We Lost One!!!

That's right N lost her first tooth yesterday.!!!

Halloween!!

Halloween was great! Our neighborhood does a "Trunk or Treat" where the kids do a parade and the parents park near the community center. Then the kids walk around to all the parked cars and "trick or treat" out of the trunks of the cars. I was told to decorate the trunk so I did, but this was my first year and I quickly found out that not everyone does. Oh well, the kids liked it.

I like this system better than walking around our neighborhood... we live in the woods -- and we'd have to drive our kids around and it would take a long time. N loved the fact that Walter and Sophie were able to dress up and participate too.

B enjoying a peanut butter cup.

Walter in his skeleton costume.
Sophie dressed up as a angel.

No Sophie isn't smelling Walter's butt, it's just a bad photo angle.

B in his Tigger Customer.

N's class photo.

B at N's Class Party.

And Finally our little Princess!! A true Cinderella.

What worries me is she now knows that Halloween is a time to dress up, and she was commenting on how "nice" the horror masks were!!! I think this may have been the one and only nice and pretty Costume!!

First Snow Day

Yes that's right --- N had her first Snow Day and Day off school. Tuesday morning she woke up to a winter wonderland. Her eyes lit up and she was sooooo excited! We had to tell her there was no school that day. She looked confused but seemed to accept it. What's funny is she ran back into her room and got her photo book that we gave her during our first visit to the orphanage, she ran out and said "Look!!" She showed us the photo of our home, and sure enough it had snow. Makes me wonder how much she thought about the snow and wondered when she'd see it since it was in the photo and we brought her home in the summer. Steve was impressed and commented on what a memory, because neither of us remembered it was a winter photo of the home.!!

Oh and I wanted to say the first photo of N -- she is wearing a white and blue sweater and hat a good friend of mine made her. N just loves it.!!

Life Flies When You're Having FUN!!

We have been very busy over the past month!!! I'm sorry I haven't updated the site, I hope all the pics in this post make up for any hard feelings!!!

Well, lets see, over the past few weeks we went on a trip to South Carolina and North Carolina, N wrote the alphabet for the first time, she started school, we went pumpkin and apple picking and as you can see took lots of photos. I hope you enjoy!




This is a family photo taken at the apple farm.

N picking apples with my dad.

A family photo of my side, my two sisters, mom and my dad being goofy (not uncommon).

B finally happy he caught an apple.

B thinking he can eat the apple... after all he does have six teeth!!

B fighting the urge to throw the apple at someone.

N and Steve after picking the ONE!!

N and her cousin A taking a snack break in the corn maze.

Making mommy happy and posing for the "Kidz photo"

N and A with my mom.

N with her first dozen and a half of roses (yes she got more than me -- I only got 12 red roses!!)... which Steve gave to her on our wedding anniversary. (I didn't realize kids got gifts too... hahaha) I think he just wanted to be the first guy to give her flowers --- and it worked... he made her soooooooo happy! Then she asked "Papa, why you give mama and N flowers?" He looked at her and then at me and said... "Because I love you." How sweet. Meanwhile here I was later that night joking around asking if I would get three dozen next year -- he looked at me and asked why-- I said because you brought home two bouquets this year. He said... no honey they really are her roses not yours!!! Well just burst my bubble!!

This is N's first time writing out the alphabet.

N's first day of school, as we leave to go to the bus stop.

N as she got on the bus.

N in her classroom.

Steve and the two kids relaxing on my grandparent's dock in SC.

N and my grandfather getting ready to fish.

We've got a loose one!!

Both N and B have updates!!

B is now officially crawling. You put him on the floor and he's off. Now I can't let him play on the floor play gym without me hovering overhead. He heads right for cords and things he shouldn't!

N is concerned her tooth is loose. She has a space in the back of her mouth from one that was already pulled (it happened back in Russia-- we don't know when).. and the adult tooth hasn't grown in. So I think she thinks it's going to be a space forever.
Last night she came to me in tears... "MAMA MAMA.... look!!" Now how do you explain the tootfairy? Her English is coming along great. She only speaks English to us with a few words still in Russian.. but it's all English now. And she seems to understand everything Steve and I say. In fact the other day I called one of her girl friends from the children's home.. (I know the family she was adopted into) We put them on the phone together.. and she only spoke English to her. How sad! I've had people who speak Russian try to talk to her.. .she wants nothing to do with it. She only responds in English.

Our school visits are going well. We visited the lunch room and the library on our last visit. She was shy but curious. These were new rooms she hadn't been to yet. She seems okay in the hallways now and likes looking into the classrooms. She seems to enjoy our visits. Since she was shying away from he new rooms we sat down and spoke with the librarian. We even sat in the story reading space and read a book together. I also had her sit at the table in the lunchroom. Next time I'll bring lunch and we'll eat together.

This morning -- out of the blue she asked me if she sleeps at school. After saying a quick.. "NO, no..." I explained how daddy goes to work and sleeps at home, she will go to school and sleep at home. ( I think N thought the school was an orphanage. In Magadan when the orphans turn 7 they go away to school. It's a boarding school. So I think that's why she was asking if she'd sleep there.) She seemed happy with the answer and even told Steve when he called that she wouldn't sleep at school. It makes me wonder what other things she's thinking about. I think this is the first time she was able to communicate her fear.... well this and her fear of being toothless!!

Happy Days

Life with two kids

Life with two kids is great.

Update on "B"

B is seven months old now and he knows his name when you call it. He is getting into position to crawl, he can get up onto all fours and rock, but instead of moving he forms a butt pyramid. I think he might walk before crawl... or maybe crawl and then quickly learn to walk-- either way it's not far around the corner. He has two bottom teeth in and has four more coming in on the top. He loves his Cheerios and sweet potato puffs.... or anything that he can finger and feed himself. He currently is on a five foot barrier zone from strangers... his raspberries are shooting real spit now! Oh fun!!

Update on N

N is excited about school. I took her the other day for the first time. I have an agreement with the school to bring her in when I want until I enroll her. This way she can get used to the environment with me around and feel better about it with each visit. She was excited to see her elementary school has an indoor pool. Unfortunately only first grade on up use it not kindergarten.. but she will have something to look forward to next year. We won't be starting her until October, we are going on a trip in the end of Sept. and didn't want to start her and stop her... plus.. I wanted to give her more time to learn some language and feel better about interacting with other kids. Her interactions so far seem okay in some ways but she gets frustrated and Orphanage behaviors pop out.. possessiveness, nasty yelling, hitting..etc. It seems the more words she learns the happier she is interacting with other kids.

She will be in public school and yes... lucky for us..... she has a uniform policy to follow. And boy was this fun.. I tried every store in our area ( 45 minute radius) and couldn't find approved clothes, luckily I ran into a mother in one of the stores who told me about a website. So I ordered some clothes from there. I also bought her a clear backpack... no we don't live in the hood.. but you'd think we do when kids in kindergarten have to carry clear backpacks!!