Nicholaus and Max's Page January 2004 to December 2004 |
February 2004 One year ago on February 13, we received the word to be in Ukraine on March 6th. In some respects, it seems like only yesterday and at the same time it feels like they have been a part of us forever. It's been a good month. Full of odd weather for our part of the country, but good. Max lost yet another tooth, and I'm sad to report that he no longer looks like our sweet little baby. And Nicholaus is growing so tall we have to buy him new jeans every few weeks. Max was the student of the week in school and he was thrilled to share a little bit of Ukraine with his classmates(Ukrainian Honey Cookies and a Matryoshka doll) . They liked Valentines day and enjoyed making Valentines cards for their class. We also made heart shaped cup-cakes and decorated them. Nicholaus but a "BF" on one of his and told us that it stood for BROOKS FAMILY because Valentines is about love and he loves his family. How sweet is that? Oh, and Max has picked up Penney's tendency to say "How sweet is that?" and even says it with the same intonation that she does. Very cute! March is a very big month for us because it is not only the month that we met each other and became a family, but it is our wedding anniversary and Nicholaus' birthday. So look forward to lots of photos for March! Here are some from February. |
January 2004 Happy New Year!! January has been a great month. We had our first real snow the week the boys returned to school. They LOVED it and loved "snow cream" even more. Although they were allowed to play in the snow in Ukraine, the said they didn't have as much fun as they did here. We also had a second ice storm that left them out of school for almost a week. They loved sledding!! Max lost another tooth this month and has suddenly developed the desire to learn to read. So he has been really working on the Bob Books. He is also doing basic addition. We are so proud of how well he is doing. Nicholaus continues to do well and his reading improves weekly. They both love going to Barnes and Noble every week and picking out a new book and getting a cup of coffee (decaf of course!). They have also started their karate classes and love it. They are just wonderful and we couldn't ask for two better sons. It's been an incredible 10 months since they came into our life! |
August 2004 BACK TO SCHOOL!!! The boys have gone back to school and all is going well! It is nice to be back in our routine.The week prior to going back to school, the boys moved in to their own seperate rooms. They were so surprised to return from Gran-Moms and Gran-Dads to find that Mommy and Daddy had finished their rooms and done their very own While You Were Out. They still sleep together some, but we've told them that is OK. Both of the boys have challenged us some discipline wise this month. Max has had some doozy tantrums lately and Nicholaus has developed a talking-back habit. We suspect their behavior problems are related to so many changes (back to school, new room, etc) and lack of a real routine this summer. But we hope things are on the upswing now. This month, we have decided that it is a good thing Max is really really cute b/c sometimes he has some totally blonde moments. Recent ones include: Daddy: Max, close the door (the door he JUST WALKED IN) Max: What door? (looking around in total confusion). Byron is weed-eating in the rain and walks in the garage soaking wet with rain. Max: Daddy it's raining....... We are sitting at the dinner table eating spaghetti for dinner discussing how we were going to meet some friends for ice cream at McDonalds later. Max: But Mommy, what are we going to have for dinner! Yep...good thing he's cute!! Nicholaus loved the Olympics. Although he kept asking us if we could do the events. "Mommy can you dive like that?" "Daddy can you swing on those rings like that?". And recently at the dinner table, he was sharing with us how a girl in his class brought a lunch to school that aparantly smelled pretty foul. Knowing that he isn't allowed to say such things at the dinner table, he tells us "And you know what? It smelled like F-A-R-T-E". We could hardly contain our laughter. Gotta give the kid props for trying to spell, though! Kids.....what did we do before all this fun and stimulating conversation? |
July 2004 July was just as busy as June. Thankfully school starts back soon and we will be back to our familiar routine shortly! We have met both of the boys' teachers. So far.... so good. As is our tradition, we spent the 4th with Byron's parents at their cabin in the moutains. The boys again climbed the climbing wall and had a great time. We also tried to go fishing, but all that was caught was a crawfish. But that was enough entertainment for all! The boys attended Vacation Bible School at Pops and Granny's (Penney's parent's) church. They had a blast and learned so much. They are still singing many of the songs that they learned!We also went to the IUAFN reunion again this year in Washington, DC. So many of these folks have become like family to us. It was a true joy to see them in person (vs the email/phone correspondence we have). The boys love playing with their "Ukrainian Cousins". We visited many of the muesums and had a private tour of the White House. The boys were disappointed they didn't get to meet President Bush--so was Byron!!. But a grand time was had by all. We also had a get together of NC families who have adopted from Ukraine. Penney organized the event which was attended by over 68 folks. It was lots of fun and the boys had a blast. OK..enough talking. Photo time: |
June 2004 WHEW! Turn the air conditioning up! Summer is here!! Sorry this update is later than planned. But life has been crazier than usual. We are in the process of moving all of our pictures and files from our old computer to the new laptop. So I promise there will be more photos with the July update. So the boys have had a very very busy June. The were at the beach for a week with Penney's parents, sister and her family. A grand time was had by all and many wonderful memories made. Highlights included the water slide and the show at the Dixie Stampede. They also spent a week with Byron's parents. Highlights included a trip to Tweetsie Railroad and fishing with GranDad (Byron's dad). Which was a blast for them. They do adore both sets of grandparents and our extended family!!!! Outside of these excursions, they have been going to our neighborhood pool every afternoon and spending lots of time playing with friends. Max finally lost his loose tooth---again thanks to some "help" from Pops (Penney's Dad). It has only been loose for 2 months!!! And Nicholaus is very ready for his own room. He will be moving into our current home office/playroom before school starts back. So we are busy turning our current guest room into a new home office. And of course Penney wants it painted and done "right". So it isn't being done quickly or inexpensively. But it will be nice when all is said and done. Max is also excited about getting their current room all to himself. Plans are to bunk the current beds and do a little painting in their as well. Whew!! When does school start back?? The only handy photos right now (see above) are the boys' school photos that we got right before school was out. So that will have to suffice until the July update. Until then, here are our boys looking handsome as ever...... |
December 2004 Well Christmas is over! The boys had a great month. This Christmas was MUCH less over-stimulating than last year. Although, they did both get personal phone calls from Santa to discuss a few incidents of poor choices. They both finished off school with projects on "Family Traditions". Nicholaus chose to write about spending every July 4th at the mountains. Max chose to write about seeing his "Ukraine Friends" every summer at the IUAFN reunion. They did a great job. They also got to spend some quality time with both sets of grandparents before Christmas and they thoroughly enjoyed our annual Christmas party. The boys loved decorating our Christmas tree (but don't ask Mom and Dad about it, b/c they were a little frustrated that it fell over 4 times fully decorated). Their rooms were even decorated to the hilt. And of course Christmas day itself was a big hit! Santa brought them both electric scooters, sleds, and the requested underwear. And Max got a soccer goal and Nicholaus a glow-in-the-dark basketball. And for those who remember, yes Nicholaus did make it through Christmas without another broken arm (the cast was removed the week before Christmas). And Max did such a great job wearing his retainer, that he doesn't have to wear it at all anymore. So hopefull our medical adventures for the year are over (*knocking on wood*). So here's to a wonderful 2005! |
October 2004 Well, October 2004 takes the cake for the craziest, busiest, most expensive, chaotic, and generally all-around-insane month of all time. Where to begin....well, the first weekend in October we had a HUGE neighborhood-wide yard sale. The boys loved it and felt like they were on Clean Sweep. Mom and Dad were just glad to have the attic and garage cleaned out! All month we had lots of soccer practices and games. That was great, and Max truly did shine as the goalie for his team. Both sides of the family were able to see him play! He has also made the decision (for now) to play soccer again in the spring and not play baseball. He has decided this because he can stay on the same team with the same coach AND he can play goalie. We were so blessed with a fantastic coach! Next came the dental experience. Remember Max, the kid who back a year ago was going to have perfect teeth with no braces? Well all that has changed. He had to have 1 tooth pulled, a broken filling (don't ask!) fixed, and now has a costly Hawley retainer that is lime green with a soccer ball on it! We are hopeful this will be it for his dental well-being and will prevent braces in the future. Especially since we already know Nicholaus will need them in a few years! As if that wasn't enough medical internvention for one month, Nicholaus broke his arm. He was pulling off his roller blades sitting on the garage floor. When they came off, his arm bumped in to his bike, which fell on his arm. We didn't think it was broken and after some ice and Motrin, he was back outside. But the next morning, it was clear there was something wrong. So in addtion to a cool lime green retainer, we are also now the proud owners of one glow-in-the-dark cast. The funny thing is that we always thought that Max would be the first one with a broken bone! And lest we forget the incredible North Carolina State Fair. Penney's parents came up for a wonderful day at the fair. The boys rode tons of rides, ate tons of food, were covered in stickers from every police, charity, and political group there. It was wonderful!! Then add to the mayhem all of the Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating and you have all of the ingredients for one crazy month! Nicholaus was a clown and Max a vampire. Much candy and fun was had by all! Here are just a few photo highlights of the month. We are praying that November is much more calm. |
October 2004 Well, October 2004 takes the cake for the craziest, busiest, most expensive, chaotic, and generally all-around-insane month of all time. Where to begin....well, the first weekend in October we had a HUGE neighborhood-wide yard sale. The boys loved it and felt like they were on Clean Sweep. Mom and Dad were just glad to have the attic and garage cleaned out! All month we had lots of soccer practices and games. That was great, and Max truly did shine as the goalie for his team. Both sides of the family were able to see him play! He has also made the decision (for now) to play soccer again in the spring and not play baseball. He has decided this because he can stay on the same team with the same coach AND he can play goalie. We were so blessed with a fantastic coach! Next came the dental experience. Remember Max, the kid who back a year ago was going to have perfect teeth with no braces? Well all that has changed. He had to have 1 tooth pulled, a broken filling (don't ask!) fixed, and now has a costly Hawley retainer that is lime green with a soccer ball on it! We are hopeful this will be it for his dental well-being and will prevent braces in the future. Especially since we already know Nicholaus will need them in a few years! As if that wasn't enough medical internvention for one month, Nicholaus broke his arm. He was pulling off his roller blades sitting on the garage floor. When they came off, his arm bumped in to his bike, which fell on his arm. We didn't think it was broken and after some ice and Motrin, he was back outside. But the next morning, it was clear there was something wrong. So in addtion to a cool lime green retainer, we are also now the proud owners of one glow-in-the-dark cast. The funny thing is that we always thought that Max would be the first one with a broken bone! And lest we forget the incredible North Carolina State Fair. Penney's parents came up for a wonderful day at the fair. The boys rode tons of rides, ate tons of food, were covered in stickers from every police, charity, and political group there. It was wonderful!! Then add to the mayhem all of the Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating and you have all of the ingredients for one crazy month! Nicholaus was a clown and Max a vampire. Much candy and fun was had by all! Here are just a few photo highlights of the month. We are praying that November is much more calm. |
Nicholaus with the x-ray of the broken arm. This was before the cast was put on. You can tell he is in a lot of pain, huh? |
Max, the Soccer Superstar!! |
Nothing beats NC State Fair ice cream! |
November 2004 Well....remember how we said in October that we hoped things calmed down in November? What were WE thinking. Things were even crazier in November than October. First....the boys were VERY interested in the election process. They couldn't wait to go with us to cast their ballot in Kidsvote. And I will just say that they were VERY happy with the outcome of the election. Byron was so proud. =) The day after Nicholaus got his cast off of his right arm, he fell at school and broke his left arm. LESS THAN 24 HOURS after the first cast was off. Unbelievable. So we are now the proud owners of one Duke blue cast. This break was more serious than his right arm, he was in more pain, and will have to wear this cast longer. We've told him for Christmas that he would be getting clothes made of bubble-wrap. He wasn't amused. The boys finally saved enough money to do Build-A-Bear. They had a blast making their bears while both sets of Grandparents watched. They loved having everyone at our house for Thanksgiving and of course loved all of the food. And they loved watching Polar Express, the after-Thanksgiving movie this year. We did take them to see Santa the day after Thanksgiving. They had written such nice notes. They are a bit on hyper-drive these days. But they were the same last year, and we have summized that it is just a kid-thing. How many days until Christmas?........anyway....please enjoy the photos from November! |
Above Left: Max chose Flapping Penguin as his Native American name. Quite cute, huh? Above Right: Nicholaus sporting the new cast. Isn't it ironic that he had on a Superman shirt the day he broke his OTHER arm? Right: The boys with Santa and Mrs Claus. |
December 2004 Well Christmas is over! The boys had a great month. This Christmas was MUCH less over-stimulating than last year. Although, they did both get personal phone calls from Santa to discuss a few incidents of poor choices. They both finished off school with projects on "Family Traditions". Nicholaus chose to write about spending every July 4th at the mountains. Max chose to write about seeing his "Ukraine Friends" every summer at the IUAFN reunion. They did a great job. They also got to spend some quality time with both sets of grandparents before Christmas and they thoroughly enjoyed our annual Christmas party. The boys loved decorating our Christmas tree (but don't ask Mom and Dad about it, b/c they were a little frustrated that it fell over 4 times fully decorated). Their rooms were even decorated to the hilt. And of course Christmas day itself was a big hit! Santa brought them both electric scooters, sleds, and the requested underwear. And Max got a soccer goal and Nicholaus a glow-in-the-dark basketball. And for those who remember, yes Nicholaus did make it through Christmas without another broken arm (the cast was removed the week before Christmas). And Max did such a great job wearing his retainer, that he doesn't have to wear it at all anymore. So hopefull our medical adventures for the year are over (*knocking on wood*). So here's to a wonderful 2005! |
May 2004 What a hectic month!! And it started with a bang! Max's birthday was the first weekend in May. And he had a grand party at McDonalds. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and all of the festivities in his honor. His first official birthday celebration was a success! School is finally out, much to the boys' happiness! They both had such wonderful teachers this year. We feel truly blessed to have had such great cheerleaders, supporters, advice-givers, and generally all-around great women in both of their teachers. We can only hope we are so fortunate next year! Also in May the boys took their first ever train ride with Daddy to visit GranMom and GranDad. They throughly had a good time. And Mommy also got a much needed weekend alone. Nicholaus had his first ever sleepover at a friends house. It's the first time the boys have been apart since coming home. Nicholaus called home 4 times--each time to talk to Max. But he had a blast!!! Max's class did a wonderful performance of The Three Little Piggy Opera. What a hoot that was!! The pool in our subdivision has also opened and the boys have resumed swimming almost daily. Nicholaus is almost tall enough to touch the bottom in the 4 foot end and Max isn't far behind him! They are growing so much! One thing we have begun to notice is that the boys now have their own peer groups. We've noticed it at the afterschool program and at the pool. We are happy, but also a little sad. We just hope that they are always as close as they are now. The last weekend in May we all were in Penney's hometown for Penney's nephew, Daniel's high school graduation. We are so proud of him. The boys adore him and really look up to him. Nicholaus is excited Daniel is going to a college that has "both girls AND boys". He plans to follow in Daniel's footsteps. Thanks Daniel.....I think??????? Starting June 1, the boys have a very busy summer. A couple visits with the grandparents, a couple trips to the beach, a trip to Washington, DC, and a couple day camps. They will be ready to go back to school just to get a break! |
Top: The boys enjoying one of the cookies from Max's birthday cookie boquet. Left: Max and the birthday hat his teacher made for him. He was indeed king for a day! Above: Nicholaus gets his kite ready to fly. |
June 2004 WHEW! Turn the air conditioning up! Summer is here!! Sorry this update is later than planned. But life has been crazier than usual. We are in the process of moving all of our pictures and files from our old computer to the new laptop. So I promise there will be more photos with the July update. So the boys have had a very very busy June. The were at the beach for a week with Penney's parents, sister and her family. A grand time was had by all and many wonderful memories made. Highlights included the water slide and the show at the Dixie Stampede. They also spent a week with Byron's parents. Highlights included a trip to Tweetsie Railroad and fishing with GranDad (Byron's dad). Which was a blast for them. They do adore both sets of grandparents and our extended family!!!! Outside of these excursions, they have been going to our neighborhood pool every afternoon and spending lots of time playing with friends. Max finally lost his loose tooth---again thanks to some "help" from Pops (Penney's Dad). It has only been loose for 2 months!!! And Nicholaus is very ready for his own room. He will be moving into our current home office/playroom before school starts back. So we are busy turning our current guest room into a new home office. And of course Penney wants it painted and done "right". So it isn't being done quickly or inexpensively. But it will be nice when all is said and done. Max is also excited about getting their current room all to himself. Plans are to bunk the current beds and do a little painting in their as well. Whew!! When does school start back?? The only handy photos right now (see above) are the boys' school photos that we got right before school was out. So that will have to suffice until the July update. Until then, here are our boys looking handsome as ever...... |
July 2004 July was just as busy as June. Thankfully school starts back soon and we will be back to our familiar routine shortly! We have met both of the boys' teachers. So far.... so good. As is our tradition, we spent the 4th with Byron's parents at their cabin in the moutains. The boys again climbed the climbing wall and had a great time. We also tried to go fishing, but all that was caught was a crawfish. But that was enough entertainment for all! The boys attended Vacation Bible School at Pops and Granny's (Penney's parent's) church. They had a blast and learned so much. They are still singing many of the songs that they learned!We also went to the IUAFN reunion again this year in Washington, DC. So many of these folks have become like family to us. It was a true joy to see them in person (vs the email/phone correspondence we have). The boys love playing with their "Ukrainian Cousins". We visited many of the muesums and had a private tour of the White House. The boys were disappointed they didn't get to meet President Bush--so was Byron!!. But a grand time was had by all. We also had a get together of NC families who have adopted from Ukraine. Penney organized the event which was attended by over 68 folks. It was lots of fun and the boys had a blast. OK..enough talking. Photo time: |
Clockwise from top left: (1) Max fishing on July 4th in the mountains. (2) Nicholaus on the carousel on the Capitol Mall in Washington, DC. (3) Nicholaus playing with the only catch of the day on July 4th: a crawfish. (4) Max outside of the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. |
August 2004 BACK TO SCHOOL!!! The boys have gone back to school and all is going well! It is nice to be back in our routine.The week prior to going back to school, the boys moved in to their own seperate rooms. They were so surprised to return from Gran-Moms and Gran-Dads to find that Mommy and Daddy had finished their rooms and done their very own While You Were Out. They still sleep together some, but we've told them that is OK. Both of the boys have challenged us some discipline wise this month. Max has had some doozy tantrums lately and Nicholaus has developed a talking-back habit. We suspect their behavior problems are related to so many changes (back to school, new room, etc) and lack of a real routine this summer. But we hope things are on the upswing now. This month, we have decided that it is a good thing Max is really really cute b/c sometimes he has some totally blonde moments. Recent ones include: Daddy: Max, close the door (the door he JUST WALKED IN) Max: What door? (looking around in total confusion). Byron is weed-eating in the rain and walks in the garage soaking wet with rain. Max: Daddy it's raining....... We are sitting at the dinner table eating spaghetti for dinner discussing how we were going to meet some friends for ice cream at McDonalds later. Max: But Mommy, what are we going to have for dinner! Yep...good thing he's cute!! Nicholaus loved the Olympics. Although he kept asking us if we could do the events. "Mommy can you dive like that?" "Daddy can you swing on those rings like that?". And recently at the dinner table, he was sharing with us how a girl in his class brought a lunch to school that aparantly smelled pretty foul. Knowing that he isn't allowed to say such things at the dinner table, he tells us "And you know what? It smelled like F-A-R-T-E". We could hardly contain our laughter. Gotta give the kid props for trying to spell, though! Kids.....what did we do before all this fun and stimulating conversation? |
Right: The whole family in Washington DC near the Smithsonian. Below: Max (l) and Nicholaus (r) painting their new desks to go in their rooms. |
September 2004 Fall is here! The weather here in NC has been beautiful in between the 3 hurricanes that have come through in the last 6 weeks! School is going well. Both of the boys are doing well. Although 2nd grade spelling is MUCH more difficult than I remember it being when I was in the 2nd grade. But Nicholaus has risen to the challenge beautifully. And Max is doing fantastic, too. All of the refreshing and reading over the summer has really paid off with both of them! Interim reports indicated that they were at or above grade level in all areas. We have a soccer superstar on our hands, folks. Max started playing soccer this month and is doing incredile. His coach doesn't believe us when we say this is his first time playing soccer. He loves it and will do anything to keep from missing practice and games. We are quite proud!!!! Nicholaus starts basketball in November and they are both planning to play coach-pitched baseball/T-ball this spring. So we have bought them their gloves and they have begun practicing. And we got the joy of explaining to them what an athletic cup was....in the middle of Dick's Sporting Goods. It was quite the comedy. Ahhhh the joys of having boys....... The boys continued to test of with some discipline issues the beginning of the month, but thankfully those have passed and they are back to the sweet boys that we know! 18 months ago we met our boys. They have and continue to bring such joy to our lives. Enough writing...here are some photos from the month! |
Above: Nicholaus lounging in the chair in his new room. Max playing on the monkey bars. The boys summer portrait. |
January 2004 Happy New Year!! January has been a great month. We had our first real snow the week the boys returned to school. They LOVED it and loved "snow cream" even more. Although they were allowed to play in the snow in Ukraine, the said they didn't have as much fun as they did here. We also had a second ice storm that left them out of school for almost a week. They loved sledding!! Max lost another tooth this month and has suddenly developed the desire to learn to read. So he has been really working on the Bob Books. He is also doing basic addition. We are so proud of how well he is doing. Nicholaus continues to do well and his reading improves weekly. They both love going to Barnes and Noble every week and picking out a new book and getting a cup of coffee (decaf of course!). They have also started their karate classes and love it. They are just wonderful and we couldn't ask for two better sons. It's been an incredible 10 months since they came into our life! |
Above: The boys and their snowman Top Right: The boys in their Karate clothes!! Right: The boys school photos from the fall. |
February 2004 One year ago on February 13, we received the word to be in Ukraine on March 6th. In some respects, it seems like only yesterday and at the same time it feels like they have been a part of us forever. It's been a good month. Full of odd weather for our part of the country, but good. Max lost yet another tooth, and I'm sad to report that he no longer looks like our sweet little baby. And Nicholaus is growing so tall we have to buy him new jeans every few weeks. Max was the student of the week in school and he was thrilled to share a little bit of Ukraine with his classmates(Ukrainian Honey Cookies and a Matryoshka doll) . They liked Valentines day and enjoyed making Valentines cards for their class. We also made heart shaped cup-cakes and decorated them. Nicholaus but a "BF" on one of his and told us that it stood for BROOKS FAMILY because Valentines is about love and he loves his family. How sweet is that? Oh, and Max has picked up Penney's tendency to say "How sweet is that?" and even says it with the same intonation that she does. Very cute! March is a very big month for us because it is not only the month that we met each other and became a family, but it is our wedding anniversary and Nicholaus' birthday. So look forward to lots of photos for March! Here are some from February. |
Max before and after the current tooth loss. We've decided he either looks like a jack-o-lantern or a hill-billy with all the newly acquired gaps in his smile. |
Nicholaus sledding during one of our recent ice/snow events! |
March 2004 WOW! March has brought back so many memories for us. March 6th marked the 1 year anniversary of our appointment in Ukraine when we first saw the photo of our boys. March 12 marked the 1 year anniversary of our first meeting. March 18th marked the 1 year anniversary of our court date. It has been a very emotional month as we have remembered with such vivid details the past year and how we have all grown as a family. And the joy this year has brought us is without measure. Of course we also celebrated Nicholaus' birthday the first week of March. He had a blast the entire weekend of his birthday! He wanted a birthday party at McDonalds for all of his friends and we also had a small family celebration before that. He loved being the center of attention. And Max was so sweet and bought Nicholaus a whole box of bubble bath and various other bath toys/soaps, etc with money he earned from chores. Although he found it very very difficult NOT to tell Nicholaus what he had bought. What giving children we have been blessed with. Max is VERY eager for his birthday in May. Oh, and our wedding anniversary was thrown in there, too! =) School continues to go well for both of the boys. Max is reading and spelling up a storm and Nicholaus' writing and reading continues to improve and he is still incredible at math. His teacher recently sent home a glowing report of his progress. Also this month, the boys have begun to explore their future careers. Nicholaus wants to be a teacher or a dentist. And Max has decided that he will be a policeman on Monday and Thursday, a fireman on Tuesday and Friday, and a farmer on Wednesday and Saturday. Follow that? At least they have goals, right? We also had an unfortunate incident where Nicholaus left a purple crayon in his pants and therefore turned an entire load of his and Max's clothes a lovely shade of purple. So if you see our kids in purple jeans, now you'll know why! OK..enough writing. Here are some photo highlights: |
Daddy and his boys on Nicholaus' birthday! |
Birthday Party at McDonalds! |
Above: Max on St Patty's Day. Right: The boys with some of the soap Max gave Nicholaus on his b-day. |
April 2004 The 1 year anniversay of these updates is upon us. We've gone from a family of 2 to a family of 4. We've gone from spending Saturdays sleeping until noon and watching 3 movies in a row at the theater to waking at 7 (or before) and spending the day playing tag, drawing, doing crafts, flying kites, or ooohing and ahhhhing over their newest invention. Our food budget has almost doubled as has our power bill. But we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! We celebrated our Family Day on April 18 to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of the boys leaving the orphanage forever. We had a grand time eating ice cream cake, laughing about what they thought about us, and watching the video from Ukraine. It was a grand day! The boys loved Easter and loved coloring the Eggs and going on numerous Easter Egg hunts. And Max even made the front page photo in Pops and Granny's (Penney's Mom and Dad) hometown newspaper. As April is winding down, the boys are eager for summer to arrive. They are excited about summer plans as they will be attending several day camps and will be spending lots of time with their grandparents. Penney went with Nicholaus' class on their field trip recently and that was fun. Byron will be joining Max for his the first week of May. And of course Max's birthday is the first weekend in May. We've met with both teachers this month and we were thrilled to learn that the boys are at or above grade level in all areas. When we met with their teachers, Max's teacher let us look at his "reflection journal" that they keep in school. And in the entry for Thanksgiving, all Max wrote was "I'm thankfl for my famly". And in Nicholaus' class, they had to write about heros. Nicholaus' said "Heros are firemen and policemen. They help people. Mom and Dad are my heros, too". Yeah...the tears were flowing. And for those who were wondering, yeah, the purple crayon came out! Thanks GranDad (Byron's Dad) for the suggestions! What a year! We look eagerly towards many more to come! |
Happy Easter!! |
Nicholaus and Max's Page January 2004 to December 2004 |
