For Anna

Anna,

Sveta wanted you to see these pictures. We changed her name to Sara when we adopted her.

This is Sara with her Grandma.

Sara with my best friends Mary and Dona

Sara riding a small car at a race track.

Sara's pet Chinchilla she calls him "Chili"

Sara with her best friend Elise. When Sara

is around Elise will not go to anyone else.

Sara learning to cross country ski.

Sara with her other Grandma

Sara on her birthday with her fairy cake.

Cake Decorating

On Lena's birthday in September my mom, an expert cake decorator, showed the girls the basics of the art.

The learning curve started- from smoke alarms, and cake covered ovens to soggy insides and drooping pieces of art, the girls, "who know everything," have finally started to get the hang of it. Here are just a few of their finished products. They wouldn't allow photos of the early ones. For my birthday I got a blue and yellow Ukranian cake, they were too embarrassed to allow a picture, maybe because I laughed when I saw it. Oops. It just slipped out.


Cupcake cake for Sara's Birthday

Fairy Cake

Basketball cake they made for their brother Parker's birthday.

Private Property

Is Jeff talking to himself in the bathroom I wonder.
I listen closer. I hear, "Oh no, no, not again they didn't."
I start laughing to myself. I know exactly what is going to happen next.
Just as I expect, he opens the bathroom door.
"Have you seen the toothpaste?"
I laugh, "You just opened a new one last night, and I haven't seen it."
"Those girls!" he says as he heads into their bathroom to retrieve his toothpaste.
He comes back two minutes later his new tube of toothpaste in hand, shaking his head.

From toothpaste to camp tables, everything is always missing at our house. It is hardest for poor Jeff who went from bachelor in a bachelor pad, to sharing a house with three girls - two of which still live in a world where everything is community property.

It feels like Amy and Jeff vs. Lena and Sara as we sit up late at night talking about our next plan of action. At our whits end, we finally decide to start taking stuff out of their room for a week, followed by a family talk. Maybe if they can see how frustrating it is they will have more understanding for their raving parents. We'll have to wait and see, meanwhile, I think Jeff is going to enjoy taking their stuff a little too much, he's been itching for a little revenge. :)

Lena is waiting for me as I enter the front door. "Mom I need to tell you a true,"

Oh no here it comes.

"I broke the thing on the front door."

"Hmm what thing on the front door?"

She points to the hook where I hang my wreaths and stuff for holidays.

"How did you break that? Do I even want to know?"

"Mom, you said I should tell true."

"O.k. what did you do?"

" I climbed on the roof."

"YOU CLIMBED ON THE ROOF!!, how did you get on the roof?"

"I put my foot on that thing on the door and got up."

I take several deep breaths.

"Lena that isn't o.k."

"Why"

"Well you might fall and get hurt."

"Oh.. I climbed trees in the orphanage."

"No more climbing o.k."

"So I can't climb the buildings at the park either?"

"What? You climb those?"

" Yes, and the high fence behind the baseball thing too?"

"You climb the fence behind where you bat?"

Sara pipes in. "Yes she sits at top and kids at park tell her jump."

"You don't jump do you?"

"No I too scared it hurt me."

"Well thank heavens you aren't that stupid"

"Mom!"

"What?, I can't believe you have been doing that."

"Mom, but I told you true, I knew God would want me to tell you true, so don't be mad."