The Sand Dunes

My girls have been begging to go to the sand dunes again, so my friend Stephanie and I took the kids for two days last week.

Will was so dang excited to sleep in a tent that he kept begging to go to sleep.


It was a little chilly at night but he didn't mind .



Alina was terrified to go, she was afraid of snakes and bugs but in the end she loved it .









We got sand everywhere.

Sara made friends with the big desert beetles. Will was terrified at first but by the time we brought the beetle home, he loved it too. I still can't touch it yuck!!!


Will loved hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows. He told Alina, "Hooray we are cooking candy." In Russian of course.


Parker, Parker! He always makes us laugh.


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Location:S 450 W,Clearfield,United States

First Birthday, First Easter

Will celebrated his first real birthday. When the girls told him it was his birthday and he was going to get presents, he didn't understand.

The idea of a cake and candles was foreign. He ran scared behind Jeff when everyone sang Happy Birthday.

He did however love blowing the candles out.

When we first gave him a wrapped gift, he just looked at it wondering what to do. Lena had to show him how to open it. After, that he loved presents.

The kids all loved Easter. We tried to explain to Will, we talked about Jesus, we colored eggs but he didn't get really excited until he saw Ali and Lena's Ukrainian Easter bread. Then he ran around the house whooping.






The Ukrainian Easter bread that made Will whoop for joy. The girls tried several recipes before finding the perfect one.

We had a surprise birthday party for Grandma Rast at the park the day before Easter.

Lena made one of her amazing cakes.

The girl cousins all hid eggs filled with sweet notes for grandma to find.


Lena made them nearly impossible to get. When grandma said they were too hard. Lena told her, "Well you do jump out of airplanes."

I laughed because she really thinks her skydiving grandma can do anything.

We thought Will would be excited about finding Easter eggs and his basket but Ali's excitement was off the charts. She was so cute.

It is so fun to see their joy and excitement about all of the little things.

Ali comes out of her shell more and more everyday. She now hugs me regularly and tells me she loves me very very.
It is fun to watch them both start to feel safe and to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Will's Test Results so Far

We got the test results for Will. He tested negative for Cystic Fibrosis and for Celiacs .

The doctor said the test results are pretty conclusive but since he was diagnosed twice with CF he wants to do some follow up tests. He is pretty positive though that he doesn't have it.

He told us to feed him whatever because he for sure does not have Celiacs.

He also did a test to see if he is malnourished and the tests came back negative, so he is just genetically small for his age.

We still need to test his heart, but so far that director was 100% wrong. My cute little boy is not dying any day on the contrary he is pretty darn healthy.

The director told me I would have to hire a cook because there is no way I could cook for his special diet, it would be too hard. So crazy he doesn't even have it.

The kids were all thrilled to hear that Will can eat anything. It was hard on all of us trying to keep it from him. When we told Will he was so happy, but said he was mad at Natalya (his director).

What a wonderful surprise for us and blessing. Good thing I listened to the feelings in my heart from Heavenly Father rather than the director. I can't imagine having left my Will in Ukraine.


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First Week Home

Ali bought a skateboard this week with the gift card Carlin gave her and her money from Grandpa and Grandma Rast. She loves it and practices for hours everyday. She hates pictures and won't let me take one. Silly kid.

Will's first trip to the store. He didn't want to get out of the cart. Works for me.
He loved the dollies most. Eli let us borrow one for a few days, he insisted on taking it to the Dr.'s and he wanted everything the nurses did to him to be done to his doll. It was funny.

I found my old boy cabbage patch for him. I feel better about him carrying that around.

We did lots of tests at Primary Childrens and are waiting to hear the results about CF and Celiacs.
We have to go to a heart specialist later.

When he saw the doctors in long white coats he freaked out and started screaming that he didn't want to go . They looked like the doctors at his orphanage and he thought we were giving him back.
At times like this it is good to have Lena around to translate.

His first hair cut. He was really good. Ali did not want her hair touched at all but agreed to a little trim.

Coming Home

I appreciated so much the love and support we received at the airport. Alina and Will got to see their brother Spencer for the first time and it was a very happy day.

I am so happy to be home. Will and Alina are happy to be home too. Will keeps asking if he is staying here forever and when we tell him yes he smiles and looks so happy. I woke up one morning to him patting my cheek and telling me he loved me.

Alina seems very happy even though she is sharing a room with Sara not Lena.

One day we thought she was taking a forever shower, but really she couldn't figure out how to turn the water off. She came out in her towel asking for help.

She also screamed when ice came out of the ice maker into her cup and she dropped it on the floor. Guess she was expecting water. She apologized over and over. I just laughed and told her no big deal.

Now that we are home she is actually speaking English and she knows more than I expected. Yesterday she asked, "Mom, can I ride the long board outside please?" I was surprised and had to say yes even though it was 9:40 at night. I am sure Lena put her up to it.




They both always beg to go to the park.


Alina loves Lena's long board.



Will and Dona's daughter Elli can't understand each other but they both understand dog language. They love playing dog and make us walk and feed them.

I am going home Yay!!

I am finally going home, I can't believe it! I am so so so happy. I cheered all day.

We are a little nervous for our 24 hours of travel with Will. We packed him lots of special food and toys. Let's hope it is enough to get us all home smiling. Alina is a gem and hasn't given me an ounce of trouble. It helps that she loves Lena and does whatever she says.

Some pictures of our last days in Kiev.

Cheri is such a trooper and has been a big help. Her positive attitude is infectious. She loves Ukraine and constantly points out all the beautiful and wonderful things she sees. She has been good for my last week.

She is constantly dancing, singing and making the kids laugh. I wouldn't have made it without her and am grateful she came clear across the world to help me.

We took this suitcase to the grocery store so we wouldn't have to carry the groceries home. The handle broke and it was a hilarious nightmare trying to get it home. It came off once right at the top of the subway escalators and all the Ukrainians were tripping over the suitcase and yelling at Cheri. She just smiled back. It was so so funny.

She continues to smile at all Ukrainians even though no one smiles back. It is cute.

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