Christmas morning is always fun, and it's always the MOST fun when it's a new child's first one!! Erik was pretty bored by all of the action in all honesty, but there were highlights for him - like Christmas dinner!!! (The boy can EAT!) He watches Sesame Street every morning and loves all of the puppets (the people and cartoons are bo-ring!). Elmo gets TONS of exposure, so he has learned to love Elmo (like his mom and dad and brother!). So when he got a Tickle Me Elmo, he was so interested in him!! He doesn't know how to squeeze Elmo's foot to make him talk and giggle, but he does hand him to whomever is close and "la la la"'s away in happiness and anticipation! lol Here he is, checking out what Santa left for him:
And here is Reese with his oven mitt! It didn't hold quite as much as his stocking, so Santa piled the rest of his goods on the mantle. ;o)

Erik somehow got a normal stocking but he wasn't sure what to do with it!
And I with my Beales Department Store sack. It held a LOT!! (Maybe I'll keep it after all...!)
I think this was Markie's favorite gift of the whole season: snow in a box!!!! Santa must've known how much he missed snow at Christmas time so he gave him the next best thing. And it was really, really neat!! We all played in it off and on most of the day.
It was even cool to the touch, hours after it was made!! What you see here is just two little scoops (it expands when you add water) - there was about 15 times that amount still in the box - it was so light and fluffy and cool and really felt like snow! Like I said, I think it was Mark's favorite gift of the year. ;o)

Merry Christmas!! (I've boycotted the phrase "Happy Holidays".) Even though it's New Year's Eve, I'm finally getting around to posting a few pictures from our big day!

First, by request, are the oven mitts, graciously filled by Santa. I don't know what his reaction was when he saw them, but somehow, I think he understood... The white sack was my "stocking". I refuse to buy stockings full price, especially when holding out hope that I might find our real stockings! I'll buy some at my favorite after-Christmas store, Macy's, on Jan. 2 when the REAL sales begin!! Then, if we DO find the real stockings, I'll just use the new ones for general decorating around the house, or for future pets (or kids!). :o)


One fun thing about Erik is that I'm convinced he thinks stuffed animals are real. He LOVES stuffed animals!!! He's not really into any other kinds of toy but these, and he really doesn't have that many. I have NO idea what he's saying to this bear, but he's sure into the conversation!!

Daisy wasn't to be left out of the fun! Here's a gift she got from her grandparents. She loves it!



While Erik might not have had very many stuffed animals before Christmas, he sure has them NOW!!! The Shriners gave him a whole bag full at their Christmas party and then he got more from family!! Poor little guy looks a little overwhelmed in this picture - sometimes dreams up close are a little intimidating.

Looks like he knows how to solve that "problem" - throw them overboard!!!! LOL
Hope your Christmas was merry and bright and full of memories of our Savior's birth. I'll get pictures of Christmas morning put up when I get a chance!!

Once I get a little bit of time, I'll post pictures and stuff about Christmas, but for now, I need to do some therapeutic storytelling:

The other day, we went to Cracker Barrel, and, being a good, submissive wife, I didn't look at the little girls' clothing (as I get too wistful and whiny for a daughter and I drive everyone nuts!), but instead found this ADORABLE little boy's outfit! A cute little dragon one-piecer that I put Erik in the very next day (it's fun that it's cool weather now, and I can put him in different clothes!).

I went to work that morning and came home and made supper. During supper, it was obvious that Erik made a doo-doo - VERY obvious. So, I cleared a few dishes and hauled him off to his bedroom.

Now, I remember hearing lots of new parents with (especially) Ukrainian Down Syndrome kids tell stories of them having HUGE blowouts in their diapers on the trip home. I've always been a bit smug that Erik always has nice, firm, small poopies and even goes on the potty seat lots of times. God always knows how to humble us, doesn't He??

To avoid grossing you out with a long, descriptive story about what happened over the next unbelievable hour or so (are you sure it wasn't half the night??), here are some choice phrases that you can string together in your mind:

• a suspicious streak of wetness from the hallway to his bedroom on the tile floor
• an overwhelming stench of poo
• poo from the hood of the outfit to the cuff at the ankles
• poo on the face
• poo in the hair
• poo under his fingernails
• poo on my bare foot
• poo in the bathtub
• poo all over the floor ("REEEEEESE!! Can you mop this floor?!?!")
  
• screams of protest at having to take a shower (not a bath)
  
• dropping into bed (me, not him) sweaty and exhausted from the ordeal

My good friends who've been there before me, I now proudly enter Your World. God bless us, everyone.

And God bless adorable outfits worn for the very first time.

Check out my little fella's latest accomplishment!!

FLORIDA PRAYER:
Bless this house, oh Lord we cry,
Please keep it cool in mid-July.
Bless the walls where termites dine,
And ants and roaches march in time.
Bless our yard where spiders pass
Fire ant castles in the grass.
Bless the garage, a home to please
Carpenter beetles, ticks and fleas.
Bless the love bugs, two by two,
The gnats and mosquitoes that feed on you.
Millions of creatures that fly or crawl,
In Florida, Lord, you've put them all!
But this is home, and here we'll stay,
So thank you Lord, for INSECT SPRAY

(I wanted to post this on Facebook, but it was too long!)

Even though Erik has only been out of Ukraine for almost 4 months, has Down Syndrome and doesn't really know how to play with toys yet, he's just like all other kids in that he LOVES TO PLAY IN A GREAT BIG BOX!! LOL!!

Last Monday, I had the privilege of meeting one of my favorite Reece's Rainbow friends over at my friend Meredith's house! Linda lives in the Pacific Northwest and is a single mom of MANY kids. She's one of the coolest people I know and I was so glad to finally get to meet her in person!

Erik'd had surgery that morning to get ear tubes in and his adenoids out, but he was feeling okay enough for a short visit. If it weren't such an opportunity, I wouldn't have taken him. Bless his heart!

Linda was in FL for the completion of an adoption and while there, came over to the "east coast" to see Meredith and we were invited over, too! She gave permission for me to post these pictures:

If you don't know the story behind the boys' lost Russian Christmas stockings, read this post first.

Well, I have a follow up to that story!! We got the big box of gifts sent by Mom and her adorable husband, Joe. In it were the stockings!! I glanced quickly at them as I was busy doing other things at the time, and yes, they were JUST like the old ones, though the scenes depicted were a bit different. I was so relieved!!

Later, I opened the ziplok that she'd had them folded in and they weren't stockings, they were OVEN MITTS!!! I was right when I couldn't remember giving her stockings, instead I gave her these mitts!! Oh, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt!!

Today I called her and thanked her for the oven mitts and she laughed and said, "I wondered why they were hanging in the kitchen!!!" We laughed until we cried. You know how you can look at something over and over and over and not really SEE it? She did that with these!!

So we laughed about how Reese would be married with kids: his wife would have her childhood stocking hanging, their kids would have their stockings hanging, and Reese'll have his oven mitt hanging there, too.

I hope most of all that we actually FIND the real stockings, but in case we don't, we have oven mitts.

Merry Christmas!!!

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.


Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him .



Maybe even some human might do him
harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.



It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.


We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.


If you liked this story, pass it on.
If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.

Moral of the story:
Just because you can't see God,
doesn't mean He is not there.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Someone posted a comment on the last post asking for the potato recipe. I don't know if she'd check the comments section again, so I thought I'd stick a quick "recipe" here:

The potatoes are a Rachel Ray recipe called "Manchego Potatoes". I don't really have a "recipe" but what I do is make regular old mashed potatoes - but using New or Red potatoes - and shred "manchego cheese" and throw it in the mixer with the 'toes! Add milk and whatever, but I don't add butter or salt because I think it would draw from the cheese flavor.

The cheese is VERY expensive and kind of hard to find, but our local Publix has it. It's Spanish sheep's milk cheese!!! Sounds yucky, but it's DELICIOUS.

And there you go!

I love having a place where I can totally brag on my kids and dogs, and people can either read it or not! I resisted blogging for a long time thinking it was so dumb, but once I got going, I love it! I just need time to actually POST stuff, which is why I'm playing catch up right now. ;o)

Anyway, here are some pictures and stuff:

After feeling sick all evening and night over the lost Christmas stockings, I cried on my mom's shoulder this morning on our daily phone call. I told her how sick I was about losing one of the two most precious things in my Christmas stash (stockings being one, my ornaments being the other) and she said, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary,

"Well, I do have those two stockings that you gave to me after you got Reese. Do you want those? I can send them in your box that I'm getting ready to send this morning."

I must've hit a new decibel record with how high I shrieked!!!

"You have two of those beautiful Russian Christmas stockings like the one the boys have????"

"Yeah, you gave them to me as gifts. Do you want them?"

I couldn't believe it. I think I saw stars.

I had TOTALLY forgotten that I had bought stockings for her as souvenir gifts when I went to Russia for the boys!! I still don't remember them!! It has been 11 years since I've been home to Seattle, so I guess I just forgot...!!

Thanks, Mom, for saving Christmas!!!

We were having a delightful time putting up our Christmas decorations today when we started cleaning up a bit. I asked, "Where are the stockings? Does anybody know??" and no answer came. I glanced around and couldn't find them. And couldn't find them. And couldn't find them. I searched EVERYWHERE around our house and sheds and they are NOWHERE. I am just sick to my stomach. Because of the fire and moving back home again last December, I gave away a LOT of stuff. And I mean boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff that was sooty or too smelly for Mark's allergies. I am just SICK thinking that I might have thrown out or given away the box with the stockings in it. I didn't think I gave or threw away ANY Christmas stuff, but maybe I did?? I can hardly think of it. I made Natasha's stocking (not that she cares) the year that she got here and spent hours and hours and hours on it. The boys each got stockings in Russia when I adopted them and they are BEAUTIFUL and totally unique. My and Mark's stockings are unremarkable and it's okay that those are gone, but we also are missing stockings belonging to our pets: Our dog Daisy, and our now-gone Whippets Adam and Ellie, my dog Ziggy, as well as our bird Joel, and our ferret Peter! All GONE. PLEASE pray that they will turn up!! Our house is still quite a mess from all of the chaos because of the fire (I know, it's been a year...!) and MAYBE they'll turn up. Oh, please, Jesus, let them turn up...!!! Those stockings are soooooo special!!!

Remember this? My friend Christine took this picture of Erik in his orphanage about a month before we were able to travel to get him:


Well, today we took him to get his pictures done for Christmas and I couldn't help but see such an amazing difference in him!!!


Could I be more humbled and grateful to God Almighty for allowing me (and Mark!!) to serve Him in this way??

It never gets old. Today Reese, Erik and I watched the Space Shuttle Atlantis go up. It was such a beautiful day and the launch was right on time. We went to a marina next to where Reese used to play softball (they are bulldozing it to build condos) and watched it from the end of a pier. SO cool.
I'm not sure how clear these will come through on my blog, but on my computer in my picture file, it's so clear you can see the orbiter and the big, red external fuel tank. Maybe if you click on the picture and it gets big, you can see it.

Erik and I enjoyed some quiet time sitting on one of the piers. He had such fun looking at the water below - I wished I had something to let him throw in, like bread crumbs or rocks!! Next time.

Remember this??



Since I've had to go back to work nearly full-time and since Mark is sick so much, Reese has been hired to watch Erik for 2-3 hours per day (he homeschools online, and Nikolai goes to school). This has done WONDERS for their relationship!! Reese has learned how to spoon feed (Erik can't feed himself yet and he doesn't chew yet so everything has to be mushy), how to change a diaper, how to change Erik's clothes when they get dirty and how to put him down for a nap! He plays with him, and just does an all-around great job!! He also knows every single Sesame Street character and has rekindled his forgotten friendship with Elmo! Besides LOVING the money he's making, he has become one of Erik's very favorite people. See?




It's SO nice to see such a strong relationship being built between these two!! Reese heads back to "institutional" schooling in early January, and hopefully Erik can start Pre-K in late January, so their special time together will end. But this time that they have together will be a great "jumping off" place and I'm so happy they have it!!

Now, we just need to get Nikolai to show an interest in Erik! I think Nik has barely touched him 3 or 4 times since Erik came home September 2. Maybe someday.

Magdalena, who graciously blogs for Nadya over at http://nadyaneedsalovingfamily.blogspot.com/ gave me this blog award yesterday. I've never been given an award before, and I hope I do it right!!

There are two rules to accepting the award:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs.Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I might duplicate a couple of blogs, but I'll try not to! If I do, and you've already received an award, then just consider yourself doubly blessed!

First of all, back to Magdalena's blog. She advocates hard for a little girl who has touched her heart in a special way: Nadya in Eastern Europe. Nadya has some special needs but is doing great and will make someone a VERY special daughter!! She really needs a home fast, and Magdalena is doing her best to help her out. Magdalena would adopt her herself, but she can't as she lives in Sweden and laws there make it very hard for her to do that. So instead of adopting her herself, she is doing what she can to help someone ELSE adopt her! A big heart has this woman!!

The next would be Debbie's blog: http://jerdebwalker.blogspot.com/ . I enjoy Debbie's wit so much and I often laugh out loud at some of the funny things her kids say! I feel a connection with Debbie because she has a child with limb differences, as do I. Also, she's adopted from Ukraine, and so have I! She lives in Seattle, and so did I, and she has a heart for the older kids, as do I!! Gosh, I didn't realize all those similarities until I started typing them out!

Another favorite is Christine's blog: http://smilesandtrials.blogspot.com/. I especially enjoy Christine's adoption because she adopted two of her kids from Erik's orphanage! We were even hoping to travel together as she adopted her son Alex, but she was able to travel first, and we didn't get to meet. I believe we were in Kiev for a few hours at the same time, but we didn't have time to get together. BUMMER!! It's fun to know someone who is so familiar with Erik's orphanage. She has a dozen or so kids, and is such a great mom!

And Leah's: http://blessingsfromabroad.blogspot.com/ . I like Leah's blog because not only is she a very sweet woman with a very big heart, but she's adopting THREE little ones from Ukraine!!

Amy is over at: http://justamomofseven.blogspot.com/ . I like Amy because not only did she adopt from the same country as I did for Erik, but she adopted two of the cutest ones!!!! They sound like a handful, but she is the right mom for them and I love to read of their escapades!

Not only is Michelle one of my favorite bloggers at: http://fromnctoukraine.blogspot.com/ because she adopted from Ukraine, but she adopted from Erik's orphanage like Christine did! Her little girl, Mary, is the same age as Natasha was when I got her from Russia, and it has been really fun reading her blog and remembering my first year with Nat, as well. :o) Mary is just as cute and funny as she can be and there's always a story!

These people are extremely special people!!! They are the Loux's, and adopted 3 special needs kiddos from Ukraine. But not just regular special needs kiddos, these 3 REALLY needed homes and medical attention! http://louxfamilyblog.com/ If you have the time, I encourage you to read their whole blog, and even their old one, that documents their Ukraine trip. I have been blessed several times by Derek and his wife and continue to be blessed by them!!!

Amy L. is one of my very, very favorite Reece's Rainbow friends. I feel like she and I could be sisters! Her blog is here: http://amyandsons.blogspot.com/ Why do I feel like that? Well, besides being a Christian sister (as so many here are!) with EXTREMELY cute and wonderful boys, Amy is a single mom who has adopted twice from Russia!! (If you know me, you'll know that I was single for a million years and adopted thrice from Russia!) We also lean toward the boys! (She has 4, I have 3!) How I would LOVE to meet with her in person someday!! Please visit her blog - you will be blessed!!

Rhonda is a special friend of mine, as we share a heart for adopting the older kids overseas. Her blog is here: http://lovinglenablogspot.blogspot.com/ I remember watching a picture of a beautiful 14(??) year old girl on the RR website and wishing so much I could go and get her, but it was not to be. Then, Rhonda and her family stepped forward and saved her from a life of ...well, you know. Not only is Lena a wonderful girl who is doing well making her way into the busy and complicated life as an American, but she has several other older kids who were adopted. Rhonda has a wonderful heart and is a wonderful mom!

The Malones are also a very special family, kind of similar to the Loux's, as mentioned above. They adopted 2 little ones from Ukraine, one being very special needs, both with DS. They are a very dedicated Christian family and I have been blessed many times by Chris's thoughtful posts!!

The Dickensons are actually neighbors of the Malones, and if I remember correctly, the Malones are the ones who told the Dickensons about the need of DS adoption overseas! The Dickensons are such a wonderful family, I can't begin to tell you: they have two older kids who just look like GREAT kids, and two very, very cute little kids with DS!! They homeschool, and took their two older ones to Ukraine with them!! (Cool!!)

The Harp Happenings is the only blog here on this list that is not an adoption blog!! (Sorry!!) But Carmen is such a neat, neat lady: she is one of several therapists (I think she's a Speech Therapist!) that has visited Erik's orphanage and given them Aid!! She met Erik once or twice and even gave me a picture of him, which of course, was treasured!! She also has a DARLING Italian Greyhound, and her posts of Sadie (the IG) are just so funny!!! I never met a dog lover that I didn't like. :o)

Well, it's time for supper. I didn't quite make 15 blog awards, but I tried!! Time is scarce around here, to be sure...!!

Congrats to all of my nominees and thank you, Magdalena, for the award that you gave to ME!

One thing that we are working on with Erik is taking initiative. For example, if he sees a toy that he likes, he'll simply look at it and not try to take it. He'll just look at it and talk to it. He sits until he's moved. He does not try and help put his arms through his sleeves when getting dressed though he knows how and is perfectly capable. I'm sure this comes from years of not being allowed to do anything for himself. The caregivers were busy and it was just faster to do things for the kids rather than let them try to do things for themselves.

We are seeing a lot of improvement in Erik in this area! For example, he doesn't just sit in the tub and enjoy having me pour water on his head, now, he takes the cup himself and pours the water out himself! He doesn't just simply wait until you shovel food in his mouth (though he does wait patiently for a few minutes in case you are going to come and feed him) but he will oftentimes grab for the food now or even for the spoon. It's fun to watch him learn that he can DO things!

One big thing that he's done just recently here is move himself through space! He can walk with handheld assist fine, but, as implied, a person is required to lead him. Well, we acquired a walker the other week and he took to it like a fish to water! He turns with it, goes up/down small steps, over thresholds, etc. and today I took him in the driveway and he was thrilled to have such a big, open area to walk around in! He did a circle around the car until he landed in the grass and got stuck a little bit. He is so confident with it!

Not only is he walking with the walker, but he even gets OUT of the walker and CLIMBS ONTO THE LOVESEATS!! By himself with no one watching!! It sounds like not a very big deal, but to this doting family, everything this little boy does is a big deal. ;op We love seeing him grow, develop and learn!!

Now, let it be said that Daisy LOVES to wear dresses. She really does!! When we put one on her, she darts all around excitedly and grabs a toy and wants to play! It's precious, and she has a drawer stuffed full of dresses, T-shirts, and even a denim mini-skirt that we could never get to stay on. (She's so much fun!)

So when I was at Target the other day, I spotted the 75% off Halloween costumes. I wondered if I might find something for Erik for next year (we didn't "do" Halloween this year as we thought he'd get too freaked out). What I found were some GREAT dog costumes!! At 75% off, I couldn't resist - they came to only $2.50 a piece!!

I got them home and put her in them. ...let's just say she wasn't as excited to wear them as she is her "party dresses"... (I think the headpieces were what subdued her.)

We had a good laugh, got a couple of pictures and crammed them into the already-full drawer in the dresser that belongs to her and we'll wait until next year. ;op


Poor little baby girl!!! You can see from this picture that she is starting to put weight on her back leg! She's not doing it much, or often, but more and more all the time, and the horrible boniness that used to be her leg is starting to soften and the muscles are starting to grow back. What a relief!! We were really worried that we'd have to go for amputation, but I guess our procrastination was a good thing! She's our little darling, and we love her so much!!

BTW, be sure and scroll down for a couple of new posts: I'm trying to get caught up on my blogging!! Thanks!

Every year on Natasha's birthday (Oct. 30) we've made caramel apples! She hasn't been with us for many birthdays these past few years, but we've always been loyal to the tradition! Here is Reese, enjoying one of his favorite things: food!!