Five weeks.

Four weeks, five days. Our plane touched down at home. Well, near home. Five weeks....exactly....since we last held little Jack Nickolay in our arms, kissed him, and told him that we would be back soon. I'm ready to go back now. Actually, I was ready yesterday and the day before that, but we're still here at home. My being ready apparently doesn't match up with God's plans. So. We wait. And wonder. And try not to worry about our youngest son. And wish that we were there or that he was here. And look at pictures (but only when I really want to cry, which isn't too often). And talk about him. And listen to Addie and Will talk about passports and flying and picking up their new 'choldren' from Russia...a boy and a girl. And pray. And pray. And pray. And e-mail our agency to find out if she knows anything. And pray. And wait. And keep busy. Very busy. And pray. Yep. That's how our life is going right now!

Busy. Oh so busy. Just a couple nights ago I was peering at the calendar trying to figure out exactly how long we've been home from Russia. In the process of figuring that out, I figured something else out. Something that may just explain why I feel so....I don't know....so....swamped. We got home from Russia around midnight on September 11th. September 12th we went to a campout for the day. September 13th, Jason started working in the field. Except for Sundays and a couple mornings/afternoons off due to rain, there he has remained. Last night was a major breath of fresh air. Jason was home for supper. For the first time in nearly five weeks, we all sat around the table for supper rather than munching in the tractor. It was simply lovely. The children went to bed and actually went to sleep. We were in bed several hours before midnight. Ahhh. However, the rain wasn't abundant enough for the harvest to quit for long. By noon or shortly thereafter, he should be back in the field....but only for a couple more days. Then hopefully we'll be back to a schedule. Oh, how I miss my schedule. You know....up at 6, breakfast by 6:30, school at 8, naps for the children at 11, lunch at 12:30, supper at 6:30, bed for the children at 8, and time to hang with Jason til about 10. Instead of the desired schedule, it's been.....up anywhere from 6-8, breakfast sometime after everyone is up, school when breakfast is over, naps whenever Will is finally so grouchy that nobody can stand to be around him, lunch when nap is over, chores (Jason's in the field, you know), children fed by 5 (if I remember and we have time), supper to Jason by 6 (if the rest of my day went well, and I remembered to fix supper), home by 8 to shove the children through the shower, children stuffed in bed by 8:30 (and they finally go to sleep about 10 cause Daddy isn't home and they can't sleep), Jason home about 11:30, fall into bed about 12.



The busy-ness has been a blessing in disquise. When I'm so busy that I can't even think straight, I have no time to dwell on the fact that one of my children is overseas. Not doing mission work, but living in a place that also houses thirty other children. Not there for a pleasure trip, but there simply because that is where God allowed him to be born.



Oh yeah. I guess this is labeled 'Adoption Update', huh? Perhaps ya'll would like an update?! Nothing new. You read that right. Nothing. Our paperwork is somewhere between our hands and our coordinator-in-Russia's hands. Perhaps in translation. My hopes of being back to Russia and home again before Christmas are spiraling downward. Short of a miracle (which we all know can happen) it simply won't be happening that way. Our paperwork has yet to be submitted to court. After it is submitted, the judge can take sixty days to review it and to set a court date. IF our paperwork would be submitted in a week and a half....sixty days would land on December 24th. IF the judge is speedy with her review and doesn't request any additional paperwork, it could happen before Christmas. IF she takes her time and uses up her entire sixty day timeframe, we wouldn't be returning until at least January sometime. Probaby the middle to end of January. IF that is how it happens, we would have four months between trips. Same as last time. Not horrible, but not desired. I'm trying to not dwell on the IF's and to simply hand it all over to God. He already knows when our court date will be scheduled. He knows if we'll make it back to Russia before Christmas or after Christmas. He knows. Everything. Unfortunately, handing it all over to God, is easier said than done sometimes. Please pray. It seems like I always request prayer for the same ole, same ole, but during the waiting stages, there really is nothing else to pray for....the judge, Jack Nickolay....

Several have asked how big our new little horse is now. Not very big. His back only reaches to Addie's chest. And she's short. (We're hoping that someday she hits the charts for her age....but for now she is roughly the size of a 3-4 year old...about one inch taller than Will.) When Pumper puts his head up, he looks Addie right in the eye. Yep. Little. Cute. Just how I like my horses. 'Cept he's not mine, he's Addie's. She does the chores.  Will really loves to 'ride' him....til he starts to move....

Remember back a couple weeks when I stated that I don't think God intended me to be a kindergarten teacher. I still firmly believe that. We have finally made it through six whole days of working on the letter 's'. Oh my. I don't think I like that letter anymore. The day that she was to learn how to write that letter was especially bad. She dutifully traced a whole row. She superbly wrote a whole row of her own. And then. School got really fun. I left for a little bit and gave my dear student the instructions to write another row of that one letter. She was pleased. She grinned and said, "Sure, Mommy." When I got back a few minutes later, she had a whole row done. Mmm-hmmm. It was done, but not one thing in the row resembled the letter she was to be writing. When I asked her what that letter was, she responded, "It's the new 's', Mommy. I don't like making them the other way, and decided to make them this way now!!" And that's how school goes here. She does just fine until her creative side kicks in. Perhaps I shouldn't have been encouraging the use of the imagination....

I should go. It's mid-morning. School is over and I really should be using my time wisely and accomplishing something off my monster sized list. Though right now I can't quite remember what is on my list. Maybe I should write it down.

Blessings to you all~

By the way, my student finally mastered the writing of the 's'. She is now sitting at the table filling a tablet with them...all written correctly.