Discovering Texas

Well, I have spent enough time sitting in the house wishing I could go to all of the places I used to go in California. Now it is time to start getting out there and discovering little pleasant places where God can romance our family. That may sound strange if you haven't read a book called The Sacred Romance, but it makes so much sense to me.

Basically, we all have very some sentimental memories of childhood that don't necessarily involve people. They are memories that evoke peaceful emotions; feelings of security. It could have been a tree stump in the back yard where you'd sit and think or a creek that ran behind the house that you can almost hear even though you moved from there 20 years ago. For me, it is the memory of lying on my daybed with the sun shining on my back as I listened to the birds chirp. Those places and moments are examples of God romancing us. Hard to explain, but when I read it, I was immediately impacted and began to understand God more fully - not in a religious way, but in a Creator/creation kind of way.

So today as I was driving out to McKinney to register my car, I drove past a beautiful pond area not too far from our house and decided right then and there that after school I'd take the kids to explore it.

These photos are the result of a wonderfully relaxing walk around a large pond which just so happened to end up being part of a trailer park - go figure. But, it seems lots more serene than a California trailer park. I mean it does have a gorgeous lake to enjoy!!!

Gonna live life to the fullest no matter where we're planted! :)

Our Third Year Home

It is hard to believe that we have been a family for three entire years! This year, I'm just posting the oldest pics that I have of Zack and Sophia and then a slide show of pics from this past year. We continue to be blessed beyond measure.

Zack has grown a bit this year. He is now 47" tall and weighs 50 lbs. He continues to do very well in school and even made The Principal's List this past quarter. He still loves to skateboard and has taken an extreme liking to building things. He loves Legos, Lincoln Logs and anything else he can use to build things. And, beyond that, he follows the instructions and sticks with it until he has built every model that is shown on the box. Perhaps he'll become an architect or an engineer.

It is hard to believe that he is already 8 years old! He even got his own cell phone for his birthday and is thrilled! Zack is a happy and healthy kid who loves to live life to its fullest. If you didn't know he was adopted from Russia, you'd have no idea he had any different beginnings than any of the kids around him. He really is a sweet compassionate kid! At school not long ago, his teacher asked if any of the kids knew a different language. He raised his hand and said, "I know 8 words in Russian". His teacher said, "Oh, can you teach us"? Zack retorted, "I can tell teach you 6 of them". "The other two are inappropriate". LOL!!!!!

He has a couple of areas in which he'll be stretched this year - following verbal instructions and sharing his feelings. Usually, his brain is going a mile a minute pondering the minutia of life so he isn't fully listening and gets stumped as to what he was to do once he reaches his destination. As far as sharing his feelings, this is more of an item that I need to work on. I tend to be quite the task master when it comes to school, chores, and responsibilities. I need to slow down and really ask him how he's feeling and how certain situations impact him. I really want him to be able to communicate on an emotional level. I know his wife and kids will, no doubt, want to hear what is going on in his head and heart one day.

Sophia has also done quite a bit of growing. She is also 47" tall and weighs 40lbs. She was most disappointed that she did not grow to 48" before we moved from California because she missed out on going on California Screamin'! She in in kinder this year and according to her teacher she is the most well behaved student in her class. She also said that Sophia is a great communicator and isn't afraid to share what is on her mind.

Sophia is a super high energy child who loves to be moving. This can be seen on the soccer field. She has had 3 games and has scored 11 goals. She just has the drive to get things done. She is also very competitive and has her head in the game. She enjoys tactile activities such as playing with moon sand, digging in the dirt, and coloring. She loves to chase boys and especially loves catching them.

This year we'll seek to stretch Sophia in the areas of patience and reading. She tends to be moving so fast that she expects everyone else to move at the same pace including servers at restaurants and her mom in the kitchen. She is always three steps ahead and needs to learn to relax a bit and be courteous to those who move at a pace slower than hers. As to reading, she is very unsure of herself and for some reason, feels like she can't read well even though she knows all of the sounds she hesitates and shows "low self esteem" in this one area. We're hoping grandma can jump in on this one and make it fun for her.

I have been so very blessed to get to be a part of Zack and Sophia's lives! I mean it is hard work to be a parent, but the joys far outweigh the sorrows. If I had it to do all over, I'd do it all over just like we did it! :) I have never had the desire to carry and birth a child. And, I'll tell you that these two were born of my very heart and soul. I could not love them more!!!! I have those same pangs of hurt when my kid isn't succeeding at school or when I overhear a kid call one of them a name. I have tears when I see theirs. I hope for them; dream for them; pray for them. It truly is like wearing my heart on the outside of my body.

I pray that I can be the mom they need, and that we can be the family that they deserve. Everyone, in my humble opinion, deserves to have someone who truly LOVES them beyond measure with a selfless love; a love that will pave the way for them; a love that will create a path that resembles real life with all of its ups and downs and offer a safety net as they learn to traverse this course.

Zack and Sophia, I love you!

Personalize a digital slideshow

Happy Easter!

This Easter was a little different than the past Easters because Sophia spent Saturday night at her Uncle Jerry's house and the boys wanted to spend the night at Uncle Mike's house. Sooooo, there were no little feet coming downstairs looking for their Easter baskets on Sunday morning. That means that mama didn't get to fix hair and put that shine on the kiddos! :) But, all that matters is that they had fun, and they did!

Sophia Goes from Two Eyes to Four!

Sophia has perfect eye sight in one eye and perfectly imperfect sight in the other eye! She can't even see the top letter on the eye chart with her bad eye. The ophthalmologist was hesitant to give her glasses because she said that many people go through life just fine with one perfect eye. Sounds simple enough, but I insisted that we try glasses to see if they will help Sophia to see better at school and to enjoy life more.

So far, she has reached for her glasses every morning and only takes them off when she wants to run around and play without worrying about them falling off. I told her she only has to wear them if she wants to and so far, she wants to. I have yet to see if they are gonna help her to read better, etc...

But for now, here is the new face of our little Sophia Joy:

Zack's Eighth Birthday

It is hard to believe that Zack is already eight years old! It is even harder to believe that on his very birthday, I forgot to take my camera along. This year his birthday fell on Good Friday so the kids had the day off of school. This meant that Zack got to be the king for his day.

The day began when he hugged Gina and heard the song, "How Low can you Go" playing from her back pocket where he found his new cell phone! He has been begging for a cell phone for two years now, and it was finally decided that he was old enough to have one. Still hard to grasp that eight year olds have cell phones, but this mom is glad I can text him when he is out and about and get in touch with him right away.

After, he took his first 10 pictures with his cell phone, he wanted to start the day with some food! He chose chips and salsa which is his fave!!! That kid can eat two baskets of chips and two saucers of salsa on his own! We ate at La Flor which in our humble opinion has the best salsa in these here parts.

Zack's next request was to go see Clash of the Titans. Yes, it is PG 13 and no he isn't 13, but after reading up on the movie, I decided it would be fine for the kids to see, and it was. :) Zack enjoyed it tremendously. He love all of that Greek Mythology type stuff. When the movie ended, Sophia looked over at Gina and said, "That was a bit scary now wasn't it"? LOL! She wasn't really scared, but it was a little intense.

After this, we landed at The Half Price Book Store where Zack got a KISS Greatest Hits cd. Ever since they starred on an episode of Scooby Doo, he has been a fan. :) LOL! By the time we were finished there, the kids were hungry again so we went to a fun restaurant where Zack got to dress up like a bunny and hop in circles! Some Texan man gave him $10 for doing a good job!

So kind of like giving a mouse a cookie...when you give a boy $10, he wants to go shopping. We ended up at Sports Chalet where he bought a new soccer ball.

All in all, it was a fantastic day! Then on Saturday evening we had a brief get together with the family. Grandma was in the hospital recovering from back surgery so it felt a little strange. BUT, Zack was all smiles and enjoyed his birthday cupcakes, nachos and hot dogs. He also was happy to get the huge Super Soaker from Uncle Jerry, Aunt Julie, and Kaylie. He also was happy to get an XBox 360 game from Drew and Stephanie. Next week, he'll get to go shopping with his Uncle Mike and when grandma is well, she wants to take him out for some one on one time.

So his birthday still has a couple perks on the way!

Zack got up bright and early and dressed himself. He chose some cool clothes! :)

He got some cap guns! Old fashioned toys never seem to lose their savor!

Aubrie is ready to crack open his Super Soaker!

Uncle Drew came to wish Zack Happy Bday!

This is who Zack refers to as HIS UNCLE - no name after that word - Mike is just know as Uncle! He spends tons of time with Zack, and Zack adores him.

The cousins minus Kenny and Aubrie... Good times

Crazy kids!

Happy Spring!

Awards

Today was a happy day for our family! Zack earned The Principal's List award by earning 95% or higher in ALL of his classes. And this mama is proud cause I didn't help him a bit. Way to go son!

Sophia earned The Whitt Wolf Award today. As far as I can tell, it is a citizenship and effort award granted to kids in kinder and first grade. They don't get letter grades for kinder and first out here in Texas so this is the next best thing to an honor roll type of award from what I can tell.

The kids have adjusted well to life in Texas, and this past Monday we moved into our new house where they each have their own bedrooms. They're loving life. I am loving all of the closet space, and the fact that I don't have to share a bathroom with the kids anymore! They're not incredibly messy, but they are smelly! LOL

I'll post pics of our new digs sometime in the near future. I PRAY we are here for a minimum of 4 years. Next on my list is to secure a teaching position. I begin attending job fairs at the end of this month. Keep me in your prayers!

Grandma, Aubrie, and Torie came to cheer Zack on today! Sophia's award ceremony was at 8:00AM which was way too early for the "babies"! :) Zack was thrilled!

Soccer Season has Begun!

Here are a few pics of today's games! Zack had to be on the field at 7:00AM! Luckily, the past two weeks their games have been one right after the other.

Sophia is on the Princesses! They play together very well!

Sophia with the sun in her eyes.

Sophia and Nichole on the move.

Sophia is amazing on the field! She scored 6 goals today. I can't believe I have kept her on the "bench" for so long. She just intuitively knows how to get that ball in the goal and has the drive and speed to make it happen. PLUS, she has a ton of fun while doing it and is a super great team player!!!

Zack is on the Sharks this year. He is enjoying his second season of soccer and using his "fancy" foot skills.

He often dribbles the ball from one side of the field to the other and is working on executing a goal. He wants it so bad but gets just close enough for the other team to chase him off.

Here is his familiar angry face. He gets so frustrated that his team doesn't score more goals. In all fairness, they have only practiced twice together due to rain.

The kids lives are full of school and soccer right now. They are also eagerly anticipating our moving into our new home in which they will each get their own bedroom. They are jazzed! Just another benefit of living in Texas. :) AND, content kids create a happy mama!