Monday, June 18, 2007
Astrakhan
Trying to sleep, but a tad nervous. We arrived in our region tonight, Sunday, June 16. Astrakhan is very different from Moscow. It is a smaller, rural city. We were met by our agency's representative and translator. When we checked into the hotel, several other couples from US were visiting in the lobby. One of the adoptive parents helped us figure out our pocket pc issues. He's now known as our IT guy! We are very nervous about tomorrow as we will be attending our first meeting at the Ministery of Education. You all can pray for us . . . God is always good, but many stories from these parents remind us that we don't always "feel" the good when things don't go as smoothly as hoped. We want peace even if the bumps pop up. Easier said than done. Off to bed. It's midnight here, 2:00pm there. Meemom, give hugs to Cabob from us.
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3 comments:
Hi Copers!
It's your old neighbors here! Sorry it has been delayed in getting on yout blog, but you've been in our thoughts and prayers all the while. :) Love your "blog notes". As always, you crack us up! Sounds like you are doing well in the challenges of this kind of trip. Oh, does it bring back memories! Can't wait to read more from you. We love you guys!
Ellen and Dave
Hi Jonah & Andi!
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. We are glad you have arrived safely and will continue to pray for your safty.
Happy Father's Day, Jonah! You are a wonderful Dad. We rejoice in knowing that you will soon be a father of a daughter. Be warned that it is not the same as parenting a son. There are BIG differences.
God Bless!
Steve & Denanne
winterJonah and Andi,
Caleb is fine. He is such a gamer! At quarter to nine he asked us once more in his cheerful voice--Anyone up for a game?
I said, I was more thinking of bed. Are you ready for bed? And to my disbelief he said, "yes." I said--wait a minute, you just asked if I wanted to play a game! He didn't explain so I asked him again, "so you're ready to go to bed?" Yes, he said.
On the Wii game you can make characters that look like you to play the games on the screen. Today he took great glee in making a short, fat Jonah with dark spiked hair eye-shadow and glasses, and a tall skinny Andi with crazy eye brows and wild hair. He thought this was really funny. Then he made Papa Dave, only he told me he would make him nice. He made Dave's eyes and hair gray, so Dave if you think he's seeing brown or something--I got news for you. Anyway, your characters show up when he's playing a video tennis match or ballgame and he gets a big kick out of it. There is a pro-level he is trying to achieve. I knew once he found that there was a goal we were in trouble. We are limiting the game (only nine hours at a time, and he plays Nintendo in between!) Oh just kidding. At church yesterday the pastor said in the sermon that it was impossible to lick your elbow. Guess what you son did for the next fifteen minutes? He was sitting next to me in pew #2 twisted up like a pretzel. Then we went to eat for Father's Day and he got to eat with the cousins. We all came back here and they played a fierce--Wii tournament!
Right now he went with Nicole over to Nona's to take Kevin his B-day gift (and see Joshua's new Wii). They are coming right back as Nona is leaving for a meeting. Tomorrow he is going swimming with Nicole there. They also went swimming at Aaron's Granmothers. He really liked that. Last night when Nicole went out with Aaron he told me that she hadn't really spent an evening with him, and she shouldn't put Aaron first because he (Caleb) is family and that's more important. I looked at his earnest face and just said, You're so right. We really must tell her that, I know it will make a big impression.
Sarah and Nicole took him to Dairy Days on the square Sat. and Sarah took him to see Surf's Up. He liked that. We also rented Shrek 2 and he liked that and later this week we're re-renting Night at the Museum bacause he told me it's really great.
We had prayer (to redeem myself) for you all, he fell face down on the floor and pretended to sleep, so I made it short.
This morning we made up a story about what it will be like to have his baby sister upstairs. I was being her, crying all the time, getting into his pirate ship stuff. So then we pretended he put everything up high, then moved his whole room into his secret closet.
He bought eight sticky little snakes at Dollar General, and we have been playing, Snakes for Sale. We have a snake shop. He also bought those capsules you put in water that turn into sponge animals. He has a whole zoo now.
Finn really likes it here. He emptied all of our pizza boxes out of the burn barrel and shredded them in a neat pile. Caleb and I cleaned it up last night. We let him play with it for a couple of days first. He is very good really, and doesn't go far from the house because of his collar, I think. Pongo begs to come in after a few minutes though, and Hershey was laying on the couch with her head covered with her paws. They really are old animals and you've brought us all this youth and life! It's exhausting!
Hey--do you want to buy a snake?
One thing more: Caleb has not been homesick except for a few minutes yesterday. Leave it to our sentimental pastor to have someone sing Cat in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. I know Caleb doesn't know what all the words meant, but that one part the guy kept singing--I'm gonna be like you Dad, you know I'm gonna be like you. Well, Caleb bends over and holds his tummy and whispers to me that he's sick. I said, "Keep trying to lick your elbow," just kidding--I said, "it's almost over and we'll get some good stuff to eat in Sunday School." I patted his back and he got better in a few minutes. That's been our only episode so far. He's really doing well.
I asked him this morning if he wanted to take a bath in my big bathtub and he told me, One day I will. He said the same thing about helping me clean this morning, he told me, One day I'll probably help you clean. I said, that sounds just like Grampa.
Love you both,
Mother
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