Learning.

Just when you think things are falling into place, something happens.  Such is life.You can either get upset or learn from what happened.  It is not easy being a parent but we are learning that we need to follow through with discipline and nip things in the butt now rather than later when they are bigger.  Trying to change habits or a way someone has been thinking for 14 years does not happen over night.  We have to keep reminding ourselves to be patient.  That is probably the hardest part. 

Although Dima's English has come along so well in 6 months, he is still generalizes words.  He may say something that sounds rude, but that is the only way he knows how the explain it.  One goal this summer is to work on reading and getting caught up in Algebra so he is ready for Algebra II next year.  He made the Honor Roll again! He was so proud of his certificate that he put it up on the refrigerator as soon as he saw it!

We also have been working harder to ask a lot of questions when we see him getting upset.  He has gotten better at talking to us and explaining why he is upset.  That has made a huge difference.  We don't have less issues, but we now can figure out what is wrong within minutes rather than the whole day!  The more he can talk and explain himself makes us wonder why we didn't have more issues in the beginning because he LOVES to ask MANY questions!!! Again, we try to be patient and help answer his questions.  This can be challenging at times, but we try our best to explain things so he can understand them.  He asks some really interesting questions and it makes us learn as well.

This summer Dima is going to the YMCA Teen Camp and doing some work for our friend that has a landscaping business.  So far, Dima really likes the camp.  They do such a great job here.  The counselors and kids are so nice to Dima.  Dima is also very excited to work for money! He is saving up money to buy a "professional" bike like Dusty and I.  At first he said he didn't want one, but after riding for hours and hours, he now wants to save up money to get one.  Dusty started riding with him a few weeks ago so he could get used to riding on roads with traffic.  He was so used to riding all over the place in parking lots so it took a little bit for him to get used to riding in a straight line. 

One night we all rode our bikes to get ice cream.  It was so much fun riding together as a family! Dima is so funny when he comes to a stop sign, he can stop on a dime! Dusty almost ran into him a few times because he stops so quickly! He does a good job looking left and right and 6 times for cars.  We made it to our destination and back with no problems!  The next day Dima had his first bike crash.  We weren't there to witness it, but Dima just shrugged off his skinned knee like it was nothing. 

Last night Dima said he was going to go with me on my bike ride.  I am training for triathlons and had to do a hill repeat workout.  I reluctantly agreed as I had to ride on a hilly and busy road to get to where I was going to do my hill repeats.  After warning him, he still wanted to go.  While I did my hill repeats, he rode back and forth on the flatter part of the road.  We had to ride up some pretty steep hills to get back home, but he did a great job! He was so excited to hear that we road over 13 miles!!

Thanks for reading!
Tina

Finally time to blog!!!!

I am so sorry it's been so long as I would much rather spend time with Dima than sitting on a computer.  I am sure you all understand.  I feel like I have so many years to make up for!! We have been having a blast the last few weeks with spring in full swing....when it's not raining, but that's been pretty much every day!!  I will try to do the last few weeks justice without making this a book. 

First, I want to show a picture from Ukraine of Dima's old boxing coach with newly purchased boxing gloves that was graciously donated from the Altoona Surgery Center.  Here is a picture:



Dima's last week of track went really well.  He improved his time almost every meet except for two, one was rainy and the other he seemed tired for once.  He has amazing strength!  He qualified to run the 3200m at the Middle Distance Championships last Friday.  He had a great run and beat his best time by about 18 seconds as he finished in 12:09!!! Here is a video of his finish:

The following day, Dima wanted to run a local 10K and finished 1st in his age group! Yesterday he ran in our local 5k race that my work puts on, the YMCA Curve Race and finished in 20:17!! Big increase from his first 5k in April where he finished around 26 minutes!!! I think he found something that he really enjoys and is good at! It seems effortless for him.

As as school is going, I think Dima has the summer bug.  We have to keep on him about his school work, which I am sure every other parent is going through this time of year.  He is very close to not making honor roll so we explained to him that he needs to keep working these next couple of weeks and then he will be able to enjoy summer.  He actually seems bummed that school with be over as I think he will miss being around friends he has made in school. 

Dima has learned how to ride a bike for the first time.  It was a pretty cool experience for us all since he has had many firsts before he has come to America.  As I was watching him learn how to ride a bike, I was sad that he never got a chance to ride a bike before, but at the same time I was happy we were able to be there with him.  The first ride didn't go as well as we'd thought.  Dusty had to run along with him holding his seat for about an hour!! The next day he was so excited to go out.  Dusty had to work so I took him to a grassy area to help him.  I hurt my back so I wasn't able to hold on like Dusty did.  When I told Dima that, he looked at me like....do I have to do this on my own??? I kept telling him he was going to be fine and only had to help him for a little bit while he got used to starting on his own.  Next thing I know, he is riding on his own and catching on.  It was one of the coolest experiences to see him progress so quickly.  Now he loves to have the freedom to ride around and gets better and better each day.  He says he doesn't want a "professional" bike like Dusty and I have, but he also said he didn't want to run at one point either. 

The only issue we are having currently with the whole adoption now is with Immigration.  Talking to other parents that have adopted, we discovered that the parents with a 14 old or older received a letter from Immigration about their child needing to take an oath due to an act that was passed a few years ago.  Well, Dima has received no such letter and Dusty has called different offices and continues to get directed to other offices as they have no idea what we are talking about.  We are frustrated as we don't want to find out years later that we needed to do this and have any issues down the road.  We will continue to figure this out on our own as we know it's hopeless to ask our adoption facilitator that we used because he's already received our money.  Other than this, we are just dealing with the typical teen mood swings, but they are not bad at all.  His English is coming along so well in 6 months. 

We look forward to the next few weeks of planned events and our big trip to Arizona to see his Aunt Lisa again and to meet his cousin, Aunt and Uncle's for the first time.  We are all very excited for the trip!!!



Latest Blog

The last few weeks have flown by due to track and functions that we've gone to.  The track season is almost ending, which I think Dima will be bummed as he has really enjoyed being on a team.  He also mentioned the other day that he was bummed school is going to be over soon!  He has come so far from the night before school and he was so upset about going to school! We have all come so far in just four months.  I think back to when we first got home and how things have changed.  Dima is a different child.  He has gained confidence from conquering his fears.  I hope that he continues to push himself when he faces his fears.  He has become much more calm in situations that before would give him anxiety.  I remember the first few days of school when he forgot his watch as we are pulling out of the driveway and he insisted on going back to get it.  Now he just shrugs and says not to worry about going back to get it. 

Communication has gotten so much better.  We pushed him from the beginning to open up to us if he was upset so he wouldn't shut down.  Now if he gets upset, he will talk to us about what is wrong.  He also used to get upset because he didn't understand.  Between school and track, he can now understand a lot.  He still has a hard time being able to say exactly what he is feeling but he can at least say a word or two now to explain.  We had a campfire the other night and Dima asked what were we going to do with the campfire.  We said we were going to enjoy the warm fire and talk.  He did not shut up for that 2 hours!  We laughed while Dima told us the things they would do in Ukraine, mostly just typical boy stuff.  He told us what some of the really bad kids would do and how much the teachers would use hitting as a punishment.  We learned a lot about Dima in those 2 hours.  It still amazes me as to why he chose not to do those really bad things.  What made him realize right from wrong?  He had no family that ever came to visit him.  He had no one to go to after he would have "graduated" in 2 years?

When we first decided to have Dima go out for track, we thought it would be good to give him something to do after school.  We did not realize how much it would help him.  His confidence has tripled! He has a time with his peers to practice listening and speaking English outside of school.  It also gave him a sense of belonging with being on a team that you can't get any other way.  The coaches and kids have been so supportive and often cheer for him when he is running his events.  He is no longer the orphan at his school and looked down upon, he is just one of them.

This weekend will be my very first Mother's Day! The last few Mother's Day have been extremely hard for a few reasons.  The obvious reason was because I was not a mother, but the other reason was because if I would have had my baby, it would have been due this month.  I would get anxious before this day and depressed.  I would wonder why I wasn't able to be a mom. Now I understand that God had a different route for me and has blessed me in so many ways that I often feel like I have to pinch myself.  Dima has been amazing and such a joy to have as a son.  He has brought Dusty and I even closer than I would have imagined after being together for almost 20 years!  Now I am looking forward to Mother's Day with a smile instead of tears. 

Gift and Latest Track Meet

I have been meaning to post these pictures for sometime now.  A few months ago the Altoona Surgery Center had a celebration for us to welcome Dima to America.  They also graciously donated money to us to give towards the Children's Center in Ukraine.  Luckily, we were able to have the Rose's hand deliver the money when they went to adopt Artyr.  If we would have mailed the money over, their was a good chance the missionaries would not have gotten it.  A check would  not have been an option as the missionaries would not have been able to cash it. Ukraine works only with "clean" cash. That means it has to be brand new dollar bills because counterfeiting is big there. Sending cash would have been like burning it because it probably would have not made it if you know what I mean.  So, we sent the money over with the Rose's and had them ask Artyr what was needed at the Children's Center.  These are the pictures of what was purchased.

Artyr with their teacher.  A camera and accessories were purchased.  The kids loved seeing pictures of themselves as they didn't get a chance to see pictures much.  Many of the children do not many pictures of themselves and the ones they did have mostly came from the missionaries.

The other purchase was something that was like gold in Ukraine, an electrical tea kettle! Chai (tea) was huge over there and the children would make chai at the Children's Center.  It was always cold in the rooms so I think it was a way to warm the poor children up!!

Thanks so much to all of those who helped donate the money! These gifts are were so welcomed as they were very well needed.  Not many gifts are given unless a family has adopted from the Center.  It is custom to give gifts back to those to cared for the children at the Center.  Not many children are adopted so not many gifts are given, until the hosting program in Tyrone! About eight kids have been adopted so far from Dima's old Center!

Also to be purchased with the money, yes money goes a long way in Ukraine, are some boxing gloves for the Center. We feel that Dima gained confidence from the boxing program that was at the Center and wanted to give back.  The missionaries that we were contact with over there are working on meeting with the boxing coach to help get some gloves that are needed badly!

Now onto the latest track meet in State College.  The meet was only for 8th graders, but I think there is something in the water in State College as the kids are tall and fast!!!! Dima had some extra cheer leaders as his best friend Artyr made it to the meet!  Here is a picure of them being blown away, it was pretty windy!

LOVE those smiles!!!!

Altoona tried their best to compete against the big SC field.  Dima ran in both the 1600m (1 mile) and 3200m (2 mile). Here are some pictures:

There were about 15 SC boys and only 3 Altoona boys.  Dima is the one in white on the far left.  The winner ran a 5:02 mile??? Dima did really well and ran a 6:05!

Running in the 1600m

Dima and one other Altoona runner for the 3200m.  Dima PR'd (he only ran the 2 mile one other time:) by 23 seconds to finish at 12:52!! 

Dima finishing the 3200m event

We are so proud of Dima for going out for a sport.  It has made a huge difference in his confidence and his English! I really feel all the other children that have been adopted should do some activity or sport outside of school with their peers.  I watched Dima interact with the other kids during the track meet and am amazed how far he's come in only 4 months.  I truly believe that being in an extra curricular activity was a huge help for him.  Being in an activity gives them a sense of belonging and goals to shoot for.  We thank God he was open to do it as it is really paying off!

 

Dima's Track Meet

Today was Dima's second track meet.  This past Saturday was a relay meet where Dima ran in the 1600m Relay and Distance Medley. It was a rough meet with the cold rain.  The poor kids just suffered through it.  Today's weather was much better so the kids could actually race their events.  Dima ran the 1600m event first and did a great job!  I think he finished 4th overall? His next event was the 3200m.  He did a great job by staying behind the boy in the lead.  He had a lot of support from all his coaches, Dusty and I telling him to stay behind him.  The last 100m, he sprinted out around him to win the event!!! He was so excited! We were all the excited to see him finish so well! Seeing his win was "icing on the cake" as he looked like he was having so much fun just being involved in a sport! I put the those words in quotations because he learned that phrase today so I thought it was appropriate to us it.  Here are some pictures from the meet. 

Dima running the 1600m.

Dima running in the 3200m.

Proud Papa and Mama with Dima.

Pictures!

Dima with his best friend Artyr. This was the first time they've seen each other in  2 months!

A picture from Artyr's party with all the kids that have been adopted so far with their new brothers and sisters.

Dima's Uncle John was home for a few weeks from Afghanistan.  This is a picture of the Kunstbeck boys!! What a handsome group!

Dima with his cousins Johanna, Joey, and Ben.

Dima before his first 5k run!

Dima giving me a high five after my half marathon.  I wish you could see his big smile in this picture!!



It's been a while.....

The last few weeks have been so crazy.  I have tried to sit down and write up something but it seems like I can't find the time.  Dima loves to hang out with us so we can't seem to sit down at the computer to write something on the blog without him trying to ask questions.  It's great that Dima wants to learn and asks a lot of questions, but man, he asks A LOT of questions!!! I want to post some pictures, but will have to later.

After the last post, we got the chance to visit Dusty's brother, who was home for a few weeks from Afghanistan.  Dima finally got the chance to meet his Uncle and had a blast with him and Dusty's family! He had so much fun that he was upset to leave! We had a blast playing games outside and finding Easter eggs.  Dima said the Easter egg hunt was for babies, but when it was the older kids turn to find them, he sure seemed like he liked the game!

The following Friday, Dima gave Dusty his report card.  He had no idea what it was.  I was in another room and heard Dusty say..."Did you show this to Mama?".  Dima made the honor roll!  He had no idea what that meant, but after seeing the excitement from Dusty, he was very excited too! He showed me his grades and even though we have been keeping track of his grades, it didn't cross our minds that he would make the honor roll! We are so proud of him and how much he has been working in school and his English!

That weekend we went to Cook Forest near Clarion to compete in a race.  Dima ran his first 5k race while I ran a half marathon.  Dusty unfortunately had to go to a seminar for work that day and couldn't come up until after the race.  A group of friends went up and we all stayed in cabins for the weekend.  We all had so much fun! Dima was a trooper and did great in his first race!  Of course he asked a lot of questions before the race! He hung out with some of my friends while I finished. When I came into the finish, the first person I saw was Dima with the camera taking pictures of me with a big smile on his face!! My heart just melted seeing him, what a great moment! The rest of the weekend we had fun making smores, mountain pies, and playing games.  Dima was a little unsure being around so many people and kids he didn't know, but he did so well after he relaxed.  The day after the race, Dusty, Dima and I walked around Clarion University to show Dima where I went to college.  It was fun to show him where I played basketball and the places I stayed. 

Today is Dima's first track meet.  Being in track has helped to improve his English even more and has helped him socially.  We can not wait to see how he does.  No matter what, we will be so proud of him for being brave and getting out of his comfort zone to participate in track! We will let you know how it goes!