WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What would you do if you came across a whale-themed playground?

If you are Jonah, you would act out the Jonah and the whale story! In this photo, he is praying "inside" the whale.

I would like to think that Jonah is teaching us deeper lessons about witnessing to others by praying in public or that we should always live out our faith.  Perhaps, God can use the funny antics of a 6 year old to teach us this.  

However, as usual with Jonah, the biggest take-away I always get from watching Jonah is that we should live life to the fullest.  Don't let what others might think of you stop you from doing what is in your heart.  

So now, think again, what would you do if you came across a whale-themed playground?  Remember, think like Jonah!  It will be fun!

WHAT A SUMMER!

Can't believe we're doing this: last month we brought Ben home from Lithuania, and now we are bringing Abigail off to college in Minneapolis. What a summer!

Best wishes to our beautiful daughter Abigail in her new adventures at college!  

OUR AMAZING TRAVELER!

After writing about our lost luggage, I realized I never mentioned how our trip home went:  Ben was an amazing traveler!

We woke him up at 4 a.m. on Thurs, 7-21 and took a taxi to the Vilnius airport.  Then we had a 2 hour flight to Frankfurt.  

This was Ben's first time on a plane, and he was not scared at all!  When we first boarded the plane, he kept making a gagging sound.  We were thinking, "How can he be motion sick when we haven't even gotten in the air yet?"  After about a half hour of him gagging (and probably making the people ahead a bit nervous), we finally told him a firm "Nah" (no in Lithuanian) and that was the end of that.

Then we had a 5 hour lay over at the Frankfurt airport.  Ben did amazing here too.  We took many walks- he loved the moving sidewalks!  He tried eating a frankfurter (we had to have one when you are at the Frankfurt airport, right?) but did not like it.  He watched lots of Rescue Heroes on my phone. 

Then at 1:00, it was time to board the flight for Chicago.  The unfortunate thing here was that because we had to switch our return tickets at the last minute, we could not get 3 seats together.  So Andrew and Ben got to sit in Economy Plus which meant more room and quieter.  Poor mom was all alone in Economy at the very back of the plane.  Of course, Andrew had to care for Ben for a 8 hour flight so I think he deserved the extra leg room and quiet.  Ben did very good on this flight even though he only slept about 15 minutes for the entire trip.  Andrew said he watched movies or just sat and looked around.  What a trooper!  

We landed in Chicago at 3:30 central time, but to us it felt like 9 p.m. which meant we had now been awake for about 16 hours with only a few snoozes here and there.  

And we were totally not prepared for the international custom process with the added element of bringing a new citizen into the country!  Oh my goodness, as I mentioned in my previous post, we were brought to about 5 different areas where different parts of our paperwork had to be processed and approved.  Fortunately, we had asked for the airline to provide us a stroller since we knew Ben would not able to walk for a long distance after all that travel.  The airline didn't have a stroller but instead provided us with a wheelchair and escort.  Ben rode proud like a king thru all our stops- just taking everything in.  He never once lost it and had a meltdown- very impressive.  Especially considering again, the lack of sleep.   

Finally, after 5 minutes in our car, he fell asleep.  He woke up briefly to meet his sisters when we came into the house but then was pretty much down for the count until his brother Jonah woke him up in the morning.  I couldn't have been more amazed about how he handled everything.  I was very proud of that little boy.  He sure knows how to roll with it!

THINGS WE HAVE LOST

Since the adoption of Ben, we have lost a few things.

First and foremost, and the one that breaks my heart, is we lost 1 piece of luggage on our return trip.  It was one of our carry ons (so we have no one to blame but ourselves).  And unfortunately, it was the carry on that carried most of our souvenirs and gifts for the kids and my family.  But probably the saddest part is that this carry on had some special things of Ben's which can never be replaced.  

So if you are reading this post and know of anyone who works at O'Hare Airport in Chicago or for United Airlines, maybe you can help us out.  

We are reasonably sure we left the carry on at carousel 9 in the baggage claim area.  What happened is that in the middle of retrieving our checked luggage, after going on almost 24 hours of no sleep and then being put the maze of entering the USA with a child who is has just become a US citizen which means you have to stop at about a zillion different checkpoints with your VERY IMPORTANT PAPERS (but I digress....), some custom official came up to us and told us we had to move out of the way of this door that we had set our baggage cart in front of.  So all of a sudden we were rushed to move everything and Ben out of the way as we finished packing up our checked luggage onto the cart.  In all that hustle and bustle, we (me, but I am trying to spread the blame...) think we left this carry on sit in that baggage claim area.

We noticed we were missing it about an hour after we arrived home.  In a sleepless daze, we called the O'Hare police who had nothing but advised us to check with them in a few hours again.  We actually checked with them for a few DAYS, and our carry on was never turned in to their lost and found.

The other thing we did that night was file online (this is the only way to communicate with United about lost luggage-they will NOT take phone calls) an official lost luggage claim with United.  

I think that is the most annoying thing about this ordeal is that we could never talk to a person at United.  If we could have just gotten someone on the phone that night, we probably could have talked them over to the exact spot our carry on was sitting at.  URRRRR....  Anyway, United investigates your claim for 30 days before they give up.  Its been 30 days so we officially got their notice of nothing last week.

I try to have a sense of humor about this.  One of things in this bag was 7 pairs of knee high socks that were the colors of the Lithuanian flag.  I imagine the person who found and took our bag as their own sitting their with all these Lithuanian socks,  What a find!  

Probably the bag was just thrown away because as a carry on, we had no identifying info on it.  Note to those of you getting ready to travel:  put your name and phone number on your carry ons!

Oh well, it was only stuff.  So much worse could have happened.  I just feel bad because we had found some very nice gifts for everyone, and now no one gets to enjoy them, except maybe that person who is sitting with 7 pairs of Lithuanian socks, 6 homemade handbags, 6 Lithuanian t shirts, and plenty of amber jewelry....

Ok, now on to the rest of the post.  Other things we have lost since adopting Ben:

When Ben first came to live with us at the apartment in Vilnius, these were some of his orphanage behaviors that we found amusing and very telling:

1.  When he woke up in the morning, he IMMEDIATELY got out of bed and made the bed.  There was no cuddling or just relaxing when you woke up.  It was open your eyes and feet to the floor!

2.  Ben only wanted to eat by the kitchen table, even snacks.

3.  When Ben would take off his shoes, he would neatly place them on the rug by the door.

Ben has now been with us for about 6 weeks.  He has been in America and living with 3 American teenagers for 5 weeks.  As a result, he has learned to cuddle and chill in the morning when he wakes up.  He doesn't make his bed anymore upon waking up.  He loves to have a bedtime snack in the living room while watching "Rescue Heroes" or an "Adventure Bible" video.  His shoes are now in the heap with the other 50 pair from our kids that no matter how often I remind them to place neatly in a row in our mudroom, it just never happens!  

In other words, I think we have created another American teenager!

Seriously, I am glad to see Ben feeling comfortable enough to put aside some of his orphanage behaviors and just be a little 6 year old boy who isn't totally responsible and dutiful.  I want him to be a goofy little kid whose biggest chore of the day is to play and have fun.  Besides, as a member of this American family now, he is entitled to the experience of a mom reminding him constantly (aka nagging) to pick up after himself and put his stuff away.  I wouldn't want to deprive him of that!

Now here are some pictures of the past few days.  Just so enjoying and cherishing getting to know Ben better and better everyday!  What a precious little Lithuanian treasure we brought home- our best souvenir by far!!!!

On Wednesday, Ben had his check up at our pediatrician.  Our doctor was very impressed with how healthy Ben was which was so wonderful to hear.  Thank you Lord for watching over this sweet boy his first 6 years without us.  Unfortunately, keeping him healthy meant 3 immunizations and a blood draw to check for Celiac disease, his thyroid, and CBC.  So although it was good appointment, it was rough on Ben.  After that ordeal, we took him to a bakery where he picked out a HUGE chocolate chip cookie.  This is him on the way home after eating half of his cookie.

His first donut and coffee time with my family.  We got together as a sendoff for Abigail who leaves for college on Monday.  That will be a hard day for this mom....

Abigail and the boys.  I think she is going to miss them both very much when she leaves for college,

A week after we arrived home, we took Ben for a haircut at the salon here in town.  Grandpa always cuts Jonah's hair, but we didn't want Ben to be afraid of his new Grandpa so we decided to make our friend from church the "bad guy".  However, today I took Jonah for his haircut by Grandpa.  Ben sat and watched.  When Jonah was done, we asked Ben if he would like a haircut too, and he readily agreed.  He actually did need a trim because our friend wasn't able to cut his bangs a few weeks ago because he started to get a little upset.  But today, he sat very nice for Grandpa, and I think the experience was actually a bonding time for the two of them!  Jonah always thinks its funny to have the Christmas tree skirt put on him before Grandpa starts cutting his hair.  Now Ben got to have that funny thing happen to him too!  What a handsome fellow!

Oh and here is our other handsome fellow, Jonah:

  

NOT AS MANY SECONDS

The past few days I have noticed that Ben isn't requesting 2nd or 3rds as much at the table.  We are wondering if he is starting to trust that another meal will always be provided by us, and he doesn't have to "hoard" food at mealtime in case there isn't another meal coming.  

One of the constants at the orphanage was the 3 meals a day.  Perhaps Ben is realizing we are as reliable as the orphanage when it comes to food.  I am hoping my food is bit better tasting than the orphanage food- it never looked real appetizing to me...

When I think of life in the orphanage for Ben, I see living with us, his new family, has an improvement.  I have to remind myself that Ben may still be missing his old life- it was the only life he had ever known.  In my mind, he came to something better.  In his mind, he is just dealing with the fact that everything has changed for him.  In time, I pray the stress of that adjustment will lessen, and he will truly be happy with his new life.

Until then, we will keep proving to him that we are loving and worthy of his trust.  And food is one of those ways to communicate that- it's been said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!  

UNEXPLAINED GIGGLES

Often Ben will break out in an unexplained giggle. 

For instance last night, we were driving home after school shopping for Lydia, and Ben just start to giggle in his car seat.  

When he does this, we wonder if he is just so happy to have a family and this new life of his.  I would like to think this is the cause of his giggles...until he tells me differently, I will just go with that version!

On a humorous side note, often times Ben will look at us rather angrily and shout something in Lithuanian to us.  We are reasonably sure he is expressing some anger towards us.  So it goes both ways.  

Take the good and the bad, and you end up somewhere in the middle, right?

THE TALE OF TWO CAPES

As I said before, things have been such a whirlwind since we left for Lithuania on 7-8, that I am still processing all the incredible experiences we had during our trip to bring Ben home.

Another incredible gift from the Lord happened when we were packing up Ben's things at the orphanage on 7-15.  

The only things we had ever seen of Ben's during our visits at the orphanage were the things we had given him in our care package to him.  When it was time for him to leave the orphanage, we found out he had a few more possessions- birthday gifts that had been donated to him over the years.  

One of those gifts was a red cape with the FLASH symbol on it.  

You might wonder why I am even bothering to mention a silly old red cape?  But the thing is, our Jonah has a red cape with a FLASH symbol on it that he plays with almost every day.  He uses it to be a superhero, to be a Bible character, whatever game he is imagining usually needs the cape.  The cape is so important to him that I even packed it to go by my sister while he stayed there during our trip.

To see little Ben pull a red FLASH cape out of his box to pack for home was just amazing to Andrew and I.  Two little boys, worlds apart but soon to be brothers, each with red capes.  Andrew doesn't cry over much, but this brought tears to his eyes.  It truly felt like the Lord was telling us once again that this was meant to be- this had all been ordained and planned by Him.

The reason we both have such strange looks on our faces is because we truly were in shock when this red cape appeared.

Ben's cape is on the left, Jonah's is on the right.  I don't think Ben ever got to play with his cape at the orphanage because all the kids would have fought over it.  However, if Ben watches Jonah, he will find many things to use his cape for- like I said, Jonah plays with his almost everyday!

BEN'S FIRST WEEKS HOME

Hard to believe we have been home for 3 weeks!

Just wanted to share some ordinary moments that seem extraordinary when you watch a 6 year old former orphan experience them for the first time!

   

Ben and his new best friend, our dog Tucker or "SUO" (shoe-a) as Ben calls him in Lithuanian

Abigail and I took the boys for a walk at Harrington Beach State Park.

Snack time in the living room.  Ben seemed very hesitant at first to eat away from the table. 

Now he is an old pro at it!

Fun on our swingset!

Playtime at the park with Aunt Jane and Uncle Doug

BEN'S RAINBOW

Because it has been such a whirlwind since coming home with Ben, I forgot another amazing God-thing, this one happening on the night we arrived home.   Outside was a double rainbow.  Not only was it beautiful, it just spoke to our hearts about how the Lord's hand has been on this process from day one.  He fully intended Ben to be part of our family, from leading us to Ben's picture on Reece's Rainbow, to making him our son on the same date that six years earlier he arrived at his orphanage, and then blessing us with 2 amazing rainbows in the sky the night we arrive home with Ben.

To God be the Glory...

Here are his sisters meeting him that night for the first time 

(Stephen was away at a running camp, 

and Jonah was asleep for the night).

Here is Jonah meeting Ben for the first time the next morning.  Notice they are holding hands!

And finally Stephen and Ben meet for the first time later that day.

HOPEFULLY HAPPENED!

I was reading through our blog the other day, just reliving what the past almost 18 months have been like during our adoption process.  I came across a post from 7-13-15 entitled "Hopefully Next Summer".  It had photos of the girls and Jonah playing at the beach, and then talked about hopefully next summer little Benjamin would playing at the beach with us. 

The other day I took Lydia and the boys to the beach.  As I looked over the photos I took that day, I realized HOPEFULLY HAD HAPPENED!  Here I was at the beach with Jonah and his new brother Benjamin.  Something we have been praying about and hoping for and now it happened.

God answers our prayers in many ways- sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait.

Here was a prayer that was finally answered yes- HOPEFULLY HAPPENED!  Thank you Lord.

THANK YOU LORD!

This morning I want to share all the things the Lord has done for us over these past few weeks:

1. Safe travel to and from Lithuania.  
2. Safety and good health while we were in Lithuania.
3. Safety and good health for the 4 kiddos we left home while we traveled.
4. Strength, comfort and PEACE as I wrestled with homesickness and major fears about the adoption the first few days we were in country.  
5. An amazingly smooth and QUICK process while in country so that we could be home in just 13 days.  For the work of Cathy, Silva, and Reda in helping bring Ben home!
6. Protection over Benjamin Kostas over the past 6 years and during this time of adjustment for him.
7. Strength, comfort and peace as we all adjust to our new family.
8. The love, help, and prayers of family and friends during our time away.  This was definitely a group effort!

I grew in my faith in the Lord during this experience, realizing that I do not need to depend on what I can do but rather on what Christ can do through me.  I learned to give my worries and fears to the Lord rather than fretting over them.

Thank you Lord for all you have done for us.  I am in awe of your perfect ways.