Eleven Months!

It has been eleven months since we arrived home with Vitalik and Lera and began living as a family of seven. All of the kids are doing really well, and to be honest, it is Eugene and I who are having the hardest time adjusting. It turns out that being parents to five children is a lot of work! Who knew!? We are making good progress though, and things are on the up-tick. We are trying to be intentional about remembering to have more fun along the way, and kind of enjoy the ride... and what a ride it is! :-)

School is good, soccer season is upon us again, and we are planning a trip to our nation's capital for spring break. Vitalik made the honor roll during his first semester in American schools, and if not for that pesky math grade, Lera would have as well! Here are a few photos from the past couple of months.

Coincidentally, our 11 month anniversary at home was also the one year anniversary of our court date in Ukraine. It was on this day that our adoption was approved, and we could all finally exhale and know that soon we REALLY were going to be allowed to be a family. Wow, we are so glad that is over!

Lera playing with cousin Krystin.  She loves lifting other
people, and she actually is quite strong!

Dad set out breakfast for L&V before school one winter morning.

Mom, Vitalik and Mason went on a special trip to Kentucky during a long weekend in February.  It was Mason's first trip on an airplane and we all had a good time!

While in Kentucky, we drove past Hatter Road.  This road, named
for the kids' great-great-grandfather E.P. Hatter, was cool for
Mason to see, as "Hatter" is also his middle name.

On our trip to Kentucky, Vitalik got to meet his Great Aunt Judy
and his Great Grammie LaFleur.

We spent an afternoon at Grandpa and Harmony's farm, and Vitalik got
to try out the Four-Wheeler.  He LOVED it of course!

Vitalik and cousin Chilton have been having fun working
out together whenever Chilton visits... boys!

This has been an unusually warm winter, and the Ukrainian kids have really
missed seeing snow.  We did finally get a little bit of snow one night at bedtime,
and Lera had to drop everything to run out and dance in it!

Lera has a really awesome and very sweet speech
therapist that she is seeing twice each week.

Lera enjoys working on breaking her hula hoop record. 
Her current record is over 2 hours!

Vitalik, Spencer, and Heath spend a lot of time playing basketball in the beach room.  They have invented some game in which, if you make a shot and the next person misses it, you get to kick the ball at their butt as hard as you can.  They call it, "butt cheeks"... sigh...

A team from Redline United will soon be visiting L&V's old school in Ukraine.  We are excited to have the opportunity to send letters and gifts to their classmates.  I wrote a letter to the social worker who was very special to the kids to let her know how they are doing.  Vitalik was my own personal highly-qualified translator!  I was so proud of him I could have burst!

These kids love making goofy faces for the camera!

Their ability to be silly and laugh at themselves is definitely a real gift!

Did I mention he made the honor roll?

Who could not love this face!?!

One sunny Sunday afternoon at the park.  There was more
whining than the photos reveal, but it looks like fun doesn't it!

Our gang... it's not easy, but pictures like this one
remind us that it's TOTALLY worth the effort!

Month 9 - A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Last Year, the holiday season was all about waiting and hoping ... waiting to travel to Ukraine... hoping that Lera and Vitalik would be home for good soon.  We spent most of the season imagining how everything might look and feel to Vitalik and Lera, hoping and praying that they would be with us the next time we celebrated the holidays. 

Our five little elves!!

This Christmas, what a huge blessing it was to actually be living through the holidays with our family all together.  It was pretty cool.  We introduced Vitalik and Lera to a slew of American Holiday traditions that we all just take for granted.  They had never heard of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman.  They had never wrapped a gift.  They had never had presents under a tree with their names on them.  (They really loved shaking the presents and imagining what they might be!) 

They HAD watched American movies set during the holidays, such as "Home Alone" and "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" so they had an idea what it was all supposed to look like, and they seemed to kind of delight in realizing that our family did all of these things they had seen on TV.  They really loved pulling the decorations out of the attic and making our house look all ready for Christmas.  When Vitalik saw our wreath, he said, "I have seen in pictures that this goes on the front door."  I loved having enthusiastic (and reasonably competent) helpers!  They enjoyed making and delivering gift bags for teachers and neighbors.  Since we opted to spend Thanksgiving at the beach, this was our first big family feast - we had a turkey AND a ham! 

Lera enjoys her big-boy cousins. 

Vitalik feasting on roast beast!

On the last Sunday of Advent, our family lit the advent candles at our church.  It was really cool.  Eugene and Vitalik shared the reading, and I helped the other kids light the candles.  Vitalik practiced many times so that he could be understood, and we were really proud of him as he read (with his precious Russian accent), "We light this candle as a symbol of the Prince of Peace.  May the visitation of your Holy Spirit, O God, make us ready for the coming of Jesus, our hope and joy.  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."  I am told that it was a really beautiful moment, though at the time, I was just focused on ensuring that none of us knocked over the candles or set anything on fire! 

What a pleasure it was for all of us to get to experience all of all of these Christmas traditions during our first Christmas together as a family! 

Singing with Grandmother on Christmas Eve.  We have such a fun and silly family!

Christmas Eve - Lots of Cousins!!

Lera enjoying a new Exercise video on Christmas Morning.  The "six minute workout" is right up her alley!  I should also mention that during Christmas break, she did set a new hula hoop record of just over 2 hours!

Vitalik got lots of  cool Legos this Christmas, and enjoyed some quiet time in his room assembling them.

Spencer is getting so big!  He has had a LOT of change to get used to, moving from his old position as "oldest child" into his new role as "middle kid" with a very cool big and strong older brother.  He is doing great, and we are really proud of him.  Santa brought Spencer a  new IPod Nano, which he really loves!

Christmas Morning - Spencer and Heath introduced Lera to Webkinz.  She loved it!

This December has been unusually warm.  L&V really miss the snow that they know their pals in Ukraine are enjoying now, but the warmer weather has made for a LOT of good times outdoors during Christmas vacation, and after school.

Santa brought our family a Polar Express electric train!  We hope to enjoy it at Christmas time each year.

Vitalik enjoys experimenting with how many dum-dum lollipops he can fit into his mouth!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our Toast at midnight on New Year's Eve.  If you think staying awake and reasonably
happy with this many kids was easy, please think again!  In any case, we can say we did it.

The new year has included a good dose of Ukrainian cooking.  Here, Vitalik makes "peroshki" which seems to mean fried dough stuffed with mashed potatoes.  It was so funny.  He asked if I could make some "testo" (dough) and then after I made it, he said, "It's perfect - now all I need are some mashed potatoes."   After I made the mashed potatoes, then HE made dinner! ;-)  It really was delicious!

Lera has done a good bit of cooking Russian foods in the new year, both at home, and at Aunt Tracy's house.  Here, at home, she stirs a pot of awesome "Galushki" (dumpling) soup.  We all loved it and gobbled up every morsel!

 As we look back on 2011, it has been an incredible and memorable year to say the least.  For several months now, we have been realizing how very depleating the adoption process and transition to our new family was to everyone involved.  We could not have asked for anything more from any of our five children - and we have all been thankful along the way.  Still, we have been trying to take time to acknowledge that this thing has taken a LOT out of us, and we are still recouperating. 

The new year provides a great time to be thankful for all we have already been through, and to look forward to the future with great optimism.  We are feeling like 2012 is going to be a really great year, filled with lots of fun, laughter, and love.  :-)

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.  :-)