En route

We are en route back to Russia to bring home our boys. If you would like to follow our journey there, kindly go to our ADOPTION BLOG.

See you in 2 1/2 weeks, or thereabout.

Kid Bedrooms

In the past year, I have set out to decorate the bedrooms for my children. It may be a nesting thing because of the adoption or otherwise, but I wanted to share pictures of my creations. Please note, I made all of the quilts you see here, plus the curtains AND put fabric on the picture frames. You are welcome to "oo" and "ah". 

The girls wanted pink (Iryna's favorite color) and purple (Anna's favorite color). So I went with that theme. Over Christmas, I saw a white tree and they sold pink and purple ornaments. I thought it was adorable and matched their room so well, we left it up after Christmas. Also, yes, those picture frames are empty on their dresser. I have been waiting to take family pictures with Calvin and Silas and then put up individual pictures of the girls in it - and Iryna's outfit is a pink dress and Anna's is a purple dress. I love for things to match. :)

 

 

 

I like to have a picture of the temple and of Christ in every room. This picture of the temple just happens to have both pink and purple coloring.

 

I had originally wanted Anna's room to be patriotic several years ago, but, like most girls, that wasn't the most feminine theme. Now I have 3 boys and they don't get a say in the matter - I love red, white, and blue!

Again, empty frames...can't wait for those family pictures! And the I Am A Child Of God print was made by my sister-in-law, Tisha. They are for sale under the I AM A CHILD OF GOD tab at the top of the blog. There are several colors to choose from, and the girls have a pink one in their room. It's a great reminder for all of us.

I love the retro clock. Do you think it's high enough that Silas can't pull it down?

I am truly pleased with how the curtains turned out. I didn't use a pattern, just decided what I wanted and went after it. The blue box on the dresser holds diaper wipes that just happen to be in a red container. Overboard? I think not.

This is our family shooting star! My awesome friend, Valerie, made this for me as part of her fundraisers for her Bulgarian adoption. It has engagement pictures of Tyler and I and then each star is painted red (for girls) and blue (for boys) with their names on it. When/if we have more children, we can add more stars. Isn't it adorable? And it fits RIGHT in with the patriotic theme in the room.

I wanted to have themes that I could carry with us from house to house and I think these will work. What do you think? I'm not an interior designer, but I'm pleased with the results.

Two pictures

Look what I found on my camera? Enjoy.

Anna and Daddy snuggle time

Keith showing me a Chinook helicopter - his current favorite. :)

Early Birthday Party

We will be in Russia on Tyler's 34th birthday, so we decided to celebrate early! We had a nice meal on Sunday night (Turkey, potatoes, rolls, corn, and a homemade lemon angel food cake with lemon glaze - it was amazing!) and presents! Tyler got three gifts: a Choffy travel mug, 20 piece haircutting kit, and an M&M dispenser (for work). We went around the table and said those things that we love about daddy/Tyler. Happy early Birthday, honey!

Friends hold your hand, Friends make you smile, They are always there for you, They make life worthwhile

I've been hanging out with Nichole for about a year now. I had been praying for a friend when I met Nichole. It turns out that she was also praying for a friend, too. Our friendship has been nothing but easy, refreshing, supportive, and fun. We've had lunch dates, GNO's, shopping, sewing, a cruise to the Bahamas, dinner/games and pedicures. I have learned that friendships like this one are hard to find and I'm so grateful for the year we had together here in FL. Nichole left yesterday for Thailand - husband is also active duty Air Force - and she'll be there for 2 years. We are moving back to OH in August (that is official), ourselves. Missing you already, Nichole!

Here are some pictures from our dinner/game night on Friday.

Nichole and I

Tyler & Josh

Anna and Cameron - they are wii buddies! And little Emma wanted to join in on the fun - she is Cameron's sister. :)

Social Dilemma

So, my friend has this friend at school that she's been wanting to play with outside of school. As Anna hasn't made too many close friends here in FL, we are wanting to encourage friendships for her. I took Anna over to this little girl's house recently. The mom was very nice and we chatted for a bit before I dropped Anna off there for a few hours. The mom told me that she worked a lot and wasn't home much, but that her husband was home. This made me uncomfortable, but since the mom was there that day - I didn't think much of it. When I went home, I didn't like the idea of future scenarios with Anna being there with her friend and supervised by the dad only. Plus something just seemed off when I met the dad and he had a friend (also male) over that really struck me as not the sort of person I want to be around, much less my daughter. It may seem paranoid to some, but children are molested by people that they know and trust - and I don't know these people. The little girl is so incredibly sweet and this family may be fabulous - but I don't know that and I don't feel comfortable with the situation. And my number one job is to take care of my children - not worry about what other people may think.

Anna came home from her friend's house. She said that she had a nice time...but then she said she felt uncomfortable being there. I asked several questions trying to see if any funny business has occurred, but she said it was just a bad feeling that she had a couple of times. I told her that this was the Holy Spirit warning her and I praised her for being sensitive to feel those important promptings. I also told her how I felt about her going back and said that I didn't want it to happen again. She agreed with me and wasn't upset with my decision.

Fast forward to today - this friend was supposed to come over today to play. Anna was excited for her to come over and I was looking forward to learning more about her - by all accounts, she is an incredibly sweet girl. I have seen her a couple of times before now, not to mention the many phone calls...anyhow, the mom calls and said that the girl is feeling sick to her stomach, can we reschedule? I said that next weekend I would be out of town (Time Out For Women in Orlando) and then the following week we are leaving for Russia. I mentioned that her daughter could come over after school next week, sometime, but the mom didn't want to schedule anything. I guess some people aren't planners like I am. ha ha. Anyhow, I already knew that I didn't want for Anna to go over to her house again, but I didn't know how to go about saying that. You know? So, I said that we would be pretty busy when we bring our boys home from Russia and would not be having playdates here for some time - so the boys can attach to their family members. The mom accepted that and said that they would just have Anna come over there....I said that I appreciated that idea. I didn't know what else to say. "No, I'm sorry, I don't trust you people with my girl!" just doesn't flow very well, or sound very polite.

And so...what would you do? How would you broach this situation? Keep in mind that my mind is made up about Anna NOT going back to their house. And this girl will ask for Anna to come over again. She is the only girl in the family with an older brother - and she really likes Anna. I know that this isn't the end of this situation. I await your comments full of wisdom.

Dr Seuss' Birthday

Today I went in to volunteer at the school for an event celebrating Dr Seuss' birthday! I spent time with both Keith and Iryna and they ate green eggs and ham while the principle and vice principle read the book Green Eggs and Ham. I really enjoyed being there with the twins. It was a lot of fun. 

Update on Iryna: we started her on a new medication for anti-anxiety. I am hoping that it will help her relax. :)