late nights, internet, and snuggles

I'm trying to be a little better about keeping up with this. I know many of you still check this daily and I am touched and blessed that you care enough about us to continue to do so.

Nina is doing pretty well. She is sad that no one she wrote in Ukraine has written back. She seems to be coming out of the deepest part of the grief cycle, but I think she feels abandoned by the family and friends she left behind. She is gaining more confidence at school and I anticipate her grades beginning to rise. Our biggest concern is that she is spending TONS of time on Russian chat rooms. We have tried to be understanding about this because it gives her a connection to her culture and some badly needed social interaction. The problem she is spending so much time doing it. It is keeping her up way to late, but it is difficult to get any 16 year old to go to bed, much less one that has only been with you 4 months. By the same token Bruce and I have been going to bed way too late as well, so we are walking zombies half the time.

We are struggling with financial and housing decisions right now. We would like to move out to the country but we did not anticipate bringing home a child who would be ready for college in just 3 more years. So we are praying about what to do. I want to be able to shorten Bruce's hour long commute and I would also like a house that would fit our family a little better. But I don't think that can happen at the moment. Soooooo . . .

Gideon is also doing well. We FINALLY are getting some evaluations to get help with his speech delay. He has become a real snuggle bug, especially with Mama, but Papa and Nina get in on the action too. It is amazing to think that in December if my hand touch his bare belly he would descend into a meltdown. Now he pulls up his shirt as we are going to sleep so I can rub his belly and his back. God is good and he is the healer of souls and spirit as well as body.

Please pray that God will draw Gideon and Nina to himself and give them a hunger of Himself and spiritual things. Pray that God will give us wisdom and grace as we seek to parent in a Christlike way.

Peace of Christ my friends,
BLN&G