Getting Better Every Month

I meant to post on our six month anniversary, then seventh month. Here we are, home now eight months. Life still seems very up and down, but the hills are getting smaller and fewer between. Looking back, we have come a long ways. It was so hard in the beginning, but like I said, each month the kids' behavior improves, and all four are getting along better.

Ashley just finished up volleyball at her school. She couldn't decide if she wanted to play, and so we made the decision for her and told her we were making her play. She is very strong and athletic, and she did very well and loved it. It was also a great way for her to make more friends at her new school. She is going out for basketball in November.
School is a lot harder this year. We do extra math at home every night to help catch her up. Now that volleyball is over, she will be going to tutoring after school a few days a week to give Jim and I a much needed break. We were committed ahead of time to sitting down every night and doing homework with our new kids, but it does take a lot out of us. We have learned that Jim and Ashley work better together and Joshua and I, so that is usually how it ends up every evening as we go through extra math and all of their school homework. They do not have very much free time because homework takes so long. Ashley ended up needing a root canal last month. We just went through a rough couple of weeks with Ashley. She disagrees, argues or has an excuse for almost everything we say, and I had had it earlier this week. Part of it is her age, she is still learning to trust us, but it is very disrespectful, and most of the time she is outright lying about things. We had a long discussion, and she is working on her attitude. It is times like these that I am very thankful for the large community of families that have adopted from Ukraine in Colorado. I lean on my good friends, Heidi and Eileen, a lot, and they are always there to listen and with good advice. Ashley is super outgoing and has made many friends at her new school. Her teachers have told us the boys have noticed her, too. She is very beautiful. We are praying for her purity as we teach her in that area. One day at a volleyball game some boys were sitting behind her putting their feet on her back, and she turned around and said something to them. When she had a break I said something about those boys had better leave you alone or I'll come over and beat them up, and she laughed and said, "I took care of it, Mom." Ashley has gotten quieter-praise God!

Joshua has made incredible progress in the last couple of months. When he first came home he was angry much of the time, had few social manners and very far behind in school. We did not know if he had learning disabilities or if he was behind due to the fact that he didn't start school until he was 9. He would shut down quickly when we would work with him saying he couldn't do the work. He is a different boy now. We have done over two years of math at home in the past 8 months, and he is learning at a very rapid rate. His teachers are starting to say they do not think he has any learning disabilities because he is picking everything up so quickly. He qualified for a literacy program in school and works in a very small group on reading, and now he can read! It really is amazing. At the beginning of the school year he started spelling, and it was overwhelming at first for him to even start putting sounds into writing. We are working on 3rd grade spelling words. Last night we did a first pass at his words for this week, and he got 8 out of 12 right! The first time we did that at the beginning of the school year he didn't get any right. He is talking in full sentences and uses new vocabulary all the time.
His sense of humor is coming out, and he can be very silly. He and Austin are close and spend a lot of time running around playing chase, wrestling, watching football, etc. The other day we were watching football, and Josh kept hearing them say "Russian" on TV. He kept saying, "Who's Russian?" We figured out that they would say "rushing", as in rushing the passer, etc., but it does sound like Russian. Then they panned to a cheerleader, and Josh said, "She's lovely." He cracks us up all the time. He got into trouble a few times at the beginning of the school year, but we haven't gotten a phone call in a month now-woo hoo! We have talked a lot about choosing good friends, and they will help keep you on the right track. His best friend, Hok, is from Cambodia. Joshua is starting tutoring/homework club twice a week, another little breather for Jim and I! He loves karate class and is an orange belt.

Austin and Tatum are doing great in high school. They are both good students, and sometimes we have to ask them to help us with Ashley's homework. Tatum has a job tutoring a girl in math. Band is taking up a lot of their spare time playing at football games, parades and competitions. Sadly, no band pictures yet, just videos. I'll have to snap one of them in their uniforms. I am so proud of Austin and Tatum. Our family life has done a 180, but they are learning to accept it. They are good role models for Ashley and Joshua. A nice perk is Austin and Tatum have gotten even closer in their relationship with each other, and now Austin pounds on Joshua instead of Tatum ;) I thought Tatum would be sad not being the youngest anymore, but she told me the other night that she is happy about that. She didn't want to be the only one home when Austin goes to college. The reason I have time to blog today is it is a late start day, so I took the day off. When Austin began high school, we started a tradition of going out to breakfast together on late start days, which happens 1x month. Now Tatum is in high school, so she goes with us. Teenagers and good food is always a winning combination.

Keep praying for Bruce & Michele. They are in Ukraine adopting Ashley's best friend, Natasha, and another boy. They have hit lots of bumps and have their first court date on the 13th. Pray that the judge would agree to let them adopt both kids, despite some paperwork and sibling issues.