Santa dancin...

We received one of those blow up Santa's as a gift and we took him out for a spin in the livingroom...

Christmas is on its way...

Galveston Beach

Looking at "beached" jellyfish

Family Christmas photo

Silly family photo

Too Cute for words!

I can't believe it is only 2 weeks until Christmas!! Time is flying by. Things are still going extremely well and Emma is getting really excited about Christmas. I think Chris and I may be even more excited than the kids! We can't wait for Christmas morning. Chris bought a "Polar Express" train set for Lucas and he is busy mounting the tracks to a board and adding Astro turf, trees, and other cool things to make it a dream come true for Lucas. He loves trains and he is going to go nuts when he sees it!! Of course the train set is "officially" for Lucas but I suspect that it is just as much for Chris. He never had a train set growing up so he's living out his fantasy under the guise of a Christmas gift for his son:). I can't really blame him...the dollhouse Emma is getting is really a 38 year old wish fulfilled for her mama!!

We spent the weekend at the beach recently with my girlfriends. The kids had a great time walking on the beach and looking at the hundreds of jellyfish washed ashore by the tide. It was so nice to relax and spend time with good friends. Thanks Ya Ya's!!!

We took our annual family Christmas photos in front of our tree, for our Christmas cards. As in years passed, it took approximately 30 photos to come up with a few that all of us are smiling in. I am a perfectionist so I'm always wanting "just one more" to capture the perfect photo. I had to bribe the kids with "just 2 more shots then we can take a silly one". I've attached the results of our silly poses.

Emma is continuing to adjust well with no major issues. She's lost 3 teeth since we brought her home (one today) and she is really liking the whole tooth fairy thing. She looks so cute smiling with a missing front tooth.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

L,C,L &E

Update

Sweeping the leaves

At the zoo

Halloween

Pillow fight at the Renaissance festival (we went again)

Hello everyone,



We've had a busy month since the last time I posted. We had our first parent teacher conference with Emma's teacher and her ESL instuctor. She is doing fantastic in school and she is progressing so fast, it has our heads spinning. She is able to read simple words by sounding them out phonetically. We just keep shaking our heads at how easily she is understanding letter sounds and their uses in words. She is speaking very well, although she's like a minah (sp?) bird...mimics everything that is said. She also is able to rhyme really well and she frequently will not only sound out a word....but say 4 or 5 words that rhyme with it. She also seems to have the same ability as her mama in learning the words of songs. Picture her singing from the backseat of the car..."Burns, Burns, Burns...the ring of fire...". Yep...she's singing Johnny Cash!!!! I can't help but laugh everytime I hear her. Another favorite it "We will, we will...Rock you!". I'm afraid she also has the same terrible singing voice that plagues her mother...sigh. Oh well, at least we try.



Halloween was a big hit. Emma was dressed as Cinderella and Lucas was Anakin Skywalker. Lucas filled Emma in on what to do to "get candy" so Emma was hooked immediately. It was so fun to watch them both run up to each house to collect their scrumptious treats. Emma really wanted to do it again the next night and she got pretty pouty when we said she'd have to wait another year. She doesn't really understand what a year is yet but she realized it was a long time away.



The other day they were both playing at the park (3 houses down from our house) while I sat in the driveway and read a book (I could see them). After about an hour, they came home and announced that there were too many leaves in our front yard and asked if they could sweep them up. Before answering, I looked at them and thought "what planet are you from?" and they whined "Puleeeeeez!!"...as if it would be a punishment if I said no. Seriously, they must be from an alternate universe where children enjoy cleaning. Not that I'm complaining mind you. Although it was a little embarrasing sitting reading my book while my little aliens swept the driveway. Hey....I didn't want to sweep! For me it would have been a punishment!



Today was Emma's first Thanksgiving and all week she has been so excited to eat turkey and "punkin" pie. She kept saying (while rubbing her stomach) "I love punkin pie". I just laughed because she's never actually tasted pumpkin pie. I was worried that the anticipation would be much better than the actual experience, especially since she is such a picky eater. We went to Chris's sisters house and enjoyed the usual fare, in which Emma ate more than she has ever eaten....and she did like the pumpkin pie. We really have so much to be thankful for this year (as we do every year) and it was so nice to just be thankful and not longing for the missing part of our family. I've been so grateful every year for Lucas, and loved the years we had with him alone. We never stopped believing we were also meant to have a daughter and Emma was always there in our hearts waiting for us. We had her name picked out even before she was born...before Lucas. She has completed our family, and enriched all of our lives in ways we are just beginning to discover. Both of our children are treasures...even if they are from another planet.



My thoughts and prayers are with the several families in Ukraine right now (I'm following their blogs religiously) making their dreams come true. I love joining in your journeys to bring your children home. Ukraine is a wonderful country and I am so grateful that they are entrusting their precious children to all of us. If only everone could experience the joy that these amazing children bring into our lives. To all of you waiting...soon you will join the exclusive club of Ukie parents, which brings with it unimaginable gifts. Soon you will be a foreign land, frozen upon her landscapes but warm within her heart. Respect her for her strength and history and thank her for her generosity. She is our children's heritage. ...and she will always be remembered.



Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!



L,C,L & E

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

Well, I can't believe we've been home for almost 3 weeks. Emma is doing so great!! I can't believe how well she is adjusting. She is learning English at a supersonic speed. She understands much of what we say and mimics everything that Lucas says. She's so funny...Lucas says "Mama, I love you so much" to which I answer "I love you so much too". When Emma goes to bed she always says "I love you too so much", even before I get a chance to say "I love you". It is so cute, especially with her little accent. She is something special!!

Much of their time is spent in our pool, which has become their favorite pastime. I admit, it is mine as well. No longer do I need to "entertain" Lucas by splashing about. I can now sit on the sidelines (because frankly...that pool is too cold for me) reading a book....yes folks...this mother of 2 gets to actually read a book!! Who knew that I would have this luxury. I read a few sentences, look up, watch them jump in, read a few more sentences...and so on! They have become quite the little fish and hearing their laughter just fills me with a contentment I've never known. They have developed a bond, deeper than I could have ever imagined. They hold hands when we are out shopping, and we frequently find one in the other's bed in the early morning just before getting up. I asked Lucas about this one morning when I saw him sleeping in Emma's bed. He said he got up early and he knew it was too early to get up so he went to her bed to make sure she wasn't scared. I thought that was so sweet!!

I took Emma to get her medical evaluation done at the Internation Adoption Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital. They are so great there. They were happy to see that she is adjusting well. She is low on the scale for ht and under the scale for wt (something we knew). Actually, her BMI is 0! I think she would fit in well in Hollywood! The Doctor gave me some ideas for a high calorie/high protein diet which includes fabulous things like bacon, fried foods, waffles, ice cream...yeah...we should all be so lucky! Chris and I want to be on this diet...except we'd gain 20 pounds in the first month.

We're having Lucas's birthday party on Sunday and Emma will get her first experience with an actual birthday party. I'm happy for Lucas too because he has handled Emma getting most of the attention (and gifts) for the past couple of weeks so well. He rarely complains, which is amazing for a soon to be 5 year old! He deserves to have a little attention thrust in his direction. His little world has changed so much too and he has handled it better than I ever thought he would.

We are a happy family, enjoying our new lives together. We are blessed indeed!!

L,C,L &E

Video #2

Here's another one, taken on August 10th...just after court.

Lisa