Live is getting a bit easier here!

At the zoo!

The steps are bigger than our little guy!

Roman lovin' the swing!

Okay, so he LOVES the sprinkler!

Isaac isn't sure he wants to get close~

Isaac standing back watching his big brother indulging!  Should I try it?

The typical after dinner giggles and lovin'

The indoor shower (necessary this day for particular reasons) was a lot more fun. 

Today anyway!  Yes, we have our moments, but I have to say that we are really enjoying a lot more moments.  Roman is really starting to relax in our family a bit more, and so am I.  Any correlation?  Seriously, he is starting to laugh more, and be more playful, initiating play, and wanting to be hugged and hugging.

So today I took the boys to the park so that they could swing there.  We have swings here, but I do like the walking part, it takes longer, and we all get more exercise that way (even though I pulled them in the wagon).  So, today I am pushing them, and they are requesting that I push them higher.  So as I start to push them higher (once again), Roman says to Isaac.  "Hold on tight, Isaac.  Hold on tight.  Yes, mamma? Yes, mamma? -pause- Spaseba Isaac! "  So Roman decided to give instruction to Isaac to hold on, then he made sure that Isaac knew and responded to his instruction, hence the Yes, mamma? (which is what I say that they have to respond to when they are being given an instruction), and then Roman added a thank you for Isaac~~how sweet!  I just listened to him as I was alternating pushing them higher.  Quite impressed that Roman was looking out for his little brother.

That reminds me~~we went to the park last night too, and I hadn't been planning on it, and didn't have as much time, so I took a shortcut which meant I was pulling them down a hill (actually trying to prevent the wagon from getting away from me on the way down) and then pulling them up another.  It was obviously a bit of an effort both ways on this part of our walk to the park, and Roman noticed.  Out of the blue, Roman says  "Strong boy, Mamma! Strong boy!"  I guess he was trying to compliment me?  Very impressed that he noticed~~I could've done without the 'boy' part though.  hehe

We took them to the DDS on Monday morning.  Roman did fantastic with the hygeinist, and then with the DDS.  I can't say the Isaac warmed up to them easily.  We did what we could.  The one thing that was great was that the DDS was able to check them both out, and their teeth look great!  I have to say that we owe that one to the orphanage where they were fed really healthy food so their teeth are in great shape.  AND, Diester is really good about making sure their teeth are brushed after every meal when we are home.  So, between the two we are very blessed that they have good teeth.  Now, we just have to keep them that way.
Praise God! 

I will try to add some pictures on here in just a bit.  Our neighbor says they have grown so much since we have gotten them home. I guess I haven't noticed, since it has happened right under my nose. He loves seeing these little guys out and about, and is impressed with their dexterity.  

Oh today it was so funny!  We were talking, and I said to Roman.  Your name is Roman Andre Diesterhaft~you know, trying to teach them their names~and then I said to Isaac, you are Isaac Artem (sounds like Artchyom) Diesterhaft.  Hannah then asks Isaac, "Do you remember being called Artem?" and Isaac responds saying "Arrrr-chyoo" as if saying it in a sneeze.  And then he did it again, "Arrrr-chyoo!  Oh my gosh!  Talk about funny!  I am thinking the new name we have given him is sticking, you think?    He thinks of his old name as a sneeze!

The girls are falling in love with their little brothers.  It is such a blessing to see them enjoy these little guys so much.  We have been really careful about what we let the girls do.  They don't feed them, bathe them, change their clothes, change the diapers, etc.  It has been very important that Diester and I do all of the personal things, and the girls are allowed to play with them.  It has worked very well.  Now, we are having to kind of encourage the boys to greet and be nice to the girls.  That is not fun~to think that they are getting so attached to us that they don't want to greet them.  Other than that, they will interact with the girls okay.  But these little guys are so cute and fun that it is hard not to fall in love with them. 

I had a woman come the other day from First Steps (a program to help if a child is not developing very well) to talk with me about possibly having Isaac evaluated, and while she was here, she got to see me interacting with Isaac; and as she was leaving, she said, "It's seems like you have had him all of his life.  I am reallly suprised he is doing so well for such a short time of having him."  Well, my heart was touched.  It is nice to see someone from the outside look in, and share what she sees from her experience in the field with children.  What another blessing! 

We do have our moments.  We are not perfect, and we continually work on their character and behaviour, and learn how we should be doing things better.  Roman does like to try and distract us when he has done something that he should not have done.  It is not something that I fall for anymore.  Roman does like to touch the computer and the CD player when no one is looking.  He does not like to get caught.  Isaac is a real poke when it comes to cleaning up, so we have to help speed him up.  As you can see, they are adjusting well, with a few 'normal child' issues.  I have always had to remind myself with the girls, and now with the boys that if they were perfect, they would not need me.   We are needy people, aren't we?  I know that I could never make it without help from our Father.

Okay, you want to hear a funny?  We were looking for some 'Russian' songs online for the boys to listen to.  Mallory finds one that we know that Roman knows.  He has sung it before.  So, she plays that, and then she is hunting for another one or two.  Well, we found one that the boys liked a lot.  So Mallory would play it over and over again.  I thought I would ask the missionary (Iris  :-)  ) to translate it for us so that we know what the words are meaning, and then we could learn it with the boys.  In the meantime, Mallory found a Google translator, and we got the translation for the song on our own.  So here is what the gist of the song is:  Life is merry in the city with vodka and marajuana, chunga chunga!    OH MY GOSH!  We are letting them listen to this???????  Seriously, there is a cute little cartoon with it and everything! ! !  Seriously! ! !  We have decided not to let them continue learning it or listen to it.  :-)  And, I don't think I will ask Iris to translate it for me.

On to other things~~The boys decided to jump on Roman's bed just a few minutes ago.  I went back to check on them, and they were taking their shoes off.  I asked them what they were doing, and Roman said "JUMP".   I let them jump.  Normally they are really pretty safe, and it is a way for them to get their energy out.  So, I was not surprised they were going to jump.  What surprised me was that they thought enough to take their shoes off before they jumped.  What sweeties!  So they both took their shoes off, and in just a few moments, Isaac jumped and hit his head and needed some loving, but then he was back at it.

They are really starting to play together, and I think they will certainly get into trouble together as time goes on.  Roman has already convinced Isaac (by moving Isaac's arm closer) to touch the buttons on the CD player when they both knew they that it is a no-no.  Life is fun with these two little guys!  I am enjoying so much of their play, and just observing what happens when their minds start to imagine, or ponder, or plan, or scheme.  We'll watch as life unfolds.

A moment with Dad holding Isaac (such a cuddly little guy!)

        

We been home 3 weeks! update We have now been home 4 weeks!

Hello all who are following our blog! We have been home for 3 weeks now, and as I write we are headed as a whole family to drop the girls off to spend the night at the Oestings, their second family. Talk about a blessing! Hannah is driving and has about 30 hours of her 60 required. Visiting with the Oestings gives them a break and they can have a little fun with their friends. We are driving, and Roman is singing to us in Russian as Mallory is clapping. Love to hear him singing some of his little songs that he learned. We get “VWEEEEE” every now and then when they feel their bellies drop when the van hits dips on the road. I think that Isaac is a bit more introspective when we are driving. He will just sit and ride, and sometimes he just does the sucking motion with his mouth that he does when he is calming down before sleep. It is sweet!


They have learned what a semi is, and so whenever they see one, we hear “SHEMI” from Isaac. It is precious. And then Roman will say “I SEE ‘EM”. Another thing Roman does that is a big game is that we will go through a tunnel, and he will holler out “STRASHNA! ! ! “ which means scared! And we look back at him, and he has the biggest grin on his face. So we respond with “STRASHNA” and laugh with him. It is a way he likes to connect in a funny little game we play.

We have gotten over the ‘machina’ phase, and now it is the excitement of an airplane whenever one flies over, and we are outside. And since we live so close to the Cincinnati airport, they have many opportunities to see flying airplanes. A couple of helicopters too, and I have been able to point those out to Roman.

We have had some challenges, and a lot of fun with our little guys. What different personalities they have. They are both sweet in their own way. Isaac certainly has that baby giggle, and I want to just eat him up every time he is giggling. It is one of the most precious things I have enjoyed since having him home. He is really blossoming. It is so wonderful to see his personality flourish more each day. Roman is one who just loves for us to play ‘suboka’ with him. “Mamma bodeet subaka” Roman instructs. That means Mamma will be the doggie. He loves to have me crawling around and barking, and pretending I am a doggie, but he is really quick to give me a sweet hug so that I will not be a mean doggie. Then I will bark slightly fiercely, and he jumps back in total shock, and looks at me, and I grin, and he starts laughing! And then he wants to do it all again. When Pappa is a subaka, Isaac comes up to him, and is just the same height as Diester is on his hands and knees, and he will put his arms around Diester’s neck, and hugs the subaka, and then he climbs under Diester and rolls over on his back, and lays there. It has happened 4-5 days in a row, and we cannot figure it out, but we do think it is cuter than heck!



Roman also loves to play tag as does Isaac, and we have a little circle from our kitchen to our living room, and back around again into the kitchen, and they love that when we turn around, and “get ‘em”. Isaac loves to give a little blow to one of us, and we pretend he blows us over. I get back up, and act like I am going to get him, and he anticipates it, and starts to giggle and he just loves that little game. And then I do tickle him, and he just is so cute when he is giggling and laughing. Notice I like his giggles! And he likes our games. I will be adding a lot of pictures on here, but live and in person is where you see the real joy!

So, some stories of what has been happening: Roman loves the sprinkler, and loves to run in it, and he loves to use it and spray everything (except his brother). Isaac HATES the sprinkler! ! One day I decided since I was outside by myself with them, we would do the sprinkler instead of the pool. So, I get it set up, and turn it on. I have Isaac in my arms. Roman is ready to run into it, and I will run through with Isaac in my arms so he won’t be so scared. So I take off, and start running into the sprinkler gently, and Roman runs right in front of me. I trip over Roman, and he falls down, and I fall right on the ground with Isaac hitting the ground first, and then me on top of him trying to catch him and myself. Well, that was the end of the sprinkler for Isaac. I think it about scared everything out of him. Now, he won’t even enjoy the misting stations at the zoo. We have been to the zoo a couple of times, and Oh my! Diester thought the boys would enjoy the misting tunnel. So he starts pushing our double stroller over to the misting station to get cooled off. They didn’t even make it to the tunnel when Isaac realized what was about to happen, and he made it clear that he wasn’t going to go through happy, and he would scream the whole way if he was made to endure it. So, being the compassionate father he is (and hating to listen to screaming), he turned the stroller around, and headed back foregoing the misting station. So, the sprinkler is a total bomb for Isaac. He finds other ways to keep himself entertained, avoiding the sprinkler at all costs. Roman on the other hand can’t find enough things to spray with the sprayer nozzle on the hose.

One of the things that Mallory thought of is how the boys found a vent in the hallway and started touching it. Isaac touched it, and then he squealed. So then Roman touched it and squealed. It became a big game for them to take turns touching it and squealing. Mallory found that quite humorous.

Yesterday, I decided to trim Romans hair. Okay, it was a full blown haircut. And I found out that that is something either he had trauma with, or just hates. So, it was not easy for anyone. Isaac was in the kitchen as all of the drama was taking place and decided from his spot that he would try to console Roman. Isaac is all of 32” high, and Roman was up in his booster seat on the chair. So, Diester and I, thinking this is soooo sweet, allow Isaac the time to hug his brother. That means that Roman has to bend way over to receive this hug. So, they are embracing, and Roman stops crying, and all I see is a little Isaac face looking up as Roman is hugging him back, and we are thinking this is the sweetest little embrace. Then all of a sudden, Roman falls forward out of his booster seat, and knocks Isaac over into one of the kitchen chairs, so now we have both of them crying. What a fun time that was! We made it through the tears, and the drama, and have a cute little haircut! Hannah later referred to it as a ‘bowl’ cut, Diester chimes in “yea, a little bowl”. Yes, the bangs ended up a bit shorter than I had hoped! Hopefully, over time we will both get better at this, or come up with another plan.

What else is going on? I did take them to the Doctor this week on Tuesday. She got to see them in action. She was actually kind of surprised at how healthy they were. She was really good at not oohing and ahhing over the boys, nor making much eye contact, because she knows how important it is for the boys to get any and all of their attention and affection from us. Things are really looking up~~she just called, and they do not have to get some of the immunizations because they already have the antibodies to it! That’s a PRAISE! ! ! !

So, facing reality in this blog, I have to admit that it has been difficult when I have to take them from their daddy so he can get something done that he is wanting to work on, or leaving for work. I am the one putting them to bed after he has done it for 2 nights. Oh, the tears and the crying! They absolutely love their daddy! Can you blame them? In their eyes, he is their everything, the greatest hero! So, I am the one who gets to try to calm them down. So falls the lot right now~

Finding a turtle was another interesting activity we had yesterday. So, Diester finds this turtle, and brings it home for the boys. They are just beside themselves wanting to touch it, AND not wanting to touch it. You can just watch it and see how that works! They get close, and then they jump back if there is any movement from the turtle. The squeals and excitement are just too much! Add to that a frog, and then you have double the fun! So, that entertained them for a while, but after their nap, Diester decided to set the turtle and frog free. (I on the other hand, would have kept them for as long as we could.) So Diester is trying to figure this out. How does he take the turtle down to the entrance of a wooded area, and not have to carry it while pulling Roman in the wagon behind him? He decides to put it in a box, and set the box on the other end of the wagon. Well, as he starts to leave, Isaac then decides he would like to go along, and so we agreed to just put the closed-up turtle in the base of the wagon so that both boys can ride, and hope the turtle stays that way for the wagon ride. Now mind you, the turtle is not in the box any longer. It is a free-for-all! So, away they go. I have a picture of that, but what I missed was when they got around the corner and were heading down the hill, the turtle decided to come out of his shell. So Roman notices and starts freaking out! We truly are not trying to traumatize these boys~we just thought it would work. So Roman is scared to death~Diester does not think that Isaac even saw it, because Diester snatched it up right away so as to get it away from the boys. So then Diester asks Roman, “Te bear straschna?” which means “Are you scared?” and Roman continues to say, “NYET! NYET!” He is trying to show he is brave, but the screams showed Diester otherwise in this case. It was funny when he came home, and said to me, “You set me up. I no more than got in front of the Eidson’s house (1st house around the corner), and the turtle started coming out of it’s shell and scared Roman to death.” Boys YES, but not too thrilled with the wild creatures yet!

One story that Hannah mentioned was that of when we were trying on a little dragon costume that we have on the boys. Roman first, but he wasn’t too hip on it. Then along came Isaac, and before he even had it on, he was roaring, and he loved walking around and showing everyone as he roared. So cute, not that we are partial or anything.

Roman also loves to play with the on/off of everything that we have. Starting with the light switches, the toilet, the lamps, a hair dryer, the vacuum (he vacuumed his bedroom today with a small vacuum I have, and was so proud of himself), and then there was a fan. So, he tried turning it on, but then the fan started to go, and he would run from it, and then come back. It does seem like a trend here of wanting to see how things work, and trying to get hands on it, but then backing up to protect themselves from whatever it does.

A couple of other things that I will mention is that when Roman goes to give us kisses, he started kissing one cheek and then the other. Weird! None of us do that~seriously! I do not know where he gets it from, but I am thinking maybe something from his past?? Do they greet each other in Russia as such? Funny thing, I don’t remember. I was thinking that I had seen that or heard that, but as I write I am doubting myself. It is just a sweet little special thing about how Roman gives kisses!

So we were riding home from some errands yesterday, and all of us were in the van. We had just picked Mallory up from work, and coming home for the evening. On the way, I don’t recall exactly what prompted this comment, but Isaac did something, and just had the happiest little smile giggle going on, and Diester says, “I think Isaac just hit the lottery in babyland.” Oh, how true! He just seems to be so happy!

Praise the Lord as we continue on this journey! God is blessing it, and keeping us as we enjoy many moments, and struggle in other moments.

UPDATE: Now we have been home 4 weeks!

And Isaac actually got in the sprinkler today! WOOHOO! I knew he would come around. Mallory was instrumental in getting a little tub that Isaac likes climbing into right near the sprinkler, and he started out slowly, but then warmed up to getting wet from the sprinkler when it was hitting the little tub! And in no time, he was soaking wet! And filling up buckets! And running around it! Praise God! He is no longer afraid!

And, another wonderful thing happened today! Roman got hurt when he was trying to empty the tub near the sprinkler. I couldn’t figure out what got hurt, and he wouldn’t point to where it hurt, so I didn’t know what to do, but then he actually held up his arms, and wanted me to pick him up and hold him, and he melted in my arms. Now, I have to say when just days ago, he would get painfully obviously hurt on something, and then try to get away from me when I was right there, and could comfort him, this was a HUMONGOUS stride that we made today! I just keep seeing the Lord work in this! WOWSA! He keeps surprising me~~Thank you Lord for what you have in store for me and my family! We are thankful that you have brought us this far!

Now for the pictures!

Isaac loving the slide into Dad's arms!

Roman waiting his turn on the slide into the pool, and lovin' whatever Dad is doing at the moment with Isaac knowing he will be next!  :-)

Going down the driveway by himself~~

A little kiss from big brother!

Just a taste of Isaac's giggle!  Lovin' it!

On the way with the turtle in tow!  Just for a few more seconds anyway!

Roman loves to use the sprayer nozzle, and waters everything for me! 

Isaac helping Dad hook something up on the computer!  Adorable!

Isaac enjoying the big wheel!

Roman pushing the wagon as he likes to do!

A beautiful close-up of our little Isaac!

The boys helping dad take down the fence to bring the fort back!  So sweet!

Roman getting into his work!

Roman pushing the dollie around the yard!  Who needs toys when you have a dollie?

Faithful friend Tom Brungs helping Diester out with the fort!  Strong and solid!

We have now been home for 5 days! Lots of pix!

Things are getting better everyday!  It was such a blessing to get home!  AHHHHHH!  We can settle in~finally!  What a blessing to get to see our lovely girls after being away for so long.  I didn't realize how much I missed them until we got to see them in person again.  I love our girls soooo much!  The boys were out on their feet when we finally made it home on Tuesday, so the greeting wasn't exactly what you would like to dream about.  We had travelled for roughly 22 hours, and they each slept a total of maybe 3 hours the whole way, so yeah, we had some really tired little fellows.  They slept the whole time we were being greeted at the airport.  Then finally, when we were loading up the van, and getting them in their car seats, they started to perk up a bit.  We drove home, and got stopped by a train, which they loved seeing~~so many new experiences for them every time we turn around.  (And, now dad was behind the wheel.  It was wonderful after being in car rides going 80-90 mph endlessly on 2 lanes road.)  We got home, and Mallory had gone grocery shopping, and made dinner for us, so we ate dinner and time for bed. 

A couple of notes here.  Poor little Roman, so tired, and not in his elements, got sick all over himself as we were landing in JFK.  Seriously, the plane is descending onto the runway, and I hear Diester behind me say, "It's okay, I'll get those clothes off of you."  I just knew what had happened.  So, Diester first goes to pick him up, and gets the mess on himself before he realizes -not a good idea!-and sets Roman back down.  Poor guys~~He takes the clothes off of Roman, and since we had another whole 7 hours before we were actually home, Diester decides to rinse out the clothes in the airplane bathroom.  Well, you get about 1/4 cup of water with each press of the faucet handle.  So, he was in there a while with this tedious chore.  In the meantime, I am trying to get Isaac together to get off of the plane, console Roman as he is laying there totally wiped from no sleep and now no food in his belly.  I had told myself that we were going to be prepared this time when we landed, so everyone did not have to wait on us, however, Isaac had fallen asleep finally 15 minutes before we landed, so then I had the whole ear issue going on with him as we were landing.  It was taking us a while, and finally, the Russian flight attendant asks me if I can hurry Diester up.  Okay, thankfully, he was just coming out of the restroom.  So, he dresses Roman with clean clothes~Thank goodness I had thought to bring them.  And we are loaded down getting off of the plane.  So it is with kids. 

We spent about 3 - 4 hours waiting for our next flight.  It wasn't too bad, however, Isaac was not exactly living up to his name when we had to wait towards the tail end.  He was crying and screaming, and just as tired as they come.  So, I am holding him in the sling, and swaying back and forth, and continue this as we get on our next flight.  We were some of the first ones on so that we could get settled with the boys.  As people are walking past us, (we were in the first row of the economy class -yeah, right behind the first class passengers) I wasn't stressing myself, but I was really more concerned about what everyone else was going to be thinking as Isaac continued to cry and scream.  The Lord really blessed me.  Several moms commented,  "I travelled with 3 of them under 4 yo.  I know what you are going through."  or "I've been where you are.  I know how hard it is." or "I understand-I've been through that before."   One young fellow stated so sweetly, kind of to Isaac, but really for my ears.  "I know how you feel buddy, I've been on planes all day too." So, people were very understanding.  Thank you Lord for blessing us with the comments.

A story that I will share with you is that when we were taking the boys on their second wagon ride, we took them to the park, and they enjoyed swinging for quite a bit.  I think they enjoyed just the easy down time.  In the meantime, there are houses that all look very similar to ours, so on the way home, I stopped the wagon in front of our home (from across the street), and I squatted down, and put my arm around Roman.  I wanted him to take a good look at our home so that he could differentiate or pick it out in the crowd of our subdivision.  At that moment, I pointed to our home, and said, "Papa's dohm (spelled only the way it sounds, which means home), Mama's dohm, Hannah's dohm, Mallory's dohm, Roman's dohm, Isaac's dohm." When I looked down at him, he had gotten the sweetest smile on his face.  It was like he understood somewhere in his little mind that this is his home, and he belongs in our family.  It was a precious moment for sure! 

Here I go with the mundane.  You know, life has started with our little guys.  The girls were totally surprised too, as we were also the first couple of days, reeling in the fact that life is non-stop with little ones.  It was a bit stressful for the girls, but things are calming down.  The boys are very good at cleaning up their toys, they are starting to understand their routine.  They are learning basically learning their boundaries.  They are loving just playing in the bathtub, or jumping all over Daddy, or taking a piggyback ride on mommy's back, or when Isaac is letting me stretch him out when he gets up from his nap, or play with his toes, or Pat-a-cake.  Roman loves the pool and the water.  Isaac is still getting used to it.  The boys are getting used to us, the kinds of foods we eat, the things we do, and we are learning daily which battles to pick.  :-)  Life is life.  But in this life, we hope to raise these little guys to have a relationship with our Heavenly father, and be blessed by it, and to bless Him with their lives.  We know that God knew what he was doing when he put them in our family, so we are trusting that he will follow through on the work he has started.   

In closing today, I will try to add some pictures.  Pictures can sometimes tell a bit more of a story.  And, we are much busier even now that we have gotten home.  There are gardens to maintain, um, floors to mop, girls to spend time with, lawns to mow, etc.  (I haven't known my girls to be 'shoppers', but that was something they requested the other day, and so we went clothes shopping.  I think it was more about just getting away for a time.  Bless them.  They are such a help, but these changes have been huge for all of us.)  I now also have a ton of post adoption stuff to make sure I get taken care of, and we have school starting just around the corner.   Blessed by, and looking forward to that. 

Thank you to all for blessing us with your prayers and love on our journey!  Sincerely, Michelle

view from Moscow apt~shows part of the size of the city

Mallory introducing her guitar to Isaac

Roman taking a ride on the quilt G'ma made for him.  No disrespect meant~makes it more fun for him!

Ditto above caption~fill in Isaac!

I think this says it all!

First wagon ride~the weight together is a bit hefty when your not used to it!  Good exercise for Mama and Papa!

Roman experiencing the pool for the first time~can you say 'NO FEAR!?!'

Now Isaac isn't too sure of all of this!  but willing to try!

Isaac is trying to put the blocks back~they like to organize things! 

Roman's past time~flipping the lights/stereo on & off, on & off, on & off~~you get the picture.  He will get tired of it soon enough!

ps If you would like updates, let me know, and I will only send them to the ones that ask.                

YEAH! We are leaving Moscow for CVG (via JFK) tomorrow morning!

Yes, we are excited!  Can't wait to get home and hug our girls, officially introduce them to their little brothers, hear all about their time with the wonderful Oestings, and go HOME, HOME!  I want to take a moment to truly thank all of you who have been reading this, AND praying for us that we have been so blessed by all of the prayers that have been offered up.  Today, while reading from Luke chpt 10 or 11, Jesus is instructing his disciples, and telling them that if they go to a friend for some loaves of bread, and the friend isn't too excited to open his door to help him out, but in their persistence the friend finally rises and gives him as many loaves as he needs, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.  "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened."  Everyone knows those verses, but it is so applicable to our lives, our daily lives.  We are so dependent on our Father in heaven.  We are nothing, and would have nothing without him.  So we ask, we seek, and we knock!  You all have been asking for us, you have been seeking God's face for us, and you have been knocking on his door for us, and for that we are ever so humbly thankful.  Your persistence to our Heavenly Father on our behalf has certainly provided what we have needed, we have found what we came to get, and many upon many doors have been opened.   Our need for prayer will not end after we arrive home tomorrow.  Our journey with these little guys is really just beginning, so some more prayers humbly asking the Father to help us train them up to be Warriors for Him are desperately needed.   Honestly I know that you will not want to know all of the boring details of everyday life, which is what it is going to be when we get home.  (Maybe that's why I don't like FB too much!~hehe)  So, unless something huge happens or I think there are milestones, we will not be blogging as frequently as we have been. 

In light of all of this, we have a hugly long flight tomorrow.  Our flight from Moscow to JFK is 9 1/2 - 10 hours long, and you know, you are always on the plane forever before you even take off.  Not that I am complaining, but it is hard when you are 2 and 3 yo to be seat-belted in (when that has never been anything that you have had to get used to).  Please pray for Diester and I~~we will be whining the whole time! ! !   Seriously here, we need some BOLD (stealing from the Borden's prayer requests while in the Ukraine adopting) prayers to our Father for this trip home.  We are asking that you ask the Lord to cover this trip.  Our day is going to last forever.  When we leave the apt. here at 5:30 a.m. Tues., it will be 9:30 p.m. on Monday evening at home.  We do not make it home until 7:30ish our time on Tuesday evening, so in one day 22 hours are going to pass all the while we are making it home.    That is one LOOOOOONNGGGG day for anyone!  So, yes, we humbly ask that you pray for us if you could before you go to bed, and when you get up.  Please pray for patience for Diester and I, for sleep for the little guys, for their ears not to hurt, for the seat belts to be a non-issue, that they can calmly rest when they are tired,  that Roman will be able to use the potty chair when he needs to, for a safe airplane ride, and prayers for the pilots.  Ask the Lord to change me if there as there are certainly things I need to do better.  I know it is a lot, but just like the loaves of bread, our Father does like to give to those of his children who ask.  Praise the Lord!   

Finally, as we move on in this journey, if you think about us, please pray for us to train them up in discipline and love to be strong warriors for Him!  He is worthy of all!  Praise Him!

Love to all of you, and my prayers go out to you that the Lord may bless your lives beyond your wildest imagination!  He has done that for us!  We have renewed lives, and we have two beee-yoo-tiful boys! 

Michelle 

Forgot to include these pix with the post I just wrote~~

Isaac in a close-up with his family photo album.  I don't know if he was kissing the picture of mom and dad or spitting on it! he he

Mama giving Roman a piggy back ride. 

Isaac just loving the piggy back ride!

Mama telling Roman "1 more turn, and that's it!"  My neck is killing me right now!

Isaac chilling after his last piggy back ride.  Love the smile!

Dad looking at the Roman's family photo album with him after his nap.  This was just moments ago.  Isaac is still sleeping.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!  I have a big lunch to get set out, so I best get going so we get to St. Basil's on time!  Lots of love, Michelle

Getting familiar . . .

. . .with having little ones again! ! !

Sure, we knew we were getting little ones, but it has been a little while since we have trained up little ones.  Our girls are 14 and 16 now, and we can talk with them about most things, they are independent, they can entertain themselves.  Not so with the little guys!  So, we are being retrained.  Nap when they nap! (I just woke up from my nap.)  Eat enough to have energy with them.  Be watchful of their every position in the apt (later the house).  Teach them to eat the foods they are being given~~watching their expression when they like something, the turn of the head when they don't want what is being offered. 

I have a story that was a blessing to me especially.  We took the boys to a doctor in Moscow the first morning that we arrived.  He spoke English.  He does a complete physical examination of the boys for the documents, etc. that need to be filed.  Roman was first and was found very healthy.  During that time, Isaac was getting somewhat restless, and I was doing my best to appease him, distract him, play with him, etc.  The doctor saw my actions, and was quick to let me know he had something that he wanted to tell us.  He said, (in so many words)"Those are crocodile tears. You have to realize that these boys have been in an orphanage.  They know how to behave.  It is sort of like a military situation where they know what is expected of them, and they do it.  If you continue to let them run the show, and you give in to their every caprice, then you will have a lot of trouble when you get home.   They will be ruling you, and not you ruling them.  When you get home, you will need to be living life, and they will have to get used to their new life."    WOWSA!  I am almost in tears as I write this.  It is difficult to know how to handle some situations for sure, as is parenting any child, but with adopted children, there is always an attachment issue that also needs to be addressed that weighs heavy in the back of my mind.  So there is a balancing act that I guess I was trying to do, and when he spoke those words to me, it was as if the Lord were saying to me,  "Do not forget that you are under my authority to train up these children, and in training them up properly, they will learn that they are loved."  I have read many a book on adoption, many on reactive attachment disorders, and the list goes on, in preparing to get these little guys under our care, and to know how to handle whatever may come our way.  You know, it is always easier to think you are prepared, but when the rubber meets the road, you wonder if you recall any of what you read.  Isaac was then checked out, and also found to be healthy.  Praise the Lord for their good check-ups, and the doctor who spoke truth to me from the Lord!  It has certainly taken a weight off of my shoulders.  Now you can catch Diester and I saying, as we go throughout the day with them, "Those are crocodile tears."  and we both know that means Isaac or Roman is just wanting their way, or attention when something else is going on.  Thank the Lord! 

Today we are headed back to Red Square!  It is easier to take walks with them, and get fresh air when we are couped up in this 3 (very small) room apartment.  Mind you, I am very thankful for it.  Small makes it easier to keep our eye on them.  Small is easier to clean.  Small is easier to stay in touch with each other.  Small also allows for more bonding with the little guys. I am also thankful for the apt, because I have a kitchen to make our meals in, and to save us a ton of money.  But, to get out, and walk, and get sunshine!  I love it!  And, we are going to try to make it to St. Basil's Cathedral again, and go inside today.  

Another thing that Diester wanted me to mention is our prayer time before meals.  It is something we do before every meal.  I know that not all families do this, but it is important to us.  So, we have started this with them, and it is so cute.  They already know that before any food is put on the table it is prayer time.  So they hold out their hands to hold hands with us, and then Diester leads us in prayer.  Of course, it is all "English" to them.  (hehe-not Greek)  They understand nothing of what is being said, but when Diester end with "in Jesus' name."  We all say "AMEN" together.  It is precious to see their eyes light up when they holler out "AMEN!"  Praise the Lord!

The boys are done with their naps, and so it is time for me to sign off.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Still asking for prayers for our trip home on the airplanes!  For me to have a peace about whatever happens!  Thank you!

May you be blessed!  Michelle

In Moscow for 2 days, and recouperating from the travel & time changes!

Okay, it probably sounds like we are taking it easy, right?  Are you kidding me?  The boys were up by 4:00 this morning, A.M. that is! ! !  We got to see the moon setting, and the sun rising all in our morning. Okay, well they had slept for 9 hours, but we were hoping that with the lack of sleep in the last few days that it would have at least been 6:00.  Thank goodness Diester and I were tired enough to get to sleep earlier than later last night.  So after we eat breakfast at 4:30 a.m.~Diester did dishes, and I played with the boys for a bit.  We then decided to go to the grocery store for some more water, and as we were walking there, we were planning out our day.  He suggests that possibly the market may not be open yet, and I am thinking it is about 9:00 by this time, and I asked Diester what time it was.  He said he thought it was maybe 7:00-7:30, and I was sure he was mistaken, so I looked at his watch, and it said something like 10:59 our time, so it was only 7:00am and we had been up already 3 hours! ! !  Okay so what to do with our day!  

We had our appt at 11:30 at the U.S. Embassy to get the visa for the boys to immigrate to the U.S., and were getting picked up by 10:45 for that.  We still has almost 3 hours to kill.   Thinking. . . how is all of this going to work?  If we don't lay the boys down for a nap, then our trip to the embassy is going to be a nightmare.  But then again, if we do lay them down for a nap, they will tired too early for night, and we will start this all over again tomorrow!  YIKES!  4:00 a.m. is just way too early for Diester and me.

The GRAND PLAN!  Give them a nap, take a nap (at the same time as the boys-hehe), go to the U.S. Embassy, come home and eat lunch, kill some time, go to The Kremlin and Red Square, (even though we had been told it was quite a distance), and then eat dinner late, so that everything else will be delayed, so that they can get to bed later to hopefully sleep later tomorrow morning.  Sounded like a plan.  Naps went well w/o a hitch.  We woke them right before we got picked up, and went to the embassy.  The traffic was not as bad as expected, so we got there rather early.  Alex, our driver, interpreter, and everything else while here, knew of a playground right near the embassy, so we walked there until we had to be to the embassy.  WELL, there were two teenage girls at this park with a little doggie.  (Don't know the breed, but it was a cute little thing.)  The boys were so excited to see this little dog, and the dog was just as excited to see them.  He was trained really well, and would calm down for the girl, and they could make the dog do tricks, etc.  (Okay, it has just started storming here, and beings that we are on the 22nd floor of this apt bldg, it is some pretting interesting lightning! you know, being right in the clouds!  :-)  Anyway, Isaac was wanting to get closer to the doggie.  He is dancing on the sand just so excited about this doggie, and wanting it to interact with him.  Roman is interested, but more interested to make sure the doggie gets nowhere close to him.  He was hanging pretty close with Diester.  In the meantime, Isaac did decide to try the slide out, and was enjoying that, as well as Roman.  Then his attention would turn to the dog again.  It was the cutest thing to watch.  (I have no pictures, because we were not allowed to take any electronic devices into the embassy, so unfortunately, this memory is only going to be in my head, and on this blog.)  But it was pretty cool to see him~no fear. . . until the dog ran over to him, and jumped up on him, and even jumped higher than he is tall.  He did back up a couple of times closer to mom, but didn't freak out.  This teeny little dog was just as wound up as Isaac.  Then all of a sudden, the dog runs up the ladder steps and went down the ladder.  Talk about entertaining our boys! ! ! Oh my! !  He did it several times, and then he even went up the slide, and back down backwards.  The tricks this dog could do!  Now no other dog is ever going to impress our boys like this one did!  Roman decided he was no longer safe being up on the platform, because he could see that this doggie could run way faster to get up and down the ladder and slide.  He was done with his sliding for today. 

Time to go to the U.S. Embassy.  Wowsa!  Lots of people there trying to get to the US!  We have heard that only about 1 in 2 actually do get a visa to travel.  They are very limiting, but apparently, with no specific rhyme or reason.  So, we get past that, and get then we are lunch.  Lunch and misc.~Now we get ready to head out for Red Square!  It was around 2:30 when we left.  We hiked there going up and down through tunnels (under some really busy roads in Moscow), and finally arrived.  It is really pretty cool.  Next time we go, we might go inside.  :-)  And the boys did great!

It was a truly busy day!  Isaac has been coughing a bit, so we are going to take it easy tomorrow.  No real big plans for outings, or adoption processing to do.   I am thankful for that.  He needs the break! 

Okay, so here is where I would like to mention, for those of you who make it to the end of my chapters, that we really struggled on our flight from Kras to Moscow.  It was hard.  Diester and I managed, and the boys' ears were not affected, however, they do not like the idea of being confined to a seat for 5 hours, nor being confined with a seat belt on.  We did all fall asleep for a bit (that is a really small amount of time).  The rest of the time, one of them was pretty much fighting the seatbelt, or fidgeting and wrestling in our arms.  It was quite interesting to say the least.  I am asking for prayers to cover the rest of our flights home.  We have one from Moscow to JFK (New York) that is 10 hours long.  And then from JFK to CVG, 2 more hours.  We need prayers for the Lord to please cover, and help us through the time in the air.  Roman did calm down when he saw us descending, and could see the landscape, and I think he was able to realize that he was in a type of "flying machina"!  Then all of a sudden, it was fun!  The last 40 minutes of the flight.  Meanwhile, Isaac is fussing in my arms.  We made it, but it would surely be nice if the next two flights went better.

Oh, it was pretty funny being the last ones to squeeze on the busthat takes you from the plane to the terminal.  The drunk lady from our flight was our greeter on the bus.  Diester became her next male victim. This turned out so funny, but there is no way that I can blog about it.  It is just too long.  Ask Diester sometime.  She was so excited to be in Moscow from Krasnoyarsk, and just whooping and hollering during the flight, then Diester got to stand next to her on the bus ride.  To make a long story short, he tells her towards the end of the ride (in Russian mind you) "See you later.  Have a nice day!" trying to ward her off; and I think about 1/2 the bus of these serious non-smiling Russians just about lost it.  The whole bus ride they were looking at me to see what I am thinking, and some of them have 1/2 smiles on knowing that he is enduring this lady, but at the end when he said that to her, they couldn't stand it no longer, and they just busted out laughing.  Of course, I am laughing the whole time too.  It was quite an unusual predicament he was in.  Bless his heart!  He was very gracious in spite of trying to shake her!

A blessing in here!  The boys are starting to interact with each other.  They really never got to play together that we can make of it.  Different groups, different play areas, different sleeping areas, etc.  And they are majorly sweet to each other.  Mind you, they will pull, haul off and hit, be mean in circumstances; but we have seen some really wonderful caring moments from them towards each other.   It is precious to watch! 

Okay, Hannah also got a burn on her leg, and is needing prayers.  Can you please pray for her?  I think it will be the 2nd time Stacey will have had to take her to the Dr. while we have been gone if they end up having to go.  She is a trooper though, and having so much fun in spite of her badly burned leg.  Stacey is a trooper too, for taking on our girls along with her family.  We have been abundantly blessed!

I better go now!  Thanks again for all of the prayers being offered up.  Any challenges we have faced so far, we have been able to deal with.  I know the Lord has been answering my prayers when I have been struggling with different issues while here.  It is incredible!    What more could I expect from our creator?  He is awesome!  Thank you Lord for taking care of us! 

God bless you all!   Michelle

Tonight (on 7/26) we leave Krasnoyarsk to go to Moscow for a week!

For those of you who have asked, we are heading to Moscow tonight.  We are required to be in Moscow 4 business days, which then takes us to next Monday.  We fly out on Tuesday morning, the 2nd of August, from Moscow and will be getting in on Tuesday evening back into Kentucky.  YEAH! ! !  We are missing our girls tremendously.  Today, Mallory started, and Hannah joined in singing some fun songs to the boys when we were skyping with them this morning.  The boys just stopped, and listened as their sister sang some songs to them~~some of the songs Mama and Papa have been singing to them.  Thanks Mallory!

We had a GREAT night's sleep last night!  Thank you Lord!  Not only were the boys fussy last night, but when we got them down, Mama just needed a good cry.  God has blessed us so much!  In so many ways!  It has been, even with the rough moments, a wonderful transition.  It is just a lot to go through, and only going through it do you really know the depths of all of the emotions, etc.  I read as much as I could beforehand, which was good, but living it is when you really understand it.  We gave them some of the herbal tincture that our Hannah had made, which is supposed to help them sleep, and it worked like a champ.  Thank goodness!  Mama and Papa were spent after yesterday!  So, guess what these boys are getting before we get on the flight tonight?  You got it!  Chamomile tincture!  Thanks Hannah!

I have to get packing.  Diester is entertaining the boys so I can pack up, and I am blogging.  I'm keeping it short~~Thank you for all of your prayers!  Michelle 

Missing home, and sad to say goodbye to Iris!

What a day we have had!  It has been a blessing in so many ways.  Iris brought me some more veggies for me to make another fresh salad, for which we have been so blessed.  But that is only part of it~as we spent just a few moments together, she shared with me that this time will most probably be the hardest, when we are adjusting.  (She has been there with so many adoptive families already.)  And, she was just speaking truth to my heart.  It was such a blessing.  You know, there are a ton of emotions going on, and it was so nice to have someone who knew my heart at the moment, how you start to really deal with real life, and the adjustment period.  I told Diester just a few days after we got here that the Loomans aren't just missionaries to the people groups in the Siberian area; they are missionaries to us adoptive parents.  I think that is why I am so sad tonight.  They were truly a light in this time of being in Russia.  Seriously, not many people smile here, and not only do the Loomans smile, but they have the love of Christ in their smile.  Thank you Loomans for being such a bright spot.  I could go on, but am really drained, and I wanted to tell you just some highlights.

It has been proven once again that some of the best toys are boxes, and blankets.  Not expensive things, but just things to let their imaginations go!

Another great thing~when there have been some crisis situations, such as someone 'drilling' something through our door tonight without us know about it~not really, it was just that loud, and we were in the middle of getting the boys to sleep, was that Roman calls out for Mama when he is scared or startled.  I am lovin' that.  Dad might be the one they want to hang with, but they are learning (or maybe have that instinct) that mom is the one they need to go to in an emergency.  YEAH!


Today, we took several walks after a restless sleep with Isaac, trying to see if that might lull him to sleep.  BTW, he is already responding more easily to his new name than he did to his old name.  We are thankful to God for that.  When we were getting ready to go out for one of the 3 walks, I had to take a potty break really quickly.  We were all ready to go, so the guys were just waiting on me.  Diester said that when they were waiting, Roman went up to Isaac, and put his hands on Isaac's cheeks, and got really close to him, and said something (we, of course, do not know what was said) and then backed up, and little Isaac had a big smile on his face.  What a treasure!  I relished the thought of that sweetness between the two of them.  We'll see how long that lasts, huh? 

Another blessing is that the sling that I brought actually fits Isaac still.  He is on the verge of being too heavy? for it.  However, he comes to me with his arms up when he sees me putting the sling on.  Wouldn't you if you knew you were going to get an ice cream?  (I know Mallory, you wouldn't.  hehe)

 

I will just show you some pictures of some of the things we did today and yesterday.   I hope you enjoy them.

Thank you once again for your love, support, prayers, comments, care for our girls, care for our home~~whatever you are doing to encourage and help us, please know that we are so appreciative.  May God bless you!  Good night from Krasnoyarsk, Russia!  (Missing our beautiful girls!)