Life...

Playing at the mall

The Texas Renaissance Festival

Texa Renaissance Festival

Carving pumpkins

Grandma's last night.

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks. Life is busy, busy, busy! I started back to work last week so we are getting our routine down. Emma continues to flourish in every aspect of her new life. I'm actually quite surprised that we have had no issues to speak of during our transition as a family of 4. Emma is doing great in school and looks forward to going every day. We have our first parent teacher conference this week and we are looking forward to hearing what her teacher has to say. Her English comprehension continues to improve dramatically daily and it is so great to see her having conversations with Lucas and others. She still has quite a way to go but she'll get there before we know it. Last night during dinner Chris asked Emma if she wanted seconds and she put her hand up and emphatically said "No!". This is something she does often so Chris decided to have a little fun with her. He said "Mama, what do you think...if Emma says no one more time...she gets more peas." Well, it didn't take half a second for her to say "nah ah". It was hysterical that she was able to immediately understand what he was saying and replace "no" with something else....therefore avoiding the dreaded peas. He did the same with Lucas relating to talking with food in his mouth, to which he immediately put his hand over his mouth and tried really hard not to talk. Of course, being the kind parents that we are, we attempted to make them slip up...which was great fun! They both did end up with some more peas by the end of the meal but were eaten with great delight...and a lot of laughter. These are the great moments we will remember forever.

Lucas and Emma continue to grow closer and they have actually developed their own language. I hear them talking to one another in gibberish...answering each other as if they understand what the other is saying. It is so fun to watch them play, especially when they don't know I'm watching. I get to witness some great examples of imagination and ingenuity which sometimes astounds me. My greatest thrill comes when I hear them say "I'm sorry" or "thank you" to each other when they don't know I can hear them. We sure have two great kids! They do continue to have some "differences of opinions" on occasion. Lucas sometimes gets that devlish grin that brothers exibit when tormenting their sister. She will whine "Lukie...that's my doll...don't touch"...and that grin appears as he "touches" for just a little longer. It's actually quite funny because he seems to get such enjoyment out of it.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to update with more pictures next week.

Lisa

Home for a month....

Well it is hard to believe we have been home for a month already. We've been quite busy for the last 2 weeks.

Lucas had his birthday party and it was alot of fun. Emma was excited to play on all the "jumpy" things at "Pump it Up". She got to meet Lucas's friends and they have "adopted" her into their circle. It was really great to see Lucas back with his amigos and the little bit of attention that he got all to himself was great.

Emma started kindergarten last week and absolutely loves it! The first day was extremely difficult for me and Chris but she handled it beautifully. We dropped her off and she seemed somewhat confused and there were a few tears (the silent ones that just rip your heart out) but after we reassured her she wouldn't be staying there forever, she joined right in and had a great day. I, on the other hand, had a miserble day! I watched the clock for 6 hours and counted down the minutes until I could pick her up. When I saw her standing with her class while waiting in the car pick up line, I started sobbing. I was so happy to see that she was OK! It was like I had been holding my breath all day and I could now finally breathe. Her teacher called me that evening and told me that she did great and she had no worries that she would catch up quickly. Relieved is the only word I can use to describe how I felt. She has been going to school now for 8 days and her grasp of the English language has improved dramatically every day. We no longer walk her into school.. we just pull up to the drop off area, she jumps out with a smile on her face and we barely hear the audible "bye" as she skips off through the door. She is absolutely amazing!

My Mom, arrived on Saturday for a three week visit. Lucas is so happy to see grandma and Emma treats her new "Babushka" as if she has known her all her life. Her ability to adapt to new experiences is truly humbling. I wish we all could accept change as readily as she does.

Lucas and Emma continue to amaze us in their bond, but it's only fair to mention that sibling rivalry has arrived in our home. There are a few spats here and there but for the most part they still get along well. Thankfully, any disagreements are usually short lived so it hasn't caused too much trouble. It is difficult to decipher what "really" occurs when only one is able to verbalize his side of the story. Whining is typical in these instances from both parties, which is something that drives me bonkers, so usually neither gets the response they are after. I am finding that is much easier overall having two kids than one. It is a side effect I wasn't at all expecting.

To all of you waiting to travel, I wish you all the joy and happiness that we have received. Our two Ukrainian Angels are the greatest blessings we could have ever asked for and I hope the same for you. It is worth EVERY discouraging, frustrating bump in the road! I'm looking forward to following along with many of you as you discover the joy of your amazing children.

L,C,L & E