Tonight we had mashed potatoes with dinner.  You would have thought that I had invented mashed potatoes from the amount of delight that filled Katya's entire being.  Dancing, twirling, "Yum, yum, yumming!" all around the kitchen as we added the butter, milk, mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise), salt, pepper.  We sat down at the table, prayed, and then nearly palpable anticipation filled the room as I spooned "kar-TAW-fyel" onto Katya's plate. Delight!  The sprinkler in the backyard.  The lawn mowers at … [Read more...] about New treasures as well as old …

Katya and Piper LOVE having matching bathing suits.  The goggles are actually Sara Maria's, but Katya really didn't want to give them back.  Thankfully, we found a PINK pair in the "Lost and Found" which we used for the day.  Later we bought a PINK pair of goggles for Katya to have as her own.  Stay tuned for more of the PINK things which Katya loves! … [Read more...] about Cuteness!

Zabarol - I visited here when I was in Ukraine in the spring.  Zabarol is a women's institution, a sanitorium, a place where women go who have no other place to go.  Here I met an engineer who is suffering with Parkinson's disease, a young woman who embroiders beautiful linens, a woman who, for lack of medication for her clinical depression, wouldn't leave the corner of a stairwell, and so many "Tonyas."  I saw women naked and sick, wrapped only in sheets.  A lack of femine hygiene items gave … [Read more...] about Glimpses of Zabarol

"Aren't there enough orphans in the U.S.?  Why do you need to bring an orphan from Ukraine over here?"  This was the comment that was made to our children when they were raising money through a yard sale to fund Katya's visit.  It wasn't the nicest thing to say to my kids, but it was a valid question.  There are plenty of kids who have needs right here in our town.  Why do we need to spend all this money and make such an effort to bring a little girl halfway across the world when we can go right … [Read more...] about We had to…

   Katya arrived last night -  so tired she couldn’t even walk to the van.  But, of course, I didn’t mind carrying her.  Within five minutes she had fallen asleep and barely woke up when we arrived back at our house.  Miracle of miracles, she and Piper BOTH slept until 8:30 this morning.  Finally I heard giggling upstairs and when I opened the door to Piper’s room, I found Piper and Katya  snuggling, playing with animals, and hiding under the covers.  They’ve been inseparable since.  J  It seems … [Read more...] about Look!