Our new schoolroom is now complete....

Well, this weekend we finished transforming some wasted space in our bedroom to a new schoolroom. We love it. It is working out great. Ali loves having her own desk (she wasted NO time in decorating it with personal items!). All we have left is to get her cork board hung and for her new chair to come it. We ordered it and it is on its way. I wonder why we didn't think of doing this before? I even made a shelf for Clark with books and a basket of small toys. He loves sitting in his little chair and looking at books...or playing on the rug.

The pictures of our cats.....well, we thought we could buy a little scratch pad for Angel since she isn't declawed. So...T.C. picked one up at Wal-Mart the other day. He gets home...follows the instructions and sprinkled catnip on it...and OH MY GOODNESS. The goofy cats wouldn't leave it alone. Angel doesn't scratch on it mind you...but they take turns lying across it. Especially Happy...who is declawed...AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!! I think our cats are retarded. Ha! Happy jumped up on the counter and wouldn't leave the box it came in alone...he just kept licking the box for the longest time. Maybe Ali dropped him as a kitten. :) So good thinking on our part...just not the outcome we were hoping for. So we must come up with another idea so Angel quits using the couch as a scratch post!

Clark had his speech evaluation today. There was also a child psychologist that joined the evaluation along with the speech pathologist. They seemed to think that he is adjusting great and that his speech will come along without help. He can be re-evaluated in about 6 months if he isn't improving like we think he should be. But, as for now...we just wait and see. She said it was really too soon to tell since he is still learning the language. They did give me some exercises to try at home to help with a couple of sounds. They both think he needs to interact with other children more often. They said children learn language best from other children. So, we will look into a Mother's Day Out program (their recommendation). He does attend Sunday School with other children and is in gymnastics...so hopefully a day or two a week of MDO will help even more.

new schoolroom

Exploring a little bit of TX

T.C. was able to take off on Friday. After some research, we found a neat place that we wanted to explore. It is called Sea Center in Lake Jackson, and is only about 45 minutes from here. http://www.texasexplorer.com/SeaCenterTexas.htm It is a fish hatchery and has a great exhibit on local fish, touch tank, salt marsh, etc. (the best part is that it is FREE...nothing is free anymore!) Anyway, the kids really enjoyed it and we will definitely be going back again. Clark was a little unsure about sticking his hand in the touch tank...though he loved looking at all the crabs, etc. He did get brave enough to touch a hermit crab that Ali was holding. We were talking yesterday about how before we brought him home, Clark had most likely never even seen a fish...much less be expected to stick his hand in some tank...haha. Wonder what he was thinking?

Well, our big job for the weekend is making a schoolroom change. YUCK! Since we moved into this house, Ali and I have done school in our dining room. However, now I would like our dining room to be JUST that...our dining room. I am a little tired of walking through our front door and seeing school books. So...we have decided to move our schoolroom upstairs. We have a rather large bedroom and it is pretty much wasted space. We have decided to divide our bedroom up and use half for school. We are going to use bookshelves as our divider...pretty clever, thanks to T.C. for coming up with that idea. We are going to our favorite store today to get Ali a new desk and bookshelves. You just gotta love Target...$30 for bookshelves...SWEET!! However, I am not looking forward to emptying the shelves that we currently have so that we can move them. Oh well, it will be nice when it is complete.

Oh yes, I will explain the picture of Clark vacuuming...he has a fit when he sees me vacuuming...so sometimes I give him a turn. Well, he LOVES it. What can I say? Our upstairs vacuum is very light so he is able to push it easily. Why would we extinguish that desire?

Here are pictures from Friday...

Sea Center, TX

Clark never ceases to make us laugh...

Well, I don't have anything real exciting to write about...so I will tell a couple of Clark funnies! Yesterday T.C. was holding his hands and letting him flip around over and over and over and over...he absolutely loves to do this, and we can't for the life of us believe his little body is that strong. Anyway, T.C. was talking to me and said "I wonder if he could do the iron cross" (he was kidding) and Clark overheard and jumped down and did the sign of the cross on his chest. We do the sign of the cross a couple of times during the worship service at our church,and have been teaching Clark how to do it. Well, buddy he heard cross and wanted us to know that yes, in fact he COULD do it!! Too funny. Also, we have been teaching Clark "The Lord's Prayer" before bed. He knows about half of it and now we are working on the second half, which is taking longer with more difficult words to say. Anyway, the other night we were working on the second half and got to "Give us this day our.." and Clark blurted out "PRESENTS"!!! It was so funny but actually I think he was thinking of the next line "trespasses" and couldn't say it. I guess presents sounded good enough to him. Oh the boy makes us laugh!

Remember I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Clark was bothering one of the girls in gymnastics and she was making mad faces at him. Well, this week he was so proud after gym and he told me "girl no mad face." Guess he actually quit following her around and making her upset.

Happy Easter

What a glorious day as we have celebrated the resurrection of our Lord! We started our day with our daughter serving our breakfast at church. She had a fun time (mainly goofing around with her friends) helping this morning. We then had a beautiful church service.

This afternoon the kiddos dyed their Easter eggs. Ali then dressed up like the bunny, rang the doorbell, and Clark answered the door. We can't figure out if he ever figured out that it was Ali. Too funny!

A few pictures from our day....

Easter

Easter came early around here....

Don't tell Clark, but the Easter Bunny came early at our house! My parents came on Thursday, but had to leave tonight(Sat.)...so we decided to have Easter early around here. They wanted to see Clark get his first Easter basket. Let me tell you just how cute that was! He was so excited he just didn't know what to think of it all. The kids woke up to find their baskets, then we headed off to Easter Jubilation at our church. It was an Easter extravaganza for the children. The Easter Bunny was in attendance, crafts galore, singing, the presentation of the Easter story, snacks...and to top it all off it ended with an egg hunt outside. The weather was wonderful! The kids had a great day. After returning home, we cooked a nice dinner and then my parents had to head home. T.C. actually has tomorrow off, which will be very nice. Tonight is his last night for this flight and it will be back to normal hours on Monday...hip hip hooray!! Ali's age group at church is helping to cook breakfast tomorrow for the entire church. She will pull an hour and a half shift. That is right up her alley, as she LOVES to cook. It should be fun for her.

It was so cute...Ali decided to have her own egg hunt for Clark this evening. She stuffed some eggs and hid them outside...then told him the bunny left them. It was hilarious...he came equipped with keys attached to his pants and his toy cell phone hanging from his wrist. At one point he said "wait"...and proceeded to stop, answer his phone, and then finally got back to the business at hand. Oh boy!!

Here are photos from our day...

Easter came early!!

Oh the things we endure!!!!

I hope our kids know just how much we love them. We ENDURED the spring break crowd (just about every spot was taken in the HUGE parking lot) at Space Center Houston so that Ali could attend a "High School Musical 2 Dance Party" and Clark could see Diego in costume....and my only words are OH MY GOODNESS! Well, anyway...it was all worth it when we caught parents joining in on the dance lessons. We even caught some on tape...it is wrong, I know...to video people without them knowing...I should feel more guilty. However, just watch the videos and have a good laugh. The parents were trying to dance their way to a free poster for their kids....well, my wonderful husband leans over to his precious daughter and says "I will just buy you a poster"...and she responded "good idea." Haha! Man, these men deserved SO much more than a poster.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend with their families. We are looking forward to the first Easter with our son home...what a blessing! May we all marvel at the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Space Center Houston

Story-time, a ride on a horse, and a whole lot of water!

Well, with T.C. working the space shuttle mission that is up right now...that means he is working weird hours. (go in late in the afternoon/early evening and works until the middle of the night)With those hours means he is here with us some of the day. He was able to attend story-time this week and see how well Clark is interacting. Today we went to a children's program at one of the local malls. They had horse rides, a magic show, a clown making balloon animals, etc. He loved riding the big horse...he looked so tiny on that big thing! He really enjoyed watching the clown make the animals also. He also got to wave at the Easter Bunny. (that sure brought a huge smile to his face!)Then, after we ate dinner the kids wanted to play with the water table...and boy did they!! They were drenched...head to toe! They had the best time...they really prefer to just throw the water on each other. Ha! After getting soaked they slid around on the trampoline. They love that trampoline...one of the things they really enjoy doing together.

Clark is going to be evaluated by a speech pathologist on April 1st to see if he needs any speech therapy. His speech is really coming along...but we would rather be proactive than wish later on down the road that we HAD done something.

Here are just a few pictures from this week.

library, horse, water table

Soapbox.....

I am going to get on a soapbox for a few minutes and vent about a show T.C. and I ran across the other night. I admit...we do a little channel flipping in the evening...generally landing on my favorite show "House Hunters" (etc. etc.). However, this particular night we turned to TLC and found a show called "The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom." http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/soccer-moms/soccer-moms.html To try and explain this relatively quickly, it started off with a stay at home mom that "gave up her career or dream to stay home with her children." Blah blah blah! Now she will be given the opportunity to see what she gave up and in the end she will have to decide whether or not to follow the dream...or remain home. The show we happen to watch caused many comments and much irritation with T.C. and me. We couldn't believe this gal was actually crying because she gave up her dream of being a chef. When did being a stay at home mom become second best? Why is it that people like this give those of us that don't feel that way a bad rep? I mean, isn't it totally acceptable to feel like you wouldn't change being at home with any career in the entire world? Oh my goodness...if I had a chance to be with my children day in and day out or be a world renowned surgeon...you better believe beyond a shadow of a doubt I would choose my children. I have the best job ever! I get hugs when I want them, I get to guide them, watch them explore their world, discover new things, kiss their boo-boos, and be the constant in their lives all day every day. I get a first hand seat watching our daughter blossom into a lovely young lady (and try to see past the hormone cloud that occasionally looms above)right before my very eyes on a daily...minute by minute...hour by hour basis. I am the one that gets to talk her through the grumpies, guide her when I see her not reaching her potential, and kiss her just because. I am the one that gets to rejoice over our son speaking more clearly, learning a new word or short sentence, guide him through his new whiny stage, and relish in the fact that God chose this amazing little boy to be our son...all day every day! No, it isn't easy...mothering isn't for the faint of heart. It is a tough job. I am not here to say that you can't be a working mom...give me a break...my mother was a working mom and did a great job juggling everything that she had to juggle...and I am definitely no worse for the wear. I am just here to say that it is disheartening that society puts some sort of second rate take on being at home with our children....like we all gave up these amazing dreams when we decided to be at home. Can't this be our dream? To see up close and personal as our children grow and develop...to be their encourager all the while? Well anyway...just had to give my 2 cents...any comments?

Coming to a magazine near you...

Ok, maybe not...but we sure think they are pretty darn cute! I decided to be cheap this year and take our own Easter pictures. They turned out pretty well...though it did take a while. Clark lasts like 2 seconds when it comes to being still. You will see a shot of him pouting because I wouldn't stop taking pictures. (heehee) Then there is the one of Clark laughing and Ali about to choke him...aaah, the joys of siblings. She really does love him. Ok, and you can't miss the video clip of Clark dancing....who said white boys can't dance? He is dancing to some Ukrainian pop music that our facilitator gave to T.C. before he left Ukraine. Pretty funny stuff...enjoy. Oh goodness, Clark had gymnastics this morning and we had to have a talk afterward about leaving the girls alone! The other boy that is in the class wasn't there today...so it was just Clark and 3 girls. One girl hates when he comes up and sits RIGHT next to her...he doesn't know the personal space rule yet. Ha! (he did come from Eastern Europe...there is NO such thing as that over there) Anyway, he did it again today and she was getting so mad...she would get up and scoot over and he would get up and move by her again...over and over and over this happened. He finally had to take a turn on the mat and left her alone. We got in the car and started having a discussion about leaving this girl alone and he all of a sudden said "girl had mad face like this (and he showed me the face she made)" it was priceless and I did have to laugh!

Easter pictures

First Easter egg hunt!

Well, another first for the little Clark man. He attended his first egg hunt this morning at our community Health and Nutrition Fair. It was held at the high school football field. It was a cold start to the day...40 and windy when we left home. It began with a "parade" around the track following behind the marching band and dressed up characters. Then, it was followed by the egg hunt. (we cheated and put him in the age group below so that I could go on the field with him...only 2 and under could have a parent...his height has advantages at times..ha!)Anyway, since he had NO clue about egg hunts we figured he needed a little guidance. Boy was I completely WRONG! All I said was "see all the eggs, just picked them up and put them in your basket"...and off he ran...overflowing his basket. It was so cute. They announced that there were 2 golden eggs in each age group and the finders would win a bike! Well, I spotted the egg in the middle and point him in the right direction and off he ran...........right past it. So needless to say he didn't win the bike...I couldn't bring myself to be the mom that grabbed the eggs for my kid. However, after he finished gathering eggs we went down to watch Ali's age group and low and behold Ali started sprinting towards the golden egg and got it. She won a beautiful new bike and she was so thrilled. She outgrew hers, so it couldn't have been better timing! Her long legs are to her advantage sometimes. Let me tell you, nothing or NO ONE was coming between her and a free new bike! She is my child...free is a wonderful word! After some inflatable bouncy houses and a little train ride...we were off to check out the firetrucks. Clark was in heaven, as you can see by the pictures. He loved being inside the truck...he sat down proudly and quickly reached over and put on his seat belt. It was so funny...the fireman got a huge kick out it. He said "at least he knows how to put his seat belt on!" Then we checked out some helicopters and actually watched a life flight helicopter land right in front of us. All the kids loved watching that and sitting in them all. Ali's friend, Sierra, spent the night and joined us today. All I can say is.....GIRLS...and preteen girls at that. WEW...the giggling never stops and neither does the talk of all the boy bands that are out. I am including a picture of Ali's bedroom door...JONAS BROTHERS. For those of you with kids this age, you know who I am talking about. Ali loves their music...but claims she doesn't think they are cute. Ha, I am not buying it...but whatever!

Well, enjoy the pictures and have a great weekend...I am going to enjoy the rest of ours.

Dickinson egg hunt

Easter preview...

I just wanted to post some pictures of Clark in his Easter outfit. Isn't it cute? Thanks to his Aunt Paula and Uncle Jay...they spoiled him with that cute outfit. He was a riot when I was trying to get a few pictures...he would pose this way and that wanting me to take his picture. I am going to take Ali and Clark to a nice park soon for Easter pictures. I thought about going to the mall, then thought, heck I will just take them myself. Ali didn't want an Easter dress this year...she is growing up. She hates dressing up...she prefers to wear simple skirts to church. So that is what she chose...a skirt and top...not even Easter looking, but that's ok!

This weekend in our community there is a huge Easter extravaganza of sorts. There are craft booths, Easter egg hunt, the bunny will be there for pictures, inflatable things to jump in, a firetruck will be there along with the EMS and a SWAT team. Clark will love all that stuff and Ali is just glad the egg hunt goes up to age 12! Ha! She hates getting left out of getting free candy...heehee! Should be fun for them and I sure hope the weather is nice.

We found out yesterday that Clark still has giardia. I did a little research digging on my own and discovered the pharmacy gave him the wrong medicine last time. Long story...we were traveling and the order was called into a pharmacy in Indiana. I think there must have been a mix up along the way. Anyway, he didn't end up taking the correct medicine and therefore still has giardia. I am going to pick up the CORRECT medicine today and please pray that this gets rid of it once and for all. Another prayer request at the moment is that we are able to get him into the preschool at the school right down the street from us (for the fall). It is only available to children with English as a second language and he has to take some language test to be accepted. I explained to the teacher that his language is definitely behind and she said that she can test him in April. I hope he gets accepted. It is free (and free is always GREAT) and would be so good for him! It is for kids just moving to the states from other countries and are behind with language. I also have been in contact with the speech department for the school district. They are going to evaluate him and see if he might need speech therapy. They don't have any appointments available right now, but said it shouldn't be that long.

Well, that is about it right now. Enjoy the photos..we think he is pretty much too cute for words! The photos of the eggs are beautiful hand painted eggs from Ukraine. You can get them made out of wood or actual real eggs blown out. I only brought home one real egg as I didn't know how they would travel. However, the painting is gorgeous on them all. We love to have things out during the holidays to remind us of Clark's birth country.

Easter preview

Our weekend...

We loaded up the van late Friday afternoon and headed to Nona and Poppy's house. Clark had been asking for them for days...so we gave in! My brother and his family joined us all for lunch on Sat., then we took the kids to a park on the lake. They all had a great time. I can't believe it, but I actually forgot the camera! (I take the camera EVERYWHERE..ugh!!) Uncle Jay, Aunt Paula, and Abby gave Clark his baptismal gift...which was a darling backpack with his name on it. It is his "things to keep him busy during church" bag! He is so proud of it. He HAD to wear it into church, after church, around the house...he LOVES it. It will be perfect for preschool in the fall. Well, Clark has been asking to "go play at Nona and Poppy's house" all day long...oh and all the way home last night. He doesn't get that we just can't pop over there. One night just wasn't enough time for him...we keep telling him that they will be here for Easter.

Well, round 4 (I think, but I have lost count) of vaccinations has proven to be just as hard on his system as the other rounds were. He becomes a whiny, puny, mouthy terror...ummm, did I just write that? I mean well, ummm well...I don't know what I mean. Vaccinations make him so grumpy and whiny. Let us hope it doesn't last all that long.

I hope everyone has a great week. We went around to several garden centers today trying to decide what we want to plant in our backyard. It is a blank slate right now. We took pen and paper with us to add it all up...OUCH...trees are NOT cheap.

new backpack

We have a heavy weight in the house.......

Clark had to go to the doctor for 3 vaccinations this morning. He is finally caught up for his age! He told me when we got home that he was mad at the doctor and that his leg hurt. Ha! The best part, however, is that he has finally gained and grown!! YEAH!! He is now 28.8 lbs. (ok, so he did have on heavy jeans and long sleeve shirt) and he was 36 1/2 inches tall. He came here weighing 27 lbs. and was 34 1/2 inches tall. (Aug.) So in 6 months he has grown 2 inches and I am so excited. Maybe he will actually be ON the growth chart soon. I thought his jeans were getting a little shorter on him. (ok, so they are size 2T...it's about time, right?)

Both kids are fighting colds at the moment. Ali has felt the worst by far, and Clark is the one that gave it to her. I am not sure where he caught it...maybe church or gym class? You never really know.

Big sister got a hold of him....

Last night Clark comes downstairs with a marker beard on his face. What a hoot! Ali decided to give him a beard and a photo shoot...a total riot. T.C. and I have books called "Capture His/Her Heart" and Ali grabbed T.C.'s book and had Clark hold it. OH MY GOODNESS! We cracked up. The poor little guy has no idea that now I am placing his cute mug on the WORLD WIDE WEB.....what kind of mother am I? One that thought others might get a little laugh also. Ali also made a sign for him to hold (she meant I'm available...but put "I'm open"...which is so funny!!)

Not much news around here...just wanted to post pictures. We found another park this weekend that we hadn't visited yet. The kids loved it and are ready to go back. It is called "Challenger Park" and has walking trails, playgrounds, etc. Clark slipped in some gross looking water and about lost it. He was so upset. Both feet got soaked, as did part of his pants....but he recovered and continued playing. He sure loves playgrounds...Ali did too at that age. His new word as of this weekend is "everything." Really funny when not used correctly.

We are finally going to have a little vacation after several years...Ukraine didn't count. The stress level was TOOOOO high to count. However, we are finally going back to Florida. We haven't been back since we moved from there in '99 when Ali was 2 1/2 years old. We hope everything works out...I mean you never really know. It is still almost 3 months away....but we are counting down the days already. Ha! We will go the middle of May. We will be staying right on the beach, so the kids will really LOVE that. Ali will get to see one of her little playmates while we are there. I will rephrase that...they were little at the time...they won't recognize each other now. Ha! Most of our friends from that time were military and thus have moved away.

Enjoy the silly photos!

Challenger Park

Just a little trampoline picnic

I look out of our bedroom window this afternoon...and this is what I found...the kids were having a little mini picnic on the trampoline. It was so incredibly cute that I had to grab the camera and run outside. Don't get me wrong, they can do their fair share of bickering...but it is moments like these that I truly know they DO love each other. Ali packed up a few little snacks and grabbed Clark for a trip out to the trampoline. A funny little side note, when I get outside I notice them staring at the trampoline net and they informed me that there was a spider on the net that neither of them would kill. Daddy had to go out and save the day!

So we discovered the other day, though we already suspected it, that we have a little Ukrainian PLAY-AH (player) on our hands. T.C., Clark, and I had to do a little Target shopping while Ali was at swim practice the other night. We were loading the van up with our bags when I notice that Clark is STARING intently at something in front of us. I look up to see what it is and I find a young blonde getting into a little red sports car. I die out laughing and T.C. joins in the laughter. I lean over and ask Clark if he thinks she is pretty and he smiles and says "yes." I then ask if he wanted to give her a kiss and he smiled yet again and said "YES." I then begin to tell him that he can't kiss girls he doesn't know, and without missing a beat he smiles and says "she kiss me." Ha....oh what have we gotten ourselves into? The proud Papa added "the objects of his affection are always easy on the eyes." At least the boy has standards. Teeheehee!

Clark has had a good week and that is always a blessing. The fits have calmed down now that we are back on his normal schedule. The trip up north was difficult on him...being out of his normal routine, etc.

I will close with a few pictures of their picnic.

trampoline picnic

Tagged.........

Ok, for starters I NEVER fill these out...but here it goes!

A- Attached or Single: Attached, married for almost 12 years

B- Best Friend: oh goodness...best friend would be my husband...but many friends spread from Hawaii to Kentucky!

C- Cake or Pie: PIE most likely KEY LIME...yum, yum!

D- Day of Choice: Saturday and Sunday... time to be able to spend as a family

E- Essential Item (s): can't think of something I just "have to have" on a day to day basis except for my family!! (and going to the beach...good for the soul)

F- Favorite Color: depends on what for...on the walls in a house...sage green...clothing perhaps red or a shade of blue

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: worms...the sour ones!

H- Hometown: Tallulah, Lousiana

I- Indulgence (s): pedicures in the summer...haha

J- January or July: oh definitely July...I am not a huge fan of cold weather...though the July heat here is pretty bad also!

K- Kids: Alexandra Paige-11 (a preteen and VERY good at it...just kidding(sort of)...a fun kid that is quite artistic! Samuel Clark-4 (and again...very good at it)he is the one that keeps us laughing...100% boy 100% of the time...on go every second of the day except while he is asleep!

M- Marriage Date: April 26, 1996

N- Number of Siblings: 1 older brother...it is a wonder we made it to adulthood with the fighting that used to go on..haha

O- Oranges or Apples: apples...crisp ones...with caramel for extra yumminess (not a word, I know)

P- Phobias or Fears: bugs...YUCK! oh, and heights! Also something happening to my husband or children!

Q- Quote(s): "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4 (really I love the whole chapter)

R- Reason to Smile: we have our 2 healthy children and are finally settled down with a job my husband LOVES!

S- Season: spring

T- Tag: anyone that would like to join in

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I can't think of anything exciting...except maybe for the fact that I can't seem to finish a book these days...I have about 5 or more books going that I flip through but never finish...ugh! Also, let me think...T.C. and I have moved 7 times in our marriage...crazy huh? Some of those were within the same town. Hopefully we are done for YEARS to come!

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: definitely NOT a vegetarian....gotta have meat!

W-Worst Habit: not always being the most patient Mom...working on that!

X-X-rays or Ultrasounds: Have had both...ultrasound was amazing when I was pregnant with Ali...getting to see your baby! Hopefully won't be needing any X-Rays (or ultrasounds for that matter..haha)

Y-Your Favorite Food: Mexican! (or my mom's turkey and dressing on the holidays)

Z- Zodiac: taurus

Just a lazy Sunday afternoon at the beach.....

Yesterday we decided to load up the ole' sand pails and shovels and head down to Galveston. I think the kids could hang out on the beach for hours on end. They had a great time and the weather was glorious! Of course we had to make our usual ice cream stop on the way home. We made the mistake of telling Clark Sat. evening of our beach plans and he repeated it I think a thousand times prior to getting into bed that night..."beach and eat ice cream." Too funny. I will explain the picture of the shirtless fellow with his cowboy hat and running pants. You see, we love going to Galveston...however, you NEVER really know what you are going to see. Yesterday that was our find. Redneck at its finest. Ha! (ok, so that was a little mean...sorry...that poor guy had NO idea he was being photographed and would end up on the web)

Clark had gymnastics again today. As the teacher put it oh so nicely "he didn't listen as well today." Ha...YOU THINK? He moves at 100 miles per hour...it is really stretching him to actually sit still long enough to listen to instruction. Ha! However, both teachers told me they thought that he was born for this. They kept talking about what a natural he is....ok, if they can just figure out a way to get him to pay attention. Good luck girls!!! They do have their work cut out for them. Ok, to be totally honest...he is doing pretty well. He doesn't totally understand everything in English yet...he has only been home 6 months as of Saturday. I will cut him some slack.

Well, not much to say...really just wanted to post the pictures. Clark's new favorite words are honey, maybe, and tomorrow. He will use them at the totally wrong time. For instance "maybe this is too hot"...or "can we eat that tomorrow (like instead of later)"...the honey he uses correctly which is really funny. He picked that up from me. I always call the 3 of them honey...so now he started that. "now honey"

beach

Valentine's Day

Well, last night was fun! We were able to go out to dinner with friends...WITHOUT KIDS! Some friends of ours (with 4 kids of their own) told us about a Parent's Night Out at a church close to us. We all took advantage and signed the kids up. They had fun eating pizza, watching movies, and playing basketball in the church gym. When we were tucking Clark into bed last night I started asking him about his evening. He told us he had fun and played with a boy and a girl. I said "oh, a girl...was she cute" and he replied "yes, I kiss her." Ha! Watch out world.

It was so funny when we made it to the restaurant...we joked that we were going to take a moment of silence and enjoy the quiet! We were saying...look...no fighting...no he said she said...he did she did...aaahhh. But, we were glad to see the kids when we picked them up....as always! It is just nice to have an evening to ourselves every once in a while. It doesn't happen very often.

Clark has had a great couple of days...which makes life a whole lot nicer.

I am including some photos from yesterday. The kids enjoyed opening their gifts from us and grandparents. Ali made Valentine cupcakes and did a great job. She loves to help cook.

Valentine's Day

Here I sit...exhausted...with nothing exciting to say

Now how is that for a title? Extremely exciting stuff or what? But how true it is. It is almost 11:30pm and I am exhausted, burned out, and need to be in bed. I haven't much to say either...so I really should save this for another day. Ha! But figured I would go ahead and bore you now.

You know it occurred to me the other day that I often get these emails "getting to know your friends" or some similar title about little facts about your friends that you may not have known. I enjoy reading them, but NEVER take the time to respond. Then I started thinking about it and realized there were things I wondered about others. For instance......what do you guys keep in your vehicle at any given time? For me...I looked around and saw that I ALWAYS (seriously...always!)have swim gear in our van. (Hyundai Entourage by the way and LOVE IT!) Swim gear....2 bags of the stuff. She has to have a "wet bag" as they call it...mesh bag that holds all the gear that gets wet (goggles, caps, kick board, flippers) and a "dry" bag that holds towels, clothing, etc. There they sit...slap dap in the middle of the van waiting on the next swim practice. At first we held the position of "you put those bags in the back every day so it doesn't junk up the van"...yeah right...that lasted a total of a week maybe! Ha! Now that we have a little one around again I always have a tub of wet wipes under the seat, hot wheels cars rolling around everywhere, and random other toys! What happened to my obsession of having a clean car? Oh yeah, I had kids!!! Then there is my purse...I always loved purses...like LOVED them...still do...only now the love takes on a whole new meaning....how much crap can I cram in ONE. Like seriously...how much stuff can a purse really hold? There is anti bacterial gel (a must have 'cause kids are just always dirty!), cell phone, wallet, usually a toy, a random treat in case the little one gets cranky, etc. My purse is always overflowing! What about you guys?

Well, Ali had another swim meet this past weekend. Want to know when we found out she was swimming in it......Friday night....and we were supposed to be there at 7:30am the following morning...and it was a 30 minute drive. She was having company that night...a friend from swimming. The friend also found out that night that she was to swim...so a quick change of plans, called the girls mom, and the reality hit me that I was taking 3 kids to a swim meet with no help from T.C. BOOHOO! T.C. has been working since Sat. morning going in a little after 4am since there is a space shuttle mission up. Wew...it was a long day at the meet! Ha. Ali did well...she improved on all her times from the previous meet. Ok, so she might not be headed to the Olympics just yet...but she loves it. She has only been on the team since Sept. or Oct. She truly loves it and is really improving.

Clark has had better days. I will just start by saying...we love him...we really do...and thank goodness he is cute. Just kidding! He has been a little trying these days (ok, maybe a lot trying). We are having a little problem with his temper/anger and the fact that he doesn't like that we have authority over him. However, we are trying to be very consistent with consequences and not letting him get away with the whining and crying fits. For now it is one step forward and 2 steps back at times. However, we know he is a sweet boy and has such potential. For those of you out there with boys........tell us the tricks of the trade! We are used to having a girl. (and they are OH SO very different by the way)

This was a very funny observation from the 11 year old in our home. We were heading out of the house this morning to take Clark to storytime at the library. We recently got new neighbors on one side of us and the husband works 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off. He happened to be out in the yard this morning as we were leaving. We get in the van and Ali chimes in with a really funny look on her face "that lady at that house must be the one to work 'cause that man is out in the yard killing ants (we have fire ants down here in TX)...I was a little confused and asked what she meant. She explained that the husband was putting ant killer on ant beds and that his wife must be the one that worked. I explained that he works for several weeks and then is off. It was just cute to me that since I stay home and T.C. works that she thought it odd the possibly that it might be reversed in their home. SO yes Ali....some gals DO work outside the home. I just happen to be one of the crazy ones that wonders how in the world they do it. At the end of my days of schooling, laundry, housework, cooking, chasing a little one, heading off to swimming...when would there be time? Shew, I am tired just thinking about it.

I have to hit the sack...this is a totally random post...I know...it is late, what can I say?

Our trip in a nutshell

Well we are back home after visiting 2 states, many friends and family, stayed in 5 different houses, endured several meltdowns (Clark...not me...though I wanted to), enjoyed an awesome get together at our old church, delayed 5 hours trying to get back home, and the list could go on!

That is right, we were gone 8 days and stayed in 5 different houses along the way. We were trying to see so many people in Louisville that we ended up staying with a different family all 3 nights while we were there. It was so good to see everyone. The first night was spent with another homeschooling family that we got to know during our time in Louisville. They have 2 girls and we would get together for outings and such and the girls took dance together. They had a terrific time playing and just generally acting goofy as girls are good at doing. Clark enjoyed all their many toys as they set up a huge train set for him in their living room. He loved that. They also have a classic car that they let Clark climb around in. The next day we went to visit some friends of ours from seminary that recently adopted a toddler boy from Vietnam. We took the kids to a fun place called Gattiland to play and get our fill of pizza! They also have a 9 1/2 year old son that Ali used to play with quite a bit. They live in the same complex where we used to live. Later that afternoon we headed over to our fomer pastor's home...their son, Micah, and Ali were great friends. We visited with them a while before heading over to the church for a dinner in our honor. It was awesome to see everyeone again!! If any of you are reading this...we SO miss our family at New Cut Road Baptist Church! Then, after the dinner we spent the night at our former pastor's home. The next day, Pamela and I just took it easy and visited all day...it was fabulous! Micah played hooky from school and he and Ali played outside a lot of the day...when they weren't having light saber fights. Clark was content to play with all the boys toys they had since they DO have 3 boys! Late that afternoon the kids and I headed to yet another house for our final night in Louisville. We stayed with another homeschooling family...Eb and Ali took gymnastics together at one time and became fast friends. They enjoyed catching up and playing until LATE into the evening. The next day we returned our rental car and my mother in law picked us up and we headed up to Seymour, IN for 3 nights. On Saturday, there was a little get together so that some family and friends could meet Clark. On Monday, Suzi (Mimi) took us up to Indianapolis to stay with T.C.'s sister and her family for 2 nights. Our boys had never met, so they had a good time getting to know each other. With 1,3,4, and 11 year olds in the house...it was anything but quiet! Haha! They watched movies, played and played and played, we went for a walk, a trip to McDonald's to play, etc. Wed. we started our journey home...only to be diverted from the Chicago airport to Kansas City. After spending over an hour in a ticket counter line...we got new tickets to route us through Tulsa on into Houston. We finally made it into Houston around 10pm only to find out that our luggage did not arrive. However, it did get delivered Thursday morning...so it could have been worse. Trust me, you don't want to stand in an hour line...sit at a gate for 3+ hours with kids that had not eaten dinner...it isn't pleasant...haha! Clark had a slight meltdown when I wouldn't let him climb around on the floor and crawl under the chairs...that was fun! I think I have decided that our flying days are over for a while.

Well, we are off to swim practice in a few minutes so I better sign off for now. Ali is having company spend the night...so I better mentally prepare myself for girly giggling late into the night.

Kentucky and Indiana

And we are off again.........

We returned LATE Sat. night from Louisiana...and the kids and I leave again tomorrow morning for KY/IN. WEW! Still trying to get the laundry done and repack. Ok, so I haven't actually packed a single thing yet...had errands to run this morning, teach school, and get Clark to gymnastics. It is now 1:00 and not a single thing has yet to reach the suitcases. Yikes!

Ali has already informed me that she is just too excited to sleep tonight. We will see how that pans out! It will be so good to see friends and family that we haven't seen in so long.

This weekend was very difficult. It is never easy to try and say good-bye to someone that you loved so much. However, I just imagine my uncle dancing with the angels and not being in any pain...ever again. Our selfish side just still wants him here with us, yet we know he is in a much better place. Aside from the sadness, it was so wonderful to see members of my family that I had not seen in quite some time! Some had not met Clark...so he tried his best to not get caught and kissed by everyone that walked by him! Heehee! He was a mess and FULL of energy the entire time. We were a little nervous that he wouldn't make it through the funeral "with his quiet voice"...but he did...to our surprise. However, the graveside service was a little different. I do recall during one prayer a certain someone repeating over and over "what...what...what." (and I believe T.C. may have mentioned to that certain someone to "be nice"...and that certain someone said quite loudly.."you be nice"...ok, so that was kind of funny!!)

The theme in our house as of late is "BECAUSE I SAID SO." It seems our dear son has become quite fond of the word WHY! I mean...it gets repeated at least 100 times a day. I have gotten a little tired of explaining myself and have resulted to just saying "because Mama said so." Lame...I know! However, I just seem to run out of explanations!

Clark had his second gymnastics class today. There were more oooohhh's and aaaaaahhhh's from the teachers again this week. They can't believe how strong he is for being so little. They were working on cartwheels today and he just leaned over and went from standing to a handstand all by himself. Pretty incredible! We will never have any money at this rate.....everything will be going to swimming or gymnastics...we will be eating beans! Ha!

Well, I am off to begin packing! I will try and update while we are out of town. I am posting a few pictures from this weekend.

Shreveport

Baptism...and heaven...all in the same day!

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24

One Samuel was baptized in Christ last night at church...while another Samuel rejoiced at Christ's feet last night in heaven. My mother's brother, my Uncle Sam, whom Samuel Clark was named after, went to be with Jesus yesterday morning. His health was not good and we all know he is at peace now...pain free and in the presence of Jesus! Pray for the family; he will be missed.

Like I mentioned, Clark was baptized last night. We didn't know what to expect...as he will just talk in church not realizing his voice carries. However, he surprised us and was quiet and didn't talk! He was a little curious when the pastor leaned him over the water and started pouring water over his head...he couldn't resist turning to look over his shoulder. But, it was beautiful and we have an awesome responsibility ahead of us...training him in God's truths. With God's guidance, we pray he will become a strong man of God.

We are off to Louisiana to be with my family and attend the funeral...we will return Sat. evening...laundry, repack...and leave again Tues. morning for Kentucky/Indiana! Shew!!!

Baptism

Clark's first movie and gymnastics class

Well, we decided to attempt to make it through Clark's first movie at the theater on Sat. We took the kids to see The Water Horse. It was a great movie, and Clark set mesmerized throughout the entire thing. They have little booster seats, which are great. He loved his popcorn..telling me "I like this." Heehee! The movie lasted 2 hours and he just sat right in his seat.

His language is really coming along. He has started referring to himself as "I" instead of me do this or that. He has really blossomed in his 5 months home. We just can't believe it. We were watching some video clips this weekend from Ukraine and couldn't believe how much he has changed since then.

Clark also started gymnastics this morning. He absolutely LOVED it. The teacher was quite impressed with how flexible he is. It is amazing, really. The boy can just about do the splits and is so strong. (T.C. thinks male gymnasts are shall we say feminine and isn't that thrilled with the lessons...hahaha) But I will say that he seems like a natural. The teacher said that he has the perfect body. He followed directions so well, even though he doesn't understand everything. He just seemed to follow right along.

Let me see...we are having Clark baptized at Hope Lutheran Church during the Wed. evening worship service this week. T.C. and I will begin the new members class that same night. It lasts about 10-12 weeks and afterwards we can join the church. It is a change for me...being a Southern Baptist since the womb...but after much prayer and consideration we feel like this is a good fit for our family.

The children and I will be flying up to Louisville next Tuesday morning. We will be in Louisville 3 days, then heading up to Indiana for 5 days. Ali is so excited to see all of her friends from Louisville again! I can't believe it has been a year since we moved. Clark will be meeting his cousins, Jackson and Sawyer, for the first time. I know the boys will have a great time together! I can't wait to watch them. He will also get to see his other set of grandparents...he has only seen them once...so I know he will enjoy it!!! (as will Ali..of course she is always ready to see them!) This will be Clark's first airplane trip since Ukraine...wonder what he will be thinking?

Here are a few pictures from gymnastics (they are terrible pictures due to them being taken through a window) and a few video clips. The picture of Clark in his car seat is hilarious...that is how he has been falling asleep in the car. He covers his eyes up!

gymnastics

Already making the girls cry...

Ok, so we were at the library for story time this morning and next thing I knew a little girl was running away from Clark crying. I turn around and see that he had decided to NOT play nice. He and the little girl were both playing with a tub of foam floor puzzle pieces. I guess he decided he would rather not share them and drags the bucket away from the little girl...hence the little girl running away crying. Guess we need to work on that....so after I get him buckled into his car seat headed home I give him the "we have to share and be nice speech." (meanwhile he is probably thinking...blah, blah, blah...right?

The pictures are from last night. T.C. was putting a shelf together for Ali's room and Clark was fascinated. He had to hand T.C. every single nail, screw, etc. until it was all finished up. It was quite cute!!

helping Papa

Simple pleasures....

It's the simple things in life that bring the most joy, am I right? We took the kids to Armand Bayou Nature Center this afternoon to take a little hike and look for critters in the ponds and bayou. Clark had never experienced anything like that before. He loved "hunting" for snakes...he would see a stick in the water and say "look, Mama." Heehee. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. We couldn't keep him focused enough on the trail to get him to keep up...he was picking up rocks, dirt, sticks, etc. Then he would yell at us to "WAIT!!!"

Our little man does in fact have giardia (intestinal parasite). We found out yesterday and he was put on a 3 day antibiotic. I assume he will have to be re-tested after the antibiotics are finished to make sure he is free and clear. Maybe this is contributing to his lack of weight gain.

Tonight we were tucking Clark in bed...T.C. had given kisses and had walked to the door...I was still sitting beside his bed...he looked at me and said "go out with Papa, I am sleepy." Ha...well, okie dokie then! It was priceless.

God gave me the sweetest moment last night. We had all piled into our living room for a movie night...the kids had chosen a movie and we were all settled in. I was in our recliner and everyone else was on the love seat...all the lights in the house were off, the only light was the light from the fireplace (I know, we actually lit another fire!). Anyway, I can't help but steal a glance of my 3 favorite people and catch the sweetest thing. Ali and Clark were snuggled up and head to head. Too precious. I was reminded of what an incredible gift we have been given in our amazing children, and how blessed I am to have a wonderful husband! God bestows his gifts, even when I don't deserve it!

Oh yes, we received the NEATEST adoption gift from my sister in law, Sarah! She took all of our blog entries during our adoption process in Ukraine (and the ones leading up to us actually leaving) and had a book made. She also put pictures from our trip and quotes, etc. mixed throughout. She also had both sets of grandparents, my brother and his wife, and she and her husband write letters to Clark and had them printed in the book as well. What a treasure. It is so wonderful...thanks Sarah!! What a fabulous book that Clark can look back upon and read all about his journey home.

Armand Bayou Nature Center

Definitely NOT a heavy weight!

Clark had his 4 year check up this week and tipped the scales at 27.4 lbs and is 35 3/4 inches tall. We were hoping for a little more weight gain. He is just now back up to where he was when he came home...back in Aug. He isn't on the growth chart yet..he is in a category all his own...down at the bottom. Ha! The doctor was a little concerned about the size issue and ordered a growth hormone test. The results came back yesterday and it was completely normal, praise God! He is just a small little guy. We are still awaiting the results from another test. He is being tested for Giardia. The other boy from his group that was adopted by another American couple tested positive a few weeks ago as did his younger sister from the same orphanage. The doctor thought it a good idea to test Clark...could be a reason for no weight gain. It is cleared up with antibiotics...we will be glad to hear the results.

Yesterday I pulled out the water table that Clark got for Christmas from his great grandmother. He had not seen it yet. He saw it through the window and had a fit before he even went outside. He loved it. (Ali did too..ha!!) They were SOAKED by the time I made them come inside. He had a MAJOR meltdown inside...I think the whole neighborhood heard him. He has had a rough couple of days with a bad temper and fits when he is told something he doesn't like. I am blaming it on all the vaccinations he had...at least it makes me feel better to blame something. We knew he had a temper, but he has really showed his stuff the last couple of days. (it is kind of like the terrible 2's at age 4...fun stuff!!)

water table

4 years ago today....

God brought our beautiful son into the world and protected him until we could bring him home. What a blessing he is to our lives!

Since today was his BIG day...his first birthday at home...and probably his first birthday ever celebrated...he got to choose lunch. At first it was chicken nuggets...then that was a no go...then he wanted pizza...then that was a no...then finally we told him that he HAD to choose one and he finally settled on pizza. We took him to a pizza buffet and he ate and ate and ate!! He ate 2 slices of pizza and veggies from the salad bar. He was a happy camper...the boy likes to eat!

After we returned home, he slept for 2 hours and 20 minutes (sure wish I could take a nap like that...any kind of nap really..heehee). Then it was time for the presents. He had been asking about them since he woke this morning. But, we wanted to wait for Poppy to arrive from Louisiana. Anyway, once he tore open all the gifts, he blew out the candles to the cake that big sister, Ali, made for him. She did a great job. He just wanted the icing off of his piece, however! (he just wanted to get down and PLAY)

He is still downstairs playing as I type this. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I am off to start taking down the Christmas trees. (we REALLY dread it)

Clark's 4th birthday

To kiss or not to kiss...that is the question!

And no I am not talking about T.C. and me....I am talking about our precious, darling little boy. His answer to that question is YES, definitely KISS! Our dilemma at the moment is trying to get him to not kiss everyone on the lips. Ask him for a kiss... and baby...you got...right smack dab on the lips. Tonight at church he sees his Sunday School teacher in the service and repeats "teacher, teacher, teacher." After the service he runs up to her...and you guessed...plants one right on the kisser!! I am sure she didn't know what to do...a kid she only knows from Sunday School (not to mention we have only been attending there for about 2 months) lays one on her. Oh yeah, and he is fighting the congestion crud like we have all been passing around the last month or so. So to his teacher I would say HAPPY NEW YEAR as she is now carrying around his crud too. I was a little embarrassed and could only come up with the clever line "he is quite the kisser, he kisses everyone on the lips." 'Cause you know she was thinking "yeah, no joke lady." So in the car we try and have a little discussion about only kissing his family on the lips...and here is how it went...

me: Clark, you need to only kiss Mama, Papa, Ali, and the rest of your family on the lips...everyone else you can kiss their cheek..ok...do you understand Mama?
Clark: Chicken Nuggets?
Ummmmmm...so as you see...that went well.

2008...REALLY?

How is that possible that it is almost 2008? In just a matter of hours it will be a New Year. This time last year we were frantically packing our belongings to make a huge transition from Kentucky to Texas. Here we are a year later...another child in tow... and trying to figure out how an entire year has blown by. The older I get, the faster the years pass. Is it just me?

As we are staring 2008 in the face, we are also anticipating another milestone in the Judd home. We will be celebrating our son's first birthday at home...and more than likely his first birthday EVER celebrated. He is clueless. He could really care less how old he is, when asked, he just looks at us like "why do you keep asking me that." Apparently age was never discussed. American kids are taught from birth...hold up one finger..you are one...2 fingers you are 2. Not Clark, he pretty much doesn't even care. So, we won't be making a huge deal out of it this year. I will make him a cake and we plan on taking him to an indoor play structure to play. We will save the party for another year. However, this celebration for us brings with it thoughts of Clark's birth parents. I wonder if they ever wonder where he is...or how he is doing. As we celebrated Christmas, we were reminded of what Mary might have been feeling 2000 years ago. She knew she was with child, but that he would be the savior of the world. He ultimately gave his life so we could live eternally. I wonder if Clark's mother knew from conception that she would have to give her child up... not knowing what would become of him. I wish I could tell her just how much he is loved and cared for. To thank her for giving him life...for giving us our son. For her to know that I could not love him any more if my very own blood ran through his veins. He is our son regardless of DNA. I came across this song on another blog...I wish I knew how to post music...I don't...so I will just use the words.

Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawks.

If you'll be my star
I'll be your sky
you can hide underneath me and come out at night
when I turn jet black and you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine


but you can skyrocket away from me
and never come back if you find another galaxy
far from here with more room to fly
just leave me your stardust to remember you by


If you'll be my boat
I'll be your sea
a depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity
ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze
I live to make you free
I live to make you free



But you can set sail to the west if you want to
and past the horizon till I can't even see you
far from here where the beaches are wide
just leave me your wake to remember you by


If you'll be my star
I'll be your sky
you can hide underneath me and come out at night
when I turn jet black and you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine
But you can skyrocket away from me
and never come back if you find another galaxy
far from here with more room to fly
just leave me your stardust to remember you by
stardust to remember you by.

Isn't that neat? I really like the tune...if we figure out how to post music, we will do that.

Here is an adoption poem that I absolutely love. I plan on putting it in Clark's life book that I started making for him.

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD

Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother

Two different lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried you tears

One gave you up, that was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

Now, you ask me through your tears, the age old question unanswered through the years
Heredity or environment, which are you the product of
Neither my darling, just 2 different kinds of love.
---- Unknown

I just love that poem! It is my favorite adoption poem that I have come across. It tells the story the way I want Clark to understand it.

I will post again to let you know what he thinks of turning 4 years old on Sat., Jan. 5!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET CLARK!!!

Anyway, as we look back upon 2007...our lives have forever changed. We were blessed with a son that God chose for us before the creation of the world. We had to wait on God's perfect timing. God taught me more about trust and faithfulness during this year than probably in any year prior. He placed me in a situation outside of my comfort zone, in a country thousands of miles away, and taught me to be utterly dependent on him. He was my ONLY source of strength. My husband was back in the states and I was in a foreign country with our daughter and I didn't speak the language...no pressure there!! But God blessed beyond measure and placed me with other American families and protected Ali and me the entire time. While in Ukraine God reminded me of the verse "for I know the plans I have for you..plans to prosper you and not to harm you." I clung to those words and he returned us safe and sound to the comfort of our own home. God is forever faithful.

May 2008 bring wonderful memories, good health, and happiness!!

I will leave you with a few pictures that were taken last Friday right before Jay and family left. He received a car carrier with lots of Hot Wheels in it from Mimi and Papaw and he didn't open it until Friday. He was thrilled with all of his new cars.

random pictures...

Christmas memories...

I can't believe another Christmas has come and gone! The years seem to pass faster every year.

Our Christmas was wonderful. It was amazing watching Clark take it all in. A child who, prior to 4 months ago, had never been given a gift...now had a ROOM full. He didn't quite know what to do. He actually gave up on the unwrapping after awhile and just wanted to play. I believe he still has a few gifts under the tree to unwrap! He was so cute though. He loved the Carnival Capers set that he got to go with his Thomas the Train. He played and played and played with that.

Ali was so excited also. She got more Star Wars Lego's (which she loves), an MP3 player that she didn't know what was getting, PlayStation 2, a sewing machine, lots of craft projects, movies, cd's, tons of books, clothes...I could go on and on. (she gets very spoiled by both sets of grandparents)

We had my side of the family in and that was a lot of fun to be together. Ali and Abby enjoyed spending some time together...and Clark is totally IN LOVE with his Unca Jay!! That is all we heard this week "Unca Jay...Unca Jay.." Sorry Aunt Paula...he does love you too!! :)

Here are some pictures of our Christmas......

Christmas

Have a Merry, Merry CHRISTmas!

We wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! What a gift we were given that night in a manger so long ago. May our thoughts first reflect on the blessings we have and the salvation we have in Christ because of that gift.

We are excited to watch Clark experience his first American Christmas and first Christmas with his family! We waited a long time for this. We thought for the past 2 Christmases that we would have had him home...but we wait NO longer. I think it might be a little overwhelming for him to get all these presents...but I think he will be on cloud 9. Imagine...never having been given a gift. WOW...so much we take for granted.

Ali and I redeemed ourselves.....from that disastrous candy making ordeal. Wew! We had our baking day and made a couple of batches of different cookies. I am posting pictures of our candy cane cookies...they turned out so cute! We also made snicker doodles that are oh so good, if I might say so myself. (grin)

Ali is spending the weekend with her Nona and Poppy. I have full confidence that she is NOT getting spoiled. (yeah right!) We have been busy wrapping gifts and trying to get the house ready for Christmas...since we are hosting this year. So...we will be busy this weekend. Ali asked yesterday if Clark was going to their house also...I told her "no", but jokingly told her that I could pack him up a back and he could go also. She quickly replied "that's ok, I'm not complaining." She loves him, she really does.

Again, have a wonderful Christmas!

cookies

Our firstborn is 11...how did that happen?

I am in shock that my girl turned 11 yesterday. It is scary how fast time passes. Those of you with little ones...you will see! It seems like just yesterday she was little like Clark...and then they grow up before your eyes.

We had a fun family day to celebrate her big day. T.C. didn't work, due to working a midnight shift because of a space walk. Anyway, that meant we had all day together. She wanted to open her gifts first thing, of course. We then headed out to Boston Market for lunch. We always let her choose where she would like to go for lunch or dinner. She chose Boston Market of all places. (we were hoping she would choose a Mediterranean place that we love...but she didn't..ha!) After lunch we did a little Target shopping (our favorite store)...then it was home to let the little one sleep. While Clark was napping, Ali and I tried our hand at making peppermints from scratch. Ok, that is a whole blog entry in and of itself. I don't highly recommend candy making....like ever! Buy the candy! I have never made candy...and will probably never try it again. It was SUCH a mess. We had dried up sugar goo all over the kitchen. Maybe there are some of you candy makers out there that know the tricks of the trade....we do not. I even bought a candy thermometer just for the occasion. It has to reach a certain temperature before you do the final stir...I don't know...I must have messed up along the way. The directions said "as soon as it cools...stretch it and pull it like taffy" Ummmmmmmm....it was so freakin' hot we could never quite "pull it and stretch" like the recipe called for. So needless to say...our peppermints don't resemble peppermints at all...more like pink globs. Maybe we will have better luck with our cookie baking...let's all hope so!! Let's chalk it up to making a memory with my daughter...regardless of how they turned out. We did have many good laughs throughout the process.

Anyway, after the candy ordeal and Clark waking up from his nap...we headed out to the Kemah Boardwalk to check out the Christmas lights. The kids rode the carousel and we all road the little Kemah train. Clark was so excited. ALL trains are "Thomas" and he just kept saying "Thomas, Thomas, Thomas"...he insisted on sitting on the outside like a big boy and not in my lap..until we went through a tunnel with a western scene inside (that has a little fake shoot out going on)...then he climbed in my lap and just about strangled me. Heehee.

After returning home...we sang Happy Birthday as Ali blew out the candles that were in her PIE!! We had already had birthday cake at her party...so she said she wanted pie. I bought her a piece of apple pie and cheese cake...she couldn't believe her luck! T.C. and I commented that we just can't believe she is 11. What a blessing she has been.

I will explain the video clip a little bit. You see...Ali decided that it would be great fun to snoop through ALL of our Christmas bags that were in our coat closet. She found them all....all, I tell ya. Except for a few things that had not come in the mail at the time. She claims the coats were moved out of the way and she saw a sack and decided it would be fun to go through ALL the bags. Bummer for her as she won't have many surprises on Christmas morning. Anyway, she found matching night shirts that I had gotten for she and Sierra's birthdays. I wanted to have it on video when she opened it and tried to pretend she was surprised. It was pretty funny. Though she knows we know that she found the bags and has been told that next year the bags will be locked in T.C.'s trunk. Ha!

Ali's birthday

Partying like rock stars....

Ok, maybe not...maybe just partying like 10 and 11 year olds. What else do 10 and 11 year old want to do on their birthday? Well laser tag, of course! In Ali's words "it was just SOOOOOO cool in there." Ali and Sierra had their joint birthday party after church today. We thought we were going to be late (what's new?) to her own party! We had exactly 5 minutes to run home and change clothes after church. The kids had a great time playing laser tag, eating pizza and cake, and playing in the game area. It was amazing how well behaved the kids were in the party room. All the adults were commenting on it...we never once had to quiet them down! (now that's amazing!!) Ali will officially be 11 on Tuesday. She was a little disappointed that we weren't giving her the gifts from us until Tuesday....patience kiddo, patience! Here are a few pictures from the party.

birthday party

Star Wars..........

We took a field trip this week to Space Center Houston. Ali has been dying to see a Star Wars exhibit that they have going on. On the last shuttle mission, the shuttle took up the original light saber that Luke Skywalker used. Oooohhh ahhhhhh! Ali is a huge Star Wars fan and thought it was about the coolest thing ever. They also have one of Luke Skywalker's costumes from Return of the Jedi. There is also a full scale X-Wing Starfighter. She just kept saying "this is so cool...this is so cool." Ummmm, ok...whatever you say.

There was also a cute traveling circus exhibit. You could tight rope walk, try on tons of circus costumes, etc. Clark liked playing with all the props.

Clark continues to do well. He rediscovered this past week that the ONE thing he has total control over is his bladder...and he decided to use it against us. When he would get in trouble for something and he would be angry, he would wet his pants. Arrggghh! We assume it is just a control issue...they had total control of the children at the orphanage. They basically never had to think on their own, let alone be allowed to disobey. They knew what was expected and they did it...end of story. So this new found pants wetting was irritating, to say the least. My mother had the fabulous idea for us to warn him that the next time he wet his pants due to being angry...ALL of his favorite toys were getting locked in Daddy's car trunk. It worked! (he LOVES his toys) I talked to him about it not being ok to wet his pants when he was angry, etc. He gets it...now when I remind him to be a big boy and not wet his pants he will tell me "no wet pants, toys bye-bye." So far so good!

Other than that little issue he is doing great. He loves to irritate Ali, however...though she is pretty good at dishing it out as well. They will get along great...then before I know it I hear "MOM...he did so and so...or MOM, Ali did so and so." My favorite words these days are quit tattling..ha! He loves to do things to her when I am not looking and then look totally innocent when I turn around. One of the cute things he is doing is admiring our candy dish on the coffee table. We told him about not taking candy without asking, so he will go right up to it and say things like "cute candy, Mama." (and I do give in once a day or so) He continues to love the Christmas trees and lights. He has rearranged the tree many times over. He loves to drive around and look at the decorated homes. In Ukraine they call snowmen "baba's" so that is what he is still calling them and we think it is so cute. Santa is still Noah also! He loves to point out baby Jesus in the Nativity sets. He is learning to say bedtime prayers and that is so special to us. Even though he doesn't have a clue what he is doing...he is learning.

Ali's 11th birthday party is on Sunday. She is having a joint party with her best friend, Sierra. They are having a laser tag party at a place called Main Event...they are very excited. I can't believe she is turning 11 years old on Tuesday...where does the time go? Seems like yesterday she was Clark's age.

Here are a few pictures from Space Center Houston. I had to include a picture of a truck we were driving behind the other day. The camera was in the van...and Ali HAD to have a picture of. She LOVES Elvis and couldn't believe his face was on a truck.

Space Center Houston

From Christmas lights...to little sheep (and lots of things in between!)

Well, it has been a fun week in our home! Clark was able to experience his first "drive around town looking at lights" night! We made a stop at a local park here in Dickinson for their Festival of Lights to start our evening off. It was wonderful, except for the fact that it was around 80 degrees...just didn't feel all that much like Christmas. We nixed our usual stop at Starbucks as we just couldn't bring ourselves to walk around drinking hot chocolate or coffee. Anyway, the kids loved it and we ended our visit with a stop off to see Santa...I mean Noah! Then, we headed around town in search of lights. Who knew we would find beautiful lights right in our own neighborhood. When we wound up back at home Clark just burst into tears as he just LOVED seeing all the lights. He said "no home, more lights."

Yesterday the church we are attending held something called "Bethlehem Village" for the children. It was the neatest thing and the kids had a great time. They made a little mock town in the children's building and had different "shops" that you visited. The children made a mosaic box, formed baby Jesus out of clay, made perfume necklaces, kneaded dough for bread, ground grain for the bread, made a little musical instrument, etc. It was a lot of fun. Yesterday we also made our gingerbread house. Clark thought that every time I handed him candy that it was for him to eat. I believe he about had his fill of sugar! It took me a minute to realize that his side of the house didn't have candy on it...and the fact that his mouth was full just gave it away. Ali did most of the hard work herself!

Today was the children's music at church. Ali hates standing in front of crowds...so she cried half way to church dreading it...and our son sat blissfully unaware (in his car seat) that he was about to wear a sheep hat for an hour in front of the whole church! Ha...gotta love it. So...there we were proud parents as our children march in with all the other children...in walks Ali...then Clark the sheep. They each take their places...all seems to be going well. Ali realizes it isn't all that bad standing in front...and Clark actually does the arm motions for the first song...ahhh, I breathe a sigh of relief. Then song 2..3..come along...so far so good. Then, that's it...he suddenly realizes it isn't all that much fun anymore...and we loose him. Yep...he looses total interest. The remainder of the time he could either be found turned completely around on the risers staring at the kids behind him...or playing with the little girl's dress beside him (she kept telling him to scoot over by the way!). Then while everyone else was standing (oh not our boy) he begins playing with the hem of the little girls dress...yes, same girl...and I take a deep breath HOPING he doesn't lift her dress up!!! Shew....he doesn't and they finish the musical. However, the funniest part was at the very end...he decides to finish with gusto and actually does the very last arm movements!! Guess he wanted to have a strong finish.

Christmas fun!

No white Christmases in Houston....

We heard the funniest song a couple of weeks ago on the local Christian radio station. Here is the link to listen to a little clip of the song. I have tried finding the entire song...but with no luck. Click on #4 "White Christmases in Houston" and see how true it is! http://www.branded-duo.com/music.html The rest of the song goes on to say that "we feast on tamales and sip on ice tea." It definitely made us chuckle.

The kids are enjoying the Christmas season. We will be making our annual gingerbread house this weekend. We cheat, however, and buy the kits...it's still fun, right? Sarah, don't go bragging about your Halloween house to me...OK!!! Heehee! You won Mommy of the year over that...so I cheat...ummm, it's what I do. Ha! Though I will buy extra candy...because the kits just never have enough...and you have to sneak a little while you are making it of course. Ali is also looking forward to our cooking day. We are going to spend a day making cookies and such. Then I will eat way tooooo many and feel guilty...such is the Christmas season.

Clark and Ali are out on the "jumpy" (as Clark calls it)...aka...trampoline as I type this. They love that thing. They will get on there and act so silly. Usually Clark ends up in his undies because his jeans just won't stay up while bouncing! They put a huge ball in there with them and he will bounce and flip over it. We need to get him into gymnastics!

Yesterday the kids and I went into Houston to meet a friend from out of town. We were stationed with them in Florida, and have been friends ever since. Mary was in town for a family funeral. They are stationed in Hawaii now...so it was great to get to see her. We met her at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We saw the "Lucy's Legacy" exhibit. She is "supposedly" the world's oldest "woman." WHATEVER!!! It was a monkey they are calling a woman...a huge evolution exhibit. GAG! No thanks...Ali was so disgusted (she hates anything about evolution) that she wouldn't read anything! She just walked through with her arms crossed..ha!

museum

A visit to see Noah, oh I mean Santa....

Clark's latest funny is that he is convinced that Santa is Noah...yes, Noah from the Bible. We realized last night at bedtime it is because in a children's Bible we read from at night...the picture of Noah has him dressed in red clothing...and you guessed it, a hat! We just kept wondering why every time we see something with Santa on it he just says "Noah"...every single time. In fact, if you ask if that is Noah or Santa he will tell you Noah! So we think it is so cute, we just refer to Santa as Noah now.

Here's a picture of the cover of his Bible storybook...of course he confuses the two, have you ever seen Noah dressed like, well, Santa??

I took the kids to see "The Nutcracker" yesterday. One of the perks of homeschooling is that I can get them into school performances for the school price...SWEET!! So we all 3 attended "The Nutcracker" for $22.50! The evening performances will run you are whopping $35(each) for the cheapest seats...see why that is exciting? Clark really enjoyed all the costumes, the huge tree, the snow falling on stage, etc. He did great up until about the last 15 minutes and he got a little antsy to move around. Then, after the ballet I took them to have their picture made with Santa. Ali humored me and got in the picture also! (she wasn't too thrilled..ha) Clark really could have cared less to see Santa...but he did hop right up for the photo. It was pretty cute. He LOVED the HUGE tree that is in the mall, though. He is enjoying that much more...seeing all the trees, lights, etc. rather than all the presents and Santa hoopla! We aren't complaining...I am sure by next year he will be the typical American kid telling us he wants this or that...or this AND that!! Right? So we will enjoy the awe and wonder of all the more wonderful aspects of Christmas through his little eyes.

At the mall the kids were able to play in some pretend snow that they had shooting from machines. It was so neat...it was soap suds. It looked real from a distance. It was not bubbles like you think...but actual suds like when you are washing your hands...but blowing out in small clusters. That is all you get here in Texas! If you want to see snow.......you have to go to the mall and get soap suds. Heehee!

Today the kids and I attended the SWAT group at the church we are visiting. It stands for Servants Worshipping All Together and it is for 3rd-5th graders. They meet twice a month for fun activities as a way for this age group to get to know each other. Today they met and went shopping at Wal-Mart to spend the money they earned for a needy family in town. (they made and sold cookie mixes to the congregation to raise the money) It was wonderful to see the kids picking out items for others. Then in 2 weeks they will get together and wrap all the gifts. Ali is really enjoying this children's group. We are attending a great LCMS church called Hope Lutheran.

I think that is about all the not so exciting news that we have. I have posted pictures of our trees, etc.

preparing for Christmas