meltdown

Viktorija was the first one out of bed this morning (at 7:00). She was in a good mood, and reminded me that we only have one more full day here before going "home". It's nice that she already considers America home. We went to breakfast in the hotel, as usual. And, again, watched this little tiny girl eat what 2, or 3, of me would eat.

She was anxious to start her English lesson. We started with writing sentences including pronouns. Well, what started out as a good lesson turned out to be a meltdown, on her part. I still don't quite. know what happened. I think she couldn't come up with a sentence immediately and she got frustrated. I tried to start her over, she became very quiet, and stared off into space. I didn't know if she was listening to me, or not. She finally wrote her sentence and was showing an "attitude" that was not appropriate. I have learned from past experiences like this with her, that she won't talk about it at that moment. So, I told her we needed to take a break, and she needed to have some quiet time. I left the room and when I came back she was asleep. So, you see, it's been a lot of change at one time. I understand the fact that this court system feels it necessary to have this length of "bonding time" in their country. But, honestly, we NEED to return home to start living a normal life in our normal environment. The situation we are in (living out of suitcase in a hotel, no car, no friends, no church, etc...) is not real. It will only eventually drive a person crazy!! After Viktorija woke up, she did her homework without incident.

We went to the US Embassy today for Viktorija's VISA interview. All went well. We will pick up her VISA tomorrow.

Today at lunch, Viktorija started asking Mike and I questions like: "Dad, What do you love about mom?", "Mom, what do you love about dad?", "How did dad ask you to marry him?", etc. She is just trying to learn more about us, Meanwhile, my dear husband, who does not find it easy to express himself, started feeling like he was in a therapy session:-) I found it to be quite entertaining watching him squirm a bit;-)

Ok, today, I'm officially spent! I truly have been praying for strength to get through one more day. I know it sounds dramatic, but I'm completely drained. I can tell Mike is also feeling it. Praise the Lord we are so close now to getting on a plane for home.

T-3

After watching Viktoija consume a HUGE breakfast, we mozied back to our room to start on school work. Seriously, pound for pound, Viktorija can put away the food:-) Even Mike had a stomach ache watching her! She ate a plate of vegetables (she loves those), bacon, fruit (banana, 3 kiwi), cereal, juice, and a small danish!! You wouldn't think she'D be hungry for lunch, but, yep, she ate spaghetti for lunch too.



She was pretty proud of the fact that she got a 100% on all her Math homework today! English is improving. But, working on proper sentences is a bit slower...that's due to the language barrier, of course. She has not once complained that we haven't taken a break from school work since we're been with her.



We chose to watch "The Nativity Story" DVD today. This is a movie about the birth of Jesus. We always talk about what we watch, or read, together in order to make sure she has a good understanding of what the subject matter is. She does pretty well comprehending, considering that laguage differences. Great movie for anyone interested.


We are scraping the bottom of the barrell for entertainment these days. So, we played several rounds of charades. This is a game Viktorija had never played before. Initially she was shy about acting out her word. But, after a couple turns, she started to come out of her shell. Quite animated, actually:-)

I'm currently listening to her read to Mike from her children's Bible. She doing a fantastic job! And, the fact that she is actually comprehending the information is even better:-)

We enjoyed our skype conversations with our friends, Tim and Carla Carroll, and Kirk and Beth Bleavins. The weather sounds amazing at home! In the 70's?!?! WOW!! We broke 25 degrees today;-) Hope some of that sunshine hangs around for us.

Tomorrow we will take Viktorija to the US embassy for her VISA interview, and physical. This is the last hurdle we've been waiting for. We will then pick up her VISA from the embassy on Tues! Please pray for a smooth and seemless flight home on Wednesday. I'll bet I've heard Viktorija say it about a dozen times today how excited she is to get home and see Cosmo and Rosie (our pups)! Secretly I hope that our pups don't give us the attitude after leaving them for 2-1/2 weeks:-) They've been under the magnificent care of my mom. Also, our neighbors, John and Betsy, have helped by taking the pups out when my mom's been at work. This was extremely important to us to know that our "babies" would be well taken care of while we were out of the country. We are so thankful!!!!

Until tomorrow..... Love to all

checkin' out the city

I think we all felt pretty well rested when we awoke this morning. There are perks to this hotel that our past "home" didn't have, and vise versa. The first noticable perk is that we have room darkening curtains that we can close at night. Our last apt had an issue where we couldn't even close the curtains at night. Therefore, light was always pouring in from the outside. Last night was wonderful to sleep without distraction! It was the first time I had stayed in bed until 8:00 since we've been here! The breakfast in our new hotel is also better than our last. Very tastey and clean. The last place had mediocre food and it never had enough utensils on the foodbar to accomodate their food selection. Now, normally I wouldn't even eat at a place like that for fear of germs, etc. But, we've had to lower our standards a bit in order to function. It's been a good lesson for us. Thankfully, we have remained healthy thus far.

The temps were supposedly in the 20's today. However, for some reason it feels colder in Riga than it did in Daugavpils! We went our to do our own walking tour of the area we are staying in. It was soooooo cold, that our lips were frozen, making it difficult to even speak to each other. Mike enjoyed capturing some of the beauty of the architecture of Riga. The building really are beautiful.....very old. I haven't seen anything like it in the US.

After walking for about an hour, we finally settled on a small, quaint cafe for a late lunch. It is called "Double Coffee". Given the name, I thought I would make another attempt at some coffee. I had decided the coffee here is much too strong and dark for my liking. But, the concoction I chose today was AWESOME!!!! I'm sure it was not the most healthy, but I sure did enjoy it:-) Funny, after a few minutes of drinking it, I was almost dizzy from the caffene! It's been too long;-) The food there was also good. And, they had healthy choice!!!! Praise be!! Finally a meal I don't have to feel guilty about! HA, HA!

We returned to the hotel, Mike introduced Viktorija to photo editing. She really enjoyed this. It kept them busy for a couple of hours too. Anything to keep her busy and engaged. For dinner, we went to the local market for sandwich fixin's. I'm already thinking about what my first home cooked meal is going to be when we return home:-)

Tonight another DVD and bed. Are you all getting tired of reading these blogs yet? It kind of feels like "groundhog day" everyday now. We have appreciated the kind emails and notes everyone has sent our way. To get a message, or email, is an exciting event these days.

Sending our love your way.

By the way, Mike said if you click on any picture, and then click again, it will expand the picture even further to show more detail.

"moving day!"

Viktorija woke with excitement this morning! She was anxious about our court session, and excited about our move to Riga for the next 5 days. We were able to check out of our apt later than the usual check-out time (thank the Lord!), so we didn't have to hang out in the lobby for 3-1/2 hrs! This was a blessing.

A few months ago I sent Viktorija a card with a token that says "FAMILY" on it. She showed it to me today, and said she carries it with her everyday. I was surprised she still had it, quite frankly. It's just a small "penny-sized" token that would be easily lost. But, she calls it her lucky charm. Too sweet!

Our attorney arrived around 3:15 to pick us up for court. She was also bringing with her, our friends from NC who had just been to court to meet their new daughter, and have their first court session. We were thrilled to see Kirk, Beth, and Vanda!! Vanda was shy. But, that's to be expected. She hadn't seen them in over 6 mos, since they hosted her last Summer. I'll give Vanda a day, and Kirk will have her coming out of her shell once again! :-) This is a precious family, and we are so thrilled for them to be together once again!

Court went smoothly, as was expected. Viktorija signed the necessary documents stating that she wants to return home with us, and that she wants to take our last name. I wish we would have taken our camera in to court so we could document this special moment. We didn't know it would be allowed. Note to Kirk and Beth...take your camera;-) The court director and the other ladies involved were just thrilled that we are now going to be a family. They said it was so hard to believe what a perfect match it is. I say, there are no mistakes in God's plan!

We then headed out for our 3-1/2 ride back to Riga. We arrived around 7:30 to our new hotel. Oh, how glad we were to be out of the car! The roads are terrible, and people drive crazy! Mike even got a bit car sick. When we were checking in, the nice lady at the counter told us that we were being upgraded to a 2-room suite! What another blessing!! This is much better for a 5-night stay! God is good!

I don't know what tomorrow will bring. But, I'm sure it will be another new experience:-) For now...we are pooped and going to bed! Love to all....

packin' up

Everyday when we go to breakfast, there is a young lady (approx. 22 yrs old) working. She never smiles, or looks happy. Viktorija gave her some candy today and told her we are leaving tomorrow and that we apprciate all she has done for us while we were here. That brought a smile to the girl's face for the first time we've seen. The young lady came by our table later and brought us a few pieces of her candy to share. When the housekeeper came in to clean our room today, Viktorija gave her a gift also. The lady was shocked. We just want people to know that we apprciate what they are doing. They may not speak our language, but they might remember the family that was in this apt as people that care about them.



Today we started sorting through our things, repacking for our move to Riga tomorrow. Viktorija is so excited. She has only been to her capital city one time, she says. We will look at our stay there as another adventure as we all learn about the city. We will not have an apt in that hotel. We will be sharing a room. This actually makes Viktorija happy since she likes the thought of all of us sleeping in the same room.



When we wake up tomorow we will have our last breakfast at the hotel and check out by 12:00. We will then be waiting for our attorney to pick us up for court in the afternoon. We will probably be waiting most of the day, since our court time is scheduled for 3:30pm. After court, our attorney will drive us he 3-1/2 hours back to Riga. Long day, but a day closer to returning home:-)



We are running out of creative ideas to keep us from going absolutely nuts. Currently, Mike and Viktorija are playing hide and seek with a penny. We're scraping the bottom of the barrel, huh?? :-) I think we've done pretty well indoors for 11 days with Viktorija. When Mike and Viktorija return this Summer for the 2nd trip, they will have much more to do. The weather should be beautiful then, and they can get a better appreciation for the quintness of the town.

We had the chance to meet Viktoirja's psychologist this evening. Vitkorija gave her the letter she had written for her "7-yr mom". Her psychologist is a very nice lady who is fluent in English and Latvian. She talked with us for about 15 minutes about how Viktorija is "ready for this big change with her new family". I could tell the psychologist and Viktorija are very fond of each other. Seeing the psychologist was Maria's idea prior to Viktorija's visit with us last Summer. What a great idea! This has been very helpful for her to deal with some issues and move forward. I'm grateful!

We are also thrilled that our friends, the Bleavins, arrived safely in Latvia today to begin their adopton process. This family has become so special to us. We met them through the hosting program last Summer and have remained in close contact as we both proceeded with adopting our host children. What a wonderful journey to share with friends:-) It's been awesome to see how God has worked in both of our families through this process.

Goodnight for now....

A sad "good-bye"

After an early bedtime last night, Viktorija woke up with a tummy ache around 11:00pm. Thank goodness for the Pepto Bismal tablets I brought! That seemed to be all she needed...thankfully! I think she ate something that didn't agree with her. She seemed to sleep well after that, but she was up early this morning. She's acting and eating fine.

We had just finished with school work when we received a phone call from Maria (foster mom). She asked us to come down to the lobby. She had pictures that Viktorija's foster brother, Dima, had drawn for each of us. He is quite the artist, I'll say. It was so thougthful. And, for Maria to drive the 30 minutes to deliver them to us, was proof that she wanted to see us one more time. She still wasn't feeling great, but she stayed and talked with us for about 20 minutes. With Viktorija translating, she told us that she knows God meant for the 3 of us to be a family. She said she didn't realize how much she would love Mike and I, and that she considers us family. She wants us to keep in touch, and would love to entertain Mike and Viktorija on their next trip to Latvia. There were tears shed and many long hugs between all of us. I told her that we love her and that we feel so blessed and thankful that she took care of Viktorija for us. Maria told Viktorija she will miss her, but she is so happy that she now has a real family that loves her. I have been amazed at how much I care for this special lady and her famliy. This experience in itself has made this a trip to remember.

We ventured out for our final bowling outing as a family today. Viktorija had a great game. I can see her gain confidence as she learns new things. I feel so happy for her when she accomplishes a goal. I can see the glow on her face immediately:-)

Today we started to focus on manners (ie: yes maam, yes sir, etc). I was a bit worried she would clam up on me. She tends to take correction as an insult. She handled our session well. The people here don't even look you in the eye, and they don't watch where they're going. So, if you're not careful, you can get run over. I'm trying to teach Viktorija what it is to be polite and respectful of everyone's feelings. This shouldn't be hard since she really is a sweet girl.

She has now learned two Bible verses:-) She's also pretty proud of that! Learning new words and then memorizing a verse is quite a feat. I've learned a few Latvian words and feel pretty good about that. But, what she has learned since last Summer amazes me.

She read the a letter to me today that she has written for her the foster mom she was with prior to Maria (for 7 yrs). This has been something she has been working with the psychologist on. Her 7-yr mom, as I will refer to her, wants Viktorija back and doesn't want her to be adopted by an American family. The courts took Viktorija away from her for a reason. They don't want Viktorija to have contact with her. Although, they did give her permission to write a letter to her, to be delivered by the psychologist AFTER Vikorija has left Latvia. The letter Viktorija wrote was kind and to the point. She thanked her 7-yr mom for taking care of her, but she wants her to understand that she is happy now that she has a family that loves her and can take care of her. Viktorija said that maybe someday when she is much older they will see each other again if she ever returns to Latvia to visit. Viktorija has worked through many things with the psychologist, and for that I'm very grateful. It seems the court here tries to do what is truly best for the children. I have really liked the judge and the social workers very much. I'm thankful for a better outcome than I ever expected. Tomorrow we will meet the psychologist to deliver the letter. Another hurdle complete....

6 more nights in Latvia.....Praise the Lord!!

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7069576c6d673d,first?rd=5266419#i0

our 2nd visit from the social worker

Today was our 2nd visit from the court appt social worker...and judge. I wasn't expecting the judge to come, but she is very nice. The judge doesn't speak English, but the Social worker speaks a small amount of English. They looked at Viktorija's school work, asked her what she is doing, where she is eating (in apt, or out), and "do you still want to live with this family?" Viktorija was pretty shy, but answered all the questions well. She told them about how she made spaghetti last night, how we do school work everyday, and that, "Yes", she does want to live with this family forever. Of course, I didn't expect anything less, but there is that sense of relief that we have now gotten beyond that stage of this process. Praise the Lord! Now....court on Friday to get the final o.k. to bring her back to America with us on this trip.



When Viktorija woke up this morning she told me she had a dream that she was back at Maria's house. She was told that she had to stay in Latvia. She said she was crying in her dream. When she woke up she said she was very relieved that it was just a dream. This child has lived many dreams and nightmares in her short life. I think she is begining to realize that this dream is a good one and that is her new reality:-)

Our planned bowling outing with Maria, Aldis, and the children was canceled. Maria is sick, and the youngest girl (6 yrs old) is in the hospital. I don't know what is wrong with her at this time. But, we plan to keep in touch with them over the next few days to check on them. We had a family bowling outing instead. It was fun to watch Viktorija get so excited about playing something new to her. I have found out I pretty much STINK at the game. But, it
is fun nonetheless. It got us out of the apartment anyway. We then had dinner at one of the places we have come to enjoy (they serve American food). We could tell at dinner, when Viktorija suddenly got quiet and disconnected, that it was certainly going to be an early-to-bed- night. All of this excitement is catching up with our girl too;-)

No DVD tonight....maybe a game of UNO, a Bible reading, and sleep. Once she's asleep, I can begin another one of the books I've downloaded:-) For all you readers out there, I highly recommend the NOOK Color! I might have said that before....

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7069536d47673d?rd=8005192#i0

school work and cinema

I think the time difference is starting to take affect. We haven't recovered from the 7 hour time difference yet, and have been going on pure adrenaline since we've been here. So, this morning Mike and Viktorija slept until 9:45 (which his late for us). After a bite to eat in our apt, we started in on school time. Viktorija is doing better with her writing and spelling. But, she was getting pretty frustrated with the memorization of the basic alphabet. She gets the letters out of order, or may forget a couple of letters at times and the english pronunciation. I could sense that she was getting upset. She wants to please us. After we ended our session, she went into the other room by herself and studied. She didn't want to continue with Math until she had mastered what we were studying in English/spelling. I also gave her a Bible verse in order to work on her memorization. John 3:16. I asked her to memorize one line per day, to make it easier on her. After her alone time, she came back and recited 2 lines: John 3:16-For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son....
I'm really proud of how hard she is trying.

We ventured out to the cinema about a block away. They actually have a couple of movies in English, with Latvian subtitles. Viktorija said it was the first time she had been to the cinema in Latvia (we went to a movie in America last Summer). We had the theater to ourselves. Viktorija remindes me of my sister in terms of needing popcorn with every movie we watch (at home, or theater). She could be full from a prior meal, and somehow finds the room for popcorn:-) We enjoyed our outing. The temps were a bit above zero today, so it felt good to us.

Tonight for dinner Viktorija wanted to cook for us. She wanted spaghetti. We went to the store and I told her to pick out the items she needed for dinner. She picked up 4 packages of ramen noodles. I was a bit baffled, but she assured me that's what she needed. So, she fixed the noodles, without the seasoning, drained the water, and sure enough, we had "spaghetti". she poured sauce over the top of the noodles and we were set. It was actually pretty good:-) I didn't realize all the things you could do with ramen noodles!! It's a good, inexpensive meal. Hmmm.....maybe we'll be trying some of that when we get home too:-)

After dinner we retired to the living area for family game night. She said, "I like playing games with my family!". There was a moment when she and Mike were playing Hide and seek. Something made us start laughing, and once we started we couldn't stop. Tears were flowing down my face, and Viktorija was rolling (literally) laughing. Boy, that is good for the soul! She is pure joy.

Today she started her countdown to America. She is looking forward to seeing our pups and seeing her room. We are just looking forward to being togther as a family. It's so funny the things I think about that I want her to experience. I don't want to waste another minute with her!

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7065596d6d673d,first?rd=69249#i0

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7065596d6d6b3d,first?rd=383734#i0

SNAP!

A great Sunday becuase we got to Skype with our Sunday school class! Thank you, Tim Carroll!! It was great to "see" everyone and share a few of our experiences. We are so grateful for everyone's love, support, and prayers! We appreciated Shad Kayser saying a prayer with us and the class at the end of our Skype session. We had "church" as a family today. We watched a video about the creation of the world and Adam and Eve (thanks, mom!!). This video was made with children in mind. Viktorija liked it. After the video, we were able to talk about disobedience and consequences...just like Adma and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We also have kept up with our nightly Bible readings with Viktorija. Wow! Her English and reading skolls have improved so much since the Summer when we started that! I'm proud of her:-)

Mike and Viktorija have been playing a game called "Snap!". Oh, it is funny to watch them get so competetive with one another! Viktorija really comes out of her shell during this game:-) As I have stated before, not much to do outside becaue of the cold. Games are a life saver! I'm so thankful I thought to pack about 5 different card games.

We have been doing school work, even on the weekend. Viktorija is doing so well with her Algebra! I'm so thankful for Mike;-) Her writing and spelling is coming along. I think she will do just fine once she gets settled into her new school. Her placement testing will be done on 3/7. Please keep her in your prayers.

I was so happy to be able to Skype with my mom and brother today!! It still amazes me that we can be halfway across the world and can see each other as if we were only next door! Amazing technology!! We were able to see our pups, Cosmo and Rosie. For this Viktorija was so excited! During our writing "class" today, she wrote a story about a girl who found a puppy. Everything is about a puppy!! I just keep telling myself..."Be strong, Julie. Be strong!" Mike will be too easy to convince to get a puppy. I would just like to wait awhile and get adjusted to all the new changes.

Well, it's time for "Air Bud" on video. See what I mean....it's movie about a dog!! Persistent;-)

Love and hugs....

Enjoy the links...

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7065546d574d3d,first?rd=2532470#i0

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7065546e47453d,first?rd=7648432#i0

bowling and a visit

Today was the first day we have started to feel a bit antsy. Mike finished the book he was reading. I think it will be challenging to find another book written in English while here in Latvia;-) Viktorija is getting more excited about going HOME. And, I am one of those people who is always ready to return home after a week anywhere. I love being at home!

We were thankful when Maria called Viktorija to see if we wanted to meet for some bowling this afternoon. We were able to meet 2 (out of 4) of her foster sisters and her foster brother. All the children were sweet and well-behaved. The girls were excited to see each other. If anyone feels led to adopt a sibling group, there are 3 girls available, from ages 6-12. We've now met all but 1 of the girls. Sweet, lovely girls. Their mother died and their father doesn't want them. They have been living with Maria for aprox 2 years now. Please pray that a good family will find these precious girls and offer them a forever home.

We all enjoyed our outing together. So, we planned another bowling outing with the children for Tues after they get our of school. Maria is very gracious. She offered to pick us up one day to take us back to their home (in another town) for another visit. We will have to see how things go. I'm not so sure Viktorija has any desire to return to the foster home, even if it's just a visit. We certainly will not push the issue. We are open to whatever she wants to do and feels comfortable with. I could tell Viktorija was proud to have her parents with her today and to meet her "sisters"/friends. I wondered what the 12 yr old was thinking. This young girl is Viktorija's best friend, as well as her foster sister. They obviously developed quite a bond in her short time with this foster family. I could see her watching Viktorija and I together. I really tried to make Maggija feel special. She doesn't speak much English. but, again, those hugs and smiles go a long way. I wish I could bring all of the girls back with me and find them loving families!!

Viktorija has been great with our "down-time". She reads, does crafts, plays games, etc. We usually watch one movie every evening as a family. We haven't watched any t.v. Besides the fact that most channels are in Latvian or Russian, there is not a single thing on. This is probably best, as it forces us to get creative with our time, and really bond with Viktorija. When she was with us in the Summer, I don't think we watched any t.v. together. We have fun just learning about each other and spending together. We play lots of card games. Mike and Viktorija are still competetive with each other. It's fun to watch their bond grow.

I know God has brought us on this journey for so many reasons. The first being to give a precious young girl a family. I also feel like He brought us here to be a witness for Him. I don't see how we can do much with the language barrier. But, I realize that God can use us in many ways if we allow Him to. He is in control of this entire situation. I pray that others will be able to see God's love through us.

Couple links to more videos...

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d70615a6c32673d,first?rd=6666953#i0

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7061576e576b3d,first?rd=6363332#i0

court visit

Last night it was a challenge getting to sleep for all of us. Our room in on the 7th floor. The restaurant/lounge in on the 10th floor. They were having a big party with a DJ and very loud music. We could have had our own dance party in our room if we would have had the energy.


I had taken my shower before Mike and Viktorija awoke. After my shower I lathered myself in what I thought was lotion. We had purchased it yesterday with Viktorija (she also thought it was lotion). I thought it was thick going on, but that didn't stop me. Our skin is so dry. When Vikorija came out of the bathroom later she informed us that is was shower cream. I got back in the shower to rinse off, and sure enough...it turned into suds. It's tough when you can't read/understand another language. It gives me greater appreciation for Viktorija learning English:-)


We had a visit with 2 ladies from the court this morning. Very nice ladies. It was pretty painless, really. They came to our room and asked Viktorija what she has been doing with us for the past several days. They asked us if we had any questions. That was pretty much it. I think they can tell we've already bonded, and there are no issues that need worked through at this time. However, they are still required by the courts to make a 2nd visit on Tues of next week. Viktorija presented each of them with a gift, which I think they were surprised and happy about.


The day we checked into our hotel with Viktorija, she told us that she had 8 cards for us, We would get one each day until there were no more left. They have all been very sweet...."Thank you for everything", "I love my family", a picture of the 3 of us and our dogs, and today it was, "I want a puppy....PLEASE!". We just laughed. She is persisent, if nothing else:-)


I decided to take Viktorija to get a new pair of pants/jeans. She has 2 pair, and with our laundry situation, I thought one more pair would certainly be appropriate. This was an interesting trip to the "mall". It is very much like an indoor flea market. Because she is so tiny, there were not many choices. But, we did find 1 pair that she was really excited about. Truth be told, they're still a little big. But, the man gave her a belt as a "gift" and she said she was fine with that. The styles here are much different also. And, sizing would be a challenge for most Americans. Their clothes are so tiny! Jeans are extra skinny, tops are very clingy, and there is a lot of "bling", shall we say. I miss White House/Black Market and Ann Taylor Loft:-) I think I'm too conservative to live here;-)


Tonight Mike gave us both a lesson in Chess. It has been years since my grandpa taught me to play. Needless to say, I'm a bit rusty! Vitkorija is picking it up pretty well. The NOOK Mike gave me for Christmas is coming in so handy here! I'm enjoying the books I downloaded prior to coming here. I also downloaded the Bible. It's pretty great to have all my books on one small piece of technology!


I hope you enjoy the links below. Mike is in full form:-)


More later..... HUGS to all



http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7061576e6d553d?rd=8412557#i0

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7061576e6d453d?rd=1139624#i0

getting out

Today was "laundry day". That was fun! Caroline Ingalls has nothing on me! :-) It's funny...as a child I used to fantasize about living like "Little House on the Prairie". I find myself saying this all the time now..." We are so spoiled!!".

We needed to get photos of Viktorija today for her temporary visa. So, after Math with Mike, we ventured out into the cold, cold day. Poor little Viktorija's hands and face are chapped from the cold wind. She says she stays like that all Winter long. Needless to say, we are lathering the lotion on.

We then found a place called Hessburger to have lunch. I guess it would be most like a Burger King in the US. Mike and Vikotrija were happy with this. Tonight will be dinner in the room. We went to the grocery store for some chicken. The grocery store here is such a busy place!! I feel like we're in a train station each time we go! We wonder why people aren't working, or children are not in school during the day. If all of these people are without a job, it's a LOT!! I notice that people don't buy many grocery items either. When I shop at home, I shop for 2 weeks at a time. I feel I save money this way. But, I guess since most people are walking or riding the train, they really can't buy too much at a time. It's interesting to take all of this in.

I know most people have seen the movie, "A Christmas Carol". My brilliant husband decided to do an "experiment". Will the tounge really stick to a metal light pole when its cold outside?!? Let me just tell you, he figured it out in about a half of a second!! There are no words for my thoughts on this. :-)

Viktorija was able to get on her Latvian "facebook" today. She was so thrilled that Mike offered to put pictures up on her page. She didn't have any photos posted, and was thrilled that now she had a family to show her friends. This made her giggle with excitement.

Something else that was pretty special for Mike was when Viktorija showed us a necklace she had purchased with some birthday money she received. It is a necklace that says, "Daddy's Girl" on it. This really shows how excited she is to have a father figure in her life. I'm so happy for her!

I find myself smiling as I listen to Viktorija taking a bath. She has been only allowed one shower per week. Now that she can take a bath, or shower, anytime it is funtime for her. She chooses to take a bath with "lots of bubbles":-) I guess we'll never really understand. I try to put myself in her place and I just can't phathom her prior life.

Tomorrow...our first visit with the social/court worker.

Click the link below to see a short video. Our love to all....

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7061546d32453d,first?rd=8608678#i0

Today was pretty uneventful, and we liked it. Got up around 8:00 and then went for our breakfast at the hotel since it's include with our room (that's a blessing!). We then came back to our room for some study time. Math with Mike is going better. Viktorija said, "I think it won't be so bad now". I think she meant that Mike is a good teacher and she is getting a better understanding of algebra. Heaven knows she's better off with Mike teaching the Math than me!!

She spent some time playing computer games and then we had lunch in the room. PB& J...you can't beat it! Then it was time for some English and spelling, with me. Nouns, verbs, and prepositions were the course for today. She caught on well. Her little struggle is with spelling. The Latvian alphabet looks much like ours, but sounds totally different. So, learning the letters and sounds in English is a lot of repetition. She's doing well.

To relax, Mike and I read while Viktorija played her games. I also had this great idea that I would bring some theraband along on the trip so I could get some exercise (there's no gym around). Well, today was the first day I used it. It's not quite like going to a gym and feeling exhilarated. But, Mike and I tried:-)

The clothes and coat we sent home with Viktorija in the Summer didn't return with her. She said she doesn't know what happened to her new coat. But, we were told that everything kind of becomes shared property. So, I know we will have some fun shopping for some new clothes that are just hers.

When we were at court on Monday, Mike took Viktorija out of the room so that I could ask more in depth questions about her background. Viktorija had told us that she was dropped off at an orphanage when she was 5, by her alcoholic mother. What I was told was that, yes, her mother is indeed an alcoholic, but that Vktorija was found in an abandoned house when she was 6 yrs old, by herself. She weighed only 13 kilograms (approx 30 lbs) at the age of 6! She was literally starving. She was found and taken to a crisis center. From there she was sent to one foster home for 7 yrs. This foster family apparently did not do a very good job, so she was removed and placed less than a year ago with the latest family. Her first foster mom continues to try to contact Viktorija, as she doesn't want Viktorija to be adopted. The courts do not want her to have any contact with this woman, which Viktorija is aware of and in agreement with. However, since we've been here, there have been 6 attempted calls from this lady. I can't imagine what must go through Viktorija's mind. She has thankfully been seeing a psychologist about all of these changes. She tells us she is very happy with the way things are going now.

She's a tough little lady. I admire her strength and her will. I can learn a lot from my daughter. It is with great love and respect for her that I continue on this journey of motherhood.

That's all for today. More memories tomorrow.... Love to all!

Our "Tour"

Wow! Another wonderful, but exhausting day. We spent the majority of our day with Viktorija's foster mom and dad (whom will now be referred to as Maria and Arlis). They picked us up from the hotel around 10:30, and Arlis drove us to several special areas of interest in Viktorija's life within the past 10 months that she has lived with this family. Since living with Maria, Viktorija has had her confirmation in the Catholic church. This seems to be extrememly important to Maria and her family who are devout Catholics. We saw the church where Vikorija was confirmed, and then another huge Catholic church where she took a pilgrimage in August,after she returned from the US. This pilgrimage is taken by many Catholics throughout the world. People come from everywhere to pray for 2 days. The churches are beautiful. You can tell the people take much pride in their places of worship. At this second church, Maria knew a priest who speaks English and he gave us a tour of the entire place. Much history. Maria asked the priest to ask us what our religion is, and would Viktorija be able to complete the 12 sacraments. I told the priest we were "Baptist", that we believe in Jesus, and that we would be certain to teach Viktorija of Jesus' love for her. I don't know if that satisfied Maria, but we got no more questions about it.

Maria and Aldis were wonderful to spend their entire day with us. We got a lot of history of the area, and of Lativa. We went to a World War II museum, and a "bread museum". We were taught about how they make their bread, and then treated to an authentic Latvian meal. I seem to have a few things in common with Latvians....they love their dark bread---I, too, like bread. They love their cheese---I, too, like cheese. Can you see that this common denominator could be a little challenging in regards to the healthy diet I have chosen? :-) That's not going to be happening while in Latvia, apparently:-) I must say, the food is good. I can't really tell you what it was for certain....potatoes, sausage, cheese, sour cream....do you see what I mean?!?!? I chose to put small amounts on my plate, and Arlis took the bowls and started piling copious amounts of cheese and sour cream on top! Well, I ate it all with a smile on my face:-) After dinner, we danced. Yes, I did say dance. The lovely lady who was serving us grabbed Mike and took him to the middle of the room to dance with her. The next thing I knew, we were all dancing! What a wonderful memory to share with our daughter, and our new friends.

Latvia is such a poor country. Many people have left this country to find work anywhere they can. Nobody looks happy. Mike asked our attorney yesterday if we looked like we were from America. She said, " you look like you're from somewhere other than Latvia. You look too happy." That really struck me. We are so blessed in America! I can't tell you the appreciation I have for EVERY thing in my life. From the littlest things. I am going to be doing laundry the old fashioned way while we're here (in the sink). That in itself makes me appreciate home! We were told they had laundy facilities here. That means they will do your laundry for you...for a stiff fee.

I can tell you I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, but I will be happy to get home with our daughter. As a good friend said, "This is a big adventure". And, it really is. Unforgettable.

Please continue to pray:

1) For our witness to others as we are here.

2) For Viktorija--she is already worried about school. We've been doing school work here, and it's evident that she is frustrated. We're starting from the alphabet.

3) For our safety

4) For our 2nd court date on 2/25. We have 2 scheduled social worker visits in the nexk week.

I'm now going to watch a movie with my family before bedtime. Love and hugs to all.....

our reunion

After a night of fitfull sleep, we awoke to frozen pipes at the bathroom sink. But, thankfully, the shower was working!! I was so grateful for that! I didn't want to show up for our court date and our first meeting with our daughter to be without a shower.

Our attorney met us at 9:30 and drove us the 3-1/2 hours to Daugavpils to Viktorija's foster home. They greeted us with open arms and had lunch prepared for us. I was the one who got the first glimpse of our sweet girl. We both immediately had tears in our eyes and it was so hard to let her go. But, of course, Mike needed his turn:-) Viktorija kept saying, "I can't believe it!". We felt the same. It was so surreal. Very dream-like. Noone in Viktorija's foster family speaks any English, so it was fun having Viktorija and our attorney translating, and teaching us words in Latvian. It really is true that a smile and a hug go a long way. Who needs words when you have that?!? The foster mom, Maria, and "grandma" are very caring and loving people. They were honestly happy for Viktorija to have a forever family. There were tears shed by grandma as we left, but I know she was truly happy for all of us to be a family.

Maria, the foster mom, came to court with us. Court went well. We were asked why we wanted to make Viktorija our daughter. It didn't take long before everyone in the courtroom (about 8 people) were cyring. The foster mom also spoke and said some wonderful things about how Viktorija had really wanted to be a part of OUR family. She said she wanted a dad and a mom that would love her. Viktorija told Maria how we would read the Bible together every night and pray together before bedtime when she was in America.

We finally got to settle into our apartment about 4:30 this afternoon. Had a special dinner with Viktorija....pizza, chicken wings, tacos, coke. This will NOT be the norm, however, it is a celebratory day, after all! She hasn't had coke since she left America (not a bad thing).

We were able to talk via skype to Mike's parents and his sister. But, when we tried my mom, we were having great difficulty connecting. In fact, we couldn't even access email or our blog!! That was a big problem. Finally, we got some help and things seem to be working better now...thank the Lord for that!

We our happy with our apartment, and the location is good. We can walk to most things we need (grocery store, bowling, library, movie theater, etc). Tomorrow we have an early day again. School work, breakfast, and then Maria (foster mom) is going to take us to see Viktorija's church and some other areas of interest. She is very hospitable and we are so grateful for her giving Viktorija good care and keeping her safe for us.

The pictures of the foster home and our day will speak for themselves.

Love to all.....

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/file/6d7057536e57593d,first?rd=8257863#i0