Doctor Day

Well, today was the day that Sophia got her shots - five in all! Last week Zack got his shots - four in all. Well, last week when Zack got shots, he wailed even before the needles showed up!!! Poor Stephanie had a hard time holding him down. He was brave afterwards bragging about his war wounds, but during was quite the scene.

Well, Sophia remembered all of this, and one would think that when Sophia got to the doctor's office she would begin crying or be scared immediately. NOPE, not my daughter - she began to say, "Sophia no crying." "Zack cry." "Sophia, no cry." To which, Zack responds - YOU ARE GOING TO CRY!!! Sophia - "Nyet Sophia cry." It had become a big competition.

Stephanie said that Sophia climbed right up on the table and did not cry until the shot went in her leg. She also didn't move her hands until the last of 5 shots!!! She climbed down from the table gathered herself and said something to the effect of, "I cried a little, Zack." "You cried a lot"!!!

Not long after that, Zack said, "Stepha when are you bringing me back for more shots." "Zack no cry."

Unbelievable, the kid wants to go back to prove he is more of a man than his little sister!!!!

The Russian Language

This is going to be a short post!

Zack and Sophia don't want to speak Russian anymore. They speak entirely in broken and not so broken English. I, though, have wanted to preserve at least 10 to 20 words that we continue to use as a family - sort of like the spanglish I grew up with.

Well, tonight I learned from my mom's Russian realtor that a few words we have been preserving are quite startling:

zho pa = ASS not bum like we thought, but as I suspected it meant ass. So while we have been saying I got your zhopa all sweet and giggly we have been cussing away!

govna = shit which we thougth meant toot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY STARS! So, we've been saying Zack or Sophia foochie shit for many weeks!!!

We did, however, learn that pelican is actually the name of the orphanage that Zack was in as in Russia many orphanages are named after birds.

Now, there are MANY more words that we have learned to use that are harmless, but these two were surprising. I mean those of you who know me know how CONSERVATIVE I am when it comes to parenting. Just think about it, I have been scooting my angels along saying I'm going to get your little ass............ AMAZING and APPALLING........BUT,

they won't even remember what these words mean in a year or two. They will mean what we have made them mean. However, I am not planning on cussing regularly to my children anymore!!!!

OH MY OH MY OH MY OH MY OH MY OH MY is all I can say!

Sophia and Momma Cook Spaghetti Pie Together

Tonight Sophia and I cooked spaghetti pie together. We had great fun! See the pics below to capture the evening:

Then Auntie Gina came home, and we all enjoyed the yummy food!!!

Zack Talks About the Orphanage (dome detsky) 4th post of the day so read on...

So, Zack brought up the orphanage with grandma and Auntie Stephanie yesterday. Here is what it sounded like as he replayed it for me later all on his own after all the other kids had fallen fast asleep:

Dome Detsky no parks...no clothes; clothes blah...no shoes (poonchy lip)...no pajamas...no bikes...no swimming pools (look of sadness)...no yum yums; yum yums blah...no brush your teeth blah...no brush my a hair blah...no Zack's spot (bed)...no momma (very sad eyes followed by a huge smile and a hug)...no toys...no Stepha...no Uncle Jerry...no Uncle Shoe...no Gina...no Josh ee Kenny...DOME DETSKY BLAH... pause - smirk - Sophia semi lote dome detsky (giggle) Translation: (send Sophia back) giggle giggle giggle... Then he says no to sending her back. He was kidding. He said DOME DETSKY BLAH - Momma's doma karashow (good).

To which I said, I will love you forever. I showed him with sign language that no matter how big he gets, he will always be momma's boy and always be able to be at momma's doma. He smiled and then went into Zack mode as he climbed up on my shoulders to touch the ceiling to show me just how long he wanted to stay - until he is as tall as the ceiling. Forever, my boy!

Precious - that is what this conversation was - start to finish. What a miracle it is to see his life changed forever. I saved my tears for later because I wanted him to sense the celebration of it all!

A Trip to the Nail Salon

Okay, so we went to the nail salon this evening and Sophia thoroughly enjoyed herself! She picked out her nail polish and then found this chair with holes in it. Next thing I and her Uncle Jerry knew, she exclaimed, "Where is it"? We looked at her in awe like, "Dudette, you speak English"!!! She was holding the nail polish through the holes, and she was sure we couldn't see it!

The ladies in the nail salon were watching Sophia and smiling as she would show me her nails after each one was painted. She would say, "You like it"? No one even knew she was a little Russian girl. She sounds like an American toddler. I can't believe how much English she has learned so quickly!

And, here is the finished product! Aren't those the cutest little toes ever???

My little angel actually turned a little naughty once home...She got caught playing in the toilet water just swirling away with her newly painted nails right after she took a popka (poo)!!!!! Oh my stars, she is such a crazy girl! She got to go to bed "early"... It was really already her bedtime, but she certainly thought it was because of her toilet antics! That's my girl - so prim and proper yet not afraid to get her hands dirty! LOL

Weekend Photos as Promised

The kids love to have their picture taken! It is so funny because every time I take a picture, Zack and Sophia say, "Let me see"!!! So after each shot, they check it out and then run back to get in position for another shot! Zack was especially proud of the silly pic this time around!

Cupcakes Anyone????

Two Posts in One Weekend???

Well, I had more pictures, but Blogger is having issues tonight so I'll post for those who read as well as look at pictures! :)

Today, I took Josh, Zack, and Sophia grocery shopping with me. Josh pushed one cart with Zack happily sitting in the cart, and I pushed the other cart with Sophia in it. It was an uneventful trip other than hearing various cartoon character's names yelled out left and right. Josh talked me into some cupcakes! Zack talked me into Spider Man fruit snacks, and Sophia talked me into CARROTS!!! LOL So, I had to throw in some SCOOBY DOOBY fruit snacks for her!

When I would concentrate on my list and compare prices, I must have had a serious look on my face because Sophia would grab my cheeks softly and say, "Mom, where's your smile"? This is funny because I don't let my kids pout or let their anger fester. They get to find their smile or lay down for a nap. Choices are good. Guess what they choose each time! It has taken a lot of consistency to get Sophia to the point of starting to teach me what I have taught her!!! LOL

After the market, the kids helped me bring the groceries in and put them away. They all pitch in so happily, and Sophia wants to show me everything we bought again especially Scooby Dooby!

We later went to see Surf's Up at the movie theater which was when the kids hit the jack pot with popcorn, Skittles, and Starbursts. This is a rarity as candy is so bad for kids. I try to give them just enough so they don't feel deprived but rather learn that it is for special occasions (sp?)! The kids loved the movie. It was okay, but I'm not sure I'd buy the dvd. One line was the chicken saying, "I just know it's true because I can feel it in my nuggets"! Josh and Kenny got that line! I don't really like adult humor in movies, but I am not so prudish that I would make a big deal about nuggets.

After the movie, we went into the Mills and bought the three youngers sunglasses for $2.00 each!! Yippee! They'll use them at Hume. Kenny bought a wallet because, after all, he's 12 and gets allowance!!!

We ended the day in the jacuzzi where the kids ate hot dogs and chased them down with water and ice cream sandwiches! All in all, it was a good day! I'm not sure what I'll do when Gina finishes school because I am so used to having 4 kids on our outings!

BTW - Stephanie went "home" for the weekend, and I was on my own! I missed her terribly, but the kids were great. They did keep asking where she was, but hey, we had fun! At one point, Sophia said to me, "Turn it up"! I was like, "What"? She said it again! She wanted me to turn up the radio. When I did she started singing and dancing! HAPPY GIRL!!! We have bonded HUGELY over the last couple of weeks!

Special moment: Sitting between Zack and Sophia at the movies, and having them each sneak me a Skittle or Starburst throughout the movie. How wonderful it is for them to be so giving even with a treat they rarely enjoy. Such sweet kids...

Saturday Morning Bathtime Fun!

Picture 1: Two Months ago in a bathtub in Russia were two little juice box drinking angels...Picture 2: Jump forward to today and check out these bathing beauties!!!


And, can you believe that tan?

Big smiles from Sohia as she plays with a pirate ship. She refuses to play with her dolls and all. She just wants the boys' stuff, but she is quite girly in every other way! Last night, however, she insisted on sleeping in Zack's Spider Man pajamas! It was tough for me to let her cause she looked so silly, but hey, you're only a kid once and besides that maybe she has a crush on Spider Man. Can't blame a girl for that!

Sophia Helps Momma Make Dinner

Sophia and I made Captain Crunch Chicken tonight! Sophia got to crunch up the Captain Crunch before we used it to coat the chicken. She enjoyed it very much but was a little perplexed by the job! Afterwards we made some brownies for dessert, and Sophia got to lick her first spatula. When I handed the chocolate spatula to her, she had no idea what to do with it. It was another one of those aha moments for me. I was so happy to show her what every girl enjoys most about baking with mom!

So, I'm starting a new project. I plan to cook with Sophia once a week making all different easy recipes including some that my mom passed on to me. I plan to take pics of us making each meal and adding the pics to a recipe book I make just for Sophia. I'll also add some journal entries to capture some of the moments we share in the kitchen. Sound fun?

I love this little girl so very much! I have no idea how I lived life without her! Sneaky as she is, she is becoming more and more of a joy each day! Today she said to Stephanie out of the blue, "Stepha, get off my neck"!!! We LAUGHED so hard!

Today was mom and daughter day. Tomorrow we'll see if I can get some pics of Zack attack!

The Weekend in a Nutshell

Mike graduated!!!! Allie and her little twin got to spend some time together!!! Look at the second pic! Enlarge it and check out their expressions! They both have the same attitude!

Kenny enjoyed his crab legs today!!! We went bowling again which we love!!! We always end with a trip to the arcade... Check out Sophia playing ski ball! Do you see where the ball is? She is getting better, but she is dangerous!

After we bowled, we hit the park and had some serious fun! Check out Kenny's jump off the swing and Jerry's end to a very bumpy slide!

After the park, the kids went swimming then showered and hit the hay. It was a very busy day for the grown ups, but these days are the days the kids will remember for years to come! This is a typical Sunday afternoon/evening for us, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Another week has passed...

Wow, I cannot believe another week has passed by so quickly! Monday makes 2 months home for Zack and Sophia, and they continue to do very well! I can't even list all of the English they know! It amazes me how much they learn and how quickly.

Tonight, I am extra tired... Last night my youngest brother graduated from high school! Praise God! My mom is so excited that she is finished with having a high schooler! He is number 8 and mom is tired too! I can't even imagine! My oldest brother is 48 and my youngest brother will be 18 on June 11th. She has been one busy woman for decades. I know she is exhausted and looking forward to retirement with great anticipation. This also means she will get to spend much more time with Zack and Sophia!

Well, since Mike's graduation was at 7:00PM, it didn't end until about 10:00PM and then we went out to dinner (Denny's woo hoo - blah!) because Mike wanted to spend the evening with his family. How can you not stay out late when a 17 year old boy actually is being thoughtful???? So, Zack and Sophia were up WAY TOO LATE! And for any of you that know me, you know that I am all about structures and schedules. I have heard often about adopted kids being pretty naughty after a high sensory night or activity. Zack and Sophia have never really showed any signs of sensory issues, but today Sophia was a little pill.

Both kids are sleeping now and look so adorable in their beds are warm and snuggly!

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow!

Thanks for reading and commenting too! :)