Monday, November 29, 2004
Gum Out!
Well, we got the gum out! Yay!!! The poor kid had to sit around with peanutbutter in his hair for 30 minutes (directions from Google said to let it sit). We got some great pics and a video to mark the day. Thankfully, he hadn't cut much off his hair before I caught him last night. You can't even tell he did anything to it. *whew* He was really scared he'd be in trouble over this one, but like Aleksa's haircut, the fact that there was gum in his hair is bad enough... no extra consequences necessary. He won't do it again, and that's the goal to any discipling, isn't it? This morning after really explaining that *everyone* does the gum-in-the-hair trick once in their life, and even MAMA did it, he let himself start to think this was actually funny. It was.
Yep, I'm a mom alright!
Well, it took almost four months, but it finally happened. My son got gum in his hair.
We woke up at 2:00 a.m. last night to some strange noises coming out of the baby-monitor. When I went to investigate, I found Adam in the bathroom hiding something behind his back. He had his scissors in his hands. (Instant trouble for that around here, btw. Scissors go in the kitchen only). Anyway, when I asked him what on earth he was doing with scissors at this time of the night, he pointed to his head. Right in the front, there was a giant wad of gum, and though I picked and pulled, it has not come out. So, this morning I did a quick Google Search, and found that lots of people say to use peanutbutter or ice. That's what I remember Mom using on me, so I hope it works because I'm going to try it right away this morning.
Another "Yep, I'm a mom" day!
We woke up at 2:00 a.m. last night to some strange noises coming out of the baby-monitor. When I went to investigate, I found Adam in the bathroom hiding something behind his back. He had his scissors in his hands. (Instant trouble for that around here, btw. Scissors go in the kitchen only). Anyway, when I asked him what on earth he was doing with scissors at this time of the night, he pointed to his head. Right in the front, there was a giant wad of gum, and though I picked and pulled, it has not come out. So, this morning I did a quick Google Search, and found that lots of people say to use peanutbutter or ice. That's what I remember Mom using on me, so I hope it works because I'm going to try it right away this morning.
Another "Yep, I'm a mom" day!
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Progress
Sorry about the pics.... John's gotta fix it. Not my department.
Today my sister-in-law and niece came to town. This was the first time they have met the kids, so it was fun to be able to show them off - in spite of them all running around in their grubbies and our house desperately needing a good vacuuming after dragging all the Christmas decorations out yesterday. Hey, I ain't proud! ;O)
We also had turkey dinner at John's folks' house today with their entire clan. The highlight for me was watching John and Aleksa eat their supper together. She loves her Papa, and had to have an arm around him, give him frequent kisses, and otherwise love him up as much as possible while trying to gobble down her meal at the same time. She's been such an affectionate one lately. She's getting so that when I hold her myself, she has to put my chin in the crook of her arm and hug my head sideways with her palm on my cheek. She does this while she is falling to sleep, but she also does this other times too. It relaxes her somehow, like how some kids twirl their hair or stick their fingers through the holes in their afghan/blankets. Huge blessing to see that kind of attachment to us after how worried I was about her when we first came home. Don't get me wrong, we're still pretty vigilant about letting her be too charming to strangers, but we know that she knows who mama and papa are and that we are first best to her.
Anyway, we've also been trying to figure out the Christmas list this year. Adam will be the hardest, I think, but that might just be because I'm a girl and he's alllll boy. What on earth do 9-yr-old boys like!? He'd be thrilled with a bunch of match-box cars, but that sure doesn't look like a whole lot under the tree. We have to do some more thinking (and unfortunately, John hasn't had any ideas to help out).
Speaking of Adam, he's been doing a lot better in crowds. He got wound up a few times on Thanksgiving day and got in trouble a few times being naughty to people, but today at the Fishers' I don't think he did anything that most kids his age might do (like make their balloons squeak... eeewww). Nice that things aren't quite so overwhelming and overstimulating to him anymore. The poor kid was so stressed when we first came home. The difference between this Adam and THAT Adam is incredible. He's come a long way. Nice that he's feeling more secure and that he's getting the hang of family life in a different country. I sure wouldn't want to have gone through what he has in the last three + months, but boy has he weathered it well. Still has a ways to go, but he's doing great!
Again, I'm sorry about the pics. I can email them to you if want.
Today my sister-in-law and niece came to town. This was the first time they have met the kids, so it was fun to be able to show them off - in spite of them all running around in their grubbies and our house desperately needing a good vacuuming after dragging all the Christmas decorations out yesterday. Hey, I ain't proud! ;O)
We also had turkey dinner at John's folks' house today with their entire clan. The highlight for me was watching John and Aleksa eat their supper together. She loves her Papa, and had to have an arm around him, give him frequent kisses, and otherwise love him up as much as possible while trying to gobble down her meal at the same time. She's been such an affectionate one lately. She's getting so that when I hold her myself, she has to put my chin in the crook of her arm and hug my head sideways with her palm on my cheek. She does this while she is falling to sleep, but she also does this other times too. It relaxes her somehow, like how some kids twirl their hair or stick their fingers through the holes in their afghan/blankets. Huge blessing to see that kind of attachment to us after how worried I was about her when we first came home. Don't get me wrong, we're still pretty vigilant about letting her be too charming to strangers, but we know that she knows who mama and papa are and that we are first best to her.
Anyway, we've also been trying to figure out the Christmas list this year. Adam will be the hardest, I think, but that might just be because I'm a girl and he's alllll boy. What on earth do 9-yr-old boys like!? He'd be thrilled with a bunch of match-box cars, but that sure doesn't look like a whole lot under the tree. We have to do some more thinking (and unfortunately, John hasn't had any ideas to help out).
Speaking of Adam, he's been doing a lot better in crowds. He got wound up a few times on Thanksgiving day and got in trouble a few times being naughty to people, but today at the Fishers' I don't think he did anything that most kids his age might do (like make their balloons squeak... eeewww). Nice that things aren't quite so overwhelming and overstimulating to him anymore. The poor kid was so stressed when we first came home. The difference between this Adam and THAT Adam is incredible. He's come a long way. Nice that he's feeling more secure and that he's getting the hang of family life in a different country. I sure wouldn't want to have gone through what he has in the last three + months, but boy has he weathered it well. Still has a ways to go, but he's doing great!
Again, I'm sorry about the pics. I can email them to you if want.
Day after Thanksgiving
Ok, today I had a BLAST! This morning after breakfast, we put up our Christmas tree!!! The kids were sooooooooooo excited! They made up songs about the Christmas tree and danced and hopped and jumped and clapped, and helped put everything on the tree. I have candy canes clumped together in one spot, tinsel strewn here and there (Adam put it on my rubber tree, but some wound up on the Christmas tree afterall.) We have clusters of ornaments that ordinarily I would be equally distributing all over the tree, but this year, I could care less. As long as the kids were happy putting it up (and they WERE!), that was all I much cared. Many (most) of my ornaments are not breakable, and I put a bunch of red ribbons on it, so thankfully our tree this year is pretty kid-friendly. I'm not much for having all the ornaments match - my tree is rather hodge-podge. I put things on the tree that mean something to me or remind me of people, places, etc. So, Martha Steward would not be able to stand it, in other words. But hey, my kids think it is the most beautiful thing that ever was, so I'm a happy girl! :O)
I forgot to mention that the other night John made the kids some indian clothes for the kids out of grocery bags. (We had read the Thanksgiving story to them, so we had to get all in the "holiday spirit" ya know!)
The dresses are done! Here are some pics of the last few days. Didn't have any award-winning pics, but at least you can see what we've been up to!
Dresses
Backs of Dresses
Adam making vest
Aleksa's vest
Liana's vest
Hand Turkeys
I forgot to mention that the other night John made the kids some indian clothes for the kids out of grocery bags. (We had read the Thanksgiving story to them, so we had to get all in the "holiday spirit" ya know!)
The dresses are done! Here are some pics of the last few days. Didn't have any award-winning pics, but at least you can see what we've been up to!
Dresses
Backs of Dresses
Adam making vest
Aleksa's vest
Liana's vest
Hand Turkeys
Friday, November 26, 2004
Happy Thanksgiving!
Talk about a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
We took pies over to my dad's house in the morning (he said he didn't want turkey and trimmings... just pie), so we spent our Thanksgiving mid-morning with Dad and his pies. Not sure I like that new tradition, but he said he lost his taste for turkey a few years ago, and he wasn't willing to pack himself up and spend the day at someone else's house. So, anyway, I put up his Christmas decorations while we were there, and the kids all got a slice of the cherry pie they helped me make the day before.
Anyway, after that, we came home and fixed our turkey feast; turkey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, vereneky (our new Thanksgiving tradition, John decided), olives, lefse, lotsa Christmas cookies and pie. After we were all done eating, I asked Liana what she liked best about her meal, and she said, "the skin!" (She LOVED the turkey skin and begged all the rest of the day for more. Must be my kid. I love it too, but it has to be crunchy and salty...) The Fishers came over as did Uncle Jared and little cousin Glenn. Nice day.
In the evening we hauled out the card table and had all the kids make hand and feet turkeys. They were pretty cute. Adam's is funny. His foot is exactly as big as mine is (I'm a size 7 1/2), so his turkey's body (the foot) is realllllly tall, especially when his is sitting next to the rest of the kids'.
Lets see, Grandpa brought over an enormous box of popsicle sticks today too. He taught them how to make popsicle stick bombs. So, my new job title for the rest of my life is going to be Chief Stick-picker-upper ! ;O)
I got pretty wilty this evening, so I layed on the couch. Before I knew it, Liana and Aleksa came over to tuck me in. Whenever we tuck the kids in, Aleksa always likes to tell us "what she likes." She'll say, "Mama, I like it yogurt, and juice, and Cream of Wheat, and...." That's her favorite topic of conversation at bedtime for some reason. So, when she tucked me in, she said, "Mama, what you like? You like it juice?" Of course I told her I did, and then she said, "Ok, Mama! Good night!" and kissed me on the cheek. It was cute, but probably not so cute if you hadn't been there and known the background behind why she said what she did.
Before bedtime (and after everyone had left), we all sat on the couch and talked about the things we were thankful for. The kids (and Mama and Papa!) were all thankful for their families. Liana summed it up best by saying, "I all-a-ya loves it!" (Obviously we're not completely fluent around here yet...) They were also very thankful for all their food today, and for their "everyday" food. They were thankful for their warm beds, nice house, that snow was coming soon, and that we could put our Christmas tree up soon, and Adam even said he was thankful for his school work and Mama teaching him! (I about fell over!) We also heard that the election results in Ukraine were cancelled by the Ukrainian Supreme Court until further investigations. *whew* Very thankful about that. (We're really hoping Yushchenko wins). Great way to wrap up the day. The kids were exhausted from all the excitement and playing, and my back was killing me from all the work I put in too. Must mean we had a wonderful day!
Happy, happy Thanksgiving everyone!
We took pies over to my dad's house in the morning (he said he didn't want turkey and trimmings... just pie), so we spent our Thanksgiving mid-morning with Dad and his pies. Not sure I like that new tradition, but he said he lost his taste for turkey a few years ago, and he wasn't willing to pack himself up and spend the day at someone else's house. So, anyway, I put up his Christmas decorations while we were there, and the kids all got a slice of the cherry pie they helped me make the day before.
Anyway, after that, we came home and fixed our turkey feast; turkey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, vereneky (our new Thanksgiving tradition, John decided), olives, lefse, lotsa Christmas cookies and pie. After we were all done eating, I asked Liana what she liked best about her meal, and she said, "the skin!" (She LOVED the turkey skin and begged all the rest of the day for more. Must be my kid. I love it too, but it has to be crunchy and salty...) The Fishers came over as did Uncle Jared and little cousin Glenn. Nice day.
In the evening we hauled out the card table and had all the kids make hand and feet turkeys. They were pretty cute. Adam's is funny. His foot is exactly as big as mine is (I'm a size 7 1/2), so his turkey's body (the foot) is realllllly tall, especially when his is sitting next to the rest of the kids'.
Lets see, Grandpa brought over an enormous box of popsicle sticks today too. He taught them how to make popsicle stick bombs. So, my new job title for the rest of my life is going to be Chief Stick-picker-upper ! ;O)
I got pretty wilty this evening, so I layed on the couch. Before I knew it, Liana and Aleksa came over to tuck me in. Whenever we tuck the kids in, Aleksa always likes to tell us "what she likes." She'll say, "Mama, I like it yogurt, and juice, and Cream of Wheat, and...." That's her favorite topic of conversation at bedtime for some reason. So, when she tucked me in, she said, "Mama, what you like? You like it juice?" Of course I told her I did, and then she said, "Ok, Mama! Good night!" and kissed me on the cheek. It was cute, but probably not so cute if you hadn't been there and known the background behind why she said what she did.
Before bedtime (and after everyone had left), we all sat on the couch and talked about the things we were thankful for. The kids (and Mama and Papa!) were all thankful for their families. Liana summed it up best by saying, "I all-a-ya loves it!" (Obviously we're not completely fluent around here yet...) They were also very thankful for all their food today, and for their "everyday" food. They were thankful for their warm beds, nice house, that snow was coming soon, and that we could put our Christmas tree up soon, and Adam even said he was thankful for his school work and Mama teaching him! (I about fell over!) We also heard that the election results in Ukraine were cancelled by the Ukrainian Supreme Court until further investigations. *whew* Very thankful about that. (We're really hoping Yushchenko wins). Great way to wrap up the day. The kids were exhausted from all the excitement and playing, and my back was killing me from all the work I put in too. Must mean we had a wonderful day!
Happy, happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Thankful
So much going through my head this week. Cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating. Plus, Thanksgiving day is also my mom's birthday, so I've been thinking about her a lot this week. Many of you already know that my mom died two years ago. It is going to be so bittersweet that our first Thanksgiving together is also going to fall on Mom's birthday.
Anyway, it's just too bad. We'll definitely have one of the best days of our lives on Thursday anyway since we have SOOOOO much to be thankful for. Thursday isn't all about turkey to us. It's about thanking God for what He has given us, and wow do we have a lot to be thankful for this year.
Tonight we had a Thanksgiving service at church and we got to share what we were thankful for. It is always a fun service to attend because we get to hear how many neat things people have been blessed with, but it was so fun this year to be able to thank God for giving us our children. I still sit and wonder how on earth we actually pulled off our adoption at all. There was so much red tape. We had to get so much of our dossier re-done, we had to wait to be approved, wait to be rejected, wait to resubmit our dossier, wait to get an appointment, wait to travel, raise all the money, etc., etc. I can't believe John actually climbed on a plane to Ukraine in the first place! He hates to travel!
I can't remember if I've really shared about switching our approval from two children to three. When I mentioned to John that I had been thinking about the possibility of getting three kids instead of two, I expected an immediate, "ARE YOU CRAZY?" I thought there might have been a heated discussion, but he just said, "yeah, that would be a good idea" (or something as casual as that.) I about fell over; probably because I was still in doubt as to whether it was a good idea or not.
Then when we asked our social worker to approve us for three kids instead of two, we were still unsure if that was what we actually wanted, but wanted to keep the door open. Shockingly, she hardly blinked and approved us right away. !!.
Then when we sent in our $195 ammendment to our INS approval for the approval for one extra child, the letter came back - I had forgotten a stamp. I joked with John saying maybe this was a sign; "Go back! Go back!" He rolled his eyes, reminded me that we don't believe in "signs" and said I was silly. We sent it in again. It came back again. Then I REALLY joked about the "sign." The letter from INS said something that we thought meant that our check was the wrong amount. I frankly thought it was too freaky that we were getting this sent back to us for a second time, and really began to question whether we were making the right decision. Again John said I was being silly, and so we resent it. They sent it back again saying that we didn't have to pay them at all, gave us our check back, and then promptly approved us for free! When I think now I might have just closed the door to our kids altogether all because of a lack of a stamp, I just cringe. (Good job, Honey, not letting me see "signs" in everything...)
Yup, lots to be thankful for this year.
Anyway, it's just too bad. We'll definitely have one of the best days of our lives on Thursday anyway since we have SOOOOO much to be thankful for. Thursday isn't all about turkey to us. It's about thanking God for what He has given us, and wow do we have a lot to be thankful for this year.
Tonight we had a Thanksgiving service at church and we got to share what we were thankful for. It is always a fun service to attend because we get to hear how many neat things people have been blessed with, but it was so fun this year to be able to thank God for giving us our children. I still sit and wonder how on earth we actually pulled off our adoption at all. There was so much red tape. We had to get so much of our dossier re-done, we had to wait to be approved, wait to be rejected, wait to resubmit our dossier, wait to get an appointment, wait to travel, raise all the money, etc., etc. I can't believe John actually climbed on a plane to Ukraine in the first place! He hates to travel!
I can't remember if I've really shared about switching our approval from two children to three. When I mentioned to John that I had been thinking about the possibility of getting three kids instead of two, I expected an immediate, "ARE YOU CRAZY?" I thought there might have been a heated discussion, but he just said, "yeah, that would be a good idea" (or something as casual as that.) I about fell over; probably because I was still in doubt as to whether it was a good idea or not.
Then when we asked our social worker to approve us for three kids instead of two, we were still unsure if that was what we actually wanted, but wanted to keep the door open. Shockingly, she hardly blinked and approved us right away. !!.
Then when we sent in our $195 ammendment to our INS approval for the approval for one extra child, the letter came back - I had forgotten a stamp. I joked with John saying maybe this was a sign; "Go back! Go back!" He rolled his eyes, reminded me that we don't believe in "signs" and said I was silly. We sent it in again. It came back again. Then I REALLY joked about the "sign." The letter from INS said something that we thought meant that our check was the wrong amount. I frankly thought it was too freaky that we were getting this sent back to us for a second time, and really began to question whether we were making the right decision. Again John said I was being silly, and so we resent it. They sent it back again saying that we didn't have to pay them at all, gave us our check back, and then promptly approved us for free! When I think now I might have just closed the door to our kids altogether all because of a lack of a stamp, I just cringe. (Good job, Honey, not letting me see "signs" in everything...)
Yup, lots to be thankful for this year.
Monday, November 22, 2004
More shots!
Took the kids for some more shots today. Liana was a trooper; didn't even flinch or whimper. The other two on the other hand.... Oy. It's getting worse for each round (we go in once a month for shots to get them caught up). It took three nurses plus me to hold Aleksa down, and as soon as she was done, she shut off the tears and was all smiles and giggles. Little stinker... ;O) The nurses all felt sorry for me when I told them that this was how our plane ride home was. Aleksa has some kinda lungs on her when she's remotely scared.
Adam was Naugh-Ty. He cried, as usual, but also got mad at everyone and wouldn't talk to the nurses after he was done and pretty much threw himself a pity-party. Not really sure how to handle him when he gets that way. I know he's got some anxieties about doctors, but he should not be mad or unkind to people because of it. Don't like that.
We're having the kids all re-tested for parasites, so we get to collect stool samples again. Oh joy. Ask me how excited I am about that...
This afternoon after I declared it time to pick up their bedrooms, Liana made her bed, and then went into her closet and pulled out an outfit that she just got this weekend that happens to perfectly match her blankets. She layed it on her bed and kept it there... It looks pretty next to the blankets, she said. !!??.
Tonight for a treat we all watched Swiss Family Robinson. The kids LOVED it. Lots of squeals of excitement. At the end, the oldest boy gets the girl if you remember. Liana declared that she is going to get married too one day. Her husband is going to have either brown hair and brown eyes or blond hair and blue eyes. Or pink, she said. Well, alrighty then. (Does that mean that any ole man will do?) (Good thing we have a few years to iron those things out...)
Adam was Naugh-Ty. He cried, as usual, but also got mad at everyone and wouldn't talk to the nurses after he was done and pretty much threw himself a pity-party. Not really sure how to handle him when he gets that way. I know he's got some anxieties about doctors, but he should not be mad or unkind to people because of it. Don't like that.
We're having the kids all re-tested for parasites, so we get to collect stool samples again. Oh joy. Ask me how excited I am about that...
This afternoon after I declared it time to pick up their bedrooms, Liana made her bed, and then went into her closet and pulled out an outfit that she just got this weekend that happens to perfectly match her blankets. She layed it on her bed and kept it there... It looks pretty next to the blankets, she said. !!??.
Tonight for a treat we all watched Swiss Family Robinson. The kids LOVED it. Lots of squeals of excitement. At the end, the oldest boy gets the girl if you remember. Liana declared that she is going to get married too one day. Her husband is going to have either brown hair and brown eyes or blond hair and blue eyes. Or pink, she said. Well, alrighty then. (Does that mean that any ole man will do?) (Good thing we have a few years to iron those things out...)
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Scared of Papa dying
We caught a little glimpse of the Liana we saw on the first day we met her tonight. (You know, the one who said, "Come back, Papa" when we got up to leave on our first visit.) John mentioned death tonight and Liana got all quiet and then she got all teary, and then she was out-and-out crying, (arms flung around his neck), and telling John she didn't want him to die. He had to spend a good half hour convincing her that he wasn't going to die for a very long, long, long time, etc. No problem with attachments and bonding with our Lianichka! Poor little thing. Such a stressful topic for little ones - Especially, I imagine, with those who have had the life-circumstances that she and her brother and sister have. Just finally settling in to someplace good, and then we go and mention the "d" word. I'd be stressed too! (We love you Liana! xox)
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Happy National Adoption Day!
This morning we all piled in the car and went to help make blankets for some orphans in China. A 13-yr-old girl from church is making them for a project to earn a badge for Girl Scouts. She solicited donations from area businesses and others for this project and she wound up with enough fleece fabric for 28 tie-blankets. Pretty cool! Anyway, that's a lot of blankets for one girl to make, so she enlisted the help of some folks from church. We thought it was a pretty neat opportunity for our kids to learn to help others - and especially orphans. Great way to celebrate National Adoption Day (today), and Adoption Awareness Month. The kids wondered if we were going to drive to China after we were done. Um, no....
Mom Fisher looked at the girls' dresses today. She took them home to fix them. !. At least I tried, right?! I'll post pics when I get the dresses back. (No close-ups, mind you...) ;O)
Mom Fisher looked at the girls' dresses today. She took them home to fix them. !. At least I tried, right?! I'll post pics when I get the dresses back. (No close-ups, mind you...) ;O)
"Don't eat it bugs!"
Not a whole lot happening here, but I do have a few cute stories...
The other night when we tucked Aleksa in, instead of us saying, "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite," she said to us, "Good night, don't eat it bugs!" (We promised we wouldn't!)
A few days ago I was wearing my "Dr. Seuss sweatshirt" around the house. My cousin had given it to me a few months ago. It has the Cat in the Hat on it, as well as "Thing One" and "Thing Two," and a Star-bellied Sneetch and the Grinch. I figured the kids would love me wearing some of the familiar characters in their books. Well, Liana was sitting on my lap chatting with me when she told me I really shouldn't wear that sweatshirt. I was surprised and asked her why. She pointed to each character and said, "Own bad, own bad, own bad, own bad, own bad." ("Own" is my sounded-out spelling of the word for "He.")
Ya know, I guess she's right! What kind of a mama am I?!!! It's amazing how discerning kids can be where parents are sometimes completely oblivious. All three kids will often will tell me at the grocery store that the music is "yucky." They don't know what the songs are saying yet, but obviously they thing the tune says something, and ya know, if you listen to what the words say, they are very often right on the money. Kids are smart people.
The older two had to talk to Uncle Jared in the worst way yesterday. They had been cutting and drawing and pasting a project for him. Then Auntie Cara called me and as we chatted, I mentioned Jared's name. Well, that's all it took, and they started pleading with me to call him. Fun that their English is progressing well enough to do so and be understood by anyone other than me and John. They both enjoyed their chats with their uncle and later begged us to go to Uncle Jared's house to give him their projects.
Adam was extra snuggly yesterday. Every opportunity he had he was either on my lap, next to me, holding my hand, arm around me, etc. We finished the second half of "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" last night, and he had to snuggle me like a pillow. (I'm so thankful to be able to get in on this side of him before he "outgrows the desire" to be so affectionate with Mama. I keep telling him that he's going to go rock-rock with Mama until he's 42. He's not so sure about that one...)
John invented a fun game to play with the kids last night. We've been collecting juice-can lids (the kids love to play with those!) We also have a few empty glass pickle jars (the big ones - you know how we go through those things around here!) So, John put a pickle jar on each end of the livingroom, and then we split into two teams. Then, one team takes a lid and tries to maneuver through the room to get it to the "basket" (or jar!) on the other end. The other team can tickle, block, etc. to stop the lid from making it. We had a blast. Even Aleksa got a few "baskets" tonight. She was soooo proud! We're going to have to do more of that game. Great fun!
The other night when we tucked Aleksa in, instead of us saying, "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite," she said to us, "Good night, don't eat it bugs!" (We promised we wouldn't!)
A few days ago I was wearing my "Dr. Seuss sweatshirt" around the house. My cousin had given it to me a few months ago. It has the Cat in the Hat on it, as well as "Thing One" and "Thing Two," and a Star-bellied Sneetch and the Grinch. I figured the kids would love me wearing some of the familiar characters in their books. Well, Liana was sitting on my lap chatting with me when she told me I really shouldn't wear that sweatshirt. I was surprised and asked her why. She pointed to each character and said, "Own bad, own bad, own bad, own bad, own bad." ("Own" is my sounded-out spelling of the word for "He.")
Ya know, I guess she's right! What kind of a mama am I?!!! It's amazing how discerning kids can be where parents are sometimes completely oblivious. All three kids will often will tell me at the grocery store that the music is "yucky." They don't know what the songs are saying yet, but obviously they thing the tune says something, and ya know, if you listen to what the words say, they are very often right on the money. Kids are smart people.
The older two had to talk to Uncle Jared in the worst way yesterday. They had been cutting and drawing and pasting a project for him. Then Auntie Cara called me and as we chatted, I mentioned Jared's name. Well, that's all it took, and they started pleading with me to call him. Fun that their English is progressing well enough to do so and be understood by anyone other than me and John. They both enjoyed their chats with their uncle and later begged us to go to Uncle Jared's house to give him their projects.
Adam was extra snuggly yesterday. Every opportunity he had he was either on my lap, next to me, holding my hand, arm around me, etc. We finished the second half of "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" last night, and he had to snuggle me like a pillow. (I'm so thankful to be able to get in on this side of him before he "outgrows the desire" to be so affectionate with Mama. I keep telling him that he's going to go rock-rock with Mama until he's 42. He's not so sure about that one...)
John invented a fun game to play with the kids last night. We've been collecting juice-can lids (the kids love to play with those!) We also have a few empty glass pickle jars (the big ones - you know how we go through those things around here!) So, John put a pickle jar on each end of the livingroom, and then we split into two teams. Then, one team takes a lid and tries to maneuver through the room to get it to the "basket" (or jar!) on the other end. The other team can tickle, block, etc. to stop the lid from making it. We had a blast. Even Aleksa got a few "baskets" tonight. She was soooo proud! We're going to have to do more of that game. Great fun!
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Three Months Home
I can't believe it has been three months already, and I can't believe it has ONLY been three months. Haven't we *always* had an Adam, Liana and an Aleksa running around?
I think the biggest changes so far have been in this month. Their language is taking off first of all. They can hold intelligible conversations with non-family members now, with only occasional translation helps from John and me. They just keep getting better and better each day. The older two can count to 100 with a little help here and there, and I think I have mentioned elsewhere that they can say their days of the week and they've almost got the months of the year down.
Adam is still intrigued by water, soap and bubbles. Just tonight I had to ask him why the ceiling in the bathroom was soaking wet after his bath... And yesterday I burst into the bathroom after hearing the toilet flush four times. I figured there was an emergency in there, but instead it was Adam, sitting on the throne flushing after each "plop." (Sorry; too much information, I'm sure!) I also have to make sure the kitchen sink stays free of dishes or else Adam will, like a magnet, wash up the dishes using half the bottle of dishsoap.
Really though, Adam is a GREAT kid! I took all three to the grocery store today to pick up a few things, and Adam held both girls' hands, and cooed over his "sistrichkas" telling them that they were his baby sisters, etc. If we ask him to help do something, he does it whole-heartedly and takes pride in his job. He loves to help make John's lunch in the morning, loves to open doors for people, carry in bags, vacuum, dust, do laundry, etc. Pretty much a mother's dream. (He even gives great massages!) If I'm exhausted and want to lay down with Aleksa for her naptime, Adam will play quietly with his legos or cars in his room.
Liana is starting to mourn her past life. She's talking about the orphanage and her old family more and more, and will tell us she feels bad about different things and miss other things. Adam did this more his first month home, but I think Liana is finally feeling like she's not ever going to leave here (that's just a guess), so maybe that's why she's talking about Ukraine more now. I wish John and I had a better idea of what exactly her past life was like, but from what we've heard and seen, we know that all three of our kids are really remarkable, brave little people.
She has really taken off with her school stuff too. She doesn't do as well as Adam with letter-recognition, but she can out-count him very easily, and can remember and articulate words a lot better than Adam. For instance, Adam might mumble the words in Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but Liana will belt out every word. She's been able to say the "Now I know my ABC's" part of the alphabet song since last month sometime, but Adam still mumbles most of the words. She's a smart cookie, and I think this has caused a little competition between Adam and Liana in a lot of areas. They both like to be top dog, and Liana gives Adam a run for his money at everything.
Aleksa! What a sweetie! Because I call all of our kids "Sunshine" in the morning, Adam has started calling Aleksa this too, as well as "Leksa Lou." She just has a way of wrapping everyone around her finger! She has really learned a lot these last few months about how to love people. She loves a good tickle, a good cuddle, a good snuggle, etc. When I lay down with her at naptime, she has to hold my cheek to her cheek, and she has to stay with her palm pressed on my cheek. She loves to pat my head, stroke my hair, give me kisses (one on each cheek), etc. and that is an enormous change from when she first came home. She doesn't push my hands away when I touch her anymore (that's been gone a while though). She loves to talk to us and will make things up to chat about if it means we will stay an extra minute to talk to her at bedtime. She is still way behind most other kids her age, but she has come sooooo far! She loves to cut and paste, but doesn't really enjoy coloring, which is weird to me. She just makes little circles on a page if we give her a blank page to draw on. If I ask her to draw a head, then draw eyes, a nose, etc., then she'll do so, but they are still only circles. She loves Color Wonder markers/paper though, and that's been the only way I've found to get her interested in any colorbook type coloring. She's a cutter though (as are the other two), and loves to take a pencil and pretend-write on a little notebook. She's definitely not a color-er though.
At month one, I thought, "wow, I'm busy, but am I a happy camper." At month two, I thought, "wow, I'm busy, but not quite AS busy, but I'm a happy camper." Here at month three, I look back and think, "Boy were month one and two stressful! This month has been so much easier! I'm a happy camper!"
Everyone is getting to know everyone by now, and the major boundaries have already been discovered and tested so there isn't the stress of constantly correcting and teaching everyone simple things that most other kids their age learned years ago. Month three has been the month to really relax and enjoy everyone. We've all learned a good routine, and though that still needs some refining, it is good enough for the kids to feel safe and relaxed. School has been great; they've learned a lot, and we've gone to great lengths to keep the goal of their first months home to be to feel safe and learn how to be a family. We could very easily have completely overwhelmed our Adam especially. Adam clams up when he feels any kind of pressure, especially with numbers, so there is no doubt that our approach of keeping things light has been wise. (We haven't always been successful at that, but for the most part, we have really tried.)
Anyway, I can finally look back and say, "Boy, I'm glad we're not still in that super-newly-home stage of the game anymore!" This was a great month, and with the holidays coming up, next month is going to be WONDERFUL! Can't wait!!!
I think the biggest changes so far have been in this month. Their language is taking off first of all. They can hold intelligible conversations with non-family members now, with only occasional translation helps from John and me. They just keep getting better and better each day. The older two can count to 100 with a little help here and there, and I think I have mentioned elsewhere that they can say their days of the week and they've almost got the months of the year down.
Adam is still intrigued by water, soap and bubbles. Just tonight I had to ask him why the ceiling in the bathroom was soaking wet after his bath... And yesterday I burst into the bathroom after hearing the toilet flush four times. I figured there was an emergency in there, but instead it was Adam, sitting on the throne flushing after each "plop." (Sorry; too much information, I'm sure!) I also have to make sure the kitchen sink stays free of dishes or else Adam will, like a magnet, wash up the dishes using half the bottle of dishsoap.
Really though, Adam is a GREAT kid! I took all three to the grocery store today to pick up a few things, and Adam held both girls' hands, and cooed over his "sistrichkas" telling them that they were his baby sisters, etc. If we ask him to help do something, he does it whole-heartedly and takes pride in his job. He loves to help make John's lunch in the morning, loves to open doors for people, carry in bags, vacuum, dust, do laundry, etc. Pretty much a mother's dream. (He even gives great massages!) If I'm exhausted and want to lay down with Aleksa for her naptime, Adam will play quietly with his legos or cars in his room.
Liana is starting to mourn her past life. She's talking about the orphanage and her old family more and more, and will tell us she feels bad about different things and miss other things. Adam did this more his first month home, but I think Liana is finally feeling like she's not ever going to leave here (that's just a guess), so maybe that's why she's talking about Ukraine more now. I wish John and I had a better idea of what exactly her past life was like, but from what we've heard and seen, we know that all three of our kids are really remarkable, brave little people.
She has really taken off with her school stuff too. She doesn't do as well as Adam with letter-recognition, but she can out-count him very easily, and can remember and articulate words a lot better than Adam. For instance, Adam might mumble the words in Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but Liana will belt out every word. She's been able to say the "Now I know my ABC's" part of the alphabet song since last month sometime, but Adam still mumbles most of the words. She's a smart cookie, and I think this has caused a little competition between Adam and Liana in a lot of areas. They both like to be top dog, and Liana gives Adam a run for his money at everything.
Aleksa! What a sweetie! Because I call all of our kids "Sunshine" in the morning, Adam has started calling Aleksa this too, as well as "Leksa Lou." She just has a way of wrapping everyone around her finger! She has really learned a lot these last few months about how to love people. She loves a good tickle, a good cuddle, a good snuggle, etc. When I lay down with her at naptime, she has to hold my cheek to her cheek, and she has to stay with her palm pressed on my cheek. She loves to pat my head, stroke my hair, give me kisses (one on each cheek), etc. and that is an enormous change from when she first came home. She doesn't push my hands away when I touch her anymore (that's been gone a while though). She loves to talk to us and will make things up to chat about if it means we will stay an extra minute to talk to her at bedtime. She is still way behind most other kids her age, but she has come sooooo far! She loves to cut and paste, but doesn't really enjoy coloring, which is weird to me. She just makes little circles on a page if we give her a blank page to draw on. If I ask her to draw a head, then draw eyes, a nose, etc., then she'll do so, but they are still only circles. She loves Color Wonder markers/paper though, and that's been the only way I've found to get her interested in any colorbook type coloring. She's a cutter though (as are the other two), and loves to take a pencil and pretend-write on a little notebook. She's definitely not a color-er though.
At month one, I thought, "wow, I'm busy, but am I a happy camper." At month two, I thought, "wow, I'm busy, but not quite AS busy, but I'm a happy camper." Here at month three, I look back and think, "Boy were month one and two stressful! This month has been so much easier! I'm a happy camper!"
Everyone is getting to know everyone by now, and the major boundaries have already been discovered and tested so there isn't the stress of constantly correcting and teaching everyone simple things that most other kids their age learned years ago. Month three has been the month to really relax and enjoy everyone. We've all learned a good routine, and though that still needs some refining, it is good enough for the kids to feel safe and relaxed. School has been great; they've learned a lot, and we've gone to great lengths to keep the goal of their first months home to be to feel safe and learn how to be a family. We could very easily have completely overwhelmed our Adam especially. Adam clams up when he feels any kind of pressure, especially with numbers, so there is no doubt that our approach of keeping things light has been wise. (We haven't always been successful at that, but for the most part, we have really tried.)
Anyway, I can finally look back and say, "Boy, I'm glad we're not still in that super-newly-home stage of the game anymore!" This was a great month, and with the holidays coming up, next month is going to be WONDERFUL! Can't wait!!!
Killer Headache
Sorry, no post last night. I had a killer sinus headache which was extra-aggravated by all the coughing I've been doing. My head felt like it was going to explode, so I went to bed by 7:15 or so.
Yesterday was our 3 month home anniversary, so I'm going to have to write some extra stuff for tonight.
Just wanted to check in before the day got going and let you know I'm still here, but just feeling rotten.
Yesterday was our 3 month home anniversary, so I'm going to have to write some extra stuff for tonight.
Just wanted to check in before the day got going and let you know I'm still here, but just feeling rotten.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Nice People
Feeling better over here finally. We're all perking up a bit, but I have a cough from deep in my lungs that I don't really like. But at least I feel better.
This afternoon my cousin came by with my krumkake iron (this is Norwegian country up here). I had let her borrow it for the annual Larson Lady Cookie Day (my mom was a Larson). My aunts, cousins, etc. get together every year to bake a gazillion cookies and then divide up. I missed it this year. I would have loved to have gone, but it was in Madison (2 hour drive), and I don't think the girls are ready to embark on such an event. Especially with a house full of "mamas." I need to steer them clear of those situations for a while yet. They crawl up on any warm body who looks remotely friendly, and trust me, my mother's "people" are about as friendly as they come - and THEN some!
Anyway, Sue gave me my cookie iron back, and then gave me a million cookies too! I couldn't believe they gave me a share of the goods too when I wasn't even there! They are so generous! Plus, she gave us flashcards, computer games, clothes for Adam, etc., etc. It felt like Christmas here! What a blessing! I think I can learn a lot from these people. They are some of the most generous and loving people I've ever known. They've really got the "giving" lesson down. They give until it hurts and then they give some more. Yep, I'd like to be more like that.
Lemme see... We ran into Auntie Sharon and Grandpa today while we were out and about, and as we went our separate ways, Liana said to me, "Tyotya Sayla loves it menya!" ("Auntie Sharon loves me!") Sharon has a way of oozing affection all over you. (She's half Larson, you know!) Liana was still talking about her tonight. She giggled and told me she thinks Tyotya Sayla wants her to live at her house. "Probably so!" I told her, "but no way! Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin because Liana is MY baby!" She laughed and laughed.
After supper I tried to salvage the dresses that I'm making for the girls. I sure did a number on 'em! They need some kinda help, but I'm going to fake it and hope nobody turns over the hems to see how good of a job I did. I should have started with a much easier pattern than I did. I sewed the matching hats for the dresses tonight, and they turned out cute, though I haven't seen them on the girls yet. John told me I couldn't go in and wake them up to try them. Spoil sport. All I need to do yet on the dresses is put the buttons on the back neck and a little more hemming. The tie-backs I mentioned before will have to wait a bit.
Off to bed now, I'm zonked.
This afternoon my cousin came by with my krumkake iron (this is Norwegian country up here). I had let her borrow it for the annual Larson Lady Cookie Day (my mom was a Larson). My aunts, cousins, etc. get together every year to bake a gazillion cookies and then divide up. I missed it this year. I would have loved to have gone, but it was in Madison (2 hour drive), and I don't think the girls are ready to embark on such an event. Especially with a house full of "mamas." I need to steer them clear of those situations for a while yet. They crawl up on any warm body who looks remotely friendly, and trust me, my mother's "people" are about as friendly as they come - and THEN some!
Anyway, Sue gave me my cookie iron back, and then gave me a million cookies too! I couldn't believe they gave me a share of the goods too when I wasn't even there! They are so generous! Plus, she gave us flashcards, computer games, clothes for Adam, etc., etc. It felt like Christmas here! What a blessing! I think I can learn a lot from these people. They are some of the most generous and loving people I've ever known. They've really got the "giving" lesson down. They give until it hurts and then they give some more. Yep, I'd like to be more like that.
Lemme see... We ran into Auntie Sharon and Grandpa today while we were out and about, and as we went our separate ways, Liana said to me, "Tyotya Sayla loves it menya!" ("Auntie Sharon loves me!") Sharon has a way of oozing affection all over you. (She's half Larson, you know!) Liana was still talking about her tonight. She giggled and told me she thinks Tyotya Sayla wants her to live at her house. "Probably so!" I told her, "but no way! Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin because Liana is MY baby!" She laughed and laughed.
After supper I tried to salvage the dresses that I'm making for the girls. I sure did a number on 'em! They need some kinda help, but I'm going to fake it and hope nobody turns over the hems to see how good of a job I did. I should have started with a much easier pattern than I did. I sewed the matching hats for the dresses tonight, and they turned out cute, though I haven't seen them on the girls yet. John told me I couldn't go in and wake them up to try them. Spoil sport. All I need to do yet on the dresses is put the buttons on the back neck and a little more hemming. The tie-backs I mentioned before will have to wait a bit.
Off to bed now, I'm zonked.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Still sick
Still laying low with all our bugs around here. The school schedule was pretty drawn out today with lots of breaks, and much of it was done all snuggled together under piles of blankets. My kinda school! ;O) I couldn't think of any reason why learning how to count by 10's and 5's couldn't be done all snuggled up. Plus our regular counting regime, reading time, reciting the days of the week, months of the year (they've almost got all of the months down now!), etc. all happened cuddled under a half-dozen blankets in one of the kids' rooms. School is much nicer when we're all so cozy, though I nearly lost my voice several times today from overuse. Germies abound at the Fisher house these last few days. Aleksa is starting to cough too, but Adam has avoided it so far.
John is in rough shape too. He has excruciating knots in his back. We had a role-reversal tonight and the kids all tucked Papa in instead of him tucking everyone else in! Poor guy.
I let the kids pick what their afternoon snack would be today. I expected them to say cookies since we have some yummy peanutbutter cookies from Grandma sitting on the counter. But instead, they all wanted apples. Weird.
Anyway, sorry. Y'all don't want to read about our aches and pains or apple-snacks. Not a whole lot else happening here that is blog-worthy as you can see!
John is in rough shape too. He has excruciating knots in his back. We had a role-reversal tonight and the kids all tucked Papa in instead of him tucking everyone else in! Poor guy.
I let the kids pick what their afternoon snack would be today. I expected them to say cookies since we have some yummy peanutbutter cookies from Grandma sitting on the counter. But instead, they all wanted apples. Weird.
Anyway, sorry. Y'all don't want to read about our aches and pains or apple-snacks. Not a whole lot else happening here that is blog-worthy as you can see!
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Email from another Bilgorod family
Liana and I still aren't feeling very well. I sure hope we do get over all the illnesses before the holidays.
I got an email today from a family who adopted from the same orphanage we did in Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky. They brought their little girl home in February of 2003. She sent me a few pictures of her daughter, and lo and behold, our Adam in is one of them! It is so nice to have a picture (even though he has a squinty-awful look on his face) of his orphanage days from before we arrived on the scene. Their trip was in the winter, so it was weird to see the same scenes with snow dumped all over everything. Also, they had the same POA we did! Weird to see our Vica in her pictures! Anyway, I jotted her a line back and hopefully there will be more pictures exchanged in the near future.
Making it short again tonight. I'm shot.
I got an email today from a family who adopted from the same orphanage we did in Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky. They brought their little girl home in February of 2003. She sent me a few pictures of her daughter, and lo and behold, our Adam in is one of them! It is so nice to have a picture (even though he has a squinty-awful look on his face) of his orphanage days from before we arrived on the scene. Their trip was in the winter, so it was weird to see the same scenes with snow dumped all over everything. Also, they had the same POA we did! Weird to see our Vica in her pictures! Anyway, I jotted her a line back and hopefully there will be more pictures exchanged in the near future.
Making it short again tonight. I'm shot.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Sick-o's
Sorry y'all, I've not been feeling the greatest this weekend. I had a fever on and off all day yesterday, and we've been really busy anyway, so I've been wrung out by bedtime. (Keeping it short tonight as well; just wanted y'all to know where I've been!)
Yesterday a friend came by and gave the kids a giant box of icecream treats. Talk about becoming an instant best friend! It was sure nice of her, and the kids talked about her for the rest of the afternoon. (She even promised to bring her puppy over next time!)
Adam went hunting with the guys in my side of the family. He and John just went along for the fun of it (didn't bring guns, that is). Adam sure felt all important though, that he got to go somewhere with Papa.
We girls stayed home and made cookies. I made some divinity and some Ukrainian honey cookies. I might have done something wrong with them, but they weren't the greatest. I'd never had them before, but apparently they are pretty typical. I'm used to ooey-gooey-super-sweet-chocolate-on-the-outside-caramel-on-the-inside kind of American cookies, I guess. I noticed while in Ukraine that their sweets aren't as sweet as ours to begin with, so maybe that's the issue. Not sure. We had some breakfast sweet-bread there once that was really hard for me to get all the way through... It *really* needed some powdered-sugar frosting on top.
Liana isn't feeling the greatest either. She and I crashed early last night on the couch, and has been sniffling and coughing today.
People have been noticing more and more that when you have a chat with the kids, that they are speaking mostly English back to them - and that they understand them. I talked to Adam on the phone today when he and John were at my dad's house after The Hunt. This was only the second time I've ever talked to any of the kids on the phone. He spoke all English to me, (very short responses though), and instead of his "Dah's," he said, a very polite-sounding, "yes." He has a very sweet, high, Vienna-boy-choir-like speaking voice. He can't really hold a tune when he sings, but he has a sweet-sounding voice when he hits the right notes. Anyway, he sounded very "proper" on the phone, and he actually reminded me of an English (as in "from England") boy.
I'm exhausted. Night everyone!
Yesterday a friend came by and gave the kids a giant box of icecream treats. Talk about becoming an instant best friend! It was sure nice of her, and the kids talked about her for the rest of the afternoon. (She even promised to bring her puppy over next time!)
Adam went hunting with the guys in my side of the family. He and John just went along for the fun of it (didn't bring guns, that is). Adam sure felt all important though, that he got to go somewhere with Papa.
We girls stayed home and made cookies. I made some divinity and some Ukrainian honey cookies. I might have done something wrong with them, but they weren't the greatest. I'd never had them before, but apparently they are pretty typical. I'm used to ooey-gooey-super-sweet-chocolate-on-the-outside-caramel-on-the-inside kind of American cookies, I guess. I noticed while in Ukraine that their sweets aren't as sweet as ours to begin with, so maybe that's the issue. Not sure. We had some breakfast sweet-bread there once that was really hard for me to get all the way through... It *really* needed some powdered-sugar frosting on top.
Liana isn't feeling the greatest either. She and I crashed early last night on the couch, and has been sniffling and coughing today.
People have been noticing more and more that when you have a chat with the kids, that they are speaking mostly English back to them - and that they understand them. I talked to Adam on the phone today when he and John were at my dad's house after The Hunt. This was only the second time I've ever talked to any of the kids on the phone. He spoke all English to me, (very short responses though), and instead of his "Dah's," he said, a very polite-sounding, "yes." He has a very sweet, high, Vienna-boy-choir-like speaking voice. He can't really hold a tune when he sings, but he has a sweet-sounding voice when he hits the right notes. Anyway, he sounded very "proper" on the phone, and he actually reminded me of an English (as in "from England") boy.
I'm exhausted. Night everyone!
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Misc ramblings
We're closing in on Month Three, and I have been tickled pink that my kids still think that cleaning is fun. They still fight over who gets to vacuum and dust. It's just amazing. (*woe is me*) ;O)
Also, Adam has been really wanting me to let him figure out how to do the laundry (he loves machines and buttons and loud noises...) So, today I taught him the joys of sorting clothes by colors, figuring out hot/warm/cold water, etc. I wonder how long these joys will last! ;O) I think I started doing my own laundry when I was just a couple years older than he is though, so I don't feel *too* bad.
Of the three, Adam keeps his room the neatest. He makes his bed without being told, and he really takes pride in keeping his room clean. He didn't start out that way, that's for sure, but the longer he has been home, the more inclined to keep a tight ship. Fine with me; if he ever marries, his wife will love that about him! (His bookshelves are a mess though... I guess he figures as long as it isn't on the floor, it is clean).
I had a lot of chores to do this afternoon, so I didn't have time to nap with 'Leksa. I layed her down in her bed and let Liana and Adam play quietly in the other room. I wondered how it would go since the last time I tried that, she screamed her head off because she was scared of being alone. It lasted about five minutes and then she started crying. I put her on the couch with the rest of us in the kitchen and she was out within a couple minutes as usual. She has to have someone within earshot at all times, but preferably sleeping right there with her. (I prefer that too. Nothing sweeter on earth than to have a little girl hug you as she sleeps.)
Speaking of, when I wake them up in the morning, I usually sing "You Are My Sunshine" to them. Aleksa listens and then will sing the last word in each phrase with me. Kinda cute. I've been calling her my "Leksa Lou." Adam has started calling her that too, and I have to chuckle whenever he says it. Just something about a non-native-English-speaker adding a "Lou" to someone's name. Cracks me up.
Adam's fish tank had been a little yucky, so John has changed it a few times recently, and we wound up having to take all the fake-foliage out. Hopefully we can put it back soon; his poor fish is bored to death. We were worried that the slime on the sides of the tank was making the fish sick, and when we told that to Adam, he got all "parental" and went over to the tank, stroked the glass and cooed at the fish telling it that he loved it and that he needed to get better, etc. He's such a softy. He's a father-hen to the girls (ok, mostly to Aleksa); he loves animals; he loves to be touched and to touch, etc. He also has said that he wants ten children. Five girls and five boys. I told him he'd better be a lawyer or doctor then, because that was a lot of mouths to feed! His response was, "Ya smart, Mama; ya smart!" as he tapped the side of his forehead. Yup, he is!
Ok, speaking of "yup," my Liana has picked up my bad habit of saying that. Grrr. Only when she says it, it sounds like, "Yop." The Russian word, "dah" for "yes" has been one they've hung onto the longest without changing, so this new "yup" thing sounds funny to me to hear instead of "dah." They haven't yet used the word "and" yet either. Some of the most common words are the ones they have hung onto the longest in Ukrainian/Russian. They still don't use the English personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, they, we), though the rest of the sentence might be in English. Exceptions might be for phrases that we use all the time like, "I love you." Then they'll use the pronoun, but probably only because they have learned the phrase as a unit, and not because they constructed it themselves.
Also, Adam has been really wanting me to let him figure out how to do the laundry (he loves machines and buttons and loud noises...) So, today I taught him the joys of sorting clothes by colors, figuring out hot/warm/cold water, etc. I wonder how long these joys will last! ;O) I think I started doing my own laundry when I was just a couple years older than he is though, so I don't feel *too* bad.
Of the three, Adam keeps his room the neatest. He makes his bed without being told, and he really takes pride in keeping his room clean. He didn't start out that way, that's for sure, but the longer he has been home, the more inclined to keep a tight ship. Fine with me; if he ever marries, his wife will love that about him! (His bookshelves are a mess though... I guess he figures as long as it isn't on the floor, it is clean).
I had a lot of chores to do this afternoon, so I didn't have time to nap with 'Leksa. I layed her down in her bed and let Liana and Adam play quietly in the other room. I wondered how it would go since the last time I tried that, she screamed her head off because she was scared of being alone. It lasted about five minutes and then she started crying. I put her on the couch with the rest of us in the kitchen and she was out within a couple minutes as usual. She has to have someone within earshot at all times, but preferably sleeping right there with her. (I prefer that too. Nothing sweeter on earth than to have a little girl hug you as she sleeps.)
Speaking of, when I wake them up in the morning, I usually sing "You Are My Sunshine" to them. Aleksa listens and then will sing the last word in each phrase with me. Kinda cute. I've been calling her my "Leksa Lou." Adam has started calling her that too, and I have to chuckle whenever he says it. Just something about a non-native-English-speaker adding a "Lou" to someone's name. Cracks me up.
Adam's fish tank had been a little yucky, so John has changed it a few times recently, and we wound up having to take all the fake-foliage out. Hopefully we can put it back soon; his poor fish is bored to death. We were worried that the slime on the sides of the tank was making the fish sick, and when we told that to Adam, he got all "parental" and went over to the tank, stroked the glass and cooed at the fish telling it that he loved it and that he needed to get better, etc. He's such a softy. He's a father-hen to the girls (ok, mostly to Aleksa); he loves animals; he loves to be touched and to touch, etc. He also has said that he wants ten children. Five girls and five boys. I told him he'd better be a lawyer or doctor then, because that was a lot of mouths to feed! His response was, "Ya smart, Mama; ya smart!" as he tapped the side of his forehead. Yup, he is!
Ok, speaking of "yup," my Liana has picked up my bad habit of saying that. Grrr. Only when she says it, it sounds like, "Yop." The Russian word, "dah" for "yes" has been one they've hung onto the longest without changing, so this new "yup" thing sounds funny to me to hear instead of "dah." They haven't yet used the word "and" yet either. Some of the most common words are the ones they have hung onto the longest in Ukrainian/Russian. They still don't use the English personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, they, we), though the rest of the sentence might be in English. Exceptions might be for phrases that we use all the time like, "I love you." Then they'll use the pronoun, but probably only because they have learned the phrase as a unit, and not because they constructed it themselves.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
School stuff
Lemme see... Not a whole lot going on here today. The kids are doing great with their school stuff, except Adam has a fear of numbers. I have the same thing I suppose, but he sees a number and he's ready to run for the hills. Ok, not quite. He just keeps telling himself that he can't do math and then he gets all panicky about it. We're trying to lay low with them for now and not stress the kids out with cramming info in their heads. Our main project with the kids is to get them feeling settled and safe in a family. But we do have them do some book-work though, so that by the time we are ready (and speaking English!), they will know all their letters and sounds, numbers and sequences. Dot-to-dots have been hard for him, yet good for him. He has gotten tons better at them, but he still tells himself he can't do it without asking us at every dot what comes next. If we give him a list of numbers with one missing, he panics and can't do it. If, however, I take a number off of the calendar without him looking, and ask him what goes there, he can tell me without much problem. It's sitting him down with a pencil and making him stare at a number that scares him. Another Ukie-adopter-homeschool-mom recommended what she called "potato chip math." She said when her boy came home she would say, "How many chips do you want?" and he would say a number. Then she would purposely give him less and ask how many more he needed to make that number. Then she'd say, "That's because 2+4=6!" That's Adam's kind of mathematics! (Mine too... where were my chips in Algebra class?)
I took the kids to Walmart today and we shopped for a letter. (Might have mentioned doing that before, as today isn't the first time we've done this.) If the kids are having a hard time remembering what a certain letter looks like during school-time, when I take them shopping that week, we go hunting for that letter. We find the letters on signs, on labels, etc., etc. Wow, has that helped a lot, and the kids think it's fun. (They can say their alphabet perfectly, but we're still working on recognizing the letters in print.)
Speaking of, Adam was looking at the pictures in a Reader's Digest that we had laying around, and he asked me what a word said that was graffiti written on a bus. It said, "Kill," which wasn't the nicest word, but oh well, that's what it said. Anyway, as I was wishing it said something else, he started to sound it out, and lo and behold, he read it! Couldn't believe it! (I'm not pressuring them to read at all right now. Until they are really speaking English well, I don't want to tackle that project. Makes no sense to learn to read a language you don't speak. Working on the basics here.) Anyway, I was pretty proud, and it was a big relief to me that he is intuitively sounding things out. Hopefully that will make it easier once we sit down more formally to do so.
As we were reading today, all of a sudden Liana stopped me and said, "what 'instead?'" (I had just read that Belle wanted the Beast to take her instead of her papa). I got to camp a minute to explain it, and she seemed satisfied, so we continued. (Believe me, our Liana would definitely let me know if she didn't understand! She asks more questions when we read of any little kid I've ever seen. It amazes me that the other two kids don't slug her to make her be quiet as they try to listen. Nobody has yet, though one night when Aleksa asked more questions than normal, Liana told her to "be quiet!") Anyway, we got toward the end of the book where Belle tells the Beast she loves him, and Adam piped up, "Spell broken, dah, Mama?" My first reaction was, "How on earth do you know about spells being broken?!" and then I read the next line which said that the "spell was broken." It's amazing how much they learn from books, and how much they remember. I know I've only read that book a few times before.
The dollhouse is still in one piece! And strangely enough, Adam has claimed it. I'm still scratching my head about that, but it does have duct tape all over it, and Papa made it with his Swiss Army knife, so maybe he just figures it was a handyman project for "guys?" Who knows. But, it's in his room among his cars, balls and legos. Adam just likes to have stuff. This is the same kid who hung my kitchen clock in his bedroom closet when we first came home. Thankfully, his gimmes have tamed down a LOT. I no longer have to pat him down at the store, though I still do watch him like a hawk just to make sure.
I took the kids to Walmart today and we shopped for a letter. (Might have mentioned doing that before, as today isn't the first time we've done this.) If the kids are having a hard time remembering what a certain letter looks like during school-time, when I take them shopping that week, we go hunting for that letter. We find the letters on signs, on labels, etc., etc. Wow, has that helped a lot, and the kids think it's fun. (They can say their alphabet perfectly, but we're still working on recognizing the letters in print.)
Speaking of, Adam was looking at the pictures in a Reader's Digest that we had laying around, and he asked me what a word said that was graffiti written on a bus. It said, "Kill," which wasn't the nicest word, but oh well, that's what it said. Anyway, as I was wishing it said something else, he started to sound it out, and lo and behold, he read it! Couldn't believe it! (I'm not pressuring them to read at all right now. Until they are really speaking English well, I don't want to tackle that project. Makes no sense to learn to read a language you don't speak. Working on the basics here.) Anyway, I was pretty proud, and it was a big relief to me that he is intuitively sounding things out. Hopefully that will make it easier once we sit down more formally to do so.
As we were reading today, all of a sudden Liana stopped me and said, "what 'instead?'" (I had just read that Belle wanted the Beast to take her instead of her papa). I got to camp a minute to explain it, and she seemed satisfied, so we continued. (Believe me, our Liana would definitely let me know if she didn't understand! She asks more questions when we read of any little kid I've ever seen. It amazes me that the other two kids don't slug her to make her be quiet as they try to listen. Nobody has yet, though one night when Aleksa asked more questions than normal, Liana told her to "be quiet!") Anyway, we got toward the end of the book where Belle tells the Beast she loves him, and Adam piped up, "Spell broken, dah, Mama?" My first reaction was, "How on earth do you know about spells being broken?!" and then I read the next line which said that the "spell was broken." It's amazing how much they learn from books, and how much they remember. I know I've only read that book a few times before.
The dollhouse is still in one piece! And strangely enough, Adam has claimed it. I'm still scratching my head about that, but it does have duct tape all over it, and Papa made it with his Swiss Army knife, so maybe he just figures it was a handyman project for "guys?" Who knows. But, it's in his room among his cars, balls and legos. Adam just likes to have stuff. This is the same kid who hung my kitchen clock in his bedroom closet when we first came home. Thankfully, his gimmes have tamed down a LOT. I no longer have to pat him down at the store, though I still do watch him like a hawk just to make sure.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Language Barriers
Well, today I realized why our kids were so excited when I told them about the other little girl coming home from Ukraine... They had been waiting all day for her to walk through the door and come and live with us. That language barrier seemed to have gotten in the way when I was telling them about the situation yesterday. They were pretty bummed when I said she wasn't going to live with us. One of the reasons I found out what they were thinking was that Adam asked me where this girl was going to sleep. Oops. (This family in UA, btw, said that they would try to use Katya as their driver and get her addy for us! Yay!)
Then, tonight, I was chatting with my sister online, and John was playing with the kids. When I got out into the kitchen, I discovered my wonderful hubby building a cardboard dollhouse for the kids! (And it was a pretty nice one too! In fact, if I were 6-yrs-old, I would want to play and play and play with it!) All three kids were pretty excited about it. I think Adam just liked the construction part of it, but who knows. Hopefully it won't be demolished by tomorrow afternoon. I have some doll furniture and stuff that I was hoping to wait until Christmas to hand out. Not sure if I can wait that long now!
I mentioned the other day that we hadn't been hearing lots more English from the kids and that they had reached a plateau. Well, I don't know what happened, but they've been babbling up a storm in English now. In fact, we have been hearing very little Russian. They still occasionally will sing a song from Ukraine, but not very often any more. :O( They use Russian/Ukr grammar and word order in their sentences quite often, but most often, the words they say are English. The kids were outside playing this afternoon, and Liana told me that Adam didn't have his coat on. So, I asked her to tell him to put it on. She opened the door, and said, "Adam! Put your coat on!" Perfect English. But then, she turned to Aleksa and said, "Adam ni put your coat on!" (Which was "Adam didn't put his coat on.")
I also heard Liana today calling her pants her "pants on." That one has sure been around a long time. She just can't seem to remember to drop the "on."
Speaking of hard habits to break, Adam is still dumping shampoo all over the place. He thinks it is bubble bath or something. After his bath tonight, there was still a thick layer of suds all over the tub, the wall, the floor, etc. The girls thought it was great though and had a blast with the after-effects of Adam's escapades. I'm sure it is fun to play with the soap, but boy is it getting old to be going through so much shampoo!
Yesterday was the first time the kids have asked us if they could say the table prayer for our meals. We got a lot of praying done yesterday and today because they each decided they had to have a turn. Their prayers are in English, but they are something like this, "Jesus, meat; Jesus, carrots; Jesus, milk; Jesus lotsa play; Jesus, lotsa tickle; Jesus, popcorn; Amen." John and I just look up at each other and smile when they're done. They're just such cuties!
Dollhouse
Then, tonight, I was chatting with my sister online, and John was playing with the kids. When I got out into the kitchen, I discovered my wonderful hubby building a cardboard dollhouse for the kids! (And it was a pretty nice one too! In fact, if I were 6-yrs-old, I would want to play and play and play with it!) All three kids were pretty excited about it. I think Adam just liked the construction part of it, but who knows. Hopefully it won't be demolished by tomorrow afternoon. I have some doll furniture and stuff that I was hoping to wait until Christmas to hand out. Not sure if I can wait that long now!
I mentioned the other day that we hadn't been hearing lots more English from the kids and that they had reached a plateau. Well, I don't know what happened, but they've been babbling up a storm in English now. In fact, we have been hearing very little Russian. They still occasionally will sing a song from Ukraine, but not very often any more. :O( They use Russian/Ukr grammar and word order in their sentences quite often, but most often, the words they say are English. The kids were outside playing this afternoon, and Liana told me that Adam didn't have his coat on. So, I asked her to tell him to put it on. She opened the door, and said, "Adam! Put your coat on!" Perfect English. But then, she turned to Aleksa and said, "Adam ni put your coat on!" (Which was "Adam didn't put his coat on.")
I also heard Liana today calling her pants her "pants on." That one has sure been around a long time. She just can't seem to remember to drop the "on."
Speaking of hard habits to break, Adam is still dumping shampoo all over the place. He thinks it is bubble bath or something. After his bath tonight, there was still a thick layer of suds all over the tub, the wall, the floor, etc. The girls thought it was great though and had a blast with the after-effects of Adam's escapades. I'm sure it is fun to play with the soap, but boy is it getting old to be going through so much shampoo!
Yesterday was the first time the kids have asked us if they could say the table prayer for our meals. We got a lot of praying done yesterday and today because they each decided they had to have a turn. Their prayers are in English, but they are something like this, "Jesus, meat; Jesus, carrots; Jesus, milk; Jesus lotsa play; Jesus, lotsa tickle; Jesus, popcorn; Amen." John and I just look up at each other and smile when they're done. They're just such cuties!
Dollhouse
Monday, November 08, 2004
Another little girl coming home from Ukraine!
I have been beside-myself-excited today. I found out that one of the families in our adoption group are headed to Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky to meet their little girl! I had to quick-as-lightning fire off an email giving them the info on motel and taxi driver. I soooooo hope they get to meet our driver Katya! Wouldn't that be soooo cool?! I have regretted since coming home was not getting Katya's address. I would love to send her a Christmas card or something to let her know we still think of her. (You all remember our Katya, dontcha?) She was one of the biggest highlights of our whole trip. I so hope it works out that they meet her.
The kids didn't seem to remember this girl, so she is probably at the other orphanage in B-D. (There are two). She is 8-yrs-old (God bless them for adopting an older child!), so she probably is in the other one. Hope everything works out well for them!
The kids didn't seem to remember this girl, so she is probably at the other orphanage in B-D. (There are two). She is 8-yrs-old (God bless them for adopting an older child!), so she probably is in the other one. Hope everything works out well for them!
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Naughty 'Leksa!
Liana said her verse today for Sunday School, so she got a toy from the teacher. It is a little bear that has hearts on it's shirt. We suggested that she name it Valentina, so she's been calling it Valya. Funny to hear that name around here again.
Aleksa was a grump today. Oy. She's been crying at the drop of a hat today for some reason. I thought I was the only one who did that around here! At church she was clicking her pen on and off and on and off (driving me crazy!), so I took it away. She cried a little bit (silently, but she was definitely sulking), and then during the closing prayer, something or other happened and she hit Liana. I grabbed her hand and said, "Aleksa!" (quietly, of course). She started SCREAMING. She's just gotta cut that out! So, I had to put my hand over her mouth to muffle her scream, plus make my way out of the pew without tripping, and then run out of the auditorium. Mama was not happy. 'Leksa got in a weeeeee bit of trouble over that one.
Found out the kids are going to be in the Christmas play for their Jr. Church class. It's a "Christmas around the world" theme, and one of the speaking parts goes to Adam, who gets to say a line about how they celebrate Christmas in Ukraine! Apparently, Jesus is referred to as the "Open Door" by Christians in Ukraine, so his line has something to do with that, plus they sing a song about it. (Never heard that, has anyone else out there?) I asked their teacher if this would be a good opportunity for them to wear their Ukrainian folk dress. She sounded excited at the possibility, so I guess it's a go! (That reminds me... Gotta get the kids in to get their pictures taken with them before they completely outgrow them.)
Aleksa was a grump today. Oy. She's been crying at the drop of a hat today for some reason. I thought I was the only one who did that around here! At church she was clicking her pen on and off and on and off (driving me crazy!), so I took it away. She cried a little bit (silently, but she was definitely sulking), and then during the closing prayer, something or other happened and she hit Liana. I grabbed her hand and said, "Aleksa!" (quietly, of course). She started SCREAMING. She's just gotta cut that out! So, I had to put my hand over her mouth to muffle her scream, plus make my way out of the pew without tripping, and then run out of the auditorium. Mama was not happy. 'Leksa got in a weeeeee bit of trouble over that one.
Found out the kids are going to be in the Christmas play for their Jr. Church class. It's a "Christmas around the world" theme, and one of the speaking parts goes to Adam, who gets to say a line about how they celebrate Christmas in Ukraine! Apparently, Jesus is referred to as the "Open Door" by Christians in Ukraine, so his line has something to do with that, plus they sing a song about it. (Never heard that, has anyone else out there?) I asked their teacher if this would be a good opportunity for them to wear their Ukrainian folk dress. She sounded excited at the possibility, so I guess it's a go! (That reminds me... Gotta get the kids in to get their pictures taken with them before they completely outgrow them.)
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Beautiful Fall Day
Today was another perfect fall day. Sunshine and no coats needed. We all piled in the car and went to my dad's house to rake the rest of his lawn. The kids just love the leaf-blower, and had lots of fun "helping." ;O) Aleksa had fun not helping, as she did last time. Dad sat under a tree in the yard watching the rest of us work, and more than once I looked over to see Aleksa sitting close beside him just hanging out with Grandpa. The leaf-blower makes a loud racket, so neither of them could really chat, but they sure chummed.
This morning I made pancakes. This is the second time since we got home that I made them. The first time I made them nobody liked them. (The girls were still in their "picky-eater" stage.) This time, everyone gobbled them down. I'm not sure that I mentioned it before, but the girls' pickiness about what they eat has worn off. Maybe it was just the stress of getting used to everything. Probably. They're all over it though, as is Adam's tendency to beg for seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths... :O) He can still pack the food away, but food isn't at all an issue anymore. The worst he's done with food is putting a handful of candy in his pocket the other day at the farm. Pretty typical nine-year-old-boy stuff.
This afternoon instead of Aleksa taking her nap with Mama, Papa sprawled out on the couch with her. She's soooo easily "out." All you have to do is lay still with her for about three minutes and she's out. When she comes up to us and says, "Mama, ya ni tired" ("mama, I'm not tired"), that means it's naptime. Anyway, it was fun to see her snuggling with her Papa... I don't think John has had the chance to nap with her before, so I know he loved it too. She's definitely a snuggler, and it is so fun that she loves to be held and slept with. She comes up to us more and more often to tell us she wants to be held "like this; a baby" as she rocks a pretend baby in her arms. Then she makes baby gurgle sounds as we scoop her up and rock her. We know our days are numbered for such opportunities, so when the come, we take 'em! It is so nice to see her doing that at all with as worried as I was about her attachment to us when we first came home with her. She still likes strangers too much for my liking, but she's doing soooo great on all other fronts.
It seems like we've hit some kind of plateau with their English-speaking. Their comprehension is amazing, but they haven't made a lot of progress with their speaking in the last week or so. I've been told Month Four is a magic month, but I was also told that for Month Three. With them having each other to talk to, I'm sure it might take a little longer than most other families' Ukie kiddos. *sigh*. Liana did learn her Sunday School memory verse for this week, if her teacher can understand her. The verse is, "The words of the Lord are pure words." Liana has a speech impediment even in Ukrainian with her "r's" and "l's." Besides that, the "th" for Russian/Ukrainian speakers is tough because there is no sound like that in those languages. So, Liana's verse sounds something like, "Da wodes of da Wode ow pew wodes." Gonna hafta get the video tape out again... ;O)
This morning I made pancakes. This is the second time since we got home that I made them. The first time I made them nobody liked them. (The girls were still in their "picky-eater" stage.) This time, everyone gobbled them down. I'm not sure that I mentioned it before, but the girls' pickiness about what they eat has worn off. Maybe it was just the stress of getting used to everything. Probably. They're all over it though, as is Adam's tendency to beg for seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths... :O) He can still pack the food away, but food isn't at all an issue anymore. The worst he's done with food is putting a handful of candy in his pocket the other day at the farm. Pretty typical nine-year-old-boy stuff.
This afternoon instead of Aleksa taking her nap with Mama, Papa sprawled out on the couch with her. She's soooo easily "out." All you have to do is lay still with her for about three minutes and she's out. When she comes up to us and says, "Mama, ya ni tired" ("mama, I'm not tired"), that means it's naptime. Anyway, it was fun to see her snuggling with her Papa... I don't think John has had the chance to nap with her before, so I know he loved it too. She's definitely a snuggler, and it is so fun that she loves to be held and slept with. She comes up to us more and more often to tell us she wants to be held "like this; a baby" as she rocks a pretend baby in her arms. Then she makes baby gurgle sounds as we scoop her up and rock her. We know our days are numbered for such opportunities, so when the come, we take 'em! It is so nice to see her doing that at all with as worried as I was about her attachment to us when we first came home with her. She still likes strangers too much for my liking, but she's doing soooo great on all other fronts.
It seems like we've hit some kind of plateau with their English-speaking. Their comprehension is amazing, but they haven't made a lot of progress with their speaking in the last week or so. I've been told Month Four is a magic month, but I was also told that for Month Three. With them having each other to talk to, I'm sure it might take a little longer than most other families' Ukie kiddos. *sigh*. Liana did learn her Sunday School memory verse for this week, if her teacher can understand her. The verse is, "The words of the Lord are pure words." Liana has a speech impediment even in Ukrainian with her "r's" and "l's." Besides that, the "th" for Russian/Ukrainian speakers is tough because there is no sound like that in those languages. So, Liana's verse sounds something like, "Da wodes of da Wode ow pew wodes." Gonna hafta get the video tape out again... ;O)
Friday, November 05, 2004
School and Ukrainian Months of the Year
I finally feel pretty good about our routine for school. Thankfully kids love routines and habits, so they've been helping with remembering "what comes next." The kids love calendar time (thanks, Sharon!) I laminated numbers for our calendar and they get to take turns each day telling me what number goes up next, and what day tomorrow will be, what day of the week it is, etc. They know the days of the week and we are working on the months. I know the months of the year in Ukrainian, so we also go over those too. Don't want them to forget those either. I just love the Ukrainian words for the months of the year. Ukrainian is one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Very poetic. Let me digress and ramble a little on the subject... (I can do that, it's my blog!)
The words for the months actually mean something in Ukrainian. Like the word for January means "Slicing" as in "the wind slices right through you." "February" means the "angry month." I suppose it is because of the weather. "March" means "birch tree" because the sap starts running in the birch trees then. "April" means "flowers" for obvious reasons. "May" means "grasses" for obvious reasons. "June" means "reddening" as in the fruits and vegetables start growing and turning red. "July" means "linden tree." "August" means "Sickles." "September" means "heather." "October" means "yellow colors." "November" means "leaves are falling." "December" means "the ground freezes." Sure beats our boring names of the months. When I learned the months of the year I really started to feel bad that our "future kids" would have to trade in such a beautiful language for our dry and toasty one. *Sigh.*
Anyway, I've been having fun with school stuff, and having to be creative to get things into their little heads. Today I invented a game using alphabet refrigerator magnets and a bag. They put six letters at a time into the bag and then suggested what letter the other person had to "find" using just their hand in the bag. It was great, because they really had to know what they were looking for, and they could be a little competitive and have fun. Worked great. Adam did better than I did, in fact!
Liana hasn't been feeling well the last few days. She's been running a fever and felt crummy. She perked up this afternoon, thankfully. I think she'll be fine by tomorrow.
Lets see, not a whole lot else going on. I had some leftover verenyky dough from last night, so I pulled out a can of cherry pie filling and made some filled the dough with that. YUM. Just boiled it up a few minutes and yum, yum! When Adam saw what I was doing tonight, he patted me on the back and said, "Good JOB, Mama!" I thought that was cute.
Their English is coming along. I decided to try reading a *much* harder book today than usual to see how well their comprehension was. It is a chapter book with only a sketch picture once every chapter or so. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they followed me. They even begged for an extra chapter when I said we could read more tomorrow. Amazing how fast children pick up a language. Not even home three months!
The words for the months actually mean something in Ukrainian. Like the word for January means "Slicing" as in "the wind slices right through you." "February" means the "angry month." I suppose it is because of the weather. "March" means "birch tree" because the sap starts running in the birch trees then. "April" means "flowers" for obvious reasons. "May" means "grasses" for obvious reasons. "June" means "reddening" as in the fruits and vegetables start growing and turning red. "July" means "linden tree." "August" means "Sickles." "September" means "heather." "October" means "yellow colors." "November" means "leaves are falling." "December" means "the ground freezes." Sure beats our boring names of the months. When I learned the months of the year I really started to feel bad that our "future kids" would have to trade in such a beautiful language for our dry and toasty one. *Sigh.*
Anyway, I've been having fun with school stuff, and having to be creative to get things into their little heads. Today I invented a game using alphabet refrigerator magnets and a bag. They put six letters at a time into the bag and then suggested what letter the other person had to "find" using just their hand in the bag. It was great, because they really had to know what they were looking for, and they could be a little competitive and have fun. Worked great. Adam did better than I did, in fact!
Liana hasn't been feeling well the last few days. She's been running a fever and felt crummy. She perked up this afternoon, thankfully. I think she'll be fine by tomorrow.
Lets see, not a whole lot else going on. I had some leftover verenyky dough from last night, so I pulled out a can of cherry pie filling and made some filled the dough with that. YUM. Just boiled it up a few minutes and yum, yum! When Adam saw what I was doing tonight, he patted me on the back and said, "Good JOB, Mama!" I thought that was cute.
Their English is coming along. I decided to try reading a *much* harder book today than usual to see how well their comprehension was. It is a chapter book with only a sketch picture once every chapter or so. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they followed me. They even begged for an extra chapter when I said we could read more tomorrow. Amazing how fast children pick up a language. Not even home three months!
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Verenyky
Well, I decided to go for it, and I whipped up a batch of verenyky tonight for supper. John and I had these in Ukraine, and we've both been hungry for them since. They're like ravioli but in the shape of fortune cookies. They have the pasta/dough stuff on the outside and then meat, potatoes, sauer kraut, or mushrooms on the inside. You can also put raisins, poppy-seeds, prunes, cherries, etc. on the inside and make a dessert with them. We had them with hamburger, onions, salt and pepper inside.
Anyway, they were a HIT! John and I ate them tossed with butter and then dipped in ketchup while we were in Ukraine. (We loved the ketchup there. YUM YUM YUM). The ketchup was the only thing missing tonight. Otherwise, it tasted the same, and we were soooo tickled!
Adam was ecstatic that we had a Ukrainian supper, and kept saying, "Good job, Mama! You're Ukrainian!" (But he said it in Ukrainian). The girls just thought it was fun to roll out the dough with me. It was soooo much fun! Can't wait to try another recipe out. Bread next time!
Anyway, they were a HIT! John and I ate them tossed with butter and then dipped in ketchup while we were in Ukraine. (We loved the ketchup there. YUM YUM YUM). The ketchup was the only thing missing tonight. Otherwise, it tasted the same, and we were soooo tickled!
Adam was ecstatic that we had a Ukrainian supper, and kept saying, "Good job, Mama! You're Ukrainian!" (But he said it in Ukrainian). The girls just thought it was fun to roll out the dough with me. It was soooo much fun! Can't wait to try another recipe out. Bread next time!
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Projects and Packages
Let's see, what have we been up to the last few days? Normal stuff I guess.
School has been going well. The kids can say the days of the week, and are working hard at learning their letters and sounds. They all LOVE to cut, so I've been capitalizing on that. We've been making alphabet placemats. They have been picking a letter and scrounging through magazines looking for that letter, cutting them out, and gluing them on the placemats. Then I laminate them. All the while they are cutting out "their" letter, they also find themselves looking for the letter the other one is looking for, plus if I make one too, they look for that letter as well. (They LOVE to help each other out). Fine with me! I haven't found a better way yet of realllllly getting them to learn the letters. They are 100% "with it" on this project, and they can't wait to finish the one they are working on so they can do another one. It takes them a few days of working on them to finish, so they are really proud of their accomplishments, and what they've learned. (And Mama is too!)
We got a care package yesterday from one of my Blog Groupie Friends! I got some really wonderful Ukrainian cookbooks, a cd with Ukrainian Christmas carols, workbooks for the kids all about Ukraine, and an 800 piece puzzle of a map of Ukraine. HOW COOL IS THAT? I've been taking the cookbooks to the bathroom with me to study. (I can't believe I just confessed that to I-don't-know-how-many-people). Anyway! I'm dying to try making some babka bread. I think that's going to happen before the end of the week. Stay tuned folks! ;O)
When I popped in the cd with the Ukie carols, once Adam realized it was in Ukrainian, he declared that he knew all of those songs (hadn't even finished listening to the first one yet!) Aleksa pulled up a chair and stared into the speaker again until the cd finished. Pretty neat stuff. Just a bit of trivia for you, but did you know the Carol of the Bells is actually a Ukrainian song? (It also happens to be my favorite Christmas song - even long before I ever knew it was Ukrainian. Pretty cool co-ink-y-dink.)
Lets see, what else? Oh, we raked my dad's yard today. Well, partly. The kids LOVED the leaf-blower! Adam and Liana enjoyed taking turns with it, and Aleksa got smart. She went inside, grabbed her little mini-chair that Grandpa has for her, dragged it outside on the deck, and just watched everyone else work. Smart girl. ;O)
I'm pretty sure we are not meant to have a family picture taken of us this year. First Aleksa's hair, then Liana's nose, then Liana's cold sore, and now I have a humdinger of a cold sore on my lip. I surrender. I'm just going to send out our "first family photo" from Ukraine in our Christmas cards this year. The kids have grown like weeds since then, but that's the best I can do! *sigh*
Speaking of growing, we measured the kids a week ago Monday, and yesterday I measured again because it just seemed like everyone was bigger. I was right. Aleksa has grown 3/4" since Oct. 25. Liana and Adam grew 1/2" each. In ONE week. I had John double-check. Yep. Can't believe that is even possible! I've been teasing the kids that they can't have any more pickles since they are growing too fast and that must be what is "doing it." They giggle and tell me that YES they can have them and that Mama is silly and that they are going to grow up fast, fast, fast. *sigh* Not too fast, I hope!
The dresses are coming along. All I have to do are the bottom hems, put some buttons on them, and then I really need to rig up some bows for them or something or other. The dresses are really full, and they *really* need to be tied back somehow. Mom Fisher says that's pretty do-able. I suppose it is much easier to just go shopping and buy them dresses, but once you start looking at all the adorable patterns that Grandma has at her house just waiting to be sewn up for some little girls, and then look at all the stacks of fabric just waiting to be used up, it is hard to resist not wanting to at least give it a shot. Plus, having two girls that are the age that you can get away with dressing them alike is such a cool window of opportunity, that I figure now's my chance! Two girls! I still cannot believe we came home with two little girls. I was just thinking today of what a package deal the kids were. Without any one of them, we wouldn't have taken the set. Two girls without a boy would never have flown. (John had to have a son in there somehow!) But then, Adam without the girls wouldn't have flown either. Had to be everyone! And boy, are we blessed.
School has been going well. The kids can say the days of the week, and are working hard at learning their letters and sounds. They all LOVE to cut, so I've been capitalizing on that. We've been making alphabet placemats. They have been picking a letter and scrounging through magazines looking for that letter, cutting them out, and gluing them on the placemats. Then I laminate them. All the while they are cutting out "their" letter, they also find themselves looking for the letter the other one is looking for, plus if I make one too, they look for that letter as well. (They LOVE to help each other out). Fine with me! I haven't found a better way yet of realllllly getting them to learn the letters. They are 100% "with it" on this project, and they can't wait to finish the one they are working on so they can do another one. It takes them a few days of working on them to finish, so they are really proud of their accomplishments, and what they've learned. (And Mama is too!)
We got a care package yesterday from one of my Blog Groupie Friends! I got some really wonderful Ukrainian cookbooks, a cd with Ukrainian Christmas carols, workbooks for the kids all about Ukraine, and an 800 piece puzzle of a map of Ukraine. HOW COOL IS THAT? I've been taking the cookbooks to the bathroom with me to study. (I can't believe I just confessed that to I-don't-know-how-many-people). Anyway! I'm dying to try making some babka bread. I think that's going to happen before the end of the week. Stay tuned folks! ;O)
When I popped in the cd with the Ukie carols, once Adam realized it was in Ukrainian, he declared that he knew all of those songs (hadn't even finished listening to the first one yet!) Aleksa pulled up a chair and stared into the speaker again until the cd finished. Pretty neat stuff. Just a bit of trivia for you, but did you know the Carol of the Bells is actually a Ukrainian song? (It also happens to be my favorite Christmas song - even long before I ever knew it was Ukrainian. Pretty cool co-ink-y-dink.)
Lets see, what else? Oh, we raked my dad's yard today. Well, partly. The kids LOVED the leaf-blower! Adam and Liana enjoyed taking turns with it, and Aleksa got smart. She went inside, grabbed her little mini-chair that Grandpa has for her, dragged it outside on the deck, and just watched everyone else work. Smart girl. ;O)
I'm pretty sure we are not meant to have a family picture taken of us this year. First Aleksa's hair, then Liana's nose, then Liana's cold sore, and now I have a humdinger of a cold sore on my lip. I surrender. I'm just going to send out our "first family photo" from Ukraine in our Christmas cards this year. The kids have grown like weeds since then, but that's the best I can do! *sigh*
Speaking of growing, we measured the kids a week ago Monday, and yesterday I measured again because it just seemed like everyone was bigger. I was right. Aleksa has grown 3/4" since Oct. 25. Liana and Adam grew 1/2" each. In ONE week. I had John double-check. Yep. Can't believe that is even possible! I've been teasing the kids that they can't have any more pickles since they are growing too fast and that must be what is "doing it." They giggle and tell me that YES they can have them and that Mama is silly and that they are going to grow up fast, fast, fast. *sigh* Not too fast, I hope!
The dresses are coming along. All I have to do are the bottom hems, put some buttons on them, and then I really need to rig up some bows for them or something or other. The dresses are really full, and they *really* need to be tied back somehow. Mom Fisher says that's pretty do-able. I suppose it is much easier to just go shopping and buy them dresses, but once you start looking at all the adorable patterns that Grandma has at her house just waiting to be sewn up for some little girls, and then look at all the stacks of fabric just waiting to be used up, it is hard to resist not wanting to at least give it a shot. Plus, having two girls that are the age that you can get away with dressing them alike is such a cool window of opportunity, that I figure now's my chance! Two girls! I still cannot believe we came home with two little girls. I was just thinking today of what a package deal the kids were. Without any one of them, we wouldn't have taken the set. Two girls without a boy would never have flown. (John had to have a son in there somehow!) But then, Adam without the girls wouldn't have flown either. Had to be everyone! And boy, are we blessed.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
New Present?
Cute story. This morning we tried to explain to the kids that we were going to go vote for the President later on. All three went with us to vote this afternoon, and they were perfect angels. On the way out the door we realized why. Liana said, "Mama, presents, no!" I guess "president" sounds a little too close to "present." Oh well!
Sorry for the short post... I've been working on the girls' dresses and trying to keep the tv on for news on the election. Feels good to be so domestic - even if I really don't have a clue what I'm doing! (You may or may not get to see pics of the final product! ;O) )
Sorry for the short post... I've been working on the girls' dresses and trying to keep the tv on for news on the election. Feels good to be so domestic - even if I really don't have a clue what I'm doing! (You may or may not get to see pics of the final product! ;O) )
Sorry!
Sorry for the "no post" last night... We had a computer virus that John had to remedy, and by the time he fixed it, I was elbows deep into my sewing project. (Making dresses for the girls). I'll post again tonight...
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