Chandler's Birthday

The kids wanted Lagoon passes this year and so they all worked together and earned the money they needed. It was cute to watch Lena showing her brothers how to make bread and watch them output loaf after loaf and sale them to the neighbors. It took them a month of hard work, but much to my surprise they all managed to earn enough money.

We celebrated Chandler's 12th Birthday at Lagoon. This is the cake the girls made for him.

Jeff's mom is awesome and loves to go on all of the scariest rides. Lena wanted to go on the Sky Coaster and Grandma was only too willing to join her. Jeff and I were not surprised about his mom, but we couldn't believe Lena wanted to do it. She loved it! She melts down in tears at the Dentist and won't open her mouth but then has no qualms about doing this.

Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day picnic with Jeff's Family.

Chandler desperately trying to finish his book before school on Tuesday.

Sara making a flower wreath out of dandelions.

The cousins were all very impressed with her skills.

Lena wondered why I was taking her picture. I told her, "Honey not very many American kids would be sweeping the picnic area with a broom they made from branches. I don't want you ever to forget that cute Ukrainian girl in you." She laughed and posed for me.

Parker and Lena helping their little cousins build a waterfall.

The Garden

The girls asked me a few months ago for a garden. I told them we would, but they had to help. I thought they would be excited for a few days and then leave all the work for me. I was wrong. They moved the sod, helped me build garden boxes, hauled three truck loads of dirt and one truck load of gravel all without a word of complaint.

They both wanted their own box and insisted on doing the work themselves. I showed them U-tube videos on building garden boxes and we went to work. They sawed the wood for their boxes and drilled all the holes. I was very impressed. At the nursery, they insisted on buying their own plants and seeds, I tried to pay for it but they wouldn't let me. I am constantly surprised and amazed by these two girls. We had the best time building our garden. When they would get tired of working and needed a rest they would ask me to read to them and we would lay in the shade with our latest book. I really do love being their mom.

English- Who is winning the war?

Yesterday, I went to the store to buy something for my sprinklers. When the guy asked if I needed help I said, "Yes, can you show me where I can find a plastic thing to cap my Sprinkles."

The man pointed me in the right direction and my friend who was with me started laughing really hard.

I asked her what she was laughing at and she said, "You want a cap for your Sprinkles?" I was so embarrassed I had used my girl's word for Sprinklers. Everyone is constantly correcting the funny things I say in English. The scary thing is that it is subconscious and I don't even notice. I am supposed to be teaching them English but instead they are messing up mine.

Magical April Moments

At one of the seminars I went to recently about adopted kids, they said to remember the magical moments and focus on those instead of all the negative. For my own sake I wanted to blog about my magical April moments.

During a spring snow storm, we went out at 11:00 at night and pulled the kids behind the car on tubes. The night was quiet and no one was out but us, we had a blast and laughed and laughed. The kids couldn't believe what we were doing and hugged me a hundred times and told me I was the best mom ever. I felt like a teenager again.

This was my first race of the year. The kids had to get up at 5:45 a.m. on a Saturday to come, but they begged and pleaded to come. I loved crossing the finish line with my kids on the side lines cheering me on. When I was done they all came running up for a sweaty hug.

For our one year anniversary with the girls, we went to Park City for a few days. They had a karaoke night at the hotel we were staying. My girls were fearless and took endless turns singing for the group. Jeff had to leave and couldn't watch, he was too embarrassed. I held it together for quite a few songs, but when Sara started in on Tinkle Tinkle Little Star, I had to run to the bathroom and let out the laugh that had been building. I laughed in the hall till tears came.

While in Park City I got a bad sunburn on my legs. The girls said in the Ukraine they put sour cream on sunburns. Hmm. Well, I had some and it hurt so I tried it. My friends who were with us laughed and thought I was crazy, but the girls were pleased I had followed their advice. After a few hours my leg was, well.. disgusting. We all thought it was pretty hilarious.

We went to my nieces dance competition, where she performed a solo. The girls were impressed. After the performance, they said they were going to practice their dances and make their own costumes then come to the competition and perform. They perform frequently at home with homemade costumes.

All of you who have seen their dances know why I found their suggestion hysterical. I explained they would have to join a dance team and get a teacher if they wanted to do that. They insisted that I could show them. By this point I was laughing out loud. I told them I was sorry but that is one thing I definitely could not teach them. It is funny, they think I know everything.

Learning English

Today while shopping, Lena told me she was going to look at some shirts and get a truck. I turned to my friend Mary and said, "A truck?"

We both shrugged and kept shopping. She came back with a cart and some clothes in it. I didn't think much of it. Later, when she was trying something on she told me, "Wait, I need something in the truck."

"The truck?" I asked. "You mean the car?"

"No, the truck" as she pointed to the cart.

I got the giggles and couldn't stop. She demanded to know what I was laughing at. At times I hate correcting her because I think it is darn cute. But, I was busted so between laughs I told her it was a cart not a truck. She couldn't help but laugh too.

Sara gets confused between the fridge and the freezer. She says they sound the same. This might not seem like much of a problem, except when I ask her to put something in the fridge it often ends up in the freezer and vice versa.

Tonight, while I was cooking dinner she wanted me to quiz her. I proceeded to ask her to put something in the fridge and then the freezer and she practiced doing it right. Finally, I gave her high fives and told her she had figured it out.

As I was getting ready for bed, Lena told me to come look in the freezer. Sure enough, Sara strikes again. The food I had asked her to put in the fridge after dinner was in the freezer. How can I not laugh?

Talk about Feelings

Last night the girls crossed a busy intersection without even looking and they almost got ran over twice. I watched the whole thing and nearly had a heart attack. It scared me to death, which translated into being very upset. I immediately asked them what they were doing in a not nice way, and told them they knew better. Sara shut down and wouldn't answer and Lena got mad and started to mouth off. I told her if she was going to talk to me like that then just go away. I meant go calm down. She stormed off, burst into tears and proceeded to sob uncontrollably.

Later, I told her I was sorry for getting mad and she told me she was sorry too. That is normally how we would have left it, but after my Brain Gym class and a conversation with my friend Carlin, a mother of three adopted Ukrainians, I decided we had better talk about our feelings and what happened in more detail.

I asked Lena how it made her feel. I am such a nerd and actually felt embarrassed when I asked her. I am sure she noticed. She said that it made her feel bad because when I told her to go away she thought I meant I didn't want her any more and that she needed to go find another family.

I paused and panicked, what in the world was I supposed to say to that. I couldn't believe it. I started by explaining that I was scared she was going to die and so I overreacted. I told her I didn't want her to die or go away. She got big tears in her eyes. I then asked her why she thinks I would send her away. She said that if she is bad I will send her to another family. I asked her what made her think that. She said in the Ukraine kids left to go with families but if they were bad they would come back to the orphanage.

I told her that I was different. I told her I believed in God and that he told me she should be in our family. I told her when we were sealed in the temple Heavenly Father gave her to me forever. I told her I promised Heavenly Father on that day that I would be her mom forever and that I would never give her away. I told her I would never stop being her mother no matter what she did. Her eyes filled with tears again and she said, "Thanks mom." I held out my arms and she buried her head in my shoulder and let me hold her for a long time.

Later, as I was washing dishes I was thinking how inadequate and unqualified I felt to be their mother. I asked heaven, "How am I going to do this?" An over powering thought came to me, "They are mine, I love them and you are the person I have prepared to be their mother. I will help you be the mother they need."

I was filled with peace and knew despite all of my weaknesses it was going to be o.k.