Our Year in Review (enjoy)

With it being the last day of  a very interesting and exciting year for our family I thought I would recap some of our adventures.

For those of you that have followed along with us we wanted to thank you for all of your support this year as we embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. Your friendship, love and support throughout this year has made the journey all the more enjoyable. It is so nice to know that there are people all over the world (some that we have never met personally) that care about us and are hoping and praying that we succeed. We (especially me) really appreciate all of you and your kind words, acts of service and love as we have shared with you all the ups and downs of the year.


Here are some highlights:

January: As we prepared for our pending trip to Ukraine Olena was entered to win a new smile at our orthodontist. (I am not sure if I updated you all on this. Olena didn't actually win this competition, but our fabulous orthodontist graciously offered to donate his portion of her treatment to help our family. If you ever need orthodontic work done, he is the best around!! Dr Graff, thank you for all the great work you are doing to help each of our children and their smiles!)

We arrived in Ukraine after a long tiring journey. Enjoyed the cultural differences and the excitement of finally being there. Had some interesting grocery shopping experiences and finally made it to an apartment, where we tried to be patient and wait for our appointment with the SDA!

Hit a bump in the road and were told we couldn't see Olena until we re-did some paperwork.

Spent some time exploring and learned to navigate the Ukrainian underground. We welcomed our good friend T.J to Kiev and did some more exploring with him while we waited for word about another appointment.
Two weeks after our first appointment we are finally given our second and we receive referrals for both Olena and Anastasia.

February: We begin the long drive to Balta to meet Anastasia. Along the way we break and axle on the van and are forced to wait over night to be rescued by another driver. After finally arriving in Balta we get to stay in a hotel with no heat. We try to stay warm by piling anything that isn't stuck down, onto the bed, but to no avail we still freeze all night long. Balta is like jumping back in time to the 1920's.
After meeting with officials in town we arrive at the orphanage where we get to meet Anastasia (Nastia). After a few minutes of communicating with her, with the help of our translator (Really I knew as soon as she walked in the door) Mike and I knew that the reason we had been made to meet with her was that she was also our daughter. We decide to adopt her as well. We ask Nastia if she would like to be in our family and she says YES! Happy day!
We spent a few days meeting with and getting to know Nastia a little. Then we leave and spend a couple more days driving down to Izmail. (The 2 schools are about 460 km apart but with the state of the roads and the non direct route that we have to take we have to stop over night in Odessa each time we traveled between towns.)
We FINALLY get to Izmail and see Olena. She was very excited to finally be seeing us.
Visited one more time with Olena and then more paperwork and more driving to Tarutyne and then Odessa, with one more stop in Balta before heading back to Kiev.
2 week wait for court begins. We decide to make the most of that waiting and jump on a plane to Italy. This is a dream come true for me. Mike and I got to spend the next week driving around Italy and visiting places I only ever dreamed about. Then we hopped on a second plane and visited Paris before heading back to Kiev.
25th our first official family day. The judge grants us permission to adopt both Nastia and Olena.
We head home to wait some more!

March: I (Debbie) head back to Kiev to start the last part of our process and bring the girls home.
I picked up Nastia from her school. Sadly there was no ceremony of any kind. She just ran outside and jumped in the car with us and we drove off!
Nastia and I spent another cold night in a hotel just outside of Tarutyne. We picked up the girls birth certificates and then visited with Kola (the girls brother) and their father. It was a sad visit, but one I was glad for Nastia to have.
Drove from there to Izmail to finish up paperwork and pick up Olena. The girls are reunited for the first time in years. Great day!
Arrive in Odessa where we will stay while we wait for passports and Visas for the girls. Get to go shopping with the girls and learn they are not used to picking anything. I enjoy being able to spend time with them.
Give the girls their first experience with church.
Take a day trip back to Balta to do the last of the paperwork.
Waiting, waiting and more waiting for passports.
Recieve passports and drive back to Kiev to finish Embassy stuff.
Wait for 2 more days before we can leave. We are stuck in our little apartment watching Ukraines got talent, because there is a bad snow storm.
25th exactly 1 month after the judge grants our adoption and 9 1/2 weeks after we first arrived in Ukraine, The girls and I arrive in America and they meet/see their new family!
The girls celebrate their first American Easter with us.

April: Nana and Grandad, Uncle Jordan (from Australia), and Friends Bronwyn and Dave (from England) come to visit for 2 weeks.
Mike starts his new job at Usana.
Nastia speaks a sentence in English for the first time.
We attend the baptism of Alina and Albina Truax (also adopted from Ukraine at the same time as our girls)

May: We Meet Robyn Christensen. She comes to church with us and translates every Sunday for the girls! (She has now become a huge part of our family. And one of my best friends! Thank you Robyn for all your help with the girls)
Carter graduates from Kindergarten!
We celebrate my first mothers day as a mother of 6 children.
Nastia attends her first track meet.
Miranda performs as Puck in her school play Mid summer nights dream.

June: We take a family trip with the Murray family to Zions National park. Lots of swimming and hiking and fun!!
The kids zip line for the first time :)
Nastia and Olena start their first American school (ESL summer classes)
We celebrate 3 months of having the girls home.
We take the family to Lagoon and each of the kids goes on roller coasters for the first time! So much Fun!!
Mike and I Run the Wasatch back Ragnar Relay with our "family" (Liz and Damien Bear and Matt and Amy Beatty). Awesome time!!

July: Nastia and Olena go on their first ever camping trip (sleeping in tents and everything) they also repel for the first time ever!
We were lucky enough to meet Mai, a 14 year old girl from Japan. We had her come and stay with us for a few weeks. We loved having her be part of our family, even if it was just for a little while. Mai you are welcome to come back any time. We love you :)
Mike and I celebrate 14 years of marriage.

August: Miranda, Nastia and Olena attended girls camp.
Uncle David, Kingston and Tusi came to visit.
Nastia and Olena get Baptised and confirmed Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Miranda is accepted and starts school (9th grade) at a performing arts school.
Olena and Nastia start 9th grade at the local Jr High. Talon starts 6th grade, Lucy 3rd grade and Carter 1st grade.

Mike turns 41

September: Talon turns 12
 I start working! I got a job working for the Nebo School district. I love it.
Nastia and Olena are sealed to our family in the Provo  Utah Temple. We are now a family forever! (A friend of mine, one of my neighbors told us later that "she felt very strongly during that moment that the girls parents were in attendance and that they were pleased with their decision and that they were in the right place.")

October: I had to cut back my hours at work so I can be a better mother! Hard choice, but the right one.

November: Lucy turns 9
Olenas best friend Svetlana arrives from Ukraine. She was adopted by a family that lives here in Utah! Yay!!
First Thanksgiving for the girls. We had a quite one at home.



December: Carter turns 7 (my baby is not a baby anymore!)
Svetlana gets baptized.  Olena gives a talk at the baptism, Nastia prays and the rest of us sing!
Miranda turns 14.
Olena turns 15
Nastia turns 16 (it was so much fun to see them both experience what a birthday should be really like! The 3 girls will be having a birthday party this coming saturday! I will post some pictures of the adventure)
Debbie turns 37 (ugh)
First Christmas in America was a success. Joy had by all! Skype with Family in Australia.

Now it is New years eve and I feel like it has been a roller coaster of a year. BUT I wouldn't change it for the world. I have learned so much about myself and about what I am capable of. I still have a lot to learn, as we all have, but it sure has been an interesting journey. Thanks again to everyone who has joined us for it and stuck with us through the hard emotional times. Life is never boring and hopefully it never will be.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Our latest....

Life in the Maurin Family house is never boring! It is sometimes a struggle, but it is never boring.

Yesterday we celebrated the 1st of 5 birthdays this month. It was my youngest child Carter's 7th birthday. It is hard for me to believe, and I made jokes with him and the other kids last night, that he is that old. I don't feel like I am old enough to have my baby be 7 years old. But sadly I am. I was also reminded that I have a 16 year old daughter, so I must be old enough (she will be 16 very soon).

Carter makes life in our house very interesting, ALL THE TIME! he is a whirlwind of energy and can get himself into trouble without even thinking, but he is a joy to have in our family. I also know that  Heavenly Father very wisely saved him for last so that I would not stop having kids!!! 

He is a funny child!!

A lot has been going on since I last updated. So let me quickly touch on the interesting stuff.

Olenas best friend Svetta, from Ukraine, (we have some pictures of her on here) was adopted and now lives in Utah. We get to see her every couple of weeks and she has even come and stayed with us a few times. We love having her here and are  so excited that she has a family that loves her. She was baptized a couple of weekends ago and asked our family to be a part of it. We of course accepted, even Nastia, who reluctantly accepted to say her first public prayer. The chapel was full of people and when it was time she got up nervously and offered a beautiful prayer (in Russian). She was very proud of herself and a little embarrassed when she was done. I was so proud and it made me quite emotional. Next Olena was asked to give a talk on Baptism. I helped her write it but asked her to share her own experience and feelings from when she was baptized. Her testimony and her poise while speaking were beautiful to watch. Again I was emotional. After Olena the rest of the kids and I were asked to sing. We chose a song that they had already sung in our ward, but I jumped in and sang with them. Not the best idea!! I was already emotional at all the things the girls had just done. I can not be trusted to sing anymore without crying. I tried, and I held it together for a little while until I saw someone else crying and then, that was it for me. But overall the song turned out great and Svetta and her family and the other guests that were there all appreciated our efforts.

These 3 beautiful girls Natasha, Svetta, and Olena. All friends from the same orphanage, all with new families! YAY!!

Stasia and Lucy!

Svetta and her Dad

Me and Miranda after the Baptism

Party games!

Begging for candy! (maybe)

looks like she killed it!

New Member!

Svetta and her sister Stasia

Best Friends!! (They sure have come a long way!)

                                              
                                                  

I was also given an opportunity to help the kids learn how to recognize the spirit. I have the privilege of being part of an organization that collects food from grocery stores that they would ordinarily throw away, (things like day old bread or close to use by stuff or damaged boxes, things they can't sell) and taking it to a food pantry. Well this particular day the food pantry was not open. I had a car FULL of food and no where to take it. So instead of getting rid of it, I decided to take it to people that needed it. Only we didn't know anyone that needed it. So The kids helped me pack it in bags and load it back into the car. We prayed and asked for direction and decided to just follow the promptings of the spirit. We drove around our town to the homes of people we didn't know and I waited for the children to tell me where to stop. On more then 1 occasion all the kids (including a couple of our neighbors) all pointed to the same house and said "that one, definitely that one!" Each of the kids and Mike took turns doorbell ditching the food at these houses. It was a really fun activity. We will never know if the people we gave bags of food too actually needed it, but it was an incredible experience to feel the spirit in our car and to see the kids listening to the promptings of the Spirit.

An update on the progress of the girls!
The girls have been with us in America for almost 9 moths. I am constantly asked how everything is going with them? How they are doing? My usually answer is "It's going....!" Here is a little breakdown.
Olena has transitioned really well. She is progressing at school and is not having to have her work modified much, if at all. She is speaking pretty fluently in English and even sometimes has forgotten how to say things in Russian. She is doing great.
Nastia has come in leaps and bounds from when she arrived here almost 9 months ago. She is understanding almost everything you say to her (sometimes she pretends she doesn't, don't let her fool you!) There are obviously big words that she doesn't understand, but the use of the translator is very minimal now. She is progressing as well as is expected in school. She doesn't like going, and frequently there are battles of wills when it comes to homework. Her teachers all love her though and say she works well in class. She is feeling more and more like we are her family but with that comes behavioral things that weren't evident when she was in honeymoon phase! We are all learning the new rules :) I am still unsure if she really likes me sometimes and that can be hard on me emotionally. But she is starting to open up a little more some days and will at least tell me (after some pushing) why she is mad at me. Plus with her turning 16 soon, comes some fears and reminders of what would have happened to her if she were still in Ukraine. We are trying to help her know that she is safe and will always have a place to live and people that love her.  Over all, even though there are some struggles she is doing remarkably well. I feel  blessed that the Lord allowed me to be their mother.

Christmas is coming and we are not at all prepared. But we are on our way. I feel a little overwhelmed with trying to make sure that the girls have the best Christmas ever! Really what I need to do is just make it a good one. I think that no matter what happens this year will be amazing for all of us. Our family is together and they are going to experience what Christmas is supposed to feel like. We already went Christmas caroling, what could be more festive then that?? :)