I must start by begging for apologies. Please, please, please forgive me for taking so long to update the blog. You guys were so faithful to pray for us and support us on our long journey to bring Katya and Andrei home, you deserve better!

Life with 5 kiddos is exciting to say the least! There is never a dull moment, nor a chance to sit and journal/blog. It is taking some adjusting, but it's good.

I'll try to recap what's happened since the last blog. We listed our house and it sold in about 6 weeks!! The closing was obviously orchestrated by God's own hands, the timing was PERFECT! We got moved into our new house the end of July. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHAD!!!

About that same time we had a chance to by a horse that was perfect for Olivia. He is a 9 year old Morgan. We are very happy with him. They do great together! She swept her last show and was told she had to move up a level in competition. She has a show on Nov 1. It is her first show with the US Pony Club. It is at MTSU. We are all excited and a little nervous. I'm sure she will do great!

The curriculum went fair went great. (in hind-sight) I knew exactly what to buy for Katie and Olivia. I couldn't decide on what to do with the other 3 kiddos. At the time I was frustrated. Shortly after that, God made it clear that He wanted Katya, Andrei and Andy at Franklin Christian School. It has been a HUGE blessing for our family. They have bent over backwards to meet the needs of our ESL kiddos. All of the kids have made friends are doing fabulously!

Andrei is in 11th grade and doing better than a lot of the kids who are from here. He hasn't had to have much help at all. His English is amazing. He can read his chemistry book and understand it with no problem! Writing is still a challenge, but that will come. Andrei joined the football team even though the first came he saw was one he played in. He turned out to be a really good kicker! He had a blast! Yesterday was the last game. He is sad to see it end.

Katya Elizabeth is in 8th grade. She is doing better than she ever did in Ukraine. Practically all of her work is modified due to lack of a good foundation as well as the language barrier. She is doing really well, though, and LOVES to go to school. She is a social butterfly like I've never seen! Elizabeth played volleyball and is a star in the making! She is a great athlete. The school is begging her to play basketball but she isn't interested in it. (She is only 4'11" and about 95 lbs, but is possibly the best basketball player in the school!)

Andy is in 9th grade and doing GREAT! He made straight A's! He is working really hard, hoping to get a scholarship for college. Andy also was on the football team. Finally, after begging all of his life to play, I let him b/c he'd had a growth spurt and wasn't so little any more. He worked hard during the summer heat and was doing really well for a first timer. He got to play 2 plays in the jamboree and then broke his arm the next week in practice and was out for the season. He was so bummed! We are really proud of him though. He hung in there and supported the team and helped on the sidelines during each game. He is already trying to build strength back up in his arm so he can start weight training in anticipation for next season.

Katie is doing well. She started her first job and really likes it. She is working in a store akin to an old-fashioned corner market. It has gas pumps, groceries, a wonderful restaurant, a coffee bar and a new gift shop. She is learning to cook some pretty yummy things as well as make a mean cup of espresso! She is a great kid and I don't know what I'd do without her! She helps me so much with just about everything. She is going to be an awesome wife and mom one day!

Spiritually, both Elizabeth (we call her both names) and Andrei seem really close to making a decision to make Christ the Lord of their lives, but haven't as of yet. Please pray that it will happen quickly.

They are doing well with all of our extended family. There are several little ones and Katya loves to be with them. They have been accepted and treated like our other children. It's been great! We just got back from Disney World. We spent a week with my dad, step-mom, sister and her family. My mom's mom also came up and spent a couple of days with us. It was the first time she had met the kiddos. We had a great time! (Of course it is one of those vacations where you need another vacation to recover from all of the fun!)

It's not all been a bed of roses, but it has been much easier than most stories that I've heard. We have been so busy with moving and then sports that we haven't had a lot of family time. I'm looking forward to some serious bonding time now that both sports are over!

Maybe life will slow down some now and I will be able to finish unpacking our boxes and also find some time to blog every now and then.

Until next time...

Love & Blessings, Wendy