Russian Adoption

Home School Help!

2008-11-16T19:39:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to a Home School Conference and Carole Joy Seid was our speaker. Please check out her website for more info about her. The conference was eye-opening and so informative. I plan on home schooling my kids but really was clueless as to how to go about it. She completely answered all of my questions, mapped out a curriculum for our family and gave me complete peace of mind. Her main focus is on reading to your children constantly, specifically the classics. Start when they are born and never stop!;) She also gave us some great information about how boys learn and to not press them to read too early. I am actually excited about teaching our boys and not at all intimidated. I have to tell you that her teaching philosophy has rocked a lot of people's boats but the facts support what she believes. I encourage all home schooling Moms and Moms who are getting ready to home school to check out her website and go to one of her conferences as soon as possible. She even does personal consulting! It is really revolutionary.

Air Show!

2008-11-10T10:14:00.018-05:00

Saturday we took the boys to an Air Show. I had never been to one before but Chris used to go with his Dad when he was a kid. It was incredible! I can't believe how low the planes would fly over the crowds. The fighter jets were the most impressive as they made such a tremendous noise while they zoomed over us. The boys were amazed as well! We weren't able to stay as long as we would have liked so next year we're going to bring the whole family and spend the day. There were fun kiddie rides and lots of food. I could have toured the planes all day. They were so cool! We got to walk inside one of those huge cargo planes that troops jump out of. You know, like the ones we see in movies where the guys are attached to a cable with their parachutes as they walk down the ramp of the back of the plane and jump out. I guess I've seen too many action films!:))

Can you see 2 little pilots in this big bird?

Here the boys are sitting in a North Carolina National Guard helicopter.

Jadon loved to push the rocket launch buttons! Yes, he is our little destroyer!;)

Roman wanted to know what every button did.:)) I think he'd make a great pilot someday.;)

Fun with a garden hose.

2008-11-05T18:19:00.010-05:00

November in Florida and it's still warm enough to play outside with the hose. So sad. Good times though.;)

Trick or Treat!

2008-10-31T22:59:00.010-04:00

Here are a few pics of our evening tonight. The boys went trick or treating with their friend Addie and had a blast knocking on doors and getting candy. They made out like bandits too!

Spidy is on the lookout for candy!

That's the cutest lion I've ever seen!

Trick or treat!

Daddy's little cubby!

Look at all the loot!

Cool Days!

2008-10-29T19:40:00.011-04:00

Yesterday and today we had some cool weather for SoFlo. It was in the 50s when we got up in the morning and the boys LOVED playing outside in the fresh, brisk weather. We ate dinner at Granny and Grampy's last night and had a Thanksgiving preview. Granny made the best turkey ever! We also celebrated our nephew's 17th birthday. Happy Birthday Andrew!

Fall in Florida

2008-10-25T09:16:00.014-04:00

I love the Fall but sadly it doesn't really exist here in Florida. We try really hard to pretend it does though.;) Here are some pics of the boys at a local pumpkin patch and a few of them in their trick-or-treat costumes.

"Bob and Larry" pumpkins were a hit!

One year ago today...

2008-10-15T14:20:00.008-04:00

...we got the referrals for our two precious boys. We were so excited but tried not to get too excited as we had gotten referrals before but lost them to Russian families. We decided that we would believe it when we were sitting on the airplane on our way to Russia. Little did we know that we would be doing exactly that less than 2 weeks later.
Here are our referral pics, they have changed so much in 1 year!

Oh the things kids say...

2008-10-10T16:51:00.003-04:00

Today my sweet Roman came into my bedroom while I was folding clothes and curiously asked if those were my underwear I was folding to which I responded "yes". He then very obstinately said " no Mommy, they too small. You have big butt, you break them."

Nice, good times.

I got a package...

2008-10-08T13:04:00.003-04:00

...from my Secret Blog Pal! What thoughtful gifts too. She sent me 2 wonderful books that I know my boys will love since they are book fanatics! She also surprised me with my favorite candy, Bit o' Honey.=) She did some research to find that out.;)) Thank you, thank you, thank you Secret Blog Pal!

Pictures

2008-10-04T12:11:00.016-04:00

Here are some pics of our recent outing to Bush Wildlife. It's like a zoo but they rehab hurt and abandoned local wildlife and it's free. We sat for an animal encounter and the kids got to touch some animals. Very fun! But first a few pics from our recent Orlando trip. We stopped for a visit at Disney and rode the monorail and took some pics outside the gate but we did not go in. The kids aren't ready yet, maybe next year!=)

Jadon waking up happy from his nap, this is new for us.;)

Here the boys are petting a baby croc. Or was is a gator??

This is an albino corn snake. Pretty as far as snakes go.;)

Here Roman is petting an opossum. He was very soft and oddly cute. His googly eyes remind me of my Grommit.;))

This is a young skunk. The scent glands were removed so no chance of being sprayed. She was super soft and so cute!

This owl is the last animal we saw at the encounter. I was glad we got to see and hear about it because for some reason Roman has been afraid them. The lady had him flap his wings and it was absolutely silent. This is how they are such adept hunters. Their heads only rotate 180 degrees, not 360. They are really cool birds and I don't think Roman is afraid of them anymore.

Other than the animals we saw at the encounter, we saw an albino raccoon (very cool), mountain lions, various birds, foxes, deer and various snake species. I had my own personal animal encounter with an ornery parrot. He was not in a cage but able to walk about freely. He was very interested in biting my diaper bag. Here's a pic of the crazy little guy.

Family Getaway!

2008-09-28T18:15:00.016-04:00

This past Thursday and Friday we took a little family vacation to Sea World. The kids had a blast! We stayed overnight in a hotel and they did great. It was the first time they slept in a hotel room since Russia. Roman love it and called the hotel room his new house. He really loved his big bed too.;)
Saturday, we went to see Elmo Live! It was a great show and the kids loved it! Sadly, we didn't bring a camera to take pictures.:(
Here are some pics of us at Sea World.

Here we are in front of "Bud" the Clydesdale.

Roman trying to win a carnival game. He didn't win but Daddy won him a stuffed penguin at a different game.

J.J. and I in front of the penguins. They are soooo cute!!!

I got to pet a dolphin!! It felt like smooth, wet plastic.;)

The boys in front of the Orca tank. The young whales were very playful and curious of the people looking at them.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear what do you hear?=)) This guy was HUGE and we got to see him up close, very cool!

This is a sea dragon. How cool is this creature?!

It's no wonder why people love dolphins, they are always smiling!!=)

Caught in the act!

2008-09-18T19:52:00.001-04:00

A special treat!

2008-09-15T18:20:00.002-04:00

Yesterday a package arrived in the mail for me from my Secret Blog Pal. Inside was a sweet card, a much needed book on how to keep things simple and my favorite treat, chocolate covered pretzels. There's just something about that sweet and salty combo, yum! Thank you SBP for my sweet treats!

It's our Anniversary!

2008-09-10T19:05:00.004-04:00

Not mine and Chris' but it's been 6 months since we brought the boys home. Boy does time fly! It is still so surreal to me that we traveled half way around the world to bring these these precious boys into our family. It seems like they have always been here and I can't imagine them not being with us. Chris and I are so thankful for our little miracles.

Sleepy Head

2008-09-07T15:07:00.004-04:00

I never thought this would ever happen. Jadon fell asleep at the table eating dinner! It was like seeing a clip on Funniest Home Videos! I could have kicked myself for not thinking to video this hilarious event. His head was bobbing all over the place! I did manage to get a couple of pics with my phone before I woke him up laughing.;)

Yearbook!

2008-09-03T22:22:00.004-04:00

This was so much fun! Please go and do this and I challenge you to post your "yearbook" pics on your blog. You will have a nice laugh anyway!=0)
By the way, the top left picture is closest to my graduation year, 1993. I wish I had my real photo to show you.;)

Another first!

2008-09-03T14:30:00.002-04:00

Roman is really getting into writing his name and has recently been trying other names. In this picture, he wrote my name for the first time on his magna-doodle. No help in writing, just spelling. Pretty good huh?

First Sleepover!

2008-09-02T11:43:00.008-04:00

Sunday night Chris and I went on a date with some friends to see John Mayer. We left the kids with Chris' sister, who lives nearby the concert venue, fully expecting Jadon to pitch a fit and give Bethany (Totya) a hard time with bedtime. Our plan was to come back after the concert, wake them up and take them home and put them to bed. The boys totally surprised us and went to bed perfectly for them! I called to check in on them and Bethany told me how well they went to sleep so we decided to try a sleepover instead of waking them to take them home. Well they slept through the night and woke up at 7am! I am so amazed by the progress our boys have made. I guess this means they feel totally secure with us and know that we will always come back for them. It'll be nice to have a night to ourselves every now and then too!;) Here are some pics Bethany took of their first sleepover.=)

In case you are wondering, the concert was okay. We are big Mayer fans but he looked horrible! He showed off way too much, swore a lot and mostly played unfamiliar music. It was like one big jam session that glorified his skills. It's so sad that he doesn't recognize who gave him those skills. Like my hubby said, he needs Jesus!

Busy, busy!

2008-08-26T11:47:00.002-04:00

Okay, we are still alive. I have to apologize for the lack in posting. I have a good excuse though, the boys have been recovering from surgery. They both had the same one and it has to do with their pee-pee, get it? Anyway, it was not purely cosmetic but they both had issues that needed correction so it was necessary as well. It was a rough few days after the surgery for JJ since he had the majority of issues that needed to be corrected but Roman did awesome. He was sore but not in pain and was back to his old self the next day. Jadon was in a lot of pain for the first couple of days and a week later is still a bit sensitive. They both did incredibly well though and were perfect patients in the hospital. I was so proud of them.
We've also been very busy getting into our new church building this past week. Sunday was our first service and it was very exciting! We are so blessed to finally have our own church building! Our church has been portable for 11 years so it's about time!;) Thank you Jesus!
Anyway, I am very excited about the new round of Secret Blog Pals that I'm participating in. It is a lot of fun to secretly bless others!=)
That's about everything new going on. Oh, I may be switching to typepad since my husband has and he's the techie in the house. Stay tuned...

Yo! Yo!

2008-08-14T15:54:00.003-04:00

I bet you didn't know my boys were rappers!
Jib Jab is so funny, check it out!

Watermelon Fun!

2008-08-11T16:24:00.007-04:00

I gave the boys a quarter of a watermelon today and they LOVED it! I didn't think Jadon would get into it like he did since he dislikes being messy but he sure had fun!=)

Busy Boys

2008-08-07T22:47:00.009-04:00

And boy are we busy! This summer has flown by! I can't believe it's already August!!
We spend a lot of time outdoors as the boys would have it no other way. Although recently our times spent outside have been cut much shorter due to excessive heat (today was 97)! The pool and hose sure does help though!;)
Everyone asks "How are the boys adjusting?" My answer is always "Great!" which is true but I wonder how I would answer if people asked "How are you adjusting?". Honestly, it has been a very tough adjustment for me. I just told my friend that I didn't realize how selfish I was until we brought the boys home. Each day gets better and easier as we fall into synch with each other but it sure has been a struggle. I am so thankful for the struggle though, it has challenged me to be a better wife, mother and child of God.
Anyway, here are some pics of the boys spending their summer days outside.

Here's Roman in our backyard holding the letter we wrote for "N".

Here he is with a picture he drew for her.

At the park on the friendly dinosaur.=)

Peek-a-boo Jadon!

Jadon LOVES cars, which he calls "cais".=)

We are usually so busy that this is how the boys end up at some point in the day. Zzzzzzzzzzzz!

Have a wonderful day!

Finding "N"

2008-07-24T13:11:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted a video of Roman dancing with his friend "N". We inquired with our agency about her status since our son asks about her and prays for her everyday and is now calling her his "sister".
Today we found out. She is still at the orphanage and is currently not available for adoption as her birthmother has not relinquished her rights. I was sad to hear this because I hate to think that this beautiful little girl is going to grow up in an orphanage without a loving family. We are praying for her and the situation and I'm asking all of you to pray as well. We want God's best for her.
Our fc said we could send her a letter and some pics so we're going to do that real soon.
Thanks for your prayers!

Birthday Pics

2008-07-15T14:58:00.008-04:00

Okay, as promised, here are some pics from the party. We went to a hotel near by and had the party there. We played in the pool and at the beach and had cake and presents. The best part, no clean up!!!

Here we are singing "Happy Birthday" to Jadon. He was a little embarrassed when we sang to him, just like my little sister used to be.;)

Blowing out the candles on the completely organic cake I made. It was delicious!

I wish you could see his face better here. It was hilarious! The boy is crazy for cars and trucks!=)

I think he was pretty excited about his bathtub pirate boat here!

Roman is having a blast with Grampy on the pool water slide!

Thanks Totya for taking such wonderful pictures!

Happy Birthday Jadon!

2008-07-11T13:58:00.000-04:00

My baby boy turned 2 years old today! I can't believe how much he has grown since he came home in March! We love you Jadon Paul!
Pictures of the party will be coming soon!=)