Weekend Warriors
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 08:45PM Several people knew that we were headed to Tucson this past weekend to visit dear friends who've recently adopted from Ukraine, so we wanted to post an update about our trip. For us, this wasn't just an adoption but rather an adoption journey that our family prayed about for many years. So, our wanting to finally meet this precious little girl was an important milestone to that prayerful journey as much for our four kids, as it was for Wade and me.
The weekend started with an early Saturday morning basketball game for the boys - their first one of the season. Colton has never played basketball and Buck has played for several seasons. With their ages being so close at the moment, I was able to move Colton onto Buck's team which results in our family having only one practice and one game per week. Woo Hoo! Wade's been taking them to practices, so Saturday was my first experience getting to watch them in action. As always, Buck is a quiet leader - smart and confident. Buck reminds me of a lot of some of the college football players I used to train with at ASU. I remember a group of them in the weight room one day, laughing about their how their football coaches used to tease them when they were little. They weren't sons of coaches, they weren't the ones who got the attention, they struggled to do jumping jacks as well as their teammates, but they were smart, they were driven, they had heart and they had people in their lives who encouraged them when many others didn't. Buck's never going to be the fastest on his team, he's never going to have a parent who coaches him and gives him special opportunities and he's not one to toot his own horn. Buck would sooner give a compliment than receive one, he doesn't boast, he doesn't brag and he works extremely hard, with diligence and perseverance. No one could ever be harder on him than he is on himself and he's the kid every coach loves to have. I have no idea what God has in store for his future, but I'm honored to be part of it.
As the game started, Buck quietly took charge on the basketball court and the other boys followed. Colton is the antonym of Buck - absolutely the fastest on the team and I'm sure he doesn't think at all when he's playing. It's pure adrenaline! No one would have been able to tell the two of them were related, but they worked great together, complimenting each other with different skills. What amazed me the most was Colton's ball handling skills, his ability to drive to the basket and shoot all with absolutely zero experience - just natural ability. Shockingly, he did not pull out the familiar granny shot from his bag of tricks. Both boys scored and both played great team basketball. It was the most fun I've had in an hour for a VERY long time. The score didn't end in their team's favor and thankfully they have a coach who understands what's most important at their age. I was impressed with how their coach interacted with them, constantly and quietly encouraging the boys. He corrected and taught them with clear instruction and zero sarcasm. He knows the rules well, he understands the game and he understands that developing them fairly at this age and teaching them to love the game is far more important than the score. Amen!
After the game, we got some things done around the house and went to church as a family Saturday night. We always attend on Sunday mornings, but because we were headed south this Sunday we opted for the Saturday service. We sat with our friends and as always, it was great! We are fortunate to be part of such a dynamic, Bible based church that challenges us to be different from the world. I've actually had many thoughts about this topic running through my head lately, but I'll save it for another blog.
Sunday morning we set out for our two hour trip south. Because our friends had prior plans for their Sunday morning, our first stop was the ranch where Wade has his favorite horse, Pepper. Pepper is Wade's hope for some future points in competition. Wade likes the trainer he's chosen and it was the first time that I'd visited the ranch or met the trainer. The ranch is spectacular, large, new, clean and beautiful. The trainer jingled over in his spurs, tight Wrangler jeans and chewing tobacco tucked not-so-neatly into his lower lip. He tipped his cowboy hat when Wade introduced us and except for a few PG-13 words and some poor grammar, he was easy to be around. He took us on an extensive tour of the facility and explained in detail the breeding of almost all 100 horses. Somewhere around horse number 85, the kids headed quietly towards the car to take refuge from the equine education. Who could blame them? They had one thing on their mind that day - our friends' newly adopted daughter.
Taking the hint, Wade gracefully told his trainer that we had to go and we were soon off to grab lunch before our big visit. After we ate, we charted our course to our friends' home north of Tucson. The kids counted down the minutes and asked at least 20 times if we were almost there. As we came up their street, we could see in the distance that they were all outside waiting. The kids immediately started screaming and we were all smiles. There, beside our car, was their new little girl....the one our family has been earnestly praying for, over the span of many years. I should say here that we have loved their three beautiful boys for over 10 years and when I say love, I mean it. Looking at this sweet, little five year old girl with her new brothers and her new mom and dad, I was just completely overcome with emotion. I'm not sure how or why the joy hit me like a freight train, but it did and all those petitions to the Lord over so many years were made flesh and stood right in front of me.
As little Alina went to each of us with a hug, I thought about God's design for us to go to Heaven, that we must be like a child to enter - full of wonder, innocence and love...love without walls, without rules, without envy, without fear...here she was, loving, trusting and innocent. This whole new world, open to her for the first time!
Wade and I spent most of our time visiting with our friends while all 8 of the kids ran about, inside and out. Our interaction with Alina was minimal, but enough to say that she is beautiful, sweet, happy, loving and good natured. Being that she speaks Russian, the only way she could communicate with us was via a smile, a hug, a giggle or a cry. I remember when Colton struggled with delayed speech and could not communicate with words. He took us by the hand and showed us a lot, he did some signing and he cried a lot when he couldn't express his feelings, wants and needs. It was frustrating for us and for him, but by the age of 4 he could communicate almost age appropriately and by 5 he was released from the speech program. I imagined, as I watched Alina size everybody up, that she must feel a lot like Colton did, except she's in a completely foreign land. Luckily for her, she has a wonderful family to love her and one she will naturally grow into as the daughter they so desperately wanted.
Adoption is a beautiful thing and how blessed this little girl is to now be free from her solitary confinement in the orphanage, where she can now run outside with her brothers and their friends, meet new people and learn they'll actually come back, where she will bond with her new family over time and realize she's always been meant for them. Our brief time with our sweet friends helped us find peace after so many prayers that had been sent up on behalf of them and their new little girl. Sierra returned to school this week and told me that Alina was her prayer request in Bible class....she prayed that Alina would easily learn English and quickly feel part of her new family. As I mentioned, this journey belonged to our kids, too and how blessed they were to see Alina face-to-face after so many prayers.
Our drive home was easy except that Colton was extremely tired, had a loose tooth and spent a fair amount of the time crying. We were grateful when he finally fell asleep! The next day we got ready for his birthday party - seven kids for pizza, cup cakes, ice cream and then off the Coyotes hockey game. Colton has been going to the hockey games around his birthday since he was about 4. On our way, he reminded me that every time we have ever gone to a game, our team lost. I agreed, that's been the story. As he explained that we were a bad luck charm, I reminded him that there's no such thing. He shrugged, as if to say we'll see how it goes today. We found our seats and got the boys all situated with popcorn and nachos. The game was a good one and we all enjoyed the day. In the end, our team lost yet again. Colton looked at me with the I told you so look. This time I shrugged.
Reader Comments (2)
We LOVE you guys, too. God is so awesome as He answers our prayers and those of our children. Our boys also had the opportunity to experience first hand God's grace and providence as He has gently guided our family to Alina. Can't wait to see you again soon.
You have been truly blessed, KC! You are right, God is awesome and it's great how He worked in the lives of your sweet boys. Thanks for the visit - we so miss all of you living close. Love you all, too!