UOO Camp Pix

Heidi with Vova (Volodymyr)


The four at the Rogé house, left to right are Vova (Volodymyr), Zshenia, Vasya, & Vitalia.

UOO Camp 2008 Day 1

The live version of John and Kate plus eight is here! All 8 kids for the UOO 2008 Summer Camp have arrived safely at 10 pm. We were forewarned that they were picked up from their Summer camp in Ukraine and were in the clothes that they had on at the time. They arrived with nothing, as most orphan kids do, and were happy that they were in the US. A few of the kids recognized me and came right to me for hugs and attention. After a few pictures and waiting for the chaperone's luggage, we loaded into the vehicles and headed off to home. In our house we have Vitalia, Zshenya, Vova, and Vasya. Four of the cutest little boys on the earth.

Once home the kids settled right in. We made sure they weren't hungry and then we gave them the tour of the house and where they would be sleeping. After pajamas time and brushing teeth, we attempted to get them into bed. All went well until I heard talking in the upstairs room. All four had grouped up there and were going through the welcome bags they had received. I spent half an hour or so before putting them back in bed. Hugs and love all around (a second time) were given and received. We got to bed again around 1 am. They boys were up this morning at 6:30!

I have heard Papi so many times that it makes me tear up a bit. All these children of Ukraine want is love, attention, and someone who cares. Please consider Ukraine adoption if adoption is on your mind or tugging at your heart. And PLEASE, consider the older children. They are as sweet and precious as any 4-6 year old. Most of these 10-12 year old seem to be that size and need love and parents, too!

~Felix~

Camp Rock!

Weekend camping trip in the Rockies, near home. The girls loved it, we had lots of fun!

Metamorphosis

You're probably wondering, "Where is he going with this one?", right about now. I've been reflecting on this blog and how it has shifted around and taken on different messages and forms. It has changed drastically over the last several months, but one thing remains the same...the TITLE! God's Plan: Adoption from Ukraine. He gave me the fortitude to get that one right. His plan has always been the same, it is us that have meandered and bounced along on this wonderful journey. You could say, God has made us undergo a metamorphosis!


We started off this blog with some information about who we are and our plans to adopt from Ukraine. Along the way we hosted kids from Ukraine through our mission organization, Ukraine Orphan Outreach (UOO) http://www.ukraineorphans.org/ and we journaled out week-long experience. We met and fell in love with Rimma and Zina. We showed you the dossier process and kept you up to date with our status. We documented our trip to Ukraine over the course of two weeks and introduced you to our new Ukrainian friends. Tanya & Luba came along and we have been keeping you up to date on our present experiences. In two weeks we will go to the airport to pick up the eight kids coming from Stara Zbrivka that will take part in out UOO 3-week camp. Fun times will surely follow...and will be posted here.


So you see, change is inevitable. I wanted to keep this all about our adoption journey. God laughs when I make plans. I wake up with eager anticipation of what he will show me everyday. It's been a fun ride so far! Blessings to each of you...I hope you like the butterfly.

Dental Visits

Tanya & Luba had the first of two dental visits today. Luba has some very severe dental issues that we felt where too important to ignore. Tanya needed work too, but not nearly the problems Luba will face if not taken care of...starting now. Both girls were very eager to go last week when we had X-rays and examinations done.

Luba's problems made for a very long appointment for her and halfway through we had a crisis. Because of the "deep" nature of her condition, it was a painful process, even with Novocaine. She will have to repeat the process in the next two weeks for the other half of her mouth. I had to get on the phone while she was still in the chair and enlist the help of translators to help calm her down so the dentist could finish. I felt just as bad as she and I hated having to put her through it. We were able to finish up though and Luba forgave me later on that day. We will have a translator in place next time. Her main problem was fear of the unknown and what was happening.

Tanya, on the other hand, had only mild cavities, and she was done quickly. Both girls complained of dental pain tonight. Our ESL teacher, Josh, helped translate our need to return and get all work completed. We explained that we didn't want to hurt them, rather, we want to save their teeth while it is still possible. They agreed and understand. Each girl has had a couple of teeth pulled as this is the answer for dental work for orphans living in Ukraine. We have to save what they have left. We have no insurance on them, but we are happy to give this gift to them and I hope they later understand our sincere act of love.

Go Luba, Go!!

After three weeks of trying, Luba finally learned to ride a bicycle. We have a couple of bikes and Luba has seen Tanya, Heidi, Sasha and me all have fun riding around the neighborhood. It is something she had been aching to do. Heidi and Jordan set the foundation by balancing and running alongside her for the past two weeks. We received a smaller bike from the Christophersons this week and it made all the difference. I tuned up the brakes and lowered the seat. I had her riding by herself in 15 minutes. A smile and the biggest grin I have ever seen was permanently fixed on her as she rode until sundown. It was priceless! I even teared up a bit as I saw my little girl learn a new task and "leave the nest", pedaling along and enjoying her childhood dream. I'm glad that I was there to help her and see the moment.

It's not hard to realize, if you think about it, that she never had the opportunity to learn such a rudimentary skill. Kids here in the US are riding bikes several years earlier than her age. This is just another example of the things we take for granted and the childhood these and other kids are missing out on in the orphanages. Tanya could already ride, perhaps as a result of her placement in the "system" at a later age. Both girls have only been in the orphanage for a few years.

Heidi has been searching for Tanya & Luba's brother in Arizona. He was split up from the girls when he was one year old, lived in an orphanage for about two years, and was adopted 8 months ago. Recently, both girls have been talking about him and they miss him and feel the loss. It is a topic of recurrence many evenings. They have had contact with the grandparents and have received pictures of him. So, it should not be a problem to find him and arrange some kind of little reunion for them. So far, all of Heidi's calls have yielded no results. I pray that God helps them reunite or to bring closure to them.

Both girls are having the time of their lives. Our recent activities have been swimming, bicycling, yard work, household chores, English lessons daily, ESL lessons with a teacher once a week, drawing, picnics, spending time with friends, AVP tournament attendance, hiking, bedtime stories, children's church, and bonding with their new family. They just want a Mom & Dad and they soak up the Love. We give it freely and unconditionally.

I say a prayer every night and every morning for Rimma and Zina. They are ever-present in my mind. I understand Tanya and Luba's sense of loss for their brother. I experience the same loss for R & Z on a daily basis. Where are my other girls and what are they doing? It's hard being a parent. I miss them terribly. I had a dream about Zina a couple of nights ago...something was bothering her. I think it's God's way of letting me know about them. We have put in a call to Sasha of AGAPE and Karen Springs may see her during the CBN summer ministry camp.

Say a prayer for Heidi's mom, Betty, who is in the hospital in suburban Chicago. May she be home and get well soon.

~ Felix ~

Doin' the Happy Dance!!

Well, it finally happened! We received the following e-mail today!

Hi, Heidi! Thank you. Your dossier is scheduled to
be submitted on August 13.

Best regards,Valentina

Heidi immediately opened her "super geek" dossier spreadsheet and
calculated our possible appointment date based on the track record of Valentina
and other facilitators. (If you want to know where you are, I'm sure you are on
that spreadsheet, somewhere. Just ask.) Her super-duper adoption algorithm told
her that our travel dates should be sometime in December. OK, her
algorithm cannot predict the idiosyncrasies that is Ukraine SDA. Stay tuned!
For now, I will keep doing my "happy dance". Uuh-Uuh, Uuh-uuh-uuh!!

~Felix~

Some of My Favorite Pictures

ESL

Last night an ESL teacher (Josh)worked with Tanya and Luba for about 90 minutes in an interesting combination of English and Russian. The girls were so excited - they insisted on wearing their church dresses for the lesson. Josh was warm and kind and very thorough with the girls. I realized that I rarely correct the girls' pronunciations of English words because I want them to maintain their courage to try to speak English. But Josh really focused on pronunciation, and they made great strides yesterday. I left them alone at the kitchen table for the lesson, and when I returned, Tanya had scooted her chair right over to him and Luba was standing in between Luba and Josh. They were so eager to learn!!

Josh explained to me that the girls asked for clarification on the word "thirsty." When I ask if they are thirsty, they think I'm asking if they are "Thursday"!!!! How cute! No wonder they look at me with their heads cocked sideways sometimes. Tanya and Luba were also confused about the difference between lunch, dinner and supper. They new all three words, and they expected to have each of those three meals each day following breakfast. Yes, that is confusing because some Americans still call lunch "dinner."

As Josh was heading out the door and saying goodbye to me on the front porch, T&L each ran from the kitchen to the front door breathlessly to ask for more translations.

Last night Tanya told me that four of her Ukrainian friends in the U.S. read our blog and enjoy seeing pictures of her. I agreed to let Tanya pick out her most "kryseva" pictures to post next time...so they will be coming soon!!

Yes, it was another good day!

I love you, carrots!

The other day, Heidi told me a story about Luba eating carrots. She was munching down on a few of the mini-carrots, you know, the ones that are about an inch long and are pre-peeled. Lovingly, in perfect English she said, "I love you carrots!" It was hysterical!

The girls are learning English at an astonishing rate! They are starting to form complete sentences and sometimes talk to each other in English. Wow, what an amazing two weeks it has been. They can read simple books, too. Every night we have them read to us. It is a special time for us and we could listen to them for hours. The Longmont library will be getting a workout this summer.

I introduced the girls to Steven Curtis Chapman music last week (my favorite artist) and they love it. Only one problem! Luba and Tanya have learned how to play the stereo! They have an ear for "I'm Diving In" and play it over and over and over. I believe we heard it a record 20 times tonight. The "Speechless" album may never be the same.

We also have a lot of David Crowder Band & Chris Tomlin, so they have learned the words to them too. I'm not sure they understand the meaning yet. We play it in the car and last Sunday there were two CT songs at the beginning of our church service that they recognized. I of course am beaming with joy with the fact that these two are rocking-out to Christian music!

Our adventures this past week have included more pool time, a hike in the foothills, a carnival, and lots of home time with us. They started calling Heidi, "Mama" from day one. We didn't know what to do about it, so we just let it go. This past weekend, I had my breakthrough with them and now I get the kisses and hugs, too. They now call me Pappi and I live with it. They are growing closer to our hearts, so we will be faced with THE big decision one day. For now, we will enjoy them and give them love, comfort, and safety.

I think of Rimma and Zina a hundred times a day, especially Zina. If you have seen the past pictures, you can see that she is very much a Daddy's girl. I've got to bring them home. I miss them. Zina does not have her phone and we will not hear from her until late August while she is away at camp. Rimma's phone is never on when we call and I'm not sure that she is still receiving our text messages. There is no word on their registration and this has me worried. I will place a call to our friend, Sasha by the end of this week to see if he can check on their paperwork.

~Felix~