Summer Program Adoption Ark

Sitting under the shade of a pine tree in the back yard of their small farm west of Terra Bella, Sam and Mary Closs smile as they watch their three children ride bikes and run around in the bright sunlight.

From a distance, the Closs family seems the same as thousands of other across the Valley -- two parents, three children, two dogs and at least one cat working its way around the outskirts of the yard, keeping a wary eye on both the children's bikes and the children.

But the Closses' journey from a newlywed couple to parents of three adopted Russian children spans 20 years and thousands of miles.

The Closses moved to their 6-1/2-acre farm in 1985. That first year they began a tradition of buying live Christmas trees, then planting the trees in their backyard after the first of the year.

The Closses also began trying to make their family grow, but a series of unsuccessful pregnancies made them consider other options, and in 1995 they adopted Alexander, a 3-year-old boy from a Russian orphanage in St. Petersburg.

As complicated and lengthy as domestic adoptions can be, adopting from a foreign country was even more challenging.

Still, Sam Closs said that from the moment he first saw a picture of Alexander in an adoption agency office, he knew the boy would be part of his life.

"I'd heard from other people that it would be like that, but didn't really believe it," he said. "But then I saw his picture and I knew right away. It was like 'wow, that's my son.' "

Almost 10 very happy years later, the couple was asked to help set up a summer program for the Adoption Ark. The Bay Area adoption agency wanted to bring more orphaned children from the Ukraine and Russia to meet potential adoptive parents in the Valley. Adoption Ark president Elina Filippova hoped the pair would share their experiences with other potential parents.

The Closses suddenly found themselves looking at more pictures of orphaned children.

They realized their family was missing two members, Russian brother and sister Andrei, 8, and Alina, 7.

Last summer, Andrei and Alina traveled to California with dozens of other orphans for a 17-day visit.

On Jan. 26, they returned for good.

"We wouldn't have agreed to serve as a host family last year if we didn't have the idea to adopt the children," Mary Closs said. "But you can't be sure that they will be interested in joining your family, or that everything will work out in Russia, so it's a very draining process."

Less than two months after their arrival, Andrei and Alina are slowly adapting to life in the United States, helped along the way by Alexander, now a very proud 13-year-old "big brother."

Alexander Closs has no memories of his life in Russia, and no longer speaks Russian. But "Sasha," as the two younger children call him, said the pair are learning English quickly.

"I think they understand us more and more," Alexander Closs said. "I asked Andrei the other night if he loved me, and he said, 'Yes, I love Sasha.' I was so happy, I just started laughing."

Daunting language differences are not the only challenge to combining the two families.

Mary Closs said she and her husband have worked hard to ease their two new children into a much different life than they had known in Russia. The children's Russian parents had their parental rights revoked two years after repeated arrests for alcohol abuse, and their former father spent time in Russian jails for theft.

"According to records we saw after the adoption was approved, their house was full of broken furniture and broken windows. They were malnourished and Alina was burned with hot water," Mary Closs said. "I don't know if it's me editorializing or not, but I think their lives in Russia were a nightmare, even after they went to the orphanage."

Both children have minor health issues, and both are very undersized, a consequence of a lifetime of limited diets.

Mary Closs said a physician at the Russian orphanage asked her to be careful introducing the children to an American diet.

"He said that at the orphanage they ate porridge, potatoes, bread and more porridge. When they came this summer they were very timid about trying new things," Mary Closs said. "In January, it was like they could never get enough to eat, especially fresh fruit."

Their life in Russia did make Alina and Andrei remarkably close. Mary Closs said the bond between the two has remained strong even as they adapt to their new family.

"Even when one of them breaks the most prized possession of the other, there is instant forgiveness," Mary Closs said. "Their whole lives that relationship has been their only constant. I think it helped them in Russia, and it will make our family even stronger, because now the love they share, we all share."

Filippova said many families have shared the Closses experiences and joy at changing children's lives. This summer, her agency will host another visit for a group of kids, this time in Fresno.

"The visits are a wonderful way for the children to not only get the chance to be out of Russia for a while, but to meet families here that want them," Filippova said.

Mary Closs said that deciding to adopt a child isn't something everyone should do. But an image from Russia reminds her of why it is important.

"As we were leaving Andrei's orphanage, there was a 15-year-old girl telling him goodbye," Mary Closs said. "She had the most despairing look on her face as we left, because she knew she was running out of time to find a family of her own."

The reporter can be reached at dboyles@fresnobee.com or (559) 622-2411.