A Time to Mourn

On November 9th at 8:17 in the evening, my Po Po (grandfather), Robert A. Traina, stepped into eternity.  Sam and I had come back to the States a week ago to be with him and the family.  We are thankful for the week we had and the chance to say goodbye.  Here are my numb thoughts as he is now worshipping the God he has loved his whole life.

So passes Robert Angelo Traina, child of God, son, brother, husband, daddy, Po Po and Great Po Po.  He was a studier, an author, a teacher, a dean, a friend, a lover of scripture, a role model, a patriarch.  He was humble, quick to laugh, deep voiced and loving.  We, his family, had the great privilege of walking with him in this life.  Thank you Jesus, for the precious 89 years he was here.  Now he is truly home.

love,
Laurie

Laurie and Sam in the States

This is a rare post from Andreas, husband of Laurie who normally blogs here. Her grandfather has become very sick and it became apparent pretty soon that Laurie needed to go home and spend some time with him before the end came.

He is 89 years old and has a fantastic eternity waiting for him but selfishly we want him to remain with us and continue to be the family anchor that he has been for so long. Laurie and Sam are with the family for a month and it is a gift from God to be able to allow them that.

Pray for them and pray for the whole family in this difficult time. I'm sure Laurie will get back to posting blogs soon.

/Andreas

A Time to Post

Well, I realized that I was just checking other posts and not posting myself.  I have been doing quite a bit since my last post.  My grandfather is still in the hospital, but getting better.  He is weak, but we are hoping that he makes it home soon.  The whole family is converging on Wilmore for Thanksgiving.  I am even flying home with Sam for 3 weeks.  Andreas has to stay here, and will be missed greatly.  I pray that it is a time for the family to gather around my grandfather and let him know what an amazing influence for Christ he has been in our lives.  He will have at least 2 of his 5 great grandchildren there also, so it will be a good time for them to form a few memories of him.  I am hoping that we can get everyone there.  Please pray that it can all work out  for the family.  

We have a huge Thanksgiving fest planned for the church here in Sweden.  This will be the 3rd annual fest.  Last year we had a little over 60 people from 16 different countries.  It was really cool and I am hoping that we can beat that this year.  So for anyone in Sweden come to Alingsas Metodist Kyrka on November 19th at 6:00 p.m.  Bring a food from your land to share and if you have kids, we have activities and babysitters for them.  Please call me and let me know you are coming at 0763 402801.  That way I can get an approx. head count.  

Andreas and I have been working on updating our homestudy and paperwork for our adoption from China SN.  I have been researching all the different diagnosis that I have seen, lined up an amazing doctor for the rush of "tell us what you can from this paperwork" and Andreas and I are trying to pray and figure out what we can handle as parents.  It is not easy, but I believe that a we have to try our best to be prepared for what we can know.  Of course there are usually surprises, but I am not going to worry about them.   I think we should have all the paperwork done by the end of November and ready to accept a referral when the time is right. Please continue to pray with us that we would hear what God has to say and be willing to sacrifice when needed.   

My heart has still been stirring and moving to work on plans for a children's home and school in Nepal.  I am scared half to death also, but I believe this is what God wants me to work on.  I have started to gather a prayer group and my courage has been bolstered.  So Andreas and I will continue to move forward (albeit slow) with this plan.  

Samuel has all of next week off for Fall break, so we will try to do some fun things and have a great time together.  I talked to him tonight about going to the States and he is sooooo excited.  His first question was, "Can we spend the night with my Karenbauers?"  This is the family that I nannied for so many years ago and Samuel loves their children. I told him that it could probably be arranged.  I hope that I can see many of my friends and family when I am home and that Sam can get reaquainted with many of them as well.  

I will leave you with some pics below.  Most of them are my boys, well....being boys.  Blessings to all.  Please continue to keep the 80 familys in Nepal in your prayers.  It is an extremely hard situation and pretty unfair in my opinion.  These families needs prayers and advocates.  If you would, please contact your representative or congressman and let them know that the State Dept. needs to help these families and not hurt them.  

Blessings,

laurie 

I just liked this picture, it is outside of our stuga in the woods.  

This picture is one in a million.  When I was looking for a picture of the two of us for the dossier, I couldn't find one.  We are never in pics together, one of us is always behind the camera.  So the other night we set this shot up and it turned out pretty decent.  I think I have a great looking husband and am very thankful for him.  

Liseberg With Friends

Crazy boys at Liseberg!  I hate these round and round rides, they make me sick, but daddy can do them.

Isabelle and Zoe

We were finally able to go to Liseberg with Maciej and Isabelle and their beautiful daughter Zoe.  It was great fun. 

I love the looks that she gives.  She has quite the personality behind that pacifier.

I absolutely love Isabelle's face on this picture.  This is a picture of the picture that the camera on the ride took.  I am a roller coaster lover, and I look like I'm having great fun.  Isabelle looks like she is enduring it.  Thanks for being a sport and going with me Isabelle.  We are in the very first car above and below we are in the very last car.  The ride below is called the Canon.  

September pics

In the middle of September, Andreas and I got the chance to hike and pick mushrooms for a day.  It is something that we both love to do (well, I am more the mushroom picker), but it was great to be out and enjoy nature before it got too cold and winter sets in.  We hiked relatively close to our summer house and met two moose that day (one of them was really close, but luckily Kelty listened and didn't chase after him, man those things are big).  Enjoy the pics.

I wish this one was a little clearer, but it is cool anyway.  

 
Kelty was cooling himself off in the bog.

This was a new lake for us.  It was very pretty and Andreas even took a dip, not for long though, really cold.

Self portrait, not easy to do, I have short arms.

Beauty and Sadness

I just wanted to write a quick note before bed.  Friday night Andreas surprised me with a trip to a beautiful island called Hven.  It is located in the sound between Denmark and Sweden.  The island belongs to Sweden.  It was a really nice time to be with my best friend (Andreas of course, Sam was with his grandparents), and enjoy a really quaint and beautiful place.  I will have pictures soon.

In the midst of getting ready for church this morning I realized I had a message on my cell.  The message was left in the middle of the night and I did not hear the phone ring.  It was my mom.  So of course my heart automatically beats out of my chest with fear.  My grandfather is in the ICU with a bad infection as of Saturday.  I called my mom (at 4 in the morning her time), and she said that he was doing better since that phone call, but not necessarily out of the woods yet.  So now I have to make the agonizing decision to go or to stay.  Of course I want to be there, but there are so many factors I have to consider.  So at this point my mom is keeping me up to date and we will decide by how he is doing.  Please pray for him and me as I make this decision.  This man has been my father figure and the image of a loving God in my life and I don't want to miss saying goodbye (if it comes to that).  This is when living overseas is really hard.

Blessings,
Laurie

Sam Quote

I wanted to share a few more pictures of Sam and his friend Johannes.  In the park, near our house, there is a huge chess game and the boys get a big kick out of it everytime we go.  I also wanted to share a Samuel quote.  This was said to Andreas last night.  Andreas had a meeting and came in about 5 minutes after I put Sam to bed.  Andreas:  "Hey Sam, I just wanted to say goodnight."  Sam: "Could you please leave pappa, I'm trying to sleep."  We have no idea where that one came from, he usually does anything and everything NOT to sleep.  What a funny kid.  

Andreas is taking me away for a night.  Sam will be with his grandparents and it is all a secret so I am excited to see what is in store for me.  Have a great weekend y'all (sorry couldn't help the y'all).  

Blessings,

Laurie

Petition for Nepal Pipeline Families

Just a quick post tonight.  I wanted to post the web address for the petition being sent to Congress on behalf of the 80 pipeline case in Nepal.  If you are an American citizen you can go to.......... www.petition2congress.com/2/3608/view_all/

Please read through the letter and sign the petition for these familes. It is asking for clear and up front information, and consideration for what these children and parents are going through. However, I recommend that you go to the site and read it for yourselves.

Also, thank you to all those who left comments yesterday.  It is always good to hear from people who are going through the same situation or have been touched by adoption, or just want to read.  The body of Christ has been so clear to me through the prayers and words of so many of you.  Thank you.

Blessings,

Just to leave you with a pic of Sam.... that is why my family and friends come here anyway...  this is Sam in the park with his best "human" friend (right now he says the dog is his best friend).

Laurie

Adoption Update #51

Hello all,  well I think I have informed those who need to know before I tell the public.  After much diliberation and of course some huge obstacles we have switched countries (again) to China special needs.  This is a program that we have talked about in the past, but "things" have led us to this.  The journey has been pretty amazing actually, but I still hold on to the hope that God knows who and where our child is and we are learning as much about ourselves on this journey as we are about our child.  Don't get me wrong, doing paperwork for a third time and going through the emotional rollercoaster of it all has not been great, but if I am honest it has made me take my hands off the wheel again!  Please pray with us as we go down this road.  Samuel is starting to get pretty emotional about not having a sibling and has even said that "God hasn't heard my prayers mommy, because I still don't have a sister or brother."  It is so hard to explain the waiting to him, but we continue to encourage him to pray and trust God that one is coming.  He has been in tears several times lately about it.  He has now told us that he wants a sister and a brother.  So, I know God is listening and stranger things have happened.

We were actually featured in the local paper today.  I talked about the rollercoaster of it all.  I hope it didn't discourage anyone.  I think the main point is that you don't always get what you want, but the journey is worth being on. Sorry, it didn't make it to the online version.

I am still working on getting my memory fixed and downloading pics.  I will hopefully have that all solved soon.  Please remember all the families that are still trying to get their children from Nepal.  It is a hard and emotional situation right now, there are about 80 "pipeline" cases and it is hard to know exactly what is going on.

I will leave you with pics of Samuel doing some gymnastics.  He is in a sports club that tries different sports for about 13 weeks.  We thought it would be a good idea to see what he likes.  He has great fun.  

Blessings to all,

Laurie

Just a Quick Picture

I definitely need to update everyone about the "going ons" here in Sweden, but it is really late and I just wanted to share this amazing picture with you.  Some of you may not see what is so great about it, but I love this pic.  It shows Sam's personality sooooo much.  He is such a fun loving kid and finds even the corner of a house to play with.  We were out at the house in the woods for a day and I captured this pic.  I actually think he was hiding from the camera... he does get a bit tired of the pictures.  I will be posting more soon, I have finally gotten almost all of my pics downloaded.  

Blessings,

Laurie

Still Here

We are still here.  Sorry for the silence there has just been a lot going on and not enough energy to do it all.  I still do not have new photos downloaded we were having storage issues for all the pictures.  I think that may have been taken care of now so I will begin to download and new pics should come soon.  Sam is doing well in school and maturing before my eyes.  He is in a good stage right now and we are really enjoying our time with him.  I do have to tell one story... the three of us were in Gothenburg borrowing some special lights for an event at the church and Sam was helping us carry things.  I handed him one small crate and he said,  "shit, det var jätte tungt!" (translation, "shit, that is really heavy.")  My jaw automatically dropped to the ground and as Andreas tried his best not to laugh, he reminded me that Sam didn't know what he was saying.  However, he used it well.  So we gently had to explain to him that shit was not a word that was appropriate for him to use in Swedish or English.  He was a bit confused and said, "but everyone at school says it".  So then we had to go into the explanation that Swedes don't really understand that it is not a good word in English, they have just picked it up, but we should not say it because it is not a nice word.  We also talked about what comes out of your mouth expresses your heart (I am sure that one will need repeating several times). So, now we start the interesting differences in language.  I am sure more interesting words are coming.  Not only do I have to figure out the English ones, but the Swedish ones as well!  In most languages the curse words relate to mainly sex, here in Sweden they are actually cursing you with Satan or demons.... I think if I had to choose I would prefer the English ones (never thought I would say that). This year Sam has been trying new phrases and words he hears at school, I hate the loss of his innocense.  However, I know he has to go through this and we have to help him make sense of it and move on.  He is a great kid!  

We have had another snag in the adoption process (of course I can't give details), but we are trying to figure out where to go from here.  I have to admit I am struggling a bit.  I feel like we hit walls, or snags all the time and time is quickly marching on.  I know that is probably not true, it just feels like it.  Please pray that we can understand where the Lord is leading us with all of this.  Maybe when Sam is 20 we can finally adopt again.......wait a minute then I am 50 and Sweden will not let me adopt.  Yep, I need prayer for my attitude.  Sometimes I just want to be 2 again so I can throw a big ole' fit.  I suppose God looks at me and sees that I do it anyway in my 36 year old way.   So here is a verse for all those out there that feel like I do right now.  Hebrews 12:12,13  "So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a staight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong."

May each of you meet God exactly where you are.  

Blessings,

Laurie 

Samuel is 6!!!!!!

I will have to put pictures on later once I get them downloaded, but wanted to let everyone know that Sam turned 6 on Friday, Sept. 10th.  I can't believe he is actually 6 now.  Seems like time has flown by sooooooo quickly.  We had a family part on Friday night and Sam was on his best behavior and was very good at saying thank you and letting everyone know he appreciated the gifts.  I was really proud.

I also want to give a huge congradulations to Nina and Wes Mullins.  You can link to their blog on the right side of the page under my links.  They were given a referral from Ethiopia last Thursday.  To their surprise and the abundance of God's blessing, they are the parents of 2 1/2 month old twins.  One boy and one girl!  God is extravagant!  We will be praying that you will bring them home soon.

Have a great Sunday all!
Laurie

More Summer Backlog

I told you that we went camping with some friends this summer in the last post.  I finally found a few pictures of that trip.  We went camping with Chun, Sarah and Daniel Ng.  They are from Australia and I got to womens Bible Study with Sarah.  Sarah wasn't so keen on camping, but she was a trooper and went anyway.  We had a good time, but woke up to rain.... so it ended a little early and a little wet.  However, they are our first friends here that actually attempted to camp with us.  So, thank you Ng family.  We had a really good time.  

This is Samuel and Daniel.  Daniel is exactly a year older than Sam, but they had a good time.  There is also the pic of Samuel, Chun and Daniel.  Unfortunately I don't have one of Sarah.  I will have to keep searching to see if I can find one.  

Summer is now over and we will not camp until next summer, but I have to say I already miss summer.  It was way to short this year.  So I am now trying to adjust to Fall.  Enjoy the pics.
Laurie

Camping

One of our favorite things to do is camp out.  We were able to do this a couple of times this summer.  Once with friends (I'll have to find those pics) and then in August the boys stayed out a night alone (posted below, double post today, don't forget to scroll down) and I joined them for the second night.  Like always the beauty of the nature here is amazing.  One thing that I really like about camping is that inevitable around dawn I need to go to the bathroom.  As inconvenient as that seems, it gives me the quiet moments alone to appreciate the beginning of a new morning (not being a morning person, this doesn't happen so often).  I have seen some of the most beautiful and poignant images during these moments and it always reminds me of the amazing Creator that we have.  I am in awe at this creativity and the simple fact that he made it for us.  He is extravagant! I think the next images will help you understand my expression.  The last image is also one of God's amazing love to Andreas and I, of course it is Sam.  Andreas caught the photo right before we were leaving.  Sam was having a conversation with his favorite friend, Tiger.  It is an amazingly sweet moment and also one that reminds me that yes....our son is Calvin with his friend Hobbes!  

Enjoy,

Laurie

Father and Son Moments

Well, I have finally downloaded the 1000 pics on my camera.  It only took me about a month, not bad....! So I have a bit of a backlog on the pictures and I will try to get them up here.  Sorry it has been a while since the last post.  We have had the beginning of school for Sam and I and lots to do for the church.  It always gets so busy in the beginning and then inevitably I get sick.  I have been down this whole week with fever.  I sounded like a frog and had minor back surgery.  Not my most stellar week, but it was what it was.  I missed Farmor's 60th birthday party (well the family one at least). So Happy Belated Birthday mom.  I have slept like it is going out of style and my husband has been a trouper during this week.  Thanks babe!  

So now to the pictures.  This summer Andreas decided it was time to do a Father-Son camping night on the infamous Island of Sodor.  Sam seemed really excited about it until he realized I really wasn't going.  Sweet boy he made me feel really wanted.  However, we convinced him that I was going to be okay and he would have a great time with just Pappa.  So they went, did have a great time and I joined them the next day for another night of camping.  Sam made sure I was there for the second night.  The pics below are of my wonderful men canoing off into the great wilderness (not really they knew exactly where to go).