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So much done, so much time, all going too fast

I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. I did not realize how fast time has gone by. JM really has just slid right back into our family. We have done so much in the last two weeks - it has been full of fun, laughs, and a few tears.  We have done so much! We have travelled to Wisconsin and back. We have travelled to our campground and back (a few times). We have swam (A LOT). We are squeezing in so much in such a short amount of time!  I want to thank those of you who are reading this right now and who have been following us during this time. I continue to learn so much about myself throughout this. Here have been some of the most common questions I have received over this time: 1. So... what happens after this? Does JM go back? Well, yes. This opportunity for him is to get him some time with a family, expose him to other opportunities and bring awareness to orphans around the world. JM has been at the orphanage since he was 3. He has been looked over so many ...
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He made it!

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He has arrived! After a VERY long day of travel, we are home. JM left the DR at 3 am and we arrived in Indiana at about 9 pm. Thankfully, we arrived without any problems! You will see quite a few other kids in this picture. We had quite a few come to spend the summer with different families in the US. It was wonderful to see all their beautiful little faces. I have created quite a relationship with all of them.  So... JM is back. He is spending the day relaxing. My boys are not home yet so it is a quiet day, which is probably best because both JM and I had such a long day of travels yesterday.  All of these kids have had English classes and for most, their English just explodes while they are here. It is quite difficult for me because they all default to Spanish with me, and the same for me with them. It is just easier. And so, I have to really discipline myself to use English so that JM's English can improve this summer.  It also is a bit different. When he was here over...
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Arrival day!

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  Arrival day is less than 24 hours away! I will be taking a quick day trip to Miami to pick up JM and bring him home. This is the first time that I have had a host child return a second time. We are so excited! There is less to "get ready" but definitely just as much excitement. My boys can't wait.  I have always wondered how much these activities affect my children. I know that it allows them to learn about other people, other cultures and expose them to other ways of thinking. But, just within the past two weeks, I really was surprised at how Hudson (my middle child) had not only recalled from our first experience but how much he had been able to discuss current events. We had a guest over and we were telling him all about our crazy and chaotic lives. We talked about how JM will be coming to visit and stay with us for a few months. Hudson then talked about our first guests, N and Y from Ukraine. He spoke about who they are, where they live and how the ongoing war has a...
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Why?

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  We are just a few weeks away from JM's arrival. This is only the first time that I have been able to bring a child back to us after one visit. The first time I did this with N and Y, the war started immediately after their return to Ukraine. And well.... because the war is still ongoing, and now three years later, N has aged out of the orphanage, Y is close to aging out and their youngest sister, S, will age out in about 3 years if my math is right.  This time around, JM will get to come and visit a second time. I have been so blessed to be able to have a connection with him and maintain contact with him as he stays in the DR. He is so excited to come. And we are excited to have him. The boys regularly ask when he will arrive.  As I thought about this post, I was thinking about Why? Why do I do this? Why do I continue? Lord knows that I have enough on my plate. But I started to think about all the different organizations and reasons people are involved in. Many times, p...
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Our summer adventures are about to begin!

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  I have been a bit quite on this front as I was never certain if this was going to happen. But, it looks like JM will be returning this summer!  Our family really connected with JM while he was here this past Christmas break. He definitely is on the quiet side (which is the complete opposite of our family LOL) but, he slowly came out of his shell and really became a part of our family.  Many people ask me why I do this? They say I have a lot going on (I do). I have too much on my plate (I do). Whatever reason people think I should not do this (which for the most part, I agree), I just keep thinking back to these kids. They never asked to be born. But they become a part of society that believes that should be born but then often disregards them. All of the following information I was told recently and I have no reason not to believe that it is true. JM was dropped off at the orphanage at the age of 3. His parents died at the age of 5. He has not other family, no siblings....
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