Keeping the Promise

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

Off to school we go!

Here we have a 1950's waitress and ruby red Dorothy.

I think their favorite part of Halloween was wearing blush and lipstick.

Hey there soldier! And don't forget our Hot Dog!

Taking inventory of the night's haul

Can you tell what Scott was for Halloween?

Take a minute......

You'll get it......

Need a hint?

Ohhhhh!

M.T.A Missing the Action? Not Me!

2011-10-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am well aware that my last post was in July.

I do know that Scott and poor Lexi got gypped out of birthday posts.

I missed the first day of school.

Missed most of soccer season.

A bunch of lost teeth.

Actually, I didn't miss any of it. I'm front and center for all the action around here!

But I guess you missed it... sorry.

Tonight's action... pumpkin carving.

This year, the kids were able to carve their pumpkins pretty much on their own. (Missed you Gaby!) Is it just me, or does anyone else see the resemblance between each kid and their pumpkin?

There's Natalie with the wide open mouth. Uh huh.

Lexi with the crooked, quirky grin. That's her.

Justin with a big ol' smile, just happy to be here. Pretty much.

And, of course, Scott's ever hopeful Cubs tribute.

Last weekend's action? A trip to the pumpkin patch and corn maze.

Click here to see the latest Mocabee Jib Jab from Grammy!

Justin's Raging 8th Birthday!

2011-07-19T23:56:00.001-07:00

Today Justin turned

8EIGHT8EIGHT8EIGHT8!!!

Keeping with our family tradition I made Justin a special birthday hat and we left him a little gift on the "celebrate" plate.

Ah, the little gift... a wooden gun, with a snake carved up the handle, that shoots rubber bands. A rubber band shooting gun!?!? Um, did I buy that?! I guess I had a moment of weakness. We were in Tahoe a couple of weeks ago and I saw it in this cute little toy store. It suddenly seemed like the perfect gift for an 8 year old boy. I had visions of him shooting down soda cans lined up along the fence. Let's keep our fingers crossed that soda cans will be all that gets snapped by the new rubber band gun. (And that his sisters don't start looking like cans of Pepsi!)

For Justin's birthday outing, father and son spent the day at Raging Waters. It was Justin's first trip to a waterslide park and he had a blast! They went on every slide in the park. Even Drop Out... twice!

From the Raging Waters website:

"Drop Out is a thrilling seven story drop/slide, and is one of the tallest vertical drops in the country. It hurls riders down in just 4 seconds, at speeds reaching nearly 40 miles per hour."

What!? 7 stories? 40 miles per hour? I think we may have little adrenaline junkie on our hands! Scott, of course, was thrilled to be accompanying Justin on all the "big"slides. I think it brought back some happy childhood memories.

In the evening, the Mocabee boys met us girls for dinner at one of Justin's favorite restaurants. Justin opened another gift. A Fizzy Foamy Science Kit or, in his words, "The best present ever!" (Who needs a rubber band gun when you have a box of baking soda, food coloring, and test tubes?)

Happy Birthday Justin!!!

Happiest 7th Birthday on Earth!

2011-07-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

Today Natalie turned

7SEVEN7SEVEN7SEVEN7!!!

I woke up my big seven year old girl extra early and the two of us headed to the Happiest Place on Earth. We spent a mommy and daughter day at Disneyland!

Can you guess Natalie's first choice of rides? 7:15 am? It had to be Space Mountain! We soon moved on to the slightly less intense carousel, Peter Pan and It's a Small World. Later in the morning, we popped over to California Adventure for the new Little Mermaid ride.

We saw the new Mickey's Soundsational Parade and the new World of Color show. She took her first ride on Splash Mountain and got a big hug from Jesse.

Scott, Justin and Lexi met us at Downtown Disney for dinner.

Natalie got to visit with some of her favorite princesses.

It was a magical day of birthday fun and adventure. But I have to say, she never looked happier than when she was eating a big ol' messy Mickey Mouse ice cream bar.

Happy Birthday Natalie!!!

Happy Homecoming Day... 3 Years Together

2011-07-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

The anticipation has really been mounting for our third Homecoming Day. More than ever, the kids really seem to "get it" this year. We've decided to have a campout in our backyard. Among other things (not sure what) this will involve sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmallows and Scott playing the guitar. You'll have to check in later to see how it goes. Specifically, if I make it through the night... on the ground... in a sleeping bag!

Here's a few blast from the past pix. These were taken in Russia, at the end of June 2008. Just days before our homecoming.

I just love how squishy Lexi looks in this picture.

You may note that she is wearing pajama bottoms because all of the clothes I brought for her were either way too big or dirty.

Here's Scott, pushing that piece of junk (but a lifesaver nonetheless) stroller through Red Square.

If you could jump inside this picture and fast forward about 30 minutes you would notice it was getting quite crowded. Then, you would see AND HEAR Justin throwing a monster kicking and screaming tantrum because Scott wouldn't let him push the stroller through the crowd by himself.

Okay now, we all know it's bad enough to be "that family" at the local Target... but in the middle of Red stinking Square!? Thanks for that one Justin!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2011-05-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Alas! Our baseball season has come and gone. Thank goodness none of the kids were forced to endure another Dodger Blue uniform this year!

Instead, the girls were quite adorable in orange and black, Go Giants!

And Justin was thrilled to be on the Angels!

The kids worked hard and had so much fun.

Ahem... some times were more fun than others....

All in all, Justin, Natalie and Lexi learned a lot and definitely improved their skills. We couldn't have been more pleased with their coaches. What a blessing to have coaches who are true to the integrity of the game, expect the best from their players, but do it all with so much love and patience.

Justin and Coach Paul

Lexi and Natalie with Coaches Mike and Chayce

Scott even got to help out quite a bit at games and practices.

The coaches gave Natalie a Sportsmanship award.

Lexi received the Most Inspirational award.

Go Team Mocabee! Love you sweeties!

Losing More Than a Tooth?

2011-04-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

The littlest member in the family has moved one step closer to being, well, not so little. Much to her delight, Lexi lost her first tooth yesterday! It has been a highly anticipated moment for the last several days. She has kept pretty much everyone updated on her loose tooth status this week, including:

Natalie's teacher, aide and principal

Clerk at Target

Lady at the gym

Man at mexican food restaurant

Starbucks barista

Librarian

Molly and Wrigley

(I don't think she mentioned it to our fish though.)

Oh, and all the stuffed animal friends on her bed, of course.

So, here she is, bloody drool and all. No fuss. No tears.

Just super excited.

It makes my heart happy to see her so happy.
But what's this little pain in my chest?
This slight tightening in my stomach?
She's growing up.
***sigh***
My sweet little Lexi.

I cried when I turned in her kindergarten registration form last month. Yep, walked out of the school office in tears.

It seems like we just came home! And now everyone is heading to school in the fall? How can this be? Some days, Russia feels only a breath away.

Don't get me wrong, a vast majority of the time, life around here is a tangle of homework, errands, cooking, cleaning, bickering, hurrying hurrying hurrying to this place and that.
But not always.

Sometimes. Every now and then. There are moments.
Sweet, precious moments I try to breathe in and savor.
Moments, that seem almost fragile.

Lord, give me the eyes to see Your grace and blessing in all of it...
All of it.
The rushing madness of our day to day, as well as those sweet, fragile moments I treasure so very much.
Thank you for the amazing gift of family.
That I may know fullness of joy and a bit of heartache, all at the same time.
May I never take it for granted.... (even though I sometimes do).
Thank you for this love.
Love that doesn't get lost with starting new school years, with passing birthdays...
... or even with missing teeth.

And the medal goes to...

2011-02-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Natalie, who recently earned a third place medal for her artwork!

Each year, the school PTA sponsors a contest called Reflections, where students are challenged to create art inspired by a specific theme. Natalie placed third for kindergarten at her school. This year's theme was "Together We Can..." Natalie titled her project "Together We Can Share the Work." She drew a picture of the many things she can help her little sister do, such as brush teeth, pick up toys, get dressed and make the bed.

(You get all that from this picture, right!?)

Would you believe that last year Justin also earned the third place medal in kindergarten?! The theme was "Beauty is..."
Justin drew "Beauty is Having a Pet To Love."

Good job Natalie and Justin! We are so proud of you! ( and so is Molly!)

Shiny Happy People *

2011-02-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

Yes.
That's Lexi.
She really is the epitome of a shiny happy person.
It takes a lot to ruffle that little one's feathers. She's generally a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. Lexi is just happy to be happy.

But, uh, back to the shiny part.
Or should I say... shiner.

"What happened Lexi?"
"I bonked into the counter."
That she did. Racing through the kitchen. Took the turn a bit too tight. Bonk.

But still smiling.

It brought back the horrible memory of... dun dun dunnnnn.... The Moscow Swing Set Incident of 2008.
Let's see. We were all of 5 days into our parenting journey. The children had been entrusted to us for less than a week......

No wait! Hold on! Before we relive The Swings...
First came...
The Bed.
So, it was the first, FIRST I TELL YOU! The very first day we got the kids in Krasnoyarsk. Finally, set free from the confines of the orphanage. Finally together! Finally a family!

And then... a couple hours into our bliss. (Wasn't I blissful in Russia? I'll have to go back and read the old blog posts.)

Anyway.
We had only been back in the hotel for a couple hours. The five of us were sitting around on the bed. Next thing you know, Lexi stood up and simply walked off the bed.
No. It was more of a dive.
She landed head first on the hardwood floor.
Scott and I may have locked eyes for a split second. Then the simultaneous screams heard only in each of our minds,
"I thought YOU were watching her!"

Then came Lexi's audible screams.
Well great. We've had this kid for 2 hours and have already broken her!

Do I go on to describe how her eyes began to roll back in her head? How we woke her up every hour that night in case she had a concussion? Trying to figure out how we would explain this in a Russian ER? In the end, she had a pretty good size bump on her noggin, but (thank God!) she was okay.

A few days later....
Now we're in Moscow. As you can imagine, living in a hotel room for days on end with a 2, 3 and 4 year old was about to push us all over the edge. But then a fellow adoptive family tipped us off about a park. A park!? Yay! It was only a few blocks away. We pushed our rickety double stroller through the streets of Moscow. Then, we found it.
We found it!
Yes children!
Run! Run free!
For a bit, all was right with the world. They chased. They climbed. They swung. Scott and I stood together, watching our sweet, innocent, ahem... non bruised children.

Then, as if in slow motion...
Lexi begins to dash toward the back of the swing set....
There is a little Russian girl already on the swing....
That little girl sails forward....
Then flies back...
The wooden seat...
The metal bars...
Right
Into
Lexi's
Face....

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE WATCHING HER!!!!"

Oh, it looked bad. It still makes me queasy thinking about it. She was definitely dented. Really. Her cheek was dented. Her sweet little perfect cheek instantly had a purple indentation.

Seriously. Who let us take these kids???

So that, my friends, was The Moscow Swing Set Incident of 2008.

Incidentally, it was also one of our first big lessons on parenting. Scott and I learned that one of us can play a zone with Justin and Natalie.

But as for Miss Lexi?

Well, she requires one on one defense.

AT ALL TIMES.

Here are a few of the happier moments at the park. Pre-dent.

And here's....

Well, you get it.

* Disclaimer: No children were permanently damaged in the making of this family. Believe me. We immediately checked with our pediatrician when we got home.

Anybody out there?

2011-02-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

Um.
Hi.
Remember me?
Sooooo, do I just start writing?
Do I ignore the fact I've been blog silent for 6 months?
OR do I give you my lengthy list of excellent excuses for my absence?

That might be fun...

You see, the thing is, well...
I've been on the run from the law. The library police are after me. It seems I have enough unpaid and overdue fines to fund the addition they are adding on this summer. I've had to go into hiding, because if there's one thing I've learned... Don't mess with the librarians.

Wait. That's not it.

It's the laundry. Yes, laundry. For the past several months I've been trapped under a massive pile of my family's laundry! It started as only a couple of small piles. Dirty soccer uniforms. Some folded jammies that needed to be put away. But soon, those piles seemed to merge with the other piles. I went in search of clean underwear one day and just never came out.

Filming a reality show?
Waiting in line at DMV?
Got lost somewhere between the 10 pound jar of olives and industrial meat slicers at Costco?
Joined a gym? Ha! (Actually I did. Watch out!)
Took Molly on the road to dominate the Frisbee competition?
Consoling Scott about the Cubs disappointing season?

What?
No good?
Ok. Here's my all time, most favorite excuse:

If it's good enough for John Cusack, well, it's good enough for me.
And by the way,
I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!!

Look who's 5!!!

2010-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

To round out Birthday Season, little Miss Lexi turned a whopping 5 years old on August 20th!

Papa made her a number five shaped chocolate chip pancake to start the morning. We went to the mall to ride the carousel. (The closest we could get to what she really wanted to do, which was ride a real horse!) We stopped at the Disney store and let the birthday girl pick some figurines to go on top of her cake. Of course, she chose the pack of princesses. Lexi's special day ended with her choice of dinner, "sketti and meatballs" and gifts from the family. We love you Lexi Bexi!

WELCOME TO BIRTHDAY WEEK!

2010-07-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

July 17

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

Happy 6th birthday dear NATALIE! Happy birthday to you!

July 19

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

Happy 7th birthday dear JUSTIN! Happy birthday to you!

July 22

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

Happy 36th birthday dear SCOTT! Happy birthday to you!

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Homecoming (Part 2)

2010-07-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

(continued...)

We ended our 2nd Homecoming Day with jammies on, gathered around the computer to watch the dozens (maybe even hundreds!) of videos and pictures from our final days in Russia (June and July of 2008): Visiting the kids in their "Russia Houses." Our morning in court. The tulips that were in bloom everywhere. Yelena, Sergey, Marina, and the many people in Russia who led us step by step through the process. Eating a steady diet of Pringles and M&M's. A parade. Dancers in the town square. Fireworks. The red and black lacquered furniture. The rows and rows of little beds lined up in the orphanage. Gotcha Day. Walking out of the orphanages for the last time. The faces of the little friends our children left behind. The women who care for those precious babies. Living in hotels. Elevator rides. Washing clothes in the sink. Pushing that ridiculous stroller all over Krasnoyarsk and Moscow. Playing in the fountain. Reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear again and again and again. Red Square. Blogging in the business center. The kids only speaking Russian. Airports. Surviving those long flights.

Lexi. Still just a baby really. Hair framing her sweet little face. Stuffy nose. Soaking up every outdoor moment she can. Rolling in the grass. Splashing in the fountain. Smiles. Giggles. Fitting so perfectly in my arms. Snuggled against my chest. Thumb in her mouth.

Lexi. My sweet silly baby.

Natalie. So protective of her little sister. So protective of her own fragile heart. Eyes that seem to suspect more than her three year old soul should know. She keeps her armor on for a while. But when we load the van to leave the orphanage for good she scoots close to me and says, "Ya tibya loobloo, Mama." Yes, my precious daughter. I love you too.

Natalie. My strong, brave, lovely daughter.

Justin. Jumping into Papa's arms. Anxious to show us all he can do. Such a smart boy. Taking my face in his little hands and kissing me on the cheek. Claiming us as his own from day one. Frustration with the language barrier. So proud to be a big brother.

The son I never imagined I'd have.

Justin. My capable, tender-hearted son.

***Insert big sigh here***

Ahh, how far we've come.

How much we've all learned about love... about trust... about grace.

I loved celebrating Homecoming Day with my family.

Celebrating with Scott. My husband and very best friend. Whom I truly love more with each passing day. Truly. So fun to bungle our way through parenthood together!

Celebrating with our children. Who fill me... no... who, overwhelm me, with depths of emotions I never knew existed.

And yet, and yet... as good as it is to celebrate being home... My heart has a place of longing for my eternal home. Sweet heavenly home with Jesus. Ah, now that will be a homecoming :)

But we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth. A home of righteousness. All of this is in keeping with God's promise.

Dear friends, I know you are looking forward to that. So try your best to be found pure and without blame. Be at peace with God. Remember that while our Lord is waiting patiently to return, people are being saved. (2 Peter 3:13,14)

We read the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, again and again when we were in Russia. The kids loved it! Within a couple days, Natalie and Justin were reciting it. Their first bits of English.

This video was shot in the bathroom of our hotel room in Moscow. The bathroom doubled as a playroom, family room, library, laundry room.... (But, you'll see that Lexi is actually using it for it's intended purpose!)

Happy Homecoming (Part 1)

2010-07-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our Homecoming!

Two years ago

July 2

we finally

FINALLY!

came home

HOME HOME HOME

First thing Natalie said to me this morning was "Happy Homecoming Day Mama!" She wasn't about to waste a single moment not in celebration of her special day! We started the morning with a yummy waffle breakfast. Then headed to the theater to see Toy Story 3. (Was it just me or did anyone else shed a tear when they watched it?! Sheesh!)

Later in the afternoon we made a special Homecoming Cake.

Note I said the cake was special. Not exactly fancy or beautiful! But we made it as a family, so that's what counts, right? As an added bonus (not that it matters with special cakes) it actually tasted just fine!

Baba and Grandpa were nice enough to bring us dinner tonight. We reminisced a little about that day in 2008 when they picked us up at LAX. Haggard, exhausted and emotional. But, we were together. We were a family. We... were... HOME!

(stay tuned for Part 2 of this post)

Fun Times at Vacation Bible School

2010-06-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Had a fantastic time at VBS this week! Our theme this year was High Seas Expedition. These three little sailors are ready to ship out!

I helped out with Justin's group... First Graders. Oh my. He's a first grader!? Justin said his favorite part of VBS was the snacks.

Makayla and Natalie take a break for a snack. Natalie's favorite part of VBS was storytime. She says, "In church I learned that God's word is true. God's word is comforting and God's word is for everyone."

Lexi's favorite part of VBS was singing "Today is the Day."

Our High Seas Expedition finished up on Friday night with a slide show and songs from the kids.

Friday night also included a cookie potluck/contest. Can you believe that the Mocabee's Peanut Butter Wheels won Best Presentation!?

Happy Fathers Day! And while I'm at it....

2010-06-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

.... happy Mother's Day too!
Two years ago:

June 10, 2008. We were ushered into a Russian courtroom. It actually felt more like a basement dressed up with a few tables and chairs strategically positioned to look like a courtroom. No matter. Two years ago, a Russian judge took her place in God's divine plan for our family. She

said "Da...Yes." Just like that, my children were finally MY children.

June 21, 2008. The ever memorable "gotcha day." The last day my precious babies would ever spend in Russian orphanages. No longer would they go to sleep at night without a cuddle and an "I love you" from their forever mommy and papa.

And here we are today. Celebrating Mother's Day. Celebrating Father's Day. Sometimes I have to go back and check the blog or read my journal just to prove to myself that it all really happened! And even then... strangely, some of the details remain fuzzy.

So grateful that the Lord concerns himself with our details! But here's what's not fuzzy. The years I ached for a child. The assurance from God that He, indeed, had a vision for our family. The waiting. The faces of our children when we first met them. A divine promise fulfilled.

To so many reading this blog today, thank you for being part of the journey.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a

Natalie and Lexi's First Dance Recital

2010-06-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Natalie and Lexi performed in their first dance recital last Friday.

I was more than a little overwhelmed by the amount of sequins and glitter involved in the costumes! Then, of course, there was the hair primping and make up application. Yikes. Lipstick and blush on a four year old kind of makes me cringe, but I had some good moral support. (Thanks Gaby!)

In the end, the girls were super adorable! They danced their sweet little hearts out. Afterward, Justin gave them each a bouquet of flowers. Glowing. I think that pretty much describes the faces of our tiny dancers.

I'm also pretty sure they had their very own cheering section!

I'm beyond grateful that our kids have so many people in their lives who love on them.

We Dream Big Around Here

2010-06-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Ah... the conversations one may overhear in our house...

(We had just finished reading a book about a boy struggling to know what he wanted to do when he grew up. Everyone else in his family had an "it." This little boy didn't know what his "it" was.)

Me: What do you dream about being when you grow up?

Natalie: A mom.

Justin: A superhero. I'm really excited about having rocket boots that make me fly.

Lexi: Ummm.... I think.... I think I will be a lion.

Of course! A lion. Why didn't I think of that!

As if Lexi growing up to be a lion isn't funny enough, the conversation continued...

Justin (quite emphatically): Lexi!!! You can't be that! People can't be lions!

Ohhhh, but a superhero? Yeah. That's much more realistic.

If you've spent any time at our house lately you would know Lexi's recent movie of choice has been The Lion King. Over and over and over and over. More than once we've spotted her crawling around on all fours carrying her other toys in her mouth. You know, like a mother lion carrying her cub. She's got a pretty good snarl going on too.

Here's the picture I took of her that night. Sound asleep. Surrounded by her own little pride.

On a side note, the book we were reading that sparked the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" conversation is called, You Can Do It! by Tony Dungy.

Such a great book. I thought it shared a great message about faith and trusting the Lord with our dreams. In the afterword, Dungy writes, "I'm glad I had parents that helped us to dream. I'm glad they taught us to pray about the things that were on our mind. And I'm really glad that God answers our prayers..."

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

I was a moment, seriously, a moment, away from hitting the "publish post" button on this gripping tale of the Mocabee family's big dreams, when Lexi saunters up to me and declares:

Mom, I don't really want to watch Lion King anymore. We watch that movie really so many times. Now, I want to watch Aristocats.

We just checked that one out from the library today. I guess I should brace myself for more feline adventures.

When Storytime and Baseball Season Collide

2010-04-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Most Wednesday mornings we head to the local library for Storytime with Ms. Bonnie. The girls always look forward to it.

However, don't let the term "storytime" fool you. It's so much more than just stories! Ms. Bonnie plays the tambourine and ukulele. There's jumping and wiggling and giggling. Storytime always begins with a mini show and tell session. Most of the time Ms. Bonnie breaks out this ratty brown puppet, fittingly named Grumpus. He's ill mannered and dirty and never remembers to cover his sneezes! Later, Ms. Bonnie invites the children to come up to the front and sing. At first, Natalie and Lexi rarely took part in the singing. Then, I began bribing them with tic tacs and now they are the first to volunteer! (Serio

usly, it's amazing what I can get my kids to do for one measly orange tic tac!)

Most of the children at storytime sing songs such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Row Row Row Your Boat, or The ABC's. There was about a 3 week stretch (in March, mind you) when Lexi chose to sing Away in the Manger.

But now... in case you hadn't noticed... it's April. That means it's baseball season. More specifically, The Cubs are now part of the Mocabee's daily routine. For those of you who are less than familiar with the Chicago Cubs, let me fill you in... (because I have become more than familar with our dear old Cubbies).

So, there's this little song called Go Cubs Go that they play at Wrigley Field after the Cubs win. (Insert your own "after they win!?" joke here. I won't tell Scott.) Go Cubs Go is actually Scott's ringtone, so we get to hear it all year round.

Now, let's put this all together....

It's April, baseball season, Cubs on the brain....

It's Wednesday, library day, Mom has orange tic tacs in her purse.

Long story short...

Last week, at Storytime with Ms. Bonnie, the girls ditched the usual catalog of preschool songs and decided to sing Go Cubs Go.

I only captured part of it on video and the sound isn't great. But, much to their Daddy's delight, they sang it!

"Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!"

Truthfully, it did take a bit of extra convincing on my part to get them to sing this particular song. I could see that the orange tic tacs were, perhaps, not as persuasive as I needed them to be. I reached a bit deeper into my bag of bribes. Ah hah! There it was. Gum. "If you sing Go Cubs Go, you can have an orange tic tac AND a piece of gum." They were sold!

Happy Easter 2010!

2010-04-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a few pictures from Easter:

Decorating our eggs

Checking out baskets on Easter morning

We managed a quick family picture after church.

With our good pals Makayla and Aubrey

Saving this one for their wedding invitation! ;)

Justin took a spill on the playground.

Who's ready to hunt for eggs?!

And above all, may we accept the Gift of The Cross. The Sacrifice of Jesus. Celebrate that He is Risen. By Grace we have been Saved. Happy Easter!!!

My Competition

2010-04-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Looks like I may have a bit of competition.

Here's a snippet of a conversation Lexi and I had recently:

Lexi: I'm going to marry Papa.

Me: Oh, sorry Lex, but Papa is already married

to me. He's my husband.

Lexi: Well... (considering this for the briefest moment) No, Papa is going to be my husband.

Me: What about me?

Lexi: You have to get a new husband.

And that settled it.

Root Root Root for the.... the.... Dodgers!?!?

2010-03-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Never thought those words would be chanted in the Mocabee house.

Of all the teams Justin and Natalie could have been placed on...

The Dodgers?! Really? C'mon!

Obviously, anything less than the Cubs is completely unacceptable to Scott.

As for me, my true disdain for the Dodgers dates back to 1988 when dumb Kirk Gibson hit that dumb home run against the A's in the World Series. Seriously, it's been 20 years. I'm so done watching his gimpy home run trot around the bases. But somehow the clip continues to haunt me on the random video montages that inevitably appear every baseball season.

Whatever. I just don't like the Dodgers.

But I do like these little cuties.

If anything can soften my heart to Dodger Blue, I supppose it will be my own kids. They played their first game last week. Justin played 1st base. After the game, Coach Kirk (of all names) chose Justin as the Player of the Game for his "effort and good catching and hitting."

Natalie played a sort of "first & a half base" position... situated behind the pitcher/between first and second base. With 13+ kids on the field, they squeeze in wherever they can. It suited her fine, as she spent much of the time with her glove over her face, peering up at the sky through the webbing!

Week 2's match up... Dodgers vs. Cubs. Time to pull out all the stops. Decided we needed to invest in real baseball pants. I just think they are super adorable! Natalie was excited too. Before getting dressed she exclaimed, "I can't wait to wear my new costume!"

Please disregard the soccer cleats. I'm saving our money for the snack bar.

Certainty

2010-02-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

(Wrote this entry on February 1!!! Kept meaning to come back and post it. Time really does fly.)

I'm so grateful I took the time to journal some of the experience. Even just 2 years down the road, I reread a journal entry or look back at pictures and realize there's so many little things I've forgotten!

One thing I have not forgotten, though, is the absolute certainty I felt when I finally met the children. The years we spent waiting had been difficult. The weeks leading up to finally meeting the kids were grueling. Not so much because we were anxious to finally see them, but because we were terrified. What if these were not meant to be our children? The medical reports had been vague. Doctors had given us great cause for concern. There was not a certainty in those weeks leading up to the meeting. We were not sure if these 3 children were our 3 children.

But there was faith.
Faith that we were to keep going. Faith that the Lord had carried us to this point and, one step at a time, we were to keep pressing on.
So, that's what we did.
As much as I was making room in my heart and already beginning to love these 3 children, I was simultaneously preparing the bandages for the broken heart I knew might be coming. But, somehow, that was okay. We boarded an airplane to travel around the world, and had complete faith that it was what we were supposed to do.

And then...
Oh.
When I looked at those 3 little faces...
There was such a peace in my soul. An absolute certainty that filled every ounce of my being.

I don't take that certainty for granted. I realize it doesn't always feel that way for everyone. That certainty was a blessing. A gift.

In the past 24 months, I've been trying to navigate my way through becoming a mother. There have been many times when feelings have failed me. I've struggled. It often seems like my world is spinning and I'm just hanging on. Days when I don't feel like a mother or... (honesty here)... feel like being a mother. And yet, I know, for certain, that they are mine and I am theirs.
I'm sure of it.
When I tell the children that God had a special plan for the way we would become a family, I mean it.

On those days my world is spinning, I recall that peace, that certainty the Lord blessed me with 24 months ago. It's what will ground me.

Our 2 Little Girls

2010-01-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2008. The day we met our daughters.

Here's another excerpt from my journal:

Today we met our 2 little girls. Oh girls, you are so amazing!

Sasha (Lexi), you are such a tiny little thing! The same blond hair as your brother and sister. Stuffy nose, all sniffles today. Big blue eyes. You wore a white dress and a big red bow on top of your head. You are a quiet little girl so far. You haven't had much to say yet, but you sat in my lap and played with some toys. You've been a little nervous about your daddy, but just you wait little girl. He is going to be your best friend very soon. We can't wait to be with you for keeps.

Liza (Natalie), another beautiful, special little girl. Big blue eyes. Long dark blond hair. You came into the room ready to play. You wore a purple shirt and jean jumper with a humongous purple bow in your hair! Such a good big sister. Ready to help Sasha and the other children. Unlike your sister, you had a lot to say! Chatting away from the moment we met you. Naming pictures in books and reciting rhymes. You are so smart and outgoing.

Our daughters. We love you already. We just wanted to scoop you up and bring you home today! Why, oh why, must it take so long?! It was such a special day. We will always treasure this day we first met you. Girls, may you always know that you are God's perfect creation.

Here are a few pictures of our first visit with Lexi and Natalie:

What Were You Doing 2 Years Ago Today?

2010-01-30T22:05:00.000-08:00

We were meeting our son for the very first time.

Here are bits and pieces of what I wrote in my journal that night.

A letter to Justin...

January 30, 2008
8:45 pm

I'm so tired. 30 hours of traveling and we've barely slept. But, I won't close my eyes before I tell you about The Day I Met You.

You live in an orphanage in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. It's faded blue and 3 stories tall. There are 60 children in your home. Boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 7.

You are 4 and a half years old.
And today we met you for the very first time.

Soon after arriving we were led into a playroom. We took some time to speak with the people who have helped you and taken care of you. We found out a little about your birth family and when you first came to stay at the orphanage. We listened to a social worker, a woman with long, dark graying hair, a mouth full of gold teeth and quite a mustache. Her name was Valentina. She bragged about what a good boy you are. How you are helpful and play nicely with other children. Clearly, she cares for you and is certainly proud of you.

Then, before we were able to talk much more, suddenly there you were!!! A caregiver had led you in, and there you were! Politely saying hello. Big eyes. Dark blond hair. We give you two Matchbox cars, which you gently take with a smile. I'm sitting on the floor, playing with you, but I'm in another place too. Just thinking how this is so amazing. HERE YOU ARE. The words keep repeating in my head. Finally. In front of me. And you are just perfect.

Yes, little one. You are just perfect. I am so thankful that God has been watching over you. You are the answer to my prayers.

Here are a few pictures from that first meeting, 2 years ago, that I never posted:

The next day we would meet the girls. More pix and journaling to come. (Really!)

Snowball Fight!!!

2009-12-24T16:11:00.000-08:00

This pretty much sums up life in the Mocabee family!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Click here to see last year's jib jab! Thanks Grammy! Keep 'em coming!

Thankful.

2009-11-28T22:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great time on Halloween. That's what's important, right?

But I've got to say, the Mom side of this holiday is a completely different story! Is it just me, or does anyone else get overwhelmed by it all? Keeping track of the different activities throughout the week, the different costumes each event requires, making said costumes work with the weather, the million different things I've signed up to bring, and the candy! The amount of candy the kids brought home was ridiculous! After a few days of snacking on the mountain of sugar piled on the kitchen table it was time for an intervention. On the advice of a good friend, I presented the kids with a tantalizing offer.

It went something like this:

You've heard of the Tooth Fairy, right? You know that teeth are very important to her. She especially loves clean, healthy teeth. Well, did you know that the Tooth Fairy has a cousin? Yes, it's true. Her cousin's name is the Candy Fairy. The Candy Fairy wants to make sure your teeth stay clean and healthy, so they'll be ready for the Tooth Fairy. Tonight is the night the Candy Fairy visits the houses of all trick or treaters. Here's how it works... If you want to, you can pack up the rest of your candy and leave it on the front porch tonight. When the Candy Fairy flies by, she will check our front porch to see if there's any candy. If there is, she'll take it with her and leave you a special present in it's place!

The kids were completely sold! I let them each pick out 3 more pieces to save for later, but the rest was bagged up and placed out on the porch. Goodbye sugar mountain! They were thrilled to find new toys waiting for them the next morning and there hasn't been one complaint about the missing candy. All in all, a brilliant solution!

Okay. I know what you're wondering now. So, what happened to all of that candy? Let's just say, next time you see the Candy Fairy (and the Candy Fairy's husband, for that matter) they may have put on a few extra pounds.

Woody and a couple of kitty cats

At the library, one of the many places the girls wore costumes this year.

I was thrilled when the girls said they wanted to be kitties for Halloween. I was preparing myself for at least another few years of nothing but Disney princess gowns. So, when Natalie mentioned the cat idea, I ran with it! I have memories of my grandma and my Aunt Paula sewing wonderful costumes for me and my cousins. I certainly wasn't up to sewing 2 complete costumes from scratch, but I wanted to actually make something. So, it was off to the fabric store, where I found the cute gray fur. It seemed perfect... That is, until I started cutting it. Oh. My. Gosh. Fur everywhere! The floor was covered. My clothes were covered. It was as if I shaved a gray cat and spread the fur throughout my house. I know I choked on a few hairballs throughout the process. Ack! However, I managed to complete some leg warmers, wristbands, and the all important tails. By chance, I ran across the cute little skirts at Gymboree. Add a set of ears, paint on a few whiskers, and done! A sort of homemade Halloween costume! (Which I will remember for months to come, as I'm still finding bits of gray fur in random places.)

Justin's kindergaraten class put on a little performance. Nothing cuter than a bunch of 5 year olds balancing percariouly on a picnic table. Nothing funnier than the kid that inevitably falls OFF the picnic table. Yes, it happened. Yes, the kid was okay. And thank goodness, it wasn't my kid. At least not this time. Check back in after the Thanksgiving performance.

For their community helper parties at school, Natalie chose to be a firefighter and Lexi was a vet.

Here we are carving pumpkins, then posing with our jack o' lantern faces.

Cool Sunglasses Dude Pumpkin by Natalie and Papa

Crooked Smile, Starry Eyed Pumpkin by Lexi and Gaby

Meowtstanding Kitty Cat Pumpkin by Justin and Mama
Would you believe the pumpkin carving got a bit competitive in our house? Feel free to cast your vote for best jack o' lantern.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the entire haul. This is only a fraction of the goods. I'm exhausted all over again just blogging about it! Hope your Halloween was fun and less overwhelming than mine.

Now....... the Candy Fairy needs to track down a peanut butter cup.

Back to School 2009

2009-10-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Justin was the first to head back to school.
In his words, he is now "one of the big kids."
In other words... a kindergartener.
For the most part, the transition has gone well. Before the first day, he told us he was excited AND nervous. Scott and I got to stay in class for awhile on that first day. After Justin found his nametag and inspected his little desk area for a moment, he hung his Cars backpack on his chair, situated his new pencil box on the desk, and jumped right in on the worksheets his teacher had left for him. Pretty soon, and pretty reluctantly I might add, it was time for the hovering parents to leave. After school, he told me, "I felt sad when you left, but after a little while I was okay again."
Just like that... One of the big kids.

Natalie is in Pre-K this year and really enjoying it. She just loves her teachers and we feel so blessed to know she is in such a nurturing and caring environment. She's such a bright little girl. She loves books, role playing, and is always, always anticipating what will come next.

Lexi is now a preschooler too! I was so worried about how she would handle the drop off and goodbye, but I suppose all of those days we took Natalie and Justin to preschool last year were good preparation. Lexi was as happy as could be on her first day. Gave me hugs and kisses, then set off to explore her new classroom. No tears. No long gazes. Well, at least not from Lexi. I can't believe how fast the time has already gone.

Happy Birthday Little Mermaid

2009-09-05T14:28:00.001-07:00

Lexi celebrated her 4th birthday on August 20.
Four.
How can she be 4?

And by the way, forget about calling her Lexi.
It's Ariel to you.
In fact, she now describes herself as having, "Red hair, pink lips and purple seashells."

Our Little Mermaid has grown leaps and bounds this year.
Truly, the perfect combination of spunky and sweet.
It's pretty safe to say, that to know her is to love her.

Hey Molly! Now we're both 4!

Meet our tiny dancer...

Lexi's birthday party theme? Little Mermaid Meets Gymnastics, of course!

You fill our days with such laughter and joy! We love you so much little Lexi Bexi!

Happy Birthday Whippersnapper!

2009-08-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Scott's birthday seems to have taken a bit of a backseat the past couple years. It's now sandwiched between 2 of the kids' birthdays and our aniversary (12 years! yay us!) It also happens to be my half birthday, which I somehow feel should be recognized.

Despite the spotlight being shifted, on July 22, my husband, father of three, turned 35 years old.

He'd be quick to point out that he remains younger than me.

To which I'd say, "Really? By a whole 6 months."

Then he'd say, "Still...younger."

And I'd say, "Whatever."

There.

That's pretty much how that conversation has gone for the last decade.

We happened to be visiting family/friends up north over Scott's birthday this year. My mom and her coworkers made sure he didn't miss out on a fabulous birthday hat. It even had bells and pop out curlies... you might say it was interactive! We had a cute little Cubs ice cream cake for dessert. And just like that, Scott stepped into his 35 year (or does this mean he's beginning year 36? Hmmm.)

Anyway... Happy Birthday to my younger man.

Happy 6th Birthday Justin.... um, last month!

2009-08-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today, Justin is officially 6 years and 1 month old! A little late to blog it, but Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you so much... now please stop growing up!

It was a busy day that started off with his official birthday breakfast and recycled party hat. Next we were off to church, a quick lunch, and then to the big birthday party.

Justin and Natalie shared their birthday party at the local indoor soccer arena. Lots of kids, lots of fun and lots of HOT. It was probably the hottest day of the summer and there was no a/c in the arena. Can you say sauna? Luckily, the heat didn't curb the kids' enthusiasm. They had a great time playing soccer and sweating with 20 of their closest friends.

What a blessing to be able to give them their first real birthday party... with cake and friends and presents (Whoa! The presents! We're just now finishing up the thank you cards!)

More birthday festivities to come.... :)

Happy 5th Birthday Natalie!

2009-07-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Is it possible that Natalie is already 5 years old? I can't believe a year has passed and we're back to celebrating birthdays already!

Pancake breakfast for the Birthday Girl!

This is what we called Fancy Birthday Hair. She specifically requested five braids, because she's five years old.

A new bike from Baba and Grandpa! And not just any bike... a Barbie bike! It even has a place on the handlebars for Barbie to ride along.

And then came Natalie's first FALL on her Barbie bike!

Thank you Baba and Grandpa! I LOVE my new Barbie bike!

Three little bikers, ready for a ride!

Celebrating with our special friend, Gaby :)

Finally, we ended the day with cake and ice cream.

See you in a couple of days for Justin's birthday.... then in a couple more days for Scott's birthday... then next month for Lexi's.

Me too, Justin.

2009-07-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

It seems like we've been talking a lot about babies lately. Especially about babies being in their mom's tummies. Tonight, as I tucked him in to bed, Justin told me that he had seen our friend's baby at Scott's soccer camp today. (By the way, she's 3 weeks old and just a bundle of cuteness!) Clearly, my kid was enacting one of the trusty "trying to avoid bedtime" techniques by engaging me in a conversation. I was pretty sure I'd be asked for a drink of water next. However, I decided to indulge him for a few more minutes. So glad I did.

Our conversation went something like this:

Justin: Babies are so small. Their fingers and mouths are so small.

Me: Yep, they are. You were small like that once, too.

Justin: My face was so small? And my hands?

Me: Yes, all babies are tiny at first. I didn't get to see you when you were that little, because you were in Russia, but I'm sure you were the cutest little baby ever.

Justin: Mom?

Me: Yes?

Justin: I wish... when I was a baby... I was in your tummy... not in a Russia lady's tummy.

Me: (oh, my heart....) I know sweetie. I wish that too. (Long pause as I try to hold myself together) But God had a different plan for us. An extra special plan, because you are an extra special boy... I love you so much. I'll be your mom forever, okay?

Justin: (looks right at me and nods) Okay.

And I know it is.

---

I've read stories of other women who have had this conversation. I just never knew it would happen to me. And I never knew, how in a split second, my entire heart and soul could fill up with equal amounts of pain and joy.

Pain for Justin, that he lost a relationship with his biological mother. Pain for the woman that will never know what an amazing, AMAZING, son she'll never see grow up. Pain for me, that I missed those first few years of his life. My heart just breaks for everything that's missing.

But somehow... still joy.
Joy that he's our son. Joy that he's ours forever! Joy that this family really was knit together in an extra special way. Joy that God loved us enough to let us be part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Part of a promise. God carried us and comforted us through all of those "missing" years. There is joy in knowing that we can count on nothing less in the days to come.

Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Isreal failed; every one of them was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July at home this year. A pretty simple day, but it turned out to be so much fun! (Well, except for the part when poor Lexi got her first bee sting!)

Even though we weren't going anywhere, we still dressed up in patriotic red, white, and blue. I sent the kiddos outside to play with little American flags... and then, like an overzealous paparazzi mom, I stalked them with the camera. In the afternoon, the kids christened our big green pool. (For the blog reading faithful, you may note that the "big green pool" is the 2009 version of last year's "big blue pool.")

It was at about this point when Lexi stepped on a bee. Here, we insert about 20 minutes of tears into our otherwise perfect day. After Scott and I did our best to snuggle and soothe her, it seems all it took was a Nemo ice pack and a Care Bear bandaid on her big toe to make her feel better. But then we were back on track!

Scott BBQed steaks and hot dogs for dinner, so everyone was happy... especially Molly, who found a way to sample both. Then we all shared a big bowl of yummy cherries and waited for the sun to set. At the first hint of darkness, we broke out the sparklers... Oh, you should have seen their faces! Awestruck. Wide eyes, big grins. Then, it was finally upstairs to bed, where we discovered we could (sort of) see the fireworks show from a local college. And now, the whole gang is completely exhausted... and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an extra hour of sleeping in tomorrow! :)

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Poor Big Toe! :(

A word of warning. Beware of standing near Lexi when she's waving a tiny flag. You might get popped in the eye. Dont' worry though, she'll apologize. But the really good news is.... she can help you out if you are suddenly in need of someone to randomly scratch your head. Yup. That's our Lexi ;)

Happy Family Day to Us!

2009-07-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

July 2.

Touchdown day.

One year ago today, about 4:00 in the afternoon, our plane touched down on American soil. Finally. We were home. Home forever.

We celebrated this evening with an ice cream cake and 5 candles. One for each of us.

I can't believe it's been a year.It's gone so fast. It's gone so slow. It's been amazing and wonderful. It's been exhausting and humbling.

The kids have grown leaps and bounds. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Here's a little excerpt from my journal, just over a year ago:
June 28, 2008....... I so look forward to the day we are all home. I look forward to rocking each of you in the chair, smelling you-clean from a bath, tucking you in under soft covers, smoothing your hair across your forehead, rubbing your back softly. Telling each of you, one by one, that you are loved, that you are special, that God united our family... that this family is yours forever.

That sweet day has become a reality. The day I dreamt about, prayed about, and cried for is finally ours to share. Precious moments again and again.

Still, a lot more "reality" has tagged along too, if you know what I mean ;)

So we continue to thank the Lord for daily grace, work on healing past hurts, and do our best to keep up our end of the promise.

Justin Hits the Big Leagues

2009-05-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

Scott took Justin to his very first Dodger game last week. Thanks so much to the Bastions for the incredible tickets!

Justin had a great time! He ate an entire Dodger Dog (complete with ketchup, mustard, relish and onions) and made it through 10 innings. Better than most of the Dodger crowd, right Surrell?

I'm not too sure how much baseball he actually saw, as the little spy spent most of his time people watching through Scott's binoculars.

Isn't a kid's first ball game one of those unforgetable experiences? It may be even more special for a kid's Papa :)

(Poor) Lexi's Timeout

2009-05-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

OK folks, I know Lexi has her own little fan club out there. (You know who you are... Stacy.) So this "time out" video will certainly garner Lexi some serious sympathy and most likely find my inbox full of mean mommy hate mail!

Let me set the scene. It's naptime. So our daily pre-nap routine begins. I send Natalie and Lexi upstairs to use the bathroom. I follow a couple of minutes behind. Natalie is finishing up in the bathroom and Lexi is already picking out the book she wants me to read. I'm certain Lexi hasn't used the bathroom yet, but still I ask:

Lexi? Did you go potty?
Yes.
(Of course, Natalie is chiming in from her toilet throne, No she didn't!)
Lexi? Did you go potty?
Yes.

Well, now she's lied, so I tell her to give me the baby she's holding and she has a time out.

Her cries for the baby were so desperate and pathetic. What was a mom to do... but video tape it?! I know. Big meany.

While I had the camera out, I decided to capture a little more. In our family, time out concludes with the child telling us why they had time out and apologizing. We talk about a better choice for next time and end with hugs and kisses. Generally, it works well.

You'll notice that when I ask Lexi the all important question, WHY did you get a timeout?... her answer, initially, isn't so much about the lying. And when she apologizes? I'm sorry because you takeuh my baby?! Although this happened several months ago, the phrase "Because you takeuh my baby" has become a bit of a family joke.

Go ahead. Altogether now. Poor Lexi!

In retrospect...
I guess I kind of set her up.
I knew she hadn't gone to the bathroom. I should have just said, OK Lex. Your turn to go potty.

The authors of every adoption book I've ever read will most certainly be marking me down. And I don't even want to see my score from the Russian judge.

Yup. Live and learn, folks.

Another First... Mother's Day

2009-05-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was good.

Got to sleep in a little.

Scott took care of all the morning stuff with the kids.

Well, I was still on hair duty. It was between pony tails when Natalie posed this question:

If today is Mother's Day... and if Papa has his special day coming soon.... when is it going to be Kid's Day?

I chuckled. Isn't every day Kid's Day? It wasn't really the response she was looking for.

After church we had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. Then Scott gave me the most wonderful gift. He made a dvd with music, pictures, and video of me and the kids. There was footage from Russia that I had never watched. Moments I had forgotten. There are scenes from the day we left the orphanages behind. Then lots of special moments up to the present. It was such a surprise!

Since I'm not sure if Scott and I will be able to complete a full conversation anytime in the next 24 hours (years... whatever)... I thought I'd let him know how amazing he is right here.

Scott,

I'll never know how you found the time to do it! (Remember, I've lived through a few imovie sagas with you!) But I love this dvd and how it captures how far we've come in such a short time. I'll treasure it always.

Thank you for loving me and supporting me as I continue to learn this new role. Thank you for lightening my load whenever you can... for talking me down from my emotional ledges... for doing the dishes (seriously people. every night.)... for making me laugh... for praying for me... and loving me unconditionally.

For me, the most fulfilling moments of motherhood come when I raise my eyes above those 3 little heads and meet your gaze. You smile at me. (I think sometimes you might even be trying to say something, but it's usually too loud in our house hear it.)

Most importantly, we know we're in this together... and always will be.

I love you.

Farsi i Capelli

2009-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Doing hair.
One of the (many) parts of mommyhood I didn't consider much before I had children.

When it's Lexi's turn, I call her into the bathroom. Her response, almost every time is

"Mama? You makuh my hair?"

Yes Lex. Time to makuh your hair.

Somehow, most of her verbs have an "uh" on the end. Justin and Natalie did the same thing when they were picking up English.

Justin added that "uh" to just about everything! I started to suspect a little Italian streak running through my Russian babies!

Lookuh Mama! That'suh parkuh!

A parkuh. You know, with slides and swings. A parkuh. Where you bring your parka in case it gets chilly.

Um. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Hair.

Bless Natalie. She is so patient when I makuh her hair. I think back to the giant bows she wore in the orphanage. I wonder how long it took to get those things in?

Today, I tortured her with some fancy french braids (fancy for me, at least). When I was finally finished, she ran downstairs to show her brother.

Look Justin! Mama gave me some upside down french fry braids!

In case you were wondering... this is an upside down french fry braid.

Oh..... and farsi i capelli?

In Italian... do my hair.

Couldn't find the translation for makuh my hair :)

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa Al!

2009-05-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2009-05-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

Easter. Another first for the children.

Every holiday brings something new. It's been so special to share these "first" moments with the kids.

Easter was extra special. Dying Easter eggs, hunting them down, spending time with family, the candy, the candy, the candy. I loved watching the anticipation on their faces as they popped open each plastic egg.

What makes my heart the happiest though? My kids know that we celebrate Easter because of Jesus.

We spread out on the kitchen floor to dye our eggs. I think we only had a couple of casualties along the way.
Eggs, that is. Not kids.

Easter morning. Just home from church.

In the afternoon we headed over to Baba and Grandpa's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. Thank goodness we finally have kids... doing an egg hunt every year with a bunch of 20 and 30 somethings was getting to be a bit ridiculous. (Okay, maybe I'll miss it a little. For the record, I think Auntie Shannon remains the reigning champion.)

Much to Justin's delight, the Easter Bunny brough him a kite. Later in the afternoon, we headed to a nearby school to try it out.

Here's a conversation I had with Justin about this picture he drew.

Justin: This is a big cross.... Jesus died on the cross.
Me: Do you know why Jesus died on the cross?
Justin: He took away all of our sins.
Me: That's right. Tell me about this person (to the left of cross)
Justin: That's God. He's sad because his son died. After 3 days Jesus came back alive.... Now I'm going to draw a soldier and the tomb.

***sigh***

I am so grateful my children are home.

But, once again, my mind goes back to those little faces we left behind in the orphanage. To the future that may be awaiting them. Will someone tell those precious children about how much Jesus loves them?

Rainy Day Fun

2009-04-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. To say I'm behind on my blogging is an understatement. So, while I'm trying to sort through my hundreds of Disneyland pix (Yes! We went to Disneyland!) and Easter pix, here's a look back at a rainy day in February.

Justin and Natalie go to preschool a couple of mornings each week. For a few hours, Lexi and I have some special one on one time. Well, if you count Molly... one on one on one... the dog usually tags along.

Lexi had a fabulous time splish splashing through the puddles in our neighborhood. At first, she was a bit startled when she realized her feet were getting wet, but it didn't hold her back for long.

One thing about Lexi: She is always ready for an adventure.

Strawberry Shortcakes

2009-04-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

The Mocabees and Nichols had a wonderful morning picking strawberries.

(Thanks to Christian, who always seems to know the best location for a perfect little outing!)

And later that same day......

Enjoying the fruits of our labor!!!

My Soccer Sweeties

2009-03-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

Yay! We started soccer last week!

Justin's practice began a week before the girls' did. He had 2 sessions before it was the girls' turn to practice. Lexi cried both times. "I want to play soccer game!" In truth, she just wanted to put on the shin guards and special socks. About 15 minutes into her first practice, she told me she didn't want to play "soccer game" anymore. So there you go.

They're just super cute though and, for the most part, they're really enjoying it. However....... it does seem that we'll be needing to work on jumping jacks as soon as possible.

The little guy in the white long sleeve shirt... the one who appears to be swatting at flies... yep, that would be Justin.

Extreme Makeover Russian Edition

2009-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

What's the deal with kids and the make up obsession?
It seems like every time we visit a friend's house, the first thing Natalie finds is the play make up. We didn't own any make up... until last week, that is. (You can be sure, that I did not make this purchase!)

So, here are my sweet little girls... looking all purple and bruised. Justin did his best to assist with the make up application. I was surprised that he restrained himself from getting all dolled up as well. To tell you the truth, he may have snuck in just a little blush ;)

Scott came home near the end of the makeover session... none too pleased with his black eyed princesses... but he hid it well.

And don't forget about our canine princess. Lexi made sure Molly was beautified as well.

The Obvious Question....

2009-03-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

So there I was...... (that's how Scott always starts his good stories!)

Setting: Justin in the bathtub last night.

Justin: Look Mama! I'm swimming!

Me: Good Job. Maybe this summer you can take swim lessons.

Justin: What's that?

Me: You'll go to a big pool and there will be a teacher who shows you how to swim.

Justin: A teacher?

Me: Yes. A swim teacher.

Justin: (thoughtful for a minute)........... Will she have a tail?......... like Ariel?

On a side note. We've yet to go to Disneyland, but somehow the kids know all about this magical place where Mickey Mouse lives. (Perhaps more importantly, where all of the princesses live.) This morning Justin complained, "Mama, everyone gets to go to Disneyland, but not us." Ugh. Don't get me wrong...I'm really looking forward to their first Disneyland experience. I know they'll love it. What I'm not looking forward to? The small fortune it takes to make the magic!

Natalie

2009-02-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is a little video of Natalie talking about her "Russia House" and becoming a family. We actually showed this at the kids' dedication last week.

It's sweet... but perhaps a bit embellished on her part (as she talks about crying for a family). Justin has very clear memories about meeting us for the first time and then waiting for us to come back. The girls really didn't understand it at the time. However, since we've been home, we've talked a lot about the process. We've prayed for the friends they left behind and hope they will also have a family one day.

Our time with Natalie in the orphanage was actually pretty strained. Mostly, she wanted nothing to do with us. She was very, very quiet and non emotional. Very little eye contact. Very little physical touch. So, while I don't know if she was outwardly "crying for a family" at that time, she certainly was on the inside.

We still struggle with her emotions being authentic sometimes, but one thing is for certain: Our little girl has a forever family. We pray we can be her safe place. The place where she knows unconditional love, experiences healing of past hurts, and rests in the comfort that we are forever.

Lexi's Moves

2009-02-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

I forgot I hadn't posted this video. It's almost too dark to see, but the spirit of Lexi definitely shines through.

Oh, how she makes us laugh.

It's All About Perspective

2009-02-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

Monday is usually a shopping day. The four of us will either hit Sam's Club, Albertson's, or Target. I never imagined I'd be able to do any kind of shopping with 3 little ones in tow. But, we've got a pretty good system down by now and the kids usually do just fine.

Monday is also usually the day I hear this comment:
You sure have your hands full!

I usually get that at least once.
I smile and nod.
It's true.
(Not sure if the remark is more about the cart full of 3 kids or the fact that I'm trying to push the cart with one hand and one elbow. The other hand is usually occupied by Starbucks.)

However, on a recent Monday, I was stopped by this sweet little woman. She had a very thick accent and some serious crazy old lady hair. She smiled at the kids and patted Lexi's hand. She turned her wrinkled face and kind eyes toward me. I smiled back at her and waited for the inevitable "hands full" comment.

And then she said:
My, you sure have... a lot of help!

For some reason, that really touched me. I just love that she had that perspective. To be honest, it was a little convicting too.

I was reminded of the importance of not taking these little moments with my children for granted. I was reminded that my "full hands" are something to be very, very thankful for.

Dedication Sunday

2009-02-16T20:46:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a very special day for our family. We stood before our loved ones and church family and dedicated our children.

Our Dear Justin, Natalie, and Lexi,

It is our joy and blessing to be your parents. In our hearts, we have always been confident that the Lord has protected and watched over your precious lives. We've never doubted that God has unique plans for each of you. We will continue to trust you to the Lord and guide you in His instruction.

You are supremely loved little ones.

Yours Forever,
Mama and Papa

One Year Ago

2009-01-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

A year ago today we began our journey to Siberia.
We boarded a plane, prepared to travel to the other side of the planet, ready to see what God had in store for us.

A year ago today, we didn't know if a little boy and his 2 little sisters were part of the plan. But we did know this, God said, Trust Me, Go.

A year ago, we went.

A year ago, we met our son.
I still remember how I tried to keep my heart so guarded. I had my long list of questions for the doctors. I observed his face and his movements so carefully. I wondered if I might see evidence of one of the many behavioral or cognitive issues the specialists had told us about. Yeah. That lasted all of a few minutes. This little boy, with his sweet smile, hazel colored eyes and dark blond hair was perfect.

By the time we made it over to meet the girls I'd completely forgotten my questions. When we met with the doctor at their orphanage, I imagine I fumbled my way down the list I'd printed out, but I can't remember any of it. I just wanted to meet our daughters. I wasn't worried about facial features or speech proficiency or gross motor skills. It didn't matter. The indescribable peace that had washed over Scott and I was all the answer we needed.

God said, Trust Me, Go... and now he was finishing His statement.

Trust Me,
Go...

...and you will find your Family.

These Shoes

2009-01-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

I put these shoes on recently. It was the first time I'd worn them since July 2, 2008. How do I know? That was the day I walked through LAX, with my new little family of five, finally home. These were the shoes that I brought to Russia. Besides a dressy pair I brought for court, these black shoes were the only ones I wore for 28 days straight.

Putting on these shoes took me back.

Back to the brown linoleum floor in the entry of the orphanages... the smell of cabbage... and those little blue footies we put over our shoes when we came in.

Back to the soft green grass where we played with our girls... where we chased them and carried them... and prayed they would know we loved them.

Back to the crunchy brown dirt where Justin landed as he jumped off the swing or came down the slide... where several of his little friends clung to us and hoped we'd love them too.

Back to walks down cobblestone sidewalks, with a rickety double stroller and awe struck stares from the Krasnoyarsk locals.

Back to the too close for comfort elevator, where we rode up and down to the 4th floor at least a hundred times... where I could look in the mirror and gaze at my new family... and be awe struck myself.

Back to the vans, the traffic, the hotel rooms, the business centers, the fountains, the airports, the airplanes, the Embassy, Red Square.

Back to the exhaustion.

Back to the place where I was supported by the prayers of others... where I was protected by the love of my husband... where I humbly watched my God move mountains.

It was good to go back... for a few minutes at least. But I'll be honest, it's so much better to be here...

Here... where I'm still being supported... still being protected...

Here... where I will continue to face mountains...

Thankfully, I've got the shoes for the climb.

I lift my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven.... and earth (including my mountains)
He will not let my foot slip
Psalm 121:1-3

It's John Grisham's Fault

2009-01-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of blogging lately. I've taken up the art of reading for pleasure again. Okay, so John Grisham books aren't exactly art, but it's nice to read something not written by Dr. Seuss or Eric Carle. Most recently, I've moved on to Twilight (thank you Beth, wink wink). I've also been putting more time into my bible study and the book I'm reading for small group Experiencing God. And now, with American Idol starting again, I'm not sure when I'm ever going to find the time to blog!

Speaking of American Idol. Does everyone out there realize that Scott is a total, unashamed fan of the show? Yes, my husband, the consumate TV snob (unless it's sports related), loves American Idol. We even went to the concert a couple of years ago. Mmm hmm, we've seen Sanjaya in the flesh.

Anyway... here's some pix taken over the last few weeks, to catch you up on our life. By most accounts, it's just your ordinary, day to day life. But, I do not take for granted the enormous amount of grace (and forgiveness) we experience daily.

Here we go:

I came into the girls' room a couple of weeks ago to find Justin and Natalie, cozy as could be, taking in our latest library books. They are certainly best of friends or worst of enemies. Thankfully, this was one of those best of friends moments.

Within minutes of Scott arriving home from work, Justin is by his side, "Wanna wrestle, Papa?" On this evening, Justin ran head first into Scott's hip, resulting in a bit of a nosebleed. He was very quick to recover, though, and they were soon back at it!

Not for the first time... Natalie decided to stick something with moving parts in her hair. The result was a tangled mess that I eventually had to cut out. Luckily, she had a haircut scheduled for later the same day.

Lexi hosted a little luncheon for her babies and, of course, Molly.

Here are the girls, just home from getting their hair cut. Not sure where Lexi's boxer pose came from, but it's pretty cute. And while I'm at it, here's a shout out to David Gex at The Loft, who has generously been taking care of our haircuts since we brought the kids home. He's the best!

Natalie asked to help clean up after dinner. Here's her first lesson on doing the dishes. Years from now, she will probably regret this day. But for now, it was some good bonding time for Natalie and her Papa. Good work you two!

A rare moment of relative CALM. Justin and Buzz are enjoying the latest episode of something... Not sure what, but I'm sure it involves animated creatures that dance and sing.

And then there's Lexi.. just being Lexi. It can be comedy central around here when she gets going.

Oh... and today's my birthday :) I'm the #1 Mom and I've got the sticker to prove it.

Mocabees... out.

Christmas Videos

2009-01-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

All 3 of the kids love music and singing, but Natalie is like a walking ipod. She sings everywhere... in the car, in the bathroom, at the table, in bed... She learned several Christmas carols this year and led my little trio in a mini concert. Did I say trio? This one is a quartet.

More caroling from Molly

Ah... the preschool program. You never know what you might catch on video. Dig in!

Very Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

I will never ever be able to catch up on posting pictures and writing about what the last couple of weeks have held. The chaos of Christmas was (and continues to be) in full swing with the Mocabees. However, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of presents and food and traveling, we've carved out some special moments, a few of them even peaceful and quiet.

Here's a slideshow and then few of my favorite pix.

Christmas Morning

Justin wanted to dress up like Santa

After the preschool Christmas program

With Great Grandpa Al

How different our lives are from a year ago. But there is a constant... the birth of a Savior. Good news that Justin, Natalie, and Lexi may have never heard behind those orphanage walls.

The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem... Luke 2:11

Praying you've heard this good news as well. Merry Christmas all!

Ho Ho Hocus Pocus

2008-12-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know about the kids, but I have been completely traumatized by their first visit with Santa Claus.

I've had it on the calendar for months... December 12, 4 pm, Visit With Santa at our local library. I'd been prepping them.

A couple weeks ago we started reading The Night Before Christmas. That turned out to be a bit traumatic for Natalie. She kept peering over her shoulder and looking out the bedroom door, worried Santa would be popping in at any moment. I'm so scared of Santa, Mom! We are mostly over that fear, but she did ask Justin to hold her hand as we were driving to the library. To which Justin replied, It's okay Natalie. I'm your big brother. And he reached over and took her hand. (I KNOW!)

But on with my prepping...
Santa will ask you your name and maybe how old you are.
He'll probably ask if you've been nice this year.
Then, he'll ask what special present you hope to receive on Christmas.

We role played it at the lunch table, in the bathtub, and before naps.

They were ready. It was like cramming for finals as we drove to the library.
Lexi, what will you say when Santa asks you your name?

I especially practiced with Miss Lexi, because, lately, her response to EVERY word spoken to her by a new person is, "Nothing!"

So we get to the library...early. The idea was to be first in line, so Scott could be there for the kids' first visit with Santa. He had a soccer game starting at 5 (Which, I'm sure he'd like me to note...they won.)

As far as I can tell, the kids don't have a Russian version of Santa that they are familiar with. Justin did tell me about lighting up a tree at his Big Blue Russia House (orphanage). So, this would be their FIRST Santa experience. Scott and I walked our little family into the library, camcorder in hand.

We were ushered into a room by, who I can only assume, was Mrs. Claus. No Santa yet. The kids were directed to sit on the floor, facing a little stage. A few words from Mrs. Joy, our favorite librarian. Still no Santa.

Then... someone must have hit play on the stereo... the festive music began... some bells started jingling... and Santa made his first appearance to my children.
And wouldn't you know....
Hocus Pocus!
Abracadabra!
Bippity Boppity!
He was a Magician Santa Claus!
What!!!!?

We were treated to about 30 minutes of a good, old fashioned (aka super cheesy) magic show for kids... complete with Merry Christmas! as the magic words for everything. Then we were told to line up for pictures with Santa. Turns out, our early arrival put us in the front for the Christmas Magic Extravaganza, but we were dead last when it came time to line up for the Sit on Santa's Knee portion of the show.

In the end, there was no conversing with Santa. No sharing of names or ages. No hopeful requests for toys (or in my kids' case, a race car watch, a Caillou book, and Barbie lipstick). Each child did get a turn on Santa's sort of dingy red knee. Then St. Nick gave us his best, albeit slightly yellowed, grin. The big guy showed a jolly thumbs up and I snapped a quick picture.

That was Justin, Natalie and Lexi's first Santa experience.
They actually haven't spoken about it since that day.
I, on the other hand, continue to have nightmares.

This Christmas Tree

2008-12-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

This is our Christmas Tree.

When the time came to get our Christmas Tree, we loaded up the ol' four wheel sleigh... headed deep into the wilderness of the Home Depot parking lot...joined at least a hundred other families seeking the perfect tree...and walked away with the most gorgeous, that is to say acceptable, $39 Christmas tree money could buy.....

....you know, just like our forefathers used to do.

It wasn't exactly a beautiful family moment, but no one melted down, so let's call it a victory. Justin and Natalie were content to sweep up pine needles and play with the bits of discarded twine on the ground. Strapped to my back, Lexi hung out and just took it all in. Scott, of course, did his manly duty of hoisting up tree after sap-soaked tree for me to examine, then ultimately reject.

In the end, a decent tree was finally chosen. We loaded the winner to the top of the minivan and headed home. Perhaps this was our chance to build some lasting family memories? I had visions of sipping hot chocolate, listening to Christmas carols, and watching my children hang ornaments on their first Christmas Tree. I imagined them snuggling in my arms and we'd ooh and ahh over the lights. Hmmm. Not too many oohs or ahhs. Some ows! some heys! and a few stop its!

Turns out tree shopping and tree decorating aren't extremely peaceful activities with a 3, 4, and 5 year old. And although the memories we made weren't sugar coated and particulary snuggly... WE made memories. WE.

So now I can have my ooh ahh moment. I'm sitting on the couch, cat purring on my lap, everyone is tucked in bed and I'm looking at the tree. Besides a few ornaments I picked up in Russia, it basically looks exactly the same as it did last year... and the year before that.

But it's so not the same.
But, in a good way.
This Christmas Tree is so not the same... but in a very, very good way.

Orangies

2008-11-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

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....

2008-11-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

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."

2008-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-04T21:05:00.000-08:00

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! :)

Pumpkin Patch and More

2008-10-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, the kids and I made a trip to the local pumpkin patch. We were able to go on a tractor ride, pet some cute farm animals, pump water from an old well, and decorate little pumpkins. They had a good time and were shocked to see so many pumpkins in one place! Lexi loved the animals. I think the baby goats were her favorite... Remember, this is the little girl who shrieked in fear when she saw a cat in Russia! These days we have to keep an eye on her, because she wants to pet every dog she sees.

The whole concept of Halloween hasn't quite sunk in, but the kids definitely understand they get to dress up in costumes and there is candy involved. Ooh, and they were especially excited to hear they would be going outside at night time! Today we went to story time at the library. The kids were able to wear costumes. Meet Buzz and my two little Pink Princesses.

We carved a pumpkin last weekend. I haven't done that in YEARS! Maybe since the first year we were married? I don't know, but it's been a while.
The girls weren't loving the icky pumpkin guts.

The kids could not come to an agreement about what kind of face the jack o'lantern would have. Natalie insisted on "happy", while Justin pushed for "grumpy." (Uh, that was pretty telling about the week he'd had!) So, our confused pumpkin was a compromise, with a half smiley and a half frowny face!

Back Online!

2008-10-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

After weeks of no wireless internet and several days of no service at all, it seems we're up and running again! Pumpkin Patch pictures coming soon! :)

The Family Movie

2008-10-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

While we were between trips and waiting on a court date Scott and I compiled some of our first visit pictures and videos into a little slideshow/movie. We actually showed it at the benefit dinner back in May. (As it turned out, we got our court date the next week!)

We brought the dvd with us to Russia when we went to pick up the kids. We watched it together in the hotel and I think we watched it soon after we returned home. However, since then, we haven't played it. Not too long ago, Natalie asked me if we could watch "the family movie." It took me a little while to figure out what she was talking about. Seriously, these kids don't forget anything! Me, on the other hand... I put my cell phone in the fridge yesterday, instead of the cup of milk I was holding... but I digress......

Back to the dvd.... So, we put it in the other day... and they watched it, pretty intently... and I watched them. Sometimes they grinned, sometimes they giggled, sometimes they furrowed their eyebrows, often they looked over at me and said, "Remember!?"

I smiled and nodded. I remember that whirlwind first trip. Siberia in January. Seeing the children for the first time. The fleeting hours in the orphanages. The overwhelming peace I felt, even as I boarded the airplane to fly away.

But then, there's this whole chunk of their lives that I will never know. I don't have the option of remembering. I have some details, of course. I know a little about the birth family. I've walked the halls of their "Russia House" (as they've come to call the orphanage). But I'll never really know how their little hearts felt... how their souls may have hurt... how each of them spent those first precious years. I missed it. And it makes me sad. But it's okay. It's part of the deal when you adopt. Those missing years have led directly to today.

And now, I'm overcome with something else...
I think about the 3 precious children God has blessed me with.
I also think about the little faces we left behind in the other "Russia Houses."
I think about my friends who have suffered the loss of their dear babies.
I think about the many, many women I know who are struggling with infertility... whose hearts ache for a child.
And I think about how easy it is in America for us to throw away our children. I will never, never understand how aborting a child can be celebrated as a choice. I don't get it. So many Family Movies that never get made.

3 Months Home and Livin' the Dream

2008-10-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

October 2nd marked our three month homecoming.
Three months.
We've been home three months.

People ask if we can remember life without them.
Um, yeah... I remember.
People ask if the time has flown by.
Not really.

I'm kind of stuck in this dilemma of wanting to treasure the NOW... things like the kids learning English, this only year when they will all be home with me, 3 little ones in the bathtub, singing silly songs in the minivan...

But the NOW is so exhausting!

Because the NOW also involves a sister that is constantly antagonizing her brother, a brother that thinks it's his job to boss his sisters around, a daughter that seems to be doing her best to find out if this mama and papa are really here to stay, a son whose favorite place to be is stuck to his mama's leg, lap, arm, neck, wherever, and a baby sister who can be easy going one minute and kicking and screaming on the floor the next.

So, instead of treasuring the NOW, too often it feels like the days are melting together into one big heap of wet beds and time out threats.

Sometimes Scott and I just look at each other and shrug... Yep, Livin' the Dream.

And we are.
But the Dream sure involves a lot more bickering and refereeing than I imagined.

But, when I get over my sarcasm and look past the dirty dishes in the sink.... what I see are 3 truly happy children. Children who are safe, who soak up love and who deeply care for each other. A woman who is learning humility, who needs daily grace and strength from the Lord, the only One who can truly provide enough. A man, who loves unconditionally, is patient beyond measure, and who is completely devoted to his family.

So, while the NOW exhausts me and I usually feel guilty for not relishing in the NOW... when it comes right down to it, the NOW is pretty okay.

For those of you who are picture hungry:
Fun with playdough

Too hot outside! Let's build a fort and watch a movie!

Remember Russia?

2008-10-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

We often try to talk to the kids about Russia. We want them to know their story and how we became a family. It's tricky though, because they still don't really have the language to understand us or express their own memories.

The first few weeks we were home, we'd show them pictures and ask about the children or caretakers in the orphanage. Both Justin and Natalie were quiet and wouldn't say much of anything. We took to calling the orphanage the big house, with lots of boys and girls, where you had a pink bed. For Justin, it was a white bed. Anyway, we tell them that we were here in this house and were so lonely without any children. We talk to them about coming to visit them and then waiting for a very long time before we could bring them home. We talk about our time in Russia and traveling on an airplane. We talk about how God had planned for us to be a family forever.

But lately, Justin and Natalie have been talking a lot more about some of the things they remember. It all seemed to start just the other day. Before naps I was going to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Now this was THE BOOK we bonded over in Russia. We must have read it a hundred times a day and Justin and Natalie had the words memorized before we even set foot on American soil.

So, a few days ago, I sat down with this book and Natalie perked up.
She said,"Remember! Remember the different house?!" (I think she was talking about the hotel)

I asked, "Did we read this book in Russia?"

Both J and N, "Yeah!"

And then Justin chimed in with what must have been one of his most vivid memories.

He asked,"Remember, Justin wants to ride in the stroller and Mama and Papa don't understand?!"

Poor guy. That really is the epitome of our first few days with him in Russia. He was soooo frustrated with communication. Hence, the crazy tantrums and airplane meltdowns, I guess.

As their language continues to grow, we've had some more detailed conversations about being a family. Justin, especially, says some of the sweetest things. Recently, he told me, "Justin wants a Mama and a Papa. I like this house. I want to stay our house with Mama and Papa and Sisters."

Our little boy. Our little Justin. Yes buddy, you are home forever.

Dress Up

2008-09-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Let me begin with a bit of a disclaimer: Scott utterly and completely protests the pix I am about to post.

However, the following really must be logged for our kids to look back on one day...

...and, perhaps, for the amusement of Justin's future girlfriends.

To the Fee Family, thanks for passing on these fun costumes! :)

One Hour at a Time

2008-09-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Our wireless internet isn't working, so getting on the computer isn't happening too often. This partly explains why I haven't posted much, but also, there's just not much new to report.

I'm feeling completely stretched to my emotional limit these days. Trying to get through the hours. Justin and Natalie need a referee just about all of the time. Lexi is finding her voice and also her will power. But in reality, they're just being kids and doing what kids do. Considering all of the issues we could be facing, doing pretty much "normal" kid things should be a blessing. (I'll try to remember that next time I've got one pitching a fit on the timeout step... gee, this is such a blessing! :))

Here's some pix of Justin making letters with rolled up paper. He's a bright little boy and loves learning. He's constantly making letter sounds and telling me long lists of words that start with the same sound. He'll say, "Mama!(gotta be sure he has my full attention) B...B... Baba! B... B... Banana! B... B... Baby!"

Then there's Miss Lexi doing what she does 90% of the time, playing with her babies. She's now telling us how old she is. It's so cute to watch her position her fingers just right to make 3.

Finally, the Mocabee trio makes an attempt at singing the ABC's.

First Roadtrip

2008-09-24T23:10:00.001-07:00

Scott was in Tennessee for a soccer tournament last weekend. Gone for 4 days.

So I got this crazy idea... scratch that... my friend Beth got this crazy idea... that I would load the kids in the van and make the 7 hour drive to my hometown of Vacaville and pay everyone a visit.

And that's just what we did!

Most people get wide eyed and gasp when I tell them I took a 7 hour roadtrip with 3 kids. But remember people... I spent 2 weeks in hotels and 20+ hours on airplanes with them! And unlike an airlplane ride, on a roadtrip everyone is strapped to their chair the entire time. I also revealed the van's DVD player for the first time.

The drive was long, but fine. Only once or twice I only found myself close to uttering, "I'll pull this car over right now!" The visit was jam packed, but good. We were able to see many people who hadn't met the kids yet, including my Papa, the kids' Great Grandpa. (By the way, Justin has asked 2 different times when Grandpa Al is coming to our house.) It was a fun 5 days. Exhausting for sure, but fun.

Vacaville will always be special to me. Most of my family is in town. My best friends are there. I still call it home. And now my kids have been there, and that makes it even more special.

Thanks so much to Auntie Beth for suggesting this crazy roadtrip and for letting us take over your house for a few days. Thanks to everyone for being so kind and gracious to us.

I have tons of pictures, but no time to go through and pick out the best ones to share with you. So, here's a slideshow of them all. A few things you'll see:
-Our outing to Kidfest (lots of booths with activities for the kids and nifty little giveaways, ie. goofy sunglasses)
- Get together at the park
- Family dinner at Aunt Paula's house

Testing Testing 1 2 3

2008-09-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

I keep telling myself:

This is a test
This is a test of the Siberian Children's Broadcasting System
It will not last forever
The loud piercing shrieks
The utter defiance
The sneaky antics
This is a test
This is only a test

Sorry about the lack of blogging lately. Things have been very testy around our house these days. I guess the kiddos are feeling comfy enough to really start pushing some boundaries. The end of the day rolls around and all I want to do is fold the laundry and go to bed. Okay, not exactly... what I really want to do is leave the laundry in the basket, eat a giant bowl of ice cream and then go to bed! We're still here though.

Justin and Natalie are loving preschool. Lexi is talking up a storm. Scott is back to work, teaching and coaching. I'm learning my new position, sometimes begrudgingly, but I'm getting there.

Thanks for checking in on us. :)

"Did you see Natalie's hair?"

2008-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

"Did you see Natalie's hair?!"

That was the question Scott posed to me when I came home the other day. My response, "Wow, a braid... sort of."

I was out of the house early Saturday morning, so Scott got to try his hand at doing the girls' hair. I'm told it took a few tries, but he managed a braid in Natalie's hair. Apparently, a few attempts into this tricky hairstyle, Natalie told him, "It's okay, mama will fix it." :)

Lexi got no accessories, just a nice brushing.

Good try Papa. It makes me smile to imagine you holed up in the bathroom, with a box full of ribbon and twisty hair bands... and our two little girls trying to figure out what you're doing to their hair! I bet it was a sweet moment... or hour.

Playhouse

2008-09-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's official, we are one step closer to living in Kidville.

It seems every spare shelf and empty bit of wall space is quickly being filled with a plastic tub of toys. I really should have bought stock in Target and Rubbermaid.

Now the backyard is joining in the transformation... basketball hoop, picnic table, jump ropes, bubbles, big blue pool... and now the addition of a playhouse. The playhouse is not huge, but in proportion to our dinky backyard, well, it's quite a piece of real estate!

The kids love it though. It has a small kitchen inside, little pots and pans, and lots of pretend food. All in all, it's providing hours of fun... fun, which I am currently watching through my own kitchen window... in the quiet, peacefulness of my air conditioned house. Nevermind the fact that's it's 100 degrees outside and the kids have closed the shutters and door of the new playhouse. Every now and then a sweaty little Siberian head peeks out at me just to make sure I'm still watching... and I make sure no one has passed out!

Yep. Good times.

Auntie Shannon and Uncle Peter! Come in our playhouse!

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Justin and Natalie started preschool today. Starting preschool this soon was not originally part of my plan. I figured we'd need several months of keeping our world very small and more time to work on attachment. However, things are going so much better than we expected. So, off to school we go!

How did it go? Well, good, I think!
We had been to their school last week for a Meet the Teacher Day. Since then, they've constantly talked about their teachers and new backbacks. Drop offs went well today... except for poor Lexi. She couldn't figure out why I wasn't letting her stay and play.

They were both tired and ready for lunch when I picked them up. They didn't have too much to say right away, but throughout the day little details came out. For example, Natalie apparently went to the bathroom 3 times (in 3 hours!). It's clear they had a good time and they both talked about going back to school tomorrow. They'll have to wait though. I only signed them up for 2 days a week right now.

It's so weird being on the other end of the parent/teacher thing. We have Back to School Night on Thursday... and I'm not presenting! Honestly, as the school year begins, and I'm not meeting a new group of students, I do find myself a little sad. I absolutely know that I cannot have it both ways right now. My kids need me and I need to be with them.

But, I'm a teacher. Yes, parents are teachers. Truly, the most important teachers. But, I'm that other kind of teacher too. I'm also a classroom teacher. So, while I'm extremely grateful to be staying home with my kids... I find myself missing the classroom.

Here's Justin with his new, flat, completely empty backpack! He was so proud of it!

Natalie's backpack actually traveled to Russia with us.

I did not force this pose! Natalie snuggled up to her brother all on her own.

Let's get Lexi in the picture too. Open mouth and all.

Soccer and Suckers

2008-08-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

From August to February it seems our life revolves around soccer. Scott is an assistant coach for the APU women's team, which runs from August to the first of December. Overlapping with that, comes his high school team, which goes from November to February. It's all futbol all the time.... which has pretty much always been okay with me. I love to watch the games and learn more about the girls. It's definitely Scott's gift and passion, and I love to see him doing what he loves. We've enjoyed 11 years of marriage, and 11 years of lots of soccer.

But now... now, we throw 3 kiddos into the mix. I wasn't sure if I would ever get to actually watch another game for... let's say... another 11 years.

So, Friday we took the kids to the APU men's game. And just as I suspected, very little soccer was actually watched. However, the kids had a fantastic time! Many of the players from the women's team were there and did they ever entertain our three. Chasing, swinging, jumping.

Finally, we sat down for the last few minutes of the game to enjoy the yummy Disnyeland suckers the kids had been given.

Justin, Natalie, and Lexi were sweaty, sticky little messes by the time we got home. A sure sign of a super fun day!

So thanks to the APU gals for being so sweet to our little ones. I'll try to put in a good word for you to coach. All of that running around with our kids should definitely qualify you for a break at practice! ;)

The Toys are Back in Town

2008-08-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the toys are back. Scott deposited the piles of dolls, action figures, blocks, puzzles, and annoying noise making plastic junk, back in the family room. The kids put everything back in its place, sort of.

Of course, when it was time to play.... they fought over the BOX I had used to gather up the toys!!!
Figures :)

Perhaps I Overreacted?

2008-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

"Time to clean up."
"Put away your toys, please."
(Insert catchy little Clean Up song here)
"Let's clean up."
"Mama said CLEAN UP!"
"CLEAN UP NOW!!!"

This is how my end of the conversation went yesterday. Actually, this is usually how it goes everyday. But yesterday, I was done being ignored. After my third request to clean up was seemingly disregarded, I grabbed a couple of big laundry baskets and started loading up the toys. The kids sat on our "time out" step, I think in disbelief. Justin was completely silent. Natalie just kept saying, "Stop it, mama." Lexi was soon transferred to the potty, so she missed the rest of my toy evacuation, but she got the idea. I left a basket of books, but that was pretty much it.

So, it's good news, bad news. The good news is, I think next time they'll do much better when it's time to clean up their toys (at least for a day or two, right!?) I think they understand I'm expecting them to listen... and obey. The bad news is... well, there's no toys! Which means it doesn't take long until they're looking to mom and dad for constant entertainment.

I'm completely perplexed as to how I am able to get a classroom of 35 kids to follow procedures, listen to directions, and take responsibility for themselves. But here at home..... not so much.