Year Two!

Well, obviously I was a no-show on the post I was going to put up on the 17th. It was kind of a bummer of a day. Adam was sick, so we hung around the house, but we all drove to KFC and brought it home to eat. (My kids are huge chicken-eaters.) Other than that, it was ho-hum. No fireworks or bells and whistles... Oh well.

We didn't have as much stuff as last year for our package to Ukraine, but it's still a nice couple of boxes. When I get the final count of the shoes/undies from the box at my dad's house, (we'll get that Saturday when we do a "Cooking Day" over there again.) I'll post the total of how much of what we wound up with. I so want to thank all of you who wanted to help with this project. It really feels good to give, doesn't it?

Going through the undies and shoes for "The Kids," has brought back a lot of orphanage memories for our crew. I wish I had a video camera going the day we packed up the box of the suff we have so far. It was fun to hear, "oh, those kids will love these! Look how nice and white they are! Oh I bet so-and-so will have these!" But I also heard things like, "Mama, there was a sad boy that had to lay in bed with only his undies and no blanket. He rocked back and forth like this. He did that because nobody loved him. I did that too sometimes...."

And that is why we send yearly packages. To ease the distress, even ever so slightly of these sad little souls. I just wish there were something more I could rig up for them. Like parents for all!

Speaking of! Things are starting to flow again in Ukraine, and they have apparently lifted the ban on Americans adopting. September appointments are being handed down right now! I'm so relieved for those "stuck" little kids. Get them OUTTA there!

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Ok, enough of that... Year Two... So many changes...

Adam: Boy has he grown! This child is going to be taller than me Any Second. Not kidding. In a few weeks, he'll be taller than me. Ok, I'm only 5'1 or 2 or so, but he's only 11 years old, and two years ago, he was only up to the middle of my chest!

This summer we have had lots of highs and lows, but he's really a bajillion times more attached to me than he was last year this time. We started school this Monday (another reason for my delayed post!), and he finished all his work before lunch. Unheard of a year ago. He's basically a really great kid. His speech has made enormous progress too, and he is beginning to say his r's correctly. We've worked hard on those, and on his "l's." He has a long way to go, but he can say them, and can correctly say them when we make him repeat himself. It's just harder, and he usually prefers the easy route. ;O) His speech is overall, much, much better than a year ago, and actually, while he still struggles to express himself when he is stressed/excited, he actually is doing GREAT. I took a video of him a month ago or so, and wow, I just couldn't believe how good his grammar, etc. was. I was a proud mama! (AM a proud mama!) ;O) He has a hard time with prepositions though. That's the case with most new language-learners though, so that's nothing alarming. It's occassionally amusing though! For example, after working really hard the other day, he declared, "Mama, I'm all pooped up." After I was done giggling hysterically, I had to explain that English is funny about its prepositions. That little word "up" cannot be interchanged with "out." Especially in this instance.

Adam still struggles with math something Fierce. He does it great one day, and the next day it is Gone. I can remember way back when I was teaching him to count by two's that when he had that down, I had to reteach him how to count by one's. Oy. Frustrating for everyone. However, we have gotten him up to being able to figure out the problems with math blocks pretty consistantly. He can get the problems all right doing them that way (he's got the theory down, in other words), but memorizing just kills him. And, unfortunately, there's just a Ton of memorizing in math. He's getting a double dose of math now. I do it with him in the morning, and John works with him at night. Plus we have a math computer game, a "flashmaster" hand-held math-facts quizzer and a cd with the math facts repeated in song. Paper and pencil just doesn't work for this guy.

He still doesn't like a lot of toys around, and more often than not, if he is given a small toy, he'll give it to his sisters just to be rid of it. Stuff is still stressful to him. He's much better with big stuff; he loves his tent, blankets, bike, stuffed animals, computer games, etc. He just got a remote-control car that he loves. His flashlight is one of his most important toys. He pulled off the mattress from his loft, put it on the floor, put blankets up all around his bed as a curtain, and then set his tent up by his matress. He now has a multi-room fort that he sleeps in. Perfect for a boy his age! But little toys, he can't stand. Well, don't get me wrong. He likes them for the first hour he has them. But, when it's time to be done playing with it, he doesn't want anything to do with it. He wants to get rid of it. Doesn't want it in his room. That's just Adam. He did go on a short lego kick, but after we moved he's kept them put away and doesn't want them out. I have three boxes of "stuff" from our move that I have been keeping in his room, and he hasn't touched them. The Adam that stepped off the plane 2 years ago would have had those boxes ripped open, contents strewn across the floor and boxes shredded by Night Two of them being in his room.

Also, Adam bounces. He doesn't walk. He gallops, skips, bounces, and usually shrieks or squeaks while he's doing so. If I'm sitting on the couch and call him over to sit by me, he'll come hopping over and Crash down so close to me he's usually on half of my leg and has spilled whatever it is I'm holding. Nothing delicate or graceful about that boy! lol!

He's also the King of Impulsiveness. John and I have joked that his hands have minds of their own. It's like his mind is detached from them. I can look him in the eye (as I did last night; this is a true story from yesterday), and say, "Adam, the freezer was left open, you kids need to stay out of the freezer." Then, I left the room, turned around and peeked back in the kitchen. Adam *had* to open the freezer. Basically, if a thought goes through his mind, it comes out his hands. He's been in Tons of hot water over the past few years over that. Hence all the broken things at the Fisher house. Another example... One of his aunts gave him a pen with a little whirling fan on the end of it a few weeks ago. He kept shoving it in peoples' faces thinking it was funny. I have No Idea how many times we told him to stop that, and that people don't like people shoving things in their faces, etc. As soon as John or I walked away, off went the brain, and his hands turned on the fan again and shoved it into the next person's face. We finally took it away. He has very little impulse control... I have to say, it gets old. But ya know what? He's my kid. He's got some strange quirks, and acts many years younger than he is, but he's ours, and he's who was meant to be in our family. He's the most tenderhearted boy you'd ever meet. Loves his sisters and little kids to Pieces. His giggle melts my heart. He has been through so much in his life... yet his sunny personality has protected him from complete destruction. He thinks the best in people, and loves people the way they are. He very seldom talks bad about people. He instantly loves everyone he meets. I wish I were more like that! I know people who ought to wear a sign that says, "Caution, I bite!" because, well, they do! They bite others with their words every chance they get. But Adam isn't like that. He's a much bigger person than a whole lot of people I know.

Uff, this is getting long. And I haven't even blabbered on about Liana and Leks yet! You'll all go blurry-eyed before you finish reading this! (I know I'm already starting to!) ;O)

Liana is going to make a fabulous adult. She thinks she is one already, and this being a little kid stuff really cramps her style quite a bit. ;O) Seriously though, she sure does like to act grown-up! She got some make-up from her cousin for a birthday present, and this girl's countenance has been an odd shade of periwinkle ever since. She even snuck some fuscia lipstick on at church last week. And of course Mama had to notice it in the church parking lot on the way OUT... ;O) She's doing great with her school work, and I'd say she's a run-of-the-mill 8yo in all her subjects. Unbelieveable that this girl didn't know a word of English just two years ago. You'd never know! (Well, except her accent! She enunciates her letters more than "normal." Like she says the word "little" with the "t" sound in there instead of how an average American in this neck of the woods would say it: "liddle.") I guess because she basically learned to read at the same time that she learned to speak, she says things more the way they are written. Not sure on that, but I guess it makes sense. She will occasionally get a word wrong here or there also. Like the other day I caught her calling the palm of her hand her "paw" of her hand. Other than that, she doesn't really have any other "hang-ups" leftoever from "being adopted." She's about as well-adjusted as any other 8yo American girl I've met... but actually, in a lot of ways, she's BETTER adjusted! (That's just her mama's two-cents though!) She's strong, strong, strong willed, but she is very tender-hearted when she is confronted with having done something wrong. She's also super loving and affectionate. It comes easier with her friends than her siblings sometimes, but really, for the most part they all get along famously. She and Aleksa are best friends as well as sisters, but uff, her little sister had better not steal her bubblegum! ;O) Gets along great with me and John... lots of hugs, kisses, snuggles, etc. Like Adam, though, she can't walk across the room. She Must cartwheel. I mean Must. Her "skirt" thing she was going through recently had to be stopped... she didn't care that she had a skirt on when she cartwheeled. The whole family was sick of seeing pink panties. ;O) So, until I can find her some bloomers, or until she outgrows her cartwheel addiction, he's banned from skirts for now. (Which is a bummer for me because I just made about 10 of them for the girls!) And since Leks likes to match her sister... she hasn't been wearing them as much either.

Aleksa. The little stinker has grown up on me this month. She went and had a birthday, which was horrible enough, but within just a few weeks, she also lost her two upper teeth. (One of them just last night!) She is now a Big Girl. *WWWWAAAAAAAHHHH* Mama is not likin' that at all, let me just say. But, anyway, Leks can't say her "s's" now. They're "th's." Thee hath no teeth, tho thee can't thay her th'th right. ;O) I've not been able to resist teasing her a bit, and thankfully her sunny disposition takes it in stride, and she has laughed at herself too, understanding that she'll get her S's back when she gets some new teeth. ;O)

Leks has grown up probably the most this year. She's very much a big girl. Reads, rides her bike, is very social, etc. Her fears have subsided and she's allowed herself to enjoy being a little girl. She doesn't let herself freak out about dogs (a major fear before), or about heights or being upside down. She has really learned to think rationally this year, instead of letting her feelings/fears rule her. Of the three though, she's the biggest people-pleaser. She likes to make everyone happy. Which means she's acceptionally "good" most of the time, and "sweet" with those outside the family. We have to really watch her to find out what she's *really* thinking, because she flies way under the radar.

Cute Leksa story from tonight. I was tucking her in and she asked if she could hop up and get some water. I told her she could, but she said, "Could you please stay here and wait for me? I want to talk you in some more." Here and all this time, I thought I was talking HER in! Ever since she came home from Ukraine she's said it's called "talking you in" when you say goodnight at bedtime. I expected that one to fly away long ago, but I guess it just makes too much sense to change that one. Oh, and she invented butterfly hugs. It only follows that if butterflies kiss, then they should hug too. You have to gently pat/tap each other's back when you hug for that one.

In other words, Year Two has been awesome. The waves just seem a whole lot smaller now that we all know each other and love each other and trust each other... I don't particularly like the fact that they're growing up so fast, but that's just a daily reminder for me to seize the day and to remember that the joy is in the journey, not the destination.

Two Years Home!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Whole Whoppin' Years Home today!

I'm a little disappointed though, because Adam is a sick puppy today. He's feeling like a Mac Truck hit him. Sore throat, runny nose, achey body. He's been sacked out on the couch drinking tea.

I have to say, though, I look forward to times the kids are under the weather. It's a great opportunity to bond. I imagine every mom extra-enjoys doting on her sick kids even though she's sad their sick. It's just nice to be needed, and nice to have such vulnerable kiddos. It's also good for the kids to let their guards down and let themselves "need" their moms a little over-time for a day or two. Great bonding times for everyone.

Still, so much for my big celebration plans, *sigh*, but I guess they'll have to wait until our Star Patient is feeling better. I'll try to get some pics posted later on with a better 2 Year Home update....

Laundry Depression

I meant to post after Leks' birthday. But I just couldn't. It was hard on this old mama. I cried the night before Liana's birthday, but I sobbed and threw myself an all-out pitty party the night before Aleksa's. I guess I felt the grief of both girls' birthdays at the same time. Two in one week is ROUGH. John had to do some extra counseling for the girls - they were pretty wide-eyed watching me have a nervous breakdown in front of them. I told Adam he was my only good kid that week. He thought that was funny.

Anyway, that wasn't the only thing bothering me. My washing machine has been broken until today. It has been dead for almost three weeks. Since we're renting (groaning here), the maintenance fellows can take their times, you see. So, we've been roughin' it here. I've been having the kids wash out their own clothes each night, so theirs hasn't piled up too badly. Mine and John's on the other hand, has been horrible.

Now, I don't know how most people feel about laundry piling up, but I HATE it. I mean, Really. I've seen lots of people do all their washing and throw the clothes in piles for a few days before they get around to folding and putting them away. I can't handle that. As soon as I hear the buzzer of the dryer, I pull out the clothes, smoothe out the wrinkles, fold them up and put them away. I Never (except where someone is terribly sick or there's an emergency), just throw the fresh-out-of-the-dryer clothes in a basket to be dealt with later. I can just "feel" the wrinkles settling into my quickly cooling clothes. Can't stand it. I hafta go take care of them. Maybe it's because I hate ironing? Who knows.

And when there are too many clothes in the dirty clothes basket, it really starts to bother me. It sorta makes me feel like my whole house is out of control if I know I have laundry to do. But on the other hand, you can usually tell the state of my mental health by checking how much laundry I have that I have left to do. You can't tell by what isn't put away, because as I said, it is *always* put away, but if I'm not feeling good emotionally, my dirty laundry tells on me. So, I guess I don't know which comes first. Are my blues caused by the laundry, or is the laundry caused by the blues? Well, in this case it was the blues caused by the laundry. I know. I'm weird. But I also know that all of you all have your own little quirks too, so there! ;O) (But if any of you have a similar tendency, I'd love to hear from you so I can tell others that I'm not alone in the world!)

Anyway, the piles and mountains of laundry around here have been really bothering me. Makin' me grumpy, and out of control like, and it has just plain thrown off my routine. *hmph* I've gotten a better respect for those poor pioneer women who had to go on down by the river with their lye soap and their wash boards. How did they Ever get anything else done!??! The broken washer coupled with all the kids getting way too old on me last week has really thrown me for a loop. The washer is fixed now though, and I'm sooooooooooo looking forward to empty baskets again! And no more kid birthdays until January. Whew.

Been getting more packages for the Ukraine package. I got a package of undies today from someone in ENGLAND. Wow! That makes three countries so far! England, Canada and the US. This has been sooooo fun for us! The kids are getting excited! I could kick myself though - we went "back home" this weekend to visit and I had been stashing some shoes/undies in my dad's basement, and I FORGOT them when we left. GROAN. Not sure exactly what to do about that. We're headed back again on the 26th, so I guess we'll be sending two sets of boxes. Oh well!

Pinata Party

Tonight we had the neighborhood over for the girls' birthdays. Hate to combine their special days, but ya know, two giant shin-digs in the same week is a bit much...

So, we had a "Princess" pinata out in the yard with eight kids, plus three moms and a dad stayed to watch. One of the older girls (she's 10 or 11) knocked it down, and John had to drop kick the thing a few times to get all the candy out.

Now all the kids are flying all around the yard and neighborhood with their loot bags and I'm pretending to be uploading the pictures onto the computer. I can tell the kids have been home a while... I still have pictures on my camera from June! I'll get around to it one of these days...

World Travellin' Leksa Lu

Gotta quick share what my still-five-but-almost-six year old just came in the house telling me....

"Mom, I just had a long journey. I wanted to go to Persia to get a Magic Carpet ride, but I went too far and went to India. Then I rode my motorcycle to Tibet and drove around in the mountains a while."

Mama sat there blinking her eyes at how much thought had to have gone into that itinerary.

I guess I won't be pulling that world map off the kitchen table, or cutting down on the library runs any time soon! It was fun to see the stories and the map become real enough for her to invent her own adventure! COOL!

Our New Eight Year Old!

Liana's birthday was yesterday. We have an 8 year old now!

Which is happy for her, but sad for me. I hate my kids' birthdays. Isn't that selfish and horrible-sounding?! I don't like them turning a year older! I want time to stop. On Saturday night as the kids were settling down before bedtime, I actually started crying right there in front of everybody.

Liana loved it.

She felt like an adult or something since the reason I gave her for crying was that she was growing up. She assured me that she'd bring me her children to play with and rock, and that she'd always love me and take care of me when I'm old. Oy. Somehow that really scares me to think that she'd be the one to take care of me in my old age... she'd feed me half of my soup and then get distracted by something more fun and I'd waste away to nothing! lol! She doesn't sit still very long in other words! She's come a long way, and *can* sit still if she *wants* to, but it has to be for a *very* good reason!

Speaking of sitting. Here's another Liana story. (Liana, if you are an adult reading this, I HOPE YOU'VE OUTGROWN THIS BY NOW...) There was a fellowship dinner after church yesterday, and Liana and I were sitting across from each other and who was sitting next to me but Sean. The Sean. I made a few comments about my chair and Sean offered to switch his chair with mine. Sweet of him, but I declined the offer. Liana told me, (casting a batted eye toward Sean), "I'll switch spots with you, Mom! I'd love to sit next to Sean!

You shoulda seen how fast Sean finished his meal and got outta there.

Later I let Liana hand out her treat bags for her friends. I had written everyone's name on them, and I happened to catch Liana rummaging through her sack of treat bags trying to keep up with Sean saying, "Sean, I have one for you too! I'm not chasing you, Sean, I really do have treats for you! Come back here!"

BWAAAAH! LOL!