One BUSY Month

Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love to decorate the house, bake lots of yummy deserts, make up gift bags for the nursing home where my grandma lives and watch the Christmas specials on TV with the kids.
I knew this year would be a little different. We were not sure if we would get a "date" to travel from Colombia so not much at all in the decorating department. Did not want to leave all the packing up and putting away to someone else if we were gone nor did I want to have to do it once we return with new siblings!! We knew gift giving would be VERY small since we are saving every little bit for the adoptions. We also did not get a chance to watch ANY specials together as a family because either some of the kids were out caroling with the church or practicing their Christmas programs at church and school or out shoveling in the neighborhood for extra money to come with us (Roc) on one of our journeys. So needless to say, a VERY BUSY month.

But something very special happened to the Fritz farm over the last 4 weeks. Something that brings tears to my eyes then and now when I look back at it all! How do we thank friends, coworker and from people we just met for the first time? How does one put into words the impact these people have had on our family, just a normal family? I'm not sure. But this post will be part of it. It will be long. It will be from the heart. It will be a small way for us to thank ALL of you that helped make this a special Christmas and a VERY special memory. A story to tell our soon to be new Fritz's of how all of you helped them to come home.The first week in December our friends Kit and Ken asked us to come over for a little Christmas get together. Just the 4 adults, no kids! Ken had made tons of horsdoeuvres and had spent time making it look wonderful!!! I was hoping my Ken took notes, but I don't think so :( LOL! We talked about their Thanksgiving and how they had 20 some people over. How some of their guests started talking about seeing Lica and our story on TV. Well one of their guest said that they wanted to do something for us so she told Kit to buy a HUGE tub of dishwasher detergent which Kit presented to me?! Okay...... That was nice, I thought. I wish I could use it, but as Kit knew already, my dishwasher was kind of on its last legs and we have been doing dishes by hand. I mean she was close to 15 years old, which is great for a dishwasher but none the less, not doing the job any longer. So as the four of us were joking about if we could use the detergent as regular dish soap, Kit and Ken handed us a folder full of papers. They said that they were giving us our Christmas present early. You guessed it, a new dishwasher!!!! It was going to be delivered in 5 days and they were going to take our old one when they brought the new one. I say that because Ken and I are ones that do all that sort of thing ourselves. I mean who wants to pay to have someone deliver and take our old things? I must say though, It was WONDERFUL to have that extra service. I really kind of liked it!!! The kids were beyond ecstatic, it meant no more washing by hand! I told them that when I was a kid my sister and I had to wash dishes by hand. Kaylee, without missing a beat, reminded me that we didn't have 10 kids in my family!!! hahahaha!!! True, very true!

Next, we received a call from our agency telling us that their was a family wanting to help another family with their adoption and if they could recommend one. They recommended us! Our agency told this family about us and then gave them the link to watch Lica and our family that was shown on the news a few weeks earlier. The family watched it and then wanted to know if they could meet us. Of course they could meet us and the kids! I LOVE it when folks want to meet my kids! We got in contact with this family and they were wondering if they could bring their three kids and also their best friends who are in the process of their first adoption from the Philippines along with their 13 year old. Sure, bring them with too!!! Then their best friends brought a friend and we had around 10 guests, now friends, enjoying each others company! They loved on our kids, talked about adoption, orphans, school, jobs, animals and just a a great time. They brought us a HUGE gift basket full of crackers, cheese, olives and of course, what the kids spotted right away, COOKIES! Then before they left they asked if they could pray, pray for our family. I can honestly say that in my life time I have never had someone ask to pray for my family specifically! It felt so good!!! A kitchen full of people praying for us, for our adoption, health and wisdom. Never will I forget it or the peace and happiness it brought to me! That night alone would have been enough! But there was more. Ken told me once they left that he had talked with Mr. Jacobsen, Peter, about how they wanted to help pay our debt off that we owed to our agency!!! And that is just what they did! $7,000.00 to pay our agency leaving a $0.00 balance!!!!! Our agency is now paid in FULL!!!!! Things like this just do not happen to us! I read about it on other blogs but they just do not happen to us. I guess they do now!!! How blessed are we to have this happen!!

Oh, it does not stop here. One late afternoon there was a knock on our door with a young lady. She started talking with Roc but Roc soon was yelling for me to get down there. It was someone living in Cottage Grove with the organization "Moms Club". They donate every year to places and were looking for a family this year. Rebecca saw Licas story on WCCO TV and knew she had found her/their family to help this year. With all that was going on in the past view days my emotions were a little raw and all I could do once she told me was to grab her and hug her. I don't think I let go of this poor women for a while! I just kept saying thank you, thank you with tears in my eyes. She asked us to make up a list of things the kids would like as well as mom and tata. And mom and tata REALLY wanted diapers, wipes and kids body wash!!!! A few weeks later Rebecca, Milissa and Michelle, all from the "Moms Club", dropped off presents for our family along with a huge box of oranges and apples and bags of candy for each kiddo! The kids had a blast! After pictures were taken the kids made a human chain to pass the gifts up to our tiny little Christmas tree this year!

We had a few days to enjoy the gifts under our tree before we moved them all a block away to Kit and Kens house where we celebrated Christmas with them and their two kids on the 23rd. It was also Charley's birthday so we had to have birthday cake first!

We had one more stop to make. Grandpas house. 2 1/2 hours away! So on the 24th after the Christmas programs, we loaded TWO cars up with gifts from my coworkers, kids and 3 dogs, we don't all fit in one, and headed over the river and through the woods, literally!!!! Grandpa, my dad, built his home himself and its not very big! It is only a two bedroom home. So we had 3 adults, 10 kids, four dogs and a partridge in a pear tree all inside! We all had so much fun though. We go up north to dads every holiday. Then when we get home we appreciate our 5 bedroom soooooo much more!!!!!

Between my coworkers picking my family for the "armfull of love" campaign and "the moms club" choosing us for their family, Ken and I could take all the money we would have spent on Christmas for all 10 kids and put it towards the adoption of our three newest Fritz's!!!!! And that is just what we did.

Thank you all so much for everything!

Olga E

Adoption from Olga's region

Ok, I know I haven't been able too raise as much money as I would like for Olga E's adoption grant, but I've been in contact with several people who has adopted out of her region recently. They say that this is a fast and easy region, with easy travel and good accommodations. They also say that the orphanages are good, and the children well taken care of.
Please consider adopting Olga E, and spread the word about her, so her family can find her.

This is a post from http://www.xmaswarrior.blogspot.com/

PLEASE help spread the word about Olga and donate something to help get her home!

So Much Change in 5 Months!

Remeber the first time we met Artem (Luke)? How scared I was. How I wasn't sure if it would be a good fit. How I wasn't sure if the kids at home might not be able to handle him. How this, that and the other thing. And then how you guys out there told me to give it time, it will be okay, wait till he gets out of those 4 walls he has been in his whole life? Remember?
All I can say is I am SO glad I listend to all of you!!! I cannot imagine my life with out Artem. For a little boy that was afraid of almost everything he sure has settled right into life at the Fritz Farm! Both Josh and Artem started school a few weeks ago where they are getting all sorts of therapy! Arti has learned to love bath time and brushing his teeth. He has learned to sign 'more' when wanting more food or more PLAY! LOL He has learned that when any of his sibling say no he can laugh at them but when mom or tata say no it means no!! To cute! (not for his older sisters though), and his first word was Bob! Why? Because my husband and my 30 yr old nephew call each other Bob for some reason. So he hears Bob a lot!!! So one day when we were all sitting here Arti just yelled BOB! Now he goes around the house saying Bob, Bob, Bob! But the best thing he has learned so far is to laugh, be happy and how getting BIG hugs and kisses from mom feels really, really good!!! Oh how I LOVE that boy!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE FRITZ FARM!

Let Roc Know

When we went to Ukraine to adopt our four kids we knew we would need a little help with everything. We decided to bring Roc with us for a few reasons. One was that she really wanted to go. She worked for her ticket for months by selling corn on the cob door to door. Selling bracelets at school and all the different sports game the school was having. Shoveling driveways, mowing grass, raking leaves. You name it, she did it. She is a go getter!! Another reason was because where we were going was only around 250 miles away from where she was born. And yet another reason was because I thought it was important for her to see how some kids live. Not just in the orphanages but in a country not as wonderful as the US. There were some pretty difficult things that she saw and I know it has changed her life.
When we decided to continue on with our family blog, we also wanted to advocate for the orphans looking for a home. So Roc and I thought it would be meaningful for us to make a video showing and telling the story of the plight of orphans. So we did. Truth be told though, I'm not good at making a video, or getting a video on my blog, or knowing anything about it. The video sitting on the side called "Don't Pass Them By" is a video Roc made from her heart. A video of some of the kids we met. A video of some of the kids Roc played with. A video of where part of our hearts remain. Roxana is gone this weekend at her grandpas house. I want to do something fun for her about her video. I'm asking you to watch it and then comment on what you think of it. How you think she did. I think she did great but then again I'm only mom and I guess that's what I'm supposed to say. At least that's what Roc tells me! So let her hear from some of you who are not her mom on how she did, she will listen to you! LOL

A HUGE Thank You

So if you watch the video on the side about Lica and her "star Power", you will know how this chain of events happened. 20 years ago we found Vasilica (Lica) on a news story our local station did. Don Shelby and Bob Cowan, the photographer, who did the story have been following Lica's life and doing updates on her every 5 or so years. So when we heard Don was retiring we kind of figured he would want to meet with Lica one last time. Never did we imagine it would be one of his most memorable stories he has done over the last 30 some years! Well, after the story aired the questions and comments started coming. I'm not sure my coworkers knew I had one adopted child let alone 10! And I know they didn't know how Lica became our daughter. I'm a pretty private person and I hate attention. I LOVE the attention my kids get and adoption in general but Ken and I are not good at asking for anything or sharing our life story. So when Tina, my supervisor and Kim, a coworker and friend came to me and said that they along with others in the office saw Lica's story and so they wanted to do something for our family, I was hesitant. They wanted to adopt our family for Christmas this year! Not just my department but all the other departments in the building! The whole "Silverbell" group at Blue Cross!!! I immediately said no, why pick my family. Lets pick a family that is in need! Well coworkers kept wanting to do something for us and so Tina asked me again. I talked it over with Ken and the kids and my dad. My dads response was "Well for crying out loud, you have 15 kids, let them do something nice for you!!!" Okay dad, first, I don't have 15 kids and thanks for seeing my point of view! Love that guy!!!!!!!
So anyway, we thought it was a VERY, VERY nice thing to do. We could save the money we would have spent on gifts for the kids to go toward the adoptions we are in the process of. And also, the kids would have a blast. It's kind of funny and heartwarming looking through what the kids wrote down. Lica just wanted ONE blond hair extension and a Reece's peanut butter cup, King Size. Kaylee wanted small rubber bands to do Jerlin's and Dani's hair with and Charley just wanted a big car to push around. James wanted a dinosaur and the other kids really didn't care what they got. How did I get so lucky with such great kids!?!? How did I get so lucky to have such great coworkers to do this for us?!?!
So this holiday season my family has been "adopted" in sorts by a group of people that have been touched by 10 very special kiddos! THANK YOU!
And to the little girl in the video who has grown into an amazing young lady.......Oh the lives she has touched!!!!

We Are Going Back!

Not only going back to Eastern Europe to adopt a someone special we met there but also going back to South America to adopt TWO special someones! We thought if we could handle two different regions at once why the heck cant we do two different countries at once?!?! We are totally INSANE! This has been crazy difficult trying to coming up with the funds. It's not as easy this time around going out to get a second job. The kids need me at home. Not easy having garage sales this time since we just had 5 of them within the last year to raise funds for our last adoption in June plus there really is not a lot left to sell from our things as well as other folks stuff. Not as easy putting overtime in as we always seem to be running to a doctor/therapy appointment for one of the kids. And of course not easy asking for your help again. But here we are as a family sewing up a storm and crafting like crazy to sell things at craft sales, pick up odd jobs here and there and putting all our change in the piggy banks. All to bring home 3 special kids. Crazy? Maybe. But I have seen a small glimpse of the sadness and hopelessness in the eyes of many children and cannot get that out of my mind. I have witnessed that look fade away in the eyes of all my kids throughout the years. So it seems "crazy" for us not to bring more home.
The hard part of adoption, as most of you know, isn't the raising of the kids but the raising of the money to get them home. Adoption is expensive. We are adopting from two countries and the paperwork for one is done and just about paid for. The other, not quite. If you would like to help out by donating to our cause, there is info on the side of the post. If you have any fundraising ideas please let me know! Most importantly please keep all the orphans in the world in your thoughts and prayers. All they want is a family.

HOW COOL IS THIS???

Thanks Julia!

Family in NEED!!!

My friend Leah is leaving in 12 days to go get her son Axel from Eastern Europe. One problem. She is short the last remaining funds needed! Please, please spread the word or better yet donate to their chip in. http://myianna.blogspot.com/ Every little bit counts and adds up! Axel is 10 years old and has Down syndrome. He has waited far to long for his family! I would hate for money to be the only thing that stands in the way of him getting home.......to Minnesota no less!!!!

Brady and Heath

Brady

Heath

This is Brady and Heath. They live in an institution in Eastern Europe. They need for their forever family to go get them out and bring them home.
Brady has a special place in my heart for a few reasons. We already committed to Dani and Josh but knew we had room for one more. I knew I wanted one of the older children since time was limited for them in the baby house. It was either Luke or Brady. Luke was then moved on RR site to the older children category and was about 1/2 of year older than Brady so we chose Luke hoping and praying Brady would have that much more time for his forever family to find him. It did not work out that way though.
You can go to http://www.covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/ to read more about Heath and Brady from a family who visited these boys while they were adopting a sweet little boy themselves from this institute.
Please help spread the word! I KNOW their family is out there.

Tori

There is a little girl who used to be in the same orphanage as our Denis.  She is no longer there.  She has been transferred.  Please go to Jewels in My Crown  http://www.psalmsixtyeight.blogspot.com/  and donate!  Every dollar will help a family bring her home!

Tori.

End of One Book..........The Beginning of Another

Sorry for such a long break but it was CRAZINESS getting home!  One HUGE suggestion for all of you going through this is to READ your handbook from RR!!!  In all of our previous adoptions we always used a credit card to pay at the embassy.  Well, Ukraine does not take credit cards.  Oops!  Okay, big Oops!!!  I was willing to stay another month if need be just to get things done.  Never once in this blog did I complain about my time away from home.  I told myself that I would not count the days I was away from my kids like I did when in adopting from South America.  I told myself that I would be on a mission to bring these kids home no matter how long it took and until this very moment I have not counted the days I was gone.  Seriously, I just counted them now.  2 months or 57 days or 1368 hours.  We knew it would be long and that is why we never complained about it.  It was so worth it!!!!  Hard on the kids back home though.  Its a long time not to have mom and tata around.
It cost us a total of 46,381.62.  Again, never once on this blog did I complain about how much it was costing just the WHY it was costing!!!  We knew it would be lots of money to bring four kids home from two different regions.  I was trying to let families know through our experience the "cost" of things that come up.  We were down to eating one meal a day.  We took buses and trolleys or walked.  Like it or not, agree with it or not, offended by it or not........it was and is the TRUTH!!!  We know the exact amount because we requested and kept EVERY receipt for EVERYTHING.  Even if written out on a napkin, we got a receipt. 
This is what it took for us to get home.

These are just to get home!  When I say it was crazy, I mean it was CRAZY.  The plane was late leaving Ukraine and we were worried about missing our flight home once arriving at JFK.  All the kids did GREAT on the flight.  No problems what so ever.  The flight attendant started asking us questions on the kids and we were happy to answer anything she asked.  She was so helpful with all of them which is one reason it went so well.  Throughout the long flight she found out some of the things we went through and how long we have been gone.  She kept telling me that she had to do something for us.  I told her to knock it off (that's how I talk) that she had to do nothing for us.  I told her it was very nice that she thought this but there is no reason.  Once we landed and got into the terminal Ken showed me a napkin that was folded up.  I opened it to 60 dollars and a note written on the napkin that read:  This is all I had in my purse.  You are an amazing couple for saving these children. God Bless.  How sweet was that????  After landing we also found out that we missed our flight home.  With no money, except the 60 dollars from the flight attendant, we decided to stay in the world lounge at the airport.   Ken travels a lot for work so one of the perks he has is being able to go into a lounge area away from the hustle and bustle of the airport.  They have TV's computers, free food and drinks, bathrooms right there.  It was a great place to sit and relax. 
Ken went to go see if we could get on stand by for some flights home.  He managed to get us on a flight but once we were at the gate and dealing with other ticket agents we started running into problems.  The screen on the wall shows you if you are on a stand by list.  It then shows you the names that made it on the plane.  Well it said we should be on the plane but the ticket agents were letting all the other stand by folks on.  They asked if it would be okay for them to separate us.  We said we don't care where we sit just get us home!  After letting a few more stand by folks on they asked us what four people wanted to get on.  WHAT, when you said separate us we thought you meant seating not planes!!!!  Back to the front ticket agent we went.  Only flight available was for the next morning.  While Ken and I were doing all of this, Roc stayed with the kids by our gate.  She struck up a conversation with a couple who just returned from Ireland.  Our friend just returned from Ireland so Roc was asking lots of questions about their trip.  They then started talking about how we missed our flight and they messed up with getting us on stand by.  They kept asking us if Delta gave us food vouchers or set us up a place to stay that night.  Roc told them no they offered us nothing but that we could go to the World Lounge to eat.  When Ken and I returned Roc handed us a piece of paper all folded up.  I asked her what it was and she told us about the couple and that they said give this to your mom and not to open it until they had left.  I opened it up and it was 12 dollars in food vouchers wrapped around a hundred dollar bill!!!!!!  I said ROC, What it the world did you tell them!!!  Roc said they were just talking about their trip and our trip.  How they thought the kids were so cute and that Delta should really help you out since it was not our fault for missing the flight.  It was then and only then that I lost it.  The kindness of some people.  The lack of sleep.  The stress of the last few days.  The stress of the last few months.  It all just started pouring out.  We went back to the lounge to figure out if 160 dollars would get us a place to stay and a ride there and back the next morning.  It was now 11:00pm and Luke started getting restless.  A new crew came on working at the lounge.  Two women working at the front desk saw us sitting there and asked Ken to come over.  Don't know what went on but all of the sudden one of the ladies came over with stacks of cookies and was putting them in my bag.  She started getting us all up and moving along with Ken and told us she got us a hotel for the night.  She gave us food vouchers and some juice and was shoving it all into my bag.  I was just so exhausted by this time I really did not know what was going on.  I just went with it.  She kept telling us that someone should have done something sooner and how sorry she was.  She said we all needed a good night sleep and things would be better in the morning. 
I did not tell the kids we were coming home because I kept telling them dates before and it always fell through.  We decided to stop telling them when we thought we might be home and just show up when we show up.  And that's just what we did.  We got home around 6:00 Sunday night July 18th.  I don't know who was happier, us or the kids or grandpa!!!!  He got to go home!
Okay, I know it is getting long but now I have to tell you how the kids, both new and old, are doing. 
Dani:  She hates it when anyone of us leave for any reason.  Groceries, work, school, mow the yard, anything.  She cries and cries and wants us all to be together.  It has gotten much better and with all the other kids here showing her how it all works has helped tremendously.  I am not quite sure how she is going to handle it when everyone leaves to go to school?!?!  She has picked up on many words but continues to talk and talk and talk to us in her little husky Russian voice thinking we know what she is saying.  She LOVES to boss and sing.  She loves to change cloths at least 15 times a day.  She loves to fix her hair and carry purses.  She loves getting her own water from the fridge.  She loves the trampoline and playing outside with her brother and sisters.  She HATES naps, going to bed at night, not being included, hard shell tacos, having ANY door closed and thunder.  She has a all day doctor appt. next month where afterwards all the doctors will get together to decide the best action to take.  She had parasites, lacks in vitamin D and Calcium but has no problem taking medication to fix all of these.  She loves her new brothers and sisters but absolutely ADORES Charley!!!

Josh:  Josh loves everything except when you take his hands out of his mouth.  Then he tends to get cranky and whine for about 3 minutes.  He loves to rough house with his brothers and sisters, watch TV, sing, play the piano or keyboard, water, chew on EVERYTHING and our animals.  He follows the cats around and wants to do whatever they do.  He is a happy, happy little boy and very smart.  He will need surgery for his cleft palate.  I guess after surgery he wont be able to do his trick for the boys anymore!  YUCK!!  Charley and James get a real kick out of this.  Ken says we know when he is full because he has a "full indicator".  Its when the food starts coming out of his nose!!  Another huge YUCK!!  But again, Charley and James love his full indicator!!  He will be having some hormone tests to see if we need to do anything about his growth as well as all the other tests.

Luke:  Ahhh, Luke.  Luke loves his family.  he loves it when we shake his arms up and down, yogurt, oatmeal., blended up tacos, music, hair, strings, sitting on our laps, the animals, the dogs licking his face or toes, sleeping in mom and tatas room and being around us.  He hates water, taking naps, going to bed at night, having to try new things be it food or play and is very stubborn.  We were told both Josh and Luke did not feed themselves and were not potty trained.  First day home we gave them a spoon and they both started to feed themselves.  It gets really, really messy but who cares?  They are doing it!!!  And the dogs love all the extra food that falls on the ground!!!  We started potty training and it is actually going pretty well.  Luke is healthy besides the parasites.  But those are all gone now and they want to see him again in 6 months.

Denis:  Our little 15 pound 4 1/2 year old.  Denis loves to suck his finger, eat, get thrown up in the air, music, playing with his mobile while he is supposed to be napping, being held by EVERY member of the family and petting the dogs with his feet while laying in mama and tatas bed.  He hates dogs licking his feet, being fed with a spoon, anything cold, loud noises and baths.  He has learned to hold his own bottle, cry when he has a wet diaper or is hungry.  He babbles and makes many more noises than we ever heard before coming from him!!!  He has had and will continue to have MANY doctor appointments.  He lacks in vitamin D and calcium along with the parasites.  He needs surgery for pulmonary heart problems and a hole in his heart.  The surgery to fix both of these things will be done at one time.  He is still having more tests done before surgery to make sure they know everything they can about his health.  I'm talking every kind of test you could think of.  From simple blood work to MRI's.  Here is a photo of him looking a a families blog about himself.  Can you guess who's blog it is???  It is a blog from a mama that loved him VERY much!  http://ridinthewavewithulord.blogspot.com/

The other kids were very excited to see four new faces walk through the door on July 18th.  They were hesitant with Luke for about two days, thought Josh was the best thing since sliced bread, LOVES Denis and acts like Dani has been here forever!  The only real difference mom has noticed is feeding this crew and NEVER having a clean bowl!!!!

We were just talking today about what we missed most about Ukraine.  We unanimously answered, Toby!!!!  hahahahah!
I want to thank all of you who have prayed for our four new Ukrainians!  Even before they were part of our family.  Those of you who have followed along on our journey, and sent well wishes and prayers.  Those of you who donated money or things for our garage sales.  We are glad to be home!