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| Tuesday, October 31, 2006 |
| First Halloween |
Okay, I give up. I've been trying to attach more of the cute pics I took at Halloween, but Blogger is being awful!! I've spent 5 hours off and on trying to attach these and it just deleted one of them as I was typing. Lovely! Anyway, I might try later. Here's the best I can do for now. Now, on to the original post:
Wow! What a fun country! You put on your dress-up clothes from the bucket in your closet(because there's too many costumes to buy and mom and dad are still paying for a trip to Russia, dental bills-which are sure to get worse after tonight, etc.), walk down the street with a bunch of other dressed up people, go up to houses whose lights are on, and get candy put into your big pumpkin bucket. Then you go back to your doma and trade out your favorites with all of your sisters and brother, then eat some. What a great place to live! Can we do it again tomorrow? |
posted by 6blessings @ 7:38 PM  |
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| Friday, October 27, 2006 |
| Some Friday Laughs |
I was inspired by Jenni's cute quip from helping in the kindergarten class, so I thought I'd share a few that have happened around our house lately.
#1 Loss of Teeth and the Tooth Fairy
After having extractions done the other day, D was trying to cheer them up and tried to explain about the tooth fairy. They were really excited and when I came home from gym they came running at me explaining it all. Their version was a little different than what I think had been explained to them. You see, the gwins have some crowns on some of their back molars due to having to share nutrition in utero. Anyway, they grabbed E and made her open her mouth. They held a nickel up to her crown and said, "Money." They continued, "L spat(sleep), get tees(teeth) money." Translation: the bwins thought they would go to sleep and wake up with crowns in place of their missing teeth and the crowns, obviously since they are silver,are made with money. After a little more explaining, they had a clearer idea of the tooth fairy and were thrilled to find money under their pillows the next day.
#2 Bareback Riding... or is it Bearback Riding?
I mentioned previously that we had attended a rodeo revival when we went to visit my mother for her birthday. The announcer told everyone it was time for the bareback riding. E looked at D in utter amazement (or possible horror) and said, "They're going to ride bears...in here?"
#3 Biblical Math Lessons
As most of you know, we homeschool. J is in first grade. I told him it was time to do his Math one day. I offhandedly made the comment, "Let's see, where are we at?" He said, "I'm on Exodus 25." I was obviously confused by this. I asked what he meant. He opened his book and pointed, "See, Exodus 25." I looked down and realized he was on Exercise 25.
#4 P is for Pig (amongst other things)
A few nights ago, D was doing puzzles with all of the boys. L has this crazy attraction to pigs. He has a little stuffed pig that goes everywhere with him. Anyway, there was a P in the puzzle. D thought he'd have a teachable moment and he made the "p" sound and said, "P is for pigs." L began to repeat, "P is for pigs," and make the sound. D thought he was making progress in the educational arena right up until L said, "P, pig go pisheet(the Russian word for going to the bathroom)." In other words, the pig needed to pee, not P. He had no concept of the letter.
I hope everyone has a great weekend and got some good laughs on my family's behalf. I'm off to the first gymnastics meet of the season. It starts today at 4:30 p.m. and will probably be over by 10 p.m. Saturday night. Thank goodness for Daylight Savings Time this weekend! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 6:57 AM |
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| Thursday, October 26, 2006 |
| Introducing THE BUS |
Just thought I'd show you "The Bus" all fixed up. We had to have a few mechanical repairs and they stripped the "Golden Disciples" off of it and painted it red. Now no one who is driving around town looking for us can miss us. It isn't terrible to drive, but I still get nervous every time I step into it. I'm pretty short. My head is about level with the rearview mirrors when I stand up against it. It takes a good heave and ho to climb into it. The kids use a step stool to make the climb. They are absolutely thrilled with it! They "hachoo" the "big van" all of the time. The back seat is "the funnest ride in town".
Wanna come take a ride? We can hold everyone! :-) |
| posted by 6blessings @ 9:51 AM |
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| Tuesday, October 24, 2006 |
| 3 months and a little |
I had been posting an update on L and El every month from when they got home. On Saturday, I realized that I had missed the 3 month update. Actually, the "Yummy Fun" post below marked 3 months of them being home with us all together as a family. Anyway, here is an update.
1. Medical- They are being sent for more blood work and also urine and stool samples. We are catching up on immunizations. Still no word from L's doc about his surgery status. He's had a few "choking" episodes this week again. Hopefully, we'll hear news soon.
2. Dental- Our prayers are being answered. In the last update, we were handed a proposed treatment plan that exceeded $10,000. That was just the beginning. I prayed hard and felt peace that God was going to take care of it. He did. The next day, a man at our gym asked to talk to us. He is a pedidontist. He offered to do the work for about a third of the cost and it may even be less because he hinted at just "throwing in" some of it. Last Friday, D took them for their first visit. El had the one tooth that was bothering him pulled and the abcess drained. L had two teeth pulled. I won't say that the boys were thrilled, but they feel much better. Our next visit is Monday for some crowns.
3. Language- L is speaking almost entirely in English! He is very social and very talkative. He will piece a sentence together however he can in English. Here's a few examples over the last week: "I un a give me a hug." Translation: "I want to give him a hug." (Papa was going to work.) "I know where it is." (This one was very clear.) El speaks some, but maybe just one or two words at a time, not full sentences. It is great to know they are learning English so well, yet rather sad because the Russian is fading so quickly. I thought they would continue to speak to each other in Russian, but they are not. They are using English.
4. Tantrums- They had slowed down a bit, but we are seeming to have round 2 around here the last few days. We were down to having a few tantrum free days per week. Now we are back to having a few tantrums every day. Overall, they are doing much better. We are just being as consistent as possible, hoping it will all even out in the end.
5. Toliet Reversion- We're DRY!!!!!
6. Love- They are constantly loving on us. At first, when they woke up in the morning, they would wait on someone to tell them they could get up. Now, I feel little fingers on me every morning waking me up. They just want to crawl in bed and snuggle with us. It usually ends up in a tickle fight, their favorite. In fact, they have become so loving that we are now going to have to have a conversation about who we can love on. When D picked the boys up at their class on Sunday, he said several little girls came rushing at him, telling him that the boys were kissing them. I really don't think they mean any harm. They are just liking this world of love so much, that they just want to share a little. :-)
7. School- UGH!!!! This is the area that is absolutely driving me insane. We have been in school for 2 and a half months now. The boys have been doing colors, shapes, and writing their names almost every day. L does fairly well. He can get almost all of his colors most of the time and can at least put down the four letters of his name, never in the right order though. El is a completely different story. He can luckily guess about 1/3 of the colors and has no clue on his name. We have been doing this for 2-1/2 months. I spoke to our pediatrician about this and we talked a little about FAS. The boys have some of the markers but haven't been tested or anything. We know mom was an alcoholic and drug addict. This may be part of our problem or they may just be very developmentally behind. In many cases, they are more like 3 year olds than 5 year olds.
Overall, everything has gone so much better than what we had prepared ourselves for. All of the kids are closely knitted together and it is like the boys have always been here. We had our first post placement a week ago and it went really well. The social worker was very impressed by how they fit in and the way everyone was one unit. We are so grateful to God for all 6 of our blessings and for the way He takes care of us all.
***Sidenote: Blog pal, I received your incredibly cute Halloween card the other day. Thanks so much for the kind and encouraging words. You are awesome!*** |
| posted by 6blessings @ 7:02 AM |
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| Friday, October 20, 2006 |
| Yummy Fun |
Last night the gwins had a friend sleep over. It is Fall Break in Oklahoma for the schools. Anyway, the gwins had requested the usual sleepover breakfast, Monkey Bread. My grandmother made this every time we came to visit her, usually 1-2 times per year because of the distance. It has been made in our family for a long time and is one of the kids' favorites. It is a favorite not only because it is yummy, but also because it is so easy and fun for the kids to help.
This morning the bwins made the Monkey Bread, and boy did they like it! They were so proud of themselves. When they get hungry, they tell me, "Ya hachoo Mama cooking." This morning they said, "Stasik u Vitaly cooking." They were so excited, made such a mess, and had a blast!
Is it done yet????????????????
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| posted by 6blessings @ 1:33 PM |
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| Wednesday, October 18, 2006 |
| Twinship |
As most of you know, I have two sets of twins. An eight year old set of girls and a five year old set of boys. They never cease to amaze me. They are such individuals, yet share such a special bond.
My girls look nothing alike. One is blonde haired with dark olive skin. The other is red haired with fair skin. One is dramatic, outgoing, social, and athletic. The other is academic, quiet, and a peacemaker. They have not cared to wear matching clothes since they were old enough to dress themselves. Z will try at times to match, but E very seldom wants anything to do with it. A few weeks ago, Z went to an overnight camping trip with our church at the children's pastor's ranch that he uses for retreats. E couldn't go because she had made a prior committment to soccer. This was a tough lesson. Z was gone from Friday night to Saturday night. When I brought her home that night, E ran and jumped on top of her, practically knocking her down. They hugged and jumped up and down and were pretty inseparable for the rest of the night.
Over the last week and a half or so, the girls have gone out of their way to wear matching clothes. Now, we haven't bought matching things in years so they are having to stretch their imaginations some. All of a sudden, they're asking for matching clothes for Christmas, etc. They not only match during the day, but wear matching leos to gym and matching jammies to bed. It's pretty cute! I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
My boy twins, affectionately called bwins, do look alike. Many people ask if they are identical. We don't know because we have no record that they were ever tested. We see huge differences, but many people don't, including doctors. They said even identical twins can have slight differences as they grow. Anyway, El was sick a few Sundays back and had to stay home. I was a little worried about L in Sunday School by himself but he did well. D stayed home with El that morning so I stayed home that evening when it was time to go to our small group meeting. El and I had a good time together, but when everyone came home, it got interesting. E rushed in to hug El. He totally pushed her away and started saying, "Vitalik, Vitalik," and looking for his twin. When he saw him, he totally trampled him.
I know there is a special bond between twins. I'm sure the bwin bond is strengthened even more by all that they've been through. It still never ceases to amaze me how they are somewhat one at times. The gwins can finish each other's sentences, know what the other is thinking, etc. You always hear the phrase "double trouble". Yes, there are times it feels that way, but usually I just feel "double blessed".
Anyone else have twin stories? What about that bond? |
| posted by 6blessings @ 7:21 AM |
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| Thursday, October 12, 2006 |
| Boogars, Kitchens, and Extractions... Oh My!! |
Well, once again, it has been an absolutely crazy week and guess what...the weekend gets even crazier!!
I'm almost through with all my planned doctor's appointments. D took L Wednesday and had his test run. Basically, the x-ray technicians and others involved asked D why he was there. They said that nothing showed up last time on the barium swallow, so why was he back in there for another similar test. D explained that the scope indicated a stricture up high and they were going to do surgery. The medical professionals didn't seem to agree and thought they were wasting their time. I have called his GI doc several times and have received no word from him that might resolve this issue. I'll let you know when I hear something.
Today, it was time to go see the dentist. I knew it was going to be bad. Boy was I right! My kiddos have some awful teeth!! I'll spare you everything except the stats. El needs 7 pulpotomies (baby root canals/ nerve removal) and crowns, 2 fillings, 1 extraction, and a spacer to replace the extracted tooth. His treatment will be a piece of cake compared to L's. L needs 6-10 extractions (totally dead teeth) and 10-14 pulpotomies with crowns. The numbers vary because the dentists is not sure if four of his teeth are totally dead or just mostly dead. He will see if they are salvagable when he begins treatment. L has 20 teeth and every one of them will either be capped or pulled.
Okay, here's the kicker...we have no dental insurance! The estimates for treatment exceed $10,000. Where is the money tree? Aren't we still paying for their adoption? Did anyone count dental problems in those "hidden" adoption expenses? I'm only joking, okay, half-joking. I know that God will provide what we need for these kids. It will come from somewhere. He has been faithful in the past and He will be faithful now.
The dentist said that El will be okay once he gets his teeth fixed. L however is on a 10 year treatment plan. Because of all of the teeth he will have to have removed, his adult teeth will have no guidance to come in right. The dentist said this causes orthodontic nightmares. I asked if their adult teeth would be harmed as far as quality because L has several highly infected teeth. He said it was possible that L might have some damage, but the possibility was not really high. However, he said that poor nutrition while the adult teeth were forming (the last 4 1/2 years) would be more likely to cause problems.
El did fairly well and was mostly content to watch Dora on the TV screen in the ceiling. L, however, stunned the nurse with his tears flowing down, yet silent demeanor. I keep thinking it's going to get better, but it never does. Hopefully, someday.
Okay, now to explain the title. What do boogars and kitchens have to do with my kids' rotting mouths? After their visit, it was lunchtime. I told them I would take them to Mickey D's (our family version of the name). When we were almost there, I asked them what they wanted. El replied that he wanted "kitchen". Most of us call it chicken. L said he wanted a "boogar". I'm sure you can figure that one out.
In the end, both little guys were happy and content once they were chowing down on their fries, apple juice, boogars and kitchens. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 8:42 PM |
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| Tuesday, October 10, 2006 |
| Happy 60th Birthday, Mom!! |
Today, October 10, 2006, is my sweet mother's 60th birthday!!! She does not look, nor seem, 60 to me. Of course, I'm still a gal in her young 20s, right?! Not!! Anyway, I just wanted to dedicate this post to her.
My mom grew up in Missouri. She had one brother. Her dad was a hard working man who managed a grocery store. Her mother also worked. They stayed busy trying to make ends meet. In 1967, my mom and dad got married and I was born in 1970. They added my sister to the family in 1974. My mom was a nurse. In our young growing up years she stayed home, but also worked as a nurse in a nursing home. When we moved to Oklahoma, my mom was able to stay home entirely. She was always there to help with school functions and cuddle us when we were home sick. She worked hard keeping our house in order, cooking meals, running the household items, driving us everywhere, etc. When we got a little older, she took on a job as the secretary at our local Christian school. She was loved by all there. She had a special way about her that all of the kids loved. She was reliable and did a great job with her secretarial duties. She always went above and beyond what she needed to do.
Over the last few years, my mother has had a lot of grief in her life. My grandfather, her dad, passed away on Christmas Eve 1994, after battling with many illnesses. I was living in China when it happened. They called on their Christmas Eve, my Christmas morning (H's first Christmas), and gave me the news, but not until after listening to us tell all about H's first Christmas. That's just the kind of person mom is. Her dad was a special man who always made me laugh. Her only brother took his life not too long after that. Then on my birthday, August 12, 2005, her mother passed away. This was very hard. She had a stroke and was incoherent. Everything had to be done for her. She just laid there. My mom sat by her hospital bedside for a month between the stroke and her death talking to her, singing to her, and just loving her. She and my mother were very close. My mom was a wonderful daughter.
My mother is an amazing woman. She has the gift of encouragement. She is a writer. She spends a lot of her week writing letters and sending cards to those in need. She does behind-the-scene jobs at her church. She is a wonderful grandmother (babushka) to all of her grandkids. She loves each one of them in a special way, taking in all of their strengths and encouraging them even in their weaknesses. She is sensitive to each of their individualized needs. She is a mom who is always there when I call and need a shoulder to lean on or just need to talk. She listens and is genuinely interested in everything I have to say. She always sends encouraging cards and notes to both me and my kids. Throughout our adoption process, mom was the one person I knew I could count on to pray for us and support us always, no matter what happened. She never condemned or asked, "Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" She always had faith in our decision and in our calling.
She is a wonderful mother. This last weekend we went to visit her for her birthday. It was the boys' first trip to MeMa's (babushka's) house. We had family pics made with everyone so our new additions would be included. We went to a rodeo revival. We spent a ton of time with cousins. After the big OU/Texas football game, we got pizza and had cake and presents. The pics above are of the birthday party. She collects nativities. When we were in Russia, we bought her the nativity above for her collection. We waited until her birthday to give her the special gift. It was hand-carved and hand-painted. The pieces are all detachable. It is very simple, yet very unique. I couldn't wait to give it to her. We went to church on Sunday morning and my mom got to "show off" her two new grandkids to everyone who had been praying for us. Let me tell you, she was one proud grandma!! We enjoyed the weekend so much and were so glad to spend it with her.
Happy Birthday, Mom!! I love you so much and I am so grateful that God gave you to me for a mom. He couldn't have blessed me with a better mom . Have a great day!! I hope it's the best birthday ever!! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 6:15 AM |
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| Thursday, October 05, 2006 |
| 3 visits down + one + stomach virus |
Today was Ed's visit to the orthopedist for her wrist check-up. After listening to her description of her pain and doing a few x-rays, he decided that it is probably some torn cartilage that has not had time to heal. He decided not to do an MRI because the treatment would just be to rest it. Therefore, she is to rest her wrist from pounding (tumbling/vaulting/etc.), do some wrist exercises, and wear her wrist brace for the next few weeks and gradually start using it again. He hopes this will solve the problem.
The extra visit was to the pediatrician for El. He has had a cough for about a week and has run some fever. The cough was getting progressively worse and we will be seeing a lot of family this weekend and didn't want to infect anyone. Therefore, I scheduled a visit. Sure enough, he has an infection. She said he was so congested up that it wasn't even coming out in a runny nose. It was just all draining to his chest. So, he is on his first antibiotic since we have had him. I'm hoping no allergic reactions occur.
Now, on to the last subject- stomach virus. Z has a stomach virus and is running a slight fever. She vomitted five or six times this morning, but seems to be doing better this afternoon. She said she is weak and dizzy. A big thanks goes out to my MIL who was here watching all non-injured, non-infected children while I ran to doctor visits. She is the one who dealt with the morning vomitting. In addition, my kids made 2 craft projects (scarecrows and snowflakes) and they all made a bunch of cookies.
H's bone scan got scheduled for the 16th. One week down, just a few more to go. Ha! Ha! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 1:37 PM |
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| Tuesday, October 03, 2006 |
| Two visits down...add one |
These pics are of my oldest child, H. She is 11, almost 12 years old. She is becoming more beautiful every day, inside and out. She is extremely mature for her age. She always has been. Throughout her life, most of her friends have been a little older and she loves to hang out with the adults. She is a quiet, but fun child. She has a lot of responsibility, being the oldest of six, and handles it incredibly well. She is so good with the little ones. She is a great help to me.
H loves gymnastics. She was a competitive gymnast for years and was approaching high levels at a young age. She won several state championship event titles. A little over a year and a half ago, she was sidelined with terrible pain. After much testing, the docs decided that she had torn cartilage in her hip among other hip problems. In August 2005, at 10 years old, she underwent hip surgery, the youngest one her doc had ever done. Her recovery was long and difficult. She finally got clearance from the hip doc to resume normal activites in August 2006. She will have to have further hip surgery when she is fully grown and her growth plates close up.
However, in the last few months, she has been experiencing a great deal of back pain. She is unable to sit for long. The doctors started running test, doing x-rays, and requiring more physical therapy. At first they diagnosed her with kyphosis, a form of scoliosis, but now they say it is minor and are looking for other problems. Her visit to the doc today has us doing another bone scan soon. She had one done in May 2005, but he wants to check again. Her therapist had suggested a brace, but the doctor said no.
H has been a trooper through it all. However, her endurance is running thin. She can't do what she wants- gymnastics, and the docs keep running around in circles running tests on her. Every therapist ends up giving up and sending her back to the docs. The docs keep running more tests. Pray that we find an answer soon. After leaving the doctor's office today, I said, "Well, at least you don't have to wear a brace." She said, "I want a brace, anything that will get me well."
H is a special girl. She has a heart for others and is very caring. Today she is celebrating what we call her "born again birthday". Several years ago on this day, she asked Jesus into her heart to be her Lord and Saviour. She made the decision to let Him lead her life. Of all of the things I am proud of in her, this is one that is the leader. She is a beautiful young Christian (Christ-follower). She is growing and has wisdom beyond her years to realize that what she is going through will only strengthen her. Three years ago, we had a terrible car wreck and H should have died. The paramedics that pulled her out of the van with the Jaws of Life said they couldn't believe she was alive. She walked away with only minor scratches and some glass in her face. We know God has a purpose for her because He spared her then and He is teaching her lessons now that are hard for adults to handle, much less 11 year old kids.
I feel very blessed to be her mother and I love her so much. I know she reads my blog and I want to tell her how proud I am of her and that I will be here with her through it all. H, I don't know what I'd do without you. You often teach me, even as I am trying to guide you. Keep leaning on Jesus. He has great plans for you. You truly are a blessing and a joy, as your Great and Powerful Dadder would say. ;) |
| posted by 6blessings @ 12:24 PM |
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| Monday, October 02, 2006 |
| One visit down... |
We knocked out one doctor's visit today in our long list. It was L and El's trip to the cardiologist. Both of their records indicated heart murmurs and L's had some other heart trouble. The dentist wouldn't see them until the cardiologist had seen them, so off we went.
Both boys do have murmurs, but neither one is problematic. After ultrasounds and echocardiograms on each boy, she declared that they did not need any special treatment and would need no additional visits to her office. Praise the Lord!!! This was a big one.
Both boys were really good, but I'll never get used to the fear in their eyes. Cold stares and tears streaming down a child's face while they are completely silent is one of the worst sights a mother can bear. There is so much in there and it is so deep. Maybe one day they will be able to share, maybe not. At least they are beginning to know that I'm going to be there with them through it all. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 11:53 AM |
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| Sunday, October 01, 2006 |
| Soccer Star |
Ed(that's her nickname), the oldest of my 8 year old twin girls (the gwins), has been begging to play soccer for a few years. Our church started an Upwards Soccer program this year. We decided to let her play and she is having a blast. She is very aggressive and hustles up and down the field like a pro. Some of the kids on her team have played before, but she has had no previous experience. Of course, as her mom, I think she's doing a great job. It is so fun to watch the little ones trying to figure out what to do.
Upwards Soccer is non-competitive, letting everyone play equal amounts of time and giving weekly awards to everyone. They practice once a week and have a game every Saturday for 6 weeks. They have a Bible verse they have to learn and say at practice. If they do, they receive a green iron-on star to put on their practice shirt. Then after the game each week, the coach awards each child a star for their particular success during that game. The stars are color-coded to the different awards. In the past she has received Best Offense and Best Effort. Yesterday, after hustling up and down the field in 90+ degree temps for an hour, she was so excited because she was awarded two stars- Best Defense and Most Christlike. Early in the season we had discussed which star would be the best to get. She immediately said, "The white star for Christlikeness." She was so excited to be awarded this star. I was so proud of her. We discussed that Best Defense, Best Offense, etc. are temporary awards. Soccer will soon be over. However, Christlikeness is a lifelong goal. I am totally thrilled with this program and just a little proud of my daughter (okay, a lot!). |
| posted by 6blessings @ 3:49 PM |
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