tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225594252024-03-14T11:50:06.613-07:00Travelin' Texans4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.comBlogger495125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-80456170102540005482013-04-08T09:22:00.000-07:002013-04-08T09:22:57.678-07:00Whoa, hold your horses!Yes, we are still alive! In fact, we moved to Texas summer of 2012. It's been a busy year settling into our new house, new school, new routines, etc. I did become 'one of those', by that I mean, those that stop blogging. I sure enjoyed it for a while but life is so much busier with 3 kids, a bird and a dog (our newest addition to our family).<br />
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This year, Olivia is finishing up 5th grade, Claire is finishing up 2nd grade and Nicholas is finishing up 1st grade. Olivia has been excited all year that she will go to junior high before her California BFFs! That is, until we attended information night at the junior high, she did not realize how big it was going to be at the junior high school.<br />
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While I was sad (as were the girls) to leave beautiful California, I was looking forward to the kids changing to a different school district with lots more resources. We live in a wonderful community with lots of friendly families and wonderful amenities. We live on a cul-de-sac again and the kids often play outside with neighbors.<br />
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Nicholas struggled with the transition to 1st grade and a new school with lots more rules. The first several months of school were challenging for all of us. Fortunately we were finally able to get help and he has an IEP finally! He is getting more in class support this year with more accommodations. It is our hope we can reduce that and move to a 504 in the near future. His grades have gone up but he still struggles with reading and writing, but get this, he gets ESL support! I debated about what to put on the home language survey but ultimately, figured, what the heck, might as well write that English is his 3rd language. Well, it turns out he tested limited English proficient. Now, it could very well just be that he couldn't focus well on the questions due to his ADHD but he will get extra support through 2nd grade! Yay for our new school district! <br />
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While this has been a good move for Nicholas, it has been hard for Claire since she is repeating 2nd grade. See, she started Kindergarten at age 4 in California where the cutoff for school is different. Although she is bright and mature for her age, we decided it would be best to 'hold her back' and repeat 2nd grade since she was still 7 and students here in 3rd grade would be 8 and 9. I'm thinking about the future too and what the age difference will mean during junior high, high school and into college. I don't think she would be ready to leave home at 17, especially as she has the most separation anxiety with me. I had hoped she would have a teacher that would challenge her this year but she has been really bored. I was disappointed the math program does not advance at the student's pace (meaning move up to higher math as students who need to learn more), however, her teacher has finally been giving her some extra work and Claire is happy to do the extra work.<br />
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I think Olivia is having a good year, I think she has been the one to miss her friends in California the most. She is doing great in school although seems to be slacking a bit lately.<br />
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As for me, I started selling Ava Anderson Non-Toxic (<a href="http://www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/katherinekurima">http://www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/katherinekurima</a>)before we moved and I try to do that part time. The kids and house and dog keep me busy most of the time. I am looking forward to the summer when we make a few trips to spend time with friends and family. I am looking forward to using our pool and our neighborhood pool and hanging out with the kids, making special trips to museums or the beach.<br />
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San Jacinto Monument</div>
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Houston Rodeo</div>
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Exploring San Juan, Puerto Rico</div>
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Snorkeling in Puerto Rico</div>
4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-15318989750038634662011-10-11T17:35:00.000-07:002011-10-13T09:41:30.085-07:00Wow, where has the time gone?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cmFFflwuemFsZOZLaKaQFln2_zDD92LJftPmcledJtffVdSEqrwjjLug8PddHkTqpot2YsDyW2ZbqEfl2zyESqkScg_WLqfeXy01aS4GO_AvS6ExUkbmlSjOA79noHdkNLkx/s1600/IMG_0340.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cmFFflwuemFsZOZLaKaQFln2_zDD92LJftPmcledJtffVdSEqrwjjLug8PddHkTqpot2YsDyW2ZbqEfl2zyESqkScg_WLqfeXy01aS4GO_AvS6ExUkbmlSjOA79noHdkNLkx/s320/IMG_0340.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663017519378184338" /></a><br />We had a busy and wonderful summer. With it, there were camps, dance recitals and our trip to Texas. Everyone did really well until the last week (4th) when we all just wanted to be home. We traveled to Dallas, Austin and Houston visiting friends and family and museums. We enjoyed meeting some new friends who adopted children from Kazakhstan and our 'old' friends from childhood and college. We were on our trip from mid June to mid July so we could be back for Olivia's first overnight camp. She did great and we missed her but truthfully, it was a tad easier with just the 2 kids for that week.<br /><br />I stressed all summer about Nicholas and who he would have for Kindergarten and how big would his class be. It turns out he has a wonderful, patient and understanding teacher. I was able to talk with her at length before the first day of school about Nicholas. I'm so proud of how well Nicholas is doing! The only goal he needs to work on is following directions and the teacher added 'sitting up at the carpet with feet on the ground'. He is right on target with all the academics and actually finds it easy. I am so glad we held him a year so he could mature and get used to rules, learn boundaries and work on self control. Academically he could have gone to Kindergarten last year as he is smart as a whip. As I look back, I see now that he was bored in preschool but at the same time it was good socially. <br /><br />After the start of school, he is making friends. I never thought he would get along with his peers, according to his babyhouse in Kazakhstan, he didn't have friends and preferred to play alone. He has come so far in 2 years, he continues to amaze us. What a difference 2 years makes! He is still as full of energy as when we met him but he has calmed down. We have learned he is curious, he is loving and he is resilient.<br /><br />At the end of summer,I was having a really rough time with Claire. I'm not sure if it was because of our unstructured schedule, being the middle child or what but things have improved especially after I signed her up for Tae Kwon Do at the same time as Nicholas. She was resistant to doing TKD but she enjoys going and I think it helps with her confidence and self esteem, issues that she always seems to struggle with. She is now in 2nd grade and is keeping up with class even though she is one of the youngest.<br /><br />Olivia is doing well in school and is 9 going on 13, she has always been mature and independent. Now that she is in 4th grade her work load has increase. Fortunately we don't have to worry too much about her as long as she keeps up with all her work. She also is now taking 4 dance classes a week. She just enjoys these classes so much. She and Claire auditioned for the Nutcracker and received parts for this years production. They are excited despite all the rehearsals that are required.4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-81907162123710627362011-06-11T19:58:00.000-07:002011-07-25T22:53:22.452-07:00It's hard to keep up with this blogI find so many other blogs much more interesting and I don't know if I have the heart or interest to keep this up.<br /><br />I will try an update on the kids and our life. We had a wonderful spring this year. The kids have all been doing well in school (mostly the girls). Nicholas is sharp but has other issues which we haven't totally pinned down, I mean we have only known him for 2 years! <br /><br />His counselor diagnosed him ADHD and an OT (occupational therapist) 'diagnosed' him with SPD (sensory processing disorder). I put that last one in quotes because it is not an official diagnosis in the diagnostic manual. He finished a social skills class called 'Dinosaur school' through the guidance clinic we go to and it was wonderful, it was based on 'The Incredible Years'. It made a huge difference for him in public situations, at home and at school. We also did a few sessions of OT which has helped us to figure out tools to help him. I have since read 'The Out of Sync Child' and similar books...great resources! To be truthful, we are missing a huge chunk of time with him and his early experiences were clearly deprived and not nurturing. We just can't put him in a box and we hope that he will not fall through the cracks in school.<br /><br />Summer is here and with it, summer camps, dance rehearsals (and recitals), piano recitals and our BIG trip to Texas. I must be insane! The day after the girls' dance performance, we are hitting the road. We are driving to Texas for a 4 week vacation. You can see why I am insane, what am I thinking?! It will take us 3 days of easy driving (read 8 hours of driving while the kids ask 'how much longer' every 20 minutes) to reach Texas. Hubby will drive with us there...whew, thank goodness! He will spend part of the time with us but will have to fly back and work. He will fly back to drive with us back home. <br /><br />Truly the kids are excellent travelers and it sure helps that we can have movies, games, snacks in the car. Our plan is to spend about a week in the Dallas area, then the kids and I will caravan down to Austin with friends where we will spend about 5 days. We will then return to Dallas for the 4th of July weekend, spend more time in Dallas and Fort Worth, then off to Houston for a long weekend. We will finish off the rest of our trip in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I will let you know if I survive!<br /><br />After our BIG trip, the kids will start right away with VBS (Olivia), guitar camp(Claire) and summer preschool (Nicholas-3 weeks). Olivia will also be going to church camp for a week, exciting and nerve-wracking for me. Then it will just be a few more weeks till school starts.<br /><br />Stay tuned...4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-1473509888211828062011-04-06T07:55:00.000-07:002011-04-06T08:03:29.106-07:00A few recent pictures of the kids...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayQCV3uTTHy5y3WgMAjSdPM17mSp5cj9aXS8fWfnGq3S_R1H4zhZYepp1PuVu1T_nOuu7uaCNQo73QAXnV4NI1fo9TZ-zijLN7daLoYSF0PCGR94CUO9CKaaBiESZoMmXQFDx/s1600/IMG_9244.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayQCV3uTTHy5y3WgMAjSdPM17mSp5cj9aXS8fWfnGq3S_R1H4zhZYepp1PuVu1T_nOuu7uaCNQo73QAXnV4NI1fo9TZ-zijLN7daLoYSF0PCGR94CUO9CKaaBiESZoMmXQFDx/s320/IMG_9244.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592486063899658370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBpCkAPRUdrUSamDDbhS_riNELoSwu_kBBYsdhFYphTA0m06FU3UWd-_ILuj0icVVzv9ZDDeTFLUO6fFrMxWM-N0mVYJm-buL-zj-HoKIRlKVNJsnJ6uptkhbzw23yRH3GJFz/s1600/IMG_9241.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBpCkAPRUdrUSamDDbhS_riNELoSwu_kBBYsdhFYphTA0m06FU3UWd-_ILuj0icVVzv9ZDDeTFLUO6fFrMxWM-N0mVYJm-buL-zj-HoKIRlKVNJsnJ6uptkhbzw23yRH3GJFz/s320/IMG_9241.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592485836528276146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyf3UdrmFZ-YkbJ3kz65pp_c60pC6lrxdG9RSPmygk78l25Z-jyYmpiPo1x7a5syc21CwZZ5XFZfoEf5UWmi-F61WNJZOumgRvtb41z2C7dD4ZmiSXE7lrhcRS7u9Xi3zAQz8/s1600/IMG_9013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyf3UdrmFZ-YkbJ3kz65pp_c60pC6lrxdG9RSPmygk78l25Z-jyYmpiPo1x7a5syc21CwZZ5XFZfoEf5UWmi-F61WNJZOumgRvtb41z2C7dD4ZmiSXE7lrhcRS7u9Xi3zAQz8/s320/IMG_9013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592485480806816402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-1YRidXLaQg5odBu5n1QPg5HlfwZ_mGgzdIBYcmQyBfh8yOFEdMh5rB4_A_gTrgl1y5hb9XpgP27BHcvUiwFTeDL-JNOpcLbWc-8M6iE8Q4oB_X3Tq4GVEzfy2hNcuCrhm21/s1600/IMG_9006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-1YRidXLaQg5odBu5n1QPg5HlfwZ_mGgzdIBYcmQyBfh8yOFEdMh5rB4_A_gTrgl1y5hb9XpgP27BHcvUiwFTeDL-JNOpcLbWc-8M6iE8Q4oB_X3Tq4GVEzfy2hNcuCrhm21/s320/IMG_9006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592485337641380530" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-69286847431064080342011-03-09T18:15:00.001-08:002011-04-06T07:55:43.497-07:00What's up!I get on here dozens of times but just can't seem to find the right thing to post. I do want to update so no one thinks we fell off the face of the earth!<br /><br />This week is turning out to be a beautiful spring-like week. We have been spending time outside. It's especially nice now that I recovered from a bad cold. It sucks being sick when you have 3 kiddos to take care of and shuttle around town. Thankfully hubby helped out some so I could try to rest.<br /><br />Life in our house is good, occasionally there are some more difficult days, but isn't that normal? Sometimes we struggle with Claire's angst over being the middle child, we often hear "Nobody loves me" regardless of how often we tell her we love her very much. Sometimes we struggle with Olivia's need for growing independence. It's really hard to see your kid grow up and not need you as much but they need to learn some things on their own. <br /><br />Lately, I've been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Our-Disconnect-Teenagers-Technology/dp/1585428558/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299723994&sr=8-1">"The Winter of our Disconnect..."</a>, that's right Disconnect and it's prompted me to start our own experiment. I decided the kids would not have any screen time during the school week, Monday through Thursday. This means no TV, no computer and no video games. I try not to watch TV till the kids are in bed. I have to say, it's been really nice, somehow the kids find something to do among our gazillion toys, games, art supplies, etc. They play together well and use their imagination. It even prompted the girls to become more interested in knitting (for a short time).<br /><br />I can't leave out an update for Nicholas. He is doing well, some days really great and some days are more challenging. We've been seeing the dermatologist and the allergist quite a bit. He has been on a gluten free diet since the past summer due to some digestive issues, it seems he might have a gluten intolerance. We found out he is mildly allergic to many things so we had to put him on daily allergy medication and additional Benadryl when needed. He also has sensitive skin, has had eczema on his hands and his scalp. Since he has been home, we have been fighting with some warts on his hands. He had one on his palm but after continuing to put his hands in his mouth, they spread some on his hands and his face.<br /><br />He recently finished his social skills class through the local child guidance clinic. He was diagnosed with ADHD so now we are working to get an IEP through the school hopefully. He is eager to learn but I can see he often has a difficult time focusing and staying on task and he is constantly on the move. We also saw an OT and it seems he could have SPD as well, that is sensory processing disorder. I'm currently reading 'The Out of Sync Child' to get some tips. I think he will do well with right kind of assistance. <br /><br />Nicholas recently lost 2 teeth around the same time as Claire. He just learned to ride a 2-wheel bike and quickly caught on. He has also been able to build with Lego's really well. He can build a small set with just some prompting and some reminders to follow the instructions. It's amazing to remember how just a year and a half ago he could barely draw a scribble!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-49425652141594449762011-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:002011-02-04T13:36:59.501-08:00Key Largo, FL for winter holidaysWe spent a couple of days in Key Largo, FL during the winter break. It was so nice to have family time together at a place that was relaxing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpg6usoWvTN-0N7kzNdPGbZ35ROKwawy_BgosIlOeuEDc5mewgkp4XisybOM13zTBVwQrmGWPMNIgKLIeIgVXCwvNVSEZOxZ0YbMmjJc0YDN7ARf2OxqIEy3HrZlV_QHGSVMK4/s1600/IMG_8434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpg6usoWvTN-0N7kzNdPGbZ35ROKwawy_BgosIlOeuEDc5mewgkp4XisybOM13zTBVwQrmGWPMNIgKLIeIgVXCwvNVSEZOxZ0YbMmjJc0YDN7ARf2OxqIEy3HrZlV_QHGSVMK4/s320/IMG_8434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569950952711242562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSic_x9cVXSqQ8ur0B_65YRr7WznHMmH7Preud7iCozzHFdlaC_415jJT9oTiVLX1Ovqn-p0ZLwEf6uxKtAfJZ5Nl2HtLtDCzbZEd1WVCpr0G94daPivEKa4faGmouiKxW2qFp/s1600/IMG_8466.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSic_x9cVXSqQ8ur0B_65YRr7WznHMmH7Preud7iCozzHFdlaC_415jJT9oTiVLX1Ovqn-p0ZLwEf6uxKtAfJZ5Nl2HtLtDCzbZEd1WVCpr0G94daPivEKa4faGmouiKxW2qFp/s320/IMG_8466.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569950948563994322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5n_kN9xTJ54BdMQ22p4YT25crSxyuBoS0yyll2iyRqNjyW6NVwhoMYT5U05zEI_0kxYyUaAeWE5NN2ik10xG00kdwISFJWjD02gBkX8-3NBEVhEpIFmdsedmKu5oMhdJxTF0/s1600/IMG_8470.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5n_kN9xTJ54BdMQ22p4YT25crSxyuBoS0yyll2iyRqNjyW6NVwhoMYT5U05zEI_0kxYyUaAeWE5NN2ik10xG00kdwISFJWjD02gBkX8-3NBEVhEpIFmdsedmKu5oMhdJxTF0/s320/IMG_8470.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569950943366701714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqxQ5HOy51e5o7mg3rHlw5Yg8XNAt9dJ0YUVtZOyo9pnWZ0WUcVbvFo6tjvdrRHnibeHaZwFmSYRxTjmfgTmZHQQt4PJBjUakSruo8SLSLgL0soPNyL6fiasXh8Mpz_yBOMg4/s1600/IMG_8472.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqxQ5HOy51e5o7mg3rHlw5Yg8XNAt9dJ0YUVtZOyo9pnWZ0WUcVbvFo6tjvdrRHnibeHaZwFmSYRxTjmfgTmZHQQt4PJBjUakSruo8SLSLgL0soPNyL6fiasXh8Mpz_yBOMg4/s320/IMG_8472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569950933857219618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOk6aqHwTeqNnzpWAfAdaXUB6NsKyYLFB92DLctYh1Dqhiktxkn-akz2lHSdAA9UwkaAygmr00wxc75WXF3BcOnWleGL-BNoQHLgtRTXwVZiMqKqYTJf55SvkJ0JEOOedOFVG/s1600/IMG_8484.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOk6aqHwTeqNnzpWAfAdaXUB6NsKyYLFB92DLctYh1Dqhiktxkn-akz2lHSdAA9UwkaAygmr00wxc75WXF3BcOnWleGL-BNoQHLgtRTXwVZiMqKqYTJf55SvkJ0JEOOedOFVG/s320/IMG_8484.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569950931290137602" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-29306807798414149372011-02-03T20:26:00.000-08:002011-02-04T13:27:45.608-08:00Another Kaz meetup!I forgot about meeting the Cech family for the 2nd time back in November. We met up at Fairytale Land in Sacramento. It was so nice because the girls had someone to play with too. It was so nice to talk to other parents going through similar issues. The kids all had fun and we got some great pictures.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJtTieqs-Q7GKECCAUVk7K-ILVj1fHYeoPOKd8yro20jf3ake1_3765z5HgkbcbkKFCBxSIb1pMcEj1H1EMCzqIb3oAY7ra-SCBnit5rSwZclqrEI6xdtiZmIfrbMiQ3jGCG9/s1600/IMG_8060.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJtTieqs-Q7GKECCAUVk7K-ILVj1fHYeoPOKd8yro20jf3ake1_3765z5HgkbcbkKFCBxSIb1pMcEj1H1EMCzqIb3oAY7ra-SCBnit5rSwZclqrEI6xdtiZmIfrbMiQ3jGCG9/s320/IMG_8060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569921009615932850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhjrZrRqosHB1eIcQWN4Bapgsb04OLO9Q_0C5WPGUwD2gi0AQg5sGjdnOX7g0gVJ8xbuaOZPepvQoqlK9UewL2cMYvISyRn36TuME80bAOLPJI8vQS7MPSDIViQxXox3LEqom/s1600/IMG_8082.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhjrZrRqosHB1eIcQWN4Bapgsb04OLO9Q_0C5WPGUwD2gi0AQg5sGjdnOX7g0gVJ8xbuaOZPepvQoqlK9UewL2cMYvISyRn36TuME80bAOLPJI8vQS7MPSDIViQxXox3LEqom/s320/IMG_8082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569920998085684338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPsN7-NvaxLo9VCxL1poJ8CEj102Cm79thlRfZa-G91r5WQv-zbYBo7WpQEuXbTpEOL0uO-nfzWOPINPOVlAOAJC6UO0nwFHwYi3PPzuzFRrKoZMkf7JfkILIOcIgnZ3iNzz5/s1600/IMG_8085.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPsN7-NvaxLo9VCxL1poJ8CEj102Cm79thlRfZa-G91r5WQv-zbYBo7WpQEuXbTpEOL0uO-nfzWOPINPOVlAOAJC6UO0nwFHwYi3PPzuzFRrKoZMkf7JfkILIOcIgnZ3iNzz5/s320/IMG_8085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569920994567245554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlU87SS7iYZTMDU4Up5zmRNrlXh2dSiFLglMRJUZ_OGJrWsXI9rtOqxkeX2rp-aMkWa9NZkeA3qBzlIJUqnYtO_KGmGjtAPUWv6iUnSCUIJHd4ebkBCxZevAXde8RrX-84_iL/s1600/IMG_8106.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlU87SS7iYZTMDU4Up5zmRNrlXh2dSiFLglMRJUZ_OGJrWsXI9rtOqxkeX2rp-aMkWa9NZkeA3qBzlIJUqnYtO_KGmGjtAPUWv6iUnSCUIJHd4ebkBCxZevAXde8RrX-84_iL/s320/IMG_8106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569920990742722706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjh0-5jV4C1OknrMicImqxl-02BF9UR4mSn5f4Qjdtdh3MG5RF5q133aiIaHxDOVDxQa9oZmwe1nFK-oQfSle8FXsxGtTuKN0diKNCZ9-_sejtZAv1ARJVkhobqtnuXEmP16d/s1600/IMG_8061.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjh0-5jV4C1OknrMicImqxl-02BF9UR4mSn5f4Qjdtdh3MG5RF5q133aiIaHxDOVDxQa9oZmwe1nFK-oQfSle8FXsxGtTuKN0diKNCZ9-_sejtZAv1ARJVkhobqtnuXEmP16d/s320/IMG_8061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569920982263368018" border="0" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-46181881538073926642011-01-12T23:11:00.000-08:002011-02-03T20:26:00.858-08:00Kaz meetupsIn 2010 we were fortunate to meetup with other families who also adopted from Kazakhstan. Here are some pictures. These first couple of pictures are taken in Texas when we had the pleasure of meeting Ryland and his parents, he had just arrived home. We hope we can meet up with them again and see how much he has changed. They were all so kind.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0GYCiwnIvlfLGTdSv3ktNUEN9WZ2AERlY2ArYT9M_VmBfCW1JGyTkpHfzNZ73e_MFC82qdZDNabiDdS0q1Ay6B2ZltoqTT8jY-zG5g6b-7Rl-2I-FY2zGQchmuXmQIekGozp/s1600/219.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0GYCiwnIvlfLGTdSv3ktNUEN9WZ2AERlY2ArYT9M_VmBfCW1JGyTkpHfzNZ73e_MFC82qdZDNabiDdS0q1Ay6B2ZltoqTT8jY-zG5g6b-7Rl-2I-FY2zGQchmuXmQIekGozp/s320/219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569684316759796594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8wCnaZtv55vwvryunCNY7okxXVq6TsZ9z9vLgiqMNmkV9Gqty_PjKAQ4v9ZAvq5XTsR9-Nq0FsXi1KA4yvzOLsEV3Ri0f4Uae5C1fMGj8JkzSQ9OJpnZaGXbbjef14GoS4LI/s1600/226.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8wCnaZtv55vwvryunCNY7okxXVq6TsZ9z9vLgiqMNmkV9Gqty_PjKAQ4v9ZAvq5XTsR9-Nq0FsXi1KA4yvzOLsEV3Ri0f4Uae5C1fMGj8JkzSQ9OJpnZaGXbbjef14GoS4LI/s320/226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569684314211428482" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a family we met in California. Although their Nikko is from Japan, the boys were adopted around the same age and time. I think they have an instant bond. Their oldest daughter is from Kazakhstan and the youngest daughter is from Japan like Nikko. It was so wonderful to connect with a family who also adopted an 'older' child from another country. I hope we continue to build our friendship!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHN052U8Zy_tyv0TyZv9WQo6EfIxb-qla43-f16k6fdiPU8t0NGEtvvju6MvnXGIWCOnFfX0RCgsas-Df0MJmof54jZ5ANgkMjn_o_hT_EWYCO7ppWJ0cw9zLkAaFO0Y4tp0h/s1600/IMG_6768.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHN052U8Zy_tyv0TyZv9WQo6EfIxb-qla43-f16k6fdiPU8t0NGEtvvju6MvnXGIWCOnFfX0RCgsas-Df0MJmof54jZ5ANgkMjn_o_hT_EWYCO7ppWJ0cw9zLkAaFO0Y4tp0h/s320/IMG_6768.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569683070343994050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7Y4kdhGNTwrjcft0c1vOC0X0qV0Y0LZ8ruQOnmW2ThGnkV6eAbm4Hz3-GmoUMZWVhekwiFnbhd_SezNKpXTbj2cV1YDS09_nVRCW46GoTDT0sjlRZnhIG2riHhgFhCioEg7h/s1600/IMG_6778.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7Y4kdhGNTwrjcft0c1vOC0X0qV0Y0LZ8ruQOnmW2ThGnkV6eAbm4Hz3-GmoUMZWVhekwiFnbhd_SezNKpXTbj2cV1YDS09_nVRCW46GoTDT0sjlRZnhIG2riHhgFhCioEg7h/s320/IMG_6778.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569683068888272946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVujqn1yV5IHCFsHmwdyDlchxv_u2fdW9VNbLF8U2-JZeXgQ97tdAsUPNc5iib88uEH8aEJTO11m4Q198XwF9PEwCVh8YLNqmN_oFV17pzdfsCz1yS0gmUXi-h3_74_KCgdvWL/s1600/IMG_6781.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVujqn1yV5IHCFsHmwdyDlchxv_u2fdW9VNbLF8U2-JZeXgQ97tdAsUPNc5iib88uEH8aEJTO11m4Q198XwF9PEwCVh8YLNqmN_oFV17pzdfsCz1yS0gmUXi-h3_74_KCgdvWL/s320/IMG_6781.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569683064508977058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5msTg6RXZbmiCIkgyVmjS5eYPUdnhrrHOrWFNfCuIwHg6RXNz1w12loxHGKMMwxe2Y-baK-gCOP_bcos99xrxX8mDoSORbkoGHp-oGjs9OzYf9e9IBrM3fYqnscvDmDz9XLR/s1600/IMG_6782.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5msTg6RXZbmiCIkgyVmjS5eYPUdnhrrHOrWFNfCuIwHg6RXNz1w12loxHGKMMwxe2Y-baK-gCOP_bcos99xrxX8mDoSORbkoGHp-oGjs9OzYf9e9IBrM3fYqnscvDmDz9XLR/s320/IMG_6782.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569683056386334434" border="0" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-38995986069344214662010-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:002010-12-09T21:47:19.172-08:00I dedicate this post to my BIO friends.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMkODq0TfR8EFK7qF0wDwddT8ecbEfmPiJRBwei_97vDG5uKFrUuIPjDMkn9cPgzrhytokQnvPruuSJtIgblseXg1BSd_OiceOAHxX0uqf6qCyrD2BpUo5mPrfEjbNQv2BkQl/s1600/IMG_8126.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMkODq0TfR8EFK7qF0wDwddT8ecbEfmPiJRBwei_97vDG5uKFrUuIPjDMkn9cPgzrhytokQnvPruuSJtIgblseXg1BSd_OiceOAHxX0uqf6qCyrD2BpUo5mPrfEjbNQv2BkQl/s320/IMG_8126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548869523454444482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUJtJaMKkfaXfGff6WLaupjh7HLhWTYBOXZP6MiPPi1IcTY8C0a4haHSQrDLjaHR6iPLkUDjrUc2JwFyUoUT-nYBS65U9xgWLC1kJrwEMXJD7U3JUiqn6TXk1tAfU0-DTrGQw/s1600/IMG_8129.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUJtJaMKkfaXfGff6WLaupjh7HLhWTYBOXZP6MiPPi1IcTY8C0a4haHSQrDLjaHR6iPLkUDjrUc2JwFyUoUT-nYBS65U9xgWLC1kJrwEMXJD7U3JUiqn6TXk1tAfU0-DTrGQw/s320/IMG_8129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548869516739625266" border="0" /></a><br />For those of you that have no clue what I'm writing about, I am referring to an extraordinary group of women. Many of us met online around the beginning of 2004 when we were pregnant. I found out I was pregnant with our 2nd child on February 14, 2004 and came across an internet message board of other women pregnant at the same time. I think we were on a Due in October board. We eventually became the Born In October 2004 message board, although some of the children were born in September or November or even others who came later and didn't even have a child born in the same year.<br /><br />Yes, we have had some weirdos stalk our forum and some drifted away but we have had a few new ones join through friends. Many have had difficult times with a death of a dear one, losing a job, getting divorced, very ill children but we have remained together supporting each other through these times and the joyous times. Learning about the children making friends, going to school, new siblings,etc. I have personally met several of these wonderful ladies and it amazes me how we are instant friends even though it is the first time we met in person. I guess you would say we have developed a special 'cyber' bond! I just wish more of us could meet in person.<br /><br />I recently met up with 2 of these ladies when we travelled up north. It was so wonderful to spend time together and our husbands even enjoyed each others' company. I can't believe I met up with one of these ladies at the Oakland zoo 6 years ago in 2004 when we were pregnant. We had a few things in common including daughters named 'Olivia'!<br /><br />BIO 2004 moms, you are the best!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-75972728058971485052010-11-30T09:47:00.000-08:002010-11-30T10:07:44.403-08:00More pictures from fall 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08pSQBjiWhw4pxc1UPTr4JoElCNqLbiKOkWdsoWL5IWVqe5yhV_9uyJ8if2YkIrkUaJWWrkLJ1EHxd0gzsgzlbSC9cS9p3IMTAJ9Y9l7EhRXm9x-VWImYVt9s9COfyvq_Iv8o/s1600/IMG_7918.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7XKgmrqfACKSUI85mpvu4Stt8wjXvwj-J_ig08iOVyYdo8CDxMij2TFu1ENdpaNAT20Eq7jag6spQOIdRAy-QY51jCfW3wdhKF-Gv9XRHg_waMfRrHGSONj5E5nsoMJF2x7n/s1600/IMG_7461.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7XKgmrqfACKSUI85mpvu4Stt8wjXvwj-J_ig08iOVyYdo8CDxMij2TFu1ENdpaNAT20Eq7jag6spQOIdRAy-QY51jCfW3wdhKF-Gv9XRHg_waMfRrHGSONj5E5nsoMJF2x7n/s320/IMG_7461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545404744799870690" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Making a volcano.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_EomSJa3Bd9zVf36jU_q2KzMhxHrbFsnn72HiYJSEEJVjd3fIotOoghAuJ06b9wIefITW7bXy5dDe_-nm7LStFS_D4vIOx46-5JGdBd68cH3-uiaJ9XeIfpsXVlaYeN5fu_g/s1600/IMG_7500.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_EomSJa3Bd9zVf36jU_q2KzMhxHrbFsnn72HiYJSEEJVjd3fIotOoghAuJ06b9wIefITW7bXy5dDe_-nm7LStFS_D4vIOx46-5JGdBd68cH3-uiaJ9XeIfpsXVlaYeN5fu_g/s320/IMG_7500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545403775845298162" border="0" /></a><br />Local county fair.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrTrZdz7_Kw8flb09iDgb7c03Vq28ezLRvOMxtoPhiLKQa4CoIn-AJjTiMV4FJRUPGhrM-QS5PHeK31iFM39Tct7bs7FZN3Hoshryc-n7drY8UW8Ru6lbZPStdKNf8mfzDzAW/s1600/IMG_7651.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrTrZdz7_Kw8flb09iDgb7c03Vq28ezLRvOMxtoPhiLKQa4CoIn-AJjTiMV4FJRUPGhrM-QS5PHeK31iFM39Tct7bs7FZN3Hoshryc-n7drY8UW8Ru6lbZPStdKNf8mfzDzAW/s320/IMG_7651.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545403767726676898" border="0" /></a>Cotillion 2010<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyEL5Za6hDz37HxdqTB-ZpW4mB_y9OdMoP6LO45_b4qMwOGLesBNIZqqp-vL_J2YOT2rWmqvcg3sK7as6mVIEo81zqQ-bXBlnHUSaYCPhXvIXR7UHXPAJspV4sJ3H9IhvAI9w/s1600/IMG_7930.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyEL5Za6hDz37HxdqTB-ZpW4mB_y9OdMoP6LO45_b4qMwOGLesBNIZqqp-vL_J2YOT2rWmqvcg3sK7as6mVIEo81zqQ-bXBlnHUSaYCPhXvIXR7UHXPAJspV4sJ3H9IhvAI9w/s320/IMG_7930.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545403656536396386" border="0" /></a><br />Peaceful<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08pSQBjiWhw4pxc1UPTr4JoElCNqLbiKOkWdsoWL5IWVqe5yhV_9uyJ8if2YkIrkUaJWWrkLJ1EHxd0gzsgzlbSC9cS9p3IMTAJ9Y9l7EhRXm9x-VWImYVt9s9COfyvq_Iv8o/s1600/IMG_7918.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08pSQBjiWhw4pxc1UPTr4JoElCNqLbiKOkWdsoWL5IWVqe5yhV_9uyJ8if2YkIrkUaJWWrkLJ1EHxd0gzsgzlbSC9cS9p3IMTAJ9Y9l7EhRXm9x-VWImYVt9s9COfyvq_Iv8o/s320/IMG_7918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545405573491725170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Santa Barbara zoo<br /></div>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-3457642220280336352010-11-14T22:30:00.000-08:002010-11-30T10:10:19.997-08:00Fall is flying by!I just don't seem to have as much time as I used to, gee, I wonder why?! In October we celebrated birthdays of our youngest 2. Nicholas had a My Gym party with a few friends. While it was not a disaster, it was a bit stressful because Nicholas still has a hard time with group structured activities. He did love the free play time and having all the attention. He has been on a gluten free diet since the summer so we ended up ordering a cupcake birthday cake and I made some gluten free cupcakes and was able to use extra frosting to stick one in for him.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdbEn2O5t2_kVZihIRCBffzQHJfRT2pH3tbIhEsyNhlyDwVeK739KO9EppTsihMld8zgEAQhgq-aG3IHWIEp4zJqUBdzn1NyBS2KlMMfr_fUX6wszX80B6dFjfM0xOjZQ-b7N/s1600/IMG_7536.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdbEn2O5t2_kVZihIRCBffzQHJfRT2pH3tbIhEsyNhlyDwVeK739KO9EppTsihMld8zgEAQhgq-aG3IHWIEp4zJqUBdzn1NyBS2KlMMfr_fUX6wszX80B6dFjfM0xOjZQ-b7N/s320/IMG_7536.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545394960962557666" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Claire celebrated her 6th birthday with a special tea party for several friends. She had been asking for this kind of party for at least 2 years so she thoroughly enjoyed her party, big smiles the whole time!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vUN3fzLGdeI5wk0zY8o3GRu8zgmseFFoO8IURLHyhQpzihj5zds0mFZaZsy2OPjtqXnFMUt9YkYcx49OR0cAeVlk3DEEcYM2MCanSGo5pjAhuXKGJEp3GetvETS_ZMS_OuzP/s1600/IMG_7744.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vUN3fzLGdeI5wk0zY8o3GRu8zgmseFFoO8IURLHyhQpzihj5zds0mFZaZsy2OPjtqXnFMUt9YkYcx49OR0cAeVlk3DEEcYM2MCanSGo5pjAhuXKGJEp3GetvETS_ZMS_OuzP/s320/IMG_7744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545397517315466050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Halloween 2010<br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZn6nimzjYTXvBbTSCqyBOouKhnYOX_ZsICUGfYycXUPGpel8ySiGEm3Bc7wg8o5Rwu1hYrIADVAbcJIBC7eipscqeEhbyJAv-_AR_20edXjRMT_Q52qtwb-srO29M_vRrrWq/s1600/IMG_7905.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZn6nimzjYTXvBbTSCqyBOouKhnYOX_ZsICUGfYycXUPGpel8ySiGEm3Bc7wg8o5Rwu1hYrIADVAbcJIBC7eipscqeEhbyJAv-_AR_20edXjRMT_Q52qtwb-srO29M_vRrrWq/s320/IMG_7905.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545394980852605346" border="0" /><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Santa Barbara zoo<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZn6nimzjYTXvBbTSCqyBOouKhnYOX_ZsICUGfYycXUPGpel8ySiGEm3Bc7wg8o5Rwu1hYrIADVAbcJIBC7eipscqeEhbyJAv-_AR_20edXjRMT_Q52qtwb-srO29M_vRrrWq/s1600/IMG_7905.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASccoJxkD04iaV6gexycO6FYHmFjcZ1U2H7wv3KLxHHbZ6vJXPC9osoT4KGP8JtTw7CXsWXTW01mxCigc8UJ4pYH47_G4gyA8WvylKWcxckGY5AnbCrJFYqpjeJidxXO-Pp7v/s1600/IMG_7928.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASccoJxkD04iaV6gexycO6FYHmFjcZ1U2H7wv3KLxHHbZ6vJXPC9osoT4KGP8JtTw7CXsWXTW01mxCigc8UJ4pYH47_G4gyA8WvylKWcxckGY5AnbCrJFYqpjeJidxXO-Pp7v/s320/IMG_7928.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545394988089891314" border="0" /></a><br />The girls are doing great in school, they received glowing remarks from their teachers at the end of the first quarter. Claire needs to improve her handwriting and her talking (too much), but overall, her teacher said she is doing great. Olivia is a model student and growing up too fast. Nicholas is improving so much, we owe much of this to his weekly social skills class and lots of hard work.4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-61711958718983278232010-09-12T11:19:00.000-07:002010-09-19T14:59:28.522-07:00'Meant to be....'<div style="text-align: center;">One Year Ago<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGst_KXanZcY1BiABEk7iRB-xL5xqE5q08rxnNxR5pOb5BOsAB9jjtRRf-4w7E61_rIOA6q4TpdGn40PEl6YtAEM0RiRmpa0HsbFd_2Gho0UCpMp5y65ZzB2WgICAchfHuW3V/s1600/IMG_3599.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGst_KXanZcY1BiABEk7iRB-xL5xqE5q08rxnNxR5pOb5BOsAB9jjtRRf-4w7E61_rIOA6q4TpdGn40PEl6YtAEM0RiRmpa0HsbFd_2Gho0UCpMp5y65ZzB2WgICAchfHuW3V/s320/IMG_3599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518744765702086418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHarZ1ct5z-GzHQWFsBK7tU2DOMGOJ17TLinGL_9QnValCsMm4DPKC9man5KqIZ9mexC6LkR7ecwAiGCmbSWDA02Sctp_JhjxbJQzBvA6Jp1er3NIPyzn-sAdWmgwNGaZkQCn/s1600/IMG_3600.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHarZ1ct5z-GzHQWFsBK7tU2DOMGOJ17TLinGL_9QnValCsMm4DPKC9man5KqIZ9mexC6LkR7ecwAiGCmbSWDA02Sctp_JhjxbJQzBvA6Jp1er3NIPyzn-sAdWmgwNGaZkQCn/s320/IMG_3600.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518744753528063810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGyktKHe1REG4UBZE1Tk7JNdyXRcFR1HQ4mFvxX73uiuMPIQ_rpOlH8-t7qY2wETu0dk-9azKL4URfek5qbJol8-4h27v-a8LG2NdfAE-dGp7iOmC7rfpeJtN4kJ-x1cR-Ndh/s1600/IMG_3602.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGyktKHe1REG4UBZE1Tk7JNdyXRcFR1HQ4mFvxX73uiuMPIQ_rpOlH8-t7qY2wETu0dk-9azKL4URfek5qbJol8-4h27v-a8LG2NdfAE-dGp7iOmC7rfpeJtN4kJ-x1cR-Ndh/s320/IMG_3602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518744744702491154" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Today<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ndzxg-Wmg4IZjdLJHJikkhcz6MztJy8DXHQq3AD41xWWLW_Hmqzn4O8hjzVSklMc-sJy_q4Db2kbiCxdRImFXUyPunOaO6j3tMvme-zXD1Fb4p5szoKa0J98K0qlbD9SIkWv/s1600/IMG_7478.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ndzxg-Wmg4IZjdLJHJikkhcz6MztJy8DXHQq3AD41xWWLW_Hmqzn4O8hjzVSklMc-sJy_q4Db2kbiCxdRImFXUyPunOaO6j3tMvme-zXD1Fb4p5szoKa0J98K0qlbD9SIkWv/s320/IMG_7478.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518745496803964658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAjQc1FCNVVVu15cq436lX0F8HccjoYtoWxjPFjwo3VkRI7AMYGLxhISIyi1qTnRixTk6Kv0rADVNvOch9jVoLJ5CcBnSOmKe5Tn_nNHcCU_0Dum_RBpNIBedqyWoMkQD2XUw/s1600/IMG_7483.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAjQc1FCNVVVu15cq436lX0F8HccjoYtoWxjPFjwo3VkRI7AMYGLxhISIyi1qTnRixTk6Kv0rADVNvOch9jVoLJ5CcBnSOmKe5Tn_nNHcCU_0Dum_RBpNIBedqyWoMkQD2XUw/s320/IMG_7483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518745486096632098" border="0" /></a><br />I have wanted to write so much about the past year but life is so much busier (and richer) now. It's also just so hard to put into words all my thoughts. I came up with the title of this post based on something Claire told me on the way home from Texas. We were somewhere in New Mexico or Arizona staying one night in a hotel. We were swimming in the pool and Claire says to me “Mama, you know, Nicholas and I were meant to be brother and sister. We’re good brother and sister even if he wasn’t in your tummy.” Wow, isn’t that awesome?!<br /><br />Exactly a year ago, we were arriving in America with one of its newest citizens, Nicholas Roma. I go back and look at those pictures and Nicholas looks so different. He just looks so shell shocked. Now, the first 6 months especially were very challenging with him, but he is doing so well and is so happy. I think he is resilient and a testament to how the human spirit can overcome a difficult start in life.<br /><br />I will never forget the first day we came together as a family on September 12, 2009. All 3 of us were so jetlagged, but especially Nicholas. We arrived home to an empty house after the drive from LA. Nicholas was amazed at everything in our house and kept saying 'spaseeba' (thank you)over and over. At one point he was searching through the house while asking a question in Russian or Kazakh. He broke down in his room and all I could do was try to rock him and soothe him although we were trying to learn how we could best comfort him. It is so much different with an adopted child than a bio child. I managed to soothe him a bit and it was about this time that our friends arrived with our girls.<br /><br />Well, when they arrived with their bags, Nicholas ran out to greet them on our walkway and hugged Claire like they were long lost brother and sister. Unfortunately I totally missed this special moment. He was so happy to see the girls, maybe he was worried he would be by himself. I can't imagine what was going through his mind and body when he first arrived. He is just so young to really comprehend what is happening. He started showing all the toys to the girls as if they were arriving for the first time, too, it was the funniest thing to see him say 'smotree' (look) and show all the toys. Claire kept saying 'I know that'!<br /><br />In the very beginning, he was like a wild thing just getting into everything, throwing toys, overflowing the toilet, burning his fingers on the hot stove, exploding in tantrums, biting/kicking/spitting while I was trying to restrain him but at the same time he was amazed at new things like toys, airplanes in the sky, so much food, new foods like strawberries, tacos, sandwiches, fun parks, etc. At first he was stubborn about learning English and insisted on calling an airplane 'samolyot'. Of course, he had to learn English and he did learn so quickly!<br /><br />Physically, Nicholas is very healthy. He has had some digestive issues as well as some other symptoms, though. This summer he went to an allergist who determined through a blood test that he is either allergic or has an intolerance to gluten. The doctor recommended a gluten/lactose free diet and since then he has not had the runny nose he used to have. In the past year he has grown at least 7 inches and put on about 4-5 pounds.<br /><br />He has changed so much over the year he has been here, not just physically but also emotionally. More of his true personality emerges with time. Deep down we can see he is a caring and sweet boy. He truly wants to please us and is willing to learn. Every morning he is happy for another day and he enjoys going to preschool. He usually greets his teacher with big hugs and starts his day at school at full speed.<br /><br />I am so glad we made the decision to send him to preK again this year as opposed to Kindergarten (in CA he would be eligible for Kindergarten since he turns 5 before December 1st). He is learning lots of social skills and enjoying more play time. I know he will not be as stressed to start Kindergarten in 2011 and will not have to struggle to catch up.<br /><br />He has learned so much about living in America, a new language, living in a family, etc. He is not the only one to learn, as I feel like I have learned so much. I've learned about unconditional love, I've learned about real parenting, I've learned about dysregulation and regulation and I've learned about the resiliency of children. And I've learned how, oh, how different boys are from girls. It's a whole other world!<br /><br />During our challenges, I have tried to access all the resources I could find. I've relied on other adoptive parents, adoption and parenting books, our pastor, counselors and friends. We are lucky Nicholas qualified for the 0-5 years program at a local guidance clinic. He just began a weekly social skills class based on 'The Incredible Years' curriculum for early intervention. I think we have also been fortunate that he has had 2 really great teachers at his preschool. Nothing can completely prepare you for this journey but for adoptive parents out there, keep an open mind, read different types of adoption books, learn about attachment parenting, talk to other adoptive parents.<br /><br />We are definitely settling into our new normal and can't imagine our lives any different!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-24373788901193207242010-09-10T20:40:00.000-07:002010-09-12T10:41:48.921-07:00Summer Fun 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6wABOzCbzrdi0epGcw7O4kMvMm_uitHN9mHXA-qhkoOOVSZZSUqkV4ZqS5m0hdOaHTRSwzaOO7O6-os_UYzwxIAc-TPlplQsCMzSKEZT_vxoBbDIobI8NZFfPlvToQMEJ7A6/s1600/IMG_6782.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6wABOzCbzrdi0epGcw7O4kMvMm_uitHN9mHXA-qhkoOOVSZZSUqkV4ZqS5m0hdOaHTRSwzaOO7O6-os_UYzwxIAc-TPlplQsCMzSKEZT_vxoBbDIobI8NZFfPlvToQMEJ7A6/s320/IMG_6782.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516080046133622866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhA32_w8NgmfpIwcdFuwPq8RMJDCikCGXqL13bUmcIWs_VuCZQE6PvaiM-Q-e1eKoLeL-bnvxRzlIKhf1c6vjvrvmB2BIslG8wnVtwLQyT0TTiJdzbWSDjoLQGcBVAe82lQ11/s1600/IMG_6768.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhA32_w8NgmfpIwcdFuwPq8RMJDCikCGXqL13bUmcIWs_VuCZQE6PvaiM-Q-e1eKoLeL-bnvxRzlIKhf1c6vjvrvmB2BIslG8wnVtwLQyT0TTiJdzbWSDjoLQGcBVAe82lQ11/s320/IMG_6768.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516080037874017266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Wow, the summer flew by. We had a busy and fun summer. Nicholas started summer school at his preschool, the girls finished off the academic year with performances in their ballet school’s Gala, the girls also did some summer day camps with friends and the girls attended VBS at a friend’s church. For the 4th of July holiday, we made our usual trip up to Sacramento to spend time with extended family. We also had the pleasure of meeting another adoptive family who had adopted 3 children from Asia including an older boy about Nicholas’ age. We met at a park and it was so nice for the kids to have kids to play with and it felt like we had that instant bond that adoptive families have, especially those that adopt ‘older’ kids.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5s60ziR6-SfYhrPT2Q5H_6pFOOjj-SbiGzZVDcWZi4vldRlX36nmFuUwaErTsNIg0bARlLPQCG5k3CfxLCUjp8MIfNKWa9euXn4WE4GKzp-k0ZXvyfW5az-PgGylDHkDzGy01/s1600/IMG_6549.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5s60ziR6-SfYhrPT2Q5H_6pFOOjj-SbiGzZVDcWZi4vldRlX36nmFuUwaErTsNIg0bARlLPQCG5k3CfxLCUjp8MIfNKWa9euXn4WE4GKzp-k0ZXvyfW5az-PgGylDHkDzGy01/s320/IMG_6549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516067438113552034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy05bphOU1hn33ifZ0psOod_fXN6lwzz3EYV6MYR4HXQNVBY6zMPabf5Y6dGpZcNNWgiPUOQyvLlFij41VVpsnrFGVxm_cxeBBkBPiklegilKmZL54EeetHNu6jOIoeY4RyJuK/s1600/IMG_6557.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy05bphOU1hn33ifZ0psOod_fXN6lwzz3EYV6MYR4HXQNVBY6zMPabf5Y6dGpZcNNWgiPUOQyvLlFij41VVpsnrFGVxm_cxeBBkBPiklegilKmZL54EeetHNu6jOIoeY4RyJuK/s320/IMG_6557.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516067424637892514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLDIkATtqZbiTbw5DDvs3FzNg72cyGxgFBm6w1tpmX77XjfHcjrtdhqwCSQQ59kUj8pxTpS-k35k5PInFiwjBzNXJE9QsE8zPkuICxqZWSAHV76OERmNKySKhnvjqfQIHa9Yr/s1600/IMG_6561.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLDIkATtqZbiTbw5DDvs3FzNg72cyGxgFBm6w1tpmX77XjfHcjrtdhqwCSQQ59kUj8pxTpS-k35k5PInFiwjBzNXJE9QsE8zPkuICxqZWSAHV76OERmNKySKhnvjqfQIHa9Yr/s320/IMG_6561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516067411045434018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HW64TlCOTyhCiJwYOTP1WK_ATiUT37752NncsFm4qdZb2Z3B0AaaQjehSciehbxT7qvMDmcbWchi4wq1qZmdZ4VOoPTZDC0nUH4Ubdj0rE4hlgLZC4LMhGGLcZW42ihmppnB/s1600/IMG_6576.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HW64TlCOTyhCiJwYOTP1WK_ATiUT37752NncsFm4qdZb2Z3B0AaaQjehSciehbxT7qvMDmcbWchi4wq1qZmdZ4VOoPTZDC0nUH4Ubdj0rE4hlgLZC4LMhGGLcZW42ihmppnB/s320/IMG_6576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516067401925586418" border="0" /></a><br />The summer started off well with lots of activity and lots of swimming. Swimming lessons were in order for Nicholas but it turned out he is half fish and he learned to swim really quickly. We did have some challenges with Nicholas when he started back to summer school. He had a really hard time with the transitions of one teacher leaving, changing classrooms, new class, etc. Also, hubby and I took a much needed weekend away to the coast while Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the kids. This was also the first week for Nicholas to meet Grandma and Grandpa in person. We thought he might be expelled from preschool due to some aggression, fortunately the school staff was patient and understanding of our situation and Nicholas was able to attend 2 sessions as we planned.<br /><br />By mid July we were packing our bags and getting ready for our ‘annual’ trek across the Southwest so we could spend 3 weeks in Texas. We had a great time and Nicholas did better than I ever expected. We spent one night in Amarillo with my dear friend, D, then headed for the Big ‘D’ to spend some quality time with hubby’s family. Some of his family had never met Nicholas in person. It was so much fun to see all the little cousins playing together. One morning all the girls made a special shopping trip to the American Girl store while the boys went the airplane museum near Love Field. While in Dallas, we spent time with family and a few friends. We also had the pleasure of meeting a family who had just brought their almost 5 year old home from Kazakhstan. I’m sure it was confusing for him but he was a sweet boy and I hope we get to see them the next time we travel to Texas. We also visited Houston and Austin; we enjoyed time with dear friends, swimming, and museums. On the way home, we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns and enjoyed a long hike into the dark caverns.<br /><br />All in all, we had a wonderful trip, we wanted to go home yet 3 weeks was not enough time to enjoy all the swimming, fun times with friends, Blue Bell ice cream, Tex Mex food, etc. Nicholas did really well during the trip and had a good time and can't wait to go to Grandpa and Grandma's again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfKbZR9WamhMCdEDPdbQSr_z-l3oKijgkEsuCu3-QPZ8kwxwtkWkoSQxhmPDEDh4Y_hdF583jV41B84Oyn8rmGjqmcFG9aEMEejF9DDrLVu3OcxiKGpI-QhJ4NDfhMOC8kvr2/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfKbZR9WamhMCdEDPdbQSr_z-l3oKijgkEsuCu3-QPZ8kwxwtkWkoSQxhmPDEDh4Y_hdF583jV41B84Oyn8rmGjqmcFG9aEMEejF9DDrLVu3OcxiKGpI-QhJ4NDfhMOC8kvr2/s320/038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516059834102810178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-X_s7oIqaTgjz9hdD0scLSkezKY3faj4MPgZedwhF4JJ9yV4QlXAHYWwoQi6b4zq1ILOL2SvKfSZPLCVtNkFWGRXSu7LU5O-6ivw4_htcicQw7ydi7XbLHqRumrLF3kRAwKZt/s1600/068.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-X_s7oIqaTgjz9hdD0scLSkezKY3faj4MPgZedwhF4JJ9yV4QlXAHYWwoQi6b4zq1ILOL2SvKfSZPLCVtNkFWGRXSu7LU5O-6ivw4_htcicQw7ydi7XbLHqRumrLF3kRAwKZt/s320/068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516059825895486626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtpCjGyPFp5-cpM3_FKqSR89CrQ36_7MRTHVYfbp2PlahDaSOwq-qTbbhT3co_xOClSroTjeKPS_BVZClv4tR2IpEoqg1SRbvBgw1Nl4MFqdQijo8Q_k3ozfx8WEXPBlDbnRJ/s1600/053.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtpCjGyPFp5-cpM3_FKqSR89CrQ36_7MRTHVYfbp2PlahDaSOwq-qTbbhT3co_xOClSroTjeKPS_BVZClv4tR2IpEoqg1SRbvBgw1Nl4MFqdQijo8Q_k3ozfx8WEXPBlDbnRJ/s320/053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516059817329552498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm36DLyi2rT9ah_OYJUDhd-BdduELAJc9JgVorYXyIJ1-IufnwcsSmmbFP8e0CBDeZZNC4gJ_IDJKkUVaBxTcPdiRYAgXZjv8g72AudMe2M7xMTOHcASWuQ431gLzrxKstl-pq/s1600/075.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm36DLyi2rT9ah_OYJUDhd-BdduELAJc9JgVorYXyIJ1-IufnwcsSmmbFP8e0CBDeZZNC4gJ_IDJKkUVaBxTcPdiRYAgXZjv8g72AudMe2M7xMTOHcASWuQ431gLzrxKstl-pq/s320/075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516059796057684290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eWfn7BGRjkWaswYh-pQYuT8auEiqeZwFt3ebM5Fz4YLW1rkKbrdLJpq4QUGnCQyjlzQsaCFxdby3-S43IrKXBRsh7yePfhJ-z9uwpacliyP4c-L9Y_nYSQmkDsK3n3mxj-4f/s1600/076.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eWfn7BGRjkWaswYh-pQYuT8auEiqeZwFt3ebM5Fz4YLW1rkKbrdLJpq4QUGnCQyjlzQsaCFxdby3-S43IrKXBRsh7yePfhJ-z9uwpacliyP4c-L9Y_nYSQmkDsK3n3mxj-4f/s320/076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516059781925447890" border="0" /></a><br />More pictures to come later...4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-69760859971794706972010-07-16T08:54:00.000-07:002010-07-16T08:56:11.893-07:00Little Brother<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecZiRqWR1pT6ofGYBPBMO0rHUdcK7w2nRciY2lpvX5Izys51sXEwK5Sjnpe5D64um3hyIpaB5vVnRfVQLI0r0ypL7jyxbei8Ag72-C1uFH5dUqlcH5J6jQHO0MqKlnPUQVK2C/s1600/IMG_6700.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecZiRqWR1pT6ofGYBPBMO0rHUdcK7w2nRciY2lpvX5Izys51sXEwK5Sjnpe5D64um3hyIpaB5vVnRfVQLI0r0ypL7jyxbei8Ag72-C1uFH5dUqlcH5J6jQHO0MqKlnPUQVK2C/s320/IMG_6700.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494533339034443842" /></a><br />Nicholas did well during Olivia's party, I even got him a special gluten free, lactose free cupcake from Whole Foods that he gobbled up. He got so worn out by the excitement, he crashed on the floor after his bath!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-8861981151105994692010-07-16T08:44:00.000-07:002010-07-16T08:54:02.268-07:00Our Baby turned 8!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr2wWfI87Xg09YdTZxnJEtznVVjfexmF9i66ctU-Dnr10qJyYDFNQv2BgjeHkQPcNTYEtNqyYBz6gxuJnsxYabMpJbSa9r5KIQorlxDWU1hgQKdzCc2MKEw1QxLF-5wU3_Uj2/s1600/IMG_6674.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr2wWfI87Xg09YdTZxnJEtznVVjfexmF9i66ctU-Dnr10qJyYDFNQv2BgjeHkQPcNTYEtNqyYBz6gxuJnsxYabMpJbSa9r5KIQorlxDWU1hgQKdzCc2MKEw1QxLF-5wU3_Uj2/s320/IMG_6674.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494532077170514274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dEFbNmMcUrGvhlUJm7O5hzd851nGVaUHmcke9SSKS1BNcfLiVjqGm8nhoJWAeRxwm7wrBTmT0KkLCvygirPi6TChzMXEjxFkk0xtzBapBO6fYQ64Xgj6xgheBbgzERFxw-5G/s1600/IMG_6643.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dEFbNmMcUrGvhlUJm7O5hzd851nGVaUHmcke9SSKS1BNcfLiVjqGm8nhoJWAeRxwm7wrBTmT0KkLCvygirPi6TChzMXEjxFkk0xtzBapBO6fYQ64Xgj6xgheBbgzERFxw-5G/s320/IMG_6643.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494532070931014962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ElcZO8sFZNn34GYYQpkgaoZmXRvEP3Hi6z9z1fGXPAwi3Lcqr-jX4BuXGyzT9rgNXRaOv-7aqTnQvodd5B12yGlcJdg7qYEqxpeB3PupDpp6NRKxFnFC780fXbRNUeYTw_kS/s1600/IMG_6711.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ElcZO8sFZNn34GYYQpkgaoZmXRvEP3Hi6z9z1fGXPAwi3Lcqr-jX4BuXGyzT9rgNXRaOv-7aqTnQvodd5B12yGlcJdg7qYEqxpeB3PupDpp6NRKxFnFC780fXbRNUeYTw_kS/s320/IMG_6711.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494532064932804130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHJ30pUewJ2lclwevGKWqo4jeqdpIv3vxxQNmnpBqlen34F5-p1us3aw6VZisw81kwshSLLVvtsOgWrZa763P8CvKCSs5Vr4sLtLTDvDMzBdzM9xWR0hWnAkMvLIeYssZy5Zh/s1600/IMG_6699.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHJ30pUewJ2lclwevGKWqo4jeqdpIv3vxxQNmnpBqlen34F5-p1us3aw6VZisw81kwshSLLVvtsOgWrZa763P8CvKCSs5Vr4sLtLTDvDMzBdzM9xWR0hWnAkMvLIeYssZy5Zh/s320/IMG_6699.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494532058660059474" /></a><br />Olivia turned 8 on July 1st, time goes by so fast! We had her birthday party in June and it was decided she would have a Swim/Spa/Sleepover party with some of her friends. I wanted to keep it small so 5 of her friends were able to attend. Claire was allowed to invite a friend, too, to the party in the hopes they would occupy themselves. My thoughts were that the swimming would wear the girls out, the spa treatment would calm and soothe them, and they would fall asleep during the movie....WRONG! I guess they were so excited by everything, it was hard to settle them down. Everything went really well through the spa treatment (after pizza, cake and gifts), the girls just loved all the special treatment. I had a couple of young women home from college help out with the pedicure/manicure station. The girls were all a bit too tired which probably contributed to their mood as I was trying to settle them down. Fortunately no one ended up going home early and everyone woke up happy. If I did this again, I would send them home after the spa treatment!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-90678245033744355542010-06-19T06:51:00.000-07:002010-07-14T18:31:24.903-07:00One Year Ago TodayTHEN!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddNvFBSQusizbNw9a57GVsb_Zr1fNrUPQEffQIT-4DZ13_A_APljdwNLy6gcVgBH9sr-owQScXNXFBznnlMgd4XmGWmeawoL2IQhDkhPi1KTsZfipAMS1Xvkunm3qh8ouFyqq/s1600/IMG_2545.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddNvFBSQusizbNw9a57GVsb_Zr1fNrUPQEffQIT-4DZ13_A_APljdwNLy6gcVgBH9sr-owQScXNXFBznnlMgd4XmGWmeawoL2IQhDkhPi1KTsZfipAMS1Xvkunm3qh8ouFyqq/s320/IMG_2545.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492529536252988370" /></a><br /><br />I can't believe it was a year ago that my hubby and I were celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is the day we also started bonding with our son, Nicholas (then called Roma). He has been home 9 months and it has been filled with many challenges and many joys. He is teaching us about how the human spirit can overcome challenges and he continues to teach us about parenting! Some days and weeks can be rough when he is dysregulated and angry, then he can turn around and become so sweet and loving and joyful about life. I hope with time that we will see his sweet and funny personality more and more.<br /><br />He is so bright! His speech and vocabulary amazes everyone when they find out he has only been here 9 months. Some people do not realize he was adopted internationally. He is always trying to figure out how things work. He will study a toy car's tire to see how it spins or as last night at Olivia's ballet recital, he was trying to figure out which lights were pointed to different points on stage. He is interested in books and words and is definitely pre-reading, although, he would rather build with blocks, or play a video game, or build guns or watch a movie. He is still very active, although I'm not sure he is hyperactive as he was diagnosed in Kazakhstan. Rather he is hypervigilent, especially in new situations and around new people. <br /><br />The girls really love Nicholas and for Claire he has become a playmate. I have noticed recently that Nicholas wants to stay near me. When we went to the beach, he and Claire would play near the water for awhile while I watched and kept calling them to stay nearby. Then Nicholas wanted to dig in the sand but near me. He also comes to find me in the house to show me something or to see what I'm doing, I know this is a sign of him 'checking in' with me. We have developed a deep level of trust and I can tell he has bonded well with all of us. I think we are fortunate that he only spent about 10 months in the babyhouse, he must have bonded closely with his birthmother sometime before that.<br /> <br />He is a great little traveler. When we go on trips, he gets so excited and he is getting better about staying close to us when we go to places where there are crowds. Although he has gotten better, he is not at a place where he can go to Disneyland yet. The girls miss it since we used to go a lot, but maybe one of us can take the girls just for one day. We know Nicholas will love Disneyland, but it would be too much for him and too stressful for him (well, us, too) at this point. Hopefully within the next year we will see more improvement.<br /><br />He has been in summer preschool at his same preschool but he had some difficulty with this transition. I think it was especially hard that his teacher left on vacation as he became attached to her. She was so good with him, but he will see her when school starts again. Although she is a fabulous preschool teacher, I think it will be good for him to have a different teacher. He needs to learn that he will have different people in his life and he will move on when he goes off to Kindergarten after another year of preschool.<br /><br />With the end of the school year, hubby and I took a much needed weekend away together while his parents stayed with the kids. With that and the transition to summer preschool, Nicholas had a really hard time. The grandparents stayed for a few days and then left, but came back about a week later with the kids' cousin who stayed for several days. Nicholas got into trouble a lot at school for biting and hitting and one incident of spitting. We focused on what he can do when he gets mad and that he absolutely has to share and take turns. Maybe this was a step back, but things have gotten better again after our visitors left and he continues to move forward.<br /><br />We are looking forward to having a fun summer of camps, trips and of just enjoying our backyard pool and playdates.<br /><br />NOW!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx4RuDCP3kipYYLLdqaDDyMjKdLy5Q_yI9ZAZRQS34eOunkSjZNTi6XK8CJcsrUQmPijB08niXOFhLqJSqugZ2zCwFcHh-OArS15CRjwOyk05oHES3CKvkjT96E-iB6XdNGfK/s1600/IMG_6562.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx4RuDCP3kipYYLLdqaDDyMjKdLy5Q_yI9ZAZRQS34eOunkSjZNTi6XK8CJcsrUQmPijB08niXOFhLqJSqugZ2zCwFcHh-OArS15CRjwOyk05oHES3CKvkjT96E-iB6XdNGfK/s320/IMG_6562.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492529530732234770" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-67340376756633856162010-05-02T10:03:00.001-07:002010-05-02T10:15:36.248-07:00Pictures from Easter 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsErSEvjY_vs4R0a3N_DV3LZO51jz9DuJYzCwLQo5QSDC4l3OJgw5y3lBzm5eWpgwprhyiqw05iewfkc_-xFcNX09gMvN-CGbRvRqlSOI3t9-hkL_xxqQ6I8nVyBMPvgpK4wqC/s1600/IMG_6232.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsErSEvjY_vs4R0a3N_DV3LZO51jz9DuJYzCwLQo5QSDC4l3OJgw5y3lBzm5eWpgwprhyiqw05iewfkc_-xFcNX09gMvN-CGbRvRqlSOI3t9-hkL_xxqQ6I8nVyBMPvgpK4wqC/s320/IMG_6232.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466720727661857410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZHIRlERl2VbzLgRrgcZcg3GCc5i2gsqjELwMXGpOOWoSqHmSCLiPdmFTUESAg-_N2sRxDWih9evk07EmDWI7JSzTMxrRhYRG1dcGmavDwuAp7SnWGiMcHXzsJEvEUOxkpeU4/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZHIRlERl2VbzLgRrgcZcg3GCc5i2gsqjELwMXGpOOWoSqHmSCLiPdmFTUESAg-_N2sRxDWih9evk07EmDWI7JSzTMxrRhYRG1dcGmavDwuAp7SnWGiMcHXzsJEvEUOxkpeU4/s320/IMG_6233.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466720712338945922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieInxkLSy7An-qbyiX_HFZmgivZ3lCWB5a3c1hs4x9Mk1Y-EZJ3QSqMQoqLrN7_3BbZSUyuLQu0MeodtwkeEerm4_E2N4K8qJhZEARpaPZKXXpmPkb_GF901Z_wEgJquuGtH3B/s1600/IMG_6239.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieInxkLSy7An-qbyiX_HFZmgivZ3lCWB5a3c1hs4x9Mk1Y-EZJ3QSqMQoqLrN7_3BbZSUyuLQu0MeodtwkeEerm4_E2N4K8qJhZEARpaPZKXXpmPkb_GF901Z_wEgJquuGtH3B/s320/IMG_6239.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466720707937438050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgY0aGJdCiFje4gRsmV-Q_kCIyIbqKzkJadx7cic92ODKM7Jw6OJ8IWjUmwLE7vHLH46NVFPjI6emgXwXZaLEzNz4exozCRW9QtTeAH9ozV_eXsKoH5Sn9ZAMDxzYZDjHT5X4e/s1600/IMG_6241.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgY0aGJdCiFje4gRsmV-Q_kCIyIbqKzkJadx7cic92ODKM7Jw6OJ8IWjUmwLE7vHLH46NVFPjI6emgXwXZaLEzNz4exozCRW9QtTeAH9ozV_eXsKoH5Sn9ZAMDxzYZDjHT5X4e/s320/IMG_6241.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466720700395223970" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-67680895805547843742010-04-05T20:08:00.000-07:002010-05-02T10:03:11.422-07:00Spring Break 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8LpCT9O1IqrmRRlNzUW78lKbyVUzy18FvTIsrrlY2t59U105d-Eg0ar3BAGGSpUeWtPtxWCbYMO0EBtKroBgWVoZ8eDCgntfcIouKipgzBcTsD58ttmpgkW2_AjJnekmpXYl/s1600/IMG_6115.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8LpCT9O1IqrmRRlNzUW78lKbyVUzy18FvTIsrrlY2t59U105d-Eg0ar3BAGGSpUeWtPtxWCbYMO0EBtKroBgWVoZ8eDCgntfcIouKipgzBcTsD58ttmpgkW2_AjJnekmpXYl/s320/IMG_6115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456870978202165298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nEVfKi4C3wZMzVmmDe4S-JQE0cs6v7LWbJPBGx-h4GXQXoFEoyJVd_RgQWp22NSzdAUWz-We5G0TvSmmmrlYWW-KV5C6BQTJq_hjUt7CY_o0JJkyK8pHMPMWfNJI6jjoGI9-/s1600/IMG_6151.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nEVfKi4C3wZMzVmmDe4S-JQE0cs6v7LWbJPBGx-h4GXQXoFEoyJVd_RgQWp22NSzdAUWz-We5G0TvSmmmrlYWW-KV5C6BQTJq_hjUt7CY_o0JJkyK8pHMPMWfNJI6jjoGI9-/s320/IMG_6151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456870968939900562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxJ1cXbGzMtve8OKEfB9lidlidTLKH3kJTMcl5otcwHLW9lxme3YcXTpaz8d59YYhXKR7b0WKg_g6xWYuvaeq2ucKY-uF9JcOc1gnYY7BWpdrEVQHGmZRQiID8SMrkhIZvNc6/s1600/IMG_6088.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxJ1cXbGzMtve8OKEfB9lidlidTLKH3kJTMcl5otcwHLW9lxme3YcXTpaz8d59YYhXKR7b0WKg_g6xWYuvaeq2ucKY-uF9JcOc1gnYY7BWpdrEVQHGmZRQiID8SMrkhIZvNc6/s320/IMG_6088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456856829179843474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4xuLEBxws-R7DV0koiYACbsdwJ4FnvIzduMbOd6HpxHr85i3jkYUkKbNPs6AHXhSqTLKSpogWGP2CSNK-4bJv-3E9jwvLLePOkHnawrYPD1qXKcjQAgJlF_EfENyR6iAaJUR/s1600/IMG_6100.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4xuLEBxws-R7DV0koiYACbsdwJ4FnvIzduMbOd6HpxHr85i3jkYUkKbNPs6AHXhSqTLKSpogWGP2CSNK-4bJv-3E9jwvLLePOkHnawrYPD1qXKcjQAgJlF_EfENyR6iAaJUR/s320/IMG_6100.JPG" alt="" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLu9kJ2En6xitNWDu22LJPe3lYLERaoqsadcio1qgd7IEs6tLaWC8byO64A2Fj3rCKOvU3roIf6p8TUGEasF8AgqTvULMFddEkscIn80UmvGXXFOUz2WVIoRVr5VDEyHrEUB-R/s1600/IMG_6124.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLu9kJ2En6xitNWDu22LJPe3lYLERaoqsadcio1qgd7IEs6tLaWC8byO64A2Fj3rCKOvU3roIf6p8TUGEasF8AgqTvULMFddEkscIn80UmvGXXFOUz2WVIoRVr5VDEyHrEUB-R/s320/IMG_6124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456856803663415714" border="0" /></a><br /><br />During part of spring break, we made a trip to the San Francisco Bay area. We had a great time at Pier 39 watching the sea lions that have returned. We also took a tour of the USS Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship, something we may never have done if Nicholas wasn't with us. It was really interesting and we had fun exploring the working ship. After visiting the Bay area, we headed toward Monterey.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O-KZnGKvmdrsL6T-jwiTOAeia0AvD2NwGdTCWYHV_ava2R38UJkVqTxP_dN41BUKD0tvXyumZIYtiUDEaV6jDSz5kksvP9kOk98GREZrwgC8mG4syCpDhoICd__vGjiOc_rg/s1600/IMG_6205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O-KZnGKvmdrsL6T-jwiTOAeia0AvD2NwGdTCWYHV_ava2R38UJkVqTxP_dN41BUKD0tvXyumZIYtiUDEaV6jDSz5kksvP9kOk98GREZrwgC8mG4syCpDhoICd__vGjiOc_rg/s320/IMG_6205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466715620636742050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd1dak6sxXcRtAQqWswku5buBmL6stJx1yoB5DMjaV52ZdrgQjHxoyq9aQJyV78VT2OSD3kk2DOqZDl7ScK8wHEMcvb5dNOTOyCOkSYL7aJhxr1AqQ-bJFEdzIBAe-iHxYU1j/s1600/IMG_6157.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd1dak6sxXcRtAQqWswku5buBmL6stJx1yoB5DMjaV52ZdrgQjHxoyq9aQJyV78VT2OSD3kk2DOqZDl7ScK8wHEMcvb5dNOTOyCOkSYL7aJhxr1AqQ-bJFEdzIBAe-iHxYU1j/s320/IMG_6157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466715610857859890" /></a><br />We all thoroughly enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We would have gone to the beach, too, if it hadn't started raining in the afternoon.4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-4444448399833819572010-03-12T10:25:00.001-08:002010-03-31T22:31:43.468-07:006 months later<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKxvR0yyMQ6FRpWvgaYVduAZOTijhTzpBvYSfRNhuAzDWdCL9alNnGFdVlvR97iGXSr-Saiju8to-4MuqeU5YpSYskjGHj13eN2hbDelscR15eURscW5KgqK9JNZhBZHLZK5J/s1600/IMG_5512.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKxvR0yyMQ6FRpWvgaYVduAZOTijhTzpBvYSfRNhuAzDWdCL9alNnGFdVlvR97iGXSr-Saiju8to-4MuqeU5YpSYskjGHj13eN2hbDelscR15eURscW5KgqK9JNZhBZHLZK5J/s320/IMG_5512.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455020448552995970" border="0"></a><br />I'll be honest, the last 6 months have been very stressful for all of us as would be expected when bringing a new child into our family. I feel like we are all adjusting well though. Nicholas has been in preschool since the beginning of January and is loving it (me too :p). The girls have been keeping up with school, ballet, friends and Olivia started piano lessons again. It seems like we are all settling into our new life.<br /><br />I think one of the biggest adjustments is just having 3 kids instead of 2, I'm just stretched more thin these days and I'm spending most of my time in a car driving here and there. Olivia is growing up fast and has had moments of extreme upset, and I know this will happen more often each year as she creeps up towards puberty.<br /><br />Claire loves having a little brother...most of the time. He loves his sisters and it is wonderful to see him give them big hugs when we have to pick them up from school. Claire and Nicholas fight a lot, but when they are playing nicely together, it is really nice. She loves that he can go to the same Sunday school class. And Nicholas is learning a lot from everyone. What we can see so far is that he is bright and eager to learn, he is always asking 'Why?' these days...I mean all day. He wants to know how things work and why we do things or why we can't do things. He just has a lot to catch up on the emotional side of things. He sometimes acts like an infant, sometimes, like a toddler and sometimes his chronological age.<br /><br />One of the things that has helped me is that I am learning to shift my way of thinking in parenting Nicholas. Giving consequences and threatening punishment does not work with Nicholas so I've been trying to follow Heather Forbes' Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control method of parenting. It takes a lot of work to shift my way of thinking but I think I have been successful with it. Her method is backed up by research of stress on the brain.<br /><br />When I look at Nicholas, I am just amazed at his progress. He has a large vocabulary for someone only learning English for 6 months. He is happy and nowadays when he gets angry, he usually gets over it rather quickly especially when I can distract him. I am so glad we ended up telling our coordinator we were open to older children. When I think back to when we first met him in that first stressful week in Kazakhstan, I remember meeting him and feeling a connection with him. His smile was so cute and I could see he had the ability to be happy and I had the feeling he was a resilient little boy.<br /><br />He is a really sweet boy and at school, I'm told he'll go check on a friend if he sees someone is hurt. He also readily apologizes if he accidentally (or on purpose) hurts someone while playing. Now, with his sisters....not so much... He is eager to please, especially with me. Sometimes it takes a little more work to get him to help clean up, but sometimes he jumps at the opportunity to help out. He is a really active little boy and seems a bit hyper to me, but it could just be his age and circumstances and he might calm down some more.<br /><br />He still doesn't understand where he came from or what has happened to him. I try to talk about it and show him pictures from Kazakhstan when he is open to it. I want him to know where he is from and how he became a part of our family, I don't want him to think we were the ones that left him in an orphanage. One of my favorite children's book about adoption is called "A Mother for Choco". It really fits our situation. I highly recommend it to other Adoptive families, it would be good for a multi-ethnic family, single mom, or family.<br /><br />Some of his favorites things include: cars, helicopters, airplanes, bouncing, sea animals, swimming, the park, play doh, a bit of drawing, digging, treasure hunts, watching tv (especially Mickey Mouse clubhouse and Little Einsteins) or dvds (Finding Nemo, Cars, Barbie Three Musketeers). That last might crack you up, but I think he likes the swashbuckling aspect of that movie, I don't think he cares about Barbie!<object id="BLOG_video-FAILED" class="BLOG_video_class" contentid="FAILED" width="320" height="266"></object>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-36597580972422074792010-03-01T20:18:00.000-08:002010-03-01T23:26:59.031-08:00The Beach-February 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3VgDvUdSf2QKPKB0etcUixIJhp1sT3Wi4CYOMfPxah2vZjzMIMKpFj4wwnvMb_ZT56xT2v-yBc4jW8bSTyIU_78QIC3DSrvjli6TpbPog5XqcMD2n10lt7C41DnBRdqYQYgW/s1600-h/IMG_5425.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3VgDvUdSf2QKPKB0etcUixIJhp1sT3Wi4CYOMfPxah2vZjzMIMKpFj4wwnvMb_ZT56xT2v-yBc4jW8bSTyIU_78QIC3DSrvjli6TpbPog5XqcMD2n10lt7C41DnBRdqYQYgW/s320/IMG_5425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443932073168707330" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXjCf7cKJx7c9KyTTD55icYWObmSqoLNkVqp3oLWTYiLJzzIknlgazyCod4VKwBx888lA7HaL14kj6HwEI_chGANGBh4268JJyFu6hz_oWJd2KPWFTE5vp66y7Hg027tQWbjB/s1600-h/IMG_5397.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXjCf7cKJx7c9KyTTD55icYWObmSqoLNkVqp3oLWTYiLJzzIknlgazyCod4VKwBx888lA7HaL14kj6HwEI_chGANGBh4268JJyFu6hz_oWJd2KPWFTE5vp66y7Hg027tQWbjB/s320/IMG_5397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888601015355906" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3FlAZ2EktKklZWYbw7p4SOpyE-cZV7j3Lg_xzHktgKG8t8GeeUXrz-K93YTwwAWoUFRJokqK2nsWLREZ6RGsAAtIQkp5FGhyphenhyphen1f8UAzBOcEdzYiURdxZ79hSR4hqDtZKVea0B/s1600-h/IMG_5398.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3FlAZ2EktKklZWYbw7p4SOpyE-cZV7j3Lg_xzHktgKG8t8GeeUXrz-K93YTwwAWoUFRJokqK2nsWLREZ6RGsAAtIQkp5FGhyphenhyphen1f8UAzBOcEdzYiURdxZ79hSR4hqDtZKVea0B/s320/IMG_5398.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888589635340146" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2qSdN9pPK4dm1-8MfzzGEUDFtSineCpHBzKefSdRVfsI5wsG6Mfls6DAI3i82W4ai0EKpmxi6WSoCGzfDrAoEstvt4gywKb62vrRKMCVIxYfQo0T5xxhB0PoPGS59uOtl0qf/s1600-h/IMG_5402.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2qSdN9pPK4dm1-8MfzzGEUDFtSineCpHBzKefSdRVfsI5wsG6Mfls6DAI3i82W4ai0EKpmxi6WSoCGzfDrAoEstvt4gywKb62vrRKMCVIxYfQo0T5xxhB0PoPGS59uOtl0qf/s320/IMG_5402.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888579295651138" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZHJ4ns8QnUFhDR-hPWkSEuuHbRdNfE-K9U9YNBPAkU_VgNNsP3aLkbSyDg1sJ7CswwbZPztMBNbKsdwL_bm4uvpHzJ9MIVyUWmf3XM4n3P-PpIJUMwqdC2xJuJCs-ZIcVDpj/s1600-h/IMG_5423.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZHJ4ns8QnUFhDR-hPWkSEuuHbRdNfE-K9U9YNBPAkU_VgNNsP3aLkbSyDg1sJ7CswwbZPztMBNbKsdwL_bm4uvpHzJ9MIVyUWmf3XM4n3P-PpIJUMwqdC2xJuJCs-ZIcVDpj/s320/IMG_5423.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888561432243394" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsqCQ0O-lCf41XeytuMuor99_kDmpLR2NFEdUA8OOvEg8yHN7MMnoinMEIXsnVuqvI2cqUmO3uETNYpbjgm-hCms_xbQervrmXrxCZ4s_Nt9CNVmQggpmmlg0KVX0lfAMkNxX/s1600-h/IMG_5416.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsqCQ0O-lCf41XeytuMuor99_kDmpLR2NFEdUA8OOvEg8yHN7MMnoinMEIXsnVuqvI2cqUmO3uETNYpbjgm-hCms_xbQervrmXrxCZ4s_Nt9CNVmQggpmmlg0KVX0lfAMkNxX/s320/IMG_5416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443932083017309858" border="0"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjQPJxMIpyoeFqnl9LUF9K8Z1WGZWrCvR_nn56-h9B2WHcRTAv9R34jV1ipIXATvHk1qe6qL0auJY65KzZoZhsoE-gtO8lfr0Ajx4gon7QHkbkTr3kL6uF3zY-zp3fT20oScl/s1600-h/IMG_5429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjQPJxMIpyoeFqnl9LUF9K8Z1WGZWrCvR_nn56-h9B2WHcRTAv9R34jV1ipIXATvHk1qe6qL0auJY65KzZoZhsoE-gtO8lfr0Ajx4gon7QHkbkTr3kL6uF3zY-zp3fT20oScl/s320/IMG_5429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443932782286906914" border="0"></a><br /><br />Valentine's weekend, we decided to make a trip down to L.A. I signed Nicholas up for a research study at UCLA, so my hubby decided to take advantage of this time and take the girls to the American Girl store for lunch and shopping. We also decided to hit the beach first and go to the La Brea tar pits on the last day. We first ended up in Malibu at Paradise Cove...a friend of mine recommended it. There's a cafe right on the beach, so you can play in the sand and surf while you wait for your table. It was fun! This was our first trip to the beach this year. Nicholas wanted to get right in and swim, the kid has no fear. He kept getting wetter and wetter as time passed on. Thankfully we had lots of extra clothes. We had so much fun!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-551509476143444062010-02-12T23:25:00.001-08:002010-03-01T20:18:29.064-08:00An Extraordinary LifeSo it's been 5 months that we've been home and there is really not alot to add from last month, things are about the same and they change daily! Mostly I am just very busy from 6:30am till about 8pm when the kids are ALL in bed sleeping soundly, then I veg out a while and maybe I'll get at least one thing done. It has been really hard to adjust to a family with 3 active kids and try and keep on top of all the activities, schoolwork, carpooling details and housework so I'm learning to let things go a bit. None of us are perfect.<br /><br />I think I am making a turning point in my relationships with our kids, at least I am trying to improve our relationship. I also now understand when other adoptive parents who talk about how lucky they are to have their adopted child in their life. Sure Nicholas has a great life with us, but he has changed us forever and we continually learn about love. I feel so lucky he is with us and teaching us so much and I'm beginning to appreciate what an extraordinary life I am leading. <br /><br />I'll leave you with this picture I took as Nicholas and I were walking through the UCLA campus on Valentine's Day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ_JvcfJE3PC104XbumVrlsNcIOd2WjP8Px5FEcbYE8CC-wEx8wzORDsWfVrPn_vAYsKhkS0umiA3Qj0b86hxJKGxYYjGzOHEYkMZvuhbaWldf2mssm08MoHE63-61qsIbvwz/s1600-h/heart1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ_JvcfJE3PC104XbumVrlsNcIOd2WjP8Px5FEcbYE8CC-wEx8wzORDsWfVrPn_vAYsKhkS0umiA3Qj0b86hxJKGxYYjGzOHEYkMZvuhbaWldf2mssm08MoHE63-61qsIbvwz/s320/heart1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443884549959225906" /></a><br />It's all about LOVE my friends!!4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-38029956866033615822010-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:002010-02-07T00:14:11.757-08:00A Visit to the AirportNo, we weren't planning to take a trip. A friend and I planned a special outing for our sons to visit the local airport. A friend of mine who is a pilot and used to work at the airport took us on a tour of the airport where the private and charter planes are housed. This was exciting because Nicholas likes anything that flies and would love to ride in an airplane again. I joke that the only reason he left Kazakhstan with us is so he could fly on an airplane!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEXope2O1lZAxyC7Yrm24UyBafD2kXnk2nE3Rf-Z497CQ-Xb8Qsn-wMmaQHoF7HTtDpugsi7BBDC_y9MM7jSZlWAJPWUpJSbZ1hsCoKbh0rsjXRdBiu_owNPws3wyyal7WC75/s1600-h/IMG_5246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEXope2O1lZAxyC7Yrm24UyBafD2kXnk2nE3Rf-Z497CQ-Xb8Qsn-wMmaQHoF7HTtDpugsi7BBDC_y9MM7jSZlWAJPWUpJSbZ1hsCoKbh0rsjXRdBiu_owNPws3wyyal7WC75/s320/IMG_5246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435406400287077890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsO9e133JPK_zEWQM1y9V-RA3z0Jh6sHaSdw4TTGumTG98Q6vLiR27K29BkLMM0kpZyWEMSC3g2xv0vSivNDhRoUxUAI2gPY_NTabJpiRozMsZAwOTunLZKKJAO5IFhTiugA0/s1600-h/IMG_5254.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsO9e133JPK_zEWQM1y9V-RA3z0Jh6sHaSdw4TTGumTG98Q6vLiR27K29BkLMM0kpZyWEMSC3g2xv0vSivNDhRoUxUAI2gPY_NTabJpiRozMsZAwOTunLZKKJAO5IFhTiugA0/s320/IMG_5254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435406395175485346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3_keGABquuUm8g1JskDTIlAXgJy56fEyBYFua1FEvnJMRoZzJsCA_GfGBlTghOfyCUbgqmScroUj0-NN6bHnC03Sw1sCqSrzmWVdjMog680B0WdhaRM0UsiJVcR4czXqaS6g/s1600-h/IMG_5257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3_keGABquuUm8g1JskDTIlAXgJy56fEyBYFua1FEvnJMRoZzJsCA_GfGBlTghOfyCUbgqmScroUj0-NN6bHnC03Sw1sCqSrzmWVdjMog680B0WdhaRM0UsiJVcR4czXqaS6g/s320/IMG_5257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435406385030485026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaH31d1f_tFnP9DIita2D-alPF1X4BT5d6SlHwkpx2gfSpOPt5eU2Bx7u9hJ0nT5ka0rXBs0ba1slmd_DxFZKVi2H6vN6SWsIartm9HiAIHuo6x-AKSd8hk4J0w9Fwa2jq0vCZ/s1600-h/IMG_5262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaH31d1f_tFnP9DIita2D-alPF1X4BT5d6SlHwkpx2gfSpOPt5eU2Bx7u9hJ0nT5ka0rXBs0ba1slmd_DxFZKVi2H6vN6SWsIartm9HiAIHuo6x-AKSd8hk4J0w9Fwa2jq0vCZ/s320/IMG_5262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435406381116754578" border="0" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-28809754957896085642010-02-06T13:58:00.000-08:002010-02-06T14:08:25.296-08:00Claire's tonsillectomy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBSXW82KmD14tZ4mrFLWeTcLV5a4eB9ktrOm6EeYmfUxyKG0xIqUWHywDz09ROxFsCLsh4TgRXBsEWAjfrndf8_VQEwhhiILphNEmDbDxuJRpJf8yo8xWOmaq7PDvoA6gOYd0/s1600-h/11-05-09_0951.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBSXW82KmD14tZ4mrFLWeTcLV5a4eB9ktrOm6EeYmfUxyKG0xIqUWHywDz09ROxFsCLsh4TgRXBsEWAjfrndf8_VQEwhhiILphNEmDbDxuJRpJf8yo8xWOmaq7PDvoA6gOYd0/s320/11-05-09_0951.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435253603358298546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZlD3lDkeQojBjQ7huuqLyfWNR1BZrdMqrNI3EAd7LY6g5b0bOM6oY2d2qjk3eBLg_GBg1b2UAQZlJF4skj65MLsw5vtook_0BHAKBTcN5LPyM8TuJgDNXmXdJSVvbU2iTeAu/s1600-h/11-05-09_0904.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZlD3lDkeQojBjQ7huuqLyfWNR1BZrdMqrNI3EAd7LY6g5b0bOM6oY2d2qjk3eBLg_GBg1b2UAQZlJF4skj65MLsw5vtook_0BHAKBTcN5LPyM8TuJgDNXmXdJSVvbU2iTeAu/s320/11-05-09_0904.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435253599523280386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Back in November Claire had surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. Her snoring became so bad I felt it was affecting her sleep. I was really nervous for our child to have anesthesia and surgery but I knew it would be beneficial to her health. The first couple of days were rough but she is a real trooper and bounced back really quick. She started eating soft foods about a day or 2 after the surgery. The surgeon said the tonsils and adenoids were really big. Her voice changed and has never been the same as before, her voice is a bit higher pitched and she doesn't sound nasally anymore. Right after surgery, I notice how quietly she slept, it was amazing. She has also been eating alot more and not complaining as much about her food. It must have been hard for her to swallow some things. I only had my old phone with me and took a couple of these post op pictures.<br /><br />I'm glad I finally talked my hubby into staying home that day because she needed my constant care and Nicholas was still very demanding at that point. It was nice to give Claire my attention and baby her a little.4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-59624726117246448372010-01-15T22:38:00.000-08:002010-01-15T23:15:18.712-08:00Some Firsts for Nicholas...<div style="text-align: center;">First hotel stay.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Oeszh6rmRprTD79TvVRI91C_vxUlH_aQC3BYMcSdzqSHtWzHt5Yuj9_XHhqZ1qnEcVtMW707UrujqWfeaaL7GcSPIvqCL_BdHkRItCn22r5bV5lN0jm1FbLTdo2VEMMMNhQa/s1600-h/IMG_5033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Oeszh6rmRprTD79TvVRI91C_vxUlH_aQC3BYMcSdzqSHtWzHt5Yuj9_XHhqZ1qnEcVtMW707UrujqWfeaaL7GcSPIvqCL_BdHkRItCn22r5bV5lN0jm1FbLTdo2VEMMMNhQa/s320/IMG_5033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427232223528452690" border="0" /></a><br />First family car trip.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUfOLb8ZP2opgA2LYCSN6Mu6T5oYKdXTUR_W6LUkS9U2n42dzsNuYbrBDJ83xZU7QN7pJQqVWJNLWEVUqOosjT6YayCmYD97wDkeqb_TDTl0VFJBQJRDfNZaY_gzpX9RCYwcC/s1600-h/IMG_5081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUfOLb8ZP2opgA2LYCSN6Mu6T5oYKdXTUR_W6LUkS9U2n42dzsNuYbrBDJ83xZU7QN7pJQqVWJNLWEVUqOosjT6YayCmYD97wDkeqb_TDTl0VFJBQJRDfNZaY_gzpX9RCYwcC/s320/IMG_5081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427230601280135730" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">First birthday party for his buddy, L, at My Gym. He LOVED it, it was a great place to bounce, jump, climb, run, catch bubbles, etc.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YSKfBHvSGI7Ox8zQIR6Lad41lH8hlJuh1Q2IP_x938FCUATrpjcv-goNDLpWgVCV37KE5C78R-IH1Ry5xfViOnAaSEEu5VCSaho7WTbqBqvTtHne55I3twpH_okWI_3PM7iX/s1600-h/IMG_5085.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YSKfBHvSGI7Ox8zQIR6Lad41lH8hlJuh1Q2IP_x938FCUATrpjcv-goNDLpWgVCV37KE5C78R-IH1Ry5xfViOnAaSEEu5VCSaho7WTbqBqvTtHne55I3twpH_okWI_3PM7iX/s320/IMG_5085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427227454975670002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVswbvDDcozfzhtIIIHw7MxIVvhGjuyIYD8EKToE9rN3DvVXdL5qHsUiGwlnMxs7ElIYPzsdk1dgpPcDl8H1yPU_9_DqF856s0KschJ4GPmtuN-9Dcxfy0zqAbp1QSPg6SOaa/s1600-h/IMG_5088.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVswbvDDcozfzhtIIIHw7MxIVvhGjuyIYD8EKToE9rN3DvVXdL5qHsUiGwlnMxs7ElIYPzsdk1dgpPcDl8H1yPU_9_DqF856s0KschJ4GPmtuN-9Dcxfy0zqAbp1QSPg6SOaa/s320/IMG_5088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427227445984115010" border="0" /></a><br />First day of preschool.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2nlv5OTgAjwhTo-QOCDond_hSrbJxHMxPkxfKKIDjawDDaJYlOUDANxnMYuEzhLcYnIQXSWhY7o_8BSlXc0_qJuueOvs7ewVOxYXDUmBjVhG4vIlI5m2ZmPWG7Bv4s7ZoWsg/s1600-h/IMG_5082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2nlv5OTgAjwhTo-QOCDond_hSrbJxHMxPkxfKKIDjawDDaJYlOUDANxnMYuEzhLcYnIQXSWhY7o_8BSlXc0_qJuueOvs7ewVOxYXDUmBjVhG4vIlI5m2ZmPWG7Bv4s7ZoWsg/s320/IMG_5082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427227438965418514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA9NZadk78x07fxO1eDceU2ltCV6JiX4qKmmXbekaS-SLwaczIp0-k1mcvr3vG-Nc7C-Q17SeM3hhizbP8qN0rulbE8CKyifnnhKHWMuJozE-1q5IPVcEWjWeqIZgIqPzjLau/s1600-h/IMG_5084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA9NZadk78x07fxO1eDceU2ltCV6JiX4qKmmXbekaS-SLwaczIp0-k1mcvr3vG-Nc7C-Q17SeM3hhizbP8qN0rulbE8CKyifnnhKHWMuJozE-1q5IPVcEWjWeqIZgIqPzjLau/s320/IMG_5084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427227430107812738" border="0" /></a>4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559425.post-69173049574240711662010-01-12T08:52:00.000-08:002010-01-14T23:00:32.145-08:004 months updateWow, I can't believe we have been a family of 5 for 4 months now and it's time for another update ( I will post pictures in a different post, after all, that's really why you check my blog, right???). The time has gone by fast. We are all doing well. Nicholas is very happy and has been really growing. He is now about a size 4, up from about a size 2 when we first met him. He looks so much healthier in relation to his age. He started preschool last week and will attend from 9am to 1pm Monday through Friday. He really likes his teacher and he had fun as they have things he enjoys during free play. He is also learning to follow direction and rules and how to play with other children.<br /><br />Yesterday afternoon, after the girls finished their homework, Nicholas wanted to work on a perler bead project. This is an activity that really helps with fine motor skills, something he needs to improve. He kept asking for help over and over and since I was helping Olivia with her homework, I told him Claire could help. He didn't want Claire's help, he kept asking for me over and over to help. I finally told him he needed to start it, do as much as he can and then I would help. Well, I was astonished that he continued to stay focused on this task and finished all by himself! I am so proud of him. Claire also did a perler bead project and I'm so proud she even did a nice pattern on the flower instead of just random colors. Olivia (with just a little help from mom) made a Panda out of polymer clay for her teacher's birthday. It turned out really cute and she really did most of the work on it.<br /><br />I am reflecting back on the last 4 months and to be honest, there have been difficult moments. The beginning was rough as I compare Nicholas to an alien having been dropped into our planet. Can you imagine being almost 4 and being taken away from everything you know even if it wasn't that great there? The food in your new home is all different, the language is all different, the rules are all different and you don't understand anything. All you know is this nice Mama and Papa are taking you for a plane ride and you will be living with them. And they are not always nice because they don't let you eat apples all day and they tell you 'no' a lot. Will you have to go back to the babyhouse? Why are you going for a ride in the car? What is going to happen next?<br /><br />Everything was so new to Nicholas and in the beginning there were a lot of tantrums, I mean kicking, biting, spitting tantrums that lasted for a long time and often. There was also a lot of turning on and off of lights, discovering the refrigerator, stove, faucets, and other appliances. We had to really babyproof our house again, putting dangerous things away, decluttering, finding ways to lock up cabinets. I really worried about day to day things during the beginning, like how was I going to take a shower and get ready, what about taking the girls to and from school, getting to the grocery store, etc. In the beginning, I locked the door to our master bedroom and closed the girls's doors as there was still a lot of things he could get in to and we also had to make sure our house doors were childproof. I ended up taking a shower and getting ready in the kids bathroom while I had Nicholas watch a Baby Einstein video for about 20 minutes. <br /><br />Now, he understands more of what his boundaries are and I think it was important to work not only on bonding but on boundaries and what is expected. We also had to teach him toilet 'etiquette', turning on/off lights, water, etc. while building our bond and trust with him. I feel so lucky that we had so many friends help us out in the beginning with offers of help with the girls, meals, offers of getting groceries for us. This is what we needed the most, more than new toys or clothes for Nicholas. We needed help just so we could focus on Nicholas and really be there for him during this huge transition for him.<br /><br />It's so amazing to think back to 4 months and look at Nicholas now, playing happily by himself, happily sometimes with Claire, playing with his buddy, having fun experiencing new things like Christmas, parties, trips with a stay in a hotel, etc. He is just so happy. He is also a very sweet and loving boy. A parent from his school told me he accidentally kicked a ball in her chest as she walked through the playground and he ran up to her and told her 'Are you okay? I'm so sorry!'. There are still challenges as the times when he is defiant and tells us 'no' just to say 'no' but we are working on that. Hubby and I have had to struggle with parenting, adjust our strategy and it has been stressful but we love each other and our kids and we strive to make it all work. I feel lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful family, kids who want to contribute to our family, kids who who are eager to learn and who are loving and a husband who is involved and supportive of all of us. I also feel we are blessed to have so many friends, church friends, family and even strangers supporting us through their prayers for us.4texanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14813344872739830839noreply@blogger.com4