Daddy and Daughters

Mrs. Beaver:

I'm still reveling in the beauty and wonder of our family's celebration of Easter last weekend. Just as we were gathering at our large dining room table for a mid-day meal of ham and Daria's amazing mashed potatoes, I saw Cassandra and her dad enjoying a snuggle:

When Oksana saw the cuddle going on she chirped, "Me, too! Me, Too!" and ran to her daddy's end of the table with her arms lifted high:

There isn't a day that goes by that our family doesn't thank God for making us a family. There isn't a day that goes by that Mr. Beaver and I don't marvel at God's goodness, His kindness, His love in using both pregnancy and adoption to breath abundant, vibrant life, in the form of children, into the home of an utterly barren couple. We revel in his resurrecting power, displayed in our lives as redemptive love.

Orphanage Life

Van in which we traveled from the capital city in the region to our children's orphanage in October 2010

Daria just after our arrival at her orphanage begging her new parents to hurry so she can give us a tour

Some of our regular readers may have wondered what life was like for Daria, Alexander and Oksana during their years in the orphanage. We adopted the three of them through the Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project. The Lighthouse Project's Becky De Nooy is author of the group's blog. In January, Becky interviewed a recent adoptee from their orphanage about her life in the Children's Home.  Becky's post, titled Orphanage Life, offers insight to our children's former lives. The details which Becky shares closely match the many stories they have shared with us since becoming part of our family.

Our children were well cared for in a very good orphanage. However, it was still an orphanage, not a family. What a merciful God we have who places the lonely in families! (Psalm 68:6)

Perfectly Suited

After church on Easter, the family's four men, who only don suits for Resurrection Sunday and sibling's weddings, were hamming it up a bit for the camera.

Video: Great Post-Easter Song

Mrs. Beaver:

Our church's children's/youth choir sang Andy Cherry's "Our God's Alive" yesterday morning to open the Easter service. Wow! What perfect and powerful lyrics! His is risen, just as He said!

Easter Egg Hunt

Mrs. Beaver & Cassandra:

Greatest News Ever

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Mrs. Beaver:

Day after day we're assailed in the news by stories that make us cringe and sometimes even cry. Our souls long for a happy ending. Our hearts want a reason to rejoice.

This past weekend our family traveled to Kansas City to celebrate a remarkable turn of events that has left us jumping for joy. Earlier in the week, Mr. Beaver's Uncle John and Aunt Carol announced that they plan to remarry 27 years after divorcing.

We have been pleading with the Lord in prayer for this very news for years. We've remained close to both of them since they separated. We love each of them dearly! And, individually they've been among our greatest supporters as we've added trio after trio after trio of older children to our number through adoption. What a great God to answer our many prayers and make the seemingly impossible possible!

With the news so fresh, our desire last Saturday was to take the newly engaged couple out to dinner to rejoice with them. As soon as we arrived at Uncle John's, I asked for a photo of the two of them. There was no need to tell them to "smile" when I was ready to snap the picture! These two can't stop smiling!

When we got to the restaurant, I asked for one more picture of the duo, knowing it would be dark when we came out.

Then over delicious food, we enjoyed laughter and fellowship.

We then returned to Uncle John's place for ice cream (Blue Bunny, of course) and strawberries. First though, we gave Uncle John and Aunt Carol a small gift. The two of us shared our all-time favorite book on marriage, Paul David Tripp's What Did You Expect??: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage.

Our John helped his uncle dish up dessert...

...while Aunt Carol shared some family history with the girls.

Her tales prompted Uncle John, the family's genealogist, to pull out the extensive records he's collected.

Here he was showing us his ancestor's letter requesting a medical release during the Civil War.

We were fascinated to see the documents,

although the girls quickly decided they don't want the beard which their great-great-great-great grandfather sported to come back into fashion!

While the older kids were getting a very personal history lesson, the little girls were getting loved on by Aunt Carol.

 All too soon, our wonderful evening was over.

On Sunday morning we went to church with the soon-to-be-marrieds. Then following a group photo...

...we had to get started on the five-hour journey home. So we said our good-byes and climbed into the van.

As we backed out of the driveway, the beaming couple gave us something to hoot happily about...

May God bless and keep these two as they reunite in July!

May He cause His face to shine upon them as they begin again!

May He guide them and enable each of them to live in selfless service to the other!

May His way be their way.

And, may they live happily ever after!

Celebration of a New Beginning

Mrs. Beaver:

One of the blessings of attending a smallish church like we do is that the church family really operates like...a family. A happy event for one of us is reason to celebrate for all of us.

The girls and I attended one of these celebrations on Saturday morning: a bridal shower for a young woman named Megan.

Megan's sisters, Cora (in the red below), and Naomi (far left) will both play the role of maid-of-honor in the June wedding.

Close family ties are one of the hallmarks of the Davidson family. The girls' grandmother, in the background below, has modeled prioritizing family throughout her grandchildren's childhoods. Both she and the kids' grandfather have made the five-hour trip from eastern Iowa countless times to share holidays, listen to their grandkids' concerts and see plays in which their grandchildren had a role.

Megan's grandparents have also modeled true commitment to their vows; they have been married for nearly 52 years. What a legacy of love for the bride and groom to emulate!

One of my favorite things about the celebrations at our church is that they're multi-generational. The mom's bring their children. Usually the children at a shower are girls, but this time the youngest party-goer was a boy. In the photo below, six-month-old Caleb sits in the lap of the "matriarch" of our church, Miss Betty, who is in her eighties.

One of the little girls in attendance thoroughly enjoying...

...the jelly beans that adorned the coffee table.

Erin and friend, Meddie

...and Erin's little sister, Lilly, with her mom, Tanya.

The family-orientation of Megan's bridal shower was a reminder that in less than two months she and Nathan will become a family unit of their own. They both love God and are ready to serve Him as husband and wife, and, on God's timing, parents.

Daria's 17th

Mr. And Mrs. Beaver:

When Daria turned 15, we spent the day feeling sad. After all, she was in Russia, and we were in America. Our hearts ached as we thought, "Argh...we've already missed 14 of her birthdays! Not another missed milestone!"

We were also concerned. If she turned 16 before being adopted, Daria would "age-out" of the Russian orphanage system and no longer be adoptable. Now she was turning 15, and we were only a little way into the adoption process. Previous experience told us that just about anything could happen capable of slowing down or halting the process. Our adoption of sisters Tatiana, Natasha and Amy in 2005 had taken 14 months because the Russian government had stopped all foreign adoptions for several months while the process was reviewed by the Ministry of Education. We just didn't have 14 months this time. Not if we hoped to get this amber-eyed teenager out of the system before it was too late. We keenly felt our dependence on God to make the seemingly impossible possible.

The arrival of Daria's 15th birthday in March of 2010 made us just that much more aware of the urgency of getting this precious teen we desperately wanted as our daughter out of her orphanage and into our home. In the end, the Lord answered countless prayers and Daria became ours just four months before the ominous deadline associated with her 16th birthday.

Unlike two years ago, this March Daria's birthday brought us nothing but happiness. God's grace has been more than sufficient, allowing Daria to adjust beautifully to her adoption. She's wonderfully affectionate, kind, funny, loyal and loves Jesus. Daria is now so close to adulthood. and we will eagerly watch as the Lord takes this once hopeless life and transforms it for His glory and her good.

This year, we asked Daria what she wanted to eat for her birthday. Without a moment's hesitation she chose ice cream...

...so off to the Blue Bunny parlor we went!

The following picture is particularly reflective of the kind of hope and healing that God has worked in Daria's heart. Two years ago, she was an only child emerging from an orphanage... someone who had spent her entire life learning how to fend for herself. When Mrs. Beaver was taking photos as we enjoyed our ice cream, Daria herself initiated the hug below with Alexander. She now has real brothers and sisters that she loves and who love her as well. God is so good!