Already spring and ready for summer!

My girls are ready for summer! We are now beginning our spring break, and it gives me a glimpse into what our summer will be like. Karis and Karrigan always enjoy playing in the backyard, recently, in their new, matching bathing suits, while Evan has developed a new passion for fishing, with his dad. This coming summer will certainly be a change from last summer. It will be more relaxed now that Karis is home and settled, yet, it will be busy with all of the kids' activities... including their bunny 4-H projects. I very much welcome this new season we're in... both literally and personally.

A Fabulous February!

Whew! Life is crazy right now, hence my lack of blogging. The important thing is all in the Kahrs household are happy and healthy. A few photos of what we've been up to this month! Mainly... running two kiddos to basketball, one to gymnastics, and celebrating the Giants Superbowl win!!! (Double click on the photos to enlarge.)

More "New"

Today, Karis experienced two firsts... tubing -and- traveling to another state... Indiana! She has now experienced: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and New York (at the airport when we flew back to the U.S.)

Today, she was excited to go with friends for a snow adventure! The poor child, used to a lot of snow, hasn't seen much of it this year, so today, was a great opportunity. She was nervous however, after dreaming last night of very intimidating hills! We assured her, they weren't too scary! She texted me, from her friend's cell, when they were on their way home and wrote that the day was super fun!

After receiving this photo, I think next time, this mom needs to go along! :)

Happy Russian Christmas!

It was a pleasure and privledge to attend Living Hope Church's Russian Christmas celebration today, in Centerville. We were invited to the special service, as the church supports missions in Ukraine... Russia's next-door neighbor. We know quite a bit about Ukraine as it's border is near the city in Russia, where we adopted Karis from (Bryansk). Our coordinator, in Russia, was from Kiev, Ukraine and was taking college courses there while working with us. Additionally, we became all too familiar with the Ukrainian train, as we accessed it going to and from Moscow.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch, all Russian-Ukrainian food, the majority prepared by our very good friends the Stefaniuks. Who would have ever guessed when I met Marisa Stefaniuk, a fellow mom at our wonderful school, that we would have so much in common, a couple of years into our friendship. Quick explanation... her husband has Ukrainian roots; Marisa, as a young girl, traveled to Russia on a missions trip; and a few months after she and I met at a local coffee shop, to discuss our writing hobbies, my husband and I were led to adopt from Russia. So glad God put Marisa and her family in our path. I wonder what more we have in common, after the events of today.

Speaking of today, we learned about an organization called World Light Foundation. www.worldlightfoundation.com President and Founder, Natalya Skala from Ukraine now living in America, spoke and celebrated Christmas with us. She was a true light indeed. We, also, heard about a hosting program the church is involved with which brings Ukrainian orphans to our area, each summer, for about three weeks.

So now... what does God have in store for our family? Being present at today's festivities was no fluke. Our family's busy schedule actually permitted it. It's time to seek prayer... time to ask God what He has for us in 2012. I'm quite certain it's not another adoption, but I would never say never, if that's what He was asking.
Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be exciting. Stand by for updates...

So, for more about Russian Christmas... a good explanation from http://russian-crafts.com/customs/christmas.htm

Thirteen days after Western Christmas, on January 7th, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates its Christmas, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. It's a day of both solemn ritual and joyous celebration.

After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It wasn't until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday was openly observed. Today, it's once again celebrated in grand fashion, with the faithful participating in an all-night Mass in incense-filled Cathedrals amidst the company of the painted icons of Saints.

Christmas is one of the most joyous traditions for the celebration of Eve comes from the Russian tradition. On the Eve of Christmas, it is traditional for all family members to gather to share a special meal. The various foods and customs surrounding this meal differed in Holy Russia from village to village and from family to family, but certain aspects remained the same.

An old Russian tradition, whose roots are in the Orthodox faith, is the Christmas Eve fast and meal. The fast, typically, lasts until after the evening worship service or until the first star appears. The dinner that follows is very much a celebration, although, meat is not permitted. Kutya (kutia), a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace.

Once the first star has appeared in the sky, the festivities begin. Although all of the food served is strictly Lenten, it is served in an unusually festive and anticipatory manner and style. The Russians call this meal: "The Holy Supper." The family gathers around the table to honor the coming Christ Child. A white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes, covers the Table. Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty of the Cave where Jesus was born. A tall white candle is place in the center of the Table, symbolic of Christ "the Light of the World." A large round loaf of Lenten bread, "pagach," symbolic of Christ the Bread of Life, is placed next to the Candle.

The meal begins with the Lord's Prayer, led by the father of the family. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said and then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered. The head of the family greets those present with the traditional Christmas greeting: "Christ is Born!" The family members respond: "Glorify Him!" The Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead, saying: "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year." Following this, everyone partakes of the bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness. The "Holy Supper" is then eaten (see below for details). After dinner, no dishes are washed and the Christmas presents are opened. Then the family goes to Church, coming home between 2 and 3 am. On the Feast of the Nativity, neighbors and family members visit each other, going from house to house , eating, drinking and singing Christmas Carols all the day long.

Merry Christmas (again) all!

Basketball Beginnings

Today marked another first for Karis... her first-ever basketball game! We were so proud of her, and when it was over, she said, "That was fun!" Oh, and her team won... BIG!

The Merriest of Christmas-es!

December 25, 2011 was Karis Yulia Kahrs' first Christmas... EVER. No joke. At 12-years-old, Karis learned that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Her 5-year-old sister, Karrigan, was the first to tell her. Karis, also, had never been given a present, wrapped in paper, with a bow on top, until this year.

The photos posted, don't need captions...it's obvious the pure,
child-like joy this precious soul felt, for the very first time. She was thrilled with every gift she received, and we couldn't have been happier to help make her dreams come true. And at the end of the day... it wasn't even the gifts that mattered. She just wanted to climb into my lap and be held, to tell me what a great day she had with her new family.

(Click on the photos below to enlarge. Karis' expressions are priceless!)

One year ago today!

Written December 6, 2011

It's hard to believe that one year ago, today, we met our daughter, Karis Yulia, for the very first time! I remember very clearly... we left our hotel in Bryansk, Russia and walked across a parking lot to the Ministry of Education where we were told why "Yulia" was in the orphanage. I remember tears falling, because although we hadn't met her yet, she was our daughter, and we couldn't bare the thought of anyone hurting her.

After leaving the ministry, we loaded our suitcases into a small, beat-up, smokey-smelling taxi. Our regional coordinator guided the driver to Zhukovka, 45 minutes away from Bryansk. The roads were literally sheets of ice, as Russia doesn't clear them during the winter months. None the less, the driver speeded down the road, as if it were a normal, dry day. Kevin and I clenched the seats infront of us, silently praying we'd make it to the orphanage alive, all the while, counting the make-shift graves along the side of the road. Others' fates hadn't been so lucky.

Kevin wiped frost from the window of the taxi as we entered a little village, all so he could begin taking video of Yulia's current "home". The village was like nothing we had ever seen before... small little houses everywhere with big, ornate fences, people pushing wheel barrels in the snow, horses and wagons in the street, and many, many fur hats! The music playing on the radio really awoke our cultural senses (or lack of)... a combination of polka and techno set the tone. And then... there it was. The orphanage we had imagined for nearly a year stood infront of us, eery and old. As we drove up, it appeared as an institution from the 1940s... pillows stuffed in the windows to keep the rooms warm.

We entered and walked up the first flight of stairs to the orphanage director's office, lugging our packed-full suitcases. Kevin entered the office first, and I heard him say in an almost disbelieving whisper, "Ah, there she is..." I looked up from the suitcase, and sure enough, the little girl whose picture we'd been staring at for 10 months was sitting right infront of our eyes! My first impression, she was so small! Her face was so sweet. She looked at me with the most priceless expression... it was a seeking, happy, nervous, relieved look, all in one! I can't imagine how she was feeling, because it was difficult to process all of the emotions I was feeling. Immediately, I went over to her, yet was hesitant, not wanting to scare her. I did what my instincts told me though, so I bent down to give her a hug, and to my surprise, she hugged me back and followed that hug with an incredibly sweet smile. Yes. Yes indeed... she was our daughter.

December 6, 2010 will always be... a beautiful day in our family's history.