A Day Of Rest

We're just taking it easy today as a family.  Had a lot of fun the past couple days doing some housework (ok, that wasn't the fun part....), and spending time with friends.  The Fab 5 did a lot of swimming and hanging out with friends.  Our family is still in the process of decompressing from our adoption adventure, and the daily adjustment to having our two new kids.  Each day is a step forward in establishing routines, adding a task, walking forward in the process of learning a new language, making new American friends.  So far everything seems to be going so well!  Today we'll take it easy during the day, then the kids have boys and girls sleepovers planned for this evening.  We'll crank up the grill and enjoy our family.  It still is kind of surreal to look at these kids, how their whole world has changed in the past few weeks, and how God seems to have given them peace in the whole thing as they've done amazingly well :)

Thursday!

LOL, Thursday is a running inside joke from karate class :)  Thursday was another "normal" day in our new household, we did a lot around the house getting it put back together.  Before we left for Ukraine we were building our gameroom into a 5th bedroom (thanks Steve!) and moving bedrooms around preparing for Kayleigh and Michael.  We were also packing for our anticipated 33 day trip (ended up being 47 days, glad I brought extra undies....).  We got partially done.  So the house was pretty tripped out when we got back.  Each day has been a new day in seeing where we are at as a family, what do add back into our daily mix, and what to add new to K & M.  So we ended up getting a lot of household stuff done (Jodi and I had to argue about it first, as Thursday is amongst many things, our official argument day.  If we're gonna argue, it's gonna be on a Thursday :)  Then we got a lot done.  We're doing a lot of tag teaming up K & M with our kids so they can have someone to model and follow as they learn their new family and all the moving pieces.  Kayleigh jumped in with Alyssa and did a ton.  Michael teamed up with Dylan and did well, but is not as interested in chores (13 year old boy so not really a surprise!).  Dylan and I went to karate class for a bit as we start adding that back into our routine, then home for dinner (K & M like doing dinner as a family....).  The girls had a friend over for a sleepover which they did in the tent in the backyard (perhaps next time they'll set the tent up farther away from the septic tank sprinklers....), the boys camped out on the trampoline.  So far we continue to be amazed at how well Kayleigh and Mike have jumped in and are adapting to their new world.  Both are learning and using new english words each day.  No big blowups or I want to go back.  God is at work!

Lets Try This. And This...

The past couple days have been pretty "normal" we would say, but to two new kids in our world, lots of firsts.  Both Kayleigh and Michael have started on the Rosetta Stone course for english and have actually put a lot of time into it, so much that we're going to put limits on it so they don't burn out on it.  Both kids seem to have the desire to get up to speed on their new language quickly which is great!  Michael went with Dylan and I to Dylan's cross country running group on Tuesday and they ran close to 4 miles by the time it was done.  Dylan breezed through it as he's a natural runner and in good shape, Michael did very well for a first timer but you could tell he's still acclimating to the Texas heat!  Alyssa decided that indoor sports are more her thing (smart kid....).  Some chores around the house, both kids seem to be willing to help.  They both like to play a lot (shocker....) and are big on being outdoors.   Last night all 5 went to our church youth group for movie night.  We are still spending a lot of time as a family acclimating ourselves to our new family members but so far I would have to give it an A!

Weekend Family Fun

We had a long weekend of family fun spending time with our 5 teenagers.  Friday night we started it off by going to an outdoor theatre in Wimberly (small town near here) to see The Avengers.  The movie was actually very good.  We had taken Kayleigh there last summer when she was here on the hosting trip, it was Michael's first trip there.  Late night followed by an early morning for Dylan and I as we went out to Hamilton Pool (up by Dripping Springs) for black belt photos with the new PKC black belts.  That was a lot of fun, Dylan has grown up so much this past year and is turning into such an incredible young man.  Then back down to San Marcos for Alyssa's 1st dance recital, she did awesome!  She is loving dance (had done it for a year now) and is doing awesome at it.  Pit stop at the house and then on down to Corpus Christi to visit family.

We had a great weekend down at the beach.  Got to see my aunt & uncle, Jim & Glenda and their family (cousins and more cousins!).  They were all excited to meet Kayleigh and Michael and have been incredibly supportive through the adoption process.  Lots of fun eating, swimming, fishing (a LOT of fishing, the kids had a blast with it....), sleeping (hey, teenagers....).   Drove back last night and our family of 7 hit the rack.

It was so much fun watching the kids enjoy being together and having fun.  Often I have to pause and be amazed that only a few weeks ago, these two kids were in an orphanage with no future.  Now they're in the pool with huge smiles on their face, a family, and happiness.  Awesome.

Deploying The Fleet

We've been back in the states for a week now and the time with the kids has gone very well.  Both Kayleigh and Michael seem to have taken the change in their world in stride and we haven't had any problems.  There has been a lot of teaching of basics, like closing the door after you when you go inside our outside (door closed by itself at the orphanage), or asking to go out to ride bikes (they just did it at the orphanage), but nothing big.  Both help with things when asked or on their own initiative in most cases. 

We continue to watch Kayleigh and Michael as we try to learn them as fast as we can. Both are very sweet kids and have seemed very happy with our family. Kayleigh, like Alyssa, hates to get up in the morning. Michael is a ball of energy, was great with tools, and continues to surprise us daily. When we saw his pictures from the orphanage he was never smiling and we thought he'll be one of those quiet tough nuts to crack. It has been quite the opposite as he has blossomed quickly, is a very energetic young man, very smart, loves to laugh and play. Both kids are eating a lot more than before which is good, and both are a lot more relaxed.   They really like having meals together as a family and ensuring we pray before we eat.   They love the trampoline and riding bikes.  Michael does not like mushrooms.  Neither likes oatmeal.

Yesterday was a day in our "normal" life where we're scattered all over.  Bekah was up in Austin as she is starting a job working for a family doing all kinds of stuff, the boys and I went to Lowes and fixed some stuff around the house (I now have 2 sons who are more adept at tool oriented things than I...), Jodi and the girls were down south for Alyssa's dance class (her first recital is this coming Saturday...).  We all ended up back home for dinner (tacos, both kids seemed to be fine with them and so far eat most anything...).  Today we'll be off and running again as all the girlies are going to get their hair done, I am still digging through the 6 1/2 week backlog of stuff that piled up while we were gone, and Dylan and I are going to karate tonight (maybe take Michael as well....).   We continue to try and keep the world small and give them time to get their hands around things.  So far so good!

Good To Be Seen!

The past couple days have been pretty on the go as we are getting our life re-started here in the states.  People naturally want to meet the kids, and they've handled all of the attention pretty well.  We did explain up front that it'd be kinda crazy with everyone who has followed the adoption process wanting to see them in real life, and they've rolled with it very well.  Sunday morning we went to church and did the child dedication with them.  We're not sure if or where they are spiritually, but have been told that they attended Orthodox church at times back in Ukraine, and will remind us to pray at mealtime (we do anyways...).  Our church had done up a video of their arrival at the airport in San Antonio which they really seemed to like.  After church we went to pizza for lunch (American pizza that is....), then home for a bit, then to friends for BBQ and swimming (they enjoyed that a lot!)  Both kids are good swimmers.  Today was more of a chore day as we finish getting kids rooms set up, laundry from our trip done, that kind of stuff.  We took them up to our karate class to meet people there, then back home where Dylan is grilling up some chicken (gonna grill a bunch to catch up!).  Both Kayleigh and Michael so far have seemed to do a great job of handling the change in world for them.  We'll keep on loving on them a whole bunch.  We are sure as time marches on that there will be days where it doesn't go well and understand that will be part of the process, but in the meantime we are truly enjoying the good days.  I was watching out the window as they were on the trampoline today, both with big smiles on their faces.  They just seemed like kids being happy, not having to act tough or be on guard or watch their backs.  Getting to just play and laugh, sleep in a real bed, wear shoes that fit.  Being safe and cared for and getting hugs.  It's a good thing!

The First 48

We've had our first two full days at home and so far it's been amazing!  We flew into San Antonio Wednesday evening and there were over 60 people there to welcome Kayleigh and Michael to their new home.  At first they looked a little blown away but we could tell they thought it was pretty cool.  There were previously adopted girls Kayleigh knew from Ukraine there so that was extra cool, and friends of Dylan's as well for Michael.  Then we went to dinner at Red Robin for some dinner and lots of Dr Pepper!  Home to get some sleep and start the process of trying to get over the 8 hour time difference and jet lag (still working on that one.....).  We've kept it low key the first couple days as we're all just trying to adjust our biological clocks and all!  We've met up with a couple people to say howdy, cleaned out the refrigerator (ewww.....), started back up on getting bedrooms organized (Bekah loves her new closet!), did some grocery shopping (yea!!).  Dylan and I took Michael for his first trip to Academy (Michael chose the Firebird for the journey out and loved it :) for a soccer ball (he selected a shiny red one right away, he's a HUGE soccer nut...) and his first trip to Sonic (we had a couple slushies, onion rings, chili cheese fries, he loved it all).  Both kids are loving being kids.  We're finding both to be very athletic and have done well at anything he's touched (they both can swim, throw, run, ride bikes, trampoline...).  It was great watching them from my office window jumping on the trampoline and laughing like crazy the whole time, what a change from their life only a few days ago!  Both kids have been great with our family, very engaging and happy, helping with dishes and such without even being asked or prompted, hugs and smiles :)  Communication hasn't been a problem, we've used google translate only sparingly, both kids seem very bright and pick up on english and pointing easily.  I love their smiles.  The sun is rising on day 3 as I finish this entry to our blog, I am so excited to see what will happen today!

We Are Home!

We are home after a very long day of travel.  I forgot how far away Ukraine is from the United States!  All 5 of the kids did fantastic on the long flights home and were very excited to be here.  Big crowd to welcome them to their new home country which they seemed to be very happy about.  Dinner with a big crowd of friends, then home (it's still there!).  Michael is still bubbling with energy (at the moment), Dylan and Kayleigh went to bed right away and are out stone cold.  Time for a very good nights sleep, which I will do with a big smile on my face :)

Our Final Blog From Ukraine!

This is our last blog from Ukraine.  We will continue to blog as our journey transitions from pre-adoption, to our adoption trip in Ukraine, and now our post-adoption life back home in Texas.  In so many ways, leaving Ukraine will mark the real beginning of our journey for our family as we assimilate our two new children into our "normal" daily life.  As I said in the blog with the martial arts black belt analogy, tomorrows flight home will be the end of the beginning for our family!

It is such a great feeling to be done with all the paperwork, orphanages, notaries, social workers,  potential roadblocks and concerns, and to just sit here holding two passports with immigrant visas for Kayleigh Mariya and Michael Andrew Tansey to enter the United States of America as our children, and walk out of customs with that magic stamp in their passport that will officially make them American citizens (dual citizenship actually).  Walking off of United flight 1054 in the San Antonio airport will truly be a magificent moment for our family.  Praise and glory to God!

We have been incredibly blessed, loved and supported in our adoption journey by so many people and will probably never be able to thank everyone enough.  Our decision to pursue adoption of Masha & Andriy in late July 2011 has now culminated in our 46 day adventure here in Ukraine, and we will come home with an treasure of memories, stories, friends, and two teenagers!  We cannot wait to get home and share!

Signing off now from Kyiv, Ukraine with love.

Chris, Jodi, Bekah, Alyssa, Kayleigh, Dylan and Michael Tansey

Finals

Today was the day to leave Zhytomr, the small town that we have spent most of our 44 days in Ukraine in.  We've gotten pretty good at living there and have made a number of friends as well.  We were up early to get to the passport office (passports promised at 9:00am were ready at 10:45am), and checked out of our apartment and goodbyes to Alex (apartment owner).  Really great guy who took the time to help show us around town, even hang out with us a couple times for the day.  Our US Embassy appointment was scheduled for 11:30am (2 hour drive) so do the math.  Vitaly our driver made like amazing time and should drive NASCAR, and we made it close enough to get in at the embassy to start the papers for visas for Kayleigh and Michael.  Vitaly is an excellent and reliable driver, not to mention very funny for a guy who speaks almost no english and we'll miss him.  The US Embassy visit went very well (great seeing the Stars & Stripes flying!) and the staff very helpful.  Our visit only took about 30 minutes as our facilitator had everything ready to submit.  There is an unbelievable amount of paperwork involved in adoption, we have been very blessed to have Oksana handle our adoption, she is the best!  Then back to the flat to check in to our apartment in Kyiv (very nice :), and an early dinner with Andriy, the pastor from Zhytomr whose church we've attended while there, who helped with transportation to Kyiv today.  He is a genuinly wonderful man who loves God and lives the Gospel.  Our family has been blessed by him and his family, and the church family as a whole.  If I lived in Zhytomr, I am sure he would be my BFF there!   Dinner was tasty, we went back to the place we ate at the day we left Kyiv for Zhytomr, they have the awesomeest vareenky (dumplings).  Then home for the evening to do some final flight home packing and an early night to bed.  So, a very busy day and a day of goodbyes to Alex, Vitaly, Oksana & Andriy, you have been wonderful and will truly be missed!  Oh, and Pasha, but that is for another blog..... :)