Month 8 -- Holidays and Birthdays!

In pulling photos for this post, I have covered Oct 30 - Dec 4.  In just these 35 days, we have had a LOT going on!  In Addition to Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays, we have managed to celebrate birthdays for Heath, Mason, and Lera. 

I should also mention that Eugene's work has been INSANE, and that he has been traveling a good bit.  Thankfully, he has been home for all of the "festive" occasions, and even took a couple of weeks off in November, but when he works, he works a LOT, and we are all hoping that it will settle down a bit in the new year. 

Of course, with each holiday that we celebrate this year, it is really special sharing our American customs and family traditions with Vitalik and Lera.  All five kids are having a fun time and doing great. 

Here are a few photos.

HALLOWEEN!

Heading out to a neighborhood halloween party with friends Leah and Jeni.

Getting ready for some trick-or-treating on a cold and rainy night.

Vitalik trick-or-treated with pal David.  They hit both of their neighborhoods and had a great time.

HEATH'S BIRTHDAY
Heath turned 7 on November 5th.

MASON'S BIRTHDAY
Mason turned 5 on November 17th.

Eugene is obviously thinking about what a blessing it is that we have
so many birthdays to celebrate during this busy time of year!

THANKSGIVING AT MYRTLE BEACH

We headed out during Thanksgiving, we spent 4 nights in a 3-br condo in Myrtle beach, with a heated indoor pool, a lazy river, and a great ocean view.  We watched the dolphins play in the ocean, celebrated with Mason as he learned to put his face in the water, and relaxed a lot.  L&V had their first Thanksgiving dinner at Golden Coral.  Next year, we'll think about cooking a turkey, but for this year, this seemed just right.

Goofy kids - Vitalik models Lera's eyewear while she tries out poker chips instead.

LERA'S 14TH BIRTHDAY

Since arriving in America, Lera had watched EVERY other person in our family celebrate a birthday, and it was finally her turn!  We generally keep birthdays simple and small, but this time we opted for having a big party.  It was a great night, and she really seemed to feel like a princess.  :-)

Birthday morning.  Presents from the family.

Check it out!!!

 

Lera had a GREAT time opening the most amazing collection of gifts she had ever seen!

 

At one point, Vitalik seemed to think that while Lera wasn't watching, he'd swipe a gift or two for himself! ;-)



It was a pretty cool scene with so many loved-ones gathered to watch her open her gifts.

Last month, we were privileged to welcome home Sophia (formerly Rita), a very dear childhood friend from L&V's school in Ukraine.  Sophie is a really special girl, and we are so thankful that she is home with her forever family!  It was a real treat to have her attend Lera's birthday party!

So, it's been an exciting several weeks...

And now we prepare for our first Christmas together. 

What a rich and exciting life we are enjoying!

Last Christmas, as we were waiting to travel to Ukraine, I somehow just could not hang the "Spencer, Heath, and Mason" stockings until I had found and purchased this new and expanded collection of "V, L, S, H, M" stockings.  This year, seeing them hanging together above the hearth literally makes my heart feel happy every time I look in that direction.  :-)