(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

HD's latest obsession: her tutu. She wore it to a wedding on Saturday night and hasn't taken it off since. She puts it on as soon as she wakes up in the morning and doesn't take it off until bedtime. So cute!

So Much to Say

The past few months have been such a whirlwind of activity around our household. I'll try to catch up on my blog but it will take several posts to cover everything I want to share.
First and foremost, our little HotDog. I can't believe she is already 18-months-old! She has turned into such an independent little girl. Gone are the days of our content, laid-back baby. HD has turned into a very feisty little girl - she knows exactly what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. I can't count the number of times a day that she throws herself on the floor, kicking and screaming, because she was denied something. We try so hard not to laugh at her when she is throwing one of her fits, but it is beyond adorable when she is pouting with her bottom lip sticking out; of course, I know it won't be that cute when she is a teenager and still pulling these shenanigans. Don't get me wrong, she is still a happy toddler most of the time - but when she's unhappy, she is pure drama!

I can't believe how much she is growing. We haven't had her 18-month checkup yet but as of 6 weeks ago she was holding steady at 32 pounds. Not sure about her height either but she is a tall girl. She's wearing mostly 2T shirts and 18-24 pants. I'm having quite a time finding shoes to fit her; she seems to have Fred Flintstone feet - wide and flat. She should wear a size 7 but I'm having to go up to an 8 in some styles just to get it to fit. It's so funny to see such a big girl with only 6 teeth! However much she lacks in teeth she more than makes up for in the hair department. Her hair has gotten so long and so thick and still has lots of curl. It is so much fun to fix into pigtails/ponytails with cute little bows. Even Stu has learned how to do it (because it drives him crazy to see it hanging in her face if it's not up). Look at the difference 6 months can make:
HD on her birthday, 6 months ago:

And now just 6 months later:

Despite the drama, she is such a funny girl with quite a sense of humor. She loves to play with her brothers and I truly think she believes she is the same age as them. She tries to do anything they are doing, and most of the time succeeds. You should see the fits she throws when we are watching their soccer games and she isn't allowed to run out on the field with them. They are such good sports about her always tagging along and make sure to include her in most games they play. She's even started playing hide-and-seek with them; they go and hide in a conspicuous location and let her come and find them. She squeals with delight as they let her catch them running to home base. She's also turned into such a mimic. One of her favorite activities is to sit on the couch with Stu and try to make the same silly faces he is making at her, like this one:

HD is still pretty bashful when we are anywhere away from home. We get asked all of the time if she's talking yet The answer is yes. She babbles all of the time at home and can repeat almost anything we say. The boys can get her to say anything. Chipmunk even has her saying "diaper change" when she's dirty! However, the second we step out of the house she goes mute. She might say "hi" and "bye" but that's about it. My grandmother, whom we visit several times each week, hasn't even heard her say any words.
Eating has become such a struggle for us. She used to be a fantastic eater, eating anything and everything you put in front of her. She has turned very picky lately and it's driving me crazy. The only things I can consistently count on her eating are: meat, cheese, bread/crackers. That's it. Fruit is usually a hit-or-miss. Veggies are impossible lately. She doesn't even want junk food most of the time. I gave her some sugar-filled cereal (something we never have at our house) and you would have thought I was poisoning her! I'm not too concerned about it, just frustrated. I'm pretty sure it's a control thing for her and she'll come around sooner or later.

Okay, I think that's enough of a catch-up on HD. We celebrated her first Family Day (the day I picked her up from the orphanage) last week. I still can't believe it's been a year since she was placed in my arms forever - I still have such vivid memories of that trip. Such an amazing year with such an amazing girl!

Next post: Our Disney/Florida vacation and a new house!

Lazy Days of Summer

I don't have much to say with this post; instead I wanted to share some pictures of how we spent our summer. No big trips, not much excitement...just simple summer days around our house, enjoying our family time. Total bliss!

The boy with the first picks of the season

Chipmunk so proud of the fruits of his labor

HotDog is not so much into gardening (just like her mommy!)

She REALLY doesn't like gardening:)

Monkey is finally starting to feel comfortable in the pool

Chipmunk and HD having fun in the pool with Daddy

Monkey will play for hours with chalked railroad tracks and his trains. The simple things in the life...

Sleepovers with cousins

Playing, I mean "working", hard in the garden

HD wants her turn!

My freshly-bathed babies cuddled in my lap. Does life get any better?!?

Alas, all good things must come to an end. The boys started back to school last week (yes, the first week of August - we do year-round school in our area). I can't believe Chipmunk is a big first-grader! Not surprisingly, Monkey was so excited about starting his new preschool that he wouldn't sit still for pictures.

Of course, things aren't always this calm and content. Check back soon for some exciting news that will definitely liven things up around our house.

Fun Times in Nashville

Looking at a weekend with absolutely no plans, HD and I decided we would hop in our van and go visit our friends Maria and Ellie. We had so much fun. The girls did a little shopping, a little football watching, a little puddle splashing, and a lot of playing.
We arrived (fashionably late, of course) and headed to the mall for a little girl time. The girls did really good - Ellie slept and HD ate. Then we headed to watch Josh's football scrimmages. While there it started to rain and the girls had a blast playing in it. HD taught Ellie how to jump in the puddles (sorry Maria!) and they were both soaked by the time it was over. Then we headed back to Maria's for pizza and playtime. I think it's the first time where the girls have actually gotten the concept of playing alongside of each other rather than staying in their own little universe. They were so cute together, running around in their diapers. I think their favorite game was throwing the ball with Josh. Then they had fun tackling him. He played with them all night long; he is such a sweet big brother! HD was so wound up she did NOT want to go to sleep.
After a very short night of sleep, HD woke up in quite the mood - I have never seen her so grumpy! Poor thing was so exhausted she couldn't even pick up her feet when she was walking; she must have tripped at least ten times. I think she cried more in that hour than she has in the past three months combined. I decided to head home then instead of going to the park, hoping HD would nap most of the way home (which she did). So it was a quick trip but well worth it. I love it that our girls share such a special connection and can't wait to watch them grow up together. Maria and I envision lots of sleepovers and phone calls between these two.
(I stole these pictures from Maria, as I am currently between cameras. She has more pics on her blog.)
Thank you so much Maria and Kevin for your wonderful hospitality. It was fantastic!

HD giving Ellie some love


Playing in the rain


The only time they sat still long enough to snap a pic!


She though she had escaped the camera


Our future Wildcat



Tackling poor Josh!


Ellie polishing my toes

Seriously, how cute is she?!?!

HD ready to go home!

Kyrgyz/Russian Playdate

I have had great intentions to do a post on the playdate with our Kyrgyz/Russian friends but I've been too busy enjoying these beautiful summer days. Although the other families blogged about it soon after we got together (I'm such a slacker), I still wanted to do a post for my end-of-the-year compilation.
Three weeks ago this family was coming to our area so we decided to plan a playdate with several other families that also have little girls from Kyrgyzstan and little boys from Russia.
We met Rachel and kids and Maria and family at the zoo. It's funny because so many people raise eyebrows when we say we're meeting up with "online friends", but we have met these families several times before so it feels like we're old friends. We have so much in common and I think we'd get together all the time if we lived closer together. Heck, we've known Rachel for almost 3 years now! Her daughter Scarlett is from Tokmok Kyrgzstan (like HotDog). She is actually the one that referred us to the Kyrgyz program so she holds a very special place in our hearts. And her little boy, Alex, is from Astrakhan Russia (just like our boys). The boys hit it off as soon as we arrived - Alex and Chipmunk were inseparable for much of the day. I think they had more fun playing with each than even looking at the animals. HD, however, was fussy and clingy - definitely not acting like her normal happy self. I think she was irritated she had to be in the stroller and not walk independently like Scarlett; however it was just way too crowded for me to keep on eye on the boys and try to follow her too. Maria and family soon met up with us and we headed to the waterpark. Although it was a very cool day, the kids had a blast. Ellie wasn't quite sure of the water but HD couldn't get enough of it. She squealed with delight at the shooting water and fountains.
We followed that with lunch while the kids ran off some energy at the playground. Soon enough, Ellie and HD decided they had enough and both took a nap in their strollers. It was nice as I could let the boys look at the exhibits and catch up with Maria.

The three Astrakhan boys

HD loving the Splash Park

My two cold boys

Sleeping Beauties

The Kyrgz girls (this shot pretty much describes the day)

We went our separate ways for some downtime before meeting up with Maria and family for a late supper. Stu was able to join us for that and he was so excited to see Ellie and Josh again. HD and Ellie sat in side-by-side highchairs and it was so cute to see them together, although HD kept stealing all of Ellie's food. Maria cracked up as she witnessed HD's "happy dance" (HD does a little dance in her highchair whenever she eats). She even came up with a little song about it which we sing to her anytime she eats now.

The proud Daddies

If you're happy and you know, clap your hands!

HD was ready to go home


The next day we headed to Waterfront Park with Rachel and Maria again. We were also joined by this family, who have a little boy from Russia and a little girl from Kyrgzystan. I was so happy they could make the trip and my boys were so excited to see C again. I think the kids all had a great time although it was a little stressful for the adults, as the park was crowded with daycare groups and I'm a little paranoid since it's right on the river. The boys were running around acting like Monkeys and Scarlett, Ellie and AP were having lots of fun too. HD, again, was very fussy and not at all sociable; she ended up being diagnosed with bronchitis the next day so poor thing wasn't feeling good at all.

The Russian boys

The Kyrgyz girls

Don't they look like trouble?!?

My Monkey

We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the Louisville Slugger Museum. I had never been and it was a good tour but my kiddos were exhausted. They loved the free mini-baseball bats handed out at the end and immediately began to play "swords" with them. And I about fell over when the tour guide handed HD a bat too. Who in the world hands a 15-month-old a hard baseball bat?? I know I had an incredulous look on my face and he simply said, "Everyone that takes the tour gets one." Within two seconds she had whopped herself on the head and I had to take it away. Of coure, that made her furious so we said some quick goodbyes and headed home.
We had such a great time. I am still amazed at how many wonderful friendships we've made during our adoption journeys. I love it that our kids know others that share their heritage and can hopefully maintain that friendship as they grow older.

Fourth of July Fun

Family, food, fireworks...fun!
Despite a rainy day that cancelled the big fireworks display, the kids still enjoyed hanging out with their cousins and playing with sparklers. And of course, it gave me a great opportunity to show off several of HotDog's festive outfits. Have I mentioned how fun it is to dress a little girl?!?

Modeling outfit #1


Trying her first icecream cone


I think she likes it!


My little pyromaniac had to have two sparklers at all times.


Chipmunk is a little more cautious


And the obligatory swimsuit shot


Hope everyone had a great July 4th!

Long Overdue

I know, I know..it's been so long since I have posted. I have no good excuse for my absence; between end-of-school activities, soccer season, Derby, vacation bible school, doctors appointments and just general daily life, I don't have a lot of free time and my poor blog has suffered. I was going to try to do a catch-up post but I'm afraid that would be impossible after 2 1/2 months. I'll have to settle for some highlights and promise to be a better blogger in the future.
The kiddos are doing fabulous.
I find it so hard to believe that Chipmunk is 6 1/2 years old! It seems as though overnight he has turned into a full-fledged boy,
He just completed kindergarten and is so excited to begin first grade in August. He had a fantastic year. I was lucky enough to volunteer in his classroom once a week and was able to get to know his classmates. Chipmunk seemed to form some really strong friendships so I hope we can continue those even though they may be in different classes. It is amazing to observe him growing up right before our eyes. He is becoming quite independent and is starting to develop his opinions on a variety of issues. He is full of questions and I find myself limiting him to 5 questions at a time, otherwise I would spend the majority of my time trying to answer his many questions. Academically he is thriving. He is reading at a 3rd grade level, is able to do some addition and subtraction and just LOVES to learn. He was invited to a Red Carpet Night at the end of the school year, which honored students for good behavior and decision making. Such a proud moment for us.

My little star on the red carpet

The big kindergartener


The Monkey is having a fantastic summer. He plays outside morning, noon and night and is thrilled that Chipmunk is home all day so they can "play big boy stuff". He is the funniest kid I've ever met and cracks us up all day long. While he drives us crazy some of the time, it's impossible to stay upset with him once he flashes his mischevious little smile. I guess I still tend to baby him a bit since he was my little guy for so long, but he's recently started to tell me repeatedly that he is "not a little boy; he's a medium boy";) He recently finished up the 4-year-old program at school and should be going to kindergarten in the fall. However, we've made the decision to hold him back for another year; he is so smart but he's the smallest and youngest child in his class and still needs time to mature socially/emotionally before moving on. I think he will thrive with another year of preschool under his belt and I'm relieved I don't have to send him to all-day school yet.

My "medium boy" with his obsession - trains!

My little fish


What can I say about our HotDog? She is such a sweetheart! I can't believe how much she has grown in the 8 months she has been with us. She is so calm and content but we are starting to catch glimpses of the drama that is said to accompany little girls. She has learned the art of throwing a fit to get her way. She shrieks and both of the boys drop whatever they are doing in order to figure out what she wants. I think they may be creating a monster:) She also knows how to stick that bottom lip out and start the tears whenever she is denied something she wants. But for the most part, she is the easiest baby. She is walking/running everywhere and thinks she can do whatever her big brothers do. She is starting to talk. She has the sweetest little way of saying "hi" to everyone/everything around her. We must hear her say "hi tat (cat)" a hundred times a day. She loves to give big wet kisses and will pat your back when giving a sweet hug. She's still a big girl too; at her recent 15-month checkup, she weighed in at a whopping 29 pounds! She's only 3 pounds less than our Monkey. I am so relieved she started to walk because my back was starting to ache. She adores playing peek-a-boo and tries to sing The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. Her recent sound is to say "moooooo" anytime she sees a cow (or a horse, or a sheep....); it was cute the first few times but considering we live across from a farm, it has become a little irritating now.

Talk about a bad hair day! Looks like it's time for....


...a first hair cut.

We can see her pretty eyes again

I had to add this one for Maria. HD's Aunt Dana decided to try pigtails after seeing Ellie's cute pictures


I couldn't end this post without wishing my Monkey a happy birthday. He turned the big 5 on Friday! We had a fun day - lunch with cousins at the pizza place followed by a church picnic. A good time was had by all!

The birthday pirate. Argh!


Fun with cousins


Playing peek-a-boo


Mommy and her birthday boy


His favorite part of the day - his train cake!



Stay tuned for a new post detailing our little Kyrgyz reunion. Later this week we have plans to meet up with this family, this family and maybe this family. I can't wait to see everyone!