have with us. The day we were to head to region closer to Silas, we had a chance to run out and grab a bite to eat at a street vendor before our driver showed up. The street vendor did not speak English. We told Zoe what we wanted, she told the vendor and we were all super happy. Mark and I thanked her over and over. She also was a big help at the super market, other restaurants and when we met up with Silas at his summer camp. Having a semi-polyglot is awesome! We had our own personal translator with us wherever we went and all we had to do was feed her and let her sleep.

A restaurant out of Kyiv. Beautiful scenery.

The prettiest part of the trip was seeing the sunflowers EVERYWHERE. Ya’ll…we had beautiful blue skies most of the time. So, it felt like we were driving by the Ukrainian flag over and over again.

The day we had time to stop and get pictures, the sunflowers were turned away. But we found a few rebels not following the sun. Golden Ukrainian wheat and a beautiful blue sky. Slava Ukraine!

Making it to region, we stayed in an apartment in Bila Tserkva (the White Church) and were able to spend a bit of time sightseeing there. It’s a smaller city than Kyiv but still a few things to explore. This was our local supermarket. It was just a short walk from our apartment. It was more like a mini mall with the supermarket on bottom.

Slava (Glory) Park was in the center of the city and was dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the Great Patriotic War (World War II). We saw this wood building from the other end of the park and were pleasantly surprised to find it was a church. The doors are absolutely beautiful. While we were taking pictures, a man came up and asked as best he could if we were Americans. Between his English and Zoe’s translations, we figured out he wanted us to email pictures of the church. I noticed a rosary in his hand and after he gave us his business card, Zoe translated and told us he was the Father at the church. Obviously, the church was under construction and we were excited to be able to send him pictures of it in progress.
After watching the Netflix special “Winter Under Fire,” we started noticing memorials set up to the brave men and women who fought so hard against a corrupt government with virtually nothing. This one was at Slava Park.
Zoe and I got a kick out of the translation from Ukrainian to English only because she had several laughable moments of going from English to Ukrainian in speaking and each time, every one was so gracious.

I had a Princess coke. Coca cola speaks…even if it’s a different language.

The Making of a World Traveler

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Abbie

Last year, when we were working on our adoption and Zoe started to show an interest in languages, we got a crazy idea. I would think it was probably me that first had it, but really, I can’t even remember. Anyway, we invited Zoe to go with us on one of our trips to Ukraine for Silas’s adoption. She wholeheartedly agreed and a tradition was born. She asked grandparents and aunts and uncles for money for her 13th birthday and we agreed to pay for some of it as well. Now, 13th birthdays are plane ride birthdays to somewhere. Zoe’s just happened to be halfway around the world.A quick picture with Papa before Zoe gets some stamps in her passport!

She was super nervous about the plane ride. But not too nervous to give up a window seat.

Her first plane ride food. Lufthansa has pretty good plane food. We traveled Austria airlines home and, well, it was ah-mazing. Watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean.

Layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Zoe and I saw a castle (painting). In the process, we had several German employees giggling. Goofiness is international.

No. I didn’t get sick. We just wanted to be funny. I don’t get sick on planes, trains, or automobiles. Our family is blessed with no sort of motion sickness (except the dog).

A German McDonald’s Breakfast

My thrill was on the way back in, we had a layover in Newark. We saw New York City out of the plane window and we could see the Statue of Liberty too. That was our first time being that close to New York City.

I’m fairly certain we have created a world traveling addiction in Zoe. This thrills Mark to no end. And I can’t wait to see where her dreams and God take her!

Just a Bunch of Characters

Musings of everyday life in a house full of Characters.

Category Archives: Adventures