Passanita Family Happenings

Endings and Beginnings

2010-07-12T21:08:00.009-05:00

It has been extremely difficult to keep up with the many happenings at the Passanita Nut House. All the crazies come out whenever there is a minute of down time for mama. So here it is in a nut shell:
Endings:
- School year ended - last time to do Kindergarten - I was extremely touched that the book Vanya chose to write for his year end project was "I love my mama!" All the other moms loved it too. Had to fight back the tears. Will miss all those fun kindergarten things but no more little chairs Woohoo! Victor had a good 1st grade year and wrote his non fiction book on the Earth and why should take care of it. He did his sideways, of course. He marches to the beat of his own drum and is very creative. Still loves to dress up in costumes, put his clothes on backwards, and be tickled. Yuri fit right in in 2nd grade although is now realizing that he is actually a lot older than his classmates. His class did a dress up like a character in a book day and Yuri picked a Magic Treehouse book and was Jack from the story. He read his summary of the book in front of the class and make a diorama of one of the scenes. He loved wearing mamas old reading glasses from college.

- 3 baseball schedules ended (Hallelujah!) with Yuri's team winning the championship of the 9 and under kid pitch league. Veecha did a great job and loved playing catcher this season. He even got his very own catchers gear. Vanya finally got it together and behaved through the last 3 games and even got several outs and was able to hit the ball off the tee and into the outfield a few times.

- Mayra moved away to DC :( This is a picture of her with her new room mates

- Travis moved away to Northern Virginia :(
- bible study if over for the summer :(
- Yuri's Royal Rangers is over for the summer
- Mamas alone time is over for the summer :( :( :(
- Sleeping in is over until August (Bigger :())
- Vanya finished the first week of VBS with the Saddle Ridge Ranch theme. I'm seeing more VBS in his future.

Beginnings-

- Yuri began his second decade as we celebrated his 10th birthday with a pool party. Most of the kids came to this very first out-of-school party he has had. This is the first time we have had a real birthday party for him because we have always done games and such in their classrooms and had cake and ice cream and were able to avoid him getting all kinds of gifts. He was really overwhelmed with the presents and just wanted to take the time to open and play with everything as he went. Needless to say we had to put the kibosh on that right away or he would have been opening for hours. All the kids said that it was the best party they had been to. Pretty cool way to begin your second decade of life. Now how to deal with getting rid of some old to make room for the new. For his special birthday dinner he wanted to go to "the crab place" (Red Lobster) so off we went to enjoy the seafood specials. He really likes any time he gets to spend alone with mama and papa.
- Summer school began for Yuri and Victor to keep their skills up in math and reading. Vanya didn't qualify because he is at or above grade level.
- Vanya did start swim team which I was excited about until I found out that it was going to be at 8am every morning and that the meets would be hot and muggy and last 6 hours! We now have to get up earlier than we do during the school year and honestly I wish I had not signed him up. He has begun to like it a little bit but the first 2 weeks it was a struggle for all of us and everyone is still tired all the time which produces more fussiness which there is no lack of to begin with. If all the boys were doing it then it wouldn't be bad but dragging the other 2 to a meet where their brother only actually swims for about 2 minutes is very difficult to sell. At least most of the places have a playground or something.

- Papa is starting to sell! Thank goodness for small favors. Things are more than extremely tight but I rely on God to provide and we haven't had to go live under a bridge yet so I can't complain.
- Mama and another adoptive mother have started the Ukrainian Resource Center as a way to help prospective adoptive couples go through the paperwork process to adopt children in Ukraine and we also will do summer and fall hosting programs to bring kids over to the states. In addition we will set up missions trip to expose people to the plight of the orphans in Ukraine and encourage people to get involved by adopting, sponsoring a child to come over, or going to Ukraine to make a difference in a child's life over there. As of right now there are 3 couples in Ukraine as I write this and 2 more couples on their way in a couple of months. Missions team will go to Zaporyzhzhia from Aug 20 - Sept 2 with about 14 people. Things are going pretty well so far. We have a website that is up but still needs a lot of work. http://www.ukrainianresourcecenter.com/ Keep praying!
- The boys are excited about getting go to Disney World with Babushka in August. Should be interesting given that they have never been on a roller coaster and still get overstimulated on the school bus ride. I know they will love it, but I hope all those around us will be able to love it too!
- Jessica Wyman is going to come visit next week which is a real treat. She is the English teacher at the orphanage in Ukraine that our missions teams go to and where Yuri came from. What a great treat to be able to spoil her like she spoils us when we are there.
- BIG NEWS - Our grandson, Cameron, was dedicated on Sunday and his father (our son in-law) has excepted Christ and is now a practicing Christian! What a joy it was to be able to be part of such a day. I got to hold the baby and feed him and love on him . The boys just LOVED being able to hold him as well. They all are very nurturing with Cameron which is so nice to see since they are not very nice to each other most of the time. It was nice to see Travis there as well although I didn't really get a chance to talk much with him with all the other festivities going on.

SO BUMMED because all the pictures I took of the dedication I inadvertently deleted in the process of trying to transfer them onto the computer. Agh!!
- We finally gave in and got the boys fishing poles so they could fish in the pond by our house. They all LOVE to fish and mama looks for every excuse not to take them because it is like watching paint dry to me. I do take them every once in a while and endure getting fishing line out of the trees and out of the bottom seaweed patches, etc etc. It is all worth it to see the smiles and sense of accomplishment they get from casting well or catching something.

OK that sums up all the things I can think about at the moment. Happy Summer to all!

Sleepy mama mama mama

Butterfly habitat

2010-05-26T09:16:00.007-05:00

The boys have had a fantastic time with the butterfly habitat we got. They were so excited to be able to watch something grow. We ordered live caterpillars and they came in a cup in the mail. They had to just watch them inside the cup for 2 weeks as the caterpillars ate and then formed their chrystalis (cacoon). Once they formed the chrystalis we took them out and pinned them in the habitat we had for them. The looked every day to see how they were doing. After 2 more weeks the butterflies started coming out.

They just loved being able to see the whole process and they finally got a chance to get them out today and hold on their fingers for a littel while until the butterflies flew away. Each one got to have one of the butterflies sit on their hand or finger for quite some time. (Trusty butterflies!)

Now they want me to get the butterfly feeder so "their" butterflies will come back. It was a great process to watch and the boys really got a kick out of it. Best $20 we've spent in a long time!

Mama mama mama

Major News

2010-05-21T00:34:00.008-05:00

Well the past couple of weeks have held some monumental events for our family. Not the least of which was my husbands announcement that his 10 year career at Verizon/Idearc/Supermedia was over and that he was taking a less stressful position with a remodeling business that offers no benefits. Less stressful for whom you might ask. I have every confidence that he will do a wonderful job but trying to find affordable health care/insurance etc. is pretty draining.

And then we became grandparents! On May 12 at 9:04pm Cameron Wyatt Sternberg made his entrance into the world at 7lbs even and 20.6 inches long. What a precious little guy and very calm. Best of all though, he is NOT a redhead!! Happy dance, happy dance. Crystal was in labor for 14 hours very comfortably and then after 5 sets of 10 seconds pushing, out he came. She really did a fantastic job and had no complications whatsoever. All the grandparents were present as well as one of Crystal's best friends. There was excitement and joy abounding and everyone got to hold Cameron and see those dark blue eyes just alert as ever and make all those funny sounds and ogle over him. What a miracle! I was thrilled to be a part of it. I couldn't help but think though that the delivery room/farmhouse/village square where my boys were born was not so joyful and they were probably not greeted in the same way as they entered the world. Their alert wide eyed looks weren't returned because no one was waiting to hold them or ogle over them. No one to come with smiles and kisses when they cried and no one sing or say a blessing over over them. OK I have to stop now before I start rambling. I'm so glad God's mercy's are new every morning and that He has blessed us with all these lives to be a part of.

So on top of that excitement, our oldest son, Travis, Graduated from Liberty University and was commissioned into the Army. We all went down for the commissioning which was a lovely ceremony. As a navy brat, I enjoy all that pomp and circumstance. Rob and I got to pin his shoulder boards on and I had to fight back the tears thinking I was preparing him for war. I know only God can do that and protect him too. I don't think I was only one though. Very proud moment for us and for him. He even presented me with a beautiful rose. It took a lot of hard work and he rose to the challenge. You go boy! The little boys enjoyed showing off their push ups to all the high ranking officers who were quite impressed with their form. (That's their punishment for misbehaving so as you can imagine they are quite good at them) While we were there we got to celebrate Mayra's birthday with her too. It was nice to have everyone together for a little while. We went out to Red Lobster for lunch and then headed back home with a feeling that time was just flying by.

The next morning was Victor's birthday! He is now 8! Woohoo. My sweet and kindhearted boy woke up with whooping cough like a barking seal. He loves to be tickled and wanted to be woken up that way on his birthday but as chance would have it the cough prevented that from happening. Poor guy. Typical middle kid. He opened his presents and had his favorite eggs with yolk. To the rest of us, that would be a fried egg that has a runny yellow middle. Since he turned 8 Papa got him his own pool cue as he had with Yuri when he was 8. He can now learn to play pool with papa. Patience was running a little thin however and Papa had to postpone the lessons for another day. Again, typical middle child's luck. It was then off to baseball games and then rushed home since Victors birthday wish was to go see his new nephew. So off to Northern Virginia we went to see Cameron. The boys really loved holding the baby but were quite a bit more excited by the dog and cat since they actually "did something". We had pizza as well as his cake and ice cream with Crystal, Max, and Cameron. Mayra came over to see the baby as well since she is now living in D.C. . It's very weird having little kids, grown kids, and now a grandchild. I wouldn't trade it for the world! By the time we got home everyone was sacked out and Victor was asleep before I could pray with him so I just had to pray over him instead. We usually take each child out to dinner by themselves for their birthday. Victor had to wait until the next day because we were at Crystals on his big day. We took him to Kyoto on Sunday evening since he loves sushi and wanted a repeat performance of last year sharing a love boat (sushi served in a bamboo boat with tempura, fruit, kabobs, sushi, sushimi, etc.) with mama and papa. I go for the cooked stuff but the guys ate everything and we all had a fun time and then went for ice cream at Maggie Moos ice cream place. Victor got the blue cotton candy ice cream and better batter ice cream in a sprinkle cone with marshmallows, gummy bears, and a cherry. Yep, I know what you are thinking (Sounds gross!) but the reluctant bite I had actually tasted pretty good. He never eats that many sweets so I was sure he wouldn't finish the whole thing so I felt better about letting him get all that. Sure enough he only ate about half and was ready to pitch it. I happily agreed that it was OK (just this time) to be a little wasteful and throw it away.
All in all a fun birthday for our smiley guy.
It has been quite a busy week with all these happy events but we are TIRED now. I know the boys haven't had a regular sleeping schedule lately either and it shows up in all the wrong places (school, church, baseball) so I look forward to more regular schedule soon. Soo ready for baseball to be over!

A whole tired but very blessed house of boys and mama mama mama

Mothers Day Blessings

2010-05-09T20:38:00.008-05:00

What can I say? I'm extremely blessed to have 6 wonderful children, a great mom and a great mother in law. I missed my older kids today but was at least able to talk to 2 of the 3 of them. It seems like yesterday that they were as young as the ones we still have at home. Really makes you think about how you spend your time and what you spend your time doing. In the end all that really matters is what you did to glorify God. Taking care of his children is sometimes (well, a lot of the time) tiring, thankless work, but it will go so much further than anything money can buy or deeds can produce.

When you get butterfly kisses, and chocolate hands around your neck, and a half eaten candy bracelet and can truly say "Thank you, Lord" for what you have given me, then you get to get a small glimpse of heaven through the eyes or your child.

Well today I was treated to good morning kisses and a wonderful breakfast to include handmade cards and school projects from the little boys and a beautiful card from my husband as well as my new desk chair for the office. We went to church and then out to lunch at Plaza Azteca where they make the guacamole right at your table. No trouble finishing that off with some chips. Then it was home to relax and watch the movie "Tooth Fairy". Then I got to just relax, get my new phone activated and then enjoy a delicious dinner of shrimp and pasta alfredo made by my number one all time favorite chef, my husband.

I spent a little extra time with our 3 youngest ones today after their baths and retold their story of how Jesus had blessed us with them and that He knew when He created them that we would be their mama and papa to which they all responded with such honest hearts. Vanya said, "I thought you picked me because I was the cutest!" Veecha said,"I know mama. He told me that too." Yuri said,"I love you too mama. Can you scratch my back now." Out of the mouths of babes! Below are the videos they made me to remember this day. Priceless!

Thank you Lord for all my children!!!!!!
Mama Mama Mama

Spring Break with Babushka

2010-04-16T03:08:00.013-05:00

Sunset at Babushka's

My wonderful mother, babushka

Yuri (9)

Victor 7 (Veecha)

Evan 6 (Vanya)

We all had a great time on Spring Break as we traveled down to Sarasota, Florida to visit my mom, the famous babushka. Mostly we spent time at the pool and on the beach which the boys just LOVE. We got glow in the dark eggs to hunt for and the Easter bunny did find his way to Florida with the boys baskets.

Of course Babushka spoiled them to death with their favorite things and they played with a multitude of stuff she keeps on her porch to play with (and take apart and distribute pieces and get in to). They made houses out of the empty cardboard boxes, got all the beach towels and beach toys dumped out of their bins for props, put on hats, did puzzles, got out all markers and crayons to draw with etc. etc. etc.. They were in gadget heaven!

On Easter Sunday we drove to Tampa to be with my cousins and had a wonderful time. We attended their church in the morning and then went back to their house and had a full spread of food including leg of lamb and spiral cut ham. Yummy yummy. The cool thing was seeing all my cousins kids and ours playing together. That's what it's all about. The boys are still amazed by how many family members we have. I'm sure we are technically 2nd or 3rd or removed type cousins but it is all just the same. We are all just cousins. My grandmother was the youngest of 8 children and all of their grandchildren (me being one) now have their own children who are actually getting to spend some time together at holidays and such. I remember how fun that was in the summers growing up visiting family and I'm glad our boys have that too. Our older kids didn't get the benefit of having cousins their age so I'm glad these guys do. There was a pool in the backyard where most of the kids spent their time. Everyone got along great and we didn't even have to correct our kids for ANYTHING! It was a miraculous day. Thank you Jesus for the celebration of your resurrection. Leaving to go home, well that was another story. Tired and having a full day of excitement and food finally took it's toll and 3 little boys whined and cried as we got them into the car and buckled in. Once the movie came on however it only took about 5 minutes and they were out like a light, not to emerge or peep until we arrived back at babushkas where they went upstairs quietly and went right to sleep.
We also made our ritualistic journey to the aquarium to pet the sting rays and we also made a trip to Venice beach (about 20 minutes south) to hunt for sharks teeth. We found only about 10 but they were excited about it. My entrepreneur, Yuri, after seeing that there was a man selling sharks tooth necklaces asked if we could get some materials to make necklaces out of the ones we found so that he could come back and sell his too! He cracks me up. I'm glad he didn't see the seashell jewelry being sold near babushkas. She may have been out some seashells and he would have set up his own little sea shack on the beach! Rob took Yuri and Victor to a baseball game at Tropicana field to see the Devil Rays play the Orioles. Vanya opted to stay home with mama and babushka since spending 3 hours sitting down watching baseball starting at 7:30pm was not an attractive offer in his mind. They didn't get home until about midnight but had a good time. Yuri got into seeing the "real" baseball players and learning a bit about the game but for Victor it was all about the cotton candy and stadium noise. Vanya swam, colored eggs, hunted lizards, blew bubbles, and really enjoyed his alone time with mama and babushka. We let him stay up late too so he felt like he got a treat as well. papa brought home a cow bell for him that they distributed to the boys got at the game so he was a happy camper and was able to be happy hearing about the game from his brothers. Of course the debate about who had more fun went on for some time but it was nice that everyone enjoyed their time. There was also seashell finding, kite flying, sandcastle making, paddle ball, and grilling by the poolside so lots of fun was had by all!

Since we traveled fairly light it wasn't hard to pack up and we then made the long journey back home stopping over night and at the South of the Border area for a potty break, stretching of the legs and souvenir purchase. The boys were wonderful at helping to unpack and get things back in order so we went for ice cream afterwards.
Fun times!

A very blessed mama mama mama

Vanya turns 6!

2010-03-19T08:55:00.009-05:00

We my baby is now 6 years old. It really made me reflect on how time flies. It is so hard to believe that the boys have now been home for almost 3 years now. For Vanya, that means in July he will have been here longer than in Ukraine. Amazing!
From a meager beginning of 5 1/2 pounds, 18 1/2 inches long at birth to his 26lbs, 2' 11" at 3yrs old, my little man now stands tall at 42 1/2 inches, 39.5 lbs and still thinks he owns the world!
He had done a countdown to his birthday for the last week and the day finally arrived! Of course he woke up at the crack of dawn and wanted to announce that today was his birthday. Mama didn't mind though because he came into our room and in a loud whisper voice said,"Mama, did you know it is my birthday today? Can I come snuggle with you?" (thus ensuring that mama wouldn't send him back bed as it was still dark outside) So he climbed in bed and wiggled himself right up to me with a big grin asked,"What time will it be when I open presents? I wish if it were that time right now but I know we need to snuggle a little more till its light out, right mama? You're so beautiful." Yep he is a charmer. I remember when he was first home and would come in in the middle of the night and climb in bed with us and go right back to sleep. He would put his head right under my chin and curl up so that not even his feet would reach my lap! Well he still fits pretty well but has some long lanky legs now and talks from the minute he wakes up till after I close the door to his room at night. Babushka and he get along very nicely that way!

It was present opening, picture taking (with the funny glasses of course) and pancakes and off to school. His kindergarten teacher is just great and allowed us to have his party at recess which she helped me with. We had a beach ball race and jump rope fun before we went in for cake and ice cream. I have gotten smart over the years and got the individual cups of ice cream and individually packed drinks to make it easier as well as the disposable table cloth that can just be picked up off the tables and thrown away. No fuss no mess. He wanted a superman/batman cake but mama evidently didn't hear right and got a spiderman cake with a batman candle. He was just as happy with that and didn't complain at all. He was just happy to be the birthday boy. I stayed to have lunch with him (brought him chic fil a, his favorite) and his class in the cafeteria. I will have to make sure to say nice things to those lunch ladies. Boy, what a job! You couldn't pay me enough to be in charge of a cafeteria full of kindergartners. Aggghhh!
He asked if he could come home with me when I was leaving and since his teacher said they only had choice time and one other thing left I said OK. He really just wanted some alone time with mama to jump on the trampoline, eat a popsicle in the tree fort, and be pulled on his new skateboard. I think I enjoyed it as much as he did! We both miss that time we used to have when he was in preschool and would get home about 2 hours before the other boys.
Once brothers got home we all packed up and went to the park (the big slide as they call it) for some play time while we waited for papa to get home. Our daughter Mayra had come over that morning to give Vanya his present and was coming over that evening to watch Yuri and Veecha while we took Vanya out for his special birthday dinner. She had her wisdom teeth pulled on Monday so even though she has been a little sore and such it has been really nice to have her around almost daily this week. She is such a blessing to us too and we are going to miss her very much when she moves to DC soon.

Vanya want to go to Great Wolf Lodge for his birthday dinner so he could eat and then play at the arcade there. There is a new restaurant there called Jungle Jim's and while some of the food is not so great, the atmosphere is really cool. It has a big round floor to ceiling fish tank and all the kids meals come with a treasure they can pick from a big treasure box at the door. Outside you can put your face in one of those cut out things (he was a little too short but got on his tiptoes). He was so tired and didn't eat that much but had a great time at the arcade afterwards. He really enjoyed being able to lead mama and papa around and pick his favorite things to do.
When we ran out of coins we went upstairs to leave and got there just in time for a little show they do in the lobby. He sat on mamas lap on the floor and cuddled up and watched quietly.
We put his superhero movie on in the car on the way home thinking he would fall asleep but no such luck. After getting him home and in bed he wanted me to lay down in his bed with him while he fell asleep. Usually I don't get all the way in the bed and lay down. I sit by the bed (which is on the floor) and just rub their head or cheek but he wanted the full snuggle for his birthday. I'm glad I did because what came out of his mouth shortly after that brought tears to my eyes. He said with his tired little raspy voice," Mama, thanks for giving me a life with a papa and mama and grandparents and brothers. I love my brothers and all my family. Good night mama, thank you for my birthday." Wow! Such a profound thought for such a little boy. I didn't even think he thought about things like that. Shows how much I know!

A very blessed mama mama mama

ps I will have to add the pictures later after I figure out how to download from my new camera.

Long time no blog (long entry)

2010-03-09T09:09:00.013-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since I updated this blog. So much has happened since that missions trip last August. So I will attempt to hit the highlights and hopefully not take so long in updating the next time.

VANYA
We debated back and forth as to whether or not to send Vanya to kindergarten this year or give him a little more time to mature a bit. Well Papa decided that it was time to cut the apron strings and send him on so much to mamas chagrin my little man started kindergarten. He is very bright but his enthusiasm for fun overwhelms him and so he has earned his very own behaviour chart for each day. At first he had to earn 8 smiley faces out of 11 to be able to play with his best friend in the neighborhood, Emma. He didn't seem to mind not getting ANY smiley faces at first but once he found out how boring it was not being able to go out and play he started to try a little harder. We think he has finally caught on (6 months later) and has now had over a week of almost ALL smiley faces daily. He is reading well and can sounds out words wonderfully. The attention span and attention to detail will have to wait as he can only keep it together but for so long. At the beginning of the year he would just melt down when he got home over simply being asked to put his shoes away (which he does every time he comes in the house) but he now has the ability to hold on a little while after getting home and then by meltdown time he can go outside and play. He played soccer for the first time this fall and really wasn't at all interested in being where the ball was or getting in the action but enjoyed playing around with all the kids. We're gearing up for tball now and hope the interest level will be a bit more this year. He sure does have a good throw!

VICTOR
Victor started school out very strong and mama was impressed with his reading and enjoyed listening to try to figure out words. Perseverance has not been his strong suit up to now. He still had some serious melt downs when he couldn't figure something out or if he just didn't "get it". He played soccer in the fall and did a good job paying attention and really enjoyed being the goalie. I think because there was less running involved. We had intended to sign him up for wrestling in the winter but the wrestling league evidently didn't get off the ground this year. Boy, he would be great at that. He is such a bull dog and can really hold his own when he wrestles with Yuri or papa. Strong boy! Hopefully next year we can get him involved. He needs something of his own to be good at. As the typical middle child, he often times gets overlooked or lumped in with the younger or older brother. I do have to say that he is by far my most obedient son and always has his things picked up and does what he is asked right away. He still gets his feelings hurt easily but is learning how to be better about that. The wii games are a real attraction for him and his hand eye coordination has greatly improved. Never thought I would enjoy letting him play video games alot. He also excels at his jump start computer game and has surpassed both his brothers. Strange thing is that he can learn all on his own better than with help. If I intervene and try to help him figure something out he acts as if he has no sense what so ever and can't even answer simple questions that I know he knows. He doesn't do this on purpose, I think it just throws off his concentration when he can't just get into his own little box by himself. He has struggled a little bit lately as the bar has been raised in reading and the other subjects. New things take him a while to get but once he gets it then he is off to the races. He is a joy to talk with one on one and has recently been baptized. We are still working on being able to help little brother without being condescending or mean but he has come a long way from trying to give him away at the mall! His smile continues to light up a room and his confidence is booming. Hooray!

YURI
Ahhh, my leader. Yuri is a very bright young man and has really matured alot this year. He is learning how to fit in with other kids and isn't quite as shy as he has been in the past making friends. His school work is going OK, still excelling at math and science but struggling in reading and spelling. His speech has not improved very much so it is hard for him to sound words out and spell them right when he can't pronounce them correctly. Still makes me mad that the school won't provide speech help for him. I'm having him retested this spring. Yuri really excelled at soccer this fall and we played him by age instead of grade after finding out he would have been on the same team with Victor and was by far bigger than all of the other kids. Once we moved him up to his age he really thrived and did a wonderful job of being a team player and passing. He is a great defender but also loved to have the thrill of scoring. Very competitive. He then played basketball for the first time this winter and enjoyed it but probably wouldn't choose to do that again. The boys on his team had all played several seasons and had a hard time passing to him because he was just learning and most often couldn't get the ball where it needed to go. Live and learn. He just had his try outs for baseball and is excited to be playing kid pitch this year. He has a good sense for where he should be and has a strong bat. Papa has fun playing catch with all of them and they can now all catch a fast ball and get it back to Papa in record time. Should be a good season. Yuri's favorite time is when mama can lay down with him at night and scratch his back. I'm so glad for that and wish I could do it more often. He really likes to talk at night and tell me all the things he thinks about. He is still figuring out how to choose friends that don't get you in trouble and how to not go along with the crowd if they are doing something wrong but he is making good progress. He is very proud when he does well on his spelling tests and is starting to be able to write and edit his own stories. He also became well aware of the difference in age of his class mates as compared to himself. If it were up to him, he would like to be in 4th grade next year instead of third but the thought of extra work to make that happen was not at all appealing to him so 3rd grade it will be. He is getting a bit more calm but we are still working on trying to help him not be so easily offended or angered by his little brothers. That high pitched squeal he has is enough to burst an eardrum (Veeeeeeeeecha! Vaaaaannnnnya!). He is still my best organizer and has strategically placed all of the containers they have hijacked from the trash into their new kitchen (Xmas present from Uncle Brian) where they could no longer be seen by the naked eye or by papa who wanted to throw them all away. Gasp!

TRAVIS
This is Travis' final year at Liberty University. When he graduates he will be commissioned into the army and will serve in the Virginia National Guard in Winchester, VA. He has expressed and interest in being a police officer. Not so sure I like the idea of him being a police officer but when he sets his mind to something I know he will accomplish great things. I would just worry about that middle of the night phone call saying something happened to him. Guess I'll just have to pray that God will protect him and watch over him which I know He does anyway. His unit is scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in Spring 2011 which I'm not looking forward to either as my knees are going to be worn out with all the prayer that that will require. Totally worth it though. Recently when he came home for a visit and was in his ROTC uniform it reminded me of how fast time flies. I remember him as a little boy and now he is all grown up and looks so strong now. Looking forward to what God has in store for him.

MAYRA
As always, Mayra continues to be a blessing. She comes over periodically and spoils her brothers and mama always enjoys some "girl" time. She has gotten a wonderful opportunity to go to DC with her company and possibly work with the Mexican embassy(which she has always been interested in). Many doors have opened for her and she has made such great decisions. We are very proud of her. Although she and her boyfriend are no longer together it was a hidden blessing in that she is now free to move to this new position unencumbered and ready to tackle the world. She went to see her mother in Mexico after Christmas and got to see her nephew and grandparents and such. Her mother just graduated from college also and Mayra got to be there to cheer her on.I know that was a special time for all of them. She will be moving to Washington in the next few months and we will all miss her very much. Victor was ready to move with her!

CRYSTAL
Crystal got married last June and is now expecting her first son in May. We think he will be early though as all signs point that way. What a weird feeling being ready to be a grandparent and still having a 5 year old at home! Agh! She was working as a nanny and her husband, Max, is a manager selling Verizon services. They still live in Northern Virginia so they aren't too far away to visit. Mama has gone on a bit of a baby spree and has outfitted Cameron Wyatt fairly well so far. Boy I love all the baby stuff. They have much cuter clothes for boys now a days. Papa will be fixing our rocker and making it ready for the new parents to rock our little bundle to sleep. Prayer continue for mother and baby. We hope to keep him inside for at least another few weeks. We have his sonogram on the frig already. This grandparent thing might be pretty cool!

MAMA and PAPA
Well, what can we say! We have never been this tired, this busy, or this blessed in our whole lives. Papa would like to find a new job but is hanging in there with the one he has and making sure he is providing for us all. He has a little more patience with the boys as they are now a little older and little more able to do things with him. Mama continues to try to keep up with everyone and do a little ministry too. Another adoptive parent and I have started a resource center to help those interested in adopting from Ukraine. We are hoping it will be a fruitful venture. Lots of prayer needed for that one. The orphan ministry at the church is going well but the time is coming when the torch will need to be passed along. There is another missions trip planned but alas I will not be leading it or going. :( I will miss seeing all the kids but will still be involved in setting everything up and following the journey.
God continues to open and close doors in our lives and I am excited to see what's next for the Passanita Nut House.

OK, now all of you who have been hounding me about updating my blog can be happy knowing it has been done!

mama mama mama

Made it to Ukraine

2009-08-25T15:30:00.002-05:00

Well we finally made it to Zaporyzhzhia. Leading a team of 14 is soooo different than going with your own family and a couple of others. I'm finding my leadership skills may need to be honed. We only lost one bag that has now been found and the whole team was just on the spot with everything being asked of them. They have been real troopers.
The children got back form camp today nad we got to greet them. We saw many of the friends we made last year and have made a few new ones. The director made us all very welcome and even made tea for the whole group! She had a smile on her face and was open to all the plans we have. The group got a tour while I was meeting with the director. They probably got to see more than I ever have! They said it was a great tour and htey got to see lots of things.
My phone finally started working and it was a pleasant surpirse to get a call from my husband on our interpretors phone before mine was working. He does a good job of making me feel important and I got to talk to the boys and hear their voices. That was nice too. Didn't have a chance to get organized so I didn't take any pictures yet to load.
Now I will have to go justify all the money and keep track of everyone's whereabout for tomorrow.
The church we partner with (Christ if the only Hope) had lunch for us today that was awesome. It was chicken noodle soup and then the second coarse was mashed potatoes and breaded chicken. We were stuffed!
That's the update for now.

Beaches, Baseball and Birthdays

2009-07-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

Alright already! I never knew how many people actually waited to read this blog until I didn't post anything for a while. I really started it to keep a record for myself of what our family has been up to so I wouldn't forget. Things get so busy around here I hardly have time to think, much less record the goings on. Sooooo for all those waiting on an update here it is!

Beaches - We are very fortunate that Babushka lives in a great place to visit, Florida! Rob and I took the boys down to see babushka over spring break and Laura took them again after school let out in June. She lives right on the beach and has a pool with a hot tub too. Of course in this lovely paradise are also lots of "wise" "young at heart" individuals who don't believe children should jump into the pool or have floats or toys or food or have anything else remotely fun in that area. Oftentimes we spent lots of time out on the beach part where there weren't quite so many rules. Even though the boys are getting much better about their behavior, they are still kids and all kids make noise and splash and jump and want to play with toys. We found that we did a pretty good job of trying to appease our "wiser" friends and also found the others got a big kick out of watching the boys and didn't mind a bit that they had buckets on their heads, noodles being slapped on the water in an attempt to hit a splash ball across the pool, and an occasional dive stick being thrown in the direction of thier nearest sibling by accident of course. Babushka always has their very favorite foods on hand and every kids dream; a porch full of so much stuff that they can rifle through and find goodies to play with, make thigns out of, dress up in, etc.. It is the porch of all porches with a year long christmas tree that doubles as the porch lighting at times. Babushka makes sure we go to the aquarium to pet the sting rays on each visit and this time we also went to park with a water spot where the kids could get wet ad enjoy the shooting spouts of water. All the boys progressed with their swimming and Victor swam the length of the pool the correct way! It as Yuri turn last year so I suspect Vanyas turn will be next year although if it is like every thing else he will probably catch his big brothers as fast as possible and ahead of course. All in all it is one of our favorite places and being able to share it with extended family makes it all the more attractive. The boys are still trying to figure out where all the relatives keep coming from. Little do they know they haven't even met them all! My grandmother was the youngest of 8 children so we have lots and lots of cousins most of whom also live on Florida.

Baseball - All the boys played baseball this year and what a whirlwind that was. I think it is the forshadowing of much more time mama is going to spend running from one field to the next to be there for the big hit or catch of the season. Yuri played machine pitch in the 9 year old league and had a great time this year with papa being one of the assistant coaches. He really progressed and earned the positions this year. His hitting is still good and he even got one out into the outfield in the air! He hasn't yet fiured out that if he actually put some effort into running to the bases that he would never get out! He is really fast and hasn't had to put forth much effort to stay safe but as the kids get older and their catching gets better then he is going to have step it up. He made some new friends and had a great time which is the point anyway, right?
Victor had a banner season in Tball this year. Things really clicked for him this year and he even got the MVP ball the very first game! His favorite thing was to go and get the ball wherever it was hit and then take over that position. He was a marvelous 1st base backup but when he felt as though the firstbasemen wasn't in the right spot he would just go and take over. We'll have to work on that but he knew exactly where to stand and where to throw and was just amazingly better than last. He hit some good balls and wanted so much to hit one into the outfield like Yuri but it just wasn't to be. He did pay very good attention and was always very proud of himself. He even kept up with his things and put them where they were supposed to go. That is a victory in itself!
Vanya had a great time playing in the dirt, throwing his hat up in the air, laying on the bench, racing his team mates to the ball. We probably should have waited to put him on a team but he is so talented we thought he would be excited about it. He lasted about 1-2 innings and then he was ready to go home. No excitement for the game this year but the same was true of Victor last year so we have hope that next year will be his year. He hit the ball fairly well and those little tiny legs looked like they were going so fast but it took him forever to get to first base and his little helmet was bouncing up and down the whole way. His head is so small that even with his ball cap on underneath, the batting helmets were way too big. He and Victor were on the same team so Victor helped Vanya get to the right position on the field. It was a little frustrating for papa to watch since he had been used to the older boys who actually knew which way to run when they hit the ball. The fidgety, butterfly chasing, hat throwing, grass pulling ways of the tball players were not quite as humourous to papa as they were to mama. I just enjoyed watching him have fun but do hope his attention span will increase for the sake of the team next year. Too much down time in tball. Anytime one of us were not right there present watching him he ended up in time out by the time we returned. Can you beleive it, time out in tball?! That should give you an idea of what his season was like. It was abslolutely precious to watch him when he was playing the game but the waiting around part was a little stressful for everyone involved.

Birthdays - Well the majority of the family have had birthdays now and we have had the first wedding of one of our kids. Vanyas birthday was covered in the previous post so next came Mayra's in May. I can't believe she is 23 now! Wow how time flies. She still has a great job and has a boyfriend who is good to her and we like him a lot. The two of them always do special things with and for the boys which is such a blessing. Because it was also Mothers day on Mayra's birthday we didn't get to spend it with her since papa took me right from church on a funfilled day of miniture golf, ice cream eating, arcade laying and dinner out. So her boyfriend has taken over the birthday specials. I did get to go to lunch with her after that and we celebrated her birthday then. She now shares an apartmnt with some girlfriends and I miss her very much and so do her brothers. It's hard to let go and not want to know all the day to day activities but she is happy and doing very well which is all we could ask for. I think there might even be some marriage plans in the future!
Speaking of wedding plans our other daughter, Crystal, got married in May! Travis was one of the groomsmen, Victor was the ring bearer and the other 2 boys pulled the runner. It was not our traditional type wedding but it was vey nice and we all enjoyed seeing her look so beautiful and happy. Really made us feel old though to have a child who is married and to also have a 5 year old still at home. We made her promise not to have children for a while becasue being grandparents would just be too weird right now.
Will continue later, ran out of time for tonight. Papa calls:)

Major events

2009-03-22T20:28:00.010-05:00

We have had several major events that I am just now getting a chance to write about. I made it back form Ukraine on a fact finding missions to lay the ground work for our missions trip at the end of May as well as check on some of the project we have going with Heart for Orphans. Other than it being really cold it was very productive and very enlightening on many levels. Go God!!!

We had Valentines Day, Vanya's Birthday, first day of Tball/baseball etc etc.. First is Valentines Day. We had a family picture taken but are missing our older kids as they all had to work or were away wen we could go for the JC Penny special but I'm hoping they will all go so I can add them to the frame that hasn't been put up yet since it isn't complete.Here are a few pics of the day. I made them all a Valentines snow man with bananas and heart shaped pancakes but I did not repeat the chocolate chip pancake part this year. No "running through the yard in my bathrobe because someone threw up on the bus" for this mama! Oh no, not this year. I CAN be taught.

Vanya's turned 5! It is really hard to believe that he is 5. He is still very tiny and I call him my little peanut. It is still OK with him that I call him that so I want to savor every moment of time while he is still small enough for me to cradle and hold. He still weighs in at a mere 33lbs and stands 41 inches tall. This was a milestone birthday for him as he had decided that all kinds of things would change when he turned 5. He was convinced that when he woke up the morning of his birthday that he had grown tremendously because he was now 5. Other things included being able to eat and like big grapes (before he would only eat the very tiny ones), being able to pour his own salad dressing just the right amount as well as get just the right amount of toothpaste on his toothbrush. He had also decided that eh could not become 5 until he blew out the candles on his cake so that is what he asked for as soon as he got out of bed. I didn't give in to the cake for breakfast but did let him look at his cake that we would have later in his class for his party. He was very excited to get some birthday presents and I think the biggest hit was the whack -a-mole game. Finally a game that it is OK to take a hammer and whack it all you want! Suits him perfectly. We had his party in his class at school and so far that has sufficed for all the boys but I think we will probably let Yuri have a pool party this year since you don't get as much time in the classroom as you can have in kindergarten and preschool to do one at school. All the kids had a ball with the pin the tail on the donkey game and the balloon pop race. Since it was a half day at school it was very quick to get all that in and then have lunch and cake before the kids were released to go home. After we got home mama and Vanya went to the park with his new racket catch game that babushka got for him. She has one just like it that we play on her beach and he was thrilled to have one at home now too. We played at the park until the others boys got out of school and then we all went to the rec center pool as this was the birthday's request for what he wanted to do. We had a ball playing in the water and having races and such and got home in time to hook up with papa and take Vanya out for his special dinner with just mama and papa. We went to the Japanese steak house and it was a hoot. He got such a kick out of watching the food be prepared on the tepanyaki grill. Our chef was really funny and made Vanya laugh. They had quite a conversation going and the other people at the table enjoyed watching Vanya's excitement as well. He was a king for a day. It was pretty funny when they brought out a scoop of ice cream with a candle in it and sang happy birthday to him. His immediate reaction was, "Am I 6 now, mama?" After we had to burst his bubble and inform him that he would turn the next year older with or without blowing out candles then he just sat quietly and ate his ice cream as he looked as though he was just pondering life. What a trip this one is! He managed to finish his ice cream before he got so sleepy he conked out in the car on the way home. I still brought him upstairs and cradled him after putting on his new birthday PJ's and sang him his favorite songs and retold the story of how we met him and fell in love with him; after which he was totally out and I just watched him sleep in my arms and felt extremely grateful that God has blessed us so abundantly with these amazing little boys.

The next big event was the start of tball and baseball. This will be Vanya's first season to be old enough to play and he was sooooo excited to be on a team. They did put Victor and Vanya on the same team but I think they will do OK together. Their team is the Marlins and Yuri's team is the Mariners. Yuri will continue with machine pitch and the other 2 will play tball. It actually worked out well for us since we now only have 2 schedules to keep up with instead of 3. They were all decked out and ready to go. Papa went over with each one of them all the rules and bases and such before the practice. It was quite precious. Papa takes sports way more seriously than mama but the boys love all the attention and activity.

Yuri had been evaluated for speech therapy but the school system denied him services because his problem wasn't severe enough. It absolutely baffled me that they didn't think that only being able to be understood 80% of the time was severe. It effects his reading and spelling and basically everything else but fortunately the speech teacher is a believer and has a real heart for my boys. She is volunteering her time on Saturday mornings to work with Yuri the same way he would have gotten in school. What a tremendous blessing!!!!! We have noticed a difference already and it has only been 4 weeks. I didn't ask have Victor evaluated since his speech isn't quite as bad as Yuri's so he probably wouldn't have qualified either so we do the same exercises with him too but on our own for now.

Other big news is that Victor is now riding a 2 wheeler as of today March 22, 2009. The training wheels have been removed and he has only fallen once and run into one stationary car. Pretty good for his day! He was soo proud of himself for this accomplishment and Yuri even got on board and encouraged him which was great to see. Perhaps I am getting through just a little bit about how it is much more fun to treat each other nicely and get along than it is to fuss with each other all the time. Of course Vanya had to get in on the action and wanted his training wheel removed as well but he is still so small that he wouldn't be able to do it yet. Hopefully he will grow some more soon. Still being in a 3T (only as of January) is pretty small for a five year old. They don't even make tball pants small enough for him to wear. I am going to have to take them to be altered which will probable cost more than the pants themselves. Sewing isn't my thing so unfortunately it costs a lot more to have things fit right.
So far no more loose teeth but I'm expecting some in the near future from Yuri. Victor keeps telling me that he has lost a REALLY TINY tooth just so he can be in on the tooth fairy deal. I told him that the tooth fairy already knows which teeth you are supposed to loose and when you loose them so it would be fruitless to try and write her a letter about this tiny tooth. How funny their perception of things is.
We all continue to be busier than we want, dirtier than we like and eat more than we need but aside from those small things life is good and God is great!

Mama mama mama

In Ukraine it is freezing!

2009-02-28T10:05:00.002-05:00

We I am in Ukraine and am very cold. I traveled with Nancy Hathaway and we are coming representing Heart for Orphans. I'll be here until March 7 and so far we are very pleased with what we have accomplished. Even though our apartment looses power often, it is very nice. If you have too many things plugged in then it blows a fuse so you can dry your hair in teh dark if you want to be cold or you can be be warm and not be able to turn the lights on. Go figure! Will have to post picture when we get back since we can't get online very much and I forgot teh cable to download my pics. I can't send any email either because Cox doesn't work here for some reason. I can get email but I can't send any. :(
Overall we are fine and we are looking forward to all the things we might be able to accoplish on the balance of the trip.

The Joy of Christmas

2009-01-05T10:46:00.009-05:00

Christmas was certainly a whirlwind of activity here at the Passanita Nut House. We had relatives from both sides of the family as well as boyfriends of our older girls and miscellaneous friends and neighbors over at different times. Our youngest boys were very much acclimated to what they THOUGHT Christmas was about. Yep, they have been Americanized and thought Santa had become boss of Jesus! Well we corrected that little misconception pretty quickly and now they know the reason for the season and were much less confused about how Santa fits in to the picture. The excitement level was still just as big but they enjoyed doing the secret Santa with their older siblings. Since the older kids were spending their own money they decided that it would better if they only bought for one person. We thought that would be a good idea as well since it is more about giving than receiving so we didn't mind having them give lots of little things (notes, pictures etc.)to each other all month as they prepared for celebrating Jesus's birthday.

So many little art projects came home with the boys that I had hard time "disbursing" them all. Yuri class did a month of giving where each child was to bring in something they had made for each child in the class. Mama was pretty smart about this little endeavor. We went to Target and I let him make his own Christmas card with the picture he liked best (one with his tongue sticking out of course) and then he put the words on it. I thought that was better than sending some additional art projects home with all the other kids. Great idea to get the giving part of the season but getting that much stuff all month was a little too much. Mama has now built 3 gingerbread houses with 2 classes of 5-7 year olds as well as iced cookies with the preschooler. What a site that was! I enjoy every minute of it though. I'm glad this is the second time around because I wasn't as concerned about how things turned out and had more fun watching and helping them do it any way they wanted it. One house had a canon in the front and only one side of the roof done and the other had a couple of blobs of icing with pretzels sticking out of it but it did have a door and a chimney. There were kids who did make patterns and put things on just so but mine were not among that group but mine had alot of fun in the process so that was all that mattered to me. We don't take too many things very seriously anymore and have discovered that simply enjoying all the little quirks that the kids have is much more fun that trying to make them fit into a mold. I think that would be an exhausting adventure with these guys who are very set on how they are going to do things. Some things we do insist on but we have to pick our battles or we would be having battles every day. Not doing that! They are healthy and happy and learning so I'm thrilled.

The Christmas Eve Service was very nice and and everyone had on their best outfits to sing to the Lord. We all loved the traditional songs and the solemn ones that remind us of what a great gift that baby in the manger was to all of us.

Christmas morning arrived quite early with Yuri coming in with big wide eyes to let us know that Santa had indeed come and had brought gifts. They had left some Reindeer food (dry oatmeal with glitter in it) outside and were pleased to see that the reindeer had left some candy for them. Once Yuri had woken up the house there was a flurry of squealing from all the little boys and a flurry of "Can we get up a little later" from the older kids and grandparents. The squeals won out and we were down stairs before we knew it. Yuri was the ring leader and went about segregating everyones presents and then the paper frenzy started and all the squealing continued for the next 45 minutes as they opened up their treasures. We intended to only get them 2-3 things per child but we forgot that the grandparents and uncles would be getting them things as well. Everyone had a ball and enjoyed being together. Rob made a great meal of turkey and the trimmings as well as homemade ravioli and meatballs. Everyone wanted to take a nap after the meal but the boys were ready to have us put things together and add batteries to things so they could play so we did that first. Needless to say, after a day of excitement, candy, and lots of stimulation, the boys were wired for sound and then melted at about 6pm. After a hot bath and some sit down time they each had reached their limit and bed time came early that night. The adults then proceeded to play cards and games and enjoyed grazing on the leftovers until about midnight when we all just dropped in to bed as well. Whew! what a day.

Mama mama mama

2008-12-02T10:05:00.001-05:00

For all of us with strong willed kids you will appreciate this womens wisdom. I think we have all been there and done that. THanks for sending this to me Babushka!

The Mom Song from Northland Video on Vimeo.

Fall Happenings

2008-11-24T15:15:00.010-05:00

Well it's been a while since I posted anything. I didn't realize how many people were actually reading this and interested in what is going on at our end of the world. The reason I blog is really to keep track of things I want to remember and because I don't have time to scrapbook anymore and don't foresee having time in the future to do that. I do enjoy sharing stories about the family with any and all who are interested though. The other reason is for awareness that there are kids out there who are great kids that need a family to help them be all they can be. We won't ever forget all the faces we left behind in Ukraine as I'm sure anyone who has adopted won't forget the other kids faces where they were too. I always remind myself that "but for the grace of God go I". Those kids didn't choose that life it was the hand they were dealt and it is up to the rest of us to do our part. While our family is "Officially closed" (unless there is a miracle by God to change that) we would gladly help anyone who wishes to pursue the blessing of adoption.

Yuri and Victor are finishing up their second soccer seasons and Vanya is just beside himself that he can't play yet. Spring T-ball will come soon enough! Just running 2 schedules of sports is a lot so I'm sure I'll be really frazzled by the time baseball comes and all 3 will play! The boys get great enjoyment out of playing on a team and interacting with the coaches and kids (mostly the coaches) Victor has really flourished this year in soccer and has scored a goal at almost every game and even scored 2 goals in the same game a couple of weeks ago. His gross and fine motor skills are right up there with his peers so he has caught up quickly just with a little extra time and exposure. His team is the tigers and they are orange this year. Yuri's team is the eagles and they are green. Yuri loves to play defense and has a good sense of position. He also likes the thrill of scoring though so often times he will just dribble the ball up and shoot even though he was on defense. He plays on a 1st/2nd grade team so some of the kids are closer to his age. He has scored many goals and has a great foot that can get the ball out of backfield and up to the offense. Both boys are now able to play American soccer and not Ukrainian soccer. Not as many kids are getting hurt by them this season. I don't think they have plowed over anyone this time so mama is happy about that. Papa is still wondering why that isn't legal because they almost always keep going with the ball after "getting some one out of the way". Periodically he has to be reminded that they are still little and this is soccer not football. Of course all the boys want to play football but mama isn't quite ready for my little guys to become bruisers. I also like all their parts where they are currently located. Vanya has excellent ball skills and will be a whiz when he gets to play next year. It will be fun to watch them all progress.

School this year is going very well and Victor is right about middle of the road in his kindergarten class. He has really made a lot of progress and we hope he will continue to go right along with the class and move to first grade next year. He is always the jokester and it will serve him well I'm sure. All the kids know him and he has an enormous following at school. He gets invited to birthday parties for kids who aren't even in his class; some aren't even in his grade! Yep, this might become a problem when he get older. Good thing mama has time to prepare before the girls start calling. He knows most of his letters and is working on his letter sounds now and can even read a few books on his own. His teacher is very pleased and says he is right on track. That makes mama pleased too! He still continues to connect himself to anyone and everyone though, particularly men. He hugs everyone right when he meets them and makes friends everywhere he goes. I have to watch him like a hawk. The whole stranger thing hasn't made too much sense yet. Mama got to go on the pumpkin patch trip with him this year and that was fun. It did make me realize that he still hasn't quite overcome some old habits and mannerisms though. He kept asking other people to help him with things even though I was right there. Whoever happened to be closer to him was asked. He didn't think anything of going to eat with some other kids and just leaving mama behind. I'm glad he isn't clingy but I had to explain that I come on these to spend time with him and if he doesn't want me to come then I would be happy to skip the school bus ride with 35 5 year olds. He hasn't really processed that sort of thing yet. The pumpkin patch was fun and he picked out a great pumpkin to paint and carve. I went for the carving at the school and helped a little group design their pumpkin and they weighed it and counted the seeds and made a face and then scooped it out and weighed it again. Since we don't celebrate Halloween I suggested that we make a silly face instead of a scary one and Victor was all about that! We had the silliest looking pumpkin ever. Of course I forgot the camera but it had about 10 eyes, a circle nose, two triangle ears and a boot for a mouth! I'll be going to do gingerbread houses next week so we'll see how that goes. It is my year to help in Victors class since I did Yuri's last year.

Yuri is doing well but is not progressing as fast as we would have expected for this year. We think it has a lot to do with his speech impediment. He is really having a hard time reading because he can't sound the words out very well and then gets frustrated so it isn't as much fun. He still likes school but not as much as last year. He has figured out that he is behind and that the kids are all older than him but not enough to make him want to work harder. He has trouble pronouncing certain sounds and so when he tries to sound something out it just doesn't sound like it should so he doesn't recognize it. We are currently tying to get him some speech help and have a meeting to see if we can get that included in his Student Action Plan. He is a whiz at math and has very good reasoning skills and also has a good vocabulary. He loves to do arts and crafts and is proud of himself when he can do things without help. He is very conscientious and most the time remembers all of his things. His stubbornness sometimes gets in the way of his fun and because he is very competitive about EVERYTHING he often gets upset if he perceives things to be unfair or if one of his brothers gets to do something or go somewhere that he doesn't. He is always a great worker at home and likes to help cook and clean and help papa in the yard. He does a good job telling his brothers how to do things too.

Vanya is having a good year as well but is by far our laziest. He has finally mastered the whole potty thing (thankfully) and knows he must stop and go to the bathroom regardless of how much fun he is having doing whatever he was doing. If he thinks something is going to take a long time then he doesn't want to do it even if it is something fun. And if it isn't something fun then look out. He still bosses his brothers around a little bit, but they have all gotten used to each other and now that they include him in a few things, he isn't as bossy as he used to be since he wants to play with them. He knows all of his letters and most of the sounds but words are still hard for him. He doesn't like to color in the lines because again "that takes longer". So most of his artwork from preschool is scribbles of one color on a page. He can draw things and make his letters neat but chooses not to when given a choice. The concept of excellence is foreign at this point and may elude him for quite some time. He is also very good with numbers and loves to be read to and can play games now. He likes to play with the hot wheel cars and anything you can ride on. Outside is where he would love to be at all times though. He goes outside and plays with whoever is out there no matter how old or what gender. If no one is outside he will go knock on his friends doors and see if they can play. His charm seems to attract all the little girls and some of the boys too. He is very sociable but is selective about who can be in his "circle". He is very athletic and never ceases to make us laugh with all his funny faces. I went to the pumpkin patch with his class as well and it was a hoot! His class is mostly 3 year olds and a few 4 year olds so they were just excited to ride the bus and go on the hayride. They got to pick out a gourd and a small pumpkin so it was all worth it in their eyes. He is my one who always wants to be with mama so no problem asking me to help not only him but all his friends too!

This Thanksgiving will be a little sad because we have one less family member this year. My grandmother died at the end of October and would have celebrated her 99th birthday this Thanksgiving. Fortunately my brother, Brian, and I, were able to go down and spend a few days with her before she rapidly went down hill and Jesus called her home. Vanya asked me to ask Ama if she would tell Jesus that He was doing a good job, since she would get to meet Him before he would. Out of the mouths of babes. My brother and I both got to play cards with her (she still beat us too) and Chinese checkers and she was alert and her normal self. We were both so thankful for that last bit of time we got to have with her. After we left to come home, it was only another 2 weeks before she was gone. She was a special lady and we will always treasure her. We all made the trip down to Florida for the funeral and the boys did a great job of knowing how to behave at the service. Fortunately, my cousins took the boys to the aquarium for the day when we were cleaning out her apartment. It was just a bit too tempting to touch everything and play with everything and be right in the way. It was nice to go out on the Gulf of Mexico to spread her ashes as she wished. We saw 2 dolphins swimming alongside the boat and the boys got a real kick out of seeing them so close. We got to say our goodbyes and will know her watchful eye will be on us until we join her. It was nice for my brother and his daughters to be with all of us as well. "Ama" was the last of her generation in our family so even though our matriarch is gone, the generation (my mother's) that follows will now have to be our family "glue".
Good boys Mischievous Boys
The holidays are almost upon us and I can't believe we are coming up to the end of 2008! We have had the boys now for a year and a half but sometimes it seems like yesterday and other times it seems like a lifetime. They have come so far and yet they still have a long way to go. We are just now able to tell others that it does become manageable, they do learn, and you do actually get to have some alone time (not much, but some). They all have such great personalities that are emerging and I love watching them discover more and more things and have opinions. God truly blesses those who care for his children!

Mama mama mama

Creativity is flourishing

2008-09-18T09:24:00.007-05:00

The boys continue to amaze me with the things they do. I used to think they just hadn't ever have many things to play with so they just didn't play with things the way they were intended. While they still use things in different ways, I have come to realize that they are all just very creative. They are always wanting to build a "house" with blankets and whatever else they can find and they LOVE to dress up as super heroes, police, doctors, etc.. But this one really caught me by surprise......

Yuri and Victor went into the plastic bag collection and created an outfit from them! When they informed me what they had dressed up as I about fell over laughing. They dressed up as the lunch guys! They had the hats and everything. Take a look! Yuri had used the handles on his bag as suspenders and made 2 holes in the bottom to put his legs through. They both tied a bag around their head for a hat. Victor looked a little more like Aunt Jamima and Yuri like Mario on the video game Super Mario Brothers. What a pair! Meanwhile, little brother was creating a new kitchen floor. He thought it would be more colorful with some pink tiles and was highly offended that I made him clean it up.

(don't know why this picture won't load correctly so you will have to turn your head, sorry)

They have had a ball with the light sticks you can get from the dollar store too. Those light sticks held their attention for quite a long time and then they wanted to put them in the freezer to use again another time. After showing them how we could take a picture in the dark they came up with some different ways to move them. Here are a few.

Of course there was still the fussing over who created the coolest looking shape but they all had a blast and mama enjoyed watching them discover how they could use these for something other than light saber weapons. Yuri was not still long enough to get a flash picture of him creating a shape so I'll have to be quicker next time before he moves on to his next creation.

Even papa got a little creative and went out and got all of us Steeler jerseys to wear for the Pittsburgh Steelers season opener. We even wore them to church just to kid our pastor who is a Cowboys fan and has outfitted most of his 10 children (yep, that wasn't a typo, he has 10 kids and no we are not mormon or catholic) with Dallas apparel. The boys thought that was pretty cool and asked if we were going to get more shirts for the games that were on the next week! Papa made sure that he explained that this is a Steelers household and they could like other teams but that the Steelers would have to be their favorite and that is why they got to have a Steelers shirt. Nope, no democracy in the football front. I am still a Redskin fan AND have a jersey but I will let Papa have his fun with the boys and don my Steelers jersey proudly.

Another few things that I just hadn't written down in the past year are all the funny words the kids have come up with. I thought I had better do that before I forget so really the list is for me but thought others might enjoy seeing it too.

Waterlemons for watermelon

pink pinks for pancakes

puncuter for computer

white egg for hard boiled egg and yellow egg for scrambled

zero's for cherrios

"the sit down lady" for the aid on the school bus

mykraine for ukraine

I'll have to add to the list as I remember or hear other ones. At least have a spot to write them down now. I know babushka will be happy I have finally done that.

The boys have started soccer for the fall and Yuri's team is the Eagles and Victor's is the Tigers. Vanya is still just chomping at the bit to play on a team of his own but will have to wait one more season. Tball equipment for the spring will be under the tree this Christmas for him (shhhh, don't tell him). Since he can't read yet it's safe to put it here. Speaking of reading, here is Yuri reading one of his poems for school this year.

Travis turns 20!

2008-09-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

Boy, I can't believe Travis is turning 20 today. This is the first year for a long time that we haven't spent his birthday or a day close to his birthday with him. I guess we will have to get used that as he is continues to become more nad more independent and grown up. I remember taking him to kindergarten and now he isnt even a teenager anymore. Time sure does fly. I wish we had blogs back hten so I could have recounted all the cute and funny things he did as a child. We do have quite few bribery pictures to be used at some time in the future but for now we just wish him a Happy Birthday!

First Day of School

2008-09-02T14:34:00.001-05:00

As always, I have taken pictures of the first days of school for all our kids. One day I will actually have to do something with those! Ha Ha! Fortunately all of the boys love school and they were excited about going. Yuri will be in 1st grade this year and Victor in Kindergarten and Vanya in preschool.

When they got back from Ukraine and adjusted quickly to the time change and back to being Americans. "I want" "I need" "Mama mama mama". I was veryhappy and also relieved that they had a great time on the trip and didn't have any doubts about us leaving them there and it didn't bring up any bad memories. I'm hoping that means that they really didn't have many traumatic experiences in their early life there. They enjoyed looking at all the pictures and are now ready to head back to school for another great year of learning. Mama is ready for a few hours of peace and quite again too.

Missions Work and Play

2008-08-31T14:14:00.001-05:00

Once we made it to Zaporyzhzhia we had a great day at Sonechko Baby House and 3 great day at Children's home #3. We got to minister to the kids and show them the love of the Lord and we had a great interpreter and guide as well. One of the best parts was that we got to go to our favorite pizza place NayBay (Pow Wow)and McDonald's several times. I did not feel deprived of good food this time.

The details of trip are on our other trip blog at
www.8toukraine.blogspot.com
with comments from the whole team. We have also posted a video on you tube as well. Search for "8 to Ukraine".
Our boys did great on the trip and I was very proud of each one of them.

Made it Zaporyzhzhia

2008-08-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it to Zaporyzhzhia bright and early this morning. The train ride was very hot even though we had an air conditioned train. The other cars were quite cool whereas the one Rob, myself and the boys were in was not. I think it must have been the sheer testosterone in a small space that did it. They all give off so much heat that it definitely counteracted the air conditioning. Well it really took it's toll on me. After Yuri falling off the top bunk and landing on me and then not really getting any sleep because we had a food bag in the room that really stunk I woke up to a rushed trip to the bathroom. Then with nothing in my stomach we had to offload the bags and the kids and get checked into the hotel just in time to rush right out to the Church service at "Christ is Alive" which started at 9 instead of 10. So with a quick shower and wet hair we ran out the door and got there. It was great to hear some of the same praise and worship music that we sing but with different words. Rob and I were called up front to speak and it was a good thing that God was with us as we weren't exactly prepared to make any kind of long speech. The pastor sat down and was looking quite comfortable as we were finishing up with what we had to say. It was great to see GOD at work though in the lives of these believers. It was very interesting that the sermon at crosswalk said some of the same things we said this morning. Rob even made reference to the fact that many kilometers away believers are doing the same thing we are and worshipping God. It was great to hear the responses form the audience. We were treated like royalty. However, because of the heat I had to take our 2 younger boys outside and that is where the "nursery" was. It looked like the buggy brigade to me but all the other mothers came over and smiled as they introduced their children. One lady understood enough English for us to communicate a little and they were all very nice. Many babushka's came up and said something to us that I imagine was something like "bless you" and one of them even gave Vicky a bag of plums for us to take with us. Afterward we went to get a bit to eat at the AMCTOP which in Russian is said amstore. I was feeling pretty crummy by that time but everyone got a bite to eat and when we got back to the hotel I laid down and took a nap while everyone else went out to explore our new city. I thought I could have just laid there and died as the heat was not my friend. After getting a little rest I felt a little better so we went outside to a Christian festival which was right in the park next to our hotel. That was a first for us! We couldn't even find a church last year when we were here. Now they are having a huge Christian festival as it is the evening of their independence day. Funny how that happens. Last year we were here and picked the boys up on July 4th, our independence day and this year we are hear for Ukraine's independence day. I think God must have intended for it to be that way to emphasize that He is really the one who gives us all our independence by being dependent on Him.

We got to get together with Olga and Christina and Gregory at our favorite Pizza place (NayBay pronounced PowWow). After 2 of the boys fell asleep right on the table we decided it would be a good idea to go put them in bed.

We have made plans for the day tomorrow as it is a continuation of the holiday from today. Here in Ukriane you have to have a holiday from the holiday. It's just the way it is. Now we are here at the internet cafe sharing all of our thoughts with our families and all you other blog readers. Thanks for the comments and keep 'em coming. If you read this post first make sure you read Lisa and Vicky's posts for today as well. We all have different perspective and God has shown each of us differnet things that are worth while reading.

Blessing to all,
Laura et al

We made it!

2008-08-22T13:44:00.003-05:00

We have arrived in Kyiv finally and we haven't lost anyone in our group. We had a close call at JFK on the tram but all have arrived and aside from being tired all is well. We have visited Mcdonals already so mama nad the boys are happy. Papa is still looking for the latest in cuisine. Tomorrow we are off the sleeping choo choo and the boys are very excited about that. I'm hoping we have the airconditioned one but I have my doubts. The fans babushka sent will come in handy I'm sure. Keep praying for us as the hardest part will be visiting with the kids and trying to share the gospel with them in a relevant way. We hope to be able ot change some lived on this trip.
one tired mama mama mama

Off to Ukraine!

2008-08-21T02:16:00.003-05:00

Yep, we really are going and NO we are not bringing back any more kids. I'm sure it will be tempting but our family is officially closed. Amen says the papa.
We are leaving shortly to go on a missions trip back to the orphanage where Yuri came from. Children's home #3 in Zaporyzhzhia. We will do some odd jobs and get a chance to minister to the kids there as well as deliver some backpacks and toothbrushes and such. We will also have one day at Sonechko baby house where Vanya was to bless the babies and say hello to those we already know.
Short post since it is 3am and I'm still packing! Wish us safe travels and good health and if you want the blow by blow we have another blog at www.8toukraine.com which we will be updating while we are there.
The boys are very excited and I don't think they really know what to expect. Yuri asked if he was going to sleep in his old bed: Absolutely not says the mama! He still wanted to know if someone else might be sleeping there and I told him there was a good possibility that there was but that his home is now with us and he won't ever spend the night there again. He was pretty happy with that answer. The other boys just ant to be wherever mama and papa are. I think Victor was a little offended that we weren't going to "his house" but I explained that it was too far away but maybe another time (and maybe in another life) we might go there.
That it for now from the desk of one tired mama looking forward to getting on that plane and crashing. Papa will have plane duty.

Mama mama mama

July 4th at Yorktown

2008-07-08T20:34:00.008-05:00

This year we decided to go to the Yorktown display of fireworks. You have to get there pretty early in order to get a parking spot. They close down the town to traffic after all the parking is full. So we all headed out in our patriotic attire and got there around 3pm. The boy enjoyed the moon bounce and giant slide as well as the classic car parade. We ate at one of the restaurants on the water. It was a lot more fancy than we had thought but everyone behaved pretty well since they were all hungry. We were looking forward to the air force band playing all the great songs but after the reading of the declaration of independence (which is pretty long) by people in colonial costumes, the director stood up and said that there was a thunderstorm headed right for us and the the fireworks had been canceled!!! What a bummer that was. We thought we would stick around and see if it was going to actually rain or not. When it started to sprinkle we decided we would just head home. By the time we got Vanya covered up in the stroller and the other boys under an umbrella or in a poncho it really started to come down and we all felt like cattle trying to get to the parking area. The were only a couple of walkways through the grass to to the field you park in so everyone was pushing and shoving because it was really starting to rain hard by that time. Trying to push a stroller through wet grass while trying to keep all of our belongings together on top and making sure we hadn't left anyone behind was quite the site. Rob just opted to get drenched rather than trying to stay dry. So by the time we all got to the car everyone was tired, disappointed, and wet. On the way home in the line of cars we were in we happened to see a few fireworks in the sky. You guessed it! They still set off the fireworks since the rain had passed by the time we got out of the parking lot but by that time it was too late to turn around. Turning around really wasn't an option anyway since all the traffic was being directed one way. We did see some other fireworks going off and Rob was clever enough to figure out that it was from Busch Gardens so we went and parked outside the gate along the road and then just opened the sliding door and the window on that side and we all got to see fireworks from the comfort of our car while staying dry!
The boys loved the fireworks and weren't even scared of the loud noises they made. We caught the last 15 minutes of the fireworks display and the boys were once again happy and fast asleep by the time we got home 20 minutes after that. They still don't have a clue what we were celebrating but they thought the day was pretty fun. One day they will appreciate and understand what it mean to be an American.

It was just one year ago today that it was Independence Day for them from orphanage life, so I'm sure it will always hold a dual meaning for them. It' hard to believe it has been a year. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago. They all speak only English and I don't think they even understand any Russian anymore although I wish they had been able to retain some of it. This year has held many ups and downs but when I look back they have brought so much joy to my heart and excitement to our family that I wouldn't trade it for the world!

1st day of freedom 2007 and Arriving in America

Mama mama mama

Babushka's Beach Vacation

2008-06-27T02:32:00.001-05:00

What a treat it was for us to visit with Babushka and Ama (great grandmother) in Florida for a week. The boys were thrilled to go to the beach and pool every day as well as have babushka spoil them daily.
We drove down to Florida in our van to visit with Babushka. Mama got smart this time and placed a mirror on the dashboard so that any guilty parties would be seen! Amazingly enough, the boys were quite well behaved on the trip and mama didn't have to say most of those things you promise yourself you will never say. "If you keep it up, I'm going to pull this car over", "5 more minutes till we get there", "Let's play the silent game". You get the point.
Each day we enjoyed going to the pool and to the beach. Our activities included swimming, looking for shells, playing waffle ball, building sand castles, etc.. Babushka was thrilled to have some new shell finders at her side. We even walked down the beach a ways to where there were some rocks and a little reef close in where shells were abundant. The boys had wanted to go fishing so badly but mama will wait for papa to have that pleasure. Instead Yuri just thought he would use a bag and try to catch some of the minnows that way. (see picture at the top) It was pretty funny to watch and "no" he didn't catch anything must to his dismay. We did get caught in one of those afternoon showers once though and the boys were not all thrilled to be running down the beach being pelted with rain. It was quite a site to see us all jogging down the beach with Vanya and Victor crying and Yuri so far ahead of us even he was surprised. I think we actually had a little hail that time. The next time it thundered just slightly the boys were "johnny on the spot" to get out of the water and head in. They really enjoyed digging in the sand to catch the little sand crabs. It wasn't quite so amazing however when Vanya thought it would be more fun to catch them again by dumping them in the pool!

Ama enjoyed having each of the boys tell her what we did at the pool and was content to watch them play and come sit on her lap and kiss her goodnight. Vanya and Victor also enjoyed rides on her walker which helped her get a little exercise while being entertained with their stories.
Yuri hit a milestone as he learned how to swim properly all the way across the pool. The other boys graduated from their water wings and floaty suits to being able to keep afloat by themselves and even doggie paddle from one spot to another without any help.

We also got to go to the Mote Aquarium which was pretty fun for the boys. They got to see the shark tank and the giant squid as well as some seahorses and other wildlife. They enjoyed the stingray pool where you could pet them (the stingers had been removed) but of course the stingrays had a mind of their own. Victor was trying desperately to lean in and touch one and one of the stingrays came right over and proceeded to flap it's wing right in front of him and completely drench him! Everyone got a big laugh out of that one. Even him! Mama also had her hands in the water so I missed that priceless shot.

Babushka took them to the jungle gardens where they had a ball seeing all the animals. They even got to hold an alligator. Vanya and Victor got to have their picture taken holding it but Yuri was not having any part of that. He wasn't quite as sure that the tape on the snout was strong enough for his liking. He did volunteer to hold one of the birds on his arm for a picture though. When Victor tried the same thing, he lowered his arm a bit too far and the bird scratched him since it felt like it was falling. Vanya got up the nerve later in the day and unfortunately repeated the same thing. The flamingo garden was a riot. Normally you can get close to the flamingos and feed them and pet them. We were there during the breeding season and had been warned that certain ones were aggressive and to steer clear of them. The boys didn't need to be told twice about that one and totally panicked when we got to where the flamingos were. They just milled around you and you could see the little tags on their feet with the numbers. I have never heard them holler like that before. It was sheer panic. They thought they were going to get bitten. Needless to say we didn't stay in that part of the park very long.

Babushka always has fun things for them to play with and they found every nook and cranny to amuse themselves. Of course all the hats she has were a big hit as were the colored whisk brooms. Victor thought it would nice to turn on her Christmas lights each night (which are up all year round along with her tree) on her lanai and Yuri enjoyed the mini slot machine toy that you could put real coins in. Vanya loved being read to by babushka and checking in with Ama just to ask her what she was doing and if she was OK. Mama enjoyed playing chicken foot and chatting with Babushka and Ama after the boys had gone to bed but I wasn't too far behind them most of the time. They usually asked to go to bed and it was a struggle sometimes to get them through dinner before they fell asleep. We did manage to watch the sunset a few times, play a few games by the pool and even swim in the evening with the lights on in the pool.
Overall a wonderful visit where everyone enjoyed each other.

When we left Babushka's house and delivered Ama back to her home we enjoyed an overnight visit with Cousin Sam and his wife Karen and 3 daughters (Hope, Joy, and LillyGrace). It was nice for the boys to play with their cousins and Laura enjoyed catching up with Sam and Karen. We got to spend the night with them and go to church Sunday with a nice lunch at the country club after that. Special treat for all of us. The boys just loved the baby (Lilly Grace) who was only a few months old but enjoyed being able to play with the other girls too. There was always a fight to see who got to be by the baby. It was actually pretty sweet to watch. The highlights were that they had Wii game, got to see all the boats at the Marina at the country club and go for a ride on their golf cart.
Then it was back on the road again where we stopped along the way and picked up another one of their cousins, Marco, in Georgia who was coming to stay with us for a few days. We made it home safe and sound and Papa and Mayra had enjoyed a nice week of peace and quite. We would have stayed a little longer but the boys started ESL summer school the day after we returned. Looking forward to a relaxing rest of the summer.

Mama mama mama

No more Tonsils and Adenoids for the V's

2008-06-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

Big day for Vanya and Victor. They both had tonsils and adenoids that were so large that it was causing them to have trouble breathing. They both snored really loud at night as well. What ever possessed me to think that it would be a good idea to do them both on the same day I still am wondering about. Good thing Fran came to the rescue and volunteered to go with me. At first I was thinking that it would be nice just to chat while the boys were having their surgery but there wouldn't really be anything for her to do. WRONG! She was a life saver. The surgeries were very short (35 min) and they started with some sedation meds and then waited a little bit and then wheeled them back one after the other. So when one was being sedated the other one was still waiting. We did get the "suite" with a bathroom between the 2 rooms which was fortunate. They really rolled out the red carpet for both of them and while they waiting they got to ride in the wagon and take a trip around the loop of rooms and they got their own surgeon mask and hat. They also got a coloring book and lots of smiles and hugs from all the staff. While I was signing their life away, Fran would be with the other one and then visa versa. Then I would be with one while they got their "happy" juice and then bop over to the other for their dose. It was especially helpful after they returned since they Victor had a harder time coming out of the anesthesia and was much more uncomfortable. What a blessing to not have to worry about one while I was tending to the other one. I wanted to be there when each of them woke up and it would have been impossible if Fran hadn't been there with me. What a friend! People who volunteer for that kind of duty I hope will be rewarded greatly in heaven. Helping with 2 out of sorts little people after surgery should be considered for hazard pay.
Well both of the boys charmed the whole staff and they got so much attention they just couldn't be too miserable. Victor cleared them out of their popsicles and Vanya just curled up in a ball and slept. He still donned his little furrowed eyebrows so I knew he was uncomfortable but he didn't even whimper. Victor, on the other hand, moaned and groaned from the minute he woke up. He couldn't figure out the feeling of his throat being numb and kept trying to cough which obviously made htings worse. I am also convinced that they must have used super glue for his IV because getting that tape off hurt me to look at, so i know he was justified in his yelps.
Once Vanya came too he had a couple of sips of juice and a couple bites of a popsicle. He informed the nurse that he would like to stay there longer and didn't want to go home. I think that really confused the nurse because she said she hadn't heard that one before. Most kids can't wait to get out of the hospital. Not my little social bugs. They thought they were the star of the day and didn't want to miss out on any more special treatment.
Once home Vanya wanted to get right on his bike and play! Victor didn't want to be out done by his little brother so he said he wasn't tired either and felt fine. Obviously they were supposed to take it easy for a week like we were instructed but crying and hollering wouldn't have been good for them either. We compromised and they rode slowly to the end of the street and back and then agreed to rest the rest of the day. I think the doctor gave them extra pain meds before the end of the surgery so it took a longer time to wear off. On the third day they did not rise again! By that time, all of the pain meds had worn off and they were only working on some Tylenol w/codeine. Neither were very energetic and both clearly had some discomfort but at least it slowed them down a little so they weren't begging to go outside and to the pool and such. They enjoyed eating as much ice cream and as many popsicles as they wanted and it was only about 7 days before Vanya was back to solid food. Victor took a few more days to get there.
All in all it was not too bad (for me at least!). Vanya didn't miss a beat and Victor took his own sweet time to recoop.
They were both allergy tested as well and we found that they are both allergic to trees, grass, weeds, and house dust (oh great joy). Vanya is also allergic to cats. I guess we know who will be our grass mower. Yuri gets selected by default.

Papa was a big hero when he came with a stuffed animal for each of them when he got home from work. If I had half a brain left, I would have realized that I needed another set of hands and Rob could have been there too, but hind sight is always 20/20. Good thing Fran was thinking for both of us. Thank you for everything, my friend!!!!!
Now they have fully recuperated, don't snore, and sleep much better. It did change Vanya's voice slightly but we are getting used to it. The doctor said his adenoids were actually bigger than Victors. He's so tiny I don't know where there was room for them to begin with.

Well we have all survived and, aside from a few sleepless nights, are back to life again.

Mama mama mama

Yuri turns 8!

2008-06-11T21:58:00.004-05:00

Boy does one year make a difference. I remember celebrating his 7th birthday in Ukraine last year. This was a big day for Yuri as we got to celebrate his birthday in his classroom at school.
The day started off though with the presents! Of course he requested everything under the sun when we went to the store to look at what he thought he might like to have. He really wanted a batman outfit though so we did get him that. He enjoyed opening his presents and we did withhold one thing that Papa wanted to give him special. His own pool cue! Papa told the boys they were not allowed to play on our pool table until they turned 8 and he taught them how to play right and they were tall enough. Well the day finally came for Yuri and he was sooooo happy to get his own cue. He wanted to wear his batman outfit to school like Victor had worn his superman one (which was actually pajamas) but it was too hot outside for it so he had to settle for the batman shirt he had instead.

Since he had already seen what we did in the 2 other boys classes he was well prepared for what he would like to do. He wanted to have a batman party since Victor had a superman one and Vanya had an Elmo one. So Batman is was! His birthday actually fell on the last of the school we celebrated a day early since the class was having their year end party the next day.
We got to have cake and ice cream and also play the balloon popping game and the stick the sticker on the batman one. You know they don't make "pin the tail on the donkey" anymore since it has been deemed as too dangerous for children! It's amazing that any of us over 40 are still alive since we didn't have bike helmets or seat belts and we played on playground with gravel instead of foam padding or mulch. Anyway, I digress. Back to the party.

All the kids had a great time and the teacher even had each student stand up and say something nice to Yuri. That was so sweet and the kids were really genuine with their comments. One boy said,"I'm just glad to have "big" friend since he is 8 and I'm only 5". It was so nice that the kids were so accepting and didn't make fun of him for being older than kindergarten age.

He had a great time and that night he wanted to go to The Corner Pocket restaurant for his birthday dinner out with mama and papa. That was a lot of fun and he was so proud of his new cue and that he could finally play on the table we have and have papa teach him. As has become custom mama rocked him a little bit before bed and told him how much we love him and that Jesus must have thought we were pretty special to have blessed us with such a great child. He was excited and exhausted all at the same time. Just to hear him say "I love you mama" as he gave me a big hug and kiss after getting in bed made the day very special.

Mama mama mama

Anniversary, Memorial Day, Mama's birthday, and Summer fun

2008-06-09T22:48:00.009-05:00

Rob and I celebrated our 13th year of marriage on the 26th! Boy this anniversary was a lot different than the last one. No advanced reservations for a non English speaking restaurant; no taxi fare; no "steak" that turned out to be a pork chop. Very low key but requiring much less energy. Good thing because we don't have as much energy these days by the end of the day.I got wonderful card from my best friend and love of my life and a digital picture frame to admire all the ones I love. We enjoyed a warm bath with the jacuzzi bubbles that now work and an evening with no child responsibilities thanks to Mayra.

Memorial Day we had a barbecue on our street complete with Fireworks! It was nice to have Mayra's mom still with us as she had come from Mexico for the graduation. The kids all enjoyed themselves and Rob smoked a brisket and made some sausages and hot dogs in appreciation of all the kindness our neighbors have shown us over the past year. As a matter of fact WE were the topic of conversation at last years barbecue because they were all discussing our blog entries as were in Ukraine this time last year having just met the boys and making the decision to bring them all home! All the neighbors have been so gracious in donating clothes and toys and backyard equipment and such. They have also endured the learning curve that the boys have had to go through (mail taken out of their mailbox, toys brought back to our house because they thought they were "fair game", door bell rings at the wee hours of the morning before school so they could honk the horn of their car, frequent requests for everything from candy to flashlights to money, poop in their backyard (yep, sorry for the graphic image that one left, but we did have an outside pooper), wearing out their animals with extra "love", chasing after their cars on foot and bicycles, throwing their yard reflectors down into the drainage well, and the list goes on) and they still speak to us and continue to bless us all the time. We were glad we were able to at least thanks them properly even though it did take us a year to actually get back to a point where we had rational thoughts and time to process things. Well...everyone was conked out after a long day in the sun and a few great fireworks ad a game of hide and go seek with flashlights, so bed time was not an issue.

Well Mama turned a year older on the 29th as well. When asked if I felt older the answer this year was a definite YES! I have never been happier and more tired in all my life as I am this year. My new sons have certainly been a tremendous blessing and awesome privilege to have but the day to day care taking is not only physically draining but mentally draining as well. trying to figure out whether the things they do are "normal" and age appropriate or something that exists due to their earlier experiences or prenatal abuse. So most of my time is really not my own but staying in pursuit of what God has called me to do and blessed me with makes every late night and every whinny phrase and every stuck out bottom lip still fill me with great joy knowing I can make a difference. Rob isn't always like that but ..... NO, just kidding, he only accounts for a portion of the above. Each card from the boys was absolutely perfect and fitting of their personalities so papa did a great job of making laugh and cry all at the same time. The funniest thing Rob got me was a frame with spots for 3 hanging pictures. He then got a picture of each of the boys doing their part of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". What a hoot! All in all a great birthday.

Well the baseball season is coming to a close and the pool is now open, so summer is almost in full swing. With the boys being as active as they are I am so thankful winter is over and they can enjoy playing outside and going to the pool. They all tan so well they already look brown and we have only been to the pool a handful of times. They all love to come home from school and go straight to the pool until dinner time. Great exercise and they sleep well too. They can all swim now so I don't worry as much. Vanya still wears his little suit and Victor still puts his water wings on occasionally when he feels lazy but neither of them really need to. Once school is out we will go and enjoy babushka's pool in Florida for a week and then the boys start summer school. They don't really know how long school lasts or that not everyone goes to summer school so we haven't gotten any complaints so far. Yuri and Victor will both to ESL summer school M-Th from 9-12 until July 25th. That way they can catch up a little bit and not loose what they have learned. Victor will repeat Kindergarten and Yuri will go on to 1st grade.

In August we will all be going on a missions trip back to Ukraine. Yep, crazy as it sounds, we will all be going back to Zapporyzhzhia to do some work at the children's home #3 and be able to minister to some of the kids we met. We are going with a group called Heart for Orphans in conjunction with our church. We couldn't leave the kids here without us for that long so they are coming along. Since it is Yuri's orphanage we are going to, he is excited about being able to go. The other 2 just want to go wherever we are going. We will be visiting the baby house where Vanya came from but I don't think he will come with us for that part of the day. I'm just not sure what kind of memories he has and I don't want to rekindle anything that would hinder his development. It will be interesting to see their reactions but I know my mother hen instincts will be in full swing so I'm not too worried. We will hopefully do some fundraising for the trip as this time we don't get the big tax credit. We are also going to try to help raise money for the orphanages playground. Currently the kids play in a field full of broken glass and empty beer bottles and cigarette containers. The playground plans that had been drawn up by the director total $30K US dollars so obviously we will only be making a donation towards it; unless someone comes forward with a burning desire to give us $30K. The Lord is good all the time so we are believing that if it is meant to be then it will happen. Our main goal is to share God's love with all the kids and give them an opportunity to receive Christ as their personal saviour. For them just to have some hope for a positive future knowing that their heavenly father adores them will be a success. So all those readers out in cyberland pray pray pray that the trip will be successful and we will be able to make a difference in the lives of the kids we interact with and that our own boys would see what it means to pick up your cross and follow Jesus.

Mama mama mama

Mayra Graduates and Victor turns 6!

2008-05-18T17:36:00.008-05:00

Two big events in the Passanita household lately have been the graduation of our Mexican daughter, Mayra, from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and Victors 6th birthday.
Mayra has worked very hard and very diligently the past 4 years to earn her bachelors degree in Government. When she came to America as a foreign exchange student 6 years ago we had no idea how much she would impact our lives. We had only made a 3 month commit to house her as Travis's Spanish teacher hadn't found anyone to house 2 of the girls. We hadn't thought about doing it because we had a teenage boy so having a teenage girl in the house hadn't crossed our mind as being feasible. Well to make a long story short our 3 month commitment has turned into 6 wonderful years of so many blessings I count count them all. Mayra is just as much one our children as the others are; we just have to share her with her other family in Mexico. It was a great blessing for her mom to be able to join us to go to her graduation. The ceremony was just like any graduation and had all the fanfare of it all. It has been amazing the spiritual journey she has made though. She was catholic when she came here but made a decision to accept Jesus into her heart and be water baptized after the first year here and learning through church and youth group. God has shown up in so many ways for her as a result of that through finances and opportunities that could have only been Him because we never thought there was a chance that she would be able to attend and pay for college after the first year. But through it all she has a very strong faith and is on fire for the Lord and has a desire to live her life in accordance with whatever plan He has for her. Amen and Hallelujah!!!! What a blessing to us and to the boys she has been and continues to be. She has a job right here in Williamsburg and so we will get to enjoy having her home and watching the next phase of her life unfold. We are truly the lucky ones to have her in our life.

Victor (Veecha) Turns 6 Years old!

He is still such a peanut but he has such a big personality. He wanted to be superman on his birthday so I thought about it for a minute and decided that would be OK. We went about making a costume out of the pajamas we got him and he marched off to school as the happiest little superhero in the world. Words could not describe the excitement he had for his birthday. He had been looking forward to it for quite sometime and particularly after he got to attend Vanyas little party at school. Soooo we did the whole cake and ice cream thing in his class and also had a game of "put the S sticker on the superman" as well as had some bubbles to blow outside and the infamous balloon pop race. He was totally exhausted by the end of recess that day and wanted to come home when I left but I made him stick it out. He got some wonderful presents from the grandparents and I think the highlight of the day was the police and superman outfits he could don.

Rob and I got to take him out by himself for his special birthday dinner. He wanted to go where he could get sushi (of all things for a kids to like) so we went to the sushi bar at the Japanese steakhouse we have here. He got to watch the sushi chefs make his sushi and we ordered what is called a "love boat" which has a combination of different types of sushi on it. I am not a fan of raw fish so my selections were limited but Victor liked EVERYTHING! He was so excited he fell off his chair and landed on the floor. He rubbed his head and got up and then laughed! Most of the people around us did as well.

Afterwards we took him for ice cream at Maggie Moo's (local fancy ice cream parlor). He is pretty simple with his tastes and wanted a 2 scoop cone with chocolate and vanilla. He enjoyed every bite all over himself and the table etc etc. You only get to turn 6 once so we let him enjoy himself and just cleaned up after. There was a water fountain outside and he asked to throw in a penny. We told him he could make a wish and then throw it in. He didn't care much about hte wish part he just wanted to chuck the coin in and see ifhe could get it into the top part. I think it acutallt went all the way over the fountain. We didn't hear anyone scream so we assume he didn't hit anyone. He always love to smile for pictures so he posed by the fountain for as many pictures as we would take. Good thing for a digital camera!

Once we got home he was so tired but when I offered to rock him in the rocking chair for a little bit he immediately took me up on that offer. He isn't usually one to cuddle for too long so I was excited he wanted to do that. We sang "Jesus loves me" and I got to add how special he was and that Jesus must have loved us too in order to give us such a wonderful son. To that he simply said," Well of course He does, He loves everyone. I'm sleepy, can you put me in bed now." And that was that. His smile really paints the whole picture and he will be a man of few words but I think he knows how much he is loved and wanted and for that I am grateful.

Mama mama mama

Mothers Day

2008-05-12T13:13:00.004-05:00

What an awesome day for me! The first Mother's Day with the boys was sooo special. Just seeing their little faces as they raced up the aisle at church to give me their flower brought tears to my eyes (and half the congregation as well). They were so proud to have a mama to give it to. They also participated in giving out the others flowers to the other mothers whose children weren't there to do it.
They each made special things for me at school. They had such a hard time not telling me ahead of time or giving things to me ahead of time. They are all very giving.
Vanyas class had a little mothers day tea where the kids got to serve us some food and show us their specials treasures they had made. A potpourri sashe with a cute poem and a painted clay dish that was crafted with his own hands. It is red with hints of yellow in it; perfect for holding paper clips and other small bits of things. All of these in a bag with painted pink hearts made with a sponge and the words," Happy Mothers Day Love, Vanya". He said," Hey look, everybody has a mama here" with a very surprised voice inflection. I think he was a confused by that but quickly moved on to showing me how he could dress up to be a doctor. He proceeded to go around and check everyone ears with the play doctors kit. You never know, he might just be a doctor one day.
Veecha made a card with a poem in it that described things about me (some of which were true and others I think he copied from someone else). He also gave a coupon for Vacuum cleaning so it should be interesting to see how that will work. He grew a plant at school and made a picture to go around the pot that had a sun and flowers and clouds. All red and blue crayons but very cute. He was so excited to give his things to me that he wanted to open them himself since I was clearly taking too much time to get into the bag. His smiles and kisses warmed my heart.
Yuri also had made a book with my attributes in it like "She always makes cookies and sometimes she washes clothes but mostly she likes to play computer." Interesting perspectives they have about things. Yuri had colored a paper teapot very nicely and all within the lines and colored with typical colors for the eyes, mouth etc.. On the inside it had a tea bag and said: "Whenever I stress you out just sit back, relax and have a cup of tea". He really thinks and puts extra effort into things he gives to other people and particularly things for me. He makes sure to add that he will do things for papa on his day but today is just for mama. He also gave me a coupon but his was good for grocery shopping. I wonder what he would come back with if I sent him in to grocery shop? Hhmmm. He also made a pendant out of a large safety pin with small safety pins that he had strung beads on to look like a heart. He really likes to draw and make hearts of all kinds and loves to give them to me. I treasure every one and have worn my pin twice already and make sure to tell people he made it for me. He just beams when I do that. That's what it is all about.
So here is how the day went (I knew you would want the whole scoop babushka!) In the morning I got up and had to be at church early so Yuri went with me as he was already up and dressed. He helped me put thing on the bulletin board at church for the orphan ministry we lead. After that we shared a dreamsicle smoothy from the cafe there we have there since he was a good helper. Rob got the other boys ready and fed them and brought them with him. I got lots of hugs and Happy Mothers Day greeting from so many people who knew this was my first mothers day with the boys. At the beginning of the service they had all the mothers stand and receive a flower which you heard about above. Toward the end of the service Rob got up and said he would text me with further instructions. I was a little caught off guard since that was little vague and was during the ending prayer. Of course my phone rings with my message so everyone heard it go off since I forgot to put it on silent. It read "Meet me and the boys at Peking, Afterward go home and relax and we will have a special homemade dinner tonight". Sounded good to me! He had picked the boys up form their classes at church and we met at Peking for the Chinese buffet (one of my favorite places). And a nice surprise was that Travis showed up just as they were arriving as well. He had gotten up early to come home and celebrate with me. I was feeling pretty special and even shed a few tears of joy on the way to the restaurant. They came bearing more gifts! Woohoo. I even got to go first to the buffet and actually got to eat my food while it was still hot. Rob and Travis took care of the boys' needs and everyone behaved fairly well (we are making progress!). After we all ate I got to see what was in the bag! I got a wonderful card from my wonderful husband who wrote that I was the light of his life (yep, he's Italian and flattery will get him everywhere) and the boys card said that I wasn't just their mama I was the one who held their hearts. Wow! I got a digital picture frame to put all the pictures on so I could see all their cute expressions all the time. They each also got me a really good kind of chocolate. Then to top it off I got to go home and not have to do anything! And then after a fabulous meal that Rob made of pasta alfredo with chicken and mushrooms, Travis did all the dishes and I got to go take a bubble bath BY MYSELF. Rob gave the boys a bath and got them all ready for bed and then sent them in one at a time to kiss me goodnight. How handsome they looked with their hair all brushed and because I had a candle lit bath (yep, my man knows how to spoil me) their faces just glowed as they said Happy Mothers Day and I love you, mama followed by multiple kisses and smiles. I can still see each of their faces as they came in and can't help but think what wonderful kids God has blessed me with. Mayra had gotten home in the mean time and we watched a little TV together as we often do and then it was off to dream land full of special memories of a great day. Even though they each present their own challenges, I couldn't ask for more loving kids and a great husband to call my very own.
A very happy mama mama mama

Rangers and Yankees

2008-04-27T15:27:00.004-05:00

Well the baseball season is well underway and Yuri and Victor are doing great. Our little slugger cheers and practices until he is old enough to play.
Yuri's team is called the Yankees and he mainly plays first base and he is at the top of the batting order. He is playing machine pitch which is where a machine is fed by the coach and guarantees the same placement for everyone. He was just as thrilled to get all his new baseball stuff as he was when soccer started. The excitement for us is to watch him light up when he knows it is time to go put on his baseball uniform and go to a game. They now require them to provide their own batting helmets and we found that he must have a bigger head then other 7-8 year old's because his helmet just looks enormous. He is a strong hitter and really "gets" the game so far.
Victor's team is the Royals and they are a hoot to watch! He is playing tee ball and gets a kick out of just being able to swing the bat and actually hit something (mostly the stand but occasionally the ball too) It is like watching the bad news bears but is very entertaining and he loves getting out there and running for the ball wherever it may land. I do have to admit that he is one of the more well behaved kids and the team. Something we are pretty happy and grateful about. His helmet just bounces up and down as he runs and he has perpetually has a smile on his face whether he hit the ball or not as well as if he got out or not. It's nice to see that he is a good sport and plays very nicely with the other kids.

Now as for Vanya, this one I believe will be our biggest challenge. Sweet, loving, outgoing, well coordinated and often times very humorous Vanya has some very sneaky and precocious actions and words. He is good at whatever sport he tries and commands an audience wherever he is as well. Travis got a kick out showing him how to hold a bat and was pretty shocked when he whacked the ball on about the first try and it went about 25 feet. He enjoys going to his brothers games and loves to cheer for them even when they aren't up to bat or even in the game. Of course he asks at each and every game when it is his teams turn. With him if he hasn't asked the same question 50 times then he hasn't decided to accept the answer the first 49 times. We aren't sure if he just doesn't understand what we said or if he is just waiting for us to get thoroughly worn out and give in. We were hoping by now that that would have subsided but as he has learned more word he simply talks more. He is a real joy most of the time and his hugs are truly genuine but the other side of that is that when he doesn't get his way it is fairly unbearable for all. So at our house "if Vanya ain't happy, ain't no one happy". We are still working on that. That little face is so expressive it really make it hard not to just crack up when he is being so totally serious about why he does not want to take a bath or why he should have another lollipop from the bank lady.

Since the baseball schedule is so odd it seems as though we are going some where or doing something almost every day and it is different every week. It is great to see all the kids progress throughout the season and for our guys they just enjoy being there and playing. Everyone has a hard time believing that less than a year ago they spoke no English and have never played an organized sport before. They really have come a long way and although there is quite a bit more work to do with all of them we are very proud of thier progress in sport and school and with their social skills. I wish we could learn things as fast as they do! I think God does that by design!
God is ever faithful to give us the strength and wisdom to take care of these guys and love them the best way we know how. Most of the time when I have run out of patience for the day, Rob has enough left to make sure no one has perished from being in time out. It works the other way as well so we are glad that it works that way because when we have both exhausted our energy and resources for the day at the same time it makes for a very difficult day for all. Thank you God for meeting us where we are and for giving us such wonderful gifts in the smiles and giggles of our boys!

Mama mama mama

Spring break

2008-04-19T16:42:00.014-05:00

What a great time we had on our recent trip to Florida with the boys. Since it was spring break we decided they needed to have that experience of a long car ride to visit family. It actually went quite a bot better than we had expected and the boys did a pretty good job in the car. Yuri even lost another tooth! That makes number 4. Of course the DVD player was in hyper drive but was soooooooo nice. We all survived and are all still speaking to one another.

On the way down we stopped by to see Rob's brother, Jason and our nephew Marco. We all had a fun time on their 4 wheelers. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

After spending the night we made it all the way down to Sarasota to see Babushka and Ama (great grandmother who is 98). We were pleasantly surprised that there was plenty of room for all 7 of us in her 2 bedroom condo. She had done a magnificent job of putting things away. Probably because we told her that our little demolition crew would love to help her get rid of a few things. She showered the boys with lots of love and attention as well presents. A day didn't go by when she wasn't surprising them with something else "to keep". Good thing we had a car top carrier. She got them straw hats and stuffed animals and candy pops with a basketball game on top as well as lots of other things.And no, babushka did not get her black eye from the boys thank goodness. She just had an eye infection that hasn't healed all the way yet.

By far the most fun was at the pool and in the ocean. They all did such a good job of swimming and they built some sand castles and had fun collecting all kinds of shells.

It really didn't matter if they were broken or not, they just picked up everything they saw. We'll have to work on the selection process criteria another time. Until then our car will be waited down with their treasured seashells. We did a little shopping and also got to visit with family that we hadn't seen in a while. The boys got to meet their cousins Connor (5) and Ana Lauren (3) and of course they all made friends at the pool.

Friends that we had met in Ukraine, the Harris's, came from Ft Lauderdale to swim with us for the day with their daughter Sveta. That was really nice to visit with them since conversations on the phone are a little difficult at our house with the additional voices in the background. This way all the kids were having so much fun in the pool that we actually got to chat uninterrupted for a while. Woo hoo!

At the end of most days the boys were totally wiped out and on several occasion went straight to bed with very little dinner because they fell asleep at the table or asked to go bed instead. (Perhaps we will move to Florida!) After several relaxing and fun filled days we were back in the car headed to Clearwater to see our good friends the Rahns with their daughter Yana who were also in Florida visiting family.

We went to the beach and playground area there and had a great time and got a little more sun. We went to Crabby Bills seafood place for dinner and then headed North toward Atlanta.
We stopped somewhere along the highway about 4 hours north of Clearwater in the wee hours of the morning. We slept for a few hours and then took advantage of the free breakfast and then continued north to see our friends the Lambeths. We met them in Ukraine at Sonechko baby house in Zapporyzhzhia where they were adopting their daughter, Haley (formerly Nastia). What a great time we had with them. Vanya and Haley had a grand time together but I don't think either of them recognized each other because they were in different groups because Vanya is a year older. So they grew up across the hall from each other their whole lives and then got to see each other again in their new lives with a family. Pretty cool. The boys got to go fishing in their back yard and we went to a really fabulous pool/gym that had indoor slides and water spouts. They even had a family showering area. I had never seen one like that where the whole family could have a little room with a shower and changing room and then there was a locker area for all the stuff. It was really nice to visit with them as well after sharing such a long and interesting process with them. We spent the night with them in their newly remodeled basement and felt like royalty with our own bathroom and everything.

The next morning we had to head out early to make it up to see my cousin Collen (frequent comment writer while we were in Ukraine). The windy mountain road was not real fun and we had a little car sickness going but we made it in time for church. The boys did a great job when it was time for children's church they got up and went with all the other kids. Even Vanya went with the help of Colleens mother, Anita, who was selected by Vanya to escort him. Yea, he is pretty diplomatic and used his charm to ask her to go with him. He said, "OK, you go with me" as he put his hand on her lap and smiled. After church we were so blessed by the luncheon that Colleen,Anita, and our other cousin Penny had put together for us. The fried chicken and macaroni salad and broccoli salad and coleslaw and all the fixins were there. We even got treated to freshly baked cookie and ice cream. We got to use the youth room that had a pool table, air hockey table, and lots of room to play. Again, we felt like royalty, and were honored that our extended family had gone to all that effort and made things so nice for us as we were passing through. We hadn't gotten to see them in so many years. I think Colleen was in college and she is now a few years older than us. That was a real treat.
We then headed back toward home and made it all the way home by 1:30 that morning in time for Rob to sleep for 3 hours and then get ready for work. We squeaked every last hour out of that vacation. Of course we are still paying for it now.

Does the Jesus know the Easter bunny?

2008-03-23T20:44:00.002-05:00

Pretty good question, huh? The boys had a wonderful Easter and are still trying to answer that question and it was pretty interesting to listen to them try to explain it to each other. "Well of course, Jesus knows everyone" "Nuh ugh, only Mama and Papa know the Easter bunny" "Well I haven't seen the Easter bunny so maybe no one knows him except superman" "Jesus is in charge of Superman too, you know". Precious conversation on the way to church that Sunday. Pretty easy to tell the comments went in order of age 19, 7,5,4. It was really nice to have Travis home from college to spend Easter with us and get to go to a few of the boys activities. They loved having their biggest brother there to watch them and play with. I think he might have enjoyed it a little as well.

Vanya was in a little Easter performance at church and was the hit of the show. Take a listen; Hollywood watch out! In case it isn't readily apparent, he was the E in Easter and his line was "Jesus died for Everyone!" He was flirting with the little girl next to him the rest of the time while he tried to sing with the other kids but still keeping his eye on mama right there in the front row smiling at her little man.

Easter this year was such a joy and the excitement on the boys faces as they waited at the top of the stairs to come hunt for their baskets (which they had no idea about) was priceless. They were excited that the Easter bunny had come but weren't quite sure what that meant for them except they were pretty sure it had something to do with candy. We had decorated eggs with Yana and Fran a couple of evenings before which was so much fun. They had colored Easter bunnies and at school and learned about the resurrection of Jesus at church and now it was time for the Easter bunny to finally come and for Jesus to rise from the dead. Trying to explain that one was pretty interesting as well. Then we all got dressed up for church and the boys really like getting all dressed up so it was fun. Then off to church we went where they got multiple compliments on their spiffy outfits which always brought big smiles to their faces as they were soooo proud of themselves. After church we went over to our friends house for Easter dinner and some R&R. Not so sure they called it that though with 3 very active little boys running around their house. They have 3 girls who are 22, 19, and 13 so boys are foreign to them and what a difference it is. Darryl got worn out throwing the ball, breaking up the wrestling on the trampoline and stopping the swings from going completely over the swing set. Christine and Rob and I had wonderful conversations with each other and her parents. Christine was so sweet and put together little goody bags with aggs adn candy in them for the byos and made a wonderful dinner which was nejoyed by all. After a very long day and loads of sugar we packed up 3 very cranky boys and headed home for the nighttime rituals. After that we were exhausted and went to bed as well. No sugarplums but content in the knowledge and love of the Lord that we were able to show our children today. The Lord is risen indeed, hallelujah !!!

Mama Mama Mama

Vanya turns 4!

2008-03-18T22:09:00.002-05:00

What a day! For a little boy who has never had a birthday party before Vanya knew exactly how to act; KING FOR A DAY. He just loved being the center of attention and getting to dress up and wear papas bow tie. He got to look at himself in the mirror in his class and you could just see how proud of himself he was with his crown on. What a ham.
So here it is form the beginning: We woke him up in the morning and sang happy birthday and then papa brought him downstairs after the other boys and I had decorated and laid out his presents. He wasn't really sure what to think and even asked if the little bike was for him. After he knew that all of the presents were for him he was just thrilled. Of course his brothers decided to "help" him open his presents which ended up as him watching them open his presents. He was such a good sport about it and wanted just to play with whichever one was opened.
I must say he was the most adorable kid in the whole world after getting all spiffied (sp?) up for school with his bow tie. It almost brought tears to my eyes seeing what a blessing we have in him. He was so happy his brothers had each made him a card and were genuinely excited for him about his birthday.
Instead of having a party at the house with his friends (who are quite numerous) we decided just to do a party at his preschool class. He chose to have an Elmo party so we got all the trimmings and had a very interesting time. We were grateful that the teachers let us have his party there. Containment containment containment was the fare of the day with 10 preschoolers on extra doses of sugar and excitement. Vanya got to make a crown and the class had practiced singing happy birthday to him the day before so he was really thinking that it could be his birthday every day from then on. It was quite special because mama and papa and Travis came to his class to do his party. We also got to have Yuri and Veecha come from their classes to sing and have cake and ice cream. We did a balloon race which was really humorous because most of the kids didn't weigh enough to pop their balloons when they sat on them. Rob had to start using his keys to help. On top of that, they didn't really get the concept of running down to the other end of the play yard to sit on your balloon while the rest of the line waited. The puzzled looks were priceless. We got some bubbles for them to do and the teacher even had a bubble machine which was a big hit. The "put the sticker on the Elmo nose" was funny also because they all peaked to make sure they got the sticker on the right place. Each of the kids drew him a picture in the notebook I had gotten for him and the teachers each did one too. Good keepsake. All the kids sang happy birthday to him and he blew out his candles with no problem and even blew off some of the wax onto my fingers. We made little goody bags for all the kids (I guess that is what you do now) and after giving them cake and ice cream it was time for them to get on their bus.
We cleaned up and Vanya just loved having all the adults to himself and was in no hurry to leave. Papa and Travis left first and mama stayed a little longer to let him play and eat up the attention of his teachers for a few extra minutes. They are so good to him and just love him to death. I'm sure he is the most spoiled kid in the class. Actually I'm the most spoiled mama because he always gives me the biggest grins and hugs as he proudly announces "that's MY mama". I wish he could stay this little forever (well, let me rethink that).
After getting home and letting him play a little with his new toys and games we went to get the other boys from school as they attend the "good news club" on Tuesdays which is like Sunday school. After getting back home all the boys enjoyed playing Candy Land and racing the hotwheel cars on the new track. After that mama and papa took him out all by himself for a special birthday dinner at Mirabellas. It's a good Italian place since he requested a fare of spaghetti.

The best part of the day for mama was after we got home though. It was past his regular bedtime and after a long day of excitement he was sooo tired. We got his PJ's on and teeth brushed and he asked me to tell him a story. When I asked him what kind of story he said he wanted to hear a Jesus story! So I got to retell, in common language, the story of Easter to my little boy as he fell asleep in my arms on his very first birthday with us. What a day!

mama mama mama

Rainy Days and Mondays

2008-03-10T08:17:00.000-05:00

Well the boys have certainly taken to the American culture quickly. They all needed to have their OWN umbrella and rain boots. Since mama thought it would be really fun to let them jump in the big puddle we get on our front walk, I thought I would capture it on video. What a hoot!
Enjoy!

Of course I didn't want htem to get hte bigwheel out and run it through the lawn and throw cups of water on each other but I guess we take the good with the bad sometimes. They really had a great time getting all wet though so it was worth it.

We have also had a few visits and visitors. We went up to PA to visit the grandparents and had a fun time meeting new cousins and getting to sled down their back hill. We always get good food there and the boys love playing with the cats. Not so sure how the cats like it though.

Mayra has come home a few times and now has a new boyfriend, Doug, who has made a big hit with the boys. They have now listed him as part of the family. A little premature for sure but it's nice to see a young man with such a Godly disposition and genuine friendliness for everyone. He makes time for the Lord each morning nad shares his devotions with Mayra each night at school over the phone or computer if they aren't together. We've only met him once so he still has to try to pass the papa test a few more times (beating him at pool) before he is "in".

We are getting ready for the big "spring break" trip to babushka's house. We made the mistake of telling them we were going to go there in April. Now everyday they ask if we are leaving for babushka's house. It's getting a little tiring trying to explain that April is still several weeks away. They are very persistant when they want to know something or think we should be going somewhere that minute.

Yuri, Veecha, and Vanya continue to keep[ us on our toes (and everything else for that matter) and our constant attention is always desired. I'll take that anytime since I know as they get older they won't necessarily want that. Their smiles are infectious and their hugs and kisses are numerous. There are less and less crying spells but the discipline is far from over. Still a long way to go for constant obedience but they are making leaps and bounds with the whinning so that's a relief. I still feel like we're playing catch up and hurry up all the time but I think we are starting to get the hang of this!

Mama mama mama

Valentines Day

2008-02-14T22:02:00.001-05:00

What a great day Valentines Day has become in the Passanita family! Two years ago today Rob took me out to dinner at Guiseppe's Restaurant (great Italian place) and gave me the best present ever. He announced we should start the process of adoption from Ukraine! And now here we are two years later with the most special gifts we could have been blessed with in our three new sons.

Getting those valentines that each of the kids made in school that say "I love you mama, Happy Valentines Day!" just made me absolutely melt. I didn't know I could love someone so deeply as I do these children. Don't get me wrong, the love I have for my man is the best and will always come first in my life; but this kind of love for my kids is different and touches a whole different place in my heart. These little guys just make our lives so much brighter and the things they do and say keep us in stitches regularly. Their hugs are genuine and with one little look you can make their eyes sparkle with happiness. Just to be able to be a part of that has been such a gift from God at all the right times.

Valentines day itself was very interesting. Mama decided it would be so nice to make chocolate chip pancakes for the boys since they had never had them. (first mistake) Of course they loved them and gobbled them right up. Since we had gotten a little snow the night before and they already had all their valentines ready for school and were all dressed, they wanted to go out and play a little in the snow before school. (second mistake) After getting our SLOW eater finished and snow pants on I went out to find the boys jumping on the snow covered trampoline. (third mistake) As we looked at the time we knew we would have to hurry to get the snow pants off and school jackets on to get to the bus on time for Yuri and Veecha. We accomplished that however we did have to jog a little to get to the bus in time (fourth mistake). I got them both on the bus and hurried back to the house. Since I had volunteered to help in Vanya's class for his party that day I needed to take a shower before his bus came which gave me about 20 minutes to get ready. (I am getting rather adept at getting ready in a flash these days; no lengthy hot showers for this mama :( ) As soon as I got all the shampoo in my hair I hear all kinds of commotion coming up the steps. My thought was that Vanya finally did decide to roll down the stairs but alas it wasn't that at all. Yuri rushes into the bathroom and spouts off something so fast I couldn't even understand it. Here I am buck naked with soap in my hair and my 7 year old is standing in front of me in hysterics. We have a glass shower so privacy is unheard of now. When I finally get what he is saying I have figured out that Veecha has gotten sick on the bus and the bus is now in front of the house waiting for me to come and get him off! So much for 20 minutes to get ready. I told him to tell them I am on my way but that I have to get out of the shower. I quickly get the soap out of my hair and dry and throw on my robe and run outside with no shoes and my hair standing straight up only to find that Veecha had already gotten off the bus and was in the house. The bus driver handed me the towels she used to clean him off and wished me a happy day. What a way to start the day. After getting inside I ask Veecha what happened and he said "me eat, me jump, me run to get on bus, me get sick". Yep, I think I'll get the mother of the year award for that one along with my OJ run to bus in my bathrobe in the snow in front of all the kids on the school bus and half the neighbors.

The balance of the day got better and Veecha felt much better after having cleared his stomach of the "special breakfast" has had. He was able to get back to school and join his class for their party. Vanya and Yuri also had parties and they all probably ate too much candy but they had a great time.

That evening we went over to our very special friends house, the Rahns, to share a great valentine meal with Rick, Fran, and Yana. Fran had gotten balloons for all the kids and had a red tablecloth and all the fixing's for a wonderful meal. Just spending time with them is always a lots of fun. Stressful because the boys chase their dog all over the house and use their highest decibel voices to talk but all together a fun evening.

What a day!

All I can say is that Valentines Day is a day to show those you love that they are special. I felt incredibly special and I hope I was able to make those in my lifefeel special as well. To God be given all the glory!!!!!!
mama mama mama

Fun in the freezing cold

2008-01-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

The boys continues to melt my heart even as the cold weather freezes us all. The boys don't seem to mind the cold and have often come home without their hats or gloves or jackets only to have to go find them outside somewhere. Boys! They did really enjoy the one snowfall we had that accumulated enough to make a snowman at the Rahns house. They had just returned from Ukraine with their wonderful daughter Yana who is 15. Their house is one of my boys favorite places to be. We often hear them plead with us to go see Giny (their dog). Rob thinks we should get a dog because they love them so much. My answer, "Family closed!" Taking care of the FOUR of them is enough for mama right now. The dog would probably learn how to say mama too and then I would be mama mama mama mama. Aghhhhh!

Yuri is doing very well in school and enjoys his time playing outside after school with the neighborhood kids. He tends to be a little shy at times and a little mischievous at times as well. He is usually the instigator of either of the others getting in trouble. We still have a way to go with some of the abandonment issues and his competition for our attention and love but he loves to help with anything and everything we are doing. He is very good at building things and is interested in cooking as well which is to the delight of papa. We are trying to get him to talk more and pronounce things correctly so he can express himself.

Victor (Veecha) is always (well, almost always) happy and smiling and is by far the most obedient one of the bunch at this point. He still has a stubborn streak about him but is so eager to please that it only takes a little prompting and a kind word for him to happily do whatever we ask of him. He is becoming much more accepting of giving and receiving affection. A kiss from him really means you have arrived because he is very selective about who gets them. He enjoys school but the learning is a little slow going. He gets frustrated easily when he doesn't understand but enjoys being able to accomplish things he does get.

Evan (Vanya) is just as funny as can be and frequently makes us laugh with his new phrases and actions. His "pink pinks" (pancakes) are one of his favorite breakfast foods and "pixie doo" (scooby doo) is a favorite video. I'll have to make sure to write down the other ones as they escape me right now. (Lots of things escape me right now). He loves preschool and is learning up a storm. He corrects his older brothers on many things which is not very well accepted by them. Unlike Yuri, Vanya talks ALL the time. He is speaking all English and loves to talk on the phone to anyone and everyone.

Mama has gotten the opportunity to get away for a night with a girlfriend and go to the Amish stores in Western VA. That was a blast but I did my miss little boys (and the big one) and their kisses at night. They did very well knowing that mama was coming back after only one "sleeping". Then to give papa a little break the rest of us went to Uncle Brian's house and explored Washington DC for a few days. What a hoot to watch them as they got on the Metro subway (the "choo choo train") and her them giggle with delight to look at the animals at the zoo. We also went up in the Washington monument thanks to Uncle Brian standing out in the cold at 7am to get us just the right timed tickets. They chased birds on the mall and saw a 3D movie at the air and space center. They enjoyed being able to sit in one of the planes and pretend to be flying it. It was also nice to come home to a boquet of flowers and welcome home balloons for the boys. I think papa missed us :)

School visits have been the highlight of mamas days recently as I have been able to go in and help with different projects in all the classes. It is great to see them with their friends but the best part for me is when they notice I have arrived and they light up with excitement. There is no better feeling than that! (other than the love of Christ that we carry in our hearts)

Mama Mama Mama

And a Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

What a year this has been! I can't think of any other year we have seen God work so mightily in our lives. The way our adoption process worked out and so many other things that we have been able to participate in and witness have blessed us tremendously. I hope we can live up to the trust God has placed in us to raise our boys to be great men of God.

We finished up the year with a few more firsts! We are fortunate enough to still have my grandmother with us who turned 98 in November. She told us she would only travel up as far as Myrtle Beach so if we wanted to see her we would have come down there. Well of course we wanted her to meet the boys and they had never been to the beach before so off we went the day after Christmas for that 7 hour drive. The boys did such a great job on the trip. They brought some of their favorite toys in the car and they got their fill of movie watching. Our cousins have a condo at the beach that is close to where they live so we got to stay there with my mother (the famous babushka) and my grandmother (matriarch of babushka's side of the family). We also got to see our other cousins from Ashville, NC whom we hadn't seen in quite some time. Their children are 17 (Django) and 13 (Lucy). They had a ball playing with the boys and the boys were equally as happy to have other kids to play with. The highlight for Vanya was going for a ride on Ama's (great grandmother) walker. He thought that was a hoot! Yuri had a great time learning how to play the dominoes game "chicken foot" and he was became quite good at it and even won a few games. Veecha, as usual, was our little social bug whose smile could light up any room he entered. The beach was obviously the most exciting thing for all the boys. They had never been to the ocean and thought it had soap in it because of the breaking waves. They squealed and giggled for as long as we let them stay out there. The water was ice cold but that didn't deter them one little bit. Below is the very first beach experience to share with everyone.

We had wonderful company, great food, and fun entertainment. What a good mini vacation to end a blessed year of first activities for all of us. Below is the gingerbread making activity with cousin Carol and babushka and Ama(while mama and papa got a rare opportunity to go out to dinner together. Thanks guys!)

When we got home we rang in the New Year with some friends. We found some great sparkling apple, pear, and cherry cider. The kids loved it! They all made it except Vanya who konked out in my arms at about 11:30pm. All in all a great year.

We hope you all have an incredible 2008 as we see what God has in store for us this year!

Mama mama mama

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T00:58:00.000-05:00

All that can be said is that we are extremely blessed

to have been given the greatest gifts of all in the birth of Jesus and the birth of a new life for our sons! Merry Christmas to all our family and friends who have showered your prayers on us throughout this year. We wish you all a happy and prosperous new year!

Santas Helpers

2007-12-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

Well this Christmas will definitely be busy at the Passanita household. My little Christmas elves have been hard at work making all kinds of gifts for everyone and have gotten the ho ho ho down pat. It warms my heart to hear the laughter and joy that comes form each of them as they discover the wonder of the holidays. None of them have ever had a Christmas before and when asked what it meant to them the only recognizable answer we got was from Yuri who said that it was the day you get candy in your socks. It almost made me cry. And then to ask Victor what he wanted for Christmas and to have him reply, "A banana, an apple, and a big glass of milk" that just completely humbled me. They are so excited just about some of the simply things we take for granted. When putting up the tree Victor went out and gathered up all the neighborhood kids and paraded them through our living room to see the tree. The other kids were going "Yea, its a Christmas tree" but to Victor it was the best one he had ever seen and he got to help put the ornaments on so he was soooo proud. Vanya, of course, is just happy about everything but doesn't really understand most of what is going on other than he gets to wear a Santa suit that he just loves! The other boys got shirts and a Santa hat to wear as well since they don't make the full suit in their size. If it had come in their size they would have worn it. Other kids their age might not have wanted to be caught dead in a Santa suit but these guys would have gladly donned it and had grand time. It truly reminds me that they are really the best gifts (after the Christ child of course) I could ever have been given. Jut watching their expressions and seeing that they have a spirit of giving already when they haven't really ever experienced the receiving side until recently is quite impressive. Victor has tried to give his gifts to other people for about a week now. Anyone who comes over he wants to give something to and he is the one who probably experienced the poorest treatment of the three. Mama and papa took each of the boys out to get a present for their brothers and it was neat to see what they picked out. They really put thought into what they thought the other ones would like. My heart is just overflowing with joy to watch them run around (and around and around) the house laughing and playing and being happy. The hugs and kisses are a bonus too. Victor is really warming up and and now loves to be held and asked for extra kisses and gives them out a little more liberally as well. Yuri still reserves his for just mama and papa but one day he might get there as well. Vanya loves everyone and you will be able to tell what mood he is in by how many hugs and kisses you get. The lights on the houses are still an amazement to all of them and the ooohs and aghhhs are tremendous and the smiles are just as precious. They have done artwork, baked cookies, dressed up, gotten their picture with Santa, and bought presents for the first time in their lives. What a privilege it is to have been given these precious gifts from above. They remind us continuously of the wonders of the Christmas season and how absolutely blessed we are.

We wish all our friends and family the merriest of Christmas's and a new year full of God's blessings. Be ready to look for them in the most unexpected of places. Just as Christ gave us his one and only son on that Holy night so must we give to those whom He puts in our path.

One very overjoyed mama mama mama

Victors surgery

2007-12-07T15:16:00.000-05:00

Before, After, and in the car on the way home

Today we had Victors herniated belly button operated on and he came through like a champ. What a great kid. He was all smiles beforehand and very cooperative. Not a nervous bone in his body. The blood pressure had to be done twice since it wasn't used to registering one so low. It took a while before the "lala land" juice kicked in but they waited until he was out to do his IV and such so he was fine. The surgery went well and there was nothing protruding through that needed to be fixed so they tightened up the skin after removing a little tissue that was in the way. It was really great to be able to pray with the doctor prior to the surgery. The doctor that did the operation helped with the Shoemaker performance at one of the churches this past weekend and is a close friend of one of the couples in our Heart for Orphans group so we knew Victor was in good hands. Coming out of the anesthesia was a little difficult since mama couldn't go back right away because Vanya was with me. When they let us go back he was crying and obviously in pain but he said it was the IV that hurt and not his belly. Understandably so since his arm is so little and they were giving him some pain medicine through it. I guess that feeling scared him a little but after the medicine got through he calmed down a little and was even smiling before we got him up and ready to get dressed. Overall he did a great job and we are very proud of how brave he is. Way to go Veech! The nurses were wonderful and so kid friendly it was great. They gave Vanya a ride in the wagon and one of the nurses even held him a while while I was holding Victor. They both got to go to the hospital in their PJ's and slippers so they thought that was just really cool! They both got coloring books and surgery hats and and ankle bracelet. They even sent one of each home for Yuri so he wouldn't feel left out.
Yuri still has some fairly significant separation anxiety when mama goes somewhere without him. We really pray that he is able to overcome this fear of being left somewhere. We explain it to him every time and sometimes he is OK with it and other times he has what amounts to a panic attack and it is pretty scary for all who are involved. Thank goodness for our neighbors the Morrows who watched Yuri this morning before school. Once he got settled in they called and said he was fine so I felt better then and was able to focus on Victor.
SO far the recovery is going well but Victor hasn't even slept a little since getting home. They expected that he would sleep the rest of the day but he is already asking to go outside even though his incision hurts a little. What a trooper. Even though I can't let him go outside he is enjoying getting to watch movies and have whatever he wants to eat and drink. He has come such a long way from the little boy we met in Molachansk. Always trying to please and behave and such a joy to watch play and smile.
Tired but loving all my boys (even the big one),
mama mama mama

Thanksgiving, Dedication, and Shoemaker

2007-12-05T21:25:00.000-05:00

Well we certainly had a lot to be thankful for this year. Our 3 little guys are just coming along wonderfully every day. Challenges still abound but they are happy and full of life. Yuri's class made pilgrim outfits and Victors class made indian outfits with a turkey made out of a hand print on their shirts. Their friend, Ryland (2nd grade), was a settler. Vanya's preschool class made turkeys hats and they paraded quietly around the whole school as if they were a group of turkeys. It was sooo cute to see them all with their floppy ears (feet) of the turkeys.

When we asked them at the dinner table what they were thankful for it was pretty interesting. First we had to explain what "thankful" meant and that it was similar to "happy about". Yuri said "the swimming pool" and Veecha followed that up with "the car to get to the swimming pool" and last but not least my little one gave the thumbs up to, yep, you guessed it, "the swimming pool". I think we got the point that we should sign up again for pool membership again this summer. Mayra was thankful that it was her last year in college and Travis said he was thankful for good food to eat. Evidently college food is not to his liking. Brian, my brother, came to join us for the feast as well and was thankful for his daughters and family. Rob did a wonderful job, as always, with the bird and all the trimmings and we were both thankful for all of our children. We all had our fill and I even made a pumpkin pie! Not as good as Babushka does but at least we had some. Altogether a wonderful thanksgiving day!

DEDICATION DAY

We had the boys dedicated at church on Nov 25th. We thought since November was National Adoption Month that it would be cool to have them dedicated then. It was particularly nice that Mayra and Travis were here as well. Another special treat was that Yuri Safonov was here with us from Ukraine and was able to be with us and interpret everything. Even thought the boys understand english pretty well and have lost a bit of their native language it was great for the Ukrainian kids that were in the audience who were here for the Old Russian Shoemaker play. The boys received a special Children's bible and I got 3 roses, one for each son. It was a special day and we know the Lord will continue to give us the strength and wisdom to raise these boys the best way we can.

OLD RUSSIAN SHOEMAKER

The play that inspired our whole adoption journey once again came to Williamsburg. This time I was able to pitch in and help as our Heart for Orphans group sponsored the trip along with Emmanuel (CBN's Operation Blessing in Kyiv). It was great to see this group of kids who came from the Kherson region of Ukraine to perform with the Shoemaker play as well as do some individual songs and they even had a bell choir. There were 17 kids who came and we hope that this round of performances will be as inspiring as the last time which produced about 26 new adoptions. Many host families really enjoyed the kids and would love to have them as part of their families. Obviously they still have to go through the long tedious process if they truly wish to actually adopt. Many people have asked questions about the process and we hope to be able to be a resource for those folks and and encouragement that orphans are really at the heart of God and it is a commandment that we care for them. Not everyone is called to adopt but for those who are we hope to help them along. Yuri was here to answer some of those questions as well and now it is up to the Lord to speak to those who He has called to follow through with the process. We pray for all the kids we had to leave behind from our trip and can see the faces of those kids that were here that they too want to have family. I don't think it is too much to ask for kids to have someone who cares about them forever. These kids will not be forgotten.

Mama Mama Mama

Big day for Vanya!

2007-11-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day that Vanya got to ride the school bus and go to preschool without mama! I never thought I would be one to get emotional about putting a child on the bus for school and never really understood when other mothers cried after putting their kindergartner on the bus the first day. NOW I understand. Seeing that little face in the window of the school bus after he got on brought the tears right out but I held them back so he wouldn't see them.

He was sooo excited about being a big boy and riding the school bus right up until the time came to actually get on the school bus. He didn't cry or make a scene but his expression told the whole story; apprehension, uncertainty, and little scared. I knew he would fine and I had to resist just getting on the bus and taking him off and keeping him at home. He took his "baby" with him and was holding on tight so I knew he was a little unsure of the whole bus, school, no mama deal. One he got there the teacher said he was happy when he got off the bus and did fine all day. I'm waiting for him to get home now and trying to get this post finished before going outside to great my little man with a big hug and kiss.

It was touching to see Victor take Vanya's hand and walk with him and talk to him on the way to their bus stop. My oldest, Yuri, isn't quite the touchy feely kind so he was content to just watch the other two and get in a picture here and there. Victor and Vanya seem to be getting closer to each other and can now play nicely as they horse around instead of really trying to hurt each other. Yuri, on the other hand, still enjoys scaring the other two and playing keep away since he is bigger. I know one day they will all get along (hopefully) when they realize that mama and papa love them all equally and they don't have to fight with each other to get our attention. I know a little of that will always go on but it will hopefully be a little scaled down from the knock down drag outs they have now. When they realize having brothers is pretty cool and they start to stick up for each other I will jump for joy. Won't be today or tomorrow but I look forward to that in the future.

Gotta go,

mama mama mama

Planes, Pumpkins, Preschool and PT

2007-11-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

What a whirlwind of activity the past few weeks at the Passanita house. The most recent highlight was that of the Babushka visit! Yes, the great babushka came to visit even after the trauma of going to Ukraine. We thought we might not see her for a few years after that experience. The boys talked about her coming for weeks and a little girl in Victors class even told me that she is going to start calling her grandmother babushka because it sounds so cool. Her mother told me that as well. How funny. We got a family photo taken and babushka got have a few shots of her with the boys as well. We did it in Colonial Williamsburg and it was great because the photographer is part of the Celebrate adoption group who does some free photo shoots and then you get a discount on the pictures. That was a nice blessing.
Babushka got the full gamut of activity that goes on here regularly. The good, the bad, and the ugly were present on most days from all 3 boys. We did soccer, school, preschool, bedtime rituals, baths,etc.. Babushka even babysat a few times and did a smashing job. Not so sure she will volunteer that again though. The boys can be a handful when they have an audience. Their cuteness and hugs make up for all of the "not so acceptable" behaviors. We still have a way to go but the boys have been making tremendous progress. They enjoyed Babushka's prayer bear and all the goodies she brought for them. PJ's , umbrellas, and hats & gloves and all kinds of other good stuff. They particularly liked when she showed them all the different shells she has found on "her" beach in Sarasota. We have gotten to get them out a few times since she left as well. Uncle Brian also came down for a visit for hte day nad hte boys enjoyed playing light sabers and going to soccer games. It was nice to see him as well.
Halloween was a fun time as well. We got some pumpkins and carved them and then we went over to our wonderful friends, the Rahn's, to have dinner and sit by the campfire. We don't believe the devil should even get 1 day of our attention so we don't do the whole trick-or-treat thing. In fact the kids didn't attend school that day either so they wouldn't be exposed to all the costumes and such. They love going to see Giny (the Rahn's dog) and visiting and we are so thankful for them. I think with the activity level of the boys we stand a chance of not being invited anywhere else anyway. Love you guys, Rick and Fran!
BIG news on the preschool front. Vanya was accepted into the Bright Beginnings program at the same school where the other 2 boys go. Woohoo! He will probably only go 2-3 days a week but he loves it so far. Mama has gone with him a few times and tomorrow is the big day of getting on the bus all by himself. We'll see how that goes. I'm a little nervous about that one myself but I'm sure he will do fine once he sees his teacher. His teacher's name is Ms Laura and she seems to be great with him and he is greeted by all the kids very nicely. Both the girls in his class want to see by him all the time and he just loves all the attention. He can say his ABC's pretty good and is still working on some other things but seems to be right up there with some of the other kids in the class.
Travis came home for the weekend and got to enjoy the boys soccer games (at least I think he enjoyed it, it was pretty cold) and Papa's cooking and he even said he was going to model his PT outfit. I'll post the picture when I get one. I think he would like to make the boys do some PT to settle them down a little. It was nice to have him home for a weekend and I'm sure he liked being able to do laundry and eat and sleep and such. I think that what college do most of the time.
We are looking forward to a group of Orphans coming from the Kherson region to perform the Old Russian Shoemaker play all around the Hampton Roads area. Heart for Orphans along with CBN is sponsoring the event and many of the families here are hosting the kids. We hope this Thanksgiving will be a wonderful blessing to those kids as well as the families who host them.
That's it from the home front for now. More later after the demolition crew is in bed.

Mama Mama Mama

Nicky, ABC's, and Luf Luf

2007-10-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

We had the pleasure of having a friend of ours, Nicky, stay with us recently and a good time was had by all. The boys love playing with Nicky (13 year old from Ukraine) and he is just sooo good with them and is a joy to have. We actually got to go out on a Saturday night with friends of ours while Nicky watched the boys and put them to bed. Great kid!
The boys are learning so many new things all the time and the most recent accomplishment is singing the ABC song. Vanya has it almost perfect followed by Yuri who gets most of the letters but runs a bunch of them together and then Victor, who just loves to be part of the singing and gets the letters in there between smiles and giggles. The leaf frog refrigerator gizmo works great and the kids ALL love it. It sings the ABC's and you can put different letters in it and it tells what sound the letter makes. Vanya will sing AND dance in front of it when no one else is home of course. I'll have to get a video of it at some point. It's pretty funny.
The neatest thing was that I had been playing a CD in the car most of the time we are in it and hadn't changed it for quite some time. I didn't think they were really listening but one by one they started to request songs and they actually sang the words to them also. Jesus lifted high is a favorite and we sing it almost every day and every car ride. Then it was hilarious when Vanya wanted to request another song and I had to play each one to figure out what he was saying. He was requesting Luf Luf. I was familiar with all the songs on the CD and none of them sounded like that to me. Finally mama got it (track 12) and it was "Jesus, lover of my soul". Not only does he know the words but he like to sing it loudly in every store we go in with the emphasis on the first JESUS. We do get some strange looks but I would rather him be singing that than anything I have heard on the radio lately.
All the neighborhood kids just dote on the boys and they continue to be the center of attention. They just love it. Veecha has regular visits from some of the older boys who come to play tag and such, Yuri has made a new friend down the street, and Vanya is the attraction for all the girls and most of the younger kids alike. They all still love to ride their bikes and Vanya loves his time at home with mama. He turns into a gremlin when the other boys get home but then chills out by the time Papa gets home. He will start preschool in a few weeks so I think he will be tired enough by the time he gets home to already be chilled out and possibly even happy to see his brothers. (I can hope, can't I?)
Babuska is coming to visit next week and the boys all love to talk to her on the phone. It will be nice to have her come and get to spend some time with the boys. Yes, I will post pics.
Feeling very blessed and amazed at my little miracles,
mama mama mama

First real soccer games

2007-10-06T15:06:00.001-05:00

sorry I haven't figured out how to turn the pictures around so you will have to tilt your head to see the one of Victor

Yuri and Victor had their first soccer games today. What a hoot! Both teams "won" and the boys had a great time running around in the dust cloud with the rest of them. They both seem to be athletically inclined but they did play the Ukrainian version a few times . Elbows and pushing is definitely not allowed here. We did get a few stares from parents and one guy even made a comment when Yuri stopped to smile for a picture when it was his turn to do the throw in. Mama was too slow with the camera but the smile was worth a million bucks. I'm surprised at the competitive nature of these parents! Wow! Yuri only plays on a 1-2nd grade team of beginners and Victor is on a kindergarten team. Yuri's team is black and is called the spiders and Victor is a proud member of the yellow lightening. Vanya was content to make multiple trip to the trash can as he finished a snack or juice or found a miscellaneous piece of trash. He did get a kick out of being part of the tunnel that the parents make after each game that the teams run though. That's a new one on me. We always shook hands with the other team. Now they all just run through a tunnel and the parents all cheer for them. Interesting concept. They don't have oranges at half time and snacks at the end of the game consist of some form of cracker of and a juice or soda of some sort. By the time Vanya gets to play we'll be having lunch for all the kids. Ha Ha
The boys continue to do well with the new activities in their life. School seems to still be on the cool list so I'm hoping that continues. No notes from the teacher so I'm feeling pretty fortunate. All in all the adjustment is going well. Still some small struggles over control but I think that comes with the territory. We're still worn out but are getting used to being unshowered and sleepy at times. Good thing we have good neighbors who don't care if you haven't showered or brushed your teeth when you show up at the bus stop. I'm getting better but but at least the boys are dressed, fed, and have a lunch so I'm doing pretty good.

mama mama mama

Parents Weekend at Liberty

2007-10-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

We went to visit Mayra and Travis for Liberty's Parents weekend last weekend and had a great time. The boys loved college and the attention they got from the Travis and the girls. Even though we didn't get to do as much as have in the past I think Mayra and Travis still enjoyed having us there. The van was not particularly comfortable for them and we couldn't take extra people (roommates and such) with us this time so they have felt a little neglected but overall everyone had a good time.
The boys asked several times for clarification that the hotel room was NOT our new home. We did have one with a small kitchen area so it did have all the essentials but we would be insane by now with all of them in that small space. Note to self: Pay the extra for the video game controller next time! Three little boys in a hotel room for any length of time is a little difficult.
Everyone enjoyed the football game and Liberty won by leaps and bounds. Go Flames! The neat part was watching the boys as they sat in the bleachers in awe of all the football players and the stadium etc. The oohs and ahhs flowed the whole time. At Liberty there is a big 20ft flame that shoots up in the air when they score so that was an eye opener for them as well. They did have a jumping inflatable for kids there and KLOVE was giving away balloons so the boys thought they were the hit of the day. Picture taking and the church service were a little for them but they did OK.
While Papa was taking a nap with the boys Mayra and I got to spend some girl time together and Travis had just gotten a new computer so he was content to play with it for a while as well. We know the kids were disappointed that we couldn't take them to lunch on Sunday after church, as had been the custom, but Rob wasn't feeling well and the boys were at about their limit of acceptable behavior so we headed home.
All in all a nice trip.

mama mama mama

No more training wheels

2007-09-27T21:28:00.000-05:00

Well Yuri is an official bike rider now. Even though he has only been on a bike period for about a month he has mastered it! Another boy from the neighborhood came and knocked on our door to exclaim,"Yuri knows how to ride a 2 wheeler!" Sure enough he had gotten on another boys bike and just started riding it. No help, no nothing. He didn't even fall off once. Wow!
Papa went right out and removed the training wheels from his bike and he has been off like lightening ever since and soooo proud of himself. I was sort of looking forward to teaching him how to ride it but I guess I have 2 other shots at that to come.
Victor is in no hurry to have his training wheels removed and enjoys being able to put his feet up on the handle bars and carry his light saber with him on his bike without having worry about balancing. Not sure if the light sabers were a good purchase or not but all the other boys on the street have one and they all run around with them so to avoid our going to knock on people doors to ask for one we gave in and bought them each one. So far so good; we haven't had any major altercations with them. (I know, Babushka, they could poke each others eyes out) Don't worry they have been versed on what will happen if they misuse them so they have been very careful so far.
Vanya is not that interested in bikes either and would rather ride on the back of mamas than to ride his own tricycle. It will probably be a while before we have additional 2 wheeler riders but mama is in no hurry for them to grow up so fast. They continue to be a huge blessing and we enjoy watching the progress they make along the way. Glad all of you can share it with us as well.

mama mama mama

The girls meet the boys

2007-09-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

What a great time we had! A group of my (Laura) high school girlfriends threw a shower for the boys and brought a portion of their kids to meet them for a day of fun at our house. It was great to see all the kids play together. Us girls have been getting together each year to catch up with one another but have never brought the kids so this is the first time we have had them meet each other. We were missing our other friend, Lisa, who has twin babies boys who are almost a year old but I'm sure they would have been overwhelmed with "the group".

It was so typical that the little girls were sitting nicely playing with the bubbles and the boys were pushing each other out of and on an empty plastic bin. The video will give you an idea of what it was like here that day. I loved it though and I think the other girls did as well. The boys did great sharing their toys and they got along pretty well with everyone. With that many kids (Our 3, Karin's 2, Karen's 1, Ashley's 1, Carol's 1) we had a bit of chaos going on at all times but it was a hoot.

The boys loved being the center of attention and getting to open presents. The Thomas the Train set was a huge hit and now they play with it every day when they get home from school. In fact, we have had to buy more pieces for it so they can all have a set of engines and track etc..

I am extremely fortunate to have such a great group of friends who would come from all distances to welcome our new son's. We didn't really get a chance to talk much with each other but it was a blast watching and playing with all the kids. We would never have imagined that we would all still have little ones in our 40's but they are all just as precious as can be. The best laid plans.......

mama mama mama

Big Day for Victor

2007-09-18T21:38:00.000-05:00

Well Victor sure had an exciting day! Not only was it the first day of school but he got a new bike (his old one broke already) and had his first soccer practice. He was soo excited about his fun day at school and when he got off the buss he saw papa behind it and ran right up to him. Upon getting close to the car he noticed that Papa had brought home a new bike for him! Woo hoo, the smile continued to grow. He really had a great time and was all hugs and kisses telling mama about his day and then after he had determined that he had shared enough information (typical male) it was off on his bike to try it out. When he learned that it was time to get ready for his soccer practice we got another squeal of happiness. He got to put on his new soccer outfit, shin guards and cleats. As you can see he was all smiles about that too. Yuri had practice also but after a long day (9:10am - 4:00pm) at school he wasn't as excited to go play soccer. As for the little one, he is just excited to do anything but hasn't gotten the hang of soccer yet. He still thinks he is a bruiser and ready for football. My little peanut has a long way to go before he can claim that title.

The evening was a little hectic and fraught with some tears from some very sleepy and worn out little boys but all in all a very successful day and probably one of Victors best!

Mama mama mama

First Day of school!

2007-09-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

Well today was the first day of school for Yuri and Victor. They were soooo excited about going on the school bus and have talked about it for weeks. We had a fantastic morning as I got to wake them each up individually. First Yuri, then Victor, ad finally my little sleepy head Vanya. Yuri's first words as he got up out of his bed were "Yuri koolbus yes?" followed by a great big toothless smile. We went downstairs where mama had made a special pancake with strawberry eyes and nose and a whipped cream smile. That was a big hit. Then we brushed teeth and got dressed in our best school clothes, spiked our hair, and put the lunch box in the backpack and snapped a few pictures. Then it was Victors turn for the same. He is a little more difficult to wake up but you get a great big hug and he holds on tight as we go downstairs. He ate up his pancake in a flash (as usual with his cheeks full) and when he had actually finished chewing and swallowing we brushed teeth and got dressed. His favorite shirt is the one Babushka got him with the turtles on it so we made sure that was his outfit for today. I know babushka would be happy to see he likes that one best.

The best stop was full of well dressed happy little people this morning. Our bus stop has about 30 kids so we met some new neighbors as well. There were about 9 kindergartners and they get to sit in the front of the bus so our little guys got to go first. They thought that was great of course. A little anxiousness but no tears and no clingyness so I was pretty proud of them. Lots of questions about making sure they were coming home but they were excited to go. We'll see how the rest of the day goes. I'll have to add that part later. So we waved goodbye and wished them a good day. Now I must trust that the Lord will watch out for them and comfort them throughout their day.

So for now it's just me and the noochka (Vanya's nickname) They used to call him Vanuschka in Ukraine sometimes so we called him that periodically then shortened it to noochka. He is loving all the attention but has asked about his brothers several times already and they have only been gone for about an hour.

More later on the rest of the day.

They made it! They returned from school with smiles on their faces! And mama didn't receive any calls from the school the whole day. I'm hoping that trend will continue. I did miss them all day however I also enjoyed some one on one time with Vanya. I think he missed them too but was more than happy to stay with mama and wave goodbye to them this morning. We had a very calm but fun day together and were both excited when it came time to go meet the bus.

It was a very different feeling putting them on the bus. Much more calm and peaceful than I had thought it would be. The Lord must be doing a work in all of us to make that transition so smooth. They have had meltdowns over things like putting their socks on or washing their hands yet getting up, eating, and getting dressed then going on a school bus and spending the day away from home for the first time seemed to be no problem at all. Go figure. I am extremely blessed and very proud of my boys. I will still pray for the balance of the week though. You know what they say, "Trust in the Lord but lock your car".

Mama Mama Mama

Happy Birthday Travis ! Big 19

2007-09-18T09:16:00.000-05:00

Travis came home this past weekend to celebrate his 19th Birthday and Mayra brought 10 of her friends as well. Liberty played William and Mary in football so the kids decided to come. THey didn't end up actually going to the game but it gave them a good excuse to come home. Sooo we had a house full of hungry college students. Rob smoked a brisket and we had some veggies and then of course the cake and ice cream. The girls went back that evening and Travis stayed over and went back to school on Sunday. Everyne had fun playing the boys and the boys had a blast being the center of attention. (As if that isn't the case everywhere we go) I think they think they are celebrities! Well we think they are too!

Lucky us!

2007-09-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

We now have a copy of the boys file pictures. Hooray. They are the only pictures we will have of the youngest ones as babies and the only younger picture of Yuri as well. The pictures will certainly be cherished. The top picture is Vanya and the lower left is Victor and the lower right is Yuri.

It was pretty funny to see the look on the kids faces when I showed them their pictures. Victor and Vanya just laughed in disbelief but Yuri was quite perplexed. I'm sure he was wondering how we got a picture of them that young. He was quick to point out that the one of him was NOT when he was 5 but that he was 6. I think he was actually 5 when he entered the orphanage but maybe they didn't photograph him until later. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say when he get a little better at expressing his thought in English.

Yuri's first soccer practice

2007-09-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

We weren't sure of the boys would take well to playing on a team and doing something independently from mama and papa but they were excited about playing soccer sooooooo....
We got Yuri and Victor new cleats and they were thrilled. I think I blogged that already.

Well Yuri was quite excited about the first day of practice and made sure the other boys knew that they were NOT going to get to play today. Of course that immediately elicited crying form and pouting from Victor as he wants to do everything that Yuri does at the same time. We explained that his practice was on a different day but that didn't seem to make a difference. Vanya just goes along and repeats what we say so he just said "OK, way to go Yuri". Didn't seem to sway him one way or the other.
Anyway, Yuri was so excited to get his cleats on and his new shin guards and such but questioned exactly where everyone would be to make sure he wasn't going to get left there. Well as soon as it got to the part where he needed to let go of mama's hand and go with the coach and the other kids the tears started falling. I knew he didn't want to cry but he just couldn't help it. He wanted me to stand in the line with him and hold his hand until it was his turn to kick the ball. Papa, of course, wanted him to suck it up and act like a big boy. We compromised and I held his hand (Yuri's, not Rob's) for the first couple of times and then I stood to the side for next few and then he was all smiles again as they started to scrimmage. He was actually pretty good and didn't get too aggressive or upset at all. He even got hit with the ball a few times and it didn't even phase him. He came over to me for the water break and then got right back on the field even before the other kids and was ready to play some more. What a kid! I told him I was really proud of him and that he did a great job and that I knew he must have been a little scared of a new experience. He gave me a big hug and then asked if we were coming again tomorrow. Hopefully the next 2 first days for Victor and Vanya will go equally as well.
Victor and Vanya played with Papa during the practice as mother hen was watching closely to make sure Yuri was OK and participating correctly with his team. I was glad papa could get home early to be there as it would have been tough to take care of the younger 2 while trying to make sure it was a good experience for Yuri as well. Thanks papa!
We took them out to dinner to chili's and then it was home for nightly bath and bed routine. Yuri wanted to make sure we put HIS soccer shirt in a special place not to be touched by the other boys. Nope, no competition at all with these guys. Ha Ha

Cool new activities

2007-09-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

The boys are learning how to do all kinds of new activities. Here are just a few. They got giant coloring books to color in but Vanya has already been relegated to just the colored pencils. Markers were too much of a temptation to draw on everything BUT the pages. They love to use their scissors though and the tape and stapler are still an amazement as well. We have also had a cookie baking extravaganza where each one had to make a different kind and be "in charge" of pushing buttons and getting the cookies off the tray. Thanks to grandma we have found a great website called starfall that is great at teaching letters and such. All the boys like to play on that one and they can do it themselves.

All the boys will be playing sports this fall and love their new shoes. No cleats Vanya's size but he got some light up Sesame Street ones that he was just as happy with. Veecha is convinced that his cleats will make him super fast and we made a video of him going around the island in the kitchen. It was pretty funny.

The Chinese buffet was interesting as well. All the ooohs and aghhhs and big eyes over all the food was great. Other people might not have thought it was so cute but we did. I think their favorite part was sitting on the lions outside though.

We just took them on a paddle boat this past weekend and they thought that was really fun. We got stuck on a root and had to pulled by the rescue canoe staff. That was a first for us too! They boys told the rescue people "Boat broken ve go vith you". They were going to ditch us just like that! Once we explained they were going to pull us off the root and we could paddle again then they decided not to go with the canoe crew. They were asking if we were going swimming in the lake and if they could drink the water. Obviously the answer to both was no but it was interesting that that was what they were thinking. Everything was soooo cool and every bird and fish and frog had to be investigated thoroughly. It was a lot of fun.

Mama gets a weekend pass!

2007-09-04T12:18:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! Mama had a whole weekend to herself. Rob took the kids to Pennsylvania for the weekend. Yep, the WHOLE weekend and yep, ALL 3! What a brave soul. He knew I needed some time to myself and also to get the house back in order after the past 2 months of chaos and adjustment. We had flash cards literally strewn throughout the house and anything that had (notice that was past tense verbiage) pieces to it no longer had them all. They might be in the bathroom, refrigerator, yard, garage, pants pockets, and even in the coffee maker. We had pieces of artwork all over and puzzle pieces under the beds, in the toy box, etc etc. Well, you get the gist (is gist really a word, oh well).

Anyway, I started out the weekend having dinner with my best friend, Christine, who thought I had totally checked out of life for a while. Technically I think I did. That was great to laugh and eat and talk and laugh some more. Laughter is a great medicine and good way to come back to reality. I realized that trying to put banana in your eyelids so they will stay is really not punishable by death and crying over spilt milk (I'm talking about me crying, not the boys) is not healthy.

I got to go to a baby shower as well as attend the full church service and hear the whole sermon without having to retrieve anyone, go to the bathroom, or feed anyone a snack. I even treated myself to the churches cafe after the service and got a creamsicle smoothie! Boy, I was living high on the hog. I got to sleep by myself (love the hubby but he is definitely a sleep stealer) and didn't have to share anything with anybody. Pretty Christ-like, don't you think! Just kidding. I got to spend some time with the Lord and He just filled me back up to keep on keeping on and gave me the wisdom and strength do some things differently and hold my ground on others. Can't imagine doing this without His help.

I missed my little guys hugs and kisses and their little voices on the phone just weren't the same. I did get a chance to catch up on the bills, relax a little, do some much needed paperwork and clean and start to go through the mountain of donated things we have received and put them in a little better order.

The hugs and smiles upon their return was priceless. They had a great time at Grandma and Pappy's house but were ready to be home and get a hug and kiss from mama. Gotta love those big "I missed you" hugs. Cures just about everything.

Rejuvenated and ready to tackle this weeks challenges and joys,

mama mama mama

Yuri lost his front tooth

2007-08-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

Yuri has now lost his first tooth since becoming a Passanita. It's only his second tooth lost all together so it was a big to do. I gathered from his reaction that the first one was pulled out by someone and it wasn't pleasant. He did want me to do it, but wanted to make sure I wasn't going to yank it out all in one fell swoop. Soooo we jiggled and pushed and twisted for about 10 minute s before I gave it a little jerk and it it came out. Since his teeth are so spread apart he has a hug gap in the front of his mouth. He has another one loose on the bottom but was in no big hurry to work on that one although it is preventing the other one from coming in straight. We better start saving now for 3 sets of braces. I think they will all need them.

Yuri was very excited about the tooth fairy and seemed to understand the concept. It was so cute to see his expression when he woke up and found his dollar under the pillow where his tooth had been and watching him explain it to everyone who would listen. I could see Victor at the breakfast table trying his hardest to loosen any teeth he could so he too could have the tooth fairy come. The tooth fairy might go broke with all the teeth she has left to collect. The excitement it brings is priceless though.

We have now nicknamed Yuri "toothless in Williamsburg"

The fog is beginning to lift, I think

2007-08-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

Well I think the fog is beginning to lift at the Passanita household. I almost feel human again. We certainly haven't solved everything but we are on our way to figuring things out pretty well. The boys are starting to speak some English and are understanding most of what we say. They are still a little obstinate but what kid isn't. It is now a little more comfortable letting them go outside and play knowing that they are aware of cars, and know a few more of the limits we have set as far as where they can go and where they can't. For the most part they will do what they are asked.

The whole concept of being brothers is still a challenge. We know it was like putting strangers together expecting them to like each other like brothers but we could probably use a few less hollering matches about who hit, stepped on, sat on, pushed down, grabbed from whom and for what reason. Sometimes they will do things for one another but only if it happens to benefit them indirectly. Since we still can't really explain things in details they would understand we have simply rewarded the good behavior we see. They seem to respond to that pretty well.

This week they will be getting their immunizations so I'm sure there will be lots of prayer needed (for us and the nurses as well as the boys). We have decided to send the older 2 to school next month and will see how that goes. I'm hoping that will immerse them in English and they will start to pick it up more rapidly. All of the Ukrainian kids who are here in Williamsburg just love the boys and enjoy coming over to play with them and babysit when we need it. I think the boys enjoy it as well. It's probably a relief to be able to speak to other kids who understand them.

Listening to the boys talk to one another and laugh while chasing bubbles still makes me feel so grateful that the Lord has chosen us to be their parents. What a blessing they are! They each have their own way of filling my heart to overflowing. Vanya's giggles and hugs, Victors smirks and smile and Yuri's kisses and excitement about everything all make for really special things about each of them. They still come into our room in the morning and crawl in bed and usually fall back asleep but sometimes we turn on Baby Einstein for a little while. That is such a neat time. They all try to be the first one up so they get the best spot in the middle. It's pretty cute. They are pretty competitive when it comes to sharing mama and/or papa but I think all sibling are that way naturally.

All in all at the end of the day I can still say I love God, my husband, and my children (in that order) more than can be imagined and feel extremely fortunate and blessed to have such a wonderful life. I wouldn't trade the experiences (good and bad) we have had in Ukraine and here for anything.

Signed,

mama mama mama

Busy busy busy boys

2007-08-10T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well we have survived the first full month home with the 3 boys. They are adjusting fairly well and probably better than mama and papa. We had forgotten how busy little people are all day long. The noise level has increased 10 fold and there are time we feel like we have 9 kids instead of 3. We have had some absolutely precious times with them and we have also had some very frustrating time them. The one thing I can count on almost every morning is a great big hug from all three and at least one who gets up early just to snuggle with mama in the morning. I wouldn't trade that for the world.

Yuri continues to learn new things sometimes at the expense of his brothers but is getting much better at the whole "big brother" thing. He isn't quite interested in learning/speaking English but is being tutored once a week to at least get the hang of doing school type work. He does pretty well and listens most of the time. He loves to be praised and always wants mama to himself whenever he can pull me away even if it is only for a few minutes. I wish I could have more individual time for each of them but the fact is that with 3 boys there is always someone having a crisis (someone got hit pushed pinched or is hungry tired thirsty naked dirty or has to go to the bathroom). We both try to spend some time at bedtime with them to say their prayers and rub their backs for a little while. They really like that and when it is has been late and we have had to get them to bed more quickly you can tell they miss that time terribly.

Victor "Veecha" is a great helper and loves to be around anyone who will give him any individual attention. He has become much more affectionate with Rob and I and has started to be nicer to his brothers and the other neighborhood kids. He still over reacts to most things but hasn't had any real meltdowns for a while. Whew! Those were rough. The kicking screaming yelling thing was hard to deal with. He does OK at the tutor but only really pays attention for the first have of the time and then she lets him play since he starts to become disruptive. Even though we were told he doesn't recognise any numbers or letters even in Russian he has come along well and knows a few of his colors and can count to five pretty well in English. There are 5 other 5 year old boys on our street who will go to kindergarten with him so hopefully that will encourage him.

Evan "Vanya" is starting to speak English in 2 word sentences (Vanya do, shoes on, go outside, ride bike, go swimming, please mama, Vanya good boy, kiss me) and has absolutely gotten mama wrapped around his little finger. His hugs and kisses still erase my frustrations and anxieties and puts a smile on my face when I feel like I'm just not getting through to any of them. He knows his colors and numbers and will repeat everything you say. He loves to talk on the phone and will say "I miss you babushka" " Pappy come here" " Vanya funny boy" "Bye bye".

We have been extremely blessed by so many people and I know I have left people out and not gotten a chance to thank others but I hope at some point I will find my brain again and be able to function properly. Our friends Rick and Fran have been so great to us and have brought over food and taken the boys the park and for dinner and have even brought over cut up fruit just because they knew had company. All that in addition to arranging the welcome home party they had at their house when we returned. What a blessing. Other people have donated clothes and given the boys things. Our neighbors gave us a big slide set and our pastors kids (they live ON our street) have been so nice to the boys and have invited them over and they just dote on them all the time. The boys just soak that up and the morrow boys get such a kick out of helping them and talking to them with the new Russian words they have learned. I'm glad the boys are making friends because we aren't real popular most of the time wherever we go. These boy are very loud and don't quite get the inside voice thing nor that you can't just take someones toys and keep them and you can't splash the other kids and adults at the pool nor can you just go and get in anyone's car to turn on the windshield wipers. These things are highly frowned upon however after they figure out the situation they are very understanding. These little guys do wear me out and since I'm not the morning person and still have to get up at the crack of dawn I have found my patience level to be less than what I had thought. I have to rely on the Lord's strength for so many things now hope that at some point I will be able to share the Lord with the boys and tell them how great He is. That will be a cool time.

Well that's it for now. If I don't go to bed now I will not make it tomorrow.

One tired but very happy mama

Early Training

2007-07-19T21:04:00.000-05:00

All sorts of training is going on at the Passanita household. Most of which is quite enjoyable and often times quite humorous as well. The first picture is the boys first day at church (probably ever!) and they were real troopers. THey got introduced at the first service and stood up in front of everyone and didn't even bat an eye. I'm quite sure they wouldn't have said anything even if asked but they seemed to have no problem at all looking out at everyone. I think we will have a bunch of hams on our hands as soon as they get confortable with everyone. They got a chance to peek in at the childrens church and weren't real sure about that since they didn't know anyone but I'm sure they will take to that soon too. They are pretty good at saying "amen" at the end of our nightly prayers so I know they will catch on quickly to the other things at church too.
The other training that we didn't think we would be doing is not quite as humorous (OK only someitmes is it humorous). Vanya is getting all new potty training. Thank goodness for friends of our who brought a potty chair on the airplane home. The whole tiolet thing seems to be very suspicious to him and he makes sure to say "paka" when he flushes even when he hasn't made any deposits. Perhaps we should try a plastic pot instead of the potty chair. Anything that works would be fine with us. We are hoping this will be a short lived retraining process. Perhaps simply putting him on the pot at the same time every day will be the next thing to try.
Visiting the pool amost every day offers a new trianing of some sort each time as well. The whole "it's OK to splash your brother nicely but it's not OK to splash the other mama sitting next to him" has been a difficult one to explain. We aren't very popular there. They at least know there is to be no going to the bathroom in the pool. They do have that one down pat thank goodness.
They learn a little and pick up new things every day. We are looking forward to them learning more English and being able to explain things better to them so they don't get as frustrated.
We would like to thank all our frineds and neighbors who have been great at providing many things for the boys. Everyone has been so giving adn we appreciate all of it. Our older kids have been a big help as well. They enjoy the boys for short periods and also enjoy their freedom from them as well.
We are anxiously looking all the time to see the work God has started in them and love to see them starting to really see what being a brother means and what that looks like. Well this busy mama needs to go get 3 outfits ready for church tomorrow.
Blessings to all,
Laura