One Last Goodbye

Well, it's that time. Matiss heads out tomorrow morning on a 9:50am flight to JFK, first stop. Our luggage is almost packed. Today we just laid low, spending time together and finishing up our last minute needs. We said goodbye to a few new friends and took some last minute pictures. We gave him a few gifts, a CD player and some CDs for the flight home, a watch and a cross necklace. He has really enjoyed the cd player but I'm glad I waited until the end for it because he's had it in his ear all day! Tonight we had pizza at Stevie B's, one of his favorites. Enjoy a few pictures from today, I'll update tomorrow after I get home from the send off and let you know how that went. I have to stick around at the airport and meet some of the other arriving flights of our kids from other cities, so it will be a long , emotional day for me! Thanks for following us all! We've enjoyed you tagging along with us! Thank you for the prayers for our little man, Matiss. Just a little plug, we will be signing up Christmas host families very soon! Contact me if you are interested or know someone who is! Blessings!

Hepi Borzdei!

Evidently, in Matiss's head, this is how to spell Happy Birthday in English! Today is my birthday and this morning I was greeted with a handmade Hepi Borzdei card and several gifts at 7:15 this morning! He's been talking for a week about how he was going to spend the money he's been earning for my birthday. I fully expected this notion to melt away when he saw something he really wanted. Even when I told him the money in his bank was for him to spend on himself, no, he was insistent. Jon and he went shopping yesterday and he helped picked two items, he picked a cross necklace and some sunglasses. He motioned to Jon that he wanted to buy some perfume, so Jon took him to Bath and Body Works. After he had duly tested EVERY scent in the store, he settled on mandarin orange lotion and body wash, which he spent his own money on and was proud to have $3 leftover. Last night, Jon told him he had to go to football early this morning, but Matiss said to wake him up so they could give me my gifts. Jon told him 7:15, but he said yes. Again, we wondered what would actually happen when 7:15 came around, but he jumped right out of bed when Jon went in. As he came in quietly with my presents, like any good parent, I played into the "I'm not really sleeping but for you to enjoy what you have planned I will play along" role. It's a birthday I won't forget, what a joy. He was so excited. And yes, I wore everything today, my cross necklace, sunglasses and orange lotion. After we got ready, he and I went to the zoo, something he's been looking forward to. Since it looked like a rain free day, I thought we better go now! He was great, probably one of the best days he's had with me. A few times he reached up to hold my hand as we walked through the park. Maybe that doesn't sound like a big deal, but for him, it really, truly was. He's initiated no affection and responded to it very slowly. But, in the last week, we've seen him not only begin to embrace it, but a few times initiate it, like today. Praise God, what a great birthday! Enjoy his zoo pictures, he especially loved the snakes, sea otters and petting zoo.

Downtown Day

Saturday we had a mandatory host group event at the New World of Coke. It's a museum of sorts for Coca-Cola, which is sort of important here in Atlanta... So, we met up with everyone there and toured the Coke Shrine. Matiss is NOT big on "museums." If he's just supposed to walk around and look at things, he's not into that! He needs hands on type stuff. However, at the end of the Coke tour is a tasting room where they have many different cokes from different countries and you taste to your hearts content. He liked that and the free coke you get as you leave. While we were downtown, we walked over to the Georgia Dome to show him where the Falcons play. He's been learning football from Jon and his NFL video game, so he knows the term "Atlanta Falcons" very well. Then, we walked over to Centennial Park because I wanted him to see the Olympic Rings Water Area. He loves playing in the water and since we didn't have anywhere else to go, we let him jump in, clothes and all. How many times do you have a chance to jump in a fountain with your clothes on? Not enough I say. So, enjoy a few new pictures. We have several fun things yet to do as we begin our last week with Matiss.

Baseball and Snakes

If you asked him, maybe two of his favorite things to do and see in America. There is no baseball in Latvia and he enjoys swinging a bat at furious speeds in order to send the little ball soaring into the air or at your head if you aren't careful and paying attention. And, I've been informed that the snakes here are much bigger and more plentiful! Like I've said before, 200% boy. This week, he saw some snakes at Fernbank, thus the large snake picture! He also got invited to a batting cage in Cartersville where the owner teaches with Jon. He really liked that and we escaped without any injuries but minor ones, a success in my book. We also took him to see the new Harry Potter Movie. Please don't send me Harry Potter hate email... I know! But, considering the kid recognizes very few things in this country and since it was in English, we went. Everywhere there was a Harry Potter sign, he would point it out to us. I think he ate more movie popcorn than Jon. So, I'd say he liked the experience. I don't know if he's ever done a theater like that before. Let's see, what else... he went to school for football practice twice with Jon this week. Jon said he was like a kid in a candy store in the weight room. The kicking coach taught him how to kick field goals. Yesterday, he and Jon went through the car wash, he was crazy about that! Today, we went bowling and he was surprised at how many lanes there were. I think he had gone bowling before; he had a crazy throw, but it worked from him. He had a meltdown Wednesday and his behavior was pretty rough for both Jon and I, but we all survived. He is showing improvement in giving and receiving affection and trusting us, both are good signs that his carefully guarded "wall" is coming down a little at a time. Continue praying as we close out these last days with him. We pray we've taught him, disciplined him, loved him and pampered him in all the ways God led in order to demonstrate what his heart and life needed during this time.

VBS Week

Well, I'm sure you wondered where a post was this week, but it's been slow. He's had VBS and has done really well. Our oldest class was 4th/5th grade boys, so I put him in there. He doesn't know their ages, but the kids were about his size, so I figured he'd be ok with it. Our VBS theme was all sports related, so I think that majorly helped! The picture of him above is during recreation time at VBS. The other is the VBS launch Sunday night, when they called Jon on stage to help the juggler. Pretty funny stuff, as you can see. He had America 101 class on Tuesday afternoon at "The Cooler", afterward, they got to ice skate for a couple of hours. Other than that, it's been raining almost every day, so he has spent quality time indoors discovering the joy of board games, like Jenga. He had a dentist appoinment this morning for cleaning and x-rays. He has 3 or 4 cavities and 1 absess. That absess is what's been bothering him and will require a root canal. I don't know if we will be able to address all of that before he goes home, we'll do our best. All the kids have mouths full of cavities, it's normal. They rarely get dental care. Anyway, next week will be full of more fun, we think we'll hit the zoo. We looked through a book about animals the other night and asked if we have zoos in America. When I said yes, he asked if they had snakes. Yeah for me, looks like we have to go to the reptile house. So, next week promises to be more exciting already! His trust of us seems to be growing with each day. More next week...

Visit to Tennessee

These past few days, we went to Gatlinburg to visit my parents so they could meet Matiss. He did pretty well, no car sickness. The only issue was the night he did not win at Putt Putt Golf, he was very upset and could not be consoled... it didn't matter that he had never played before, he still expected himself to win. He's got quite the competitive streak, you think? He's been having a toothache, we see the dentist Friday, but I'm wondering if I should call to get in early. Looks like he's lost part of a tooth or has a cavity. No big surprise, but our appt wasn't for another week. We'll see how he does the next couple days, not sure Friday can come soon enough for him. Anyway, we walked Gatlinburg and he and Jon rode the skylift. He got an airbrush shirt with his name on it, every good American tourist should, right? Yes, it's terribly obnoxious, but he loves it. After I got over my nerves, he got to drive the race cars. (Notice I said MY nerves, not his.) Let's see, ah, funniest moment! We bought ice cream at Chick-fil-a. He wanted a cone and Jon got a milkshake. I came to the table with both and handed Jon a straw. Matiss was perplexed that Jon was drinking "ice cream" with a straw and I couldn't remember the word for milk at that moment to tell him it was added to make it smoother. Before I could think of an explanation, he raced over the the condiment counter, got a straw and proceeded to stick it in his ice cream cone! Yes, you had to be there to fully appreciate the wonderful moment, but luckily, I captured a quick photo for you. You're welcome! With every strain, it just got funnier. Well, we are home and I need to get some things done before Baznica/church tomorrow. I almost forgot! I finally found some pants! The Gap outlet had some size 8's that fit and some size 10 jeans that he can wear that had those tightener things in them. Thanks to everyone for the suggestion of those, we found them and he now has 1 pair of pants and jeans, finally!

America's Birthday

This is how we explained all the flags, America shirts, Red/White/Blue everywhere, etc. So, first thing when I woke him up this morning, he said, "America's Birthday?" He remembers everything we say. We've had some calmer days, Tuesday he helped Jon mow the grass. He said he had done it before, from the looks of things, he had. Then, to cool off, I took him swimming a few hours. Today, he and Jon watched old football games... gee, I bet that was a stretch for Jon, don't you think? Then, Jon made up a 4th feast, with hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob and fries. As Matiss piled all the fixings on the burger, he said, "BIG burger." Of course, you can't get the full affect without the rolled r's! Tonight, we went to Lake Acworth for the Fireworks show. He seemed to be really impressed with it and said he liked it. Not sure, but he might have liked the glow stick just as much. He held it out the window most of the way home, I guess he wanted everyone else to enjoy it too. He liked taking pictures of the fireworks. Well, we are headed to see my mom and dad in Gatlinburg for a couple days, so you won't see an update until this weekend. But, I'm sure we'll have some good times there to share. He loves anything to do with driving, so we're going to have to get him into one of those go-cart tracks. Note to self... pack insurance card! (Ha)

The Concert

I received this by email tonight and found it so appropriate, I wanted to post it…

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing…

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit, keep playing."

Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligaton. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful, flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful. The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, keep playing."

Swim Time

Today was much anticipated for Matiss. He's been looking forward to swimming. We have to schedule with friends to go to their pools because our subdivision doesn't have one. So, the Dempsey's were kind enough to host us at Seven Hills today and got the full effect of Mr. Personality himself. He had a great time, swimming, snorkeling, water basketball and the big slide. You would think he'd be wore out, but he isn't. He has the energy of three boys rolled into one. He also had pizza and ice cream and loved every bite. He and I had a little "spat" last night. So, this morning, I was glad to see we were back on good terms. I got a hug and a kiss on the cheek to seal the deal. He and I both have to learn one another better, but it seems we bridged our first disagreement. So, yet another exciting day full of adventure with our Latvian Comic. Today he busted out with the song, "I feel good, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah."

Welcome Dinner

Saturday was the Welcome Dinner. It's where all the Georgia hosted kids, within driving distance, come together with their families. We will have several of these group events, it's a part of the Hosting program, allows the chaperones to see that the kids are ok, allows the kids to see that their freinds are ok, etc. You get the picture. Well, it was held at Dave and Busters, which has food, but more importantly is also a huge arcade with tons of games. All the kids were lovin' life in this place. Probably his favorite was a virtual boxing game, you actually put gloves on your hand and punch at a screen, it also sense your movement and "punches" at you. I thought the kid was going to lunge through the screen trying to take this guy out. He's one tough little cookie. The game goes on for like 3 minutes and all the while you are moving and punching. He was sweating by the end, but so excited. He also loved when he hit the 1000 ticket mark on one of the games and it proceeded to take about 5 minutes to feed him all those tickets. Oh, and tonight was the best part. I had taken a nap when we got home, so I got up and realized he still needed pants for church or baznica in Latvian. I told him we needed to go buy pants. So, Jon elected to hang out at home and it was just he and I. We did not find pants. I'm convinced you cannot find pants to fit this child. 12 slim too big, 10 slim too small. 10 regular too big, 8 regular, too short. Is there such a thing as an 11 slim? I digress... Shoe Carnival was next door and he also needed shoes. We left with 3 pair! He found adidas sandals, Nike tennis shoes and some soccer cleats. He picked out Adidas and Nike, because he knows those names. The tennis shoe colors are Auburn colors, I'm certain that has to mean something spiritual right? (Jon loves Auburn) He was smiling from ear to ear when he put those shoes on. Then, when he saw the cleats, he was downright giddy! I had already taught him, on the previous pairs, to put them on, walk around, try them out. When he laced the cleats, he literally took off running. I guess there was no sense in walking around in those when, if you wear them, you are running. So, he tested them by running and kicking into the air all over the store! After we left, we got Chick-fil-A for the first time, he loved that too. I suppose because he was so "full" of life and goodness, that he was singing with the radio all the way home and chattering up a storm. I thought he was going to sleep in the adidas sandals, but he did take them off. What a good day. What a blessing to be able to bless him in such a way. Now, when he walks, he might strut. Praise the Lord, because he deserves to strut a little in life.