SO behind!

I'm SO far behind on my blog. I really need to get back here and catch up. So much has been going on and changing in the Efird house.



We LOVED having Alina here this summer. It was so much harder than I ever thought it would be, but SO worth it! I feel like I have a daughter on the other side of the world now. She will FOREVER be a part of our family. The first few weeks she was here was FILLED with baseball. Blake's All Star team ended up coming in second place in the state! WOOHOO! I think Alina got tired of all the baseball games, but at least now she knows what baseball is! LOL Baseball really seemed to be our way of life the first 3 weekends that she was here. So when baseball was finally over it was time for some family vacations!

Steve and I had decided long before Alina got here that we wanted to take her to the mountains and the beach while she was here. We first made a trip to the family mountain house. We had a really good time! We went to the Mast General Store (Alina got a moon pie and a grape Nehi), Lineville Caverns, and gem mining while we were there. It was also the first time my boys had been gem mining...they loved it. We sorted through all the gems and even got one cut for Alina. (I'm planning on having it set in a pendant for a necklace to give her when she comes back) It was also the first time my boys had been to Lineville Caverns. All the kids loved how cool it was inside the caverns and all the colors that they saw on the walls inside. I think Alina really enjoyed the fact that we took Bugsy with us to the mountains. :) She LOVES animals and was really attached to Bugsy the entire time she was here.

After our mountain trip...a few weekends later we headed to Oak Island. Can I just say I LOVE Oak Island. It's so quiet and the beach is beautiful! All the kids loved it there. We spent our mornings on the beach, swimming in the ocean and finding sea shells. We would eat a late lunch and then head into town to see what kind of fun we could find. It was a great relaxing weekend and just what we all needed. Alina and Davis even found sand dollars and little crabs while we were there!

For the 4th of July, we went to Lee Park in the Park (at Belk Tonowanda Park in Monroe). There was a great service with great friends...followed by great food and rides for the kids. Alina was a bit nervous about the rides since she gets motion sick...but had a great time with Laida and her other Russian friends. It really was a great thing for Lee Park to put on. I think we could have stayed there all day if it hadn't been so hot!

Then entire time Alina was here we would take her to church on Wednesday night and Sunday mornings (when we were in town) to learn the scripture. I always went with her and really enjoyed watching her learn in her own language. Nothing was more touching than that last Wednesday night when all the children from Belarus were there. They heard the story of Christ in Russian and then Pastor Chris Justice asked them who wanted Jesus in their life as their Lord and Savior. Alina was the first to raise her hand....and ALL the children did raise their hand. It was SO moving. It brought tears to my eyes and made me realize that the past 6 weeks were totally worth it. I made a difference in someones life just by opening my home to a child.

The days leading up to Alina going back home were really hard. We tried to focus on the shopping and packing and not the actual leaving. The night before was extremely hard. Alina kept saying "No sleepy, No Belarus". It broke my heart. I know she was ready to see her mother, but I really don't think she was ready to leave America and get back to the reality of Belarus. Even while we were packing she would pull out her clothes that she brought from home, smell them and say "no pretty, trash". I ended up washing everything she brought with her before sending it home and packed her suitcase as tight as I could. We sent home a heavy winter coat, 2 pair of tennis shoes, boot and LOTS of clothes. Her suitcase was so full that I had to take things out just to meet the weight requirements for the airline. :( The day we went to the airport was FULL of emotion. I was ok until I saw some of the older kids that were going back crying and then I lost it. It was so sad to see my daughter go. We went out to dinner with friends after leaving the airport, which was a great decision. After we left the restaurant was when it got hard. Blake started crying before we got home and ended up crying himself to sleep that night. He kept saying he missed Alina. It was so sad. I couldn't go into Alina's room for over a week and when I finally did, I cried while I was cleaning. It was hard to get back in our normal routine after she left...it still feels like there is something missing. I think about her everyday and wonder if she is liking school and what she is doing. We have talked on the phone one time and I've sent several packages, but it's just not the same. I pray that we will be able to bring her back next year. It was a blessing for us all to have her here. I think we helped her in more ways than we know and she made us all grow as a family.

And the adventure begins....

Alina's flight came in Friday at 2:50...we waited at the International Baggage Claim at the airport on pins and needles until they FINALLY came in at 5pm! Things were edgy for all of us at first. The kids were overwhelmed. Some of us from the group went to eat dinner at Fuddruckers immediatly after leaving the airport. I think it was the GREATEST thing that we did! Alina sat across from another Belarussian child at dinner and they talked, smiled and laughed. Which made us all relax a bit more. Bringing her home was AMAZING in itself. She was in awe as she walked around the house looking at the boys bedrooms and just exploring. She did bring one rolling duffle bag that was pretty heavy. As soon as we got to her room (after exploring the house) she opened her bag and 75% of the contents were gifts for US! 3 wooden puzzle trains for the boys, LOTS and LOTS of chocolate, baskets, a wooden egg with a russian building painted on it, plaques, etc. I couldn't believe my eyes. She would open the candy and pass them out to each of us! She was BEAMING! The rest of the contents were minimal amounts of clothing, a journal with family pictures and an english-russian dictionary. It's sad to see what little they actually come with. She LOVED her stuffed puppy that we gave her at the airport and slept with it last night and tonight. I also got her a wristlet with chapstick, lotion and a mirror which she loves. She also likes the princess silly bands that Blake picked out for her. Communication has definatly been a challenge, but we are working on it. She knows all our names and made herself a cheat sheet today! (the russian word for dog and Bugsy, the russian word for brother and Blake and Davis, Mama Heather and Papa Steve). It's like her world lights up when things click and there is finally a breakthrough. It has been different having a girl in the house. I'm not used to my boys changing clothes 4 times a day or braiding hair, but I'm getting in the swing of things. I'm sure it's going to be a day by day thing.

Davis PASSED!

Today was Davis' egg yolk challenge. I've been waiting for this day for a long long time. He PASSED with flying colors even though he didn't particularly like the egg yolk. By the last dose, he ate about 3/4 of the cup of egg yolk and said he didn't want anymore. I had to explain to him that if he didn't finish it we would have to do all this over again. I ended up having to feed him the rest as he took sips of water between each bite. He is such a trooper! We played Simon Says and Eye Spy while we waited the last few minutes for Dr OConnor to come in. It seemed like the longest 30 minutes EVER. Of course, the entire time I'm checking him for hives. No rash, no nothing! All we have to do now is wait until 5pm tomorrow and we can add in egg yolk to his diet! I'm thinking breakfast for dinner tomorrow night!!!

It's really hard to believe that after the last 4 years we are finally free of food allergies. It's going to be hard to get used to not having to worry about reading labels and watching everything that goes into his mouth. Having a child with food allergies is definitely not easy, but it's something you get used to. It's going to be hard to go back to not worrying about food. I know that may sound odd, but it's the truth. I'm sure I'll never stop being aware or stop reading labels all together. And I'll definitely always be sensitive to those that have food allergies because we have lived through it. For all of you out there with food allergies...there IS light at the end of the tunnel and it IS possible to outgrow them. Just stay positive and continue to advocate for your child!

We're READY!

Well, I think we are all READY for Alina's arrival on friday. The bedding is on the bed, the mirror has been hung, and clothes are in her dresser. Blake and Davis are SO excited to have her here. I wish I had had a video camera this morning when I told Blake he didn't have an All Star baseball game and was going to be able to go with us to the airport to pick her up on Friday. He raised his hands in the air and yelled in excitement! I think he would have really been sad to miss picking her up. It was definatly an answered prayer to have the baseball schedule work out in our favor.

I'm still excited and just a tad bit nervous. I don't know nearly enough Russian, but I'm sure we will figure out how to communicate. Friday is going to be a very emotional day for us all. I can't wait to finally meet Alina. Blake has already told his teachers at school that he is getting a sister from Russia! I keep saying that this adventure is going to be life changing for us all and I truely believe that. It's going to be MONUMENTAL for The Efird Clan!

My baby is growing up...

I can't believe my sweet baby boy has graduated from preschool. It seems like he was just born yesterday! May 27th was his BIG DAY! He was so proud of himself and looked so grown up in his cap and gown on the stage. They sang many songs that they learned throughout the school year and it was great to share it all with him. I can't express how proud of him that I am. My BABY is growing up and I hope that doesn't mean that I'm getting old! ;)

He has grown leaps and bounds in the past year. He is now recognizing his letters and numbers and is writing his name. He is such a smart boy and is so excited to be going to Kindergarten next year. I have to say THANK YOU to his wonderful preschool teachers, Mrs Judy and Mrs Crystal. If it hadn't been for the two of them and the rest of his preschool teachers from the past, he wouldn't be where he is now. I truely LOVE Matthews Presbyterian Church Child Development Center. They are a GREAT school and I can't say enough good things about them. I really can't believe I won't have a child enrolled there next year. I feel like we have been a part of that preschool for so long.

in two weeks....

In 2 weeks at this very moment I'll be sitting at the airport waiting on my "daughter" to come through customs so I can take her home for the next 6 weeks. I can't believe it's almost time for Alina to be here! I found out last night that the kids will have a 9 hour bus ride just to get to the airport. They will fly from Moscow to Germany and from Germany here and will be in the air for at least 11 hours. I'm sure they will be exhausted when they get here!

I'm PRAYING that Blake won't have an All Stars game that night that I will miss.

I'm getting more and more nervous as June 18th creeps closer and closer. PLEASE give me a pep talk if I start to wig out in the next few weeks!

Benbow - Efird Wedding....AGAIN!

A week and a half ago was the BIG wedding...that some my think sounded like a do-over. ;) My baby sister, Courtney married my husband's brother, Shane. So it was another Benbow - Efird wedding almost 11 years after the first one. It was held at the same church and the same reception site!

The bride was BEAUTIFUL and the wedding turned out perfect. But I didn't expect any less. Courtney worked so hard being her typical "crafty" self to make things for the wedding. She borrowed picnic baskets and glass pitchers from family and friends to put on the tables at the reception site and made name tags for each of them showing who had shared them with her for the big day. The brown, pink and green could be found everywhere and looked like, what my husband would call, Pottery Barn. It was simple, yet elegant.

I was SO proud of Blake and Davis. They were both in the wedding and looked so handsome standing at the front of the church. They really were on their best behavior. Then came the reception where Blake decided to do the worm in front of everyone! It was SO surprising coming from Blake...and hilarious! He even did it TWICE!

It was a LONG day that started with me picking up the bride to be at 8am. We drove to Momma's house to pick up a few things then headed to the reception site to finish up some decorating. I had a 10:30 hair appointment (thanks so much Allison!), then it was time to head to the church to finish getting ready. The wedding was at 3pm, followed by LOTS of pictures and a PAR-TAY at the Woodrun Clubhouse.

I ended up sending Steve and the boys home (after Blake ended up with a dancing injury) so that I could help clean up and drive the newlyweds home. I didn't get home until 11pm, but it was so much fun and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else!

CONGRATS Shane and Courtney Efird! :) I guess there is no getting rid of either one of you now since you are family...TWICE! ;)

Egg White Challenge

This Tuesday we had another LONG appointment at the allergist office. Davis had his egg white challenge. He was diagnosed with an egg allergy at a year old. He's NEVER had eggs before. Not even in baked goods. I had to boil 4 eggs to take with to the appointment. It's funny that I had to look up how to boil an egg. YES, it's been that long since I've boiled one. We dropped Blake off at school extra early and made it to the allergist by 8:30am. First, they had to do a mini skin test on his arm with real egg white, egg white that they usually use for the skin test, and 2 controls (histamine and saline). It took about 5 minutes for the histamine to react, but once it did....Davis became very upset and kept saying he wanted to go home. :( After the 15 minute wait, and NO reaction to the egg on the skin test we got the ok to move forward with the food challenge!

They took the first set of vital signs and gave him his first small piece of boiled egg white. I'm so glad I thought to buy a new movie the day before the appointment to keep him occupied. I plugged in the DVD player (Thanks Libby!) and started the movie. Every 15 minutes they would come back in the room to check vitals and increase his dose of egg. By the third dose he had to eat it with a spoon! We had to have 6 doses with no reactions before they would say we could add egg back in his diet. I knew how all this worked. We had been here twice before with milk. The first milk challenge we had, he did great until the very last dose when he broke out in hive. So, I knew from experience not to get my hopes up. After every dose, I would make him lift his shirt just to make sure he didn't have a rash. My fingers were crossed all the way to the end.

He LOVED the egg! I'm not sure if he was really just hungry or if he really liked it. He sure was chowing down on those eggs!

At 12 noon we finally got the verdict...he PASSED the egg white challenge! We can now add egg white in his diet! We have the egg yolk challenge scheduled for June 16th. If he passes that one that means he has outgrown ALL his food allergies! FINGERS CROSSED!

Porter Ridge 7U Challenge Ball Tournament

Blake had his first challenge ball tournament this past weekend. What a whirlwind it was! It was HOT! There were 4 teams in the tournament and it was held at MARA in Matthews. Our first game was at 11am on Saturday morning. The kids played GREAT! You could tell they were all having a great time out there playing ball! The Pirates won the first game by the 10 run rule. :) GO PIRATES!

They had about an hour and a half break before playing another game at 3pm. Several of the players and their families came out to our car to grill hot dogs. :) Steve tends to go all the way!

The second game was a bit tougher. We played Indian Trail and had scrimmaged them in the past. It was ugly. The boys got beat pretty bad, but you could still tell they were all having a blast! We hurried home for a good nights sleep before starting all over on Sunday.

Sunday we had a game at 2pm against one of the MARA teams. The kids played great and the score was pretty close but we lost. :( Since we lost that game, we played again at 4pm. Yes, that meant back to back games. The kids had about 20 minutes to rest before starting all over again. It was hot and all the families were melting in the stands, but the kids were having a ball! We ended up finishing the tournament in 3rd place. I think the Pirates did GREAT for this to have been their first tournament. Now, let's see how much we can improve before the next tournament Memorial Day weekend!

GO PIRATES!

Alina

Well, it's about time I started a blog! I've had several tell me I should do it and I've finally decided to start! Now, let's just see if I can keep it up!

As many of you know, Steve and I decided earlier in the year to host a child from Belarus this summer for 6 weeks. We have worked hard to raise money to get her here through a group called Monroe ABRO. We have asked for donations, hosted a golf tournament, raffled off a cake and sold AutoBell carwash tickets. Through all of that we reached our goal of $2000 to get Alina here! We are excited beyond belief. In our group we have 9 children coming this summer. These are all children that have been exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl meltdown. They come to the US during the summer to help boost their immune systems with clean air, clean water and medical evaluations.

Alina turned 8 years old in March and lives with her mother in a hostel. She lost her father last year and has had a hard time dealing with her loss. She does well in school and has many friends. Yesterday, I checked my email and was suprised to finally find a picture of her! It made my day!

I can't believe it's only a little over a month before we pick her up from the airport! She will arrive June 18th!