Happy Holidays!!

Well.... Christmas has come and gone! It's hard to believe that you spend over a month preparing for a holiday that sorta seems to last only an hour! Santa came and left way more presents than he should have! We'll have to get him on a better budget next year! haha! The kids had a great Christmas eve, where they opened presents from their Nana and Grandpa, as well as exchanged presents with each other (thank God for the Dollarstore!). They actually did pretty well buying for OTHERS instead of for themselves! They both put some thought into the gifts this time! We just hung out the rest of the night and then everyone went to bed. The kids and I made cookies for Santa earlier in the day - then set those out, as well as carrots for the reindeer on the deck - then everyone went to bed. (with the exception of the two elves that had to go retrieve the goodies and "quietly" put them under the tree!
Christmas morning was a test of patience for the kids - as they had to wait until everyone was showered and breakfast was done - BEFORE they got to tear into their loot! Both boys got lots of stuff they wanted and needed! They were both very thrilled! Little O received alot of ELMO items (big surprise there!) She sort of got the hang of it! She was happy and loved all her gifts!
We think back to a year ago - when we were recovering from jetlag, only being home 2 days from Ukraine with another little person! We are so blessed with our family! All of our kids have blossomed over the last 12 months. We are very lucky!

Here is our wonderful dog, PJ! He is the official "bow" collector! He always has to be part of the action - or sitting close to be part of the action! He turned nine this year and is doing great! He acts more like a 2 year old dog than 9! We all loved him dearly! Santa of course never forgets him!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Cell phone travels!

The cell phone is with Donna and Mike! They are in Dniprpertrosk, Ukraine. They found a beautiful little girl - Juliyana!
Congrats to you on your little angel!

opening cards!

Little O is opening a birthday card from Nana and Grandpa!

Gotcha Day - and BIRTHDAY!

Here is not so little O on Dec 18th - our official "Gotcha" day!
Here are the gruesome threesome the evening of big A's winter concert! He looks like he is going to sign important papers or something! They all looked very nice (at least for the picture!)
Here is the birthday girl in her tiara! Going to town with the fried ice-cream!

Boy! What a busy busy busy last few weeks!

We celebrated our one year "gotcha" day with Olya yesterday - well - that's when it was, but we really didn't do anything! Monday was her third birthday! She was VERY excited! She got some really nice gifts and had a fun time! We took her to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner and fried ice cream! She got to wear the sombero! That sort of bewildered her - but she is a trooper! She also got TWO kittens for her birthday - spoiled? Ummmm maybe! Actually they are "family" cats! We adopted a brother and sister kitten from the Humane Society. The hubby was getting tired of being "catless" - Pj, our beloved dog was not so happy with the decision! We named them Lyger (not a lion or a tiger) and Rex - aka Rexi, since she is a she! So far they are doing everything kittenish! They are fun and seem to have made themselves right at home!

We went to the boys winter concerts last week. I have to say that I don't remember my elementary concert ever being that BAD! Let's just say it was one of those "can't wait until its over" sorta things! Yes - I know - you're supposed to cherish these times! UGH! Little O had a hard time sitting through it - like the rest of us - so I can't blame her for acting up!

Another big step this month was that little O started preschool! She attends a developmental preschool at the college. She goes 3 days a week from 9-11am. She also gets her speech therapy there while she is at "Owa's schoo" (that's how she says it!) She totally loves it and asks every day if she is going! She is the only girl in her class - ah the princess syndrome yet again! The other amazing thing is how much she has grown in the last month and a half! She is now finally wearing her 2T pants and 3T shirts! Not that long ago - her 12 month pants were just right! She is starting to wear on my back as well!

On the Ukraine front - there are lots of families in our group that are either in country or getting ready to travel! Exciting news! It brings back alot of fond and not so fond memories of our trip from a year ago! My friends, Donna and Mike are actually using my Ukrainian phone on their trip and the totally awesome part was they were staying in the same flat we were in while we were in Kyiv! I talked to them a few days ago on the phone and it was in the middle of their hunt to find a flat in their region. Donna calls me back at 4:30am this morning and chats away! Poor thing forgot about the time difference! haha! It was awesome to hear from her and knowing that they found their little girl makes me so happy! We know how hard the waiting can be for those folks who are still in the process! The holidays make it tough - but we know that things happen for a reason and it just takes time and patience!

We are gearing up for the visit from the BIG guy in red! It has been a challenge - as big A is starting to become a (gasp!) non-believer! So - hiding the presents was a challenge! Hopefully he will keep the faith a bit longer! Little J (can't believe I have not mentioned him yet!) is ready! He still believes and can't wait! He wonders if the reindeers will poop on the deck again this year (don't ask - and yes - it was true (rein) deer poop!) Little J has been doing really well! He has his moments (don't they all!) but he is still the 2nd easiest to parent!

I'll do some more catching up in a day or two!

Thanks for stopping by!

Amy