Monday, November 30, 2009

While We Wait...

So life goes on while we wait. Right now, there are four Colorado families that are in Ukraine. The Houghton's, the Haan's, the Jensens and Victoria & Martin. We will go soon as well as the Stoke's family. NICE!

In the meantime, we have been out and about, having fun as a family. The weekend of the 21st had us trekking to Winter Park Colorado to tube the infamous Frazier Hill! It's a daunting hill at first glance, but our kids were up to the task. On our first run we linked up all the tubes and went down the hill as this giant, speedy amoeba. Subsequent runs were done solo followed by a few more family-blob runs. Those bumps in the pictures make for some exciting "air time"!

Nadia on her first solo run
The kids were off from school all week and I joined them on Wednesday. We did the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday. Our friend, Bob Sisco, insisted on buying and cooking the entire dinner for our family. Who am I to argue with him! He gets up at 4am every Turkey day and Christmas to do this. The Sisco's are very generous people that we have known for years. They have no grandchildren as of yet and our kids consider them their third grandparents. Bob insists on picking up our kids every morning for school and bringing them home every afternoon. He is a sweet person with a heart of gold and tells us that he has nothing to do and wants to help. I believe God sent us the Sisco's to assist us in bringing home all six of our children. The Sisco's had a full course Christmas dinner, hot and steaming, on the table when we arrived home last Christmas Eve with our three kids! I don't know why I haven't mentioned the generosity bestowed upon us by the Sisco's. It could be the humble nature by which they conduct themselves. I like to think that some of that rubbed off on me, and that is the reason for not speaking of them before. Our kids love and adore Bob and Marileen and their grown-up kids, Aimee and Nick.
Fearless Julia about to tackle "The Hill"
The next day, Friday, I took the kids up to the mountains to cut a "kids Christmas tree". Being the tree-Nazi (hmm, is it blasphemy to mention Christmas & Nazis in the same blog?) of the family, I felt the need to have a separate tree just for them. I like my gold family tree just the way it is and I don't have the heart to refuse the wonderful handmade construction paper and Popsicle-stick ornaments that kids so often bring home from school, church and other various events. So this is my compromise. Perhaps I will be able to let go one day! But dang it, my sweet Granny had a gold tree and looking at it reminds me of them and my childhood. BTW...the kids tree looks pretty darn good, too!
We went with our friends, the Stoesz family and had a picnic lunch on a rock outcropping afterwards. Love that Stoesz family!
Kolya gettn' ready!
While I took the kids to the mountains, Heidi participated in Black Friday! She claims that she is all done Christmas shopping. Yeah, right, we will see! Heidi did find a lot of bargains and sure knows how to make our holiday dollars stretch. I'm the compulsive buyer in the family!
That evening we went to see the Nutcracker ballet at CU in Boulder. The Boulder symphony was my favorite part and the dancers are amazing. Yep guys, you won't get your "man-card" pulled for taking your family to see a Christmas-time ballet. Besides, do you realize how hard it is to stand on those tippy-toes for so long and make it look good, all the while seeming to enjoy that kind of pain??!! I don't know how that guy that plays the boy robot-toy holds his arms up for what seems like eternity. Ladies, you know the part I'm talking about!
On Saturday I spent time putting up the lights, ornaments and trees with the kids. Heidi had a scrap booking lunch date. That evening, we switched places. I needed a break after being with the kids for 4 straight days. I had a "Man-date" with my bro, Ken K. We went to the see the apocalyptic movie, 2012. It was a good movie with great CG scenes.
During the movie, I couldn't help but to think of God and the promise of being with Him when our time comes. It's natural to fear death I think. As a Christian, the glorious afterlife eases my fears a little. What I fear most nowadays is the bleak reality that orphans face upon entering a 16 year old adult life in Ukraine. I can't save them all and I am grateful for my three and eventual six. It was once stated to me that if just 6% of Christian families took in just one orphan, there would be empty orphan beds the world over...no orphanages...no orphans! If you can give, if you can adopt, if you are soul-searching, if you are counting on this empty-promises world...won't you consider this, for the rest of their lives.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
~ Felix ~

About Us

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Longmont, Colorado, United States
Heidi loves to play sand volleyball, sail and garden. Felix loves to fly at the local aeroclub, sail and fish.