Focus

Strangely enough, this out-of-focus picture of our daughter Anna's family speaks volumes to me as an adoptive mother. So many of my children's lives have been seared by the acid drip of neglect.

This snapshot captures such a brief bit of life on planet earth and yet there's so much here...a vulnerable baby being cradled in her father's arms...a mother's kiss lovingly planted...unity between husband and wife. This is family as God intended it. Thank You, Lord, for Your loving protection of little Brielle.

Birthdays are Hard

Mrs. Beaver:

The boy who will some day be the youngest of our six sons turned 10 today. (He's the little-dare devil poised to fall shoulder first into the pool. The other two are his older brothers.) While he may not be our son yet legally, the Lord has deeply written this precious child on our hearts. He's our son. He's our boy. We love him already, which means our hearts ached knowing that he reached double digits without a birthday celebration. We know from Alexander's stories of his life in the orphanage that while the "home" kids (children who have a home and parents) at the community school bring in candy to hand out in the classroom on their birthdays, the orphans aren't able to take a in treat for their class on their special day. So on the day that should stand out for its extra happiness, the fatherless children face the stigma, perhaps even tinged with bitterness, of being "different."

Birthdays are hard. But at least his birthday has nudged us to pray with extra fervency that God would cast His light on this orphan's life, preparing Him to rapidly grasp the beauty of the gospel.

Inside the Kremlin in Moscow

Mr. & Mrs. Beaver:

It was our last day in Moscow in November 2010. Our family had traveled to Russia to bring home our newest members through adoption--Daria (15-1/2), Alexander (11), and Oksana (6). We went inside the Kremlin to see the beautiful churches hidden to the world by the tall walls. The weather was lousy--a cool damp drizzle--but even so the domes on this church seemed to glow without the help of sunshine. The tiny mosaic tile which wrapped each column was a work of art all in itself.

While we were awed by so many beautiful sights within the Kremlin, as parents we only had eyes for our new teenage daughter. For her these famous tourist draws represented the colorful, unique and beautiful culture she would be leaving as a result of agreeing to be adopted. Daria was suffering with the knowledge that the next day she would be say farewell to all she'd ever known and loved. Our normaly vibrant daughter was as droopy as the weather, and our hearts just ached for her! Truthfully, we couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose language, foods, smells, just to mention a few of the losses she would experience. We longed to listen to her heart on this last day in her motherland but since we didn't share a language yet, all we could do was move through the Kremlin at the pace set by Daria, with tissues handy as tears fell.

Daria dipped low this day and again several times once she was living in America. Each time we gave her space in our attempt to treat her the way we would want to be treated. After she'd had time to grieve the loss of Russia, she'd emerge caustiously ready to embrace being a member of our family in mid America. God's grace saw all of us through these difficult times, which now are nothing but a distant memory. She still loves Russia deeply, but now her ties are to our family here in America. Even more importantly, Daria also now belongs wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ and is investigating ways she can spend her life serving the Father of the Fatherless who has rescued her twice.

Our Adoption: Dad--On His Own

Mrs. Beaver:

A year ago I had the easy job. I was in Chicago with Lissie, Natasha and Joe who had each qualified locally to compete in the National Bible Bee Finals.

Opening ceremony -- Lissie receiving her medal for qualifying

Banquet on final evening -- Meggie, Bonnie Leigh, Natasha and Lissie (l-r)

Because of the need for me to be at the Bible Bee, Mr. Beaver was a world away, alone in Moscow, Russia. He was single-handily beginning to parent the three children who were finally ours at the end of a court-mandated 10-day wait, following the judge's "Yes," to our petition in late October to adopt Daria (15), Alexander (11) and Oksana (5).

Here's the link to Mr. Beaver's story of God's overwhelming goodness during the adventure of a lifetime: First Day with the Kids

Creating a Photographic Record

Mrs. Beaver:

On of the aspects of adopting older children that causes me real pain as a mom is that, bless their hearts, the photographic record of their lives doesn't begin until they join our family. No newborn photos. No baby pictures. No photographs that record their antics in early childhood. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

This black hole in our adoptees' lives has been one of my motivations for taking so many pictures of our children. I can't make up for the loss before they joined our family, but I can make sure their lives are recorded on film (so to speak in this digital age) from the moment a judge delcares them to be ours.

Here is Tatiana on her 14th birthday: