We're Home

With great sadness last Wednesday, we called Oksana and asked her to stop all work on our adoption of Ruslan. I think she knew it might be coming. Things were good the first few days with Ruslan but quickly started to unravel on Sunday evening, and every passing day the problems seemed to increase and the pit in my stomach got bigger. I know that's very vague, but I have resolved to spare everyone the details. The bottom line is that the relationship between us and Ruslan never developed. Michael hung on a little longer than I did and kept trying to be a cheerleader, but on Wednesday, even he acknowledged that with court looming two days away, we had to call it quits. Oksana had worked miracles in getting such an early court date, but it ended up being a two-edged sword because it forced us into making a decision really fast. We found out after we arrived in Ukraine that the court in Dnipro would be closed for two weeks beginning June 29, and it put everything for us on a fast track.

I want to make it clear here that I think Ruslan has potential. He's smart, handsome, coordinated, and we're told he's healthy. Although the dynamics with our family didn't work out, we're very hopeful that when he's hosted this fall, it will work great for another family.

We met with Ruslan Thursday to tell him good-bye. Michael did an A+ job of explaining and trying to teach some things to him. He listened and didn't shed any tears, although Michael had to stop to gain his composure. After Ruslan left the room, Michael and I both broke down into sobs. We were told by the Bensons that Ruslan came out of the room, went outside, and started playing with the other kids as if nothing happened. They also saw him extensively later that day, and he seemed to be happy as a clam. He was hanging out with Oksana and Lena most of the day. This was really good to hear. The last thing we ever wanted was to harm that little boy further. He will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

So we have spent the last 14 months hoping to bring an orphan from Ukraine into our family. We suffered the painful loss of Bogdan, and now our second trip to Ukraine is etched into our minds. If we have any words of advice, it is that the hosting program works much better than blind adoption. Blind adoption is a little like going to Vegas, only you need to put all your money on the table even before you leave home. It's difficult to build a relationship and make eternal decisions after a few short days with someone, especially in a foreign country and within the walls of an orphanage. I applaud those that have been successful at it.

I want to take my hat off to Michael, who traveled with me every step of the way on this journey, and we give our sincere thanks to Drew and Jen Benson. Jen and I shed tears together as this story played out, and Drew gave us some great words of advice and was our electronics coach while in Ukraine. (Most electronics stop working when we touch them.) Also the Lobos clan always had kind words for us. Thanks to all of you who emotionally supported us by your kind words on the blog, and thanks to our own children, our parents, and our brothers and sisters for your support.

We have certainly learned to appreciate this country, with all of its problems, and are glad to be home.

Monday was spent with Elena in trains, cars, and subways. We had to return to the SDA in Kiev to get our official paperwork to see Ruslan. The weather here is getting very hot, and it was sort of a miserable day walking around Kiev. It was a lot of traveling and sitting to sign our names a couple times, but everything went okay. We traveled back with Oleg and Oksana in their car. We stopped and ate dinner at 11:30 p.m. in Kremenchuk, which of course made us start to wonder and think about Bogdan. He is most likely at summer camp right now and wouldn't have been at the orphanage anyway.

Yesterday (Tuesday) started out rough and ended up pretty good. Ruslan was pouting again. In fact, he disappeared, and we didn't bother to try to find him. We went and played with water balloons with a group of other kids. In fact, we felt so bad about the way things were going, we were about ready to walk away from it all and told Lena so. Eventually we were able to sit down with Ruslan and Oksana and had a real heart-to-heart talk. We are trying to understand a little bit about what Ruslan is feeling, and we also explained to him a few things about how a family works. Ruslan has lost his family twice, in a way. His mother lost her rights, but he still had hope because she would visit him occasionally. Then we understand she became more interested in her boyfriend than Ruslan, and the visiting had stopped even before she died. Then Ruslan's aunt started to visit him and told him she would take him out of the orphanage, so he again had hope of a family. Then she had a baby and said she didn't have room for him, so he again lost hope. He has tried to run away a couple times. He has said he very much wants a family. We understand these children just don't know where they fit in or how to act. Anyway, after the talk, things got back to where they were the first two days, and he spent the rest of the day with us.

I wanted to tell of a heart-breaking scene yesterday. We walked into the T.V. room, and Zhenia, the other little boy we considered, was standing looking out the window with his back to the room. He was just sobbing. We walked over to him, and Lena asked him what was wrong. He said one of the older boys had hit him. He was just standing there looking out the window and sobbing. He had no one to go to who would make it better, no one to go confront the older boy, no one to hug and kiss him and tell him everything would be okay. We patted him on the back and gave him a squeeze, but how can that fix a broken heart? I thought about him all day. I know he is coming to Utah in the fall. I hope and pray he will be able to find a family. He's going to grow up to be the football or soccer hero of some high school somewhere. We can just tell it.

I know there are bullies here. I'm hearing more and more about the meanness that can go on with some of the older kids, even some of the girls. Being here is kind of emotionally draining.

The culture of Ukraine is so different. You can't get someone to smile if your life depended on it. You walk down the streets, your eyes meet someone else's eyes, you give them a smile, and they look at you with a deadpan expression. I'm telling you deadpan. It's as if they were dead inside. We asked Lena about this, and she said, "Why would you smile if you're not happy?"

We walk everywhere with the Bensons, to the orphanage, the grocery store, the park. We carry tons of bottled water with us because you can't drink the water here because of Chernobyl. The water has chemicals and is radioactive, they say. The LDS missionaries also warned us about it. We get stared down everywhere we go, and we hear people saying "Americans." Sometimes they laugh. I guess our tennis shoes are funny? The women here, especially in Kiev, dress like they're going to a cocktail party instead of work: high heels, fancy dresses, make-up, hair done. There are a lot of beautiful, thin women here. We understand people looking for models come here to find them. We read that eighty percent of the men smoke here, and we believe it. EVERYBODY is smoking nonstop. We see kids who look like they're ten smoking. There is trash everywhere, and nobody cares. I haven't seen a garbage truck yet. A woman goes through the dumpster here and separates out the plastic and cans and burns the rest.

It gets light here at about 3:30 a.m., which makes for difficult sleeping. It's strange. You hear the crows start to caw, look at your watch, and it's 4:00 a.m. Aaaaahh!

Well, it's time to walk to the orphanage. We're slowly getting this city all figured out. There are no street signs at the intersections, and every street looks the same: old apartment buildings that look about 600 years old and trash everywhere. Sorry, but that's what it looks like to me.

But the countryside between here and Kiev is absolutely beautiful, and we enjoyed the train ride in the daytime on Monday.

Off for another emotional roller coaster ride.

Fathers' Day/Quinn's Birthday

I woke up Sunday morning really looking forward to church. We got to the orphanage to get Ruslan changed into the clothes we brought, and he was nowhere to be found. All the children were helping us look for him. After about ten minutes, he appeared through the side entry of the grounds. He had gone to the store. Michael had given him some change yesterday, and I guess he wanted to buy some candy. Several of the children and a teacher were all trying to speak to him at once as if to say, "Where have you been? Your parents have been waiting for you?" I think he was embarrassed. Michael quickly helped him get changed. (He wanted to also give him a bath and scrub him, but that will have to wait.) We drove with Constantine and Lena to Dniproprotrosk, the nearest LDS church, about 30 minutes away. The Bensons went in a separate car with George, Nadia's husband. This picture is the door going into church. Doesn't Ruslan look spiffy?
When we walked in, there were eight cute, white-shirted elders and two sister missionaries, the majority from good old Utah. I wanted to hug them all. We felt so welcome, and I think they were so glad to have us there. They are such good young people and are doing such a good work. It was so nice to take the sacrament. Ruslan sat nice and reverently during Sacrament Meeting, but the second it was over, he was out of there! He was waiting for us in the hall while we visited with the elders. I'm sure it's difficult for these kids. We've heard from others that it takes a long time for them to start to like church. Any comments anyone?

After Sacrament Meeting we ate there in the city before heading back to Dniprodzerzhink. We dropped Ruslan off at the orphanage and told him we'd come back later. (We had our Sunday clothes on.) Everything was fine. When we came back later, he had transformed into someone we didn't know. Pout, pout, pout. He was mad about something, and we still don't know why. He wouldn't come to us, wouldn't talk to us. I know many of you adoptive parents out there have experienced this over and over, so I know this was to be expected. I was very discouraged, and then on top of that, I called home to wish Quinn a happy birthday and started crying as soon as I heard his voice, and then Quinn started crying. (Oh, do I miss my kids.) I looked up, and there were twenty children and adults staring at me watching me cry. Jen and Alex were trying to comfort me, and I felt really stupid that I couldn't control my emotions better. Anyway, it wasn't the greatest of days, and I hope today is better. Quinn, I hope you had a very happy birthday. We're going to do it all over again as soon as we get home. Dad, I tried to call you. I love you. Thanks for being a great dad.

Well, that's it for now. Lena is on her way to pick us up for the notary.

Day 3 and 4 at the Orphanage

Yesterday we ate lunch in the orphanage cafeteria. Before the children could come in and eat, an assigned group of children had to set the tables and put the food on the plates. Our own children were not allowed to sit at our table; they had to sit with the children. The food was good: soup, potatoes, beets, bread.

Here is a group of orphans. It amazes me how good these kids are to each other. It really brings tears to your eyes. If one has a bag of goodies or candy they received, they have no problem with sharing with the others. Some of the boys have on bandanas they made with the volunteers. Ruslan is in the yellow. He's standing next to Vlados. Vlados doesn't know anything about his dad; his mother lives in Moscow.

This is out of order, but here is our night train ride. Michael and I have to do this again Monday morning and back again (hopefully) Monday night.

This is us with the director, Nadia, a very gracious lady.

Today we got to take Ruslan out of the orphanage. Lena did some lengthy negotiating with the teacher, and we got permission to keep him until 5:00 p.m. We walked with the Bensons to get pizza. This kid can eat, I tell you. Three large slices of pizza, some soda, and ice cream. I don't know where he put it. Food is cheap here. A pizza, two salads, and three drinks cost $8. Then we walked to a park, and Ruslan led the way. He knows this city pretty well. We practiced naming the colors and counting money. We did some math. Ruslan said, "Math, no problem." As we walked back to the orphanage, he walked along the top of every wall he could. He loves to climb. He later climbed a tree so high, I was really nervous. We had to do a little parenting today. He threw his wrappers on the ground, and we made him go back and get them and throw them away. We explained to him that in America, we try really hard to keep our neighborhoods and cities clean and that he should start practicing now. He understood and was obedient. On the way home, he wanted a doughnut. We said no. We haven't had any pouting yet.

Day 2 at the Orphanage

Today we were armed with a day's worth of entertainment for the kids. I had a grocery sack full to the brim with flash cards, easy reader books, Uno, Barrel of Monkeys, movies, math games, etc. I also stuffed my purse with candy we brought with us from Costco. Wow, it was a success. And may I say that Ruslan is one smart cookie. He knew his English alphabet, and we started working on the sounds the letters make. He picks up fast. We also worked on the English names for colors. I was relieved to discover he has a really good attention span. Here is his reward, a Russian animated movie we brought with us.

The next two pictures were taken in the main administration building. The walls are colorfully painted with enchanting scenes.

The Loboses, the Bensons, and the Lawrence families got to take their kids and go to a restaurant for lunch. We had to have special permission from the director. Nadia, the director, has her heart in the right place. I think she would like to see every one of the kids find homes.

The Barrel of Monkeys was a hit. Here are Ruslan, Dema, and Tawnya playing. Notice the Tootsie Roll Ruslan has. We had to get stern with him. He was nonstop begging for more candy, but once we got a little stern, he stopped. Tawnya spent a couple hours with us. What a sweet girl.

Ruslan and Sasha. We were allowed to play ping pong. They had to unlock the door for us.

More children at the orphanage.

And more.

And another. So many of them come up and touch you and tell you their names. This little girl came up and wrapped her arms around Michael's legs and told him her name.

There were games going on in this room. Twenty volunteers from The States are here for a few weeks doing games, crafts, etc. with the children. The Young Man in the black and white is a volunteer from Arizona.

This is where Ruslan sleeps with lots and lots of other boys.

I couldn't help but take a picture of Ruslan's shoes today. He was embarrassed, but I wanted my own children to appreciate their shoes. The whole side of his shoe has ripped apart. I don't know how he kept them on as he walked.

This is Zhenia. We considered adopting this little guy, but it just didn't feel right at this time. He's looking for a home.

It is heart-breaking to see these children. They are dirty and ragged for the most part. I started giving candy away out of my purse, and I got swarmed until it was all gone. I wish I could take them all and find homes for them.

Before we left today, we sat down with our fantastic interpreter, Elena, and asked Ruslan if he wanted to be part of our family. We told him that being part of a family was a great thing, but it comes with lots of responsibility--family chores, responsibility, hard work, being kind, helping each other, doing homework. He said "dah" to everything. Of course, he already knew what was going on. Why else would we be learning the alphabet? But now it is official, and we are moving forward.

A word of explanation: Since we were not here to see Ruslan but Zhenia this time, we have to travel back to Kiev for another SDA appointment and start with the paperwork for Ruslan. We are hoping that will happen Monday. It looks like another train ride.

Here are a few pictures from Kiev. Some places were really beautiful and modern, and other places were incredibly run down.

Someone had planted this little garden right outside the door of our apartment in Kiev. It was a little spot of beauty along the street. This is Drew, Michael, and Jen. This was right before our SDA appointments. We were outside waiting for Irina to pick us up. Notice Drew and Jen are dressed up. Michael kindly wore jeans to make me feel better. All I had were jeans since my luggage was floating around somewhere.

This was right by the garden. I wonder why they put the trash by the bin instead of inside the bin?

Lots of graffiti everywhere.

This little playground was near our apartment in Kiev.

A Night on the Train; a Day at the Orphanage

It's 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, June 17. It has been an eventful 24 hours. Yesterday we took the night train from Kiev to Dneprodzerzhinsk, which we call Dnepro for short. The train left at 11:30 p.m. and arrived at 6:10 a.m. It was kinda fun. We stayed in the same cabin as the Bensons. We each had our own little bunk, and it was fun sleeping to the swaying and clackety-clack-clack of the train. We all awoke about thirty minutes before we needed to disembark and watched the beautiful landscape go by. It was raining, and there were miles and miles of beautiful little vegetable and flower gardens growing in rich, black, fertile soil. People, holding umbrellas, were walking along paths from their homes, going who knows where? Possibly the train station? It was a picturesque scene.

After arriving at the train station, Oleg carted our luggage to our apartment, and we took a taxi. Then we went to the inspector's office and then to the orphanage. Michael and I were both so nervous. We knew we would meet a boy or boys today that might become a part of our family.

We followed the Bensons into a room, where Nastia and Masha were waiting for them. Jen started crying, and I started snapping pictures. As I was snapping away, Lena came and whispered in my ear, "Your boy is sitting at the side of the room."

What? I thought we were going to be more subtle than that. I nervously glanced over, and there was this little boy sitting there watching me taking pictures.

He was so cute sitting there looking nervous. We went over to talk to him. He was so tiny that his feet didn't touch the floor as he was sitting in this chair. This little boy is Ruslan. He has been an orphan since 2007. His mother lost parental rights and has since died. We immediately fell in love with him. His little clothes were so dirty, and his fingernails looked like he hadn't had a bath for so long, but his spirit is so sweet. The workers told us he has been longing for a family for a long time. He didn't let us out of his sight for the next two or three hours. We spent time talking to him and getting to know him and playing with him.

Here is a photo of the boys' bath tub in the orphanage. Is there any wonder why this little guy is so dirty?

We'll take lots more pictures tomorrow. We're going to be at the orphanage all day tomorrow , and we'll when we get back to the apartment.

Bittersweet Day at Lagoon

Last Monday, the 8th of June, all four of us kids took a trip to Lagoon for one last hoo-ha before we would be separated. It was very spur of the moment but we knew we just HAD to do something great since Monday was the last day all four of us could be together for a few years.





Waiting in line for the Samurai, the very first ride of the day.

Strapping up for The Rocket Re-entry! Definitely one of our favorites.

I took a risk and had my camera out on the Rocket so I could catch a clip of us in extreme falling action. :)

The day was absolutely beautiful. The sun was out but wasn't cooking us and there was a light breeze. Funny thing was that we checked the weather forecast the day before and it was predicted to be rainy with lightning and thunderstorms. Quite the contrary, instead it started to rain the moment we began to drive home. Heavenly Father made sure our day of togetherness went uninterrupted.



A great deal of laughter and goofiness is always to be expected when the four of us hooligans are together.

All in all our little trip was a success. We had a simply wonderful time! Although it was bittersweet the time we had together was very cherished.

This is Marissa, signing off. Haha!

The Saga Continues

Well, it's 5:45 p.m. Monday. We're back in the apartment. Still no sign of my suitcase, but today I learned that there's a lot worse things than lost luggage and having only one set of clothes.

Our appointment was 9:30 a.m. The first thing the woman at the SDA asked was, "You want to adopt two children, Bogdan and Yan?"

Oh, boy, are they behind. They had to go hunt down our latest letter to them. Then they couldn't find the files on the two new boys we want to look at. After a while, they found the files but said it appeared that Ruslan's paperwork had not been registered and that he may not be available for adoption. We were a little blown away by this bit of news because we have been most interested in and feeling positive about Ruslan. They told us to come back after lunch so they could investigate the situation.

So we left and waited and waited for Irina to call us while we mulled over the possibilities. We walked for hours with Jen and Drew and did more than enough sightseeing, ate lunch, and waited some more. Finally Irina called and told us to come back to the SDA. Yeah! She met us outside the building and said, "We are very sorry, but Ruslan's paperwork did not ever get sent from the region to the SDA. He will not be available for international adoption for one year."

I can't begin to describe the emotions that welled up inside of me. I hope Irina and Sergei aren't afraid of me now, but I started to get slightly hysterical. I said, "This is the second time we've been to Ukraine. We picked this little boy out of a group of others. We were told he was officially available June 8. We've paid over $20,000 to get to this point. How could someone have made this mistake?"

I know there was a lot more said, but I'm giving the Reader's Digest version.

Irina said, "Just a moment." She walked away from us and got on her cell phone. Then things started to happen that I will probably never fully understand, but eventually a woman came out of the SDA with a file, handed it to Irina, Irina went back into the SDA, then came out again and said, "They have found the paperwork. Ruslan will be available June 22."

What? I don't get it, but I'm not asking too many questions. Somehow the papers were found, and I don't care where they found them or whether they will be manufacturing them, just that for now everything is still okay.

So tomorrow we're headed for Dnipro with Jen and Drew on the night train to meet Zhenia and (unofficially) Ruslan.

And with that, I will end on the happy note that my luggage just arrived.

SDA Today

It's 7:45 a.m. Monday morning. Our facilitator will be here any minute to take us to our SDA appointment. That stands for State Department of Adoptions for those of you who aren't familiar with this whole process. We have waited many months for this day. This office will give us permission to go to the Dnipro orphanage, where we hope to locate the little boy/boys we feel should be part of our family.

As my luggage still has not been located, I am going "frump style," as my daughter would say. Michael's luggage was delivered to our apartment last night, but the delivery man had no knowledge of my luggage. We have done everything we can, and I am going to have to learn to live without my "things." I wore some of Michael's garments to bed last night and handwashed my one pair so I could have fresh underwear today, but I'm on my third day for my shirt and pants. Jen Benson loaned me a shirt, so tonight I will handwash my shirt and hope it's dry by morning. The people here don't have clothes dryers. Everything has to air dry.

So I have given myself a talking to this morning to improve my attitude. The things in my suitcase were only things, nothing too terribly important and life-threatening if I don't get them back. At lease I had my medication in my purse. When we opened Michael's suitcase last night, I was pleasantly surprised. My luggage was one pound overweight at the SLC airport, so we hurriedly grabbed some stuff out of mine and put it in Michael's. It included my deodorant, make-up, toothbruth, lotion, etc. Yeah! I have no clothes, but I can at least put on deodorant and brush my teeth.

Well, Sergei just rang from the outside door, so gotta go. More later.

Don't Worry

To the families we carried documents for: Don't worry. Your documents were being hand-carried by us, so don't let the last post scare you.

If Anything Can Go Wrong . . .

Well, we made it to Kiev. That's the good news. Unfortunately, our luggage did not, and no one seems to know where it is.

But let me go back. We were supposed to fly out Saturday morning at 8:35 a.m. However, the pilot was late. Whether this is because he slept in or he was on another flight, we don't know, but we didn't take off until about 9:45, which put us in a bit of a panic because we had a very short layover in New York. We arrived in New York and ran/walked very fast to our next terminal, only to find out they had changed the terminal our flight was leaving from. You would think they would have announced that as we were getting off the first flight, but no. So we ran/walked very fast back to the correct terminal and arrived just as they were starting to let stand-by passengers onto the plane! We rushed to our seats with a sigh of relief and took off a short FIVE HOURS later!

But let me go back. After boarding our flight at NYC, there were winds, apparently, at the airport, forcing all planes to the same runway. The pilot announced there were about thirty planes in line ahead of us, so we waited and waited. When there were only eight planes in line ahead of us, the pilot announced that there was something mechanically wrong with the airplane, something to do with the cooling fans, and that we needed to get out of line and taxi back to the terminal, which we did. We then waited for the mechanics to come and fix the problem. After that, we got back into line again. We finally took off at 9:10 p.m., a mere five hours late.

When we arrived in Kiev Sunday (five hours late), our luggage seemed to be missing. We watched and watched all the luggage going round and round, and after thirty minutes we went into the "lost luggage" office, where we had to fill out several very confusing forms. The woman said one of our pieces of luggage was in London; there is no record of our other piece of luggage; they will keep looking and notify us when they find it.

We then went through customs and found the Bensons, Irina, and Sergei, who had been waiting for us for two hours. The Bensons were scheduled to leave NYC well after us, but they arrived in Kiev well before us.

Vasilly then transported all of us to our apartment in Kiev, where we dropped off our luggage. Oh, yeah. We don't have any luggage. I mean where we dropped off the Bensons' luggage. Then we walked with Irina and Sergei to the little market and bought a few little items like milk, bread, some chicken things (not sure what they are, but Sergei recommended them), some smoked fish, and some milk. Only now we have discovered that the milk isn't really milk but some unidentifiable liquid that I'm sure could be used somehow but probably not for consumption.

We have checked twice with Delta since we got here; they don't know where one piece of our luggage is. The other piece is somewhere between London and Kiev. I know this is selfish, but please let the luggage they did find be MINE AND NOT MICHAEL'S! I have no underwear, no toothbrush, no shampoo, soap, socks, clothes other than what's on my back. I have NOTHING! Well, neither does Michael, but that's easier for him, right? I hope the SDA forgives me when I show up in Levis, white tennis shoes, and a three-day-old shirt.

The person at Delta speaks broken English, and we can't seem to make them understand our dire circumstances. We have attempted to call Irina, but the calls won't connect. Obviously we are doing something wrong. We have gone on line to check on the status of our baggage, but it keeps telling us our claim number is invalid. Aaargh!!!

The Bensons have now left to go on a walk; I'm sure we're probably driving them crazy. We are sitting here hoping either the phone or doorbell rings with news of our luggage.

I'm sure one day I might look back on this and laugh but not today.

The Month of Good-Byes (and a Hello or Two)

It seems like all we do these days is say good-bye to our children and watch our children say good-bye to each other. I hate good-byes, especially when they are for such a significant amount of time. We sent Eric off to Guam this morning. I wonder if I will ever not cry when I have to say good-bye to my children. Earlier in the week, we had to say good-bye to Gage as he left for Priesthood Leadership Conference, knowing he wouldn't be back before Eric left or we left for Ukraine. Then I had to watch Gage and Eric say good-bye to each other. They won't see each other for three years. Then I had to watch Quinn and Marissa both say good-bye to Eric. All of us have had our own individual melt-downs of sadness this week. I guess it's good that it hurts so much. We all know we love each other.

But in a few days, Michael and I will be saying hello to someone we don't know yet, someone that lives halfway around the world. If everything goes as planned, this "someone" will become as important to us as our other four children. I'm excited, scared, and nervous all at the same time. We fly out tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., stopping in New York City, and then on to Kiev. We will arrive in Kiev Sunday morning. My next post will be from Ukraine!

Christie and Denver's Wedding Day

Yesterday, June 11, my cute niece Christie Winder married Denver Bradbury in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful occasion but a very wet day. Here Nancy (my sister) hugs her daughter after she comes out of the temple, a joyous but also sad moment for Nancy, I'm sure.

Brian and Susan

Eric and Michael. How nice to be in the temple with your son the day before he departs for Guam for two years or more.

My newphew Ryan; Bruce and Janet. Bruce is my brother that summited Mt. Everest a few weeks ago.

Lori (me) and Eric

Christie and Denver

Winders and Tanners

Kennedy, Savannah, Derek, Grandma Parker, Daniel, George, and Ryan

The photo session ended abruptly when the dark clouds opened up and literally poured rain onto temple square. We all made a run for it. By the time we got indoors, we looked as if we had stepped into the shower with our clothes on. But, hey, I love "weather," and the quick soaking made this a memorable day. Congratulations, Christie and Denver. We love you.

Gage Graduates

Wow! We have three down and one (or more) to go! Gage graduated Friday, June 5, 2009, from Taylorsville High, along with 504 of his peers. We sent this picture out with his graduation announcements. Watching my children graduate from high school has always been kind of a bittersweet day for me, and this was no exception. Here is the sea of blue and white caps and gowns. The ceremony was held in the Huntsman Center. We spotted Gage as soon as he entered, but he never could quite locate where we were seated. We kept waving our arms as he would look our direction, but he couldn't spot us.
The senior members of the Jazz Band performed. This was Gage's official last performance on the drums for Taylorsville High. It made me feel kind of sad. He is at the far right in the picture. It was funny to see these guys playing jazz music in their caps and gowns. They are a talented bunch.
Gage was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents in attendance. The ceremony itself is always a little long and boring. I can imagine how the grandparents must have felt about it! My mom mentioned that they only have three high school graduations left (or more depending on our Ukraine adventure). I hope they stick around for all of them. They'll be in their late nineties by the time Brayden graduates!
This was the third high school graduation this year for the Lawrence grandparents! If you think one is long, how about three? Camille and Tiffany also graduated this year.
Overall, it was a great day. We missed Marissa. She had to work and go to school. After the ceremony, we all ate dinner at our house. Gage went to his all-night party and got home about 6:00 a.m. this morning.
This morning Gage said he can't quite comprehend the idea that he's done at THS and
won't be going back next fall. I even think he was a little sad when he was talking about it. Who would have believed it?