Grand Champion

This weekend was full of awesomeness.  Saturday Dylan and I ran in the Chosen For Adoption race (we ran the half marathon....).  Last year this was the catalyst for our financial support for our adoption of Kayleigh and Michael, this year we got to run to support another team running for their adoption.  The race continues to grow in big chunks each year as more and more people come out to run to support adoptions :)  Super D and I had a lot of fun running, especially at the finish line as we saw K & M there for high fives as we finished the race.  How awesome God is in that last year they were in an orphanage, this year they are in our family!  We are so excited for all the families who raised teams and support this year and are praying for all of them as they prepare to bring their kids to their new homes.

Right after the race us men hustled back home to shower up for our karate club's Clash of the Titans karate tournament, as Michael was one of of the kids teams.  His team won Grand Champion of the kids tournament and he fought great as always!  It was special to see him with his friends and how much confidence he has now.  I can still vividly remember him at the orphanage, where he really didn't have friends and spent most of his time alone out in the woods, and how small he looked.  Now he is so happy and really nice kid, has his pack of friends, and is full of confidence!  I've always been so very thankful for having a son in Dylan, and am doubly blessed now with two awesome boys :)

Jodi and the girls went with friends to a festival at their church in San Antonio and they took Yana with them, who was one of the girls Kayleigh knew at the orphanage in Ukraine, and adopted by another family in our area.  Amazing that they are both 6000 miles (10,000 km for you metric peeps....) and are both rescued and so close together geographically!  I got to watch Kayleigh at dance class on Friday and she was having so much fun.  She is a beautiful young lady and we get along really well.  It's still funny to me that she has my family's quirky sense of humor, our car rides to and from dance are usually full of goofiness :)

We continue to enjoy the ride we're on!

Chosen

This morning Dylan and I are running in the Chosen for Adoption half marathon.  We have gotten into running and enjoy it a lot.  We started running in preparation for going for our black belts in karate and it has stuck as a sport of interest on its own.  I always enjoyed it when I was younger and Dylan is a natural at it (and a lot faster than I....).  We like running in the races you find almost any weekend (we pace ourselves on how many we run....).  This morning up dark and early for the Chosen for Adoption race.  We'll be running the half marathon in support of Team Sims, some dear friends we met through adoption (they adopted one of Kayleigh's friends from the same orphanage in Zhytomr, Ukraine....).  Last year we raced to raise support for our adoption of Kayleigh and Michael.  This race and all the people who put it together, along with the support and association of Abba Fund, were the financial catalysts for us to be able to go to Ukraine and bring our two kids home.  Without it we would have taken a lot longer to financially prepare and be able to do it, and Kayleigh would have aged out of their adoption system and been on her own at the age of 15.  Having gotten to know her over the 5 months they've been here, I know she would have never made it.  So every day with her is a day of having love and life and a future that would have not been.  That's why every day with them is special.  That's why we run.

Translucency

LOL, I don't know if I spelled that correctly or inadvertently made a new word!  The past week was a good one as they all have seemed to be.  The kids are doing well and it feels like we continue to make steps forward in building closer relationships with Kayleigh and Michael.  Kayleigh continues to enjoy dance class very much and the girls there.  Michael loves karate class and has his own group of boys he runs with during and after class.  Saturday our other 3 had something to go to so Jodi did a date day with Kayleigh, going to a movie with one of her friends.  I continued Michaels' "Texification" as we hit the gun range and then some BBQ.  Kayleigh has said that she misses her friends back in Ukraine at times (we do too as we got to know them and it was sad to leave them behind, knowing what lies ahead for most of them....) so we try to be intentional in helping her develop new friendships here in America.  Michael still seems to have left nothing behind and seems to love being here.  We know both kids have made amazing strides for being here only five months so sometimes have to remind ourselves to be patient as we are way, way ahead of the curve.  We love both of these kids very much so being their parents now is truly a blessing.

Sometimes we are asked about our adoption experience as it has seemed to have gone so incredibly well.  I will tell you that with the kids that has totally been the case.  They have bonded seamlessly into our family and it really does feel totally normal for them to be in our family.  I will also tell you that life does throw its curveballs at families that take on adoption as Satan will try to steal the joy of rescuing these orphans.  Our family has been no exception to that, and that prayers for our family to continue to move forward in confidence in spite of lifes challenges are always welcome.  The social media world we live in here in the 21st century can be a double-edged sword at times, so we have intentially chosen to be "translucent" when it comes to online stuff such as Facebook and blogs, as sometimes there is just too much that can get misinterpreted or read into on things!  Rest assured our family is doing very well.  Rest assured that Satan will try to mess with that.  Rest assured your prayers are always appreciated :)

This coming Saturday will be an exceptionally cool day with the annual running of the Chosen Marathon for Adoption in New Braunfels.  Last year we had some awesome support for Team Tansey as we ran to raise support for our adoption of Kayleigh and Michael.  This year they will be here in person to see so many people take the time to make big things happen to bring orphans to their new homes.  Dylan and I are running for Team Sims, some good friends of ours who had adopted one of our daughter Kayleigh's friends from the same orphanage, and are now continuing their pursuit of an adoption of an orphan in Ethiopia.  The support we received through this race was crucial in being able to financially bring our kids home.  We pray that there will be many more to come!

Fab 5 for 5!

Life has gotten so normal and routine now with our five kids that our five month mark came and went this past week and I just pretty much forgot about it!  I take this as a good thing as it tells me our world seems so normal with Kayleigh & Michael here with us.  It does sound a little strange still when I say I have 5 kids :)

This past week has been good as always with them.  I watched Kayleigh at dance class on Friday as I picked her up on the way home from work.  She is doing very well and enjoys it, and loves the attention of being watched at class.  She'll get a huge smile on her face when she sees me watching her.  Michael is doing excellent in karate class and will get to participate in his first tournament in a couple weeks.  He's on a team of 3 with a couple friends, and has his own posse he runs with after class while Dylan and I have our black belt class and help with the adult class.

Bekah had a monumental week as she had her first date, went to homecoming and got her braces off!  She has blossomed into a truly incredible young lady :)  She is up in Dallas for the state volleyball tournament.  Alyssa is heading out the door for dance class, she has done extraordinarily well so far!  Dylan and I hit the fields for a bit of dove hunting this morning and are running in the Chosen For Adoption half marathon in a couple weeks.

Outside of those types of things, life has been running smoothly with our Fab 5.  K&M continue to learn the language quickly, are both wonderful kids and we are truly blessed to have them here!