The Never Ending Story

NOT THAT SAME GIRL...

2013-03-15T22:48:00.000-04:00

I find it hard to believe that Natalia stepped foot in New York almost eighteen months ago. She is most definitely not that same girl. I remember asking Aunt Valentina through our friend, Max, as we sat outside the courtroom waiting for our turn for the Judge to hear our adoption case, 'What does Natalia really like and what does she dislike?' Valentina responded, 'She's not particular. She is easy going an doesn't really mind for one thing over another'. I've never forgotten that. I (almost) couldn't believe that could be true. I mean, she is a teenager! Don't all teenagers have a favorite this or that and really dislike some things???
I have loved getting to know Natalia. I mean, I love the time we have shared over the past 18 months straightening each other's hair every couple of nights. I have learned so much about her. I have learned of her many horrible life experiences as little by little she has trusted to open her heart to me. I have learned that there was a lot she hated about her life in Ukraine. The mistreatment, unfairness and forced responsibilities that she took on to protect her siblings to name a few. Quite honestly, she had very little in her life that was 'worth liking'. Natalia was 'beat down' and her spirit was crushed. She was pleased to have a place to lay her head at night, a potato or two to eat and used clothing to cover her body. Natalia would speak when spoken to and rarely shared her thoughts. I have loved watching her gain confidence and even stand up for herself. Whether a student had done something immature to her like throw paper wads into the hood of her sweatshirt thinking it was so funny or someone saying something 'not so nice' about another student and her expressing her displeasure, or approaching her Ukrainian School principal to explain that she was short changed 4 hours worth of work. I love that she approached her guidance counselor to have her gym period changed to before lunch, rather than afterwards when her stomach is full and she cannot run or participate to her best ability. The real Natalia is emerging and I love what I see! Tonight was Natalia's Winter Dance. She asked me to do her hair. In between running two sick children to the doctor, picking up meds, I made it home to style her hair:

Now that Natalia has a wonderful command of the English language, we have discussed alot about fiscal responsibility. Natalia has began teaching Ukrainian School on Saturday mornings and earns some money. We told her that because we pay for all of her needs, we expect her to save the money she earns. So, I went with her to open a bank account. She has enthusiastically been saving her money and has been very encouraged to see how quickly it adds up. Last week she came home with an informational document from school about a nine day trip to Italy next year and that she would really like to go. I told her I thought it was a wonderful idea. I then proposed that she pay half and Bill and I pay half. Without missing a beat she said, 'Okay mom, no problem'. That meek and mild girl from the Village of Ukraine is emerging into a beautiful inside and out, well rounded, emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially young lady. I love what I see:

Natalia continues to do well in High School. She has successfully navigated her way though the social stuff which can be so challenging. There has been a girl here or there who have said something mean to Natalia for one petty thing or another. Though I hate to see her bothered by it, it gives us yet another opportunity to talk about the cruelty of people (especially high school girls) and how the majority of the time these mean words come from a place of insecurity, self hate and/or jealousy. No doubt about it, Natalia is a naturally beautiful, sweet/kind girl, who is now physically fit and people (especially girls) have noticed. She and I had a recent conversation about the fact that at one point in her life she was poked fun at and laughed at because of her dysfunctional family and poor hygiene. I told her now she is made fun of because she is clean and well groomed. I reminded her to be THAT person that she wants to be and not worry about what others say. I told her that her classmates in Ukraine would DIE to be where she is today. Academically, Natalia is doing well. This week alone, she completed her resume and participated in a mock interview. She was part of a group project that pretended they were a bakery business called 'The Oven'. They had to make signs and a menu, complete with pricing and of course we baked brownies that she took to school. She said, 'Mom, the kids loved them, they all gone!!'. I am so happy that she will most likely return to high school again next year. The experience and continued language improvement will be so good for her. The true Natalia will continue to emerge:

Not a week goes by it seems that I read a post from an adoptive family about their struggles in parenting an 'older child'. I have shared some of the comments or questions that people have posted with Natalia. As a result, she decided to start a group on Face book for teen aged adopted kids to connect. I love her heart for other adopted teens that may be struggling to find their place in their new life.
Natalia continues to willingly help whenever Bill and I ask. She is a wonderful big sister to all of the kids. She has found her place within our family and we could not be more
pleased with her

As I was reflecting on the days we spent in Ukraine when Natalia would barely speak in front of us, let alone with us, I can't help but be in awe. I truly could not imagine having a better relationship with a biological daughter, than I do with Natalia. She really is more than I could have ever asked for in a daughter. I think its safe to say after spending eighteen months together, neither one of us are the same girl;)

YOUNG ATHLETES...

2013-03-13T22:52:00.001-04:00

We were invited by Marta Mae's classroom to participate in a local Young Athletes Event hosted by a private school called The Masters School, located in Dobbs Ferry. Over 200 High School students volunteered their time on a Sunday to paint faces, provide 2:1 support for every one of the participants, run the games, provide musical performances, and serve lunch to all of the families. Marta Mae sporting her 'Kitty face':

All of our children were invited to participate. Joseph trying his hand at the bean bag toss:

Nikolas with Elmo:

Marta Mae loved playing with the parachute:

Joy!

Appeasing mom for a picture:

The boys went a little heavier with face paint;) Patrick:

William and Peter:

A kiss on Pooh's nose from Nikolas:

While Joseph was adament that there was 'somebody inside'! HA!

Double hugs:

Two six year olds with a mouth full of granola bar:

The whole gang. Joseph skipped the face painting as he is not interested in doing anything that draws attention to himself:

Two cool Ghouls, Patrick and Peter:

All of the children had a great time;) The young man who shadowed William and Peter is a Senior. Bill asked him what his plans were for next year? He said he would be attending Columbia University. He later shared with me that he struggles with ADD and Dyslexia. It made the fact that he was going to such a prestegious college. all the more impressive. At the end of the Event, he shared how impressed he was with Peter's attitude, when he was having a hard time keeping up with his older brother. He was amazed to know that Peter is only 8 years old.
Everyone left the event with a big smile on their faces;)

BLUE BELTS...

2013-03-10T20:51:00.001-04:00

Three very excited boys came home from Karate this week sporting their BLUE BELTS!
Way to go William, Patrick and Peter...

KARATE, HOME DEPOT AND I'VE GOT THE POWER...

2013-03-04T20:16:00.001-05:00

All three of the big boys took their first promotion test for Oyama Karate. They have worked so hard every Friday night since last October to learn the body positions and routines. The big man was present for the test:

Stretching as a group. The black belts were leading the test:

A moment of silence to breath:

The test lasted 45 minutes and it was non stop movement and commands in Japanese. The boys responded in Japanese as well. I love the discipline of Karate. All three of the boys displayed great endurance and memory of the moves. I was so impressed with how much they have learned:

Three sweaty boys after the test:

The kids did not have Ukrainian School on Saturday so we decided to participate in the Home Depot craft. Everyone built and decorated their own sports car. As I was taking a photo of everyone with their car, a man asked Bill and I, "Are they all yours?". We said yes and he introduced himself as the store manager. He gave us a Home Depot cloth bag full of goodies for the kids and asked if he could take a family photo? We obliged. You never know who you'll meet. The happy crafters:

Afterwards, we dropped the big boys off to stay with Natalia and Bill and the rest of the gang drove to Stamford to pick up our new power source;) Not having power for six days due to Hurricane Sandy, pushed us over the edge of buying a Honda generator. We bought a transfer panel too that our electrician will install next to our electrical panel and should we loose electricity, with the flip of a switch and the turn of a key, we will have power;) Of course it is a Honda:

Joseph was in 'hog heaven'!

He has quite the imagination...he said he needed to pull over because the 'cops are on me':

MEET HUMPHREY...

2013-03-02T23:36:00.001-05:00

Say hello to Humphrey...

He is our new little furry friend around here. Though he is cute and it was NOT my idea, I went along with it. Regardless, we have six very excited kids around here.

HAPPY HEART'S DAY...

2013-02-15T23:24:00.000-05:00

In the past, I did not celebrate Valentine's Day on a large scale. However, having 7 kids, I've been sucked into the 'Valentine's Vortex' a bit more than I ever thought I would. Natalia, William and Patrick did not need to decorate boxes, but Peter, Marta Mae, Nikolas and Joseph did. I cut and cut and cut some more paper hearts and the kids glued and stuck, glued and stuck and glued and stuck, and here is the final project:

I quickly snapped a picture of Marta in her Valentine's ensemble:

And a close up with a tiny bigger smile:)

My five boys;) Peter was feeling sleepy this morning:

My big girl, Natalia, who has never been shown the love of a parent, lavished me with a beautiful handmade card:

With amazing sentiment like, "You are beautiful, You are nice, You are the best mom in the world, You are pretty":

She insisted that Bill take her to the store and she chose this little bear and chocolates for me:

She made this yarn heart. I love how God can make so many of the wrongs right. What a beautiful testimony Natalia's life is.

And within two days, Marta lost a tooth, pulled lovingly by William and Joseph had a very wiggly front tooth that was bothering him. William took care of that in no time. Better him than me:)

A very happy Joseph minus his first top tooth:

Organization...Resolving to Evolve...

2013-02-09T00:38:00.000-05:00

One of the most common statements/questions I hear from people is, "Seven kids and you work full time, how do you do it?" Some days, I feel like I 'do it' better than others. One thing I have learned for sure, is that the more organized we can be around here, the more successful we are in accomplishing our tasks. As more children have come into our family, so has the need for more laundry, food, and clothing. I do not like clutter and mess, so as we have added children, I have put processes and systems in place to help maintain the best efficiency in our home. If you have followed our story for any length of time, you know that one large reason we believe our children have bonded and thrived as well as they have as we have kept their world relatively small, consistent and predictable. Set systems and processes have helped our children to help themselves and take the guess work out of what goes where. I do not want to paint a picture like our home is perfectly organized...I promise it is not. I am a 'I better hold on to this, I may need it' person by nature, so I am continually fighting that demon! LOL! I have wanted to get a few of our best processes/practices that have been successful within our home down in our blog. The six littles are all color coded. We have found that our children love having his/her own color as not only is it practical, but it brings about a sense of familiarity and a physical representation of their 'place' within our home. I use the medicine cups from liquid medicine for rinsing cups for tooth brushing. I painted the bottoms with outdoor furniture paint. The cups also serve as germ protectors of the toothbrushes:

Cups and bowls with built in straws have served beautifully for years:

Everyone has color coded wash cloths:

And towels, which cuts down on spreading germs, as each child uses his/her towel to dry their hands:

Clothing management is one of my biggest tasks around here. We store the pajamas in the linen closet outside the bathroom where the kids bathe:

Our home does not have a designated laundry room. Our washer/dryer are in the basement and I quickly learned that schlepping clothes up and down the steps was a waste of time and energy. We used a portion of our large storage space in the basement to make a 'child clothing closet'. Bill, Natalia and I store our clothing upstairs in our closets. I wash a load of clothes everyday, usually during the morning routine of getting the kids out the door. The clothing is removed from the dryer and placed on a table. Once folded, they are placed in the closet. Bill and I have a laundry basket for our clothing. On bed washing day, William is responsible for making that the bedding of the six littles makes it downstairs. We have a cleaning company that comes every other week, which helps with the dusting and deeper cleaning that is necessary.

In an effort to minimize my ironing and properly care for certain clothing, after a few minutes in the dryer, I hang the items to dry. In the evening, I fold the clothing and put it away:

At night, I lay out the clothing for each child. It takes the 'what am I going to wear' out of the morning routine. If it is a 'PJ wash day', the kids place them in the dirty clothes basket in the basement. Otherwise, they fold and stack them on the couch and the last person to get dressed carries them up to the bathroom counter:

Each night, I take a few minutes and pick up the toys and misplaced items that were laying around the basement. In the morning, the children, put them in their proper place:

We have a huge white board in our basement. In the evening, I jot down whatever jobs need to be accomplished in the morning and I assign a person to the job. This has been a great way for me to get a few extra moments sleep in the morning, yet still get things done. Bill is a 'morning person' and I am a night person. I do all of my grocery shopping on week nights. Bill gets up with Marta, Joseph and Nikolas who are first to bed and first to rise. They wait for Bill to get them from their beds at 6 am. Bill makes six sandwiches and William helps by putting the chips, fruit, etc in the lunch bags as well as put them in the backpacks. Our home is surprisingly quiet in the morning. I do not like chaos or noise...it makes for stress before the day has begun:

We have a cubby that holds the kids backpacks and shoes. Yes, their backpacks are color coded as well;) Each child has two backpacks. One for English school and one for Ukrainian School. The color drawers on the left hold sports equipment, gloves and hats:

Each child has a coat hook:

Being that I work out of my home, one of our bedrooms is used as my office. I take care of the bills, filing of receipts/tax preparation and managing all of the children's business. I have a 4 drawer file cabinet in the closet and I keep a file folder for each child where I keep every medical document, report card/school document and government issued information. It is a quick and easy way for me to put my hands on something should I need it:

All seven kids have a large clear Tupperware under bed tote with wheels to keep any artwork, awards, special projects and important memorabilia. They are stored under the bed. As the 'stuff' collects in my office, I transfer it to it's special place:

Patrick's bin. Natalia has one too:

Having what we need and being able to quickly find it saves time and money. I am a very conscientious shopper, taking advantage of freebies and shopping with coupons. I will say it is work, but so worth the savings. Our upstairs linen closet stores the new supplies:

Our kids LOVE to help. They are always looking for 'jobs'. We believe that 'Many hands make for light work'. We also believe that children learn their work ethic and how to be a team player from home. Joseph loves the vacuum:

Teaching children to be conscientious about how they do the task is just as important as having a positive and willing attitude when asked to complete the job:

Food Management is a huge task around here. Washing the fruits/veggies immediately has served to be most efficient. This way, the food is ready when we are:

We have two refrigerators and one stand alone freezer. On the left, we have a large pantry that stores our staples. I am thankful for this space as it provides a place for me to stock up on good deals:

We work to teach the children to serve one another. The older children help the younger, get bathed, tie their shoes, complete their homework or whatever. Bill and Natalia are wonderful helpers. Though neither are naturally attentive to detail, both are always willing to do whatever to get the job done. Natalia helps bathe the children, prepare meals and completes Ukrainian homework with the children. She loves working in the kitchen alongside of me and I love having her;)
I am always looking for a way to streamline things around here. It takes a group effort in order for our family to accomplish as much as we do and keep the household running smoothly.

Bear Mountain Zoo...

2013-02-06T21:24:00.000-05:00

We are blessed to have so many cool zoo's, parks and museum's that are only a day trip. Bear Mountain Zoo is one of our favorite places. It is small, yet so interesting. It is open year around. We didn't let the 'cold' keep us away. We all put our snow gear on and headed out. There are so many rocks to climb on:

An awesome rock exhibit of local rocks and fossils found in the area:

And wildlife exhibits:

Fish:

Mallards, Swans and Geese:

Snakes;(

Posing with a statue of Walt Whitman:

There are a lot of outdoor animal exhibits as well as birds that have were injured and rescued. It was the perfect amount of outdoor time to burn off some energy, get some fresh air and learn something new in the process;)

Happy 6th birthday Nikolas Stefan...

2013-01-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

My youngest babe turned six! Six it is! I cannot believe Nikolas is six and six is the age of my youngest child. Nikolas had recently turned three when we met him for the first time. Where on earth did three years go? Nikolas was in his glory today. He was the center of attention all day, he wore a crown and she shared cupcakes with his classmates;) Nikolas has exploded developmentally. Absolutely exploded. Poor kid did not hear properly for the first years of his life. Not only did this affect his language, but his cognitive development. How can you acquire knowledge if you can't hear? We are now seeing his out put from the last three years of input that he has received. He is (almost) grade appropriate in curriculum. I would say he may be 4-6 months behind. Honestly, we are so pleased with Nikolas' progress. Nikolas is the most lovable, relenting and stubborn little guy you would ever meet. Happy Birthday little buddy:

Safe and Sound...

2013-01-23T22:21:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment or email me as a result of my last post. It was the first time that I ever heard from many of you, so thank you! I love to hear how many of you have adopted, are thinking about adopting, or simply love to hear adoption stories. My earliest recollection of having a burning desire to adopt was while I was in College. I never knew I would adopt seven (or more;)), but nonetheless, I am thankful that through the ups and downs of life, the desire in me remained alive and God made a way.
Aunt Valentina made it home safe and sound, though she was 'bumped' from her seat while transferring in Heathrow Airport do to an overbooked plane;( She arrived in Kiev four hours later than expected and she returned home without her suitcase due to a very chaotic baggage claim department in Kiev. Her suitcase was brought to her two days later via a shuttle.
We had a really nice visit with Aunt Valentina. I pushed back a ton of my day to day responsibilities so we could spend a lot of time with her as a family. Valentina was a good sport, but her life experiences are so limited, that many things that seem routine or almost mundane to us were a brand new experience for her;) She was not adventurous in speaking English so Natalia was 'on' for translating completely;) While I know that Natalia loved having Valentina here for a visit, I know that Natalia's style was cramped a bit;) Natalia is by no means an assertive person, but having Valentina around reminded me just how far Natalia has come in the last 16 months! Natalia seems very independent and assertive next to Valentina;) Three weeks after being here, doing the same routine, Valentina required Natalia to walk her to the bathroom and turn on the water for her. If the water was too hot or too cold, Valentina would leave the knob right where Natalia put it...no matter how many times Natalia would show her how to warm up or cool down the water;) Bless her heart. I stumbled across a few additional pictures from Valentina's stay. Valentina, me and Bill:

When Joseph was a tiny baby, Natalia placed a pillow on her shins, placed Joseph on his back and rocked him. She spent many nights sleeping in an almost upright position, so she could rock him when he woke up. Six years later, Natalia and Joseph have a sweet sibling relationship:

Marta loves her purple 2013 glasses! I am praying for great progress for Marta Mae this year as a result of all her gains last year:

Nikolas is always in the mix, especially when his favorite, Marta Mae is on the scene:

William seeing 'double':

Joseph is my rough and tumble cowboy:

Aunt Valentina's borscht:

My origami expert:

Peter took Bill's first ever 'flea market find', which is a Civil War Helmet to show to his classmates the week he was 'Star Student' in school:

On New Year's Eve, Natalia and a friend took Aunt Valentina into White Plains to watch the fireworks and ring in the new year! I KNOW Valentina has never seen anything like that. It was COLD:

Valentina was blessed by William's Christmas Concert:

William and his violin buddies:

I was so far behind in life, but it was worth it! I am learning to enjoy moments, especially ones that I will never get back;) I want to make more progress in this area, but I am very aware of my unnatural ability to 'push back', let things remain undone, and enjoy!
We compiled all of our tax documents and met with our accountant. Whew! Glad to have that done;) I have been chipping away at a big 'to do' list. I submitted Marta Mae and Nikolas' annual reports to the Ukrainian Consulate in New York, send updated photos and emails to each of the kids orphanages, and am working diligently at getting my office organized. Oh. My. Goodness...paper, paper and more paper seems to collect in my office. It is the 'dumping ground' for everything that anyone deems 'important'. I boxed up files from my file cabinet that are necessary to keep, but do not need to be in the cabinet;) I have 'resolved to evolve' when it comes to filing the paper that comes in my office. I told myself I have one of three choices. File it in the cabinet, file it in my 'to act on' folder or file it in the garbage. There are so many day to day duties that must get done, that my office always took the 'back burner'. I am looking forward to improving my paper processing habits in 2013!

It Started Very Small....

2013-01-16T19:58:00.001-05:00

My purpose for starting this blog was way back in 2007 when we had one little boy(Peter) and we had began our second adoption process to bring home (up to) three additional children.
I have maintained the blog for a couple of reasons. I want to document about our daily lives for our children so that one day, they can look back and see a glimpse about the 'days of their lives'. I also wanted an easy way for our families to see updates and photos of our (fast) growing and ever changing children;)
Throughout the 561 posts and 117,254 page hits, many of you have followed our journey and prayed for our family and prayed our children home. I would have never imagined for our blog to make it onto the computer screens of so many people. Somehow, the computer has a way of doing that for a person who places their journey into the cyber world. It seems that a week does not go by that I receive an email asking me a question about something I have posted about. More often, I receive emails about the adoption process, who our facilitator is or if we have dealt with a certain issue with one of our children, and if so, how we have handled it? We are far from experts. We really are. Parenting children is a lot of 'trial and error'.
Through our journey, it is my hope that others see that we are just everyday people. Nothing out of the ordinary~rather simple~everyday people who are living out their day by day calling in this life.
I hope that people are encouraged to rise up as they are led to do the task they feel called to do. Whatever that may be. Thank you for following along, your kind words and thoughtfulness.
If you are reading this, I would love to know a little bit about you, how you found us? I'd love to know what it is about this blog that keeps you coming back and what task do you feel called to in 2013? Ready...go

An Amazing Visit With Aunt Valentina...

2013-01-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

We made the most of Aunt Valentina's visit. Natalia has not seen Valentina in 15 months, but they picked up exactly where they had left off. Valentina lives in a very rural village in a home without indoor plumbing. The Internet has not made its way to the village either. Valentina has not traveled far from home and has never been on an airplane! Coming to America was a BIG deal to her and everyone in her village was talking about it! Valentina is very pleasant, but reserved. She did not leave Natalia's side;) Natalia translated non stop. I could tell that Valentina was somewhat overwhelmed, so for this visit, we decided to stay close to home and incorporate her into our everyday lives. She experienced McDonalds for the first time in her life:

Received her first manicure and pedicure:

Went ice skating for the first time ever! I had the best time watching her;) She started out by hanging close to Natalia:

But little by little, her confidence grew. She would go a quarter of the way around the rink and turn around and skate back:

Joseph zipping around the rink:

Patrick:

Valentina fell and bumped her knee and when the young skate guard stopped and asked her if she needed help, she was out of there!!!! Valentina is somewhat shy. Natalia helping her off the ice:

Natalia's first skating experience too:

Joseph taking a break with Aunt:

Mom and the gang:

A little closer:

Peter:

Aunt Valentina made crepes filled with strawberries and Nutella. Um, delish:

We had fun cooking together. I think Aunt was astounded how much food it takes to keep this group fed;) Aunt and Natalia making Borscht:

Natalia being silly and Aunt 'playing' along:

I allowed Natalia to miss school to spend maximum time with Aunt Valentina. Valentina went to school with Natalia a couple of times to drop off/pick up assignments and meet with her Algebra teacher. Valentina was impressed with the building and commented how tall the boys were! We had a lot of really good talks about our children's bio family and I was able to ask questions and gain even more insight about the past. It helped in placing the pieces together. Knowing that my children have siblings in Ukraine, I am happy that we are in contact with Valentina:

Valentina was amazed at how much food the children eat. She could not believe that nearly every night, they would ask for seconds. She enjoyed going to the produce market, grocery stores and Sam's club, too. She has never seen anything like any of the stores we took her to. She seemed to enjoy the many foods that we served for meals as she cleaned her plate each meal;) William loved making her eggs for breakfast. He has a true servants heart and I loved seeing him serve his Aunt. Valentina was amazed at the size of our eggs here. She raises chickens and says the eggs are very small in comparison.

Valentina loved watching and interacting with the kids. They tried their best to communicate with her. William and Peter understand her. Nikolas spoke nonstop to her in English and she learned pretty quickly to nod her head, say 'Uh huh' or 'Da'. Patrick and Joseph do not remember Aunt Valentina. Joseph was only 5 months old and Patrick was 3 when they were removed from their home. At the time, Aunt Valentina lived in a neighboring village, so she was not present on a daily basis. I believe William may have minimal recollections of her, but he was only 6. My Cowboy wears pink tights:

It has been six years since Valentina has seen William, Patrick and Joseph. Her heart was so blessed to see her nephews (and niece) again. Even though I have had the pleasure of witnessing this reunion, it is hard to get my head around how God has graciously allowed these five lives to remain connected with Bill and I:

Valentina loved Peter, Marta Mae and Nikolas like her own. She often commented on what a sweet and kind boy Peter is. She got a kick out of Marta Mae and Nikolas, too! The three and a half weeks went by quickly. We know that Valentina was missing her six children in Ukraine. She spoke with them every couple of days while she was visiting. Aunt Valentina with the whole gang:

Marta Mae Celebrates NINE...

2013-01-07T19:58:00.001-05:00

I find it hard to believe that an entire year has passed since we were singing, "Happy Birthday" to Marta Mae. She sure looks a lot younger to me. I noticed in the photos, how much younger her mannerisms were. Especially the way she held her mouth to blow out the candles...like a toddler would:

They are a sweet reminder of just how far Marta Mae has come. She continues to be so pleasant and smiley, rarely protesting;) We continue to keep Marta's world very small. The world may think we are robbing Marta of her childhood by not throwing her a big birthday bash, but we believe differently;) We love celebrating birthdays with family:) And more importantly, a big celebration is NOT what is in Marta's best interest. We continually tell Marta, "We are your people". SLOWLY, she is 'getting' this concept. Marta taking possesion of her 'Hello Kitty' cupcakes:

Marta Mae wished:

And blew out every. Last. Candle:

And she was SO proud of herself:

She is so happy to have 5 brothers and 1 sister sing ~~extremely loud and off key~~ to her:

And Aunt Valentina to join in the fun:

BUT Marta Mae especially loved the cupcakes! Yes, Sister Girl LOVES her some cake:

She was beside herself happy:

To dig into her number one choice of the 'PINK' iced cupcake. She has the teeth to prove it:

While the big kids went to a movie, Marta selected her favorite pal to go to McDonalds and play on the slides. Marta looking so grown up:

Two best pals, Marta Mae and Nikolas. They really are the best of friends:

Marta Mae, you are a delightful little girl whom has an intoxicating smile. You sure have made so many gains in one year! When I look at your face, I can't help but think of 'sweet redemption'. I am loving seeing who you are, your likes, dislikes, fears and joys, and I know I haven't even experienced but a tiny fraction of all the uniqueness inside of you that is bottled up tight due to your inability to verbally communicate. I will wait patiently until you are ready. In the meantime, know that we love you unconditionally and are so excited to celebrate many, many more birthdays with you! We love you, Marta Girl! You are amazing. Dream big! After all, He who created YOU, has big things planned for your life:

Merry (Ukrainian) Christmas!!

2013-01-04T10:17:00.001-05:00

Happy 2013...

2013-01-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

We look forward to a new year. New beginnings, new opportunities, reNEWed hope!

CHRISTmas Day...

2012-12-31T14:29:00.001-05:00

In a world where Santa and materialism replace the true meaning of Christmas, as a parent of 7 children, it is a challenge to keep the focus in and on the true meaning of Christmas. The public schools seem to gradually move more focus on Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and less and less focus on Christmas. Bill and I have let our school administration know of our dissatisfaction with the fact that their curriculum is not equal representation for ALL. They have no problem having the children sing about (and receive) a religious symbol such as the dradle, however, 'Frosty the Snowman' and 'O Christmas Tree seems to be songs chosen to represent Christmas. Nonetheless, we recognize that it is our responsibility to teach our children about the true meaning of CHRISTmas and encourage them to 'speak up' when asked questions by their classmates or teachers;) Our children know that Santa and Rudy the Elf are nothing more (or less) than a part of the 'magic' that makes the Christmas Season fun! We love to read the Christmas Story of a sweet baby who was born into very humble means and whom would become known as the Savior of the World. I love to learn of new traditions to teach the children, yet have fun celebrating Jesus, the true meaning of CHRISTmas. We once again kept the number of gifts to a minimum and this year, gave less toys as even our kids recognize that they become bored quickly with them. The older boys received bow and arrows, games for their DSi and Wii. Marta received a dolly and Nikolas a school bus and craft kit complete with markers, stickers and crayons;) Natalia received a visit from Aunt Valentina, pj's, a pillow that she can listen to her Nano music player with, perfume and a nail polish kit.
Christmas morning was very exciting around here! Marta Mae's excitement:

Patrick is the ultimate sports finatic! The guy LOVES anything and everything SPORTS! He was thrilled to receive a Redskins football, hat and scarf;) Patrick's delight:

Joseph is my 'Worker man'. He received a real tool kit complete with real miniture sized tools with a tool bag. He also received a wooden bird house that he will be building with Daddy:

With all the excitement going on, Joseph jumped up to the table and finished off the cookies that were left behind:

A little love note left behind from Santa:

The whole gang after opening their surprises:

Valentina received four outfits, pj's/robe/slippers, socks and undies;) It is certainly better to give than to receive;) It is my prayer that my children always hold the true meaning of CHRISTmas throughout their lives.

T'was The Night Before Christmas...

2012-12-31T00:01:00.001-05:00

And all kinds of 'Littles' were stirring in anticipation of Christmas Day. 'Remember, Mom, we need to decorate cookies and put milk out for Santa'. Yes, so much to do and the time is flying by. I try so hard to savor the moments, but they are speeding by faster that I can imagine;( While Bill served dinner, I got busy and baked the sugar cookies. Aunt Valentina enjoyed the festivities and excitement;) William and Aunt:

Natalia took a picture of the cookie decorating crew. Everyone decorated two cookies. One for Santa and one to eat:

Joseph:

Oh, Marta Mae had icing on one side of her face to the other:

And ALL over her hands. I followed her into the bathroom to snap a photo for proof:

The big boys decided that it was WAY too many cookies for Santa and they removed all but the 'best' three. Peter said he wanted Santa to make it back up the chimney and William said Santa's wife would not be happy if he broke his bed. All the cookies:

Everyone was in bed by 8:00;) The big boys decided the sooner they went to sleep, the sooner their presents would arrive. I wasn't going to argue that theory;) We just had a new gas fireplace insert and mantle installed and I could not bring myself to putting holes in the mantle, so I rigged something up. It did the trick.

I forgot to take a photo of the tree with all the gifts;( The next set of photos will prove there really were gifts under the tree!

Pre Christmas Festivities...

2012-12-28T22:51:00.001-05:00

As the school week came to a close, the activities were at an all time high! Natalia had a few assignments to complete before Christmas break. We spoke with her Principal and core teachers who were awesome about allowing her to stay home to spend maximum time with Aunt Valentina. Bill and I were worked through the end of the week, so when I say we had a lot to manage, well, that is an understatement! Nonetheless, everything got done, Natalia handed in her last two assignments, we finished out practices and activities and Bill and I wrapped up work for (almost) two weeks. Working outside the home full time, I feel blessed to take only three days vacation combined with the mandatory paid 'shut down' days to have TWO WEEKS off from work;) We have an awesome Polish/Russian Deli nearby that sells the leanest and tastiest kielbasi. Knowing that William was counting on me to make kielbasi and kapusta (sauerkraut) for his 'Day of Tradition' at school, I killed two birds with one stone and made it for dinner the night before. The finished product:

We treated Marta Mae to an early birthday dinner at the Hibachi Grill. Valentina has never seen or experienced anything like it;) She enjoyed the 'show' that the chef presented:

Marta Mae will turn 9 on January 1st. She was very excited to be the 'star' of the evening. She is an excellent eater and loved the food:

Marta Mae loved her special dessert of fried ice cream. I can't say I blame her:

William decided Marta Mae needed help and sweet as she is, she agreed:

The whole gang including Valentina. We are so blessed by her:

Celebrating Marta Mae:

After dinner we took a short walk over to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in White Plains. They had made a gingerbread replica of the Kykuit Mansion which is the former estate of the Rockefeller family. Fifty five pounds of sugar and thirty five pounds of flour was used. It took 150 hours to build. Here is a link with a video:

Marta Mae relaxing in the Hotel lobby:

The entire gang in front of the Christmas tree:

What a wonderful evening!

A Very Special Visit from Aunt Valentina...

2012-12-27T23:55:00.001-05:00

After bringing William, Patrick and Joseph home in 2008, my heart really broke for their older sister whom had once cared for her three little brothers as best as an 11, 12, or 13 year old girl could. I could not help but feel the big empty space that she must have felt now that her brothers were no longer a part of her life. We asked our friend and facilitator Max to go and find Natalia to let her know that the boys were together and okay. In his very efficient and professional manner, Max was directed by a couple of 'locals' to Aunt Valentina's house. He nervously knocked on the door and Aunt Valentina answered. He presented her with updated photos of the boys and said, "I bring you greetings from your nephews who are now living in America." Valentina began to cry. They spoke for a few moments and she went with Max up the road to Natalia's school. Natalia was called out of class and she met Max. They came back to Valentina's home. This picture was taken almost exactly 4 years ago when Natalia was 15 years old:

Valentina was (and is) a very gracious person, inviting Max into her very humble home where she and her husband and SIX children, plus Natalia live. She was (and is) a very honest and 'say it like it is' person. Although I had not met her, I liked her:

We were 'pen pals' with Natalia for two years. She called Max the day before each of her brother's birthdays to make certain that Max would tell us to wish them, 'Happy Birthday'. In 2010 when we adopted Nikolas, Natalia asked Max if we would come and meet her? In 2010, we met Valentina and Natalia for the first time. We sat in Valentina's living room and talked (with Max as our translator). It was at this meeting that we discussed the possibility of making Natalia a permanent part of our family. Valentina did not want to let Natalia go, but she wanted what was best for Natalia~an example of true love:

We said good bye and I snapped this final photo, which I love:

In September, 2011 Natalia stepped foot in America as a member of our family. She has faithfully called Aunt Valentina every week. I think it is safe to say that Aunt Valentina is the ONLY person in Ukraine that Natalia loves and misses. The more I learn about Valentina, the more I love and respect her. She is a wonderful, hard working woman, who fiercely loves her kids (and Natalia). She applied for a travel passport and had an appointment with the American Embassy on December 3rd and was granted a 5 year multi-entry Visa! That day we booked her flight and did not tell Natalia! On December 17th, she arrived. Natalia went to the airport with Bill thinking that they were picking up a friend of a friend. She was so surprised to see Valentina and via versa.
15 months after saying good-bye, Natalia and Aunt Valentina, reunited:

HE'S BAAAACK....

2012-12-13T22:34:00.001-05:00

The kids know he returns every year 'sometime after Thanksgiving'. 'When oh when Mom is Rudy coming back?' Finally, he arrived. Rudy always comes with his storybook:

But this year he came with a little extra 'incentive'. Each child received a personalized list with 10 'things' for them to work on:

In no time, Rudy was up to his same old shenanigans. He wrote on the shower walls with dot markers:

Writing everyone's name:

He raided the Halloween candy, leaving his papers behind and downing the Pepto for his upset stomach:

He helped himself to a Nintendo game:

Snuggled with a monkey:

Drank a can of seltzer:

He's had a snowball fight in the kitchen with marshmellows, toilet papered the living room, and stolen ornaments off the Christmas tree.
Rudy has a whole list of mischief up his sleeve. Joseph is especially enamored with Rudy's games. He gets disgusted with all his mischief;) Bill and I get a kick out of Joseph's dramatic display of emotion after seeing all of Rudy's messes and bad behavior;) Tonight, I think he will sneak in the pouch of a Kangaroo stuffed animal....

IS IT REALLY DECEMBER?

2012-12-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

It's that time of the year...again. The energy in the children seems to kick up a few notches, and additional activities seem to pile on to our already busy schedule. I am so happy that we made the decision a few years ago to STAY HOME for Christmas. Somehow staying home has taken a TON of pressure off of me:) One of our highlights of the Season is our trip to see Santa. We LOVE this Santa. Not only is he VERY authentic looking BUT he says very profound, meaningful things. He asked each one of the kids what ONE gift they were most looking forward to receiving? After they were done, he asked them, 'What is the best gift that we have been given?' Peter said, 'Family'. Patrick said, 'The birth of Jesus'. Santa affirmed them by saying, 'Jesus and the love of your family are the greatest gifts we have. We must NEVER forget'. Yes, Santa we must not forget:

Thankfully Santa's decorations are authentic because Joseph touched his beard, hair, glasses and fur on his jacket. At one point Santa had is hat off showing Joseph his glitzy pin of Rudolph. Joseph has a lot to say and has some interpersonal skills for a six year old:

Santa getting some Joseph love:

Santa delivering his profound words to our listening crowd:

After with Santa, we took the kids to the food court. They chose where they wanted to eat and loved it! The behaved beautifully;) I thankfully looked at the picture after dinner and saw that they cut off a portion of Patrick and William in the photo. SOOOO, back downstairs we went and they took another picture. The kids were troopers. I thank God that the kids are truly happy for simple things like family outings that include rides on the escalators and glass enclosed elevators;) It is an excellent reminder, especially at this time of year, not to over indulge them with material possessions.
Another highlight of the Season is decorating the Christmas tree. Bill and I set the tree up, Natalia strung the lights and the kids decorated away...until everything that resembled an ornament was hung on the tree. All the action:

Nikolas concentrating:

Patrick helping Marta Mae by showing her proper placement and method of hanging the ornament, just in case she forgot from last year;)

One of my favorite ornaments that belonged to my Grandmother who is 99 years young:

The decorating gang! All full of smiles and good cheer:

Ballerina And A Few Stragglers

2012-12-07T00:25:00.000-05:00

Marta has started taking ballet lessons. I wasn't real sure what she would think about it. Fortunately, our local School of Ballet has a class for children with special needs. The class is small and allows a parent to participate with the child. I thought this would be perfect for Marta. The first lesson she was quite shy and hesitant to 'join in', BUT she really liked it. They have a musician who plays live music, which she seemed to like. In between the first and second class I reminded her that she needs to try whatever Ms. Theresa was teaching her. The second class she was much more willing to try. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for Marta. The teacher just loved her and really wants to work toward putting her in a mainstreamed class next session. Little ballerina girl:

I found a few photos from Thanksgiving. I just love this picture of Joseph. He is such a snuggler. Whenever I sit down, he is quick to climb in my lap. William took this picture:

All the children LOVE to help, which I am thankful for. Peter and William especially love to help in the kitchen. Ms. Pat taught Peter how to make Green bean casserole. Peter mixing:

All ready to go in the oven:

Ms. Pat and Peter:

We had a really nice and relaxing Thanksgiving. It was super low key~which I am totally thankful for. My dad and Ms. Pat were so fun to have to celebrate with!

Time, Where Does It Go?

2012-12-06T22:20:00.002-05:00

November, November, where have you gone? Hurricane Sandy swept through, we came up for air, completed painting our living room which we converted to our family den that is now used for homework, reading and computer time. Life is busy, busy, and getting busier, but we are thankful. Nikolas and Patrick were due to have their ear tubes removed. Nikolas' tubes behaved as they should have and dropped out of place and the ENT plucked them out while in the office with a pair of tweasers. Patrick, on the other hand, his tubes decided to grow into his ear and had to be removed through surgery. A very simple and quick surgery, but surgery:( Patrick in very typical happy Patrick fashion and I made our way to the local children's Hospital. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and we were in and out relatively quick. Patrick, before surgery:

Nikolas has major scaring in his ears as a result of years of untreated ear infections;( He also spent the first 3.5 years of his life hearing as if he were 'under water', hence his inability to speak because he did not hear intelligible language. Poor kid. Miraculously, he does not have any permanent hearing loss. He is now speaking in full sentences, though some of his words are not completely intelligible. Give him a year or two and this kid will be completely caught up in his speech delays;) Nikolas is a miracle baby~bursting into this world at 32 weeks and 2.4 pounds;( I am thankful for a job that allows me to help support our family, work towards retiring at 55, but most importantly, give me flexibility to 'be there' for my children. Visiting Peter's classroom for a special 'Visitors Day'. I LOVE his teacher this year. I love this boy:

Marta Mae continues to academically develop by leaps and bounds! She is AMAZING. She is trying so hard to verbally express herself. She is not a huge risk taker, but she is amazingly happy and resilient which have been her two 'saving graces' in surviving her inability to speak. With much pushing a prodding, the School District finally provided Marta with her very own Ipad, complete with an App called Proloquo2go. It is an amazing tool that gives Marta a voice. She is learning to use it like a champ! She takes it to and from school everyday:

These three are something else. They love playing cops and robbers. Nikolas has the spray gun for the water hose;) Marta has her brother's hat and play coat on;) I looked outside my office window and this is what I saw:

I divide our dentist visits by girls and boys. The two girls had perfect check ups and so did the five boys! The boy's appointment was on Election Day. Patrick, very energetically asked our dentist who he was going to vote for? The dentist, who was quite surprised said, "Mitt Romney" and Patrick blurted out, "So am I!!!!!" The dentist told him to go and pick out another prize;) Just prior to delivering all five to school after a clean check up:

Natalia, Marta Mae and Nikolas were all baptized at the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Marta and Nikolas looking at hymn books prior to the ceremony:

Precious children of God:

Sweet Marta Mae:

Handsome Nikolas:

Natalia went through a couple of months of instruction to learn about the meaning of the sacraments she received. Because she is 'older', she was baptized and made her First Holy Communion at the same time. The entire Mass was in Ukrainain:

I pray she follows Jesus all the days of her life:

I pray that He leads these two little darlings and they desire to love and serve Him all the days of their lives:

Marta Mae radiating JOY! She is joy:

We are so thankful for my Dad and Ms. Pat for being the children's God Parents:

Hurricane Sandy Hits....

2012-11-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

Like many storms, She was talked about for weeks by everyone. One predicted that She would be the worst in history, depending where She touched down. We are not usually ones to fret about storm predictions. We take 'common sense' precautions and wait. I purposely did not complete a 'big' food shop. Then Sandy made her debut. On Monday night, we lost power. Our property is surrounded by trees. We did not get much rain, but the wind, oh. my. the. wind! It sounded like a freight train. I prayed over and over that God would keep the trees stationary. Many areas of New Jersey, Long Island and Staten Island were devastated. People lost their homes, cars and some died as a result of trees falling on their homes. A complete tragedy. I snapped a photo of this tree about 2 minutes from our home:

We were without power for six days. While it was not easy, we were very thankful to have been spared from disaster. We have a gas stove and water tank, so we could cook on our stove and had hot water~a huge blessing. A couple of nights we chose to eat out. IHOP night:

Bill and I did our best to stay calm and remember that we had 7 sets of eyes watching us during this time. We talked a lot about survival skills with the hopes of teaching our kids that 'life happens' and we must always try and keep and level head. Thankfully the weather was mild the majority of the week (40's &50's). This type of 'pioneer living' took a toll as the week progressed, but I really wanted to enjoy the simplicity of life that resulted without, T.V. and computers. I layed down with the littles at night and hearing, 'Mom, I love you' in the pitch black, brought sweet perspective:

Peter has really been interested in learning cursive writing and took some time from being outside to practice:

Practicing 'J'. He makes me laugh. The last sentence said to write a sentence about a jet. Peter wrote, 'The Concorde is one of the fastest planes'. He is most definitely an independent thinker:

Two friends who had power helped us by taking a few of our frozen foods and Patrick's and William's (very expensive) growth hormone medicine that requires refrigeration. I washed our two refrigerators and stand alone freezer that were left empty:

I had very little energy for Halloween, BUT I had (thankfully) bought costumes at 90%off last year and the kids really wanted to wear them. We thought we would go to the local Mall and walk around. However, our old neighborhood (where we typically Trick or Treat) had power on a few streets. We hit about 25 houses and the kids were so thrilled:

My Indian Princess:

We did not have school or work for the week. The kids spent a ton of time outside. We are thankful to have a large stretch of woods behind our house. Bill and the kids had made a fire pit a while back. We made a couple of fires and roasted marshmallows, hot dogs and hung out. The kids LOVE it. Peter:

Nikolas, Marta Mae, and William:

Joseph, collecting sticks:

Patrick:

Nikolas:

William:

Natalia joined in after her afternoon nap;)

We were never so happy to have our power restored on Sunday evening. There are still folks in our area that do not have power;( And many who have suffered devastation. Our hearts and prayers go out to them.

Happy 9th Birthday, Patrick John...

2012-10-28T20:49:00.000-04:00

Patrick John, You were named after Aunt Patricia (aka Tricia) and my Grandfather, John. I knew from the very first days of meeting you, you were a 'life of the party' kind of guy! Sure, you were delayed in your speech and social development, but you had a hearty laugh and couldn't help but smile, even though you had only 'known' us a few days:

I love that you were and still are VERY excited about the simplest things. The day we took you from the orphanage, I dressed you in new clothing, from head to toe. You squealed with delight about the cars on your underwear;) To this day, if I give you a treat, you love to run and tell your brothers and sisters all about it:

You have the. most. generous. heart. of any child that I know;) You love to help and serve and tell others what they should be doing;) Daddy and I think you will one day be a police officer or a leader in the military. You love to play cops and robbers and you are always the cop. You love to be the boss to anyone who will 'be bossed' by you, and you are great for making up the rules around the house and informing your brothers and sisters that the rules came from Daddy and I:

While you are the same in so many ways, you have changed in so many ways. You were so afraid of everything when we brought you home just before celebrating your 5th birthday. Bless your heart, you had night terrors:( I had an epiphany one night, that you were fearing the 'unknown' in the night, and I got you up and walked you all around the house and outside to show you that there was nothing to be afraid of and that everything was quiet. In the matter of a couple of weeks, you were no longer having 'terrors'. You were afraid to go to school or participate in soccer with William helping and Daddy and I in the gym with you. Little by little your confidence emerged. Your fifth birthday:

You still love playing outside. You are FULL of energy so Daddy and I make it a point to 'run you' everyday! You love playing with your brothers and sisters. You especially love Peter and William. Joseph and you are the most alike, so you are most likely to bicker with him. You like to pester William and Peter and Joseph loves to pester you;) The day of your 6th birthday:

You love to go to school each day. You have wonderful penmanship and love to do your homework immediately after arriving home each day. You are organized and my best worker, especially if it is manual labor. You are strong like a bull and work well with your hands. You are a great organizer of toys, books and especially the mud room. You love lining up army men, playing with Planet of the Apes figures and playing Legos. Your 7th birthday:

2011 was a big year for you. In April, you started growth hormones. They have helped to grow you over 4 inches in a year in a half. Your physical appearance has changed the most, your face has thinned out and you look a bit older~ but thankfully, you are the same happy Patrick;) You love to eat. Apples are on the top of your list, though you are an excellent eater. You are a good sleeper. You are very responsible with taking your shot each night. We tell you all the time that you are a 'brave and good soldier'. Celebrating your 8th birthday:

If I had to come up with one word to describe you, it would be 'Happy'. You really are a happy guy. Even when you are having blood taken, you have a smile on your face;) You remind me to be happy;)

I find myself smiling when I look at you. Even though you practiced soccer in the cold rain for 1.5 hours, you arrive to the car happy;) I find myself snapping photos of you, because when most people (myself included) would complain in their circumstances, you are happy;)

You are an animal on the soccer field. The parents of your teammates tell me how much they LOVE watching you play soccer and how much you encourage their sons to be brave and not intimidated by bigger players. You are intense and could care less how big your opponent is...you (almost) always win the ball. You love playing soccer, wrestling and your newest sport, Karate. Your soccer team has won many tournaments. This year you are playing Division One and are in first place:

You chose to carry in Chinese food and have Ice Cream Cake for your 9th birthday! Make a wish:

You had Chicken with Snow Peas for dinner and loved your pumpkin ice cream cake:

We love celebrating you, Patrick! You are a super happy and fun guy to be around! You are loud and full of energy and super duper funny. Daddy and I find ourselves laughing (to ourselves) quite a bit;) You have a lot of funny things to say and are great with imitations. We love watching you develop into the young man that you were created to be, and we are so happy to be your Mom and Dad. Happy Ninth birthday, Patrick John: