Christmas with Lena

I have written before about Sasha's sister Lena. She is 11 and is at an orphanage about 2 and half hours from Sumy. Sasha just recently reconnected with her. She is just the cutest thing. And every time she comes and stays with us it seems she has many firsts. The first time she stayed we went up an escalator and it was the scary for her because it was her first time. When we got in our elevator to go up to our apartment on the 10th floor, she told us it was her first time in one. We also went bowling and she sat back and watched for most of it because she also had never ever been to a bowling alley. She experienced cereal for the first time and LOVED it. This time Sasha took her to a movie. When they got back he informed us it was her first movie ever. We also took her to church and she told me she was scared because she had never been to church before. I told her she didn't need to be afraid because we go to church with many wonderful people. Things like this blow my mind because growing up I experienced all these things she was seeing for the first time. So needless to say, stockings and christmas gifts with a decorated tree were a first for her. You can see in the video how she takes it all in. It was so fun to experience this with her.

My two worlds

I cannot believe how fast these past few months flew by. I feel like I just got here and now I am already getting ready to go back home. I was talking to Chelsea the other night about how I thought with time it would get easier to have two worlds. When I say it out loud and I think about it, it was really dumb to think that. Why would it get easier to have my family in America and then a family in Ukraine. Time just brings closeness which makes it all the harder when leaving America or vice versa.  I was thinking about this the other day or should say I was having a pity party about how hard it is to have two families. Then the thought hit me how I should be so grateful that I not only have 1 family, but God has so graciously given me another one. It is such a unique relationship I get to have with the kids here who are like family. So yes, it is really hard always having to leave one family and both for different reasons, but I am so grateful for both worlds. I will probably still have my pity parties from time to time but I never professed to being perfect :)

Thanksgiving with the gang...

You all saw our tradition of turkey hunting with the the fam, so now I thought it would be fun for you see a lot of people in a small space. There is never a dull moment when all the kids are around.  I think I might be getting too old for this :)

Adventures in turkey hunting

I recently wrote a blog about Thanksgiving so I figured it would be fun for everyone to see how we actually got Frank. Well, really we should call him Frank the second. Last year my friend Mike, who comes often to Ukraine, named our turkey Frank. When we bought this one Sash just started calling him Frank. I do believe it will always be Frank from here on out.  I am pretty sure that when you see how we pick out our turkey it will be bit different from how you do it :)