So by the way, how are the KIDS???

Today it has been 3 weeks since we arrived in Kiev to start living life as a family.  It may seem as if the unfortunate passport situation has overshadowed much of our joy...in our Facebook status updates, emails, and blog entries perhaps.  But not in our "home"!  Yes, we have felt stress and sorrow, but we have tried very hard to do so privately.  When we are with Anya and Sasha, life has been all about them.  And although we have failed to adequately express our joy publicly, believe us, it is there!

So after three weeks, how ARE the children, you ask?

They are incredible.  Really.  They are doing so well with their transition from living in an orphanage to living in a family.  We really couldn't ask for them to be handling it any better!  Sasha is taking it all in stride; you'd never know he'd just experienced such a huge change!  Anya is relishing in the affection and attention, and slowly relinquishing her instinct to "parent" Sasha.  All my worries about how they would handle these role changes were largely unwarranted.

The first week was interesting... There were habits to break (no, kids, you do not need to wear your underwear in the shower) and they had to get used to many things, like the idea that they could have MORE to drink if they wanted it (we went through almost 3 containers of milk the first day).  There were communication barriers to overcome, and I learned WAY more Russian than they learned English.  But we laughed so much!

I can't figure out how we communicate as well as we do.  Yes, we use Google translate a few times a day but I am certainly not walking around with my nose constantly in a Russian/English dictionary.  It just works and I can't explain how!  They speak to me in Russian and somehow I understand what they mean.  I speak to them in English and they eventually figure it out.  The Lord is giving us incredible understanding for one another.  

I am sure that we are going through a honeymoon phase.  I have no doubt that there will be more difficult phases to come, especially as we return home and begin life together as a family of 6.  But I also know that God crafted these delightful, funny, goofy, thoughtful, and affectionate children to be Stinsons, as surely as He did Sophia and Claire.  So we trust Him that He will guide us through whatever challenging times may come, and praise Him for the joyful times that we have had already!