spring

our little family is busy. dennis was recently accepted into nashville school for the arts. this is a BIG DEAL. because his teachers are amazing, they let us know that there were options we should look into. so glad we did. dennis will be able to focus on drawing - something he does really well. he's interested in graphic design, and the school has classes in this. you have to understand that since dennis is only just now joining our little family, private school savings are not really part of the picture. because we live in a fabulous city, he will be able to go to a public school that allows him to do what he loves. crazy.

we are so very thankful for all of the people who have poured into dennis already. i mentioned his amazing teachers. let me tell you about a couple of them. mr and mrs ling are this lovely couple who both work at dennis's school. mr ling is his social studies teacher as well as his soccer coach. the other night, they offered to take dennis to a track meet, just so he'd be able to see what it is like. they took him to chic-fil-a, and brought him home. although the quiet night at home was relaxing and welcome, it didn't compare to the look on his face when he got home. his smile touched his ears, i swear! he couldn't stop talking about this and that...

in moldova, we know that people poured into him. those people are some of our dear friends. but it is awe-inspiring to feel that ordinary people who we didn't know just two short months ago, are willing to take a chance and spend their evenings exposing our new son to things he hasn't seen. incredible.

sometimes, its easy for me to miss the blessings when i'm wrapped up into the day-to-day. (who's going to pick up...what are we going to do about summer...why is our hot water running out so quickly). i'm thankful for times when i'm overwhelmed by God's provision for my family.

Happy 1st Americanski Birthday, Dennis!

So many of you have said - Hey, update your blog already! You're not in Moldova anymore! And you're right. We've been home for a month! I picked this picture of Dennis at the zoo to try to capture the essence of how wild our life has been since returning from Moldova! Get it? Wild? :)
Where to begin... So much has happened since we returned! Maybe I can just list some highlights for you... This may be stream of consciousness since I'm a parent now and don't sleep near as much as I used to....

We've been to the Frist, the Nashville Zoo (Dennis loves him some monkeys and meerkats), the movies, the mall, Target (a family favorite), Pump It Up, church at Rolling Hills, Kairos at Brentwood Baptist, a Predators game (thanks to our amazing Dentist Dr. Wallace) RHCC youth group at the YMCA, and so much more!

We've survived the first trip to a real doctor and walked out with a clean bill of heath and survived first trip to a real Dentist - that didn't go so well. 2 cavities. Not bad for not seeing a dentist till 15, right? One cavity was so bad all the peach flavored happy-gas and 3 shots in the face couldn't numb poor Dennis enough to endure that filling.

Dennis started school at McMurray Middle School a week after arriving, went to school for 2 days, tried out for the boys soccer team and made it! You should have seen me at 9 o'clock at night picking out shin guards and soccer cleats. Dennis wondered why so many places we go everyone knows me but why nobody knows me at Academy Sports. Hilarious. It's a whole new world... We've met his teachers, worn everyone out with our questions, cheered him on at every soccer game, and probably embarrassed him a million times. Next week is Spring Break and Dennis signed up to go on a mission trip with Rolling Hills youth group to Kentucky. Amazing that he is ready to give back and serve Americans living in poverty. I can't wait to see what God does in and through him next week...

Funny Dennis-ism's so far.
"I'm flying with Peaches!" Dennis on the gas at the dentist...
"I was singing and I totally lost control!" Dennis at the dentist singing a song about Stefan Cel Mare - a king from Moldova or Dacia at the time...
"So many Spanish girls talk to me at school. Everyone wants to know who I like."
He loves fruit. He doesn't "like so much" hamburgers, although as to not make me feel bad he says, "I like the way you do, I just don't like so much." Hotdogs, same category. Homemade chili from dad? Not so much. Anything Emily cooks? He loves. I'm not sure what that's about. :) He loves ribs from Chili's and you can probably hear him groan with happiness wherever you are on Sundays at lunch when he's face down in some ribs.

And some things just aren't like Moldova...
Dennis still laughs when people pull off the road when a fire truck is coming. He says, "Oui Te! That would never happen in Moldova!" And yes, he says that every time. :) He laughs when you stop at a school bus with the sign out. He doesn't know why we throw salt on our sidewalks in the snow when dirt worked just fine in Moldova. He doesn't understand arch supports in shoes or why one needs to wear a different outfit everyday. He also can't believe he is in America. The other night he told me that he loved Moldova but even when he was little he would hear about America and he knew deep down inside he would be here one day - he just had no idea when we met 4 and a half years ago that it would be in our family. :)

So... Just some random fun info about our first month as a family. Most of our days look like this... Emily or I take Dennis to school, we work, he goes to school, we get home and have dinner, Dennis puts on Emily's apron and tries to help cook, we eat, I clean up, Emily helps with 3 hours of Algebra homework (I am no help there) and I take over for Social Studies homework - teaching my child from a former Communist country about the battle of big horn, western expansion, slavery and civil war battles. I never thought I would need this information again - and definitely not so soon! And in case you're wondering, this is a lot different than an average day, say, before February 1st. :)

So thanks for your thoughts and prayers and for asking us to update our blog - that means you care enough to read it and for that Emily and I are very grateful. Parenting is hard work we've learned, and we're starting to realize the reason everyone said, "Wow, a teenager? Out of the frying pan, into the fire!" We appreciate your continued support and prayer as we learn how to be the parents God created us to be and as Dennis continues to learn what it means to be a son and to be able to come home each afternoon and fall into the loving arms of a mom and dad. It reminds us each day of our need to run into the arms of our Father, too.

Thanks again for joining us on this journey! We'll try to update this more than once a month. :)

jon (and emily)

First Family Conference

So let me tell you about our sweet son -- he makes his bed, listens to American Christian music as he falls asleep, he holds the door for people, he uses his knife and fork (unlike me), and he is excited about what breakfast with a family looks like. We just can't wait to get him home.

But our Sunday didn't quite turn out as planned.

Even though we said our good-byes to Ms. Galina - the director of the orphanage where Dennis has lived and gone to school - on our last trip, we had a special called meeting there at noon yesterday. We think it was just an attempt for our adoption friends to get free lunch for themselves, their kids, strange passersby - but I won't go into that now... We'll save it until I write my Jerry Maguire report to the agency in America when I get home. :) But we had a lovely talk with Ms. Galina where she told us Dennis is amazing and talented, he is strong like an ox, and he is smart and will fake being sick to skip class so look out. :) All good to know. Then in true Moldovan adoption fashion, we were whisked away to the one of the most expensive restaurants in Moldova where we chewed on tough chicken and ate chicken soup with bones floating in it.

But it was at lunch where things turned south. The phone rings and its dennis's mom. We had planned for her to go to church with us and out do dinner. But although it wasn't yet 5 o'clock anywhere, she was unable to join us. She was rude and mean to Dennis and said hurtful things. He was sad but when we asked if he was okay he just said yes and looked down. We went to church and he just wanted to be alone and then wanted to stay with his friends at church one last time. So emily and I left and went and had pizza with the treadways - whom we now adore. :)

But when we all reconvened at home last night we had our first family conference where we explained that its okay to tell us when you are sad or happy or whatever. He just said he wasn't THAT sad... he was okay. And then he told us what happened on the phone. Emily explained that we are a family and we tell each other when we are sad so we can help each other and be sad with each other and when one of us is happy, we are all happy - we're family. He looked at us sweetly and said - I haven't had a mother since I was 5 and I haven't had a dad since before that. I usually have to get through problems alone. I am still learning what is a family. So we had a sweet moment and said there is much more learning to do - let's get on home to America. I have an amazing wife - who is and is becoming an amazing mom. She leaned over to me after our sweet little talk with our son and said. "I feel like Wanda Beaver." After a few moments of confusion she said - you know, like that show with the perfect family? I finally figured out that was shear exhaustion speak for June Cleaver and we had a big laugh before bed.

Right now, Dennis is off at school saying good-byes and then off to visit his mother. Then he is meeting us at the Embassy and we leave for Romania in the morning. He is having a guys night at church tonight that they are throwing for him. I think it involves "shoot-em-up" video games at an itnernet cafe... Wow. We are parents of a teenage boy. :)

Thanks for your prayers. Today is a big day! We hope to update you again after the embassy visit.

jon