6/11 - First Sleepover at Our House

Sorry I haven't updated in a little while. We're just continuing to enjoy our Christina. Things are almost going too well if that's possible. Christina is really working hard on her English lessons we're doing at home. She also finally sold enough bracelets to buy herself an Ipod nano. You should have seen her excitement when she opened the box that came in the mail. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and jumping up and down saying, "I can't believe. I can't believe!" The best part is that she earned the money herself and is seeing how hard work can pay off.

We had our first sleepover at our house. Christina's friend, Tena, came to spend the night this past weekend and went to the Braves game with us. We really had a great time except it was a million degrees outside (okay, maybe not a million but it sure felt like it). We decided to leave the game early and go for ice cream. That was a big hit! The girls were really well behaved so our first sleepover was a pleasant experience. They stayed up late, of course, and giggled and talked but finally went to sleep around 1 or so.

Tonight we're getting excited because the kids being hosted this summer will be arriving tomorrow for their 4-week stay. We're going to the airport to be part of the welcoming committee. I'm looking forward to being an observer this time and watching all of the host families as they meet their kids for the first time. It's hard to believe that this time last year, we hadn't even met Christina yet. We talked with her about what the new group of kids must be feeling. How strange it must be to come to America to stay with people you've never met before. Many of the children are from Christina's former children's home so she's excited. She has been getting homesick so I know it will do her good to see her Latvian friends.

We still can't help but miss Olegs. There was just no way we could host him this summer. We talked to him last week and found out that he's going to summer camp for the rest of the summer. Hopefully, he'll have fun there. We most likely won't be able to talk to him or write him until August. Each time we call now, we feel that he's growing more distant. All we can do is pray and wait to see how the court will rule in his case. It's possible that he may say he doesn't want to be adopted after all. Who knows? We've said it many times. We just want him to have a happy life, whether he's in Latvia or America. Of course, the selfish part of us wants him with us. We just have to remind ourselves that God has a plan for his life. I just wish He'd share that plan with us. In the meantime, we're just enjoying Christina so much.