Below is a start-to-finish listing of all the blog posts from our Kazakhstan Adoption Adventure. I did this because I found it quite challenging to find a single day's post in Blogger's method of archiving on a monthly basis. So, this is kind of a table of contents, for lack of any better term.
The entries start at the top with the earliest entry, when we started this blog back in September of 2004. It's all paperwork and waiting until May of 2005, then the fun started: travel, meet, cry, pray, rejoice, groundhog days, court, waiting, and, finally, home sweet home.
To see how things are going since Homecoming, please visit www.garshok.com You may need an invitation to login to that blog. If so, please email me.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - Beginning the adoption process
Thursday, October 07, 2004 - Immigration red tape...
Friday, October 08, 2004 - Immigration approval!!
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - Changes to Kaz adoption program
Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - All paperwork sent...whew!
Tuesday, October 26, 2004 - Slight delays
Friday, November 12, 2004 - November 12 2004
Monday, December 06, 2004 - Trust and obey
Wednesday, December 08, 2004 - We prayed for a clear answer...
Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - Bureaucratic red tape type stuff
Monday, January 10, 2005 - Finally, dossier is translated and in NY
Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - When you pray for rain...
Wednesday, February 02, 2005 - TWO BOYS!!!!!
Friday, February 04, 2005 - Ok, more info, time to focus...
Monday, February 07, 2005 - More info on the boys
Tuesday, February 08, 2005 - Destination known
Friday, February 11, 2005 - Medical evaluations
Monday, February 14, 2005 - Travel time frame
Saturday, February 26, 2005 - Small world
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - UPDATE!
Friday, April 15, 2005 - God's time, not ours
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - The Letter of Invitation has arrived!!!
Friday, April 29, 2005 - Travel visas
Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - Visa update
Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - Visa update
Wednesday, May 04, 2005 - Visa update
Thursday, May 05, 2005 - Morbidly obese friends...
Saturday, May 07, 2005 - We're here!
Saturday, May 07, 2005 - Almaty
Sunday, May 08, 2005 - Almaty
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - Taraz!
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - Papa
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - Our first family picture!
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - Day 2 in Taraz
Thursday, May 12, 2005 - The **BIG** News
Friday, May 13, 2005 - Open wide!!!
Saturday, May 14, 2005 - Stockings of the Day
Monday, May 16, 2005 - Just a bunch of pictures
Monday, May 16, 2005 - More Monday...
Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - What a HANDFUL!!
Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005 - Peanut Butter
Friday, May 20, 2005 - Is there DFACS in Taraz?
Saturday, May 21, 2005 - Mine's broken!
Sunday, May 22, 2005 - History of Taraz
Monday, May 23, 2005 - Day 14 of the 14 day Bonding Period
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - Groundhog Day
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 - Another day in paradise
Thursday, May 26, 2005 - Kazakhstan or Colorado?
Friday, May 27, 2005 - Schedule
Saturday, May 28, 2005 - PMS
Monday, May 30, 2005 - Girly- Girl
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 - Sweet Fancy Moses!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - The heat...my God, the heat!
Thursday, June 02, 2005 - Milestones and disturbing images
Friday, June 03, 2005 - ICE CREAM!!!
Saturday, June 04, 2005 - Day 4 of 15 in the books
Monday, June 06, 2005 - Badges? We don't need...
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - N-E-K-K-I-D
Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - Who’s the Boss?
Thursday, June 09, 2005 - Plof
Friday, June 10, 2005 - Sippy cup...DA!
Saturday, June 11, 2005 - Fashion Show
Monday, June 13, 2005 - 2 more days and a wake up!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 - Garshok
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - First time for EVERYTHING!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - By the time you read this post...
Thursday, June 16, 2005 - Decisions, decisions...
Friday, June 17, 2005 - The Good Kids
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - Parrott Monkeys
Monday, June 20, 2005 - Falling out of bed...
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - Ookah-Bookah!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005 - The Playground
Thursday, June 23, 2005 - Hard Day's Night
Friday, June 24, 2005 - Earthquake?
Saturday, June 25, 2005 - Cool days, mountains, parks, and weddings
Sunday, June 26, 2005 - Our Last Sunday in Kazakhstan
Monday, June 27, 2005 - Last night in Almaty
Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 24 Sandlin Style
Thursday, June 30, 2005 - Good morning
Friday, July 01, 2005 - Happy July 1!
Saturday, July 02, 2005 - Ahhh, the weekend
Sunday, July 03, 2005 - First time in church
Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - Settling in, and a bunch of "firsts"
Saturday, July 09, 2005 - Thank you!
Thursday, July 14, 2005 - But wait! There's MORE!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
But wait! There's MORE!
Yes, this chapter in our lives has come to a close; however, this chapter was just the introduction to parenthood for Angel and me.
Many of our readers asked, and we thought it would be a good idea to maintain a regular blog of the monkeys' lives and our interractions with them. I don't know how long it will go on, but think about the possibilities, assuming Google (operator of blogger.com) stays financially stable, of maintaining an online blog for life! I doubt I'm the first to consider that.
So, without further adieu, please join us on occasion at http://dubandlena.blogspot.com, which has been in progress for a few days now, in stealth mode.
Enjoy.
Blessings,
kevangelenadub
Many of our readers asked, and we thought it would be a good idea to maintain a regular blog of the monkeys' lives and our interractions with them. I don't know how long it will go on, but think about the possibilities, assuming Google (operator of blogger.com) stays financially stable, of maintaining an online blog for life! I doubt I'm the first to consider that.
So, without further adieu, please join us on occasion at http://dubandlena.blogspot.com, which has been in progress for a few days now, in stealth mode.
Enjoy.
Blessings,
kevangelenadub
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Thank you!
The journey that has led up to the adventure is past, and now our adventure in adoptive parenting has begun. So, with this chapter of our lives coming to a close, we want to offer a final blog post. It's simple, but it's the most meaningful of all our posts.
Thank you...
- to all the people who commented on the blog, emailed us directly, and otherwise contacted us to encourage, support, and pray for us and our kids. You know who you are, and we would not have made it, emotionally or spiritually, without your daily outpouring of love and support. Just as you looked forward to reading our blog each day, we couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and read your humorous and heartfelt words. We will forever treasure all of those words.
- Vera and Mit, without whom we never would have made it 2 days in Taraz. We hope and pray that you are reading this blog, because you truly have a gift from God to do what you do. You are blessed, and your amazing talents were a blessing to us for our time in Taraz.
- Marina and Sam, who still have never lost an American family in Kazakhstan! We tried real hard, but somehow they kept us safe and sound.
- The Morin and Miller families, who helped us, prayed for us, talked with us about the craziness that is Kazakhstan adoption, and were just plain God-sent friends for the better part of 2 months while we were all a little out of sorts and 14,000 miles from home.
- Marlene Shea at Delta Airlines. Who knows where we'd be if it weren't for your persistence and superb service. Perhaps someday you'll get to meet the monkeys!
- To the incredible Frankfurt based flight crew on the Frankfurt-to-JFK Delta flight for making us so comfortable and overwhelming Lena and Dub with love and attention as they became American citizens.
Thank you God, Jehovah Jire, who provides all things...
- for calling us to adopt children
- for giving us a vision with these words on Fathers day 2004: "Somewhere in Kazakhstan there are kids of some age waiting for their mom and dad to come get them. We don't know who they are, how old they are, or where they are, or where they are from, but I am their Daddy and Angel is their Mommy. We must now wait for God's appointed time until we meet them, but we already love them."
- for fulfilling that vision with William Roscoe and Miriam Helena, our monkeys, Dub & Lena
- for Karla Anderson, who faithfully walked us through all the initial questions and paperwork
- for Lori at Little Miracles, who saw us through to the end, answering all our last minute panicked questions
- for allowing us to tell our families in person, and for allowing us to maintain a bit of discretion until we could do so
- for moving our paperwork through immigration, translation, the Kazakhstan Consulate in NY, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs at exactly the perfect timing. God's timing is always perfect.
- for several tests of our faith and willingness to simply accept your plan for our lives and this adoption process
- for providing a wonderful friend at the City of Conyers records office to clear the path for Kevin's youthful indiscretions to be finally and officially cleared.
- for FedEx, when it absolutely, positively, had to be there overnight. Our Kazakhstan visas within our passports, 2 days before we were to leave.
- for the diligent people at the Kazakhstan Consulate in NY, who recognized our dilemma, and turned our visas around in 1 day instead of the normal 5-7 business days.
- for modern communications, which allowed Angel to call Kevin from the highway in Louisville, KY to give him the news that we had gotten our referral
- for the amazing generosity of our Christian friends, who enabled us to fly to and (mostly) from Kazakhstan in the amazing comfort and luxury of international business class. Only God can provide hearts so willing to give.
- for providing exactly the funds we would need to travel and stay in Kazakhstan for 56 days
- for blessing Kevin's business, so much that he could put all of his daily work in the hands of his Christian business partners, leave for 56 days, and causing the business to grow during that time.
- for giving Dub & Lena such loving, open hearts that they can feel comfortable at home in any surrounding, even though they've never been in any other surrounding except the Umit Baby Home in Taraz, Kazakhstan.
- for providing us with a home that is well-suited to two toddlers, with a big room for them to sleep and play in, a big back porch for them to get rowdy in, a playground in the backyard, and a neighborhood now positively busting with new children!
- For Mary Alice, who turned her own life upside down to house-sit for us for 8 weeks, including walking our beloved doggie, dealing with our insatiable and insufferable cats, and taking perfect care of the place we call home to the extent that we did not have to think once about what we would do - or did do - while we were gone. You will always have a place in Fezzik's and our hearts, and in our home!
- for somehow getting us through a 46-hour marathon trip home, on standby for every flight, with limited pull-ups, no sleep, very little direction, and unlimited and totally undeserved grace.
- for giving Lena and Dub a limo ride home at the end of that surreal journey
- for all the people at the Church of the Apostles, our spiritual home, who embraced us and our journey as if it were a mission of the church itself, and whose staff leads us past the sometimes rough waters of jumping into toddler-dom with two feet just by showing us which room they belong in.
- for America, and all the military who protect her on a daily basis. Until we spend far too much time away from our home land, we tend to take it for granted. Forgive us God, and forgive us all you who serve in the military, for not appreciating everything about the greatest nation on Earth, the U.S.A.
God provided every detail and dollar down to the final day, and we rely completely on Him to provide for the growth, strength, and maturity of these incredible children, His children, for whom we are blessed to care for a season. Thank you, God! You truly are the Great Provider, Comforter, and Father to the fatherless!
Blessings,
Kevin, Angel, Dub, and Lena
Thank you...
- to all the people who commented on the blog, emailed us directly, and otherwise contacted us to encourage, support, and pray for us and our kids. You know who you are, and we would not have made it, emotionally or spiritually, without your daily outpouring of love and support. Just as you looked forward to reading our blog each day, we couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and read your humorous and heartfelt words. We will forever treasure all of those words.
- Vera and Mit, without whom we never would have made it 2 days in Taraz. We hope and pray that you are reading this blog, because you truly have a gift from God to do what you do. You are blessed, and your amazing talents were a blessing to us for our time in Taraz.
- Marina and Sam, who still have never lost an American family in Kazakhstan! We tried real hard, but somehow they kept us safe and sound.
- The Morin and Miller families, who helped us, prayed for us, talked with us about the craziness that is Kazakhstan adoption, and were just plain God-sent friends for the better part of 2 months while we were all a little out of sorts and 14,000 miles from home.
- Marlene Shea at Delta Airlines. Who knows where we'd be if it weren't for your persistence and superb service. Perhaps someday you'll get to meet the monkeys!
- To the incredible Frankfurt based flight crew on the Frankfurt-to-JFK Delta flight for making us so comfortable and overwhelming Lena and Dub with love and attention as they became American citizens.
Thank you God, Jehovah Jire, who provides all things...
- for calling us to adopt children
- for giving us a vision with these words on Fathers day 2004: "Somewhere in Kazakhstan there are kids of some age waiting for their mom and dad to come get them. We don't know who they are, how old they are, or where they are, or where they are from, but I am their Daddy and Angel is their Mommy. We must now wait for God's appointed time until we meet them, but we already love them."
- for fulfilling that vision with William Roscoe and Miriam Helena, our monkeys, Dub & Lena
- for Karla Anderson, who faithfully walked us through all the initial questions and paperwork
- for Lori at Little Miracles, who saw us through to the end, answering all our last minute panicked questions
- for allowing us to tell our families in person, and for allowing us to maintain a bit of discretion until we could do so
- for moving our paperwork through immigration, translation, the Kazakhstan Consulate in NY, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs at exactly the perfect timing. God's timing is always perfect.
- for several tests of our faith and willingness to simply accept your plan for our lives and this adoption process
- for providing a wonderful friend at the City of Conyers records office to clear the path for Kevin's youthful indiscretions to be finally and officially cleared.
- for FedEx, when it absolutely, positively, had to be there overnight. Our Kazakhstan visas within our passports, 2 days before we were to leave.
- for the diligent people at the Kazakhstan Consulate in NY, who recognized our dilemma, and turned our visas around in 1 day instead of the normal 5-7 business days.
- for modern communications, which allowed Angel to call Kevin from the highway in Louisville, KY to give him the news that we had gotten our referral
- for the amazing generosity of our Christian friends, who enabled us to fly to and (mostly) from Kazakhstan in the amazing comfort and luxury of international business class. Only God can provide hearts so willing to give.
- for providing exactly the funds we would need to travel and stay in Kazakhstan for 56 days
- for blessing Kevin's business, so much that he could put all of his daily work in the hands of his Christian business partners, leave for 56 days, and causing the business to grow during that time.
- for giving Dub & Lena such loving, open hearts that they can feel comfortable at home in any surrounding, even though they've never been in any other surrounding except the Umit Baby Home in Taraz, Kazakhstan.
- for providing us with a home that is well-suited to two toddlers, with a big room for them to sleep and play in, a big back porch for them to get rowdy in, a playground in the backyard, and a neighborhood now positively busting with new children!
- For Mary Alice, who turned her own life upside down to house-sit for us for 8 weeks, including walking our beloved doggie, dealing with our insatiable and insufferable cats, and taking perfect care of the place we call home to the extent that we did not have to think once about what we would do - or did do - while we were gone. You will always have a place in Fezzik's and our hearts, and in our home!
- for somehow getting us through a 46-hour marathon trip home, on standby for every flight, with limited pull-ups, no sleep, very little direction, and unlimited and totally undeserved grace.
- for giving Lena and Dub a limo ride home at the end of that surreal journey
- for all the people at the Church of the Apostles, our spiritual home, who embraced us and our journey as if it were a mission of the church itself, and whose staff leads us past the sometimes rough waters of jumping into toddler-dom with two feet just by showing us which room they belong in.
- for America, and all the military who protect her on a daily basis. Until we spend far too much time away from our home land, we tend to take it for granted. Forgive us God, and forgive us all you who serve in the military, for not appreciating everything about the greatest nation on Earth, the U.S.A.
God provided every detail and dollar down to the final day, and we rely completely on Him to provide for the growth, strength, and maturity of these incredible children, His children, for whom we are blessed to care for a season. Thank you, God! You truly are the Great Provider, Comforter, and Father to the fatherless!
Blessings,
Kevin, Angel, Dub, and Lena
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Settling in, and a bunch of "firsts"
Today's Wednesday, and we'll be attempting our second visit to church, this time for our "Hour of Power", which is a praise, worship, and prayer service at Apostles, very informal. But it will still be a first for Dub & Lena. We're still a bit overwhelmed at the attention they got on Sunday!
Well, July 4th fireworks were completely rained out, but we did get in a few other "firsts". We went to our neighborhood pool, and put D&L in a real pool for the first time. They seemed to know what it was all about, or at least they are really good at faking it. There is a small (about 10' in diameter) kiddie pool at Umit, and we were told that they let the kids swim in it during the summer, but we never got to see that. Anyway, both Lena and Dub were very comfortable in the water, and both loved "READY...JUMP!" off the side into Mama or Papa's arms. Angel got them some great floaty swimsuits. Lena's works fine, but Dub's little floats get all up in his face, so we'll try something different next time.
Does this bathing suit make me look fat?
Daddy! Get a tan!
I don't think they've ever seen such a lawn, or any other wide open space!
So, as if I were herding cats, I had to go round 'em up!
Then we went to have dinner with the Lucas family in Marietta. We went to Taco Mac, where Mama and Papa chowed on some wings and Lena & Dub chowed on their first taste of good ole American Mac&Cheese! They ate it all up, and sucked down a large glass of lemonade (another first) to boot. They crashed hard in their carseats on the way home, and slept through the night.
Tuesday was the first day of "reality": Papa back to work (albeit in the basement) and Mama taking on the 2 monkeys on her first day as a full time Mommy. There were a few incidents, but everyone came out unscathed, and both Monkeys were fast asleep a little after 9pm. We're slowly going to pull that bedtime back, but since it's summer and that's what they've been used to for all their lives, we won't worry too much about that one just yet.
I mentioned earlier that Fezzik (aka, Pie Boy) has assumed the role of "MSS", or Monkeys' Secret Service. Well, he continues to refine that role. He goes where they go. He sleeps in their room, and WILL NOT leave until they are asleep. He is their body guard. He knows their value. Fezzik is one very special dog.
Below are some more pictures from the rainy July 4th weekend. For now, please pray that we will continue to be able to communicate well with L&D, and that God would enable them to grow and thrive in our new home. God is good.
Blessings,
Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bears
The Barnetts have Monkeys too!
Not sure where D&L picked up on this little thing, but they like to make this funny face like they're going to blow their top. Odd...but that's what makes them fit so well into our home.
NayNay got Dub & Lena new hats from Guatemala. Dongo, NayNay!
Sparklers are now legal in Georgia.
You'd think they'd be scared of something other than cats...like fire, maybe...not.
Mama dressed the monkeys up all red, white, and blue for Independence Day.
When all else fails, take a long drive.
Not sure how we got this shot, but Lena somehow stopped for a photo in the middle of all the action.
A whole new generation.
Lena and Dub LOVE their new toys. So does Papa, because Lena and Dub LOVE to push their little cars up the street, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down, and then it's nap time, just like that.
Well, July 4th fireworks were completely rained out, but we did get in a few other "firsts". We went to our neighborhood pool, and put D&L in a real pool for the first time. They seemed to know what it was all about, or at least they are really good at faking it. There is a small (about 10' in diameter) kiddie pool at Umit, and we were told that they let the kids swim in it during the summer, but we never got to see that. Anyway, both Lena and Dub were very comfortable in the water, and both loved "READY...JUMP!" off the side into Mama or Papa's arms. Angel got them some great floaty swimsuits. Lena's works fine, but Dub's little floats get all up in his face, so we'll try something different next time.
Does this bathing suit make me look fat?
Daddy! Get a tan!
I don't think they've ever seen such a lawn, or any other wide open space!
So, as if I were herding cats, I had to go round 'em up!
Then we went to have dinner with the Lucas family in Marietta. We went to Taco Mac, where Mama and Papa chowed on some wings and Lena & Dub chowed on their first taste of good ole American Mac&Cheese! They ate it all up, and sucked down a large glass of lemonade (another first) to boot. They crashed hard in their carseats on the way home, and slept through the night.
Tuesday was the first day of "reality": Papa back to work (albeit in the basement) and Mama taking on the 2 monkeys on her first day as a full time Mommy. There were a few incidents, but everyone came out unscathed, and both Monkeys were fast asleep a little after 9pm. We're slowly going to pull that bedtime back, but since it's summer and that's what they've been used to for all their lives, we won't worry too much about that one just yet.
I mentioned earlier that Fezzik (aka, Pie Boy) has assumed the role of "MSS", or Monkeys' Secret Service. Well, he continues to refine that role. He goes where they go. He sleeps in their room, and WILL NOT leave until they are asleep. He is their body guard. He knows their value. Fezzik is one very special dog.
Below are some more pictures from the rainy July 4th weekend. For now, please pray that we will continue to be able to communicate well with L&D, and that God would enable them to grow and thrive in our new home. God is good.
Blessings,
Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bears
The Barnetts have Monkeys too!
Not sure where D&L picked up on this little thing, but they like to make this funny face like they're going to blow their top. Odd...but that's what makes them fit so well into our home.
NayNay got Dub & Lena new hats from Guatemala. Dongo, NayNay!
Sparklers are now legal in Georgia.
You'd think they'd be scared of something other than cats...like fire, maybe...not.
Mama dressed the monkeys up all red, white, and blue for Independence Day.
When all else fails, take a long drive.
Not sure how we got this shot, but Lena somehow stopped for a photo in the middle of all the action.
A whole new generation.
Lena and Dub LOVE their new toys. So does Papa, because Lena and Dub LOVE to push their little cars up the street, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down, and then it's nap time, just like that.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
First time in church
Whew, what a day! Up at the (now) normal time of 0630, morning walk through the neighborhood, eat breakfast, and get ready for church. This was a model morning for what is sure to be a struggle often enough. We arrived at church 45 minutes early! The kids were very, very good in church, and we had decided beforehand not to press our luck, but rather to leave just as the sermon was starting and listen to it from outside the sanctuary. Good decision. The July 4th celebration at Church of the Apostles was spectacular, as usual. However, today was extra special for the Sandlins. First, we had two brand new American citizens with us (that'd be Lena & Dub, in case you are still on your first cup of coffee). Second, Stan Carder was doing the morning announcements and welcome message, and he offered a very special welcome to Dub & Lena, not a small task in such a large church. We were moved to tears as he asked us to stand up and be recognized for adopting these two wonderful kids from Kazakhstan.
Lunch, and then headed east, first to Conyers, where we met up with "Nana" and Jim Hartley at the GA Int'l Horse Park, where Nana (that's Cator) is at a horse show all week. The kiddos loved Nana from the start, and had a blast petting horses and just playing in the barn while the rain poured down for over an hour.
Then we hopped back in the car and headed further east out to Lake Oconee to meet NayNay and Gee (DNell and Jimmy Borland) to eat, ride in Gee's boat, and see the July 4th fireworks from Reynolds Plantation. While we had fun with sparklers and kids running all over in the pouring rain, that rain was really strong and prevented us from seeing any fireworks. We're pretty sure Reynolds cancelled them, but we didn't (couldn't) get in the boat to go see.
Lena & Dub love NayNay and Gee, and we had a great time. Kiddos slept for 90 minutes in the car on the way back, and went straight to sleep when we got home.
Ahh, great weekend. Monday should be a fine day of rest for all, then we start "life" as we'll now know it with kids, meaning a normal daily schedule and some solid routines that the kids can get used to.
Blessings!
K,A,D,L
Lunch, and then headed east, first to Conyers, where we met up with "Nana" and Jim Hartley at the GA Int'l Horse Park, where Nana (that's Cator) is at a horse show all week. The kiddos loved Nana from the start, and had a blast petting horses and just playing in the barn while the rain poured down for over an hour.
Then we hopped back in the car and headed further east out to Lake Oconee to meet NayNay and Gee (DNell and Jimmy Borland) to eat, ride in Gee's boat, and see the July 4th fireworks from Reynolds Plantation. While we had fun with sparklers and kids running all over in the pouring rain, that rain was really strong and prevented us from seeing any fireworks. We're pretty sure Reynolds cancelled them, but we didn't (couldn't) get in the boat to go see.
Lena & Dub love NayNay and Gee, and we had a great time. Kiddos slept for 90 minutes in the car on the way back, and went straight to sleep when we got home.
Ahh, great weekend. Monday should be a fine day of rest for all, then we start "life" as we'll now know it with kids, meaning a normal daily schedule and some solid routines that the kids can get used to.
Blessings!
K,A,D,L
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Ahhh, the weekend
We made it through 2 full days of being home. Seems like MONTHS that we've been here. Today, we're reconquering our home after the onslaught of arriving with 2 new toddlers and a keen sense of total confusion and unfamiliarity after being away for so long.
Yesterday, Friday, we went to Chick-Fil-A, again, mainly because Angel and I were craving a fine chicken sandwich, but also to give the kiddos their first taste of a fine southern tradition. However, they just don't like chicken. No idea why. Dub tricked us by making all his chicken disappear, so we gave him his reward for making all gone, a bite of a brownie. A few minutes later, we found half of his chicken on the floor. Oh well. Lena ate half of hers. The both LOVE fries, and, of course, brownies. After lunch, we let the gals from Paper Affair (Angel's former employer) gush all over them. Lots of fun.
Naptime, normally 12-3, turned into 3-430, and we woke them up to see Aunt Liney (Caroline) and her husband Ronnie and daughter, "Princess I", Jessica. Su Jackson, a dear friend from Church, also visited with her children. Dub & Lena were fairly gracious, but very shy with their new friends. One thing's for sure: they take a while to get comfortable, and then they let loose. We're not sure what that "while" is yet, and maybe it's different for each environment.
We did finally see them act themselves in public, as we went out for pizza with Diana and Mark Harris and their newborn, Houston Harris. We went to NY Pizza in Vinings, which is right next to a train track. When this BIG machina went by, Dub and Lena were in awe. There was also some LIVE entertainment, to which Dub sang along gleefully. But, for the most part, they were pretty quiet...until we got them in the car on the way home, then they wouldn't shut up! Obviously, they are very comfortable with us, and rightfully so, but we do hope that someone else will get to see this very funny side of the monkeys.
So, you're caught up to today. Tomorrow, Sunday, is a big day. Church at 1030 - July 4th is something else at Church of The Apostles (www.apostles.org) - and then lake and fireworks on Oconee in the afternoon. I'm sure we'll be exhausted after that. Good thing Monday is actually a holiday.
One story to relate, from last night. Dub got up all by himself to garshok in the middle of the night (4am). He climbed up on the stool, just as Papa arrived to make sure he didn't fall over or whatever. I got him turned around (he faces forward now with the new training seat, and does just fine), and then he leaned forward as he always does to make sure, uh, things point in the right direction (down rather than up). At that point, I don't know what happened. Somehow, he missed the seat when his hands when to prop him up, and he tumbled head first and arms behind him onto the tile floor. His head softened the fall, if you can imagine that. I picked him up to comfort him, then realized that he might be so hurt or upset that he'd garshok all over me! He didn't, and he has a remarkably hard head. After a couple minutes of comforting, he did his thing, and toddled off to bed as if nothing ever happened. then of course he proceeded to keep mama up for the next 2 hours babbling and refusing to go back to sleep. She finally got him to sleep at 6...then Lena squawked "gaahhshuuuaak". That's 'garshok' with a distinctly southern drawl.
Oy. Now for the pictures. We had to FIND the camera and the flashcard reader first!
Nothin' like flying first class!
Lena is noticeable weary, and this is the FIRST of three plane rides in 36 hours.
Papa, whassat? Whassat? Whassat?
Dub made a new friend in cousin Jessica, aka, Princess I.
He even dresses like Papa!
We got a good long time playing on a playground WITHOUT any rude tweenagers!
Remember YOUR first time on an airplane? They were a little scared, but more curious.
We saw on Thursday just how small Dub and Lena are for their age. William and Madaline are 9 months older, and 2x as big.
The new Sandlin dinner table. Notice the dog underneath. He serves several functions in their new lives. First, he licks up everything they drop. Second, Fezzik has taken on the now official role of personal body guards to the monkeys. I'm reading "Executive Orders" (Tom Clancy) in which Jack Ryan is suddenly made President. He hates having the SS always around him, but they have a job to do. Fezzik is the MSS - Monkeys' Secret Service.
Thank you to the Hales for a lovely - and edible - homecoming treat!
First trip to Chick-Fil-A
EVERYTHING with wheels is a machina, including their new wheelbarrow.
EEEEEEK!!! Newman's gonna eat us! PAAAAAAAAAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Really?!? We get to play here all day? With nobody to knock us down? WOW!
Perfect size for little Kazakh monkeys.
Be it ever so humble...This is a fresh photo from our morning walk, sure to be a new daily event. At just before 7, we met up with 2 other couples out walking their new additions, and lamented the fact that it's not gonna be "cocktails in the cul-de-sac" but rather "sippy-cups at the sandbox" for most people on our street. Four new babies arrived while we were in Kazakhstan.
Still reeling a little, and everyone is still nursing colds. We'll get there. One thing that helps is that it only takes a few seconds to upload all the pictures. Back to the re-conquest of the house!
Blessings,
Kevin, Angel, Lena and Dub
Yesterday, Friday, we went to Chick-Fil-A, again, mainly because Angel and I were craving a fine chicken sandwich, but also to give the kiddos their first taste of a fine southern tradition. However, they just don't like chicken. No idea why. Dub tricked us by making all his chicken disappear, so we gave him his reward for making all gone, a bite of a brownie. A few minutes later, we found half of his chicken on the floor. Oh well. Lena ate half of hers. The both LOVE fries, and, of course, brownies. After lunch, we let the gals from Paper Affair (Angel's former employer) gush all over them. Lots of fun.
Naptime, normally 12-3, turned into 3-430, and we woke them up to see Aunt Liney (Caroline) and her husband Ronnie and daughter, "Princess I", Jessica. Su Jackson, a dear friend from Church, also visited with her children. Dub & Lena were fairly gracious, but very shy with their new friends. One thing's for sure: they take a while to get comfortable, and then they let loose. We're not sure what that "while" is yet, and maybe it's different for each environment.
We did finally see them act themselves in public, as we went out for pizza with Diana and Mark Harris and their newborn, Houston Harris. We went to NY Pizza in Vinings, which is right next to a train track. When this BIG machina went by, Dub and Lena were in awe. There was also some LIVE entertainment, to which Dub sang along gleefully. But, for the most part, they were pretty quiet...until we got them in the car on the way home, then they wouldn't shut up! Obviously, they are very comfortable with us, and rightfully so, but we do hope that someone else will get to see this very funny side of the monkeys.
So, you're caught up to today. Tomorrow, Sunday, is a big day. Church at 1030 - July 4th is something else at Church of The Apostles (www.apostles.org) - and then lake and fireworks on Oconee in the afternoon. I'm sure we'll be exhausted after that. Good thing Monday is actually a holiday.
One story to relate, from last night. Dub got up all by himself to garshok in the middle of the night (4am). He climbed up on the stool, just as Papa arrived to make sure he didn't fall over or whatever. I got him turned around (he faces forward now with the new training seat, and does just fine), and then he leaned forward as he always does to make sure, uh, things point in the right direction (down rather than up). At that point, I don't know what happened. Somehow, he missed the seat when his hands when to prop him up, and he tumbled head first and arms behind him onto the tile floor. His head softened the fall, if you can imagine that. I picked him up to comfort him, then realized that he might be so hurt or upset that he'd garshok all over me! He didn't, and he has a remarkably hard head. After a couple minutes of comforting, he did his thing, and toddled off to bed as if nothing ever happened. then of course he proceeded to keep mama up for the next 2 hours babbling and refusing to go back to sleep. She finally got him to sleep at 6...then Lena squawked "gaahhshuuuaak". That's 'garshok' with a distinctly southern drawl.
Oy. Now for the pictures. We had to FIND the camera and the flashcard reader first!
Nothin' like flying first class!
Lena is noticeable weary, and this is the FIRST of three plane rides in 36 hours.
Papa, whassat? Whassat? Whassat?
Dub made a new friend in cousin Jessica, aka, Princess I.
He even dresses like Papa!
We got a good long time playing on a playground WITHOUT any rude tweenagers!
Remember YOUR first time on an airplane? They were a little scared, but more curious.
We saw on Thursday just how small Dub and Lena are for their age. William and Madaline are 9 months older, and 2x as big.
The new Sandlin dinner table. Notice the dog underneath. He serves several functions in their new lives. First, he licks up everything they drop. Second, Fezzik has taken on the now official role of personal body guards to the monkeys. I'm reading "Executive Orders" (Tom Clancy) in which Jack Ryan is suddenly made President. He hates having the SS always around him, but they have a job to do. Fezzik is the MSS - Monkeys' Secret Service.
Thank you to the Hales for a lovely - and edible - homecoming treat!
First trip to Chick-Fil-A
EVERYTHING with wheels is a machina, including their new wheelbarrow.
EEEEEEK!!! Newman's gonna eat us! PAAAAAAAAAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Really?!? We get to play here all day? With nobody to knock us down? WOW!
Perfect size for little Kazakh monkeys.
Be it ever so humble...This is a fresh photo from our morning walk, sure to be a new daily event. At just before 7, we met up with 2 other couples out walking their new additions, and lamented the fact that it's not gonna be "cocktails in the cul-de-sac" but rather "sippy-cups at the sandbox" for most people on our street. Four new babies arrived while we were in Kazakhstan.
Still reeling a little, and everyone is still nursing colds. We'll get there. One thing that helps is that it only takes a few seconds to upload all the pictures. Back to the re-conquest of the house!
Blessings,
Kevin, Angel, Lena and Dub
Friday, July 01, 2005
Happy July 1!
Starting to feel somewhat human again, but not totally. We took the monkeys out to see their near-the-same-age cousins, William, Madaline, and Sam. William and Madaline are 3-4 months older than Dub & Lena, and Sam is 9 months younger. William, Madaline, and Sam are all WAAAAY bigger than little Lena and Dub. Yes, Dnell, it's true: William is almost twice Dub's size. Of course, it really seemed to us that William and Madaline had grown a foot or two since we left, then we realized that while they probably have grown, we have seen nothing but little orphanage kids for 2 months, so our vision is skewed. Dub & Lena will catch up soon, as they eat their fill of food and get lots of lovin from Mama and Papa!
This trip to Aunt Leah's was their first time in car seats. They didn't mind at first, because they both fell instantly asleep. They skipped their nap yesterday afternoon - you try sleeping in a brand new room full of way cool toys that you've never touched before! When they were sleeping in the car, they tried to get a little more comfy and the car seats wouldn't let them. Not good for them, but they'll get used to it. The love riding in Mama's machina!
They slept all night last night, and we got to sleep in this morning till 0630! They woke up happy, and went straight back to their toys.
Papa's still sick, Mama's gettin better, and the kids still have this deep, rattling cough, but seem no worse for the wear, and already adjusting very well. They were very shy with William, Madaline, and Sam, and William kept asking, "Why don't they say anything?" This morning at the breakfast table, we couldn't shut them up, so it's just a matter of comfort with their environment. A few more trips to Aunt Leah's house in Covington will take care of that.
Today, Dub & Lena will get out of the house a little more in Mama's machina as we try out Chick-Fil-A, more for Mama and Papa's cravings than theirs, but still to see if they are real southerners. They don't like grits, or at least didn't this morning, so the jury is still out on that one.
House is a mess, and we don't know where our clothes are or which light switches go to which lights anymore...where are we again? What day is it? Who are these little people and where did they come from? Oy...guess it'll be a few more days.
Blessings,
Sneezy, Doc, Happy, and Jumpy
This trip to Aunt Leah's was their first time in car seats. They didn't mind at first, because they both fell instantly asleep. They skipped their nap yesterday afternoon - you try sleeping in a brand new room full of way cool toys that you've never touched before! When they were sleeping in the car, they tried to get a little more comfy and the car seats wouldn't let them. Not good for them, but they'll get used to it. The love riding in Mama's machina!
They slept all night last night, and we got to sleep in this morning till 0630! They woke up happy, and went straight back to their toys.
Papa's still sick, Mama's gettin better, and the kids still have this deep, rattling cough, but seem no worse for the wear, and already adjusting very well. They were very shy with William, Madaline, and Sam, and William kept asking, "Why don't they say anything?" This morning at the breakfast table, we couldn't shut them up, so it's just a matter of comfort with their environment. A few more trips to Aunt Leah's house in Covington will take care of that.
Today, Dub & Lena will get out of the house a little more in Mama's machina as we try out Chick-Fil-A, more for Mama and Papa's cravings than theirs, but still to see if they are real southerners. They don't like grits, or at least didn't this morning, so the jury is still out on that one.
House is a mess, and we don't know where our clothes are or which light switches go to which lights anymore...where are we again? What day is it? Who are these little people and where did they come from? Oy...guess it'll be a few more days.
Blessings,
Sneezy, Doc, Happy, and Jumpy
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