Celebrating Alexandra's Birthday

My sweet baby girl turned 15 on Friday. Alexandra has become such a beautiful godly young woman. She loves the New York Giants and Gabe was able to get her an autographed jersey from Eli Manning for her birthday. He, Vitalk and Eli made the birthday cake as well and, much to my surprise, it turned out to be delicious. We went over to Atlanta Friday and enjoyed Six Flags. Eli got to ride his first Roller Coaster. Two was enough he told me. Vitalik had ridden one the summer he was hosted but he was thrilled to partake in the bungee jump with Alexandra and Luke. We all had a great time; Eli pouted a little the first time he had to pass up a ride because he was too short; but the Superman and Bat Man capes more than made up for it. I give God all the praise and glory for giving me such precious children and a husband who gives top priority to his family.

Playing Catch Up

Last week, I believe, we went to Birmingham to see Shane and Marilyn Duke, missionaries from Louisianna, currently serving in Ukraine. They serve in the region where Eli lived prior to joining our family. I thank God every day for Shane and Marilyn. Through their love and self-sacrifice, God poured his Word into my son's heart. Shane and Marilyn lead a camp every summer for the children in the surrounding villages. Many are hearing the gospel for the first time in that camp. Pray for them as they continue to share the love of Christ with Ukraine.




Also, one weeekend recently (I lose track) we went to Thomasville where Vitalik and Eli got to meet many of their extended family for the first time. We saw a high school football game and spent the day on "the farm" riding 4-wheelers and such. The boys enjoyed the visit and, to the best of my recollection, behaved very well. Sometimes when the usual routine is interrupted they get a little unsettled but lately they have been more flexible and able to enjoy going to new places and even meeting new people.







Lastly, I don't think I have mentioned the fact that Vitalik decided to start attending youth group on Wednesday nights at church. He looks forward to this time every week. I remember when we were in Ukraine and he would insist that he did not like church and would always balk at attending. I am amazed at the work God is doing in Him. Not only does he enjoy going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, he is actually learning so much. Considering the language issue, I find this so remarkable. Earlier this week the whole family went to see Fireproof together. I worried Vitalik and Eli would not enjoy it, too much dialogue, etc. Not only did they enjoy it, they understood it. God is so very good.

Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

I have always wanted to go to a corn maze and I finally found one only 15 miles from home! If you live in the Montgomery area, check out www.dreamfieldfarms.com. Dream Fields is run by a homeschooling mom and it is great place to take your family. We had lots of fun; it brought out the kid in all of us!

Church Picnic

Recent comment by Vitalik: "One thing I have learned in the two months I have been here is that Moms are better with girls and Dads are better with boys." Could this have something to do with football?

New Haircut

Eli's take on the new haircut he chose: "We could not get our hair cut like this at the orphanage. Thats what I like about a family. I can cut my hair like this."

Fields of the Fatherless

I came across this today and just had to share it.

I am waiting...somewhere far...far...away
on the other side of the world.
I may not know who you are
or what you look like, but somehow deep in my heart
I know you are out there.
That one day you will come
and find me.
It's a long journey,
and it takes a lot of time... I wish it could be easier.
But I know that the ones who come for me will not count the cost.
They will only see the joy of finding me.
For now I abide in the fields of the fatherless.
Day by day wondering why I was born here and not somewhere else?
Asking....why my life couldn't have been different.
It is so lonely...
Even though I am surrounded by hundreds of other children,
I know something is missing...
I know in my heart I need a place to call home.
My arms long to be wrapped in a father's embrace..
I long to be saved by a mother's love...
Gazing out the orphanage window I offer a prayer of hope,
"Oh, God, please help them come quickly."
Even as I lay there in the darkness each night
somehow I feel assured, that no matter how lost I appear
I am not alone, Holy hands guard my steps,
sacred fingers wipe my tears,
touching my lonely heart.
The one who made me,
the God that knew me before I was born,
hears me every time I call.
He whispers his promises in my ear.
I listen with hope to His voice.
But what I worry about most is that
no one wants to look for me.
The fields are vast
and there are so many scattered all over the earth.
I wonder how one little child,
so lost can be found?
Yet he calms my heart and assures me,
that He will find you.
That he will make sure that you hear His voice clearly.
He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields.
That he will personally cut a path,
nd lead you right to my orphanage door.
My prayer is... When he speaks... Please don't forget to listen...
When he calls don't be too afraid to go.
For I am waiting somewhere, far,...far...away,
on the other side of the world...
TO COME HOME.
-by Jan Beazely

Homeschooling and other odds and ends

I know I said I was going to quit blogging. But life is so interesting and blogging is such a great way to keep a keepsake journal for the boys. That thought reminds me of a very interesting fact. When Vitalik left the internat, he brought with him all of his belongings, 99% of which were given to him by us and the other 1% given by others involved in the hosting program last summer. Every note he had ever received from anyone was included. Even now, if I write him an encouraging note or give him a card, he stashes it away for safe keeping. Most of us take for granted all of our keepsakes, all of our photo albums, our memory books. To a child whose early life has been so hard, each little piece of their new life carries great significance. I want the boys one day to be able to sit down with their wives and childen, even grandchildren, and show them pictures of their life growing up in the Davie home; to be able to witness to the fact that they were wanted and loved; to show them that they had parents who were proud of them and cared for them. Blogs are a wonderful way to help accomplish this.
We have been home 8 weeks. There is never a dull moment. Vitalik drove a golf cart into the lake. Accidentally, of course. He thinks he'll try driving one again "maybe next year!" Then the next day, he made a “heroic” dive into some tall grass and caught a fawn. Eli is enjoying Awanas and is doing great at memorizing Bible verses. We have been to the Montgomery Zoo. The boys got to see some animals they had never seen before. This past weekend we went to Tennessee to see Colton and did some sightseeing in Chattanooga. Trips of this sort seem to always result in deprival of privileges by the time we get home and this trip was no exception. I am happy to report, however, that the infractions that lead to such consequences get less and less serious as time goes on. We had a good time and really enjoyed spending time with Colton and his friends. A movie on which he was Director of Photgraphy, A Pistol in Hand, was screened at his college. And the band he is in played on Saturday night. It seems that bad behavior and the resulting consequences sometimes act as a catharsis that results in a higher level of peace and happiness. I guess sometimes you just have to get it out of your system. Another phenomonem that escapes my understanding is this: when the boys are not allowed to play video games, they are such content, happy young men. When they are allowed to play them, they are not happy or content unless they are in front of the TV. When video games are off limits, they are very resourceful at finding things to do and they get a lot of exercise. But when they can anticipate playing them later in the day, they are constantly asking "what I do?" It seems they can think of nothing else but getting to the XBox. It makes me want to just prohibit video games altogether but it doesn't seem quite right to say "hey guys, you are so good when you have no privelges that I think I will take them away forever." Seems like there has to be a better solution. Just as an aside, we had FOUR awesome weeks where no one packed their suitcase or asked me to buy them a ticket back to Ukraine. As Eli would say: "that's what I'm talking about!" And even though one of them begged to go back Sunday after his Nintendo DS was confiscated, Monday he said "I'm so happy you adopted me" for the first time. Life with these guys is a picture of contradictions. Homeschooling is very enlightening and very rewarding. I am so proud of how well they are speaking English. Eli says that he doesn't think he can ever get over saying да, нет, and я but other than those three words, they speak to us in English 100% of the time(albeit with sound effects and charades often thrown in!). I don't know if it is technically the right thing to do, but when they are attempting to speak English, I do not correct grammar. I save that for the formal lessons. Often I will repeat it back to them in the correct form, but I don't want to discourage them by saying "that's wrong." It is so fascinating to watch a person develop a new language. And some of what they say is so cute. Its like toddlers learning to talk. They get "watch", "look" and "see" mixed up. My favorite mix up is "Give me watch" instead of "Let me see". One of the boys thinks that "want some" is one word. Instead of "I want to go" we hear "I want some go" and "I want some eat." One night in Game Stop, we were treated to a loud "I want some toilet, too, Mom!" Like I said, never a dull moment.
They both have expressed an interest in translating at some point in the future so we allow and encourage them to continue to speak in Russian to each other. We also have quite a few books in Russian that they are continuing to read on their level, while reading more simple English books. Just today after Eli's English reading lesson, I asked him to translate the story back to me in Russian. He was so proud of himself! Also, sometimes when they are telling stories to each other, I ask them to translate it into English for me. I am so thankful that we have the privilege of being able to homeschool. Being together 24/7 is so enriching to the attachmet/bonding process. Not only that but I am able to watch them closely in their language development and make sure they are not being pushed beyond their ability to succeed. As their conversational English continues to rapidly improve, it is easy to wrongly believe that they are understanding/comprehending everything they hear or read. Going slow and steady allows them to build confidence in their abilities as well as build a solid foundation for future educational opportunities. Being home with me also allows both boys to be just that------boys. They look 10 and 16; they don't act it. And from the research I have done I have determined that it is not only acceptable but imperative that they be allowed to go through the developmental stages they may have missed. I am not so sure a 172 pound boy could get away with acting 6 years old in a large classroom setting! Its not always easy but for those who have the means, I highly recommend homeschooling as an option for older, adopted children.

Alexandra and I are on our way to Birmingham for a girls' night out at the Switchfoot/Third Day concert. Hope to post some pictures later.