tater planting time

I don't know where the time goes but I'm not even averaging a post a month these days. I'm not going to quit, though. I like being able to look back and keep tabs on myself even if no one else reads this. Anya is doing great as far as her depression goes, medicine can do miracles sometimes. She is having trouble with eyesight in one eye and it doesn't appear to have a physical cause. We are just waiting and watching to see if it gets better. She can't see much out of it right now. Raymond just got back from NY. He went for a week to visit Fern, who was on spring break. They went on tour with Ben and the band for a few days and had a great time. Mari has moved back home and is applying to P. She wants to try teaching, maybe in special ed. Sergey is doing great in the Alpine program at North and we went to visit OTP and interview for a possible placement there. It is a really cool place. I wish that I could live in a place that looked like that and have all the kids in a program that would increase their social skills and responsibility. Andrey has enrolled for 9th grade next year and signed up for football. Igor is at the high school in a special classroom that teaches life skills and social skills. He and Sergey also signed up for football and I am worried that they are on the small side to really play. Sergey will be at OTP in the fall, Lord willing, but I'm trying to convince Igor to do cross country or some other sport. Anya feels well enough to swim on the team again and I am going to sign up Salvador and Alyona for summer soccer. Rick is leaving for his real job, (galley manager, taxi driver, goatherd, gardener,etc, doesn't pay very well here), and I will be back to single parenting soon.
I got some books from the adoption library and have been slipping in a few minutes here and there to read. The Broken Cord is such a sad commentary on FAS from a single man who adopted 3 children with FAS, (which he had never heard of at the time,) how it overran his life, as it has mine in many ways. I think that we are in a time of such alcohol consumption, here and world-wide, that nobody will be untouched by the problems of FAS soon. Imagine the amount of permanently drunk people with impaired judgement driving, working, raising more children...it is depressing. On the other hand, I have to say that some of my methods, by the Grace of God, appear to have at least improved the chances of these that I have of avoiding drugs, alcohol and trouble in general. Time will tell...and high school. I just don't have the fight in me to keep all of them at home and be all to all.. all the time. They will face the world and it's troubles and temptations eventually and I have built as much of a foundation as I can so far.
I read several blogs every day from families with children that were adopted from bad backgrounds and at an older age. Seems that no matter what these great parents do, so much damage has been done that it is almost impossible to fix it. God knows how much harder it is for them, these kids who didn't ask to be born to rotten families and moved from home to home, than it would have been and I know that He gives them more grace. Grace, as I understand it, is undeserved favor. I am the recipient of such undeserved favor to have so many children call me Mom.