Rare Post from Dad

Okay, maybe you heard Feb 26 and Feb 27 were supposed to be arctic cold spells and all kinds of winter storms and snow all over California???

Well we did. We heard snow level would be down to around 1,000 feet in the area we live. And we live at around 2,600 feet!!! And we saw up to the minute forecasts showing 26 degree F days and big chances of snow in our zip code. And the previous week, without all the hoopla, people's homes we know of in our town, got snowed on.

So this was to be the weekend! Our kids made all kinds of snow angel plans and discussed how we would go down our driveway on this sled, or down the street with that saucer, etc etc.

But other than a tad bit of hail on Saturday, and some new snow dumped on the local surrounding mountains making our views prettier, we got nothing. Full sunny days at our house this past weekend. Disappointed kids galore. Disappointed Dad too. Drats.

So what's a dad to do?

Well I put a little sled onto Caleb's skateboard and happily rode it down our driveway. I did it many times--even with Dennis on my lap. Although he much prefers his "FASTER, RED CAR"!!!

Isn't he just awesome?!?!?!

Well, my time on the driveway on my "home made, street sled" got kind of boring fairly quickly. So, I proceeded to go further down our cul de sac hill we live on. It was great fun. When it went too fast, I merely just lost 1/4 inch of sole on my shoes and foot-braked myself back to comfortable speeds. Even Sveta loved it !!!

I thought, I GOT to show Adam and Caleb and the rest of the crew this "awesome new invention". Sure enough, Adam loved it. He wanted his sisters and I to play traffic cop and make sure no cars would harm him as he sped through multiple stop signs. So we did. The maniac loved it.

Ok sorry about not warning you about that first clip's not so pretty ending. But you do hear as I'm saying "Ouch", his guttural, "Yeah...eah...yeah!!!" at the end of it, right? He was fine, traffic cooperated and he even wanted to do it again tonight. At night. In the dark. Yeah right, Adam. Even I have my limits in stupidity!

John and Jane Doe anonymous out there (ok friends and family too), spare me the personal protective equipment lectures and the "what if" scenarios. I do get it. We should pad up, wear helmets, and then, just not do it. Clear. Fun should only be safe fun. I know. "Don't push your luck"...Because no momentary thrill is worth shattering a skull or having road rash gnarling up your spine. Yes obvious. Got it..."better safe than sorry"...

But those aren't the only possible outcomes. He's okay / fantastic. We have a permanent record of our stupidity. And we've learned from it. And we'll have a life long fond memory of the sunniest, best sledding day without snow we've ever had.

Art, Swimming, and Sleeping

Last week the kids that went to school had the week off. The challenging part was keeping my home schoolers interested in doing school since they did not have the week off. Most days I had the older kids get together to solve math puzzles. They weren't thrilled but deep down I know they all enjoyed it very much. Especially Adam.

After running one day in the bright sun, the kids begged me to take them swimming. Notice how I said bright-- not hot. The water was freezing cold, but the kids swam anyway. I took pictures.

Well not all the kids. Annalyn and Rachel were not too happy that I made them come along. Why couldn't they stay home with Adam and Caleb? Well--- Adam and Caleb are not part of home school and they are. Plain and simple.

In my attempt to slow down and enjoy the small things, I let the kids play in the park for a bit.

Dennis' imagination has taken off! Here he is sitting in his car. The box next to him is Alex's fast fire truck.

Annalyn, Anna, and Galina enjoying a game.

If you don't know by now, or whole family loves dessert. This time we had chocolate haystacks with marshmallows and peanuts. They were gobbled up like they were going out of style.

The artists are at it again! This time they painted a dock on the lake.

I think the kids' art decorate our home beautifully!

Isn't this the cutest? Alex is fast asleep.

Who knew going potty could make a little boy so tired?

Good Night

The day was busy. The day did not start off too well with one particular child. By God's grace it is ending well. Not perfect, but nice. Julia, Galina, Anastasia, and I just finished grating cheese and browning ground beef and onions for a batch of enchiladas. Tomorrow Galina's previous family is coming for dinner. I know I said it was supposed to be last week but I got the dates mixed up.

Good night. I am off to watch the rest of American Idol with my family.

I'm Checking It Off the List

Galina and Rachel have been practicing dancing. If it makes them giggle-- why not? Grandma brought over a bunch of our old CD's and that's what the girls have been listening to over and over--- skips and all. "So what else did you listen to Mom?" asked Rachel a few nights ago.
I gladly showed her what songs I loved growing up. Here are some of my all-time favorites.
Circle in the Sand
Seven Wonders
La Isla Bonita
Rock and a Hard Place--- My Mom and Dad took me to this concert. My Dad sure loved the Stones. "Miss you, Dad." A lot.
I Won't Back Down
Ship of Fools

How fun it was to take a trip down memory lane listening to these songs. Any other Tom Petty-- Belinda Carlisle fans out there???
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It wasn't until late in the day that I noticed that five of my girls were wearing gray. I told them that was a good reason to get a picture. They humored me as I snapped my camera-- but one day they will look back and chuckle to each other-- "Awww, I remember, that was the day that we all wore gray and Mom stopped to take a picture. Don't you?"

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These four boys drive me absolutely crazy! The mischief they get into never ceases to amaze me. Let me share one of their corn ball shenanigans with you. Alex and Dennis kept going into their room and taking Andrew's wallet and money to be like Daddy-- and then the boys would get mad and tattle and whine. Though I can't stand the whining, I understood their frustration. Forget that I told Alex and Dennis to stay out of their room. Instead, Andrew decided to hide his wallet from them only to forget that he hid it and blame them again for the missing money. At this point I was tired of this issue coming up numerous times a day so I told Andrew I would take his money and put it up if he lost it one more time. So what does he go and do. He hides it to make sure that I won't take it away from him-- and then he forgets where he put it.

Imagine this-- times four!

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Today I took Anastasia to the doctor. A new doctor-- that I switched our whole family over to. Though we were in the office for over two hours and they had Anastasia put her arms in the freezer for five minutes to see for themselves that her left hand does indeed get redder, colder, and puffier than her other-- I think we are going to stay with this office. It was clean, close to home, the staff is very nice, and frankly, I am tired of searching for the perfect doctor for my family. I truly feel like we had the best doctor up north-- and now it seems like no other office could measure up. I know that is unfair and yet I still struggle with bitterness over this- and so I have handed it over to God-- as hard as it is-- and I am going to take the time to get to know this office better.

Anastasia got four shots-- Dennis got two-- can you say fun fun fun! And wait till you hear the best part. I recently got notices from school that all my older kids need a whooping cough booster vaccine so in the next few months you know where I get to be. :) I told you I was going to get to know this doctor office better.

P.S. I don't mean to sound mean-- I am just trying to laugh my way through this. Actually I am very thankful that I can check finding our new family doctor off my list of things to do. I am thankful that we have medical insurance at all.

P.S.S. After shots I took Anastasia over to the Image Center so that she could have x-rays taken. Soon we'll find ot if Anastasia has an extra clavicle rib that is pinching off the circulation to her arm.

Good News

Today we signed the independent adoption agreement for Galina. It felt like forever since we have had her since mid December, but it is done and now we begin the thirty day wait in which her previous family can change their mind. Not that I think that will happen, but I wanted to share the adoption process that we are going through. Meanwhile, I get to try and figure out which courthouse to file our petition in and then we get to begin another state home study. It will be nothing short of miracle if we finalize this year. But it could happen. The good news-- whether or not we finalize this year, Galina will be with us.

Speaking of miracles, I got to witness two this week. Praise God for my precious friend's good news from her doctor. Hearing her upbeat voice today was such an encouragement! Not only did she get good news from her doctor, but she also got great news from her daughter who declared that she does want to be adopted by them! I am blessed to call this family part of our close circle of friends. We love you B and C!

In the midst of all this great news, I am sad to report that I think our family is sick. Not only has the sniffles been running its course through the kids, but I am head-achy and tired... and irritable. Yuck. Oh well-- I guess it wasn't really possible to go a whole season without getting sick. ;)

The week is not going as smooth as I had hoped it would. When some of the kids have home school and the others don't-- it sure makes for an interesting and loud day. Throw in a clogged overflowing toilet and you have one unhappy Mom. Ear plugs anyone??

Thankfully, my women's getaway is coming up in April. This time we are heading over to the Santa Barbara area-- and I can't wait. These women are just such a blessing to be around, I am looking forward to getting to know them even better! I didn't realize until we moved just how much I love these women. The most incredible thing is that we can go months and months without talking and then get together and pick up right where we left off. It helps to have a supportive husband and encouraging children who love to see a rejuvenated Mom!

I am encouraged to share that things with my daughters are doing so much better. The boy thing has died down in a good way-- I am really impressed with my one daughter. I should have never underestimated her ability to do the right thing. Not that things are perfect, but the fact that we can talk and have the sun go down with us having worked things out-- well that is one huge blessing. Galina is slowly beginning to open up to me thanks to Rachel encouraging her to come to me instead of just talking to her. Thanks Rachel for being such an understanding sister.

Julia and Adam "auditioned" for the worship team at church. Yes, I think we have found our home church-- which feels nice. We are slowly getting plugged in and guess what?? John and I offered to open up our home for a small group like we were a part of at our old church. For me, this is totally out of my comfort zone-- but I am just going to trust God on this one. What if nobody comes? Had we not told the pastor, I think I would've found every excuse to keep putting it off. But hey-- what do we have to lose?? And look at all we have to gain!

Have You Seen This?

What do you think?

It Will Be An Interesting Week

This pretty sums up how we spent our weekend. Well actually, after it rained Friday night John spent Saturday digging a new drain pipe for our back lawn-- but this is what he did afterward.

Last night we had some friends from up north stop by as they were passing through our town. It was a pleasant surprise! It was so comforting to see familiar faces.
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This is my new fave dessert-- it is not too sweet and oh so yummy! I use Pillsbury pie crust and layer it with cream cheese whipped with powdered sugar and lemon pie filling on top. Bake and you have instant perfection! Way better than cheesecake!

These pictures are from last weekend when I turned my bedroom into a craft room to make homemade valentine cards.

The kids had so much fun!

For a few weeks now Anastasia's left hand has had poor circulation. It is red, slightly swollen, and colder than her right hand. Every time I asked her about it she had just come in from outside. I didn't think much of it. However, I checked on it several times today and even her arm feels colder than her other one. It seems much more noticeable now and I am concerned. I am making an appointment in the morning to see the doctor. She said she had this in Ukraine but if that is the case it seems to be getting worse. Hopefully it is nothing.

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This coming week should be interesting. My boys have the week off from school-- my homeschoolers don't. Let the fun begin!

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Go read about this precious little boy. He is a cutie! Might you be his forever family?

Pruned to Bloom

It is so easy to not blog for a few days and then lose the desire to blog at all. Especially if you have had a not so easy week. That is where I am at the moment. Oh don't worry-- I'll be okay-- but I encourage you to read this. As a parent, we need to be willing to outstretch the branches of our lives and allow God to prune us-- if only to be an example to our children. Or you can learn the hard way and resist. Maybe one day, I'll not resist it so much.

Maybe you've heard this but I'll share it anyway. Life is so short on this earth. Too many things can seem like such a big deal that you can lose sight of the preciousness of something as simple as a tired head resting on your shoulder, or a nice phone call with a sister. God is so good-- he is able to restore anything that you give over to Him. Not in our time-- but in His perfect timing.

With His help-- you can bloom and those around you can too.

Growing Up

It has been busy over here. You can blame it on the girls. They can be so emotional-- me included. In the midst of all the ups and downs I received a letter for Valentine's day. It has got to be one of the sweetest letters I have ever received.

Dear Mom,
Thank you making our meals and buying everything for me. Happy Valentine's Day. I love you so much. Please don't think because I give you lip and because I am sassy to you that I don't love you. I will always love you and you are my biolojecole mom in my heart. Please don't ever throw this note away. Keep this note in your heart.

Love,
your daughter
Anya

This letter made me smile for many reasons. First, Anna can be incredibly sassy and for her to admit that is big! Second, I absolutely loved the way she spelled biological and the fact that she feels this way because to me-- she might as well be my biological daughter, I love her that much! Third-- I didn't realize that she was spelling her name with a Y now. Oh how I love this girl!

Later in the evening during dinner, Jonny passed out Valentine cards to all seventeen of us. Not only did he address each one, but he took the time earlier in the day to write each of us a special little message. It was a special way to end the day.
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Other than this, I have been at a loss as to what to write these past few days. So much is going on with the girls, much of it just too precious to share. Let's just say that they are growing up. And though it pains me to admit this, a lot of it has to do with boys. One of my daughters has a big crush-- again. I remember vividly all that I went through as a teenage girl and I so want to spare my girls the same pain and heartache that I went through. So lately, I have been most unapproachable without even seeing how it has turned my one daughter from wanting to confide in me at all. When this was brought to my attention, I was very defensive. Can you believe that-- me defensive??

With this "little problem" going on, I have also had to delicately address one of my daughters feeling left out. I would like to believe that my other daughters were not doing this on purpose but to be sure in addition to our long talk, I had a few of the girls switch rooms yet again. I keep telling them-- eventually we will figure this out. Another thing that needed addressing was the age difference between my girls. An almost sixteen year old girl needs to discern what it appropriate for a barely 12 year old sister to know-- no matter how much that sister wants to know.

"Well then, who can I share with?"

At this point, God must have stepped in for me and took over what I was saying because at the end of our conversation Rachel asked, "So could I share with you? And you won't get angry?"

I was screaming for joy inside-- I had been given another chance.

Please God, help me to bite my tongue. I want to be a good listener. I don't want to be defensive. I want my daughters to want to always talk to me, confide in me. I want them to look to me for advice.

This Friday, Galina's previous family is coming for a visit to say goodbye. It was a gamble whether or not I should tell Galina a week ahead of time-- either she would spend the week stressing out or she would be thankful that she had this week to prepare. I decided to tell her. And though she has wondered what she should wear, for the most part she has handled this news really well. She would like to see them-- not too long-- but she would like them to stay for dinner. I can tell she is nervous. I told her that I am certain they are too. I am trusting that the visit will go well.

My Sweetheart!

Last week, Sveta, Anastasia, and Jonny learned more about maps, and the United States. The three of them watched an educational video and then worked on puzzles.

Afterwards, they labeled all the states on a map and colored it in.

For P.E. we all went on a walk. The kids wanted to climb a big hill. All was fine until it was time for them to come down. As Julia walked down her speed picked up and soon she was running down the hill. Near the bottom she took a big tumble. Thankfully she braced herself and forced her hip and bottom to take most of the hit instead of her face. Three days later, she is recovering nicely. She even gave me permission to blog about her fall.

Andrew and Paul are enjoying baseball. All the boys are actually. John practices with them regularly-- and Adam joins in to. What boys would not eat that up?

Poor Paul took a hard ball to his forehead the other day. Thump! It traumatized him enough to where John and Adam had to work with him to get him comfortable with catching popflys again.

For dessert one night, we made Strawberry Shortcake. It was scrumdiddlyumptious which by the way is not a word only I thought up. Julia showed me today that Willy Wonka uses the same word on the packages of some of his candy.

Speaking of candy-- John started a new tradition. Unbeknownst to him, I bought goodies for the kids for Valentine's day which I planned on handing out to all of them tomorrow. But while we were making homemade valentines yesterday he came in and gave all of his girls special Valentine goodie bags. He did this two days early because he has to work on Valentine's day. "Will you be my valentine girls?" John asked us all. It was incredibly sweet. The girls were so excited. The boys wanted to know where their valentines were and John simply said that only girls are his valentines. Going with that idea, I put together my little goodie bags and passed them out shortly thereafter to all by boy valentines. Of course, that made them happy too-- and the best part is that I think a new tradition was started this year. Thanks sweetheart!

Turning 9!!!!

"This is your birthday song, it isn't very long, Hey!" Happy birthday Andrew!

Yesterday we celebrated Andrew's birthday! Though it turned out just fine, I felt totally unorganized and stressed out after being out and about all day. Ever feel that way on one of your children's birthdays? Thankfully, cheese miraculously appeared in our fridge to go with the burritos and Andrew ended up absolutely thrilled with his new roller blades that he went with Daddy after dinner to pick out.

It has become the new joke around the house. You can always count on Dennis to help you blow out your candles. Though he can usually only blow out one-- it is still very cute!

Andrew and Paul are playing baseball this year. Can you guess their team name?

At nine years old- you are such a big boy now! Hope you always know how much we love you!

I Need a Breather...

Oh wait a minute. I just remembered that my girls are fitness testing on Tuesday! We just got done doing sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and knee bends-- my thighs are burning!

"Come on Mom, you can't do push-ups like those. Those are girl push-ups!" said Galina and Annalyn.

Rachel to the rescue!
"Give Mom a break-- she's way older than you!"

Thank goodness its Friday!

Alex Lost His First Tooth!

Wow oh Wow! Alex lost his very first tooth tonight! And he is one happy boy! I can hardly believe how fast he is growing up!

Now I just hope that he doesn't fall asleep holding his tooth. The tooth fairy has her work cut out for her tonight!

Picture It

Picture it. "On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with bulging fish eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires." This is an excerpt from Fish Cheeks written by Amy Tan-- a story we read last week. I thought that if my girls could actually visualize the description of the food by drawing it they would better appreciate the details of the story-- like I did. Not only that-- but it was fun activity-- and a great way to end the day.

The Second Time

Tonight I watched Like Dandelion Dust with the older kids. Wow, is it even more powerful the second time you watch it. Ever since John and I came home from our date night back in October, the girls have been wanting to watch it. Today my Mom came over for a visit and brought us the movie as a belated Christmas gift. Thanks Mom. I knew that the movie would be emotional for my girls given that it made me cry buckets back then, but I didn't realize until I was watching it-- just how emotional. I cried even bigger buckets tonight-- as did Annalyn who sat next to me. Though there was a time or two that I felt like maybe I shouldn't have let them watch it-- deep down I know it is part of the healing process for them. Heck-- even I related to the story and characters.

Every movie we have watched as a family that had an adoption theme has turned out to be a good thing for our family-- and I suspect that this will be no different. I share this because all too often I hear from other adoptive parents that movies such as these are a trigger for their children and so they avoid them like the plague. We don't.

It is late, and Annalyn, Rachel, and I barely scratched the surface discussing this movie before I asked them to call it a night. Emotionally they need a good nights sleep, and frankly, I need God's wisdom to say the right words. Aww, how I trust that they'll come with the morning's dawn.

It was absolutely precious how Annalyn reached out to give me not one, but two extra hugs tonight.

Blog Posts Worth Noting

Here are a few blog posts I have read lately that I wanted to pass on to you. Either I found them interesting, or inspiring, or they simply made me smile. If you have read something worth sharing-- please post the link!

Texting and Driving

A Family Who Has Decided to Become Missionaries

Why Do I Rush Through Life? A Reminder to Slow Down

A Simpler Life

What a Happy Boy! (We spent a few days with this family in Ukraine last summer)

Abundant Life

Ha ha ha! Isn't John hilarious?

Julia went shopping with me and was like, "Really Mom? You are going to buy that many boxes?" Hey they were a good deal.

Not Only Smiling...

but the kids were actually all in good moods too! A big thanks to William who has literally transformed into a different child over the last three weeks! I am blessed.

Thanks and Hello

Hi everyone. Hope your Saturday is going well. I hope to watch Saving Sarah Cain with the kids today . What are your plans?

I wanted to let you know that your comments have been so encouraging. Even on FaceBook, I have been blessed in ways that you will never know by women I didn't even know-- but now know a little bit better. Thank you for that. With that said, there are many of you that I would like to get to know but can't since I don't even know who you are. So this is an invitation to stop and say hello. I would love to hear from you.

At the same time, I would like to update my blog list. It makes it easy for me to check out your blogs by having them at my fingertips. Please leave me your address if you would like to be added. I will be removing blogs that have not been updated in months. Thanks!

An Alex and Dennis Update

Wandering and wondering said...
How are Denis Alex doing medically and developmentally? How is Alex doing with toileting? Are you still doing the bowel management program? If so, how is he responding to everything?
February 1, 2011 10:24 AM

Thanks for asking. They are doing great! Both have their very own personalities-- yet they are the best of friends. Alex can bring joy at any moment with his out of the blue comments such as, "I like your hair today Mommy," to "I am sorry I no more scream today." His language is coming along slowly but steady. He is learning so much in his kindergarten class now compared to when he was being mainstreamed at his other school.

Alex is a very happy child but boy can he be loud! Thankfully his teacher is working on this in the classroom as well so we have seen some improvement.

The other day Alex got an award at school. We went to cheer him on and get pictures. He gets around on his crutches quite well-- he is even learning how to climb the stairs on the bus in his adaptive PE class.

Despite Alex's Spina Bifida he is an extremely healthy child. He eats well, sleeps through the night, and seems quite content in his surroundings.

Alex still has issues with testing the boundaries and at times this can make things challenging for all of us as a family-- but we are working on it together. I can see that despite his lack of impulse control he has a heart to be a good boy-- and because of that he holds a special place in my heart. As far as his potty training-- well he has no feeling down there. However, I have been working with him to recognize when his tummy hurts as a signal that he has to go potty-- and we have been successful a few times! We are waiting for an appointment with a new urologist to see what Alex's future plans are.

Dennis is doing great too! He is growing by leaps and bounds surpassing Alex now in height and weight! He loves to learn new things-- but currently has a major issue with getting into things and packing them into his little purple suitcase. Drives his Mama bonkers!

Here are his "walking crutches" so that he can be like his brother Alex.

For now we are enjoying life surgery free-- but that can change at anytime depending on what his new surgeon says.

Alex and Dennis make mealtimes interesting. Alex loves meat, Dennis doesn't. Dennis finger paints with his food while Alex loves to eat! This video about sums up their relationship.

Aren't they the cutest?

Being Brave and Cool

Jonny loves to chew on things. Always has, always will. I just can't figure out how he can stand to wear a wet shirt after he has chewed on it-- that crazy boy!

John braided Julia's hair one night. She was so impressed with her Daddy's talent.

This was Pinkie. He was a cute little fellow.

This picture is amazing because for the longest time Dennis was content looking at Bobble from a distance-- and not an inch closer. What a brave boy!

Grandma got Annalyn these cool glasses for her birthday! I wonder if she realizes the tricycle kind of defeats her purpose. ;)

In case you can't tell, Anastasia is in the background riding a bicycle! She taught herself in the backyard a few weeks ago.

Happy 13!!!!

Happy birthday Julia! You are such a beautiful girl on the inside and out!
To celebrate we had nachos! The girls all helped with the fixings and as a teeny-tiny treat I broke up one of the Skor bars that we were going to use to top her cake, and we shared it instead.

At the last minute all the middle boys wanted to make Julia cards. This is the first time that Paul gave a gift. His smile was so big when she opened his card and pulled out one dollar.

Andrew's card said:
Dear Julia,
I love you but happy birthday. Julia I hope you love the coupons on the back of this. I know you bug me and hurt me sometimes but I love you still and forever. I'm just saying happy birthday again.
You loving brother,
Andrew

One of the coupons was good for him fixing her bed for two weeks. Ahhhh, sweet.

Julia wanted to make her cake this year. It was an ice-cream cookie cake!

And she was thrilled to have a helper to blow out her candles.

Hope your day was special Julia! Keep up the great work!