THANKSGIVING DAY

Our first Thanksgiving Day together was just the NINE! OF US!!!! Wow! It is going to take a while for me to get used to...such a big number! Anyway, we had a pretty low key day and had our big meal at dinnertime. We had all the usuals (turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie) and RICE! I'm not proud of the fact that I didn't put more effort into making this meal familiar (with Filipino dishes) for our new kids, but really, they didn't seem to mind. They don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the Philippines so maybe it was ok.

It was wonderful to have all of us at the dinner table at the same time...and yet, very odd. This is definitely the NEW NORMAL that I was talking about a few weeks back. We usually try to talk about what we are most thankful for. Roselyn was the first to speak up with her answer of "family". It was a highlight of the day and something I will always remember. I wouldn't have expected such a quick response because she is usually very quiet and cautious in her conversations. It meant a lot to Allen and me.

We ended the day with some game playing. Things moved little slow at first, but our newest kids were really good sports and happy to play. I might mention that the girls' team CRUSHED! the boys' team! :) Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

THANKSGIVING EVE

Wow! This has evidently been an extra busy week because I have not had a chance to blog about it! I actually have lots to share, but, well... neither the time or energy to share it! Let me start with the Thanksgiving Eve service. This is always a wonderful and meaningful service. Allen and I were asked to talk a bit about our adoption journey. You may already know all of this, but I thought I would post it for anyone who might be interested. Here is Allen's part...

For those of you who don’t know us – our family has been a part of 1st Baptist for almost 18 years. We are so thankful for our church family and how you have embraced and supported us as we have started a new chapter in our lives with the adoption of 3 more kids who arrived home just a few weeks ago! We’re excited to fill you in on some of our journey this past year.

Roselyn, Romeo and Rodrigo are siblings who for the past 3 years have lived at Children’s Shelter of Cebu (CSC) in the Philippines. CSC is an amazing ministry that we and many others in this church have supported for a number of years. Our involvement with CSC began over 20 years ago as we looked for a way to honor a friend and medical school classmate who had just died.

After many years of supporting CSC, the opportunity arose for me to help chaperone our youth group’s short terms missions trip there 2 ½ years ago. Our daughter Kristin also came on this trip. At the time – I saw this as a “once-in-a-lifetime” kind of trip. Little did I know what was in store!! Seeds were planted for me then – I just didn’t know it!

About 9 months after our team returned, the quarterly CSC newsletter came and profiled a sibling group of 5 kids that no family had yet expressed any interest in. As I read Paul Healy’s article – I was moved in a way that…to be honest – really scared me! But I had met these kids and knew they needed a family! I started looking at our house and wondered how we could fit 5 more kids in. It took a few days for me to get up the courage to share this with Mary!! Despite the fact that she is much more of a risk taker than I am, the thought of bringing 5 children into our household was not readily embraced!! We had occasionally talked about adoption before – but had never both been “ready” at the same time. In spite of her response, it was at this point that we started having more discussions about the possibility of adoption. We brought our kids into the discussion on Father’s Day of 2007. From the start, they were all supportive. (By the way – this sibling group of 5 was adopted last year)

We made plans as a family to visit and experience CSC to see how God was calling us to be more involved in this ministry and made our trip there last December. At that time, we were still undecided about adoption and personally, I was thinking that adoption was NOT what God would ask us to do. A number of things happened both while we were there and after we came back to change all of that. I would like to say that we saw God’s calling quite clearly from the beginning and that we readily accepted it – but that is simply not the case. Now as we look back, it so clear to see how God has been gently pointing us in this direction for many years. We just didn’t always recognize it. Our goal is to be obedient to what God has laid on our hearts. Fortunately He is patient and honors my hesitant and seemingly feeble efforts to respond to Him.

As we have undertaken this journey – we have appreciated so much the love and support of our amazing church family and staff. All of you mean more to us than we can put into words. Thank you!!

Here is my part...

A few years ago, Allen and I started thinking about what our lives would be like after our three girls were grown. We felt like God had something special for us to do, but we weren't REALLY sure of what it would look like. Now that we are here, with our complete family, we can see God's fingerprints everywhere as look back on our journey this far.

As we were considering adoption, I was struggling with what it means to truly walk by faith. We all sing about loving God with our whole heart, about going anywhere and doing anything for Him but what did that REALLY mean for me??? At this point in my life, I really felt that the one thing that God was asking me (and my family) to do was to open my heart and my home to three more children. There was no good reason for me to say "no". I have always felt incredibly blessed and supported. Other than my own weaknesses, I had been given all the tools to choose adoption, but my heart was not ready. To make this step of faith meant that I needed to be willing to let go of some things that I held closest to my heart...i.e...my family and my life as I knew it.

After much prayer and what we believed was a calling from God, our family took a GIANT LEAP OF FAITH into the unknown world of adoption. It has been frightening, challenging and humbling. It has also been exhilarating, exciting, and fun! It has required a lot of adjustment and change for ALL eight of us! Change is a hard thing for most people because we love safety, security and comfort. But change is also what helps us to grow...and yes, I believe that we are growing.

I guess that the biggest lesson that Allen and I are learning is that there is incredible freedom in being obedient to what God is calling you to do. It is ok of us to be afraid and to stumble along the way because we know that God is holding us in the palm of his hand. He has been walking with us every step of the way.

WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING

Last night, the Mork girls (along with Bjork's mom!) went to look at wedding dresses with Lindsay. I don't want to give anything away so I won't talk about any of the details. It was a fun outing and of course, Lindsay looked great! We all went out to eat afterwards. What a fun outing and what a great shot of all the Mork ladies!! It makes me happy to see all of us together! (For you who have been following my blog... I finally have a new picture of the 5 of us for my Moms and Daughters picture frame!)
By the way, the crutches you see are for Kristin who is nursing a stress fracture in her foot! Poor girl!!

FLYING SOLO

Allen left for Kentucky last night. He left me all alone to do a brief stint at single parenting. God bless the single parents in this world because it is really hard. Having said that, all in all, it went quite well. Last night Lindsay and Bjork came home to join us for a night at the movies. We went to Madagascar 2 and it was a big hit. Thanks guys, for joining us!!

Today was a busy day. We spent much of the day with my friend Roxanne and her daughter, Greta. Greta lives on a farm so this was an added treat. Not only that, she and her husband have THREE boys who love to play, play, play! Our kids played hard both inside the house and outside. Rodrigo especially loved the roosters. He is no stranger to these birds as his house parents would let Rodrigo feed the two roosters that they had at the shelter. It was fun for us to get to know this family better and we loved the outing!

This evening, the boys, Steph and her friend Jess went to the Snowflake Parade. (Roselyn was at a friend's house.) It was a new experience, but yes, very cold! We stayed for about half of the parade and then bailed... I brought the boys back to the house and introduced them to the hot tub! It felt SOOOO hot to them that they stood in knee deep water for a few minutes before actually dipping into the water. Once they made the plunge, they loved it!! They asked if we can go again tomorrow morning.

My one day of flying solo was ok I guess, but it makes me so very thankful that I am part of a team.

MORK OF THE WEEK

Allen and I decided that Bernie wins the MORK OF THE WEEK award. Our dog has gotten so much LOVE (if you know what I mean!) in the last two weeks. He has been dragged, hugged, kissed, chased and carried constantly by our two Filipino boys. Rodrigo spends the most time pursuing Bernie. For Bernie, it is a bit of a love/hate situation. And yet, we find him snuggling up to one of the kids not too infrequently. Once in a while he gives a little growl, but for the most part he just takes it. Bernie is ALWAYS waiting with a smile and a wag at the door when we get home. I am so glad that we have this welcoming little dog in our family. Good job, Bernie! You win the prize!

By the way, in case you were wondering... Rodrigo does own other sweatshirts. He just happens to love this Bluejacket one!!

BLUE DAY

Today was blue day. That means that Rodrigo did not have school. I have been looking forward to this day for quite a while. Allen started back to work today and the other children were all in school. That meant that Rigo and I had the whole day to spend together! One of the reasons I have been so excited about this day is because it gives us some time ALONE. Allen started bonding with Rodrigo from day one. For some reason, it has taken Rodrigo a bit longer to feel comfortable with me. Last Thursday was the first time he would even sit on my lap. It is all ok, and I have tried not to push it, but it has also been hard to hold back my affection for the boy. Anyway...it is much better now and today...well, today was great! We had a ball!

I did allow 30 minutes of PBS Kids programming. I watched from the kitchen and thought it was quite good. Rodrigo learned how to make popsicles! We thought it would be a good project to work on so we went to the store for all the ingredients. On the way, we stopped at the car wash. What a fun activity!!... "MOM! We go to wash car now??" He was very curious about the whole process and kept pointing at all the dirty cars in the parking lot after we left. Our trip to the grocery store was fun as well. He convinced me that he should have a shovel. After all, it was snowing and this IS Minnesota! He kept saying "MOM! It is snowing. I will shovel the snow. I will help Dad!". How could I resist?

Rodrigo is a very independent little person and wow(!) does he like to HELP. When we were checking out at the grocery store, he loaded all of the groceries onto the belt, then ran over to bag them. I didn't say a word. He just did it! When we got home, he hurried into the house so he could help me bring the groceries into the kitchen. Again, I didn't ask. He just volunteered. They told us about this at the shelter. They said that one of his favorite things to do was to work in the garden with the house mother. I hope he doesn't grow out of it!!! He wanted to help me make dinner, so we worked on lasagna together. It was really fun.

My day with Rodrigo was a highlight. It feels so great to have my son say..."MOM"...300 times a day! Maybe it is fun for him too. He never had that chance before now so I guess he is making up for lost time.

PRETTY SWEET, HUH??

SWIMMING SECTIONS

This weekend our family attended the swimming section meet in Blaine. This was our 9th swimming season and yes, it does feel like we have been doing this for a long time. It's all fun though...and what a great sport. Anyway, Steph did a great job and we were so proud of her. She has had a lot on her plate this week with lots of homework, the pressure of sections and well, three new siblings in the house! She has had a bad respiratory infection going on for the last few days to boot!



I, personally was ready for the season to be over. It is a long season and gets more intense as the season comes to a close. Things will settle down now and Stephanie will (hopefully) be around a bit more. It was so much fun having Lindsay, Bjork and Kristin come to cheer Steph on. Our family takes up an entire row now! Here are a few pictures from the weekend!

THE PRESSURE BEFORE THE BIG RACE IS ALMOST TOO MUCH FOR ONE GIRL TO HANDLE!!

ONE WEEK AT HOME

I am not quite sure what to say tonight. I really want to say that everything is just perfect and all is well, but I would be lying. Today has been a day of ups and downs...both for me and for my kids. I don't really want to share any specifics but just know that at the end of today, I feel kind of sad. Things are really going very well- over all. We have made lots of progress in one week and I believe that we are all bonding as a family. All three of our new kids have been to at least one full day of school. I'm proud of them for getting started so soon. All of the administrators and teachers have been so helpful and WONDERFUL! We are so appreciative.

So why am I sad? Well, relationships are complicated...no matter what. The dynamics of our family has changed and we all are adjusting. I have been mothering children for a long time, but why do I feel so inadequate now? I have never been one to hover over my kids, but I find myself hovering a lot these days. I want to make sure everyone is happy and getting along. I have that insatiable urge to FIX everything. The reality is... that I can't fix everything or make everyone happy. Is it wrong to wish that I could???

People come to me and say, "You are so wonderful" or "Wow! I could never do what you are doing" or "You are doing such a wonderful thing!" As much as I appreciate those nice words, I sure don't feel so wonderful. I don't feel very patient or kind or qualified to parent more children. I am supposed to be the mom, the leader, the steady and seasoned one...but I am just me, doing what I think is right with a giant dose of humility. I guess that in spite of my weaknesses, I am trying to do the best I can. I am learning so much about grace for the day. If I didn't believe that God was holding me in the palm of His hand, I don't know what kind of shape I would be in. It gives me great comfort knowing this.

While we were in the Philippines, someone VERY dear to me sent this passage of Scripture. It was so helpful to me then. I would like to share it with you now.

"I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit - not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength - that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! LIVE FULL LIVES, full in the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-30 (The Message)

Thanks for allowing me to share my journey.

OUR FIRST FEW DAYS AT HOME

Life has been very busy the last few days. I haven't totally unpacked quite yet, but am working on it. We have had a number of visitors and the kids have been busy meeting family members. On Monday night, we had a visit from Mitch and Ruth Olendorf and their two sons. Both Mitch and Ruth work at CSC and are home on furlough for one year. Our kids know them very well and were happy to spend a few hours with them. We have certainly had others pop in to see our kids as well.

Today was a big day. Rodrigo started school today. His class made a visit to the fire station and we all thought it would be a shame for Rodrigo to miss it! Allen went along to make sure the transition went well. I'm pretty sure he volunteered to go because he has never been to a fire station. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - Allen or Rodrigo! The rest of the day went very well. I went to eat lunch with Rigo. What a trip!! It has been a few years since I went through the cafeteria line at school. Really, it was quite fun and I got to meet some of the other kids in Rigo's class. It was interesting for me to see which kids Rodrigo is drawn to. I watched him running around in the gym. He wasn't shy in the least! I was proud of the way that he just jumped right in. At one point, I could feel the tears swelling up in my eyes. I was very happy to see him so happy.

Tonight was our first time at Wednesday night clubs. After dinner, the boys immediately joined in to play basketball with the other boys in the gym. It didn't take long for the sweat to start streaming down their forheads. It made me laugh and I was so happy to see them blending in.

Romeo and Roselyn start school tomorrow. They are both excited and nervous but I am confident all will go well. I am proud of the way they are handling this transition. Step by step, we are all getting used to living life together.

HOME

We arrived at the Minneapolis airport at 11am on Saturday morning. It had been a long journey but everyone was doing well.
To see our 3 oldest girls at the airport was wonderful and emotional for both of us. We missed them so much while we were gone and to see them greet their new siblings put a big smile on our faces. Allen and I had hoped the weather might be a little bit warmer...but no such luck. The winter jackets made their debut with our kids and they all took it in stride. We even saw a few snowflakes on Saturday!

Everyone was excited to get home. I don't really remember what we did yesterday afternoon, but there was a lot of curiosity and exploring that took place. Bernie was an instant hit with our kids. He is such a good dog for children as he is SO tolerant of tugging, pulling, pushing and carrying. It warmed my heart to see them get to know our dog. Of course, spending time with Lindsay, Kristin and Steph was a highlight as well. With three new children, there are always opportunities for interaction...and that is exactly what we did! Interact. Toward the end of the day, Rodrigo accidentally hit his head on the edge of a space heater. Unfortunately, it required stitches. Fortunately, there is a doctor in the house.

We were startled this morning to find two Filipino boys standing at the edge of our bed at 3:15 a.m. There was no chance of anyone going back to sleep so we popped in a few movies. It was a life saver and allowed Allen and me a few more hours of sleep.

We have started our series of "firsts". We all went to church together as a family today. I do believe that was all a bit overwhelming but we were reminded of how evident that our church body is supportive and ready to love our new children. We are very thankful. The rest of the day was filled with a walk down to the river, grocery shopping, a Target run and reading. Things do not feel "normal" quite yet, but we are heading in that direction!

OUR LAST DAY IN MANILA

QUESTIONS AND QUOTES FROM THE DAY...

WHY DO YOU SAY "OH BOY" SO MUCH??

WHY DO YOU SAY "UNBELIEVABLE" SO MUCH??

" WE GO HOME TOMORROW. THANK YOU!!"
"ROMEO, WE GO HOME TOMORROW!"
"WE GO HOME TOMORROW, THANK YOU, GOD!!"
This line was repeated several times by Rodrigo. He must have said it at least 6 times at the pool today.

Overall, today was a very good day! We went to a government office as Roselyn needed to sit in on a seminar for older kids who are going overseas. We also met a representative from ICAB there which is the department here that governs international adoptions. He had the long awaited visas and passports. We spent about 4 hours there - then went and had lunch at Jollibees (the Filipino McDonald's). After that we went on to the ICAB office. It was a bit surreal to finally be there. It had become almost a mythical place as we had heard and used this acronym so many times and so to get to the actual place after all this time was even a bit emotional. There we met with a social worker who had a lot of paperwork including travel documents that we will need tomorrow. They were so kind to us at ICAB and gave a few small gifts to the kids and even brought us juice and coffee before we left.

After ICAB we went back to the guesthouse. I should mention that to get around Manila - we have had a driver named Danny who is great! He drove our family on our last trip and has done this each day the past several days. He has a very sweet manner and knows the maze of Manila streets and highways like the back of his hand. His English is not so good (our Tagalog though is much worse!) so our conversations can be very interesting at times - but we manage to understand each other just fine. The real test though will be to see if he understands that our pickup time tomorrow is 4 am - not pm!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent shooting a few baskets, a lot of time swimming and some packing up. A movie followed dinner and now the kids are asleep. Mary and I (yes, she let me be a guest writer again!!) are finishing our packing tonight and taking a deep breath as we prepare for a very long but very exciting day tomorrow. Our flight leaves Manila at 7:45 am and we arrive at MSP airport at 11 am - all on Saturday! Pray for us to be able to keep Rodrigo in sight at the airports tomorrow. He is such a good kid but is fascinated by that type of environment. He also has a very independent streak! When we do remind him - he will stay close - we just need to remind him every couple of minutes or just keep our hands on him!!

Our trip has been nothing short of unbelievable!! (we really do say that a lot as our kids pointed out today!) We have felt so loved and supported by everyone at home - thank you!! Your encouraging words and prayers have meant so much to all of us.

We are biased of course - but we look forward to having you meet our 3 new unbelievable and very special kids sometime soon!! Minnesota - here we come!

ONE MORE DAY TO GO

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO SEE WHEN WE GET HOME??

Romeo (without hesitation) No. 1 - My sisters. No. 2 - Bernie No. 3 - My neighbors.

Rodrigo - No. 1 - Stephanie. No. 2 - Bernie

Roselyn - "What answer did Romeo give???" (I wouldn't tell her.) No. 1 - Family. No. 2 - School.

It rained today. It seemed like a perfect day to visit the aquarium. It was very nice and kid-friendly. Roselyn, Romeo and Rodrigo seemed to enjoy it! We found something new that I had never experience - a FISH SPA! As you lower your feet into the pool, small fish come and nibble on your feet supposedly taking off the dry skin. I was more willing than Allen to do this so the boys and I enjoyed a foot spa (of sorts). It was a fun experience and really, quite relaxing after you get used to the idea of fish "snacking" on your feet.

We stopped at the mall to buy a few DVDs for the airplane. I'm ashamed to admit that we have resorted to movies to have some "down" time but it is usually no more than one a day. :) It was still raining when we got back to the guest house, but we all went swimming anyway. The beauty of being in this climate is that, rain or shine, it is just plain hot!

The guest house is a great place for us to stay. There is a pool, a basketball court, a small library, a sitting room and the food is great!! The downside is that our room is pretty cozy. We manage, but sleeping together in a 12 X 15 room has been a real bonding experience for all of us. Really, we don't mind and it is good for us to be together...especially at night. There have been no issues during the night (other than a little snoring and sleep talking) which we are thankful for.

It was a good day. In some ways, I feel like we have been in the Philippines for...a long time. In other ways, it has gone by so quickly. Tomorrow - we have a couple of meetings that we are required to attend and then we should get the long awaited visas and travel documents for the kids. The kids have been so patient with long rides in the van and waiting at airports etc... - but are asking how long this will all take tomorrow. We think they are remembering their 14 hour day at St. Lukes Medical Center here when they had their medical exams a few weeks ago. Shouldn't be that bad tomorrow!! Please pray for patience for all of us as well as continued good health and endurance to finish things up here and get home to Cambridge!

DAY SIX

Today was yet another adventure. I wish I could tell you all the stuff that has happened, but there is simply not enough time. I already feel like I could write a book about our journey but I guess for now I have children to tend to! We visited the WW2 American Cemetery in Manila. We thought it would be a good idea to see this memorial and point out how Filipinos and Americans served together in the war. It was a beautiful cemetery where 17,000 soldiers are buried. Another 35,000 were listed as part of the memorial. I'm sure it wasn't all that interesting to the kids, but it will be neat to remember that we went there.

After the cemetery came another trip to the mall. Roselyn and I still had some shopping to do and the boys decided to go ice skating. It was a hoot watching the three of them go around in circles on the ice. Neither had been ice skating EVER before but you could not tell by the way they were flying around the rink. They were passing Allen up in no time. It was pretty amazing. Oh, and did I mention that there was NO FEAR at all??!!! I asked Rigo if he fell down. He knew that he had fallen EXACTLY 6 times! I thought that was quite funny.

Roselyn is anxious to get HOME. These days in Manila are good for us, but she is ready to start her new life in the US. I can't blame her. After all, hanging out with 2 brothers and the parents is probably not all that fun for a 15-year-old girl. She has been a real trooper and has made the best of it.

It was back to the guest house, swimming, dinner, Yahtzee, books and bed. Wow! One more day of sightseeing, a final visit to the Inter-Country Adoption Board and we will be on our way back to Minnesota. I talked with Bill Berg a few weeks back about "normal" and how it relates to adoption. I am craving "normal" again and I am anxious to return to it, but it will definitely be a "new normal". I get glimpses of our "new normal" every day now. Everything still seems so new and out of the ordinary, but every once in a while, I have a feeling of calm because I know that this is going to be our "new normal". It will be different for all of us, especially our kids. Our "new normal" pales in comparison to theirs. At the end of every day, I continue to marvel at how well they are doing. There are sad moments, but really, they are taking all of this in stride. I am so proud of them! I am so glad that we will be able to help them to settle in on a NEW NORMAL that is secure.

One last comment about my husband. Well, as you might imagine, he is AMAZING! I get such a kick watching him with the boys and managing our new family beautifully. You should see him! Rodrigo and Romeo love him! What's not to love??? He is patient with them and PLAYS with them all the time!!!! The downside is that he is an "old" father and when 9:30 p.m. rolls around, it's straight to bed for this man! If you know Allen at all, he is definitely a night owl. I think this may cure him once and for all. Thank you again for your prayers and your comments. It is something we look forward to at the end of every day.