Orangies

The orangies date back to the mid-nineties. Back to when APU's colors were black and orange. Back to when Scott played soccer in college. The groomsmen even wore orangies at our wedding (not to mention periwinkle bowties).

Ever since Scott's been coaching, he always wears the orangies at the practice before a game. APU is in Florida right now competing in the NAIA national tournament. Tomorrow afternoon is their first game. Scott can't be there because it conflicts with his high school schedule.

But tonight he dons the orangies. Good luck Cougars.

Thankful....

Thankful for The Promise Kept






More pix of our Thanksgiving...










Can anyone relate???
"Ooh! Yum! Keep it coming!"



"Uuuugh. Make it stop.

Thanksgiving... Preschool Style

Today the kids had a "Share Feast" at preschool. Gotta love a Thanksgiving meal consisting primarily of dino nuggets and mac n cheese! :) One little boy in Natalie's class ate nothing but goldfish crackers!

Thankfully, we are blessed with good eaters. We rarely have battles at the dinner table. For the most part, veggies are consumed without much of a fuss (Scott's another story). Our biggest dilema is getting Natalie to stop talking long enough to eat a few bites. Of course, like most little ones, their favorite foods are pizza and hot dogs! (Although, after steak and lobster, pizza and hot dogs are high on my list too.)

Anyway, back to preschool Thanksgiving. After spending a short time in each of their classrooms, I was reminded why I stuck to teaching older kids. Yikes. That's a lot of wiggly bodies all in one place. I've got enough Romper Room going on in my own house right now, thank you.

A year ago, at this time, we knew there were 3 young children in Krasnoyarsk that would likely be "referred" to us. We knew there was a boy and two girls that were biological siblings. We were told they were somewhere between 1 and 5 years old, but had no idea who was oldest or youngest. We had redone mounds of paper work in hopes of finding out more about these children. That was one year ago.

And now, we're looking forward to our first Family Thanksgiving.

BFFs

Lexi LOVES Molly.

I'm not sure the feeling is completely mutual, but Molly definitely lets the kids have their way with her. Someone is constantly laying on her, waking her from a nap, stacking blocks around her, driving a car on her, or asking to feed her (Molly's favorite).

The other day Lexi was in tears over something I had reprimanded her for. Getting no sympathy from her sister or brother, she found Molly sleeping peacefully by the back door. Lexi laid her head down and wrapped her arms around her canine buddy, then continued to cry for the unjustice she was certainly suffering. And Molly stayed put. Occasionally, she looked up at me with bewildered brown eyes, but she stayed still until Lexi dried up and moved on. I didn't get a picture of that one, but here's a few other sweet moments between Lexi and her BFF.










"Molly's kissing me!"

"Let's think about it, Mama."

Justin and I have this little bedtime ritual. It started a few weeks ago. He'd been having a hard time. Just seemed so angry at everyone and everything. So, one night, as I lay down beside him, I said, "I feel happy when I hug my kids. What makes you feel happy?" And that was the start.

So now, every night, we read a book with the girls (or "the sisters" as he calls them), we say our prayers, and we sing our special songs. Then Justin will scoot down into his bed, pat the space on his pillow that he's left for me, and say, "Let's think about it, Mama." Which means he wants to take turns talking about what makes us happy.

Sometimes we're happy for little things like chocolate or new books. Sometimes we're happy for behaviors, like sharing toys or holding hands when we cross the street. That first night, one of the many things Justin said was, "I feel happy when Mama and Papa came to my "Big House" in Russia... and now we're a family."

Wow. I feel happy about that one too, buddy.

Post Placement Visit

It's so quiet in my house right now.
The kids are napping.
The dog is snoozing.
No cars rumbling by.
No neighbors buzzing about.
It's so calm.

Today, we had a visit from our social worker. Our 6th month post placement report is due to Russia in January... which means it must be at our adoption agency in December... which means the social worker must complete it in November.

Everything went well. She stayed for a couple of hours, played with the kids a bit and asked us all of the required questions. The kids did a great job playing on their own while Scott and I sat through the interview. No one melted down. No one (Justin) pushed his sister. No one (Lexi) rolled headfirst off the couch. When given a direction, no one (Natalie) crossed her arms and huffed, "I don't want it!" Good job kids! :)

Today did give Scott and I a chance to think about how far we've come since those crazy days in Russia. We're all learning our new roles. I realized that I spent so much time worrying about how the kids would adjust, I didn't realize it would take me some time to adjust as well. And if we've made it this far in only 4 months, what will life look like a year from now? I try not to think that far ahead though. Right now, I'm doing the one day at a time dance.

We were asked what we found rewarding about parenting. There are certainly rewards. Knowing that Justin, Natalie, and Lexi are together and safe is the biggest. Other special moments pop up throughout the day. Laying beside Justin at night, taking turns saying what makes us happy. Watching Lexi softly pat Justin on the back when we're reading a bedtime story.

You know what my biggest reward is though? Putting my head on Scott's shoulder and knowing we're in this together. I could never do this with anyone else. He is my perfect partner.

Happy Halloween 2008!

It was the kids' first Halloween..... and it was our first Halloween with kids!
I'm not sure who was more overwhelmed... them or me.
Actually, I'm sure... it was me!
A few things I learned:
Figure out the costume thing waaaay ahead of time! Turns out there are several events requiring costumes in the weeks leading up to the big day (library, preschool...)
Have more than 1 costume. Figuring out a costume that works in 90 degree heat and a cool rainy day is not so easy (we had both last week).
Stock up on bobby pins.
Kids are super bendy... see bounce house video below!

Halloween morning we headed downtown for some storefront trick or treating. We switched Lexi out from a pink princess to Minnie Mouse. Still quite adorable. This was their first trick or treating experience. They got into a pretty good rhythm, but before we were halfway done, Natalie asked to go back to the car because her bag was too heavy. Gee, poor thing. That brings me to the next thing I learned.... Don't buy any candy. Next year, I will be "regifting" their morning haul!



Later that evening we went to church for some more fun. Lots of games, pizza, music, more candy, and best of all... the bounce house! Lexi is an animal. I probably should have been worried about my baby bouncing around with kids 2 and 3 times her size... but she's a tiny monster! Even when she crashed (which was every time!), she jumped right back up, ready for more.



At preschool, Justin and Natalie had to dress up as community helpers.
Justin was a police officer and Natalie was a vet. All in all, our first Halloween was a success! Today, Natalie asked if we could carve another pumpkin. I told her we'd have to wait until next Halloween. Her response, "Tomorrow?" Definitely not tomorrow. I think I need to start Christmas shopping! :)