Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Birthday Girls, September '09

Z's birthday is this weekend. Another year has passed without her being home. Thankfully, this may be the last time she spends the occasion without her forever family. We hope to bring her home in a year.

Why a another whole year when we are adopting in January? Remember, Ukraine has a law forbidding international adoption until the orphan has been available for Ukrainian adoption for at least one year. A silly rule really when you consider that the child must consent to adoption and R & Z would never go with anyone but us even though we told them to take a family if it was in their hearts. So we wait, they wait, because of course, children are better off in an orphanage without love, support, nurturing and parental guidance. A piece of hear say excited me over a year ago when I heard that there was some consideration on dropping the one-year wait for orphans over the age of 12. But that never materialized and like I said, it turned out to be just here say.

We have been traveling to Ukraine since we met and fell in love with R & Z. The first year we were there for Z's, this time Heidi was there for R's birthday. Of course, we have two celebrations during one party. Combining the trip with some mission work for UOO and fostering the relationships with growing Christian organizations and friends made good economic sense. I keep telling my self that it is God's money, not mine, and that a little money spent on airline tickets now is a lot better than lots of money spent on teenage therapy later.

In January we go get Rima and if all goes according to His plan, an unknown brother to add to the family. A return trip for Zina, hopefully this time next year, will make our family complete. Though we are separated by distance, we have been Mom & Dad the past two years. They were born in our hearts, December 2007 and we have been family ever since.

I can't wait to see them again in January.

~ Felix ~