Me and "Mee-Mee"

This little video was taken by Daddy.  That's my Mee-mee [Grandma] singing the songs and sitting on the sofa. Aren't I cute??? Love, Ana

Celebrations To Remember

Christmas with Ana was so joyful this year. She was happy, singing, dancing, and really "getting it". Mary had Baby Jesus in the stable and everyone is rejoicing and celebrating! Her favorite new word is "joy" as she keeps singing "Joy To The World" and "Joy, Joy, Joy".....she also likes "We Three Kings". When I got up this morning and thought about our Christmas Day yesterday with her, I remembered our first big celebration, or "party" as we say with her. It was our US Embassy appointment in Moscow last November. Every adoptive family must check out through the US Embassy...it is the final "hoop". The appointment is typically the day before you leave and going into it, we really didn't know what to expect. We were slightly apprehensive that all our papers would be in order and we were mysteriously told that we would be given a very important packet of (more) papers that we COULD NOT OPEN FOR ANY REASON. That MUST be opened by a US Customs Official once we landed in Dulles. It just all seemed so very...oh, I don't know, "spy-like", but I guess it is for some international legal reasons or SOMETHING. Anyhow, by now we had learned; "they say it, we do it!" So off to the US Embassy we went, Ana in the backpack, with a diaper bag, sippy cup, papers, toys books, snacks, etc. We were prepared to be sitting for hours. But when we arrived and went through all the appropriate (over-intensive) security checks, we were sent to a room with about a dozen other couples, each with toddlers, all looking somewhat bleary-eyed and speaking, we soon caught on, english. We realized these were fellow adoptive parents who had all been through the same experience (battle) that we had to get our new children. We quickly began talking to one another, sharing stories, laughing, and comparing notes. There were couples and new Moms from all over the United States....Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, New York. Some were adopting one child, some two. The joke immediately became: "well, it's 1:00...naptime at the orphanage." These poor children were looking as shell-shocked as the parents. Everything was new to these little ones. They had probably never been outside their former orphanage walls, never heard english, they were with total strangers who spoke and smelled and acted differently from anything they had ever known. But it was such a sweet moment....to look around and know these kids had been rescued and these parents were building their families in an unconventional way. One couple from North Carolina had the husband's Dad with them and the proud new grandpa was BEAMING and chatting away about his new granddaughter. He was insistent that she was the brightest and most beautiful little girl in all of Russia- probably the whole world. Aren't all grandparents convinced of such things? Matt and the husband were rolling with laughter as we realized that we had had the same judge in St Petersburg just a week apart! The new Dad (this was their first child) started firing parenting questions at Matt and was particularly interested in our Kelty back pack...he even tried it on. It was hilarious and I wished we had had a camera to capture the moment. Anyway, we all commented that the moment was one big "adoption party"...we were all departing Russia soon and the mood was merry. Just like yesterday on December 25, the joy of a new Baby, ....just like Christmas.

So glad we didn't miss it.....

We Didn't Miss the Blessing

As the kids decorated our Christmas tree the other night, I thought about how different this Christmas was for Ana from last year. We had her last Christmas...but it had only been a month and, quite frankly, things were a blur- for us, and most definitely for her. But this year, she is singing the songs, anticipating the advent candle lighting at dinner each night, hearing the stories and getting caught up in the excitement of lights and decorations. I turned to Matt and proclaimed; "I am so glad that we did not miss the blessing of adoption!" It really hit me that we very well could have missed the blessing. Our family's life would have continued but we would have never had this moment of seeing our sweet toddler daughter decorating our tree. And then I couldn't help but think of all the other children, orphaned and abandoned, in her orphanage alone. And they were alone, for another blank year, another stark, lonely, meaningless year. So many other families were missing the blessing that could be theirs! The latest statistic reports something like 147 million orphaned and abandoned children are in the world today. That is a staggering number. And yet, if just half of the 300 million Christian families worldwide would open their homes for adoption...what a difference could be made! Would you consider adoption this holiday season? Whether praying for orphans, financially supporting couples wanting to adopt, encouraging adoption among your families and churches, or maybe, just maybe, consider what it would look like in your family to have another sweet toddler decorating your tree next Christmas.

One Year Ago Today...

...in a courtroom in St Petersburg Anastasia Elisabeth legally became our daughter. That was our second trip to Russia- for court- and it was a hard trip. Ana was not with us in court (not allowed) and when we visited her in the "Baby Home" (orphanage) she was running a fever and congested. I knew there was no one to hold her when she was feeling bad as I would with my other children, especially at that age. There was a human bite mark on her arm. She was wearing an ill fitting dress which had sleeves so constricting and tight I could not move them to check for other bite marks. It was very hard to fly home knowing she was there and not feeling well and unaware that things would ever be better for her. We pleaded with Svletlana to move up our date of return to get her....but paperworks and passports and visas can only be done so quickly. We would fly home and back in 14 days. I will relay our court experience in another entry...but for now, just rejoice that she is here with us. Even as I type she is dressed up with butterfly wings and a necklace and a star wand out of the dress up box. She is brimming with happiness and our family is very grateful!

Ana Learns Mothering

Right away, we gave Ana some dollies. For a while she called them "La-La's", then they were called "babies". She really loves babies; both real ones and her doll babies. She keeps a couple in her crib. Each morning we hear her singing and talking in her crib and then eventually she starts calling "Mama!, Dada!" when she's ready to get up. This morning Matt went in to get her up and something very sweet occurred. He asked her; "Is your baby (doll) still sleeping?". She answered in the affirmative, "Yeah", with her cute little smile. Then she bent down and tucked her dolly in. After standing back up and lifting her arms for Matt to pick her up she got this "Oh, wait a minute" look on her face...she bent back down and kissed her baby doll on the forehead. Not only was this all adorable behavior but it occurred to us that this was all learned behavior since coming to live with us. In the orphanage, there was no tucking in and kissing good night. There may have been a few dollies but there was no concept of a Mommy and a baby, of nurturing love for that matter. We don't doubt that the children's physical needs were met there, but with 100+ children, emotional needs simply can't be addressed. So we are rejoicing in her happiness, her laughter, and her love of "babies". We are praising her and encouraging her that she will be a great Mommy one day!

Paper Mache Madness

This week can only be described as "paper mache madness". I have lost track of how many trips to Walmart this project has taken....it has reached grand proportions. We are in the final weeks of school which means only 3 more weeks of teaching at the HomeSchool Co-op for me. After avoiding it all year long, I decided to take the plunge into paper mache. It seemed like such a great idea...a lesson on Russian Art and Architecture, a replication of the Russian "onion domes" seen brightly displayed on some of Russia's finest architecture. We'd make several domes, varying heights and structure them all together with cardboard and masking tape, paper mache, coat with a solid white and then paint with stripes and checks and ornamentation.....they would be glorious! And best of all, take up the 3 final weeks of Co-op classes. So I gathered materials with the help of my family, Lowes, JoAnn's & Walmart. I enlisted Ethan to chop saw 120 cardboard tubes. We loaded up my truck and teaching Tuesday arrived. And then came first period......

"Mrs. Keyser, Mrs. Keyser, Mrs, Keyser!..." Sloppy, messy, squatting in the blaring sun in the parking lot of the Co-op building........"it's all over my hands, it's in my hair, I NEED HELP!" OK, maybe we'd just be making one dome per student. Globs of newspaper drowning in the soupy paper mache mixture, wind blowing strips of paper away, balloons popping......yep, just one dome each.

When I agreed to teach art to 3rd and 4th graders at the HomeSchool Co-op this year, and double my classes, I had no idea we'd be getting Ana so soon. I had taught the previous year, just 2 periods and it was great. The students were wonderful, my kids were there doing science labs and writing classes already, so it made sense. I love art, I love teaching. I'd make a little income. Besides, heading into this school year, we had just turned in our adoption paperwork; and we were hunkering down for what we expected to be the long wait. So, flying home on November 5th with our dear sweet under 2 year old was not exactly "on plan"...but we were rejoicing to have her so soon, of course!

Anastasia Easter Morning

"Anastasia"....the day we accepted our referral was the day we were given our new daughter's name: "Anastasia". Matt called me from work having looked up it's meaning. The Greek form: "the resurrected one". This sent chills up our spines. Knowing she had spent almost 2 years in a Russian orphanage, having been there since birth, she was indeed being resurrected by being physically adopted, but more than that; because she was being adopted, God was choosing to make Himself known to her. That was the downright amazing part...how the Lord "plucks" each of us out of our sorrowful state and proclaims; "You are mine". A parent loves their child not because of WHAT their child has done or accomplished, but simply because that child BELONGS to them. So I've included this photo...of "Ana" on Easter morning. She BELONGS to us, I can say she is mine, she is loved for that reason alone....and it is beautiful.

Taking Account....

I shouldn't be blogging right now. I should be cleaning the house, doing the adoption scrapbook, helping my daughter with her research paper, cooking, going to the grocery, preparing for art class, ______(fill in the blank). I could be on my feet easily 16 hours a day...or more! How many Moms couldn't?!?! I received some wise advise from some wise and dear friends this past week; Take time for yourself before you burn out. They were right. Sometimes it takes our girlfriends to tell us what our husbands already know, doesn't it? It's been a crazy school year in the Keyser house so far. Trips to Russia, Grandparents in and out, a new toddler, teaching at the Homeschool Co-op. I feel like I can barely keep my head above water. I'm tired, very, very, tired! I decided to take account of what did occur so far this year and the list was surprising.

(1) we completed an International Adoption (I think I ought to have a t-shirt that states this).

(2) Kari completed a Science Fair Project

(3) We hosted a weekly class on the Foundations of Western Civilization (OK, someone far more capable taught it...but, it was hosted in our basement!)

(4) many, many papers were written, edited and graded

(5) almost 100 math lessons per child have been completed

(6) my older 2 independently worked their way through a Greek & Latin Roots book

(7) MANY duck tape items were created by Luke....MANY

(8) at the behest of our neighbors, a porch project has been nearly completed

(9) I have made many batches of SuperBroth

(10) I have planned for and taught 80+ Art Classes

(11) Luke is working through another vision therapy session with daily exercises and bi-weekly appointments

(12) Ana is learning animal letter sounds and speaking more and more English each day

(13) we have attended and/or played in football games, basketball games, lacrosse games and gone skiing

(14) we cleaned and organized our upstairs office in which every flat surface was formerly covered with papers

(15) Matt completed our Tax Preparation (after said office was cleaned!)

Now I don't list these things as a list of MY or even OUR FAMILY'S "accomplishments". I list them as a reminder to myself that God, in His mercy and kindness, has allowed us to function and carry on amidst what has felt like endless chaos. We are in a season, a very busy season, but not a season to be forgotten in a blur of activities and a "let's just get through this" attitude. It's all good, all from God's hand...every last box that gets checked, every new word that Ana says, every meal that showed up in November, every encouraging word from friends and strangers. Thank you, Father.

Ski Princess

We had a few adventures taking Ana skiing this winter. With an awesome ski shop right in town, a fall ski swap (like a ski equipment yard sale) and free under 5 skiing at Wintergreen...why not? OK, well, Matt the optimist thought it would be a great idea....after Sven at the ski shop said his daughter skied at 18 months! So, onward we went, with tiny skis, boots (Ana is sporting in the photo) and a lot of patience. Something to note here is that Ana NEVER gets cold. So, to bundle her up and go flying down the mountain with temps under 20 degrees and snow blowers blowing was not so much an issue. But, the blowers were loud which scared her AND...she didn't always want to stand up. We tried the hula hoop, the harness, and then the plain old "carry", which, by my account, felt a little unsafe. I described it to friends as an exercise in skiing with a human puppet. Combined with 40 year old knees...well, it was a bit challenging! The good news is, her boots and skis will fit her for a couple of seasons. I began bravely taking the 4 kids solo and without Matt to trade off with on the puppeteering, Ana and I hung out in the ski lodge while Ethan, Kari & Luke skied in a threesome with a cell phone. Maybe Winter 2011 will be our best bet!

Ana Elisabeth....

Time For a New Post!

So I'm writing this post while standing at the half-wall in my kitchen, my family behind me watching a bit of the Olympics. I'm realizing that I just can't seem to find any time these days for blogging.....I'm barely checking email! Amazed at how other friend of mine, many with larger families, keep up with school, children, "household management" (my fancy term) and any other pursuits in life.

Ana is doing amazing. Her receptive language is so good. She understands EVERYTHING! She is saying about 20 english words- also incredible to us. Hearing nothing but Russian for almost 2 years and then after immersion in English- "getting it"! These days, when I say the few Russian phrases I know to her, they don't seem to phase her. Our first week with her, her attention turned immediately to anyone speaking Russian "in country" (of course). It is surprising how quickly she has adjusted here. We do sing the alphabet and phonics songs every day.....but, I hardly think that's been the secret to her success. We're just thankful, very thankful and know she is a little smarty pants!

Cities We "Saw".....

A few of you have asked what our route to Russia looked like. There are no direct flights to St Petersburg, Russia...even from Dulles. So we got to "see" lots of airports in Europe.

Where we flew through, in order:

Dulles to Franfurt to St Petersburg Russia (Lufstansa),

St Petersburg to Munich to Dulles,

Dulles to Paris to St Petersburg (Air France),

St Petersburg to Paris to Dulles,

Dulles to Copenhagen to St Petersburg (Swiss Air),

St Petersburg to Moscow (Aeroflat-yikes!),

Moscow to Dulles (our only direct flight!).

It was somewhat excruciating to be "so close yet so far away" to all these AMAZING places!

Thankfully, I had seen Paris a couple of times in my college and younger days. Sadly, we had dear friends just one hour from Frankfurt but our transfer there was so fast that we sprinted through the whole airport and nearly missed our connecting flight. Each trip we only had about a week's notice so we grabbed whatever flight we could get within reason. We travelled light every trip...never checking any luggage until the last leg with Ana.

The worst airport to travel through was Charles DeGualle in Paris...we had hours before our connection but the security set up was so poor that we almost missed a flight there too. Every airport required us to go through security again and again- even though we were getting off one international flight and onto another. Matt stopped wearing belts and we wore slip on shoes.

The cleanest and most "secure" feeling airport was Munich. It was sparkling. We had a 6 hour layover there which felt REALLY LONG with the time changes, etc. Too tired to read, too uncomfortable to sleep on the leather and steel chairs. Munich was rather hyper about security. Our passports must have been checked a dozen times each....even once we were in the gate. At one point I made the "mistake" of walking 50 feet to the restroom without mine. I explained to the guard that my husband had it and even pointed to him across the way, but I was "escorted" back to the gate to show it. You even had to show your passport to buy a cup of coffee both in Germany and in Moscow.

Because St Petersburg is up so high (60 degree latitude), Copenhagen was the most direct route...just 7 hours from Dulles and only 2 more to St Petersburg.

What a whirlwind!

A photo of Kirsten- taking a "nap" in Charles DeGualle Airport

First 48 Hours Home...

This photo was taken 48 hours after arriving home. The first few days were a mix of everything...exhaustion (jet lag had me up at 4:30AM the first morning), euphoria, and "ooohhhh, that's right" moments (as in; "oohhh, that's right, you can't put a 2 years olds' crib next to a window shade" and "ooohhh, that's right, safety gates"!). It's been a while since I had to have the safety radar on 24/7! And then there was the issue of the dog. We figured she would be a bit hesitant....and perhaps have never seen a dog. However, we were unprepared for her to be completely terrified of the dog. She did not want to even see the dog across the room and she especially did not want to be sniffed or have the dog actually look at her! Six weeks later, we can report that Sarah the Dog is one of her favorites. Every morning Ana wakes up with new enthusiasm for the dog, pointing her out and making "woof-woof" noises to communicate. Sarah, is, however, getting a little pudgy around the middle. The constant flow of Ritz crackers and other treats "falling" from the high chair is catching up to her.

Flying...the Friendly Skies

Many of you all know, I don’t really like to fly. In actuality, I’ve flown plenty. I flew for the first time at age 1 from the US to Scotland where, as my Mom’s famous family story goes, I learned to walk in Edinburgh. When my father’s job posted him outside London the later part of high school and into my college years, I “jumped the pond” as the Brits would say, at least quarterly for years. But when you’re leaving 3 babies on the other side of the world, you start to get a bit weary of international travel. The feeling of adventure is less, and the worry is heightened. When my Nana from Boston to Philadelphia to visit us she would report; “I had to pray the plane up and down (insert number) times.” Direct flights were better to her…less praying necessary. I thought this was funny as a younger gal but found myself adopting this method during our many flights around Europe en route to Russia. I would be irrationally calculating the likelihood of a terrorist boarding our plane in this airport versus that airport. I’d look for our proximity to the “Exit” doors all the while knowing that those doors are almost never, if ever, used. I’d consider the weather, or what I thought to be the age of the aircraft, the amount of time the crew had, to my very uninformed knowledge, seemed to have to prepare and “check “ the plane from the last flight until we took off. The whole time I would simultaneously chide myself for being so paranoid but what can I say; that’s really what was going on in my head. There was constantly a pull between my (fairly) unrealistic fear and the knowledge of my Creator who loved me and had plans and purposes for me beyond my understanding but represented the only place I should want to be. By the thirteenth flight (yes, “13th”), I was slightly more relaxed. I kept reminding myself each flight that God was Sovereign and that nothing thwarted His plans and so forth. By this last flight, I simply hydrated, popped two Tylenol, squeezed into my Economy Class seat (or “steerage seat” as Matt called them) and settled into the stale air filled metal tube that would be our home for the next 12 hours. Ana, on the other hand, was an angel. After her nap, she remained very calm and happily sat on our laps for hours while amusing herself with something as mundane as my coat zipper or the seat button. Why can’t we have this childlike faith as adults? Ana was sitting in the lap of her earthly Father (or Mother) and had no fear. In the lap of our Heavenly Father, why should we?