One leaves the nest

We are now eight in the House of Rogé! Jessica fluttered her wings and moved into her own apartment across town. She will be transferring to Colorado State University this winter. Jess has done great for herself, having secured a near-full time job and a car. She's come a long way since nearly two years ago when she asked for help to get her life straightened out and back on course.

Next, Jordan will be moving into a dorm room in the Fall of 2012 once she selects a university. This is her Senior year and she is ecstatic!

So, two will have left the nest the next year. But, are we done adding to our family...?

~ Felix ~

Best Seller?

Does anyone know a good book publisher? Do you think our story would make a great book? How does one go about getting something like that started? Perhaps all that is needed is to tweak the pages of this blog, somehow. Hey, after all, I have seven potential college degrees and weddings to pay for!

Follow-up clarification: Can anyone tell me how to get someone to either co-author or edit my work. Also, how do folks get those book deals where they pay to have you published and marketed. My point is, I don't have money to write it, publish and print a ton of books to sell only to friends and family. That dad who wrote his son's story "Heaven is for real" comes to mind when I think how I would like this to go down. Thoughts?

~ Felix ~

Is this thing on?

Hello, hello (squelch)! Is anybody still out there? Wow, time flies, huh! I thought I would take a little break and enjoy having all the kids home finally. A few days turned into a few weeks and then...well, it looks like we took a few months off! I'm still not convinced that anyone is interested in our daily family life and the break sure was nice, so let's see where this takes us. I may write from time to time and I won't be so long next time. One day, we'll stop for sure. Perhaps when we make this a book or a movie, hee-hee!

The Easter lineup!

The first few weeks around here were strange when Lizzie came home. We didn't know what to do with ourselves, having (what seemed like forever) pinning over her uncertainty and the government of Ukraine's idiosyncrasies. No longer would we have to save $ for another adoption, no longer would we worry about her away from us, no longer would we have to do mountains of paperwork and documents! Seems like we we were Scott-free, right? Well, little did I know that one more child in the house would equate to double, even triple the parental workload. Things have settled now, but those couple of months required everyone to be patient while the new family dynamics worked themselves out.

So here's what everyone has been up to...

Jessica - Now 22, Jess moved back home last year and has been working part time and going to school part time. She has made remarkable progress and is a pleasure to have around. She leads a small group and is a vital member of our church's adoption support ministry. She has found her calling and wants to be a social worker and help people when they need home studies completed for adoption. She will be transferring to CSU this winter to work on her bachelor degree in Social Work.

Jordan - Now 17, Jordan completed her Junior year here at Skyline in Longmont. She completed another grueling year of honors and AP classes with a 4.0 + GPA again! Honestly, I don't know how they grade Honors and AP classes, but she has over a 4.0. So proud of her! She went with us to Ukraine on our adoption trip to bring home Lizzie and she learned a lot! After our family vacation in July, Jordan will journey with our church's mission trip to Madeira, Mexico for two weeks. She starts her Senior year in August and will be using her newly acquired driver's license to take her brother and sisters to school for us.

Elizabeth - Still 15, Lizzie has been welcomed into the family fold and she has found her rightful place among us. Lizzie was supposed to be the first one home three years ago, but she had no documentation and was not available for adoption for those three long years. Veterans of this blog know the story and realize just what a blessing God's hand in this was! Having an outstanding English language acquisition already, Lizzie wasted no time jumping right into American teenager life. Having her home last year rapidly developed her language skills! Despite only having three months of school left, she quickly adapted and scored very well in high school. Lizzie will be a sophomore next year. She and Rimma both made the Varsity and Competition Cheerleader squad. Not bad for a new American! Lizzie continues to have many firsts. I have to continually remind myself that our "first child" is still new to home.

Nadia - Now 15, Nadia continues to grow and is now taller than me. She had an excellent school year with a B average. In fact, she had no final grade lower than a B with mostly A's! Nadia is doing quite well and I'm very proud of her, she has come a long way. Still known as the bossiest person in the house, she has made great strides in that area, but it has come at the expense of a lot of parenting. It's exhausting sometimes. Nadia's strong passion is for volleyball, something that pleases Heidi tremendously! She has played well on Rec leagues during her middle school years and is now trying out for high school volleyball. She goes to two weight-lifting gym sessions at Skyline HS just for volleyball players and she attends two open-gym practice sessions a week at Skyline. She's extremely strong and it is all I can do anymore to wrestle her to the ground. She's gonna be our sports superstar! Nadia will be a Freshman next year.

Rimma - Still 14, Rimma had an great school year. Despite having a couple of challenges at school, she finished the academic year strong and at one point, made the A honor roll. She finished on the B honor roll for the year. Rimma's problem that gets her into trouble is "self-perfection". She would spend hours doing homework and rewriting everything so it was pristine. This caused her to constantly be a little behind and all worked up over grades. I finally had to order her to lighten up after a little academic integrity issue at school. Mom says she spends too much time in front of the mirror, also. We are struggling to teach inner beauty vs. vanity! Like Lizzie, she too made the Varsity and Competition Cheerleader squad. Due to her athleticism, she is also a "flier". Don't worry, I had to ask, too. A flier is the one they toss through the air and that person is usually spinning or tumbling. When she announced to me that she was selected to be a flier, I jokingly asked to see her pilots license as I took mine out of my wallet. Rimma will be a Freshman as well next year.

Julia - Now 14, Julia is still our little "monkey". Of all our kids, I worry about Julia the most. Her gentle nature, trusting behavior and lack of focus can get her into trouble...now and in the future. She has these "Julia-isms" that can be adorable and/or drive you nuts. She is very smart and intelligent and can fool you sometimes. Julia is experiencing the same growth spurt that Nadia went through upon coming home. I tell Heidi all the time that she is growing in all the wrong places. She did very well this year and is moving on to 8th grade. She's super excited to be at the top-of-the-heap in middle school! Her grades were mostly A's & B's with a few C's. Great progress for a sweet girl that everyone had given up on at the orphanage. Julia's passion is animals. She loves small dogs and is always bugging me to get one. I constantly remind her of the fiasco the last one was and she reminds me that he was big. Most every Saturday morning, you will find Julia riding horses at the Welzig's ranch in Mead, CO. She is part of a horse ministry and she is a talented rider. She has a rodeo she will perform in this Saturday!

Kole - Now 12, Kole just celebrated another birthday, his third since being home. Always a pleaser and willing to do whatever you ask, he has lately been forgetting his tasks. Call it typical kid stuff or "on summer vacation", I've had to remind him on several occasions the past month to get things done. I hope this isn't a trend for things to come. Kole and I attended a father-son purity class this past quarter. This has helped him learn how to treat girls and respect women as he moves into puberty. Kole also did very well in school with mostly A's & B's, making the honor roll, too. He will move into 7th grade next year. Kole's passion is those darn video games, something I ration accordingly. He participated in Rec league volleyball this past Spring and he has tried several sports, including basketball. Not having a top choice, Kole is still trying to figure out which sport he likes and does best. Soccer went away quickly and although he was very good at it, he confessed that he didn't like it very much. Time will tell where he will fit in. I've told him more than once that video games aren't a sport.

Well, that's all for now. I hope that by reading this post you will see that we aren't the "perfect" family and it is hard work to raise a family, especially one this size. Each child presents their unique challenges. Some days I pull my hair out. Most days, I can't wait to get home to them. Hearing "Daddy" being yelled when I enter makes it all worthwhile! So...I'll be sure to post sooner next time than I did this time. Perhaps I'll tell ya about our vacation plans in July to the Bahamas. Talk to ya then...

~ Felix ~

House Rules, again!

Every time a kid comes home, we find the need to eventually go over the house rules with said kid(s). This was true for Nadia, Julia and Kole. Next came Rimma. Then we added Jordan and eventually Jessica. Now it's Lizzie's turn. In addition, I find that it is necessary to go over the "Rules" once a month at dinner time, when we are all together. Chores start getting sloppy, laundry days get missed and quiet time/bedtime starts getting ignored. The monthly dinner time reminder helps bump everyone back to center and everyone remembers, until the next month, and we do it all over again.

A few friends have asked me to repost this, especially those folks close to bringing new children home soon. So here you are. Feel free to use these, adapt them to you own use, or revamp them all together. It's also important to note that these 10 rules have evolved over time as the kids have gained English comprehension and understanding. So, in the beginning, keep it simple. These 10 rules have never been more than 10 rules and from the start, they used to be only a few simple words. You can add deeper explanation to them after you have been home awhile and after the "honeymoon" is over. Otherwise, get ready for a lifetime of a messy or broken house, with arguing kids, and chaos as you try to wait on them hand and foot while being a maid, cook and a parent.

This is not cruel or unusual punishment. Institutionalized children need and appreciate structure and no, I don't rule the house with an iron fist or like a Drill Sergeant. We provide a home, security, safety and lots of Love, understanding, compassion and empowerment. Our kids are thriving and 'kicking it" in school, home life and out in society. Here are our 10 Easy Rules:


1. Be kind to one another…PERIOD!

2. Keep your room tidy, make your bed every morning and return your things to your room after use, don’t leave it lying around.

3. If you make a mess, clean it up immediately! This is YOUR home, take care of it!

4. Turn off lights, water, radio, television when not using them.

5. Eat only in the Kitchen or dining room and wash your hands before eating and when returning from outside.

6. You will do your daily chores and your laundry on your day.

7. No TV, computer (unless homework) or video games during school days effective Sunday night to Friday after school.

8. Quiet time starts at 8pm Sunday through Thursday. Everyone has their own bedtime…Obey quiet time and bedtime.

9. Obey Mom and Dad when you are told to do anything.

10. When in doubt, ALWAYS ask permission from Mom or Dad!

~ Felix ~

Happy Anniversary, Rimma!

Rimma has been home one year today! Happy Anniversary, Rimma!

Rimma, aka "Miss Hollywood"

~ Felix ~

Looking back...looking ahead

Ready for school, but not overly excited. "Typical American teenager", I told her!

Hi everyone, the past week has been amazing! I needed to take some time and just relax from the events surrounding Lizzie’s adoption. The memories and emotions from the last three years have been flooding Heidi and I since we got her home. Every day that the Lord has given us since coming home has been a blessing and we have thanked Him over and over again.

Bear with me…us, as we transition from three years of waiting, adopting, pleading, worrying, praying and dodging moratoriums to a life of raising our children and always being there for them. Well, we never will stop praying, right! Now that we are done adopting for the foreseeable future, the hard work begins! Teaching right from wrong, transitioning from institutionalized children to family life, setting rules of the family and the home, helping their teachers educate them and growing together.

Many have written that they would love to see a book or a made for Lifetime TV movie! Others have joked that they are stalkers and would watch a reality TV show about us. Sorry, a reality show would never happen. I'm not Jon and Heidi's not Kate...and we don't have eight, we are nine! Besides, you see where that led to, right? We are flattered, believe me, but all glory goes to God! Naturally, the posts will be fewer as we enjoy our time as a family. The blog may even draw to a close one day soon. We will just let things simmer and see where God takes this little story. If we have moved and inspired you, then this was all worth it and was His plan all along.

When Lizzie and I got home on Saturday, February 19th, it was nothing short of amazing! Friends and family were waiting for us at the double door exit of international customs. We were finally home, forever, for good! It took a couple of nights to get accustomed to the time difference and a few more days to get Lizzie fully enrolled in high school. We gave her Monday and Tuesday off, enrolled her on Wednesday, sent her to school on Thursday and Friday, then she had the weekend off again. Lizzie was able to attend two days of high school last August when she was home for 10 weeks, but she was still a little apprehensive about going to a new school with a different language and not knowing any friends there. Her sister, Jordan, helped her get acclimated and to find her classes. Lizzie is already bring home high A’s on a dozen papers I’ve seen from her ESL class! Three years ago when we asked Lizzie if she would like to be adopted by us, she got serious about learning English. The ten weeks here last summer paid off tremendously as well and the result is that her language acquisition quite advanced.

It’s still surreal to me to see Lizzie walking around the house, doing homework, getting ready for school, eating dinner with her family and just being present in the everyday life she should have been a part of since birth. I catch myself watching her move from room to room sometimes, sometimes she catches me too. I get that creepy old man feeling when she does. “Dad, why you look at me?” Sorry sweetie, no you’re not doing anything wrong! Dad is just in awe of God’s amazing power to do the impossible.

The words of her former government, her orphanage, her “caretakers” and even an American stateside adoption facilitator (whom we never used her services again) who all told us to quit…give up…you will never get her…we won’t let you have her…we will stand in your way…just choose some other kids…all come rushing back to when I have time for quiet reflection.

We aren’t seeking pats on the back, accolades, or idolization. It’s a bit unsettling and embarrassing to receive honors that should go to the Almighty. I fall short many times in my Christian walk of life, and I struggle a lot with God’s perfect plan. But if He uses Heidi and me to further His cause, to inspire you through us, to sweetly break you out of your comfort zone to do His will, so be it. I am happy to be used as His instrument.

Lizzie gets reacquainted with her skateboard, a birthday gift last year that she left behind.

~Felix~

All that needs to be said...