Out With A Bang

Dave sez,

So, Shani's LAST week with us was his - AND Justin's - FIRST time at Snowblast.

Snowblast is a pretty cool weekend. It's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch in Stewartville. It's snow tubing, arts and crafts activities, Christian fellowship and good eatin'. Our church is a part of Snowblast over MLK weekend, and we go camping a couple of weekends over the summer. We got to go camping there with Justin back in August. The video we posted on him dancing on one of the picnic benches with his cousin Matthew is from the Chuck Wagon dinner there.

Cathy and I were excited to take the boys there this year; because, after having Justin for a week last year, we went to find some more support and encouragement. This year, it was a chance to show that prayers had been answered! Not just for Justin, but for Shani, too.

It was really exciting to see Justin make new friends! It was cool to see the moment he met his new friend Cody. We walked into the lodge, and in the middle of a crowded room, the two boys saw one another. Cody came over to Justin and said, "Hi." An instant later, I was a pack mule carrying all the gear in and down into the boys dorm where we picked our bunks. Justin and Shani pointed to their bunks and I icked one nearby. Cody moved from the bunk he picked to the top bunk above Shani's.

There was never a shy moment for Justin all weekend long.

He and Shani dove into tubing and activities like champs!

We signed EVERY body up for Pastor Todd's para-cord craft session. I think para-cord - parachute cord - is probably THE greatest thing in the world! Todd brings about a dozen or so different color parachute cord rolls, and shows how to make bracelets, key chain straps and even chokers. When craft time came around, though, Justin followed some friends of his - girls - to pottery and left Shani with me in the para-cord class. Mama was at home, enjoying what I like to call her "Chinese Food of Guilt" - no matter how hard she tried to enjoy some quality, personal, "me" time - Chinese food, a nice bath and a girlie chick flick; she kept missing all her boys! It was kind of hard for Shani, being by himself, with me. There really wasn't any easy way to help him through learning how to make his bracelet. So I made my own - Blue, White and Yelow - Ukrainian flag colors - Blue and Purple for Shani - and Blue, Purple and Red for Cathy. Like I said, I love para-cord!

The hardest part of the weekend was unplugging both Justin and Shani to take Shani back to the airport for his flight back. Snowblast was a nice distraction from the reality that Shani was heading back to the orphanage for who knows how long...

I started to feel a little blue on Friday; but seeing the boys and the fun they were having, I knew we'd be alright. Plus, we'd be calling him every Sunday before church, just like we did Justin.

We had a good talk on the way back to Snowblast, Justin and I. We worked on his sign-reading.
Monday morning on the way to have lunch with Cathy, Justin asked why I talked about him so much.
I guess I have taken a pretty big liberty in talking about him without thinking of whether I was embarassing him. We agreed that there would be boundaries. I would try not to embarass him to much. I told him that I talk about the things I'm MOST proud of that he does.

Of course, he does some things that are really funny and amusing and cute, too...

...Now the real work starts. We start the process of bringing Shani home. Justin will be able to see what we did for him in how we bring his brother home.

   

Pride & Joy

Dave sez,

So here's what we know so far - the Mayans were WRONG! The Zombie Apocalypse has not started yet and is probably a few years off still. We know this because Robert Zemekis is a BETTER prognosticator. He sent Marty McFly Back to the Future to help his family in 2015. The world was still intact and had not as yet collapsed into chaos and anarchy - much - as yet. So we can all breath easier.

But that's not the reason you called...

Our son, Justin, is a pretty smart kid. He noticed something almost as soon as Cathy and I did.

I noticed that when Shani started to fade early, fall asleep quickly, wake up and - as Justin puts it - "stand up" - early, he was like me. I'll wake up before the alarm goes off, sometimes an half hour or an hour early, and I'll lay there staring at the ceiling waiting for the thing to go off. "Come on! Wake me up already! Can't you see me, laying here? Waiting on YOU?! Let's go already! Bring it!"

I'm used to getting up pretty early. So, when Number Two Son got up early one morning and came in the living room, I thought, "Huh. That's pretty unusual. A kid who doesn't sleep in and hug the pillow until the last possible second."

Justin is very focused. He has a laser-intense focus. Number One Son is good with numbers and problem-solving, knows what he wants - and usually what he wants he wants NOW! - he's a night owl tht likes to sleep as long and as late as he can. from what Cathy and I have seen of Justin, I would call him our Pride. He's very conscious f his appearance and very self-conscious of his size. Of the two boys, he seems more mature. As I imagine them making their way through Maidan Station together, I imagine Justin and Shani holding hands and Justin leading Shani. Justin seems more rugged and tough. Or at least more defensive.

Shani's a little more creative. He's more easy going. He's still as much of a handful as Justin is. Right now, he's going through exactly what Justin went through last year. Coming to the states from the orphanage his eyes are as wide as saucers and he's trying to take it ALL in at once.

I asked Justin if Shani needed to see The Karate Kid with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. If Shani's "focus needs MORE focus". Justin said, "Yeah!"

So, today begins Shani's training in focus.

 

We're Cathy and Dave

Dave & Cathy

Hi, we’re Cathy and Dave. Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. As we write this letter, you are uppermost in our thoughts. We are thinking about you and the difficult decision you face as you plan for your baby’s future. Considering adoption for your child is a great act of love! We are filled with great appreciation and respect for you as you seek a loving adoptive family for your baby. By selecting us to be the adoptive parents for your child, we realize you will be sharing the most incredible gift imaginable.

About Us

We met and became friends through our church youth group when we were in high school. We started dating after college and have been happily married for about eighteen years. We are not able to have biological children, but we want very much to be parents.

We enjoy movies, music and spending time with friends and family. We have so much love to give and are eager to nurture a child and provide him or her with all the wonderful opportunities the world has to offer.

Cathy

I love the outdoors. I grew up on a horse farm in Illinois. Before I went to college, our family toured the country showing Morgan horses. Since graduating from college, I have worked in the field of accounting. I enjoy the outdoors as a great source of relaxation from my job. My hobbies include gardening, riding horses and spending time with our three basset hounds, Milo, Max and Maize. It is a delight to walk around the neighborhood with them. I also enjoy doing crafts such as needlework and crochet. As a mother, I am looking forward to reading bed time stories, helping with homework, taking nightly walks around the neighborhood and playing board games.

Dave

I grew up like a lot of people did, with heroic role models. Mostly from the comics books and cartoons I watched growing up. I grew up just outside Chicago. I love radio. I work for a Country radio station. My job gives me an opportunity to be an active part of the community, involved in public service, charity fundraising and relief efforts that are incredibly rewarding. My favorite charities involve children’s causes. It is also very gratifying to be a role model to others. A few of my other hobbies include playing guitar, baseball and reading science fiction stories. As a father, I look forward to sharing my passion for collecting comic books with a child, playing catch in the yard and teaching him or her to play the guitar.

On Parenting

We look forward to raising our child to have a bold, can-do-it attitude. We want to encourage our child to follow their dreams and enjoy being a child. It is our goal to provide a positive and structured home with clear boundaries. We also hope to teach them kindness, respect and compassion by living these values every day.

Our Home and Lifestyle

We both grew up in small towns with strong family values. Our families are a huge part of our lives. As a family, we enjoy going camping and fishing. Making s’mores by the campfire is always a big highlight. On Christmas Eve, we drive around the neighborhood on a decoration tour. Then, when our nieces and nephews are asleep, we help wrap presents and set out milk and cookies for Santa. Christmas morning, we get up early for our family favorite, biscuits and gravy with bacon. We give the dogs each a rawhide bone to distract them and everyone takes their turn opening gifts. Our families are thrilled with our adoption plans.

We live in a great neighborhood that has a lot of children, big backyards and an outstanding school district. Our house is a raised ranch with a full walk-out basement that has a great view. Our community offers many activities suited for families and children. We look forward to being involved in many of them. A baseball diamond and soccer fields are just a couple of blocks from our home. There are also a number of parks and forest preserves close to our home.

Our Faith and Values

We attend church regularly and look forward to passing on our values to a child, including a commitment to serving. Faith and family have always been a tremendous amount of strength and support to us. We believe that both are important.

In Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us and our desire to grow our family through adoption. We can’t imagine what you are going through, but admire your strength and courage in exploring adoption. May you find peace with your decision and know that much happiness and love you are creating. We would be honored to be chosen as the adoptive parents for your child. In whatever path you chose, we wish you the very best.

Sincerely,

Dave & Cathy