Alex and Onions....

Alex LOVES onions.
One night when he first came home I went to tuck him into bed and kiss him goodnight and was blown away by his onion breath! Apparently he eats them like apples! (My eyes are watering just thinking about biting into an onion like an apple!)
My girlfriend, Amy finds it so funny she's rewarded him with an onion and sent onions over as a gift just for him. He proudly reminds me which specific onion is his in the fridge.
Lately he hasn't been eating them like apples because he'd rather have me kiss him goodnight. (Give me a break-I don't kiss James when he has onion breath either!)
He also brags that onions do not make him cry. And since my baby blues are super sensitive to the sun, the air in my car blowing on them and onions, I play upon his cocky nature and demurely ask Alex to help me with dinner each and every night onion chopping is part of the recipe.
Friday night I had called everyone in for help putting dinner together and ask Alex to take care of the onion chopping. It was a potent one too. And before he knew it, his eyes started to water. Rylee-being the younger sister and knowing how often Alex toots his horn about his super human immunity to crying while cutting onions-pointed this out to him to which he shrugged off and said, "Me American now-my eyes cry!"
Ha, ha, ha!
Then he went and put on his sunglasses. (Not because he didn't want us to see his eyes water but because he felt they protected his eyes!)
What a funny boy.

Halloween

I was asked to help with the spook alley (haunted barn) for the Ukraine kids on Halloween. I recruited my kids and two of their friends. Here we are:
Me, Jazmine Devree, Rylee, Hayden, Austin (the snowman) and Alex.

Then we went home and had soup and bread bowls.
Then the cousins came over and Brach & Alex took off trick or treating.

Rachel came over and she and Rylee took off too.

Kambree got home from work and she and her friends scrounged up some costumes and went looking for fun.

Austin wore his snowman costume around and he and friends were coming and going all night but never actually went trick or treating-which is good-an almost six foot abominable snowman would probably not be very welcome on everyone's front porch.
Devree and Jazmine went trick or treating all over the place and really made a haul. They actually packed two costumes with the theory that they'd go back in a 2nd costume to the houses giving out full size candy bars. Crazy kids....
Here is Alex & Rylee's haul....

This year Alex said trick or treat instead of "chicken-chicken" like last year. He also didn't run like a crazy man sweating buckets from house to house (because I threatened him to stay with Brach or he was coming home!) Alex & Rylee hooked up when it got dark and James followed them around. (Yet another decree from good old mom!)
Now what to with all that candy???

Carving Pumpkins....

Our 19th Anniversary!

On Tuesday, November 2nd James and I will have been married for NINETEEN years! Wow, that sounds so long. I still feel like the young newly married girl that sat in relief society and was asked how long I'd been married? I proudly announced "Two weeks!" and all the little old ladies in our ward laughed. I was a little indignant, two weeks is a long time!!
So to celebrate we found a really cheap cruise out of San Diego that went to Ensanada and back. We drove all night (12 hours) Sunday night. Arrived way to early and had four hours with no sleep to kill. We visited an old ship that was docked by our Carnival ship.

Then we looked at this military ship.

Finally we were permitted to check in our luggage and sit in a waiting area where I fell asleep. We finally got on the ship around 12:30 but our room wasn't ready until 1:30 so we did what we always do on cruises....eat!!
Then we slept. That night we met our dinner table guest. Roger & Sara from Las Vegas and Jennifer and Keith from San Diego and a blond lady and her drunk husband that kept trying to buy James a beer. (They never came back the next night!)
We then went to see the comedian and then we went to sleep...again!
The whole trip the boat was really rocky. Lot's of white caps and as I mentioned we were traveling cheap so we were on the very bottom of the boat-but we did have a window-and the waves often times sounded like whales running into the boat. But we slept well anyway!
This is me cuddling with our walrus towel.

So the 1st day at sea we worked out at the gym, ate, walked around, ate, played cards, ate and took naps! It was heavenly!
That night was formal night and we did manage to get someone to take our picture. (Of course we had our picture taken a bazillion times by the cruise ship people but we didn't buy any of those!) Besides that we were pretty bad at taking pictures.

Here we are at dinner:

Of course we had lobster and shrimp and warm melting chocolate cake!
The show that night was cancelled because the water was so rough props were flying around backstage and they were worried about the safety of the performers. We wandered around the disco, the piano bar and stopped into see the R rated version of the comedian and promptly walked right out.
The next day we docked in Ensenada but I'd been there twice and James once and we didn't want to take the long bus ride to the blow hole & shopping center so we just shopped downtown and bought....nothing! There was nothing we wanted. So we wandered around for a bit then went back to the boat and hot tubed and you guessed it...napped!
Here is James on the streets of Ensenada:

That night we saw a hilarious hypnotist and we laughed and laughed.
The next day we slept in, ate breakfast and hung around the ship until we could disembark, we of course were the very last zone to leave-again thanks to our cheap tickets-then we hopped in our car and drove home and fell into bed at 2 am this morning.
It was a lovely trip, we talked a lot-something that rarely happens around here with all the interruptions of life-and we loved every lazy, relaxing, gluttonous moment of it.
Everyone survived back home and this morning Rylee and Alex served us breakfast in bed!

Halloween costumes...

Last Friday we had our ward Halloween party. It was great because it gave me a chance to get the kids in their costumes and make sure they have everything before their costume parade and party at school Thursday. I am so sad I won't be there. When James and I planned our cruise for our anniversary I looked at the calender and thought "Perfect! We'll be home on the 29th in time for school Halloween parties and parade." WRONG! Little did I know five months ago that school would be out on Friday and the parties and parade are on Thursday. UGH. This hurts my heart as I ALWAYS dress up as a witch and tell stories in my childs class. Not to mention helping them with their costumes and makeup. So this year we went with costumes they could do on their own. I think they turned out pretty good. What do you think?

Alex is undoubtedly a pirate-and a cute one at that-but just in case you are wondering Rylee is a lunch lady and hilarious!!
Here's close ups....

And full body shots...

This is Alex during trunk or treat sporting some green Dracula teeth. Notice the lack of mustache? It was bothering him when he was eating and he's also removed the hat and patch by now too. But please note his curly chest hairs....hehehe!

Whoohoo, more candy!

Devree dressed up too. She just wore all her zebra print clothing and accessories.

Kambree was working and Austin was with friends.

The next night Kambree was invited to a masquerade birthday party. She and Camille made their masks themselves.

So we are out of here in about thirty minutes!
Good luck Mom & Dad....you're the best!
(If anyone see's smoke, parties, Austin driving ANYTHING motorized, Alex running a muck, or my mother running around pulling at her hair, please call for help!)

Ref

I read this quote today on another blog:
Having one child makes you a parent, having two makes you a referee.
Ain't that the truth?
And it doesn't change the older they get. Yesterday it was Devree's turn to take the garbage can's to the curb but they were so heavy (due to the dirt my husband throws away each week as he bucket by bucket full removes the top six inches of dirt over on our side yard to put down chunks of cement to make our 2nd RV parking/all his toys area.) that she couldn't move them. I told her to ask Austin to help and to offer to help him in some way with his job-which was dishes and cleaning up the backyard as it's strewn with tomato trellises, tools and buckets from pulling out the garden last weekend. But they can't come to terms on what is fair-or was it that Devree just told Austin that "Mom said you have to move the garbage can's!" I had to go out and make the royal decree that Austin would move the garbage can's and Devree will empty the dishwasher. I swear, I should wear a stripped shirt and a whistle.
That's nothing compared to the daily referring that goes on between Alex & Rylee. Riding in the car and sitting on a certain side has become so bad that one day I just declared permanent seat positions. Seriously. The only difference in seats is one the window only rolls down half way and rarely do we EVER roll down the windows!! I've also had to make seating arrangements in the van. Littlest children in the back so it's a pecking order and Alex consciously watches for who is going because he's the next in line to move up to the middle bucket seats. Good grief!
This morning we had drama and tears because Rylee didn't get her spelling test done last night. She had dance and didn't get back until after I had left for a church meeting. Everyone else was gone or had homework of their own except for trusty Alex-who tried to give her her spelling test but he couldn't pronounce the words correctly so he'd spell them to her off the paper!
So this morning, after getting to the root of the problem I thought I had an ingenious idea. Have Rylee read him her spelling words and then he could quiz her on them and they would be fresh in her mind so she could correct his pronunciation if wrong and take her quiz. (I'm really thinking I'm smart as this not only helps Rylee but gives Alex more English words to practice saying!) But sadly it was a terrible experience with Rylee crying when she missed a word claiming that Alex said it wrong. Good grief. The word in question I was helping him with and I know I didn't say it wrong but she's got it in her head that she heard it wrong and of course blaming Alex is a perfect scape goat! This is not going to work. So much for my great idea....
Well, Kambree is driving into the driveway and should be at school. Better go get my whistle and make a call on what is going on with that....

Great.

This is a vent post, not funny and in the eternal scope of life not important. Never the less since this is my therapy blog here it is in it's entirety. Feel free to read but not if you're looking for enjoyment...

Last night I faced the inevitable, I went down to my costume closet to sort through costumes for Halloween. It's not that I don't like to dress up or get my kids dressed up, quiet the contrary. What I dreaded was the mess my kids have made out of my once very organized costume boxes and the fact that I know pieces will be missing-due to my children lending them out or playing with them and I will become angry because they are MY costumes gosh dang it!
(Note: My costume closet is not to be confused with the dress ups in the walk in toy closet. Just in case you think I'm depriving my children of the creative outlet of dressing up!)
So Alex is going to be a pirate and Rylee a lunch lady. I know exactly what I need. I have great pirate stuff due to my performance in Peter Pan as not only Mrs. Darling but Jukes the pirate. I even have a gold tooth. Can I find the gold tooth? Nope. Lost. But I do find that I'm missing....
My Russian Hat
My Maleficent Hat
Two Safari Hats
Our new vintage 50's dress I bought for Grease
and that everything is mixed up and a jumbled mess!!!
Great.
I have since located all but one safari hat & the dress but have ideas just who's friends have them...
What a dumb thing to get upset about when there are so many other pressing things.
Like opening anything to do with our health insurance. Yesterday I opened a bill for $219.00. What? I had gone to a plastic surgeon IN their new work, paid our $40 co-pay to have this funny thing on my nose looked at. The surgeon suggested surgery-that it was some sort of pre-cancerous spot-but was going out of town-I scheduled the surgery for when he got back. By the time he returned, it was almost gone (and now is completely gone) so I canceled my surgery. So...what is this bill for? Called BC/BS and they couldn't explain it either and will re-evaluate.
Great.
I took the kids for their annual eye appointments. After re-billing BC/BS with the proper codes-for every single child-apparently BC/BS has stopped paying for some required part of the exam (refractory something or other) and that is $45 per person charge, not to mention the $40 co-pay and then add to that contacts and fittings.
Great.
And the dentist office just called and our routine cleanings-without ANY CAVITIES- after all is said and done will be costing $179. What the heck? We use to NEVER pay for anything when there were not any cavities or additional work done.
Great.
Not to mention that I find myself so upset that I start crying on the phone. How dumb it that? It's not that the $179 is going to break us it's that I'm so tired of this. I'm so tired of keeping up my end of the bargain-paying the premiums & co-pays and going to "their" net work of doctors and then they turn around and say "Oh, by the way, this is not covered." I feel so helpless.
It's almost as if every claim is denied and or billed incorrectly so when you actually do get down to the bottom dollar figure the visit was six months or more out. (Seriously, I have a hard time remembering last week let alone six months ago!!)
I dread opening mail from BC/BS or any doctor or dentist as it ALWAYS requires a phone call, inquiry and then a "disregard that bill until we re-bill, re-evaluate etc."
UGHHH!!
Okay, I feel better. Dumb stuff to cry about.
Life goes on and at least we don't have major hospital bills or unhealthy kids. Right?
Look at the bright side Wendy. Count your blessings.
Hum.... where is that chocolate bar???

Dating, Wonton's & Marriage

Today while waiting for Devree's choir concert to start out of the blue Alex turns to me and says:
Alex: How old I be to have girlfriend?
Me: Umm... (a bit startled) You can start dating when you're sixteen.
Alex: What dating?
Me: Like going out and having fun together. To dinner or a movie.
Alex: Oh (and he makes the rubbing his fingers and thumb together sign for money.)
Me: Yes, it cost money.
Alex: (Talking across me to Austin) Austin-why you no girlfriend?
Me: Honey, he's not sixteen yet.
Alex: You birthday- you get girlfriend go on date!
Austin: (Cracking up) Yeah, sure Alex.

On Sunday when we got out of the car in the downtown parking lot we saw our friends the Waltons. Kambree said, "Look Mom, the Waltons!" and the Alex piped in "Look Mom. the Wontons!" I burst out laughing and and later told Amy. I'm afraid she'll be Amy Wonton from now on, luckily she has a fabulous sense of humor and thinks it's funny too!

Later tonight he asked me how old he has to be to get married.
I asked him if he has someone in mind? "NO!" he said emphatically. (I'm sort of doubting this with all this talk about girlfriends and now marriage. I don't know if you've notice but he is terribly handsome and I don't doubt he makes some 5th graders heart all a flutter!)
I told him he should be at least 23 or older but mostly he just has to find a good girl that will be a good mom and wife. And he piped in, "And a good baker!" Yes, a good baker is very important!

Perspective...

So, I'm feeling a bit guilty about my last post.
I just returned from looking at houses with a client and her two small children. Her three year old asked questions non-stop. I told her how much her son reminds me of my son and it dawned on me that Alex is just about at a three year old persons language level.
My client is a school teacher and she told me how her son just loves to use his new found language skills and the only way he can is to ask questions.
Umm...yep. That would be Alex except he is not a toddler, he's eleven. I'm not use to toddlers. I'm use to sarcastic teenagers.
And I need to work on not being so sarcastic, impatient & cynical to my eleven year old-toddler!

Help...I'm being pelted!!

Mom, you cooking dinner?
Mom, you working?
Mom, you talk-en phone?
Mom, school today?
Mom, me have green lunch (box)?
Mom, home at three today?
Mom, where you go?
Mom, when you be home?
Mom, where Dad?
Mom, what Austin say?
Mom, what Rylee doing?
Mom, what you say me?
And the questions continue....
Alex has taken up question asking as his form of conversation. It wouldn't be so bad if they were legitimate questions but ALL the questions above he...
A: knows the answer for
Like Alex, what color lunch box do you always have? Green.
What time do you always come home from school? 3:00.
Or he could...
B: easily look around and discover the answer himself.
Like, where Dad is, if I'm on the phone, or am I standing in front of the stove cooking something at dinner time?
Or are just
C: none of his business.
Like what it is Rylee is doing, or Austin saying or I'm going.
And that last question he asks when I am obviously talking to someone in the same room as him and I've usually been talking to them for a few interchanges then he pipes in with a "Mom what you say me?"
I try to breath deep. "No honey, I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Kambree."
I've taken up trying to answer his questions with a question.
"Alex, do you see Dad?"
"No."
"Me either, maybe you could go find him?"
or
"Alex, what day is today?"
"Monday"
"Is Monday a school day?"
"Yes"
I know I shouldn't but sometimes I just give him the wrong answer for the questions that he no doubt already knows. For example: he is always asking about James and I leaving for our cruise at the end of the month. I've gone over it with him about 10 times.
Yes, we leave on the 25th.
We'll be gone for four days.
We'll be back on the 29th.
When he asked for the 11th time yesterday how long we would be gone I nonchalantly said, "Twenty days."
"WHAT?" he says, "No four days!!"
"Alex, if you knew the answer then why did you ask?"
No response.
Give me strength.....

Regional Conference

This Sunday was regional conference and our Stake was invited to attend at the Conference Center. Hearing rumor that the Prophet would be speaking and thinking it a good idea to take our children TO the conference center as opposed to sitting in the Stake Center we went.
It was a nice conference and a beautiful day.
Afterward's I discovered I had my camera in my purse. Rylee wanted so bad to go to the top of the building but where we exited was about three floors below the top. Regardless, I told her I'd take her picture and get the top of the building in it.

(I have since trimmed Rylee's bangs)

This is a terrible picture but documentation that Kambree & Devree were there.

Another one of Rylee

Alex's enthusiastic face after sitting through TWO HOURS of talks and trying to get out of the building. He pretty much looked and acted like this until I fed him lunch at home. I asked him if he remembers anything from the talks. "No, I not listen." Well, no wonder you were bored!

Me-holding the camera in the air and getting a shot of my family in the hustle and bustle of walking back to the car.

Today Alex asked if next week we have normal Church? "Yes." I said. "Yahoo!" he said. (I think he's realized that Primary is a lot more fun than regional conference!)

2009 Save A Child Hosting Group is Here....

Alex was so excited to see these two friends from his school. Believe it or not both these boys are the same age or OLDER than Alex. They are just so tiny! This is Volva & Bogdan.

And this is Bogdan with Rulsan (another boy from Alex's school)

Bogdan is such a sweet happy boy.
Alex told me that he and Volva (Yes, his name is pronounced like a certain part of the female anatomy.) have something wrong with their backs and will not grow anymore? Not sure what's going on there but they are defiantly very tiny for their age. I mean Alex is tall but he's not THAT tall.
It was fun to be there at the airport as there were so many adopted kids waiting to see their friends. The majority of the kids adopted are for the Sumy orphanage and are a bit older than Alex. They just hollered and cheered and rushed to hug some of the kids that arrived from their orphanage.
Then they all posed for a big group picture. Alex ran to find me and ask "Mom you take picture of me and my friends?" This is him close up...

And this is part of the group shot....I didn't get one side in very good!

The three boys are the only three from his school and they came bearing gifts for all the kids adopted this past year from their old classmates. Alex got a little stuffed animal, a few colored pictures and a card with all his classmates signatures. I thought that was awfully sweet for the teachers to do-here we are getting gifts FROM the orphanage.
It was great for him to see the Rast girls, the Bunch girls, Kayta & the two Julia's and to practice speaking and hearing Ukraine.
Alex had spoke with Ivan via Skype that morning and was really struggling to remember his Ukraine. I think I need to get him together more often with other Russian speakers or he's going to forget his language completely.
He really wants to spend time with his two friends but I don't know the parents that are hosting them. Hopefully we can have them over sometime to play.

Abominable Austin....

So, Austin really needed new shoes. I had tried to take pictures of shoes on my cell phone while in the store and send them to him for his approval but I got a "I want to go with you." response. So after a week of hit and miss we found an hour together to run to Shopko (Payless is my store of choice for his never ending growth spurt he's seem to have for the past four years.)
Anyway, we managed to find ONE pair of acceptable shoes but hit the Halloween department on the way out and found this incredible Abominable Snow Man costume. Now, if you know me, you know I'm all about costumes and that this is a white furry piece that will certainly come in handy for years to come. AND since it was 1/2 price we just HAD to have it!! (Yes, I know a 2nd pair of shoes was more in line with my budget and certainly more sensible but I just couldn't resist!)

I had Austin try the whole thing on right there in the isle of Shopko and then wanting to scare his sisters at home he left it on and we proceeded to the check stand. I was checking out and oblivious to everything else going on around me and Austin-still in his furry white costume less mask-suddenly raises his hand and say's "I'll do it!"
This is the first I noticed two sweet little old ladies on those electric chair cars in need of someone to drive them back into the store. Austin-who recently obtained his learners permit-is very anxious to drive anything that self propels so he had volunteered for the job. He removed the large feet and hands and we proceeded out with sweet lady #1, he had to help her put her Depends in the trunk and patiently help her get her jacket on. She was a riot. She asked Austin if he was a snow bunny and when she heard he was the Abominable Snow Man she told him how she remembered that guy, how he "scared the hell out of everyone" running around the woods. By the time we got her in the car, sweet lady number 2 was out and he helped her in the car and then slowly rode the 2nd electric chair back into the store.
I asked him if he was embarrassed riding those chairs in with his fuzzy white suit on. Nope, he said. I didn't know anyone and if I did they wouldn't care anyway.
Yep, that's my good Samaritan Snow Man helping little old ladies to their cars!

A year ago....

Wow....was it really a year ago? Tomorrow the new group of kids being hosted through the Save A Child Foundation arrive. A year ago on Sunday the 18th we met Alex for the first time as he came off the airplane. I've been reminiscing a lot lately about last year. Look at how far we've come...
I was so nervous to meet Alex and yet I felt like it was all sort of a destiny and here we are a year later with our little boy home, acclimating, learning English, getting baptized and that gap, that "someone's missing in our family"feeling is finally filled.
I went to the meeting last Sunday for the new group of parents hosting and I looked at their excited faces and wondered if they had any idea what they were in for? Get ready, cause your heart will go for a ride. There will be highs and lows and all kinds of twists and turns and in the end you'll realize that completing your adoption doesn't stop the ride. That getting them home is just the beginning of the next roller coaster and it too will take your heart places you've never been before.
It's sobering as your child learns to communicate just what he has been through, just how lonely his world was just how much love he has stored up.
We've been so lucky with Alex-he loves so fully. Each day he throws his arms around me and smashes his cheek against mine and expresses his love with a "I miss-ed you Mom." a "I love-a-you so so so much!" or a quick peck on the cheek while I'm at my computer and a "I no bugga you Mom-good luck you work."
Last year, Alex landed and he was go, go go! He learned to ride a bike, play with every toy, look in every closet and cupboard, and explore every nook and cranny. When ever we went anywhere he just wanted to go "da doma" (home).
He's still hyper-vigilant. If you're missing something like keys, phones, i pods just ask Alex-he can usually tell you where you've left them. He also knows where everyone is and what they're doing most of the time. He HAS to know what is next, when we're leaving, when we'll be home, what were eating, who is coming, what we're watching, and the list goes on....
He's been a good sport about eating and will try most anything and he will happily tell you he now LOVES peanut butter sandwiches. That was our last hurdle. He is most excited to be an "American Boy" through and through.
People always ask how "the adoption thing" is going. Well, the adoption thing is over and our son is doing great! Alex is ours and despite his fears that his director from the orphanage will come to America and take him back, he's ours forever. (Yes, he told me if he sees his director he will run away and hide until she goes back to Ukraine!)
But can you blame him? How far back can you remember? I have a couple memories of being three and spotty memories of my elementary years. Alex was in the orphanage from age six until he was almost eleven. Before that in a very sad living arrangement with an alcoholic mother-who didn't pick him up for three days after he was picked up in a street sweep when he was five, and a father-whom he speaks highly of-died when he was three of alcohol poisoning? (Not exactly sure as Alex told us he chocked at a cafe on a drink and someone told us it was from liver problems due to drinking.)
What Alex remembers is mainly his life in an institution with some spotty abusive memories no child should ever have. In his orphanage he was one of many. He fears returning to that life. Perhaps he thinks this is all a dream and some day he'll wake up? I've heard other children express that "This is just is too good to be true." (Of course the fact that I make Alex bath daily, chew with his mouth close & wear clean underwear each day makes his life not as fairytale like as I'm sure he'd like!)
I read an article once about artificial insemination when all these women were having 5 and 6 babies at a time. The article talked about how children were not meant to be raised in litters. What about children raised in institutions? As a group? As a small fish in a big pond?
I cannot take away my son's previous life experiences, I cannot magically erase all the hurt, labeling, loneliness and fear he's experienced. But I refuse to treat him like he's broken or lacking. (In fact, I've recently told him when it comes to homework that I'm done treating him like a baby, he is much too smart and I know it! His response has been fabulous-his reading has improved greatly and his self esteem is soaring!) It bothers me that people coddle him, feel sorry for him, make thing easy or expect less of him. Don't they know? Don't they know he is one of the lucky ones? He now has a family, he has structure, he has love, laughter, a place to call home and is tucked in and hugged each night.
Alex is so excited to go to the airport to greet these children coming to America tomorrow. There are four boys coming from his school. He's been counting down the days until we see them arrive at the airport. I think he's disappointed that we're not hosting one of these children this year (Just for fun Mom?) but there is only so much roller coaster-ing this heart of mine can do!
So....to all you new parents hosting this year....hang on and enjoy the ride!!

Blogging....

Hehehe....

Alex is Baptised!

Alex was very happy & excited....

Dressed in white:

With Elder Hurley, Elder Hipwell & Connor Malmberg (his translator and recently returned missionary from Ukraine)

In front of the font with Dad

Alex & Mom

With his siblings:

Our whole family

Alex getting last minute instructions from Dad:

Rylee, Devree & Kambree sang the musical number...

...and James played the guitar.

Grandma & Dev at banana split celebration:

Some of our guests:

Alex took this one of his missionary's:

Congrats Alex!!