Oh my....

One year ago today we left for Ukraine.
One year.
Oh my, it seems like yesterday and yet it seems like Alex has always been ours.
How can that be?
I've decided to follow my blog one day at time from last year and relive our experience. I remember being so very excited and nervous.

I wish I could have had a video of mine and Alex's talk after school yesterday. It was about the maturation program. Devree had asked how the maturation program went to both Rylee and Alex as they came in from school. Rylee proceeded to answer but Alex walked off, following me into my office. I said,

Alex, Devree asked how the maturation program went.

I not talk her about it!

Why?

(Shrug)

Were you embarrassed?

Yes.

Oh, honey. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. 

In utter disgust & bewilderment Alex looks at me.

Mom you know penis?

Umm...yes?

You know penis get hard?

Umm....yes.....

You know why?

Uhh...why don't you tell me?

Excited!

The contempt and bewilderment is what is not coming across in this post. His eyes are as big as saucers and he's just appalled!

Didn't you know that?

No!

Well, good then you learned something today.

Then he proceeds,

And we learn about girls. Girls have....umm......

Girls have?

You know. Boys have penis girl have........

He's using both hand gesturing towards his lap and he's just not finding the word. I'm not sure what word he's looking for. And not wanting to introduce any new words and have to make further explanation at this point to add to the confusion I went with:

Oh, you learned about girls private parts?

Yes! 

 (Huge shudder and grimace on his part.)

Then he moved on to another subject and we didn't mention it again.

I was so proud of myself. I didn't crack. I laughed later when he left to go build a fort with Brach. And I laughed again with my friend at the gym this morning. The look. I wish I had the look of bewilderment and disgust and exasperation and this post just doesn't do the story justice! 

Oh my.

So, Brach and Alex are building a fort. First it was digging a hole in the field behind Kam's house. A hole that they were going to put a TV in and have tunnels connecting it to other holes. (Who's TV? No idea. How were they going to power it? Again no idea. But they're out there digging a hole and moving about an inch or two of dirt a day so Kam and I figured....why stop them?) Now it's going to be a wood fort out of the old wood from our makeshift stairs that we took out to have out deck installed. Alex is attempting to haul it over in the wagon. This I believe will be an all summer project.

Alex had a sliver in his hand last night from the wood and tried to tell me it was just dirt. I made him get me a needle. He said, 'You no hurt me Mom." I won't. And I didn't. He was so impressed and had to admit when I pulled it out that it wasn't just dirt!

I've been working on helping Alex identify feelings. Sunday morning he got up and made German pancakes for the family.(Yes, all on his own. He helped Rylee make them one morning and so he knew where to find the recipe and he's all about "If Rylee can do it, so can I!" ) He also straightened up the family room. You could tell he was quite proud of himself and I thanked him profusely for both tasks. He came in after wards and wrapped his arms around me and said "Mom I loves you sooo much!" This sort of came out of no where. I told him I loved him too and asked why he thinks he loves me sooo much?

Because I make breakfast and clean up living room!
I realized later that what he felt WAS love. The good feeling you get when you serve those around you. Later that night we talked about showing love through service and feeling good about serving. I think he was just bursting with joy from his service and only had the words I love you to explain that wonderful, happy feeling inside him.

He also came home last week and told me-that a voice but not a voice told him him in his head:

"Alex, don't forget your Spotlight*." 

(He's saying this in a theatrical spooky voice.)

*Spotlight is the book report form I had asked him to get because he set his first one on the counter in something sticky.

I told him that was probably the Holy Ghost reminding him to get his homework. 

Then he told me once the voice also said

"Alex don't forget basketball."

That's great I said. You are listening to the Holy Ghost.Those are promptings. It's great that you are listening and understanding. The Holy Ghost can help you make decisions and keep you safe but you have to learn to hear his voice.

Later that night in his journal he wrote:

I like when voices in my head speak to me.

Oh dear.

That's sounds a little disturbed.

We talked about how crazy people hear voice too. Voices that say bad things or tell them to do bad things. Maybe we should clarify what he means by voices? And on his own he wrote:

I like it when the Holy Ghost speak to me.

Whew!

That sounds so much better!

Oh my, who would have guessed a year later we'd be here learning about maturation, building forts and feeling the spirit? It makes me excited for the next year!