Settling in to school

It's been a great first week of school. Everyone loves their teachers and is making new friends. Halle Grace has already been invited to a birthday party! Grant's already having to have his seating rearranged for talking (no surprise there!), but he's having a great time. Garrett is the hardest to wake up in the mornings..."Mommy - can't I PLEASE just stay in bed?". But when I pick him up at 11 (CRAZY half-day kindergarten!), he gets sad that he can't stay longer. He is dealing with allergies this week, so he's been a little more cranky than usual, but he loves his class and is having fun. Today, when I pick up Garrett, we're going to have lunch with Halle Grace's al-day class in the cafeteria. It's macaroni and cheese day - everyone's excited! Ha!

First week observations...
Grant - He has been dealing with a little bullying/name-calling this week from one kid in particular (and he's not the only one having trouble with this kid). We have really had to work with him on how to react appropriately (not name-calling back!). Scott's advice, and what we have been practicing, is to not let the kid know that it bothers him...just look at him and say, "whatever, Dude!" We have been roll-playing this at home and it is hilarious! Grant says it works most of the time. :) I did talk to the teacher and she assures me that she will keep an eye on the situation.

Garrett - School has been a huge adjustment for him. He is just sort of out there in left field! His teacher is great and is making sure that he doesn't blend into the background too much. He may not say much, but this kid's mind is always going - carefully observing everything around him. Once he gets the routine down and makes some friends, he'll start getting more involved. He's a sweetheart and I'm enjoying getting extra one-on-one time with him. :)
Halle Grace - Her teacher has already learned that she is a perfectionist. On the 2nd day of school, they traced their hands and were cutting them out. HG started crying because she couldn't cut it exactly on the line! :) She thrives on routine and structure - and loves to learn. She's every teacher's dream (and the one I can't take credit for! Ha!)

I have officially become a football widow this week. Scott is a high school football referee, and it kicks off this week. This means every Thursday and Friday he is calling games. He loves it, but we miss him and try to make the best of it. Tonight the kids and I are going to make pizza and rent movies. They've been wanting to see Nim's Island.
Happy Labor Day weekend!

First Day of School

Alone....
Alone...
Alone.
Alone. It feels weird. Not as blissful as I expected. Dropping off my babies for the first of at least 13 years of school was not easy. I know they will love it and they will grow so much this year. But I will miss them so much! (I'm talking mostly about Halle Grace who is gone all day. Garrett gets out at 11am - yes, that's 11am! Gotta love Keller ISD!) :)

All that aside, they all went in like pros. It's going to be a great year!

Twas the Night Before School

Twas the night before school starts
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring
except mom with her keyboard and mouse

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
while visions of school days danced in their heads

The backbacks are all lined up by the door
ready for folders, lunches, and more

Will their teachers be kind? Will they miss their mom?
Will they make friends quickly? Will the kids get along?

May the Lord send extra angels
to guide you through your day.
May he send you special friends
who will ask you to play.

Always remember how much you are loved
and know that your help comes from above.

Happy first day of school Grant, Garrett, and Halle Grace!

Adoption and the Presidential Candidates

I know...two posts in one day. I came across this on another blog, and couldn't help post about it. Many of you know that Rick Warren interviewed Obama and McCain recently. After completing an adoption ourselves this year and becoming a part of that world, it has become so obvious to us that our system is flawed. The fact that it takes so much red tape and so many thousands (tens of thousands sometimes) of dollars to adopt is unacceptable. Bringing in an orphan - domestically or internationally - should be easier, less-expensive, and quicker. I understand that there is evil in the world, and steps must be taken to be sure orphans do not go to the wrong people, but it's gotten a little out of hand. When there are families all over the country who want to adopt, but can't afford it, or the time constraints or roadblocks are too difficult - it's the children that suffer the most. Many children wait years for families to come for them...and for many, they never come.
Here are the presidential candidates response to a question from Rick Warren about adoption.

Warren: OKAY. THIS ONE IS DEAR TO MY HEART. MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THERE ARE 148 MILLION ORPHANS IN THE WORLD, 148 MILLION KIDS GROWING UP WITHOUT MOMMIES AND DADS. THEY DON'T NEED TO BE IN AN ORPHANAGE, THEY NEED TO BE IN FAMILIES BUT A LOT OF FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE THESE KIDS IN.
OBAMA: RIGHT.
WARREN: WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONSIDER AND EVEN COMMIT TO DOING SOME KIND OF EMERGENCY PLAN FOR ORPHANS LIKE PRESIDENT BUSH DID WITH AIDS - ALMOST A PRESIDENT'S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR ORPHANS TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE?
OBAMA: I CHEATED A LITTLE BIT. I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THIS IDEA AHEAD OF TIME AND I THINK IT IS A -- I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD SIT DOWN AND FIGURE OUT WORKING BETWEEN NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, THE US GOVERNMENT, TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CAN WE DO. I THINK THAT PART OF OUR PLAN THOUGH HAS TO BE HOW DO WE PREVENT MORE ORPHANS IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE HELPING TO BUILD THE PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THE WORLD, THAT WE ARE YOU KNOW BUILDING ON THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU AND, BY THE WAY, THIS PRESIDENT HAS DONE WHEN IT COMES TO AIDS FUNDING AROUND THE WORLD. I THINK YOU KNOW I'M OFTEN A CRITIC OF PRESIDENT BUSH BUT I THINK THE PEPFAR PROGRAM HAS SAVED LIVES AND HAS DONE VERY GOOD WORK AND HE DESERVES ENORMOUS CREDIT FOR THAT
(THEN LATER)WARREN: JOHN, MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THERE ARE 148 MILLION ORPHANS IN THE WORLD GROWING UP WITHOUT PARENTS. WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT THIS AND WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONSIDER OR EVEN COMMIT TO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE PRESIDENT'S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS, WHICH HE SAID AIDS IS AN EMERGENCY AT PEPFAR. COULD WE DO A PEPFAR FOR THE EMERGENCY PLAN FOR 148 MILLION ORPHANS? MOST OF THESE, THEY DON'T NEED TO GROW UP IN ORPHANAGES, THEY NEED TO BE IN FAMILIES AND MANY OF THOSE FAMILIES COULD TAKE THEM IN IF THEY HAD SOME KIND OF ASSISTANCE.
MCCAIN: WELL I THINK WE HAVE TO MAKE ADOPTION A LOT EASIER IN THIS COUNTRY. THAT'S WHY SO MANY PEOPLE GO TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO GET -- TO BE ABLE TO ADOPT CHILDREN. MY GREAT HERO AND ROLE MODEL TEDDY ROOSEVELT WAS THE FIRST MODERN AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO TALK ABOUT ADOPTION AND HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS AND PROMISE YOU THIS IS MY LAST STORY: 17 YEARS AGO CINDY WAS IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH. SHE WENT TO MOTHER TERESA'S ORPHANAGE. THE NUNS BROUGHT HER TWO LITTLE BABIES THAT WERE NOT GOING TO LIVE. CINDY CAME HOME. I MET HER AT THE AIRPLANE. SHE SHOWED ME THIS 5 WEEK OLD BABY AND SAID MEET YOUR NEW DAUGHTER. SHE IS 17 AND OUR LIFE IS BLESSED AND THAT'S WHAT ADOPTION IS ALL ABOUT.

I can only pray that this issue will gain more attention, so maybe there will be hope for these families who are saving their pennies...and mostly for these children who are waiting.

Meet the Teacher

We survived yesterday...but we were exhausted! Our last hoorah at the water park was so much fun. I think we saw about 20 different people we knew from church, school, neighborhood, etc (great minds think alike ;)

Sandwiched between gymnastics and soccer practice was Meet the Teacher. It was a great night, but so busy visiting 3 classrooms! Each classroom had papers to fill out, activities for the kids, and supplies to unpack. We first went to read the class rosters. Grant got the teacher he wanted, and one of his best friends is in his class. :) Garrett was excited that Sophia (friend across the street) is in his class. He got the same teacher that Grant had for Kinder, which is who he was hoping for. Halle Grace cried because she wasn't in class with Garrett and Sophia - poor little thing. We went to her class first, and she cheered right up when she saw her desk with her name on it. She loves her teacher, and we have heard wonderful things about her. I am concerned a little about socialization for HG though. There are only 4 kids in her class right now (though they insist that more kids will be placed after school starts). It's an all-day kindergarten class that focuses on ESL students, as well as students with other needs. Mrs. H (HG's teacher) assured me that they will be scheduling plenty of projects and things with the other kindergarten classes. This is something I'm really going to push for when we have Halle Grace's ARD meeting. I know this class will be a great place for her to catch up, but it's a fine line for me as to what is more important for her right now...is it making new friends and feeling like she belongs, or is it getting the extra help she needs to catch up academically? I will be watching her closely, and when it seems she is on-target with the kids in Garrett's class, I will ask for her to be moved. I am leery of her feeling that she doesn't belong. I'm sure she already feels some of this, and I don't want to magnify that feeling at all. So, we'll just take it a little at a time, and pray for a great year! I have been praying that there would be girls in her class...and God answered! 3 girls and 1 boy. Whew.

Now I just take a deep breath and pray that the water-works stay under control for Monday - the day my babies go to Kindergarten, and Grant goes to 2nd grade. My job as full-time stay-at-home-mom will be oficially transistioned to school-volunteer/homework helper/activity-chouffer mom.
It's a new era in our household - and once I get past the tears, I'll be excited for it to begin! :)

Our Brave GIrl

This little girl of ours is always amazing us! In these last few days of summer, she's experienced her first bounce-house gym (where no one could even keep up with her), she had her "dedication" at church (yes, in front of everyone!), and she had her ears pierced (ouch!). Today, she has her Meet the Teacher at school, and I'm sure she will be our brave girl again. We'll see what happens on Monday when she has to actually stay :)

Here are some of our memories from these last days of Halle Grace's first summer with us...

Notice Garrett and our neighbor, Sophia, trying to keep up... Halle Grace was FULL SPEED!

I missed the focus spot on this one, but these are her cute little pierced ears! One earring came out yesterday when she took off her dress without unbuttoning it first. I had to stick that earring back in and it was NOT easy - and it hurt all over again. Poor thing!


At church on Sunday, they called us all down to the front to pray over Halle Grace and over our family. The pastor who led the prayer knows our whole story, and got a little choked up when he thanked God for the great lengths he went to to unite this little girl with her family. It was an amazing time of powerful prayer for her life, and she felt so loved and special. The church gave her a little pink Bible that she now wants to take with her everywhere she goes. :)

Don't you just love an 8-year-old boys enthusiasm for getting his picture taken? That's all there is to say about this one.


We went to lunch with the whole family after church and had a great time. I need some serious photoshop help with the glare on HG's glasses! :(


I've been wanting to take the kids to the museum all summer. Yesterday, we finally went and it was so much fun! Here are all the 3 kiddos sitting in a dinosaur footprint. Wow!


Grant was so proud of his magnetic tower. He asked he to put it on the blog...so here it is! :)



While the boys built the tallest towers they could, Halle Grace spelled out her name with the blocks. This girl's going to be a teacher's dream.


Today is jammed-packed with one last trip to the water park with dear friends, gymnastics, Meet the Teacher, and Garrett's first soccer practice. What will we be doing tomorrow? Absolutely NOTHING! Whew!

All Good Things...

I guess I should be thrilled that we had so much peace among the siblings for so long. And I know there are some out there who thought our children were perfect siblings. Well, today I'm keeping it real and announcing that the honeymoon is officially over. Don't get me wrong, most of the time, things between our 3 little musketeers are just dandy. It's just that in the beginning, Halle Grace was like a new toy - especially when she didn't speak much English. The boys ooed and ahhed over her and catered to her every whim (well, most of them anyway). But as with all toys, one day the novelty wears off. Halle G has transformed from a soft-spoken, Russian-speaking novelty into a full-fledged, English-speaking, equality-demanding sibling with her own ideas and opinions. Here are some of the comments I have heard over the last few days...

Garrett - Look, Halle, there's the Library!
HG - Yes, Garrett, I've seen the library 10 times!

Grant (to me) - Ever since Halle Grace got here, all our friends that come over want to play GIRL stuff. I can't take it anymore!

Grant (to me) - Garrett and Halle Grace only want to be with each other. Halle likes him better than me.

Halle Grace - It's not fair!!! (could be said for any reason whatsoever)

Garrett - All Halle does is tattle on me.

Grant - Halle Grace just wants to get me in trouble all the time.

Halle Grace - Garrett said I'm not beautiful!

Grant and/or Garrett - I'm getting tired of the Little Mermaid!

Halle Grace - I no like Star Wars!

But even at their worst, I love the way kids can forgive and forget instantly, and all cuddle up together for a movie.
And all is well with the world (after they agree on a movie, of course!).

Yes, the sibling honeymoon is over and all good things must come to an end. But what they are building now, even through their fighting, are real, functioning relationships that we pray will last a lifetime. They are learning to fight fair, learning to express their emotions, and learning to love more deeply. And I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.
(Keep in mind, this last statement was made after the three little angels have been tucked into bed and the house is quiet. I would not have made that statement earlier today! :)


In other news...
Halle Grace had her ESL test for Kindergarten (English as a Second Language), and she barely even qualified!!!! The woman who tested her was blown away with how quickly she has learned English and is certain that she will not need the ESL program for long. Hooray!

She is also making big strides in her gymnastics class - she can finally do a decent cartwheel and is making big progress on the uneven bars as well. I love that gymnastics is something she can excel in where language skills are not required at all! :)

Garrett is all signed up for his first season of soccer and he is so excited!
Grant has been gearing up for football in the front yard with Daddy this week.
Fall is coming soon and our lives will change dramatically. We plan to enjoy these fast few days of doing nothing (nothing responsible anyway... :)

Now I'm off to have a Diet Coke so I can stay up late to watch gymnastics. Go Shawn and Nastia!

Summer Olympics

We are entering a Summer Olympics of our own around here. How much summer fun can we pack into these precious 13 days before school starts? We spent most of today playing in the sprinklers outside with the neighbors. Tomorrow, we head to one of the MANY area bounce-house places for some indoor fun. We are also planning on the water park and the museum this week...as well as plenty of watching the real Olympics. We taped the amazing mens' swim relay win from last night and showed it to Grant today. He's been talking about it nonstop, quoting the French's infamous trash talk! All of us have been glued to the gymnastics - especially the kids. They like to "practice" the moves they see on TV on the trampoline. I pretend I am the judge and give them all perfect scores. Halle Grace's favorite gymnast is Nastia because "we have two friends named Nastia at Solnichka!" (her orphanage). They were in her groupa - and such sweet little girls! :) I don't think there's any worry that Halle Grace will dedicate her life to gynmastics. I told her that if she keeps practicing, she could compete in gymnastics meets and do a few of those tricks when she gets older. In her best pouty voice, she said, "But I no want to do that". She just likes her "own gymnastics class". I guess all those triple-twist whatever-they-ares are a little overwhelming for a 5-year-old!

Go USA and Happy End of Summer!

Eat More Chicken!

Does anyone else out there have to hear "eat more chicken" yelled out throughout the Happy Birthday song? Where did that come from? For us, it started in Kindergarten. Apparently, it was the cool way to sing Happy Birthday. I'm not the biggest fan, but studies show that if you're under the age of 10, you think it's HILARIOUS!
Anyway, this morning I was greeted with the "Chicken" version of Happy Birthday by my 3 sweet kiddos. I could hear them in the other room planning it out. :) This is the stuff I want to freeze in my memory (even the chicken part) and keep to replay when I'm old and gray (or when my kids are teenagers and don't like me!:)

Today is busy day motherhood...lunch/playdate with good friends, gymnastics, and the last night of Garrett's sports camp, then birthday dinner with our family of 5. I can't think of a better way to spend a birthday (with the exception of a beach and a fun-fruity-drink, of course! hehehe!)

Summer Pics

...Just a few random pics I meant to post but never did...(at least I don't think I did).
Tea party at home, Halle Grace's trip to the dentist, Halle Grace and Garrett playing "school" with their stuffed animals :)




Today we went up to school to register (i.e. prove that we still live in the district). The kids are so excited! We got to meet Halle Grace's kindergarten teacher. She's new to our school, and SO SWEET! Halle Grace will be in a special all-day kindergarten for kids that might need a little extra help (she will qualify because of ESL - English as a Second Language). Garrett will be in regular half-day kindergarten - but don't tell him that (yes, we're just about the last district in Texas that has half-day!). School starts on the 25th! Just about 3 weeks left to pack in a little more summer fun.

Princess Bride

Halle Grace was invited to her first tea party the other day. It was a dress-up party, so she got to choose from her many princess outfits. Grant is at Aunt Kathy's this week, but I couldn't find anywhere for Garrett to hang out, so he came along. He was actually excited at first and wanted to wear his knight costume. (Unfortunately, he bailed on the costume just before we left!). Halle Grace chose her bride dress, which is her current favorite. I went to my favorite hair-do blog to find a fun hairstyle for her. She was so excited and LOVES having her hair fixed!

The party was a big success, but I was reminded that I should never have Garrett and Halle Grace in the same class at school! I don't think they said one word to any of the other girls at the party. They went off by themselves and played house! So cute, but oh-so-antisocial! Since they were playing babies, they decided that they needed to get married. See the pics below of them pretending to dance at their wedding!

Several days ago, Halle Grace and I had a discussion about getting married. She told me she wanted to marry Grant (she's since switched to Garrett). I tried to explain that someday, she would grow up and find her own prince - someone that is not part of our family - and they would make their own family together. This was, of course, a little too much for her to take in. She got really sad and wanted to know why I got to marry someone from my family - I got to marry Daddy, and he is in our family. How do you argue with that logic? :) I think at this point, the thought of leaving our family someday just doesn't sound like fun to her! Understandable under her circumstances. She's only been with us for 3 1/2 months! I guess at age 5, it's ok if she wants to marry her brother(s)! :)

Look at that cute princess hair!


These are so cute, I couldn't decide which one to post...

This Week's News

2 posts today! Can you believe it?
Grant got to go for his turn at Aunt Kathy's this week. He was so excited, and they are having a great time. The boy loves to fish!
He comes home late tonight. (No, I'm not picking him up! :)

Halle Grace is doing so well with her eye patching! The website our doctor gave us sells these patches with gentle adhesive so it doesn't hurt when she takes it off. They are great - and cute, too! We also ordered this patch chart with a princess on it. Her dress has little spaces for 50 patches, so as HG takes off her patch each day, she can put it on the princess to make a beautiful patchwork dress. It's a great motivator!

Scott and I went out to Brio last night for my (early) birthday date. It was SOOOO yummy! As we haven't had a date since Buenos Aires, it was time! They gave me creme brulee because it was my birthday dinner. My favorite! Next Saturday, my sister and mom and I are all going to take a marathon birthday trip to San Marcos. We are leaving super early so we can hit the outlets by 9am, shop till we drop, then head to New Braunfels to float the Frio river, then stop at Chuy's in Roundrock for dinner on the way home. I know, CRAZY, but we're up for the challenge. Can't wait!