Wait...I'm really here!!! I love this place!!!
We arrived around 7:00 p.m. last night and we were delighted to see Bryan as well as Mike, Teresa, Emily & Josh George, who brought a welcome sign for us and had a camera in hand to record our arrival! The kids were amazed to see our minivan (not many of those in Eastern Europe). When we got home, all of the children ran to their rooms and were so excited to have a place of their own. Our neighbors (the Ferguson's) brought us dinner and we all enjoyed a slice of the "Welcome Home" cake from Aunt Gail! The children unpacked their bags and we all went to bed around 10:00. We woke up around 6:30 this morning, but I'm certain that we will need to catch up on our sleep very soon.
So now...my mind is racing about how to set up a daily routine for our large family. If you have any ideas that you can pass along, please send them my way. Everyone begins English lessons on Monday and we can't wait!
Much love to all of you and, most of all, PRAISE to God for bringing us all home safely. We're still not sure why we were called to take on this challenge, but we believe that He has something very special planned for each of these children.
I'll do my best to keep this site updated as we begin our new journey. There will be many bumps in the road and many prayers that will still be needed!
Love,
Joy, Bryan, Julia, Jenna, VJ, Alex & Katelyn Tanner
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7 comments:
We're so glad you are ALL home safe and sound. You will continue to be in our prayers.
Much love,
Wayne & Ashley
Welcome home Joy and family! I was thinking about you all day yesterday, wondering what time you'd make it in.
I'm sure the kids LOVE their new home and that you will establish a routine before you know it!
Love, Kim Raymond
Welcome Home! We're so thrilled that your long wait is finally over. Since we're a family of two, we probably don't have any useful advice for managing a family of seven! But I'm sure after a few nights of good sleep the routine will start to fall into place. Much love to all -- Sarah and Scott
Hooray!!!!! Safe at home... reunited with Bryan! Can't wait to meet all of your children!!!!
Love,
Stacy
Having raised 7 children myself (5 stepchildren and 2 biological) I can't stress enough the importance of faith, in God, yourself and in your children. You'll face many challenges and some days will be overwhelming...have patience. Take time for yourselves to regroup and recharge. And spend time with each child like they are the only one you have to worry about...they need that.
As far as a routine, it'll fall into place. We used to have a chore list and would rotate it weekly so that they each were a "part" of the whole, and no one got stuck doing something they hated for too long at a time. (Not that they didn't complain anyway, they are kids after all!!)
And I can not stress enough the importance of picking your battles with them. If you don't you'll be fighting with them all the time. If it isn't going to hurt them, scar them or put them in harms way you should consider letting them do it. I've saved the "absolutely not"'s for the things that would. Having operated this way since day one they really don't fight me much when I say no. And when they do I simply tell them that if the worst thing I ever did to them was love them and protect them then I could live with that! They give up when they know you won't! But if you don't give some, they'll take it without permission and do stuff behind your back...that's when they get in trouble. Compromise!
God has trusted you with this job and He will be there for you. Some days you'll feel like He went on vacation, but He's always there! I've found great peace and comfort in that!
God Bless your new family and good luck! I'll be praying for you.
Sharon's sister Sheila
WELCOME HOME!! Matt and I are just so excited for you guys and can't wait to see that full row of Tanners at church soon!!
With no parenting advice to give ... what we can offer is two free babysitters you can call anytime, and of course our continued prayers.
Looking forward to meeting and enjoying the newest members of the Tanner family, as much we do you, Bryan and Katelyn!
I know Katelyn probably missed Shrek 3 while she was out of the country - have her call me if she needs a night out to see it:)
Love, Hannah
Joy,
I just caught up on your blog and I'm so glad you all arrived home safely. We will continue to lift you up in prayer as you start on this new phase of your journey. We'll look forward to checking in here for updates on your family in the coming weeks.
Best wishes to you all,
Jennifer & Dana Pierce
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