Movin' up!!

I can hardly believe we haven't posted a thing on here for over 10 months.  I guess Facebook has sidetracked me from blog-world.

We are on the move though.  Thought I'd write a quick update to say we are in the middle of moving to Michigan.  Chris was recently selected as the District Superintendent of the West Michigan District (Wesleyan Church) and he will be overseeing 63 local churches in that area.  I'm very proud of him and how he has proved himself over the years ... making him the "perfect" person for the job (in my humble opinion!!).
The girls are doing really well.  Still funny, sweet, cute, energetic, challenging :o) ... but mostly cute and fun!  I'm excited about the move to Michigan because Chris will be traveling less ... and I'm very much looking forward to having Daddy home.  We love being a FAMILY and that's much easier done when we're all together!

I have no pictures on this computer ... so I can't post a new pic of the girls.  But they haven't changed too much.  Still tiny tots and as beautiful as ever.

Much love to you all.  I'll write more later ... just thought I'd pop in to say hi for a moment!

P week

Well, it was "P" week at kindergarten. So we had pajama day and a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. While at the Pumpkin Patch the girls had their first experience with a Port-a-Potty ... yet another adventure with the letter "P".

Beautiful Fall Day

We took advantage of a beautiful fall evening and played at a park near by. Our sweet girls are growing up ... while at the same time staying tiny tots!!

School, gymnastics (Nataliya) and horse back riding (Juliya) keep us all busy!! Oh, and Daddy's job keeps him really busy!!

I'm actually posting these pictures b/c I'm trying something new with a photo storage program. We'll see if this makes it easier for me to post pictures on here and facebook.

Four Fun Filled Months!!

Wow ... I had no idea I'd been so absent in blog world. The last post was April 28th ... oops!

We had a great summer with the girls.

Not much time to write ... but here are a few pictures ...

1. Nataliya bravely holding a baby chick at Conner Prairie.

2. Horseback Riding in Wyoming with Pastor Isaac Smith. They LOVED it!!
Juliya is actually now riding every week at a Theraputic Horse Riding program ... so good for her!!

3. Juliya in North Carolina at Grammie & Poppy's house ... with Shatzy the sweet doggie.

4. Our family with our precious Ukrainian friends Kostya & Olga (and their son Nikita). They made a trip to the US and we went to North Carolina to visit them for a few days. What a treat. We love these guys!!

5 & 6. Juliya started Kindergarten! She loves it ... and her two teachers. She is pictured here with one of them. Both of her teachers are young, beautiful and wonderful ... we are really pleased!!

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully there will be more in the near future!!

Loving Spring

A few pictures from Easter.

After Easter dinner/lunch at Chris' parents ... Nataliya got all dressed up as a bride! After the wedding (she married Daddy and Juliya dressed up as a bridesmaid) ... she spent some time swinging while her groom mowed Grampy's yard (that's Chris' Dad in the back ground).




There are few things more refreshing than the signs of spring. I'm even happy to endure the rain ... because when the sun comes back out again ... wow is it ever green!!

The girls get soooooooooooo excited when they see something blooming or sprouting. They call it "popping out" and they are sure to point it out with great enthusiasm. Juliya peaked out of her bedroom window on Sunday morning (after we had been gone for a week) to discover the crabapple tree in full bloom ... she was so happy ... bounding down the hall to tell us!

We were all blessed to have a week away as a family last week. Chris taught at a seminary in Orlando and then we both attended a church planting conference there for a couple of days. While we were at the conference the girls spent some fun time with our dear friend Auntie Icki (Vicki) who happens to live there. We also were treated to three days at Disney parks ... such fun for two little girls who love Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy and of course Tinker Bell (the sweet one who flies around ... not the new one with a stinky attitude!!).

Our week off was good ... but the girls were ready to get back to school ... they missed it. They go four days a week right now and will go two days a week during the summer. We also have a special therapist come to the house one morning a week to help with academic/developmental areas where the girls are still delayed. Kindergarten registration is next week at our public school and we're planning to go that route for next year and see how everyone does. Our little Juliya works really hard for every inch of progress she makes ... learning does not come easily for her ... like it does her younger sister. We continue to provide all the help we can and pray for God to help her become everything He wants for her to be.

I was reading another adoptive mom's blog tonight and she was being really honest about how rough this road can be at times. And boy is she right. Our beautiful daughters are worth EVERY ounce of trial we have gone through ... both in adopting them and also making the adjustment and progress as a family over the past 2 1/2 years. I am grateful daily (hourly) for the wisdom God gives, the grace He extends to me and the amazing privilege He has given me to raise two of His beautiful children. I am blessed!!

Here are a few pictures from Easter!

We Survived!!

The girls with Auntie Donona (Donna) one of my girlfriends from South Dakota who came for a visit while Daddy was out of the country.
Daddy with the girls at the airport ... before he left for a 20 day trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Oops ... keep forgetting the blog!

Well it has been a busy month for everyone since I last wrote ...

We had a really nice Christmas at home with my brother Don (he came down from Madison, Wisconsin), Chris' parents (who live here) and our neighbor friends (the mom and daughters are pictured here with the girls ... singing Happy Birthday to Jesus).

The girls actually warmed up to Santa this year ... and that was fun. They did ask him to leave the gifts on the front porch ... not to come inside! :) And so he did!
Nataliya asked for a guitar ... so Santa brought her a pink one and Juliya asked for a barking puppy ... so Santa brought her a Pluto ... he barks, wags his tail, walks, licks, sniffs and more. She loves him and I'm thrilled with this dog!!
More later ... can't promise when :o)

Forever Family!

Two years ago today we finally had permission to walk out of the orphanage with our little girls!
What a long awaited day that was!
So, December 8th is our Forever Family Day ... and we celebrated by taking the girls to the Indy Zoo for their Christmas Celebration tonight. It was a wonderful time together!
We continue to marvel at how very blessed we are by our little girls.

Two Years Ago Today

Let me start by apologizing ... I had updated our blog four times ... only to find out they had not posted. Bummer! I'm getting an error message ... so we'll skip those and pick up with today ...

Here is our post from December 1, 2006 from Kherson, Ukraine. Our court appointment had been November 27th and we were waiting the mandatory 10 day wait before we could take our girls in our arms and be a family forever!!

I'm going to make some current comments in bold italics throughout this post.

From December 1, 2006
Here it is … still morning where you all are and it is pitch dark outside here!! It gets dark here really early … like around 4:00 p.m.

As you may have guessed … today was much the same as yesterday! :o) Except we just had spaghetti for dinner and not peanut butter toast! :o)

This morning Max came to pick us up and he had his wife and little boy with him. She is beautiful and he is adorable! He just turned 2 years old in September. When I got in the back seat he was standing on the little bump between the two floorboards … holding on to the front seats. I thought when Max started driving he would sit down. Nope. His mom told me he likes to stand and see everything. I just cracked up … because you should see (or experience) how his dad (and everyone else on the road) drives! He is really good at hanging on to the front seats!! :o) I was just telling Max yesterday how seatbelts are a law in the US … he laughed! :o)

We saw Joy this morning and had a good visit with her. I especially like the part where she acts like a “real” 2 year old! You know, taking the wand from the bubbles and running off with it … “hiding” in the corner with it … then putting it in her mouth. She gets a “nyet” from us when she puts it in her mouth!! :o) I do love the sparkle in her eye while she’s testing our limits. I think it says a lot about how she feels with us! I know, I know … you’re all thinking “you won’t think it’s so cute for long!” And you’re probably right … but for now I’ll say it’s cute!
Reading that now makes me laugh! I should have known what I was getting in to! Nataliya "Joy" has been a delightful and strong-willed daughter! I guess she was trying to show us a glimpse of herself!

While we were with her this morning I measured her. I checked those measurements against a few of the clothes I have and I’m declaring her a 2T. I do have a few items in 18 and 24 months that will fit her right now … but I think anything I buy her will be in a 2T. She is 32 inches tall and her foot is 5 inches long. I would love to hear from a few of you who have toddlers I know and let me know how tall they are. That would help me to get a sense for who she compares to … size wise.
Well, my calculations were way off. The girls both wore 18-24 month clothes when they came home ... 2T stuff was huge on them until a year later. They are just now moving into 4T sizes ... very exciting ... since they are now 4 1/2 and 6 years old!!!

After our visit Chris went running and I went for ***** and to the Internet café with K&A. Oh, they told me I can tell you their names … Kevin & Angie. They are such sweeties.

When I got home Chris was here. He had a fun time out running … discovering all sorts of things … and getting LOTS of stares! He was telling me he ran to the train station and he said “man, there were lots of stares” … but I thought he was saying “man, there were lots of stairs!” I was thinking that was strange because I hadn’t seen any when we were there a few weeks ago! :o) I finally said to him “oh, you mean people were staring at you!!!” It was funny … maybe you had to be there!

This afternoon Chris worked on some stuff for work while I took a nap! After my nap I made dinner and started writing to you.

You are probably wondering … “what about Grace?” I miss her too!

This morning while we were visiting with Joy we received a call from Kostya. The director from Grace’s orphanage had called and was concerned that we hadn’t come this morning. If you’ll recall, yesterday they told us to come in the afternoons … that’s when the social worker’s office would be available to us! So, we had planned to go there this afternoon. I told Kostya that and he called her back.

While I was at lunch Kostya called again and he had talked with the director. She wanted us to know that she feels very much for us with Grace. She said she and the staff recognize how much we are trying and how committed we are to her! She relayed to Kostya that it took them a long time to get her comfortable with them when she moved there. She told Kostya she would understand if we just want to come pick her up next week without trying to visit her between now and then. Kostya told her he thought we would want to see her … so she told him she would leave instructions with the weekend staff to let us use the social worker’s office and also for someone to go get Grace from her groupa. She said the social worker’s office wouldn’t be available this afternoon so we should wait and come in the morning.
We now know ... Juliya hated her life at that orphanage. Poor thing was an emotional wreck during those weeks I'm sure! So glad she's in a loving, stable environment now. We are far from perfect. But God knew what she needed and we're doing our best to be that.

We decided this afternoon that since she was trying to work with us that we would respect her suggestion and not go this afternoon. So we will be going to see Grace at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. We figure that even if she sees our faces … that is better than nothing. We’re planning to have Kostya on the phone when we get there and we will hand the phone to the first adult we see and let him do the explaining!

Of course we covet your prayers for Grace as we ask the Father to prepare and protect her little heart for another big change. Please also pray for Joy … because while she has done so much better with us … this is also going to be a big change for her. One of her caregivers was giving her big hugs and kisses yesterday … I know she is going to be missed … and she will miss those who have cared for her.

Well, it is Friday night and after we leave here we will stop at the grocery store for a little more excitement (we need to buy some toilet paper!!)! I think we may even have some chocolate ice cream before the day is done! Wow!

Yes you are loved! I’m hoping Chris will write an entry this weekend. He is ALWAYS on his computer writing … but it is always for work or school work. I know he has some funny things in his brain to share! Oh, and I just remembered we still need to tell you about last weekend.

So, stay tuned … the Conrad saga continues!

A few pictures ...

Well friends, I am still on a major learning curve with this blogging stuff ... and one of my major issues of "clue-less-ness" is how to tell you what these pictures are ... like right next to the picture. Sorry ... these descriptions will have to do.

#1 - Kostya and Chris (with backpack) walking down the road from Nataliya's orphanage. This was a dirt path between other apartment buildings. You can tell Chris is the American ... b/c Ukrainians don't carry big backpacks! :o) You can tell the other guy is Kostya ... b/c he is on the phone ... he was always on the phone ... plotting our next move!!

#2 This is the "road" to/from Juliya's orphanage. This had bits and pieces of asphault on it and was much more like a walk way ... but cars did drive on it. The building at the front of the picture is a shop that sells candy, cigarettes, phone cards, etc.




#3 - this is a picture of "waiting" ... we did lots of "hurry up and wait!" This picture was taken in the play room of Nataliya's orphanage ... we were waiting for the orphanage director to see us. The guys weren't really sleeping ... but they did look this bored!

#4 - This is the playground at Juliya's orphanage. Basically lots of bars painted bright colors ... makes me want to cry just looking at it. Our kids here in the states have it soooooooo good!!




#5 - (brown steps/doors, blue bricks) This is the outside of Juliya's orphanage. We entered through the door on the left whenever we came to see her. Her groupa lived on the second floor ... in the area of the first three windows on the left. When she sees this picture ... she says "Juliya cry!" :o(

#6 - a happy Juliya. Finding me in a photo album and pointing to me in person ... love this picture!!

#7 - kids in strollers - Nataliya is the little darling all bundled up in navy blue standing in the front - far right. The building behind her is the outside of the "baby house" orphanage.

#8 - Chris laughing at Nataliya ... I see this expression on his face ALL THE TIME. She is a funny girl and she keeps us all laughing around here!

#9 - we couldn't resist getting some good photos of these bows (yes, they are bows and not shower scrubbies) in her hair. I think the caregivers were trying to make her look more like a girl by dressing her up for us!! :o)

Well speaking of the little honey ... she just got up from her nap ... so I'm off to play and laugh some more. Oh, and make dinner and do laundry and clean up and all that good mommy/family stuff too!!

Our first weekend in Ukraine

I'm a bit challenged when it comes to putting pictures on here the way I want them to be ... sorry! But better this than nothing!

These pictures are 1) Nataliya Joy, the afternoon we met her, 2) Juliya Grace, the afternoon we met her (the man kneeling down is Kostya, our friend, facilitator & translator), 3) Nataliya's referral picture , 4) Juliya's referral picture (these are the pictures we saw at our initial appointment in Kiev on Nov. 8, 2006). The referral pictures are about the size of a passport photo ... and they had staples through them. They are also the only photos we have of our girls prior to adopting them ... so they are very cherished "baby" picutures!

Back to reminicing ... two years ago we were in Ukraine ... just beginning the local, in-country process of our adoption. November 11th was a Saturday and we went to see Nataliya (Joy) in the morning and the afternoon. She was such a delight ... it's amazing how in love we were with these girls when we had missed out on being present in their lives for the first 2 1/2 and 4 years ... but knowing God had been knitting your hearts together since before that time was really an amazing experience!!

We were not "allowed" to visit Juliya (Grace) over the weekend ... so we just prayed for her, planned for our next visits and looked at the pictures we had taken of her during Friday's initial visit.

Our original blog "ate" the entries from our first several days in Ukraine ... but here is something Chris had written as a recap ...

November 10

3. Upon arrival (Friday morning) we immediately headed to meet with Joy’s social worker. (As you now know, although Grace and Joy are sisters, because of their two year age difference, they live in two separate orphanages. As it turns out, they are also in two different counties, this means much of the work in this process is doubled). Adoptive parents are not allowed to visit their children until first receiving the approval of the child’s social worker. The social worker interviewed us (this is #2 interview), asking general questions about why we were adopting in general and why from Ukraine in particular. After leaving Joy’s social worker, we immediately drove to Grace’s social worker’s office. We found her walking on the sidewalk heading to lunch. She graciously agreed to sign our paper work and said she would interview us later. Armed with the signatures of both girls’ social workers, we could then go visit the orphanage director at each orphanage. The appointment with the orphanage director is yet another interview process (because we have two orphanage directors to deal with, this was #3 & #4).

After passing their version of the “interview test” we were then allowed to meet Joy and Grace. Grace was brought into an office of one of the orphanage workers for our initial meeting. Joy was brought into the director’s office.

November 11-15.

Once we had met the girls and decided we wanted to continue the process (something we knew from the instant we met them), we then have to start getting the necessary permission to proceed. This permission must be granted by both social workers and both orphanage directors. Typically, this only happens once they are convinced the children are going to accept you as their parents, which they can (and sometimes do) take their sweet time to decide. Because the federal agency (SDA) has already approved you as adoptive parents, it is very rare that these individuals can actually stop the process, but they can certainly slow it down and make it very difficult. So, care must be taken with each step. By Wednesday, November 15 after interview (#5) with Grace’s social worker, we had everyone’s signature to proceed.

Two Amazing Years!!

For the rest of my life I will reminisce during the days of November/December about our journey to Ukraine in 2006. Those will always prove to be some of the most God-ordained days of our lives. We were relying on Him so heavily and He was soooooooooooo unbelievably faithful ... wow!!! (great lessons learned there to be applied to our everyday, ongoing life!!)
Two years ago at this hour ... we were boarding an overnight train that would take us from Kiev to Kherson, Ukraine ... hoping we would be meeting our daughters the next day! The anticipation was overwhelming ... in a really wonderful way!
Fast-forward two years ... and we're living a very blessed life with our little family.
Last week we were enjoying some beautiful fall weather ... so the girls and I headed out for a walk around the block ... here are some fun photos from our outing!

Fun at Cool Creek Nature Park!

Sweet little sisters enjoying a beautiful day at Cool Creek Nature Park near our house!

These pictures really capture their personalities. :o)


So much has been going on in our lives ... which leads to little time for updating our blog.
Please know we love you and love hearing from you when you post a comment or drop us an e-mail.
We are once again "reliving" our experience from 2 years ago ... feels like the girls have always been a part of our lives ... and yet our time in Ukraine was such an amazing experience in our lives and we love reminiscing about how we were preparing to leave for Ukraine two years ago this week.
Can't imagine my life without them ... they really are precious little miracles!!