Monkeys at the Zoo

I took lots of monkeys to the zoo today! I was driving carpool to Museum School, which happens to be down the street from the zoo. We thought it was time Halle Grace got to visit the animals! I let Grant skip school to join in the fun (after all, the zoo IS educational, right?). We dropped off Garrett and his friend Camden at Museum School, then Grant, Halle Grace and I headed over to the zoo. My sister met up with us a little later with Tyler and Zoey. :)
Halle Grace loved it - her favorites were the monkeys and the giraffes. But like most kids I know, she had more fun just running and playing than actually looking at the animals. :)
I went to pick up Garrett and Camden after Museum School so they could join in the fun. A great time was had by all!

A few zoo thoughts on the Forth Worth Zoo...
It's one of the best zoos in the country - it actually reminds me a little of the San Diego Zoo (on a much smaller scale, of course)

As usual, I regretted not starting at the back of the zoo and working our way to the front. It's a LONG walk from the Texas Wild section to the car!

Bring insect repellent for the bees that flock to the picnic tables when you eat lunch! I forgot. Again.

Favorites: feeding the birds with those little birdseed sticks, watching the chimpanzees doing acrobatics (they were so wound up today! Must have been something in the air...:), the new penguin exhibit, listening to Halle Grace rattle off all the animal names in Russian!

Making Vareniki

We travelled back to Ukraine today by making vareniki! Halle Grace LOVES the stuff and was so excited to help. She babbled on and on about her grandmother and how she used to make it. She lived with her grandmother briefly, and speaks of her often. I need to record her stories and have them translated so we can hear them in English!

Katie taught me how to make vareniki when I stayed with her. It's a lot like ravioli. You make a dough out of flour, water, and a dash of salt. Just until you get a nice dough that's not too sticky. Then you knead it for several minutes. The kids loved that part! After that, you let the dough rest while you prepare the filling. Ukrainians often use whatever leftovers they have on hand. We used some mashed-up potato, leftover roast from last night, and cheese. After the dough rests for awhile, break off about a fourth of it at a time. Keep the remaining dough covered while you take one part and roll it in your hands until it looks like a snake. Then chop the "snake" up into little pillows. One at a time, roll each little pillow into a circle - thin, but not too thin. Spoon in a little filling, then fold it over and press the edges together to seal. Then you go around and make little angled folds to double-seal it, as well as make a pretty edging. You boil them just like ravioli - about 5 minutes or so. In Ukraine, they served them a lot with sauteed onions. I just tossed them with a little browned butter. Yum!
Garrett wasn't the biggest fan, but Halle Grace and Grant loved them - kept asking for more. Grant said, "this should be a famous recipe!". Well...it is - in Ukraine!

Here are the little chefs working hard (Grant had already gone outside to play). Yes, that is a sparkly flapper-girl dress Halle is wearing, and yes, she wears it almost every day. :)

Russian Encounter

Revised for the Vosses
Yesterday, we went to the water park to buy our season passes. (Try explaining that it's not open until summer and that we're just here to buy our tickets - charade style!). While in line, the ladies in front of me kept smiling at Halle Grace. Finally they asked if she spoke Russian. So did they!!! They talked to her some and she loved it. She said her name was Halle and she was 5 years old. (good girl!). Then she proceeded to tell her ALL about the yucky history of her life before the orphanage. Yikes! No boundaries there! We'll have to work on that when she's speaking English. She also told the ladies how much she loves her new family. AND that she would like to learn gymnastics! My sister is a gymnastics coach, so she was thrilled. Anyone know of a Russian-speaking gymnastics coach in Northeast Tarrant County? How great would that be! The Russian ladies told me that we really should find someone that Halle can speak Russian with occasionally so she won't lose her native language. Anyone have experience/success with keeping Russian? It would be a challenge since we don't speak it.
Yes, I know about Nastia's gym, but it's in Plano. That's about an hour drive from my house. Have you seen the cost of gas? :)

A few minutes later, another lady walked in and told us that she had a daughter from Russia. They adopted her 5 years ago and she's doing great!

Small world.

Scott and the boys are going on their annual Father-Son camping trip this weekend. So it's just Halle Grace and I! Any ideas for fun things to do? :)

Swimming and Putt Putt

We're definitely not in Ukraine anymore! We went swimming yesterday at my parents' house with my sister's family. It wasn't terribly warm, but they turned on the hot tub and the kids loved it! Of course, I forgot my camera. Ughhh!! Halle Grace LOVES the water and just jumped right in. The boys eventually went over to the big pool, but that water was pretty chilly. Halle tried to join in, and I had to fish her out (poor little thing - scared her to death). She kept telling us she knows how to swim (I guess she figured out that she doesn't). She starts lessons in June! :)

She mostly loved strutting around in her new swimsuit. It's green with sparkes and flowers and a little skirt - and she looks adorable in it. (again, forgot the camers, you'll have to wait on swimming pics :( She woke up this morning asking again to go swimming. We'll have to hold off for a little while I think. Summer's coming soon though!

Halle Grace had her first putt putt experience with our friends the Silvia's Saturday night. She loved it (for about 9 holes - just like her mommy!). We went for ice cream afterwards, where she chose strawberry with M&Ms. The boys got vanilla with gummy bears. They just picked at theirs, as usual. But Miss Halle Grace ate every bite (again, like her mommy!).

This week we plan to finally settle into a routine. We also plan to really start working with her on her English. We have enjoyed attempting to use our Russian words, but it's not helping her, so we're working on breaking the habit.

Happy Monday!

AA Shower

Scott's team at American Airlines threw Halle Grace a shower on Friday, and let me tell you - she was quite the little princess! It was like making up for all the birthdays and Christmases she's missed out on. We had so much fun watching her ooh and ahh over all the fun gifts. A big thank you to the Latin America Revenue Management team. You have truly blessed our family. The team went in together and gave her a doll house, which has been a huge hit at our house! Even the boys have tried to play...although Halle wouldn't allow any horsing around. She likes things the way she likes them! (A teensy bit bossy at times :)
Scott's coworkers were so thoughtful - they even had presents for the boys! Thank you so much!

Scott's parents came to visit this weekend, and Halle Grace was great with them. We told her who they were and showed her pictures, so when she met them, she just ran right to them with her arms up for a hug. She is so proud to have family. She charmed her way right into their hearts (just like with the rest of us!)

It is fun watching the boys begin to bond with Halle. Grant has taken on the role of the protective big brother who dotes on her, and Garrett is her buddy! Garrett has enjoyed having a playmate while Grant is at school. :)

Another highlight was Friday night when Scott and I were putting Halle Grace to bed. We have been praying for her, but that night we asked her if she wanted to say the prayer. She did, and this is how it went (in English even!)..." Please Mommy, please Poppy, please Grant, please Garrett. May I please. Amen"
Is that just the sweetest thing you've ever heard?
We are so happy with her progress in learning English. She's adding new words every day and she is saying several phrases. We think she understands over half of what we say.

Here's Halle Grace with her new dollhouse. Grandpa put it together for her! (How Scott got away with not helping, I don't know! :)


This morning the boys played in the sprinklers with the neighbors. Halle seized the opportunity to use her new umbrella.

Update

Halle Grace is having a great week! Except for today at the doctor. They wanted to take some blood to run some tests, and apparently, her veins aren't that great. It took them FOREVER to fill those viles, and she was screaming most of the time. We were all crying - nurses included. Poor baby. But she is now the proud owner of a carton of ice cream, strawberry ice cream bars, pringles, and gummy bears. She's curled up on the couch resting, watching Cinderella (her favorite) and life is good again!

We got great news from her school. We went to register her at school (she'll start kindergarten in August), and they told me that they are starting an all-day kindergarten class this fall for ESL students! Hooray and thank you, Lord!!! Poor Garrett's class will still be half-day. But I think that will end up being a good thing for him to have a little extra time with mommy. :)

We had our first photo shoot yesterday with Amy! How cute are these?

First Weekend at Home

What an amazing weekend! Halle Grace is adjusting quickly and is just a perfect fit. She is so affectionate with us and it is obvious how proud she is to have a family of her own...and we are just as proud to have her! What a blessing - beyond words. Here is Scott with our 3 kiddos ready for bed after we arrived home from the airport. We loved the sign! Thanks Kathy, Grant, and Garrett.

Here's our little angel sleeping peacefully in her own bed. Hooray for sleep!

On Saturday, we went to Central Market to eat lunch and play. Halle Grace wore those fairy wings ALL DAY LONG! How cute is that?

That night, our our good friends stopped by to pass down their daughters' Barbie Jeep! Halle LOVES it - I wish you could have seen her face. Priceless!
Thank you, Reagan and Skylar!!!\


This morning was Halle Grace's first time at church. I LOVE this picture - it's shows how much her brothers adore her.


This afternoon, we had visits from Kathy, Kenny, and Kalee. We will be forever grateful for what they have sacrificed to care for our boys while we were gone. You have blessed us beyond what we can express and we are so thankful for you! Come back soon!

Tonight was dinner at my parents with my sister, Shane, Tyler and Zoey. The cousins had a great time playing, and Halle just jumped right in like she's always been here.

Thanks again for all the warm welcomes and comments. It's amazing to see the fruition of so many prayers through this little girl!

I promise to post more about our journey home soon. For now, I'm headed to bed. I'm still adjusting to US time. :)