Okay, so this time I feel I have a fairly good excuse for not keeping you updated. We did move to Kansas on Thanksgiving weekend and besides some unexpected house repairs, everything is going good. The kids are LOVING school and we really feel that Caleb and Deianna are receiving just what they needed to thrive. Deianna is now able to receive an extra hour in ESL help and Caleb is also being assisted in OT for hand dexterity to help with his writing skills. The school they are going to begins teaching Spanish in Kindergarten, which makes me laugh. Ukrainian/American children that speak Spanish! We have had a couple of episodes of what I call stealing when in reality one was just not return $$$ that was found at school to the teacher, but was brought home and stuck in a drawer. So maybe it was more being sneaky than actually stealling since it was found in the floor by the cubbies, but I don't like to quibble over details. I handled it as stealing because I new it wouldn't hurt for them to have to take it to school and explain they had taken something that wasn't theirs. Later, I found out that the note I had written out for the teacher and put in an envelope was not given to the teacher. So, the money was returned and the teacher thought they had just found it and thanked them for returning it. Unfortunately, because the intended method was to make the child feel uncomfortable and have to deal with consequences...two days later they stole again! This time there was severe consequences from me. We did have another episode where we asked Caleb not to unlock and open a bathroom door because it went into Deianna's bedroom. The door was to be kept locked at all times. After about the 2nd time, it became a battle of the wills. I guess the youngster won because we ended up turning the lock around to Deianna's side. Yes, we tried spanking, standing in the corner, grounding, putting a sign on the handle that said STOP!, you name it....he was not going to conform. Later, we found out one of the other kids, had actually unlocked the door a couple of the times that Caleb got the punishment for. Yes, we were shocked that a sibling would allow the other to get in so much trouble.

Other than those episodes, nothing much more to report on the "sometimes kids are a lot to handle" list. Oh, the normal, clean up your room, don't leave stuff in the floor for the dog to eat, take your "urine sheets to the laundry and don't sleep in the again" and "do what I say when I ask you to do it" are ongoing life issues. We are just thrilled that the transition has been so good.

We now have Andriy living with us from Ukraine. He is attending Johnson County Community College. He is the son of one of the families we stayed with in Ukraine. Andriy tries to talk to the kids in Ukrainian, but they just say he sounds funny. It's sad, but I think I can remember more Russian words than they can, now.

As for the other children, my daughter is finishing up her CNA in Oklahoma. My eldest son moved to Oklahoma to start college in an EMT program. Paul's oldest is trying to adjust to the move. Be in highschool, I think the move has been the most difficult for him. Nathan is doing great in his new class and is, how can I say it, "growing up". All the kids have leaped a clothing size and the snow is finally melting!!

Paul and I are obviously stressed with so many changes in a short period of time. Adjusting to being layed off, trying to close on a new business, moving a huge family to another State, moving into a house that has unexpected repairs, still looking for a church, Evan moving to Oklahoma at the last minute because 3 days before the class starts God says: I think you need to go to Oklahoma and be in this EMT class, Paul finding out his Uncle passed and having to go to California 2 days after I got back from Oklahoma and the normal day to day kid stuff has been a challenge. But.....it still feels right that we are here in Kansas and we are still looking forward to what God has in store!

So enjoy pictures and as always....feel free to email post and give me your email if you want to correspond about adoption. I started a new blog a couple of days ago that you can check out, too. Let me know your comments....dzeropski.wordpress.com

Yes, we are still up and thriving!!! Life has it's bumps, curves, and hills...just when you think your on the right road you come to a fork...and "voila", God says WAIT! And that is what we have been doing. Paul was layed off of his job not long after we returned from Ukraine with Deianna and Caleb. God has taken care of through it all and provided Paul with a severance package to carry us through. However, this human frame of ours has had days of stress not knowing what is in the future. Waiting is not one of my strong points, but an area that I have known that God needs me to grow in. So.......we have waited and waited.....studied and studied....sought out council from many....followed lead after lead and here we are today! God is good and has provided us with a business in Kansas. So the week of Thanksgiving we are packing up our belongings and moving to Kansas. Taking with us only some sweet memories from a few close friends, and of course as Caleb says it...."yep". Don't know if we will be able to lose the MN "yep".

I am excited because this means I will only be about 4 1/2 hours from my parents, siblings, niece and nephew and of course my sweet daughter Jenny! Woohoo! No more 13 hour drives!!!

We are all excited about what God has in store for our family in Kansas.

Now about adoption...if you are reading this and have ANY questions, concerns about "pre" or "post" adoption...please contact me. If you want to talk and you are involved with Dave Daulton, he has my email and phone number. Otherwise you can find me on facebook, but make sure you let me know it is in regards to adoption so I will accept your "friend request"....I'm under Darla Turner Czeropski.

Okay so there has been so much that has happened with the kids. Adjustment has been good with minor issues. We do ALOT of role play still to explain what behavior is and isnt appropriate. We are working hard to emphasize the importance of school and education. It is nice to see them laugh and even be "assertive" and "lead". Nice to see their "personalities" appear before our eyes.

Well, enough said....I know you want to see the pics!!! Ha!!!

Deianna had her first family birthday in the USA! Her cake had pink ballerina's and of course she got the helium balloon for her chair! Mom and Dad (that's what she calls us now) got her a scooter with pink wheels. Her brother's got her a Hannah Montana purse. Jenny, her big sis got her ears pierced while she was in Oklahoma. The Mayfields got her a $20.00 gift card to target and Hello Kitty tattoos, Grandmother got her $20.00 cash! She got to pick out what we ate for dinner, so we had pizza and icecream with the cake of course!

Next month, we will have a super birthday party with neighbors, family from Chicago and other MN friends. It will be a big celebration for Deianna, Caleb and Nathan since all their birthdays are so close.

On July 4th weekend we went to our friend's lake house. You always think you know what they will do or won't do and then....you are really surprised. Never thought Caleb would get on a tube in the middle of the lake!!! Well as you can see he surprised us all!

















MEET THE SISTER.....
Later in the month, we went to my nephew's wedding in Oklahoma. Imagine 5 kids and two adults packed in the car for 13 hours. Well, the outcome was wonderful, because Deianna and Caleb were able to meet their sister, Jenny for the first time. So these are ALL our children!!!!












TALENTS.................
Caleb can curl his tongue....Deianna with a one legged Razor glide!

The month of June has been filled with many memories! We finished school the first week and started summer school the third week. This was so exciting for the kids! Not to have to go back to school, however, I don't really think they understand that everyone else is on Summer Break, but to get to ride a school bus. The school bus was free for summer school, so each morning we walk a block to the bus stop and wait with anticipation for the big YELLOW bus to come around the bend. It's a first for Caleb each morning. He loves the bus and always waves and smiles ear to ear at the bus driver when she arrives! It's hard to have a bad morning when you see his contagious smile! Deianna, the big sister, always has to make sure he makes it up the stairs, okay, and that he is seated. She is also the first one to tattle that Caleb was kicking the seat in front and even has kicked her. Since we have a no kicking, hitting, spitting, scratching or any thing that hurts another member of the family rule, Caleb of course is reminded that he will be punished when he arrives home. We had a big family meeting just the night before about being kind to our brothers and sister's, but of course for Caleb this will take a while to sink in. Deianna is always ready to please and works hard to not be "naughty". Every day when she gets off the bus she proclaims, "I not naughty, mom!" I wish you could hear her voice because she is sooooooooooooo serious when she says it. Caleb always chimes in after that he was not naughty either!

Struggles, well, not many. Just normal learning to obey and listen, but nothing out of the ordinary. We went to night underwear for Deianna because it is upsetting to her if her bed is wet in the morning. I talked to another mother that adopted two children and she said that her quit when they were 11. Hopefully, this or sooner will be Deianna's outcome. We are hoping Caleb has quit sucking his thumb. His dry hands are doing better with our new "thumb sucking" device. We put socks on his hands every night that have duck tape wrapped around the thumb/hand area. They are not restrictive, but where he would suck would be duck tape and so he doesn't stick it in his mouth. We put lotion on first so his dry hands are getting so much better.

I want to say that it is nice being called "mom" instead of mama and most of the time Paul is called "dad". I think this is because the other kids call us that.

Deianna and Caleb took their first swimming lessons. They both loved it and are doing well, despite the language barrier. The class only had 4 kids in it to one instructor so I believe that helped alot.

We also took a trip to Chicago so the kids could meet Paul's family. It was a great experience for everyone.

Well, we miss the Karlen's. I can't remember your blog so if you read this let me know so I can check up on what's been going on with you. We have been hearing alot more about Geocashing now that we have returned to MN! So funny! And we heard it from you first.

We also miss all our Ukrainian friends. We hope you are all doing well!!!!

All you "waiting" parents out there that are being helped by Dave, feel free to ask Dave for my email and I would be happy to visit with you! It is a wonderful experience!

Sorry, Everyone!!!!
Here are the long awaited pics! The kids are doing great. A few highlights were Deianna learning to ride a bike "with" training wheels and then last week taking them off. She crashed and scraped her arm up, but then got right back on! She is definitely determined in all she does. Also, this week she is trying to write words and usually never speaks in Russian. Even if someone speaks Russian to her she answers in English. She loves playing across the street with her neighborhood girl friends. They love doing gymnastics in the yard. She got a "naughty" note from school the other day for hitting and scratching on the playground. The teacher said it was probably more like "rough" play, but still we were firm. She was grounded after school to her room. She cried. The next day after school she immediately ran to the car with a huge smile and a very loud voice saying, "NO NAUGHTY NOTES"...."DEIANNA NOT NAUGHTY"....."GO OUTSIDE". She loves playing outside!!! She begs everyday to be able to swim, because she saw a rerun of the olympic swimmers. I signed her up for swimming lessons today. She is still shy around people she doesn't know, but the teachers at school say she is a hard worker and is getting along with her classmates. Honestly....I keep waiting for the "difficult" time or when the honeymoon is over. I would have to say that both Caleb and Deianna have adjusted better than we even imagined. 95% of the time, they are close to perfect...if kids are perfect....and the other 5% seems like normal childhood issues.

Caleb still speaks in Russian to Deianna a lot of the time whether or not she replies or not. He also sings in the bath tub at the top of his lungs. Tonight he was singing something about the toilet. He is so funny!!! Caleb has turned out to be very young in most respects. We have decided in many ways he is like a 3 year old in respect to touching sings that he knows he shouldn't, sucking his thumb at bedtime, and in regards to motor skills. He is very smart and is learning at record speed though. He has matured a lot since the orphanage. He is in Kindergarten and goes two days a week, all day. His teachers say he is endearing! Because his maturity level is very young, we have chosen to repeat him in Kindergarten next year. Because he did attend this year however, he is able to go to summer school which will help reinforce the things he needs to know when he repeats next year. He is also smaller in stature than the other Kindergarten children, so we are happy that they are allowing him to return next year at that level. His birthday is not until the end of August so this was another deciding factor. He is still trying to ride the bike with training wheels. He went to see his big brother play basketball in a tournament. We asked him if he wanted to play basketball and he said "no". So then we asked him if he wanted to learn to drive a car and he said, "yes". We also asked him if he wanted to use tools and he said "yes". We also asked him if he wanted to be a computer hacker and he said "yes". Not sure if he understood the hacker part, but he definitely is a "gadget" kind of guy. He knocked out his two front teeth running in the gym at school, fell at a department store stepping up on the curb and bloodied his knee and feel running outside on the driveway and scraped up his elbows, arms and legs all within about 3 days. He looked like he'd been in a motorcycle accident. Luckily the teeth weren't permanent and since then we have worked on using your hands to break your fall.

Again, it is wonderful to see them "just being kids", having more independence, but learning to take on new and exciting things in their new lives at American citizens!