Category Archives: Project 365

Everyday Life, Photography, Project 365

‘Twas the Day Before Christmas…

December 25, 2013 Molly 1 Comment

Giant icicles hung from the home.

All the weimaraners were stirring,

Eager to roam.

Candles were lit, Silent Night sung.

And the last Advent card was finally un-hung.

A movie was watched, then kids tucked into bed,
Where they wiggled and giggled as legos danced in their heads.

Presents were scattered underneath the tree,

What could these gifts possibly be?

Tomorrow the children will come down to find
all of these presents with someone special in mind.
Paper will be ripped;
they’ll have quite a ball.
Now mama must sleep;
Merry Christmas to all!

Everyday Life, Photography, Project 365

Winter Light

December 23, 2013 Molly Leave a comment

Spending time with my camera is a sure-fire way for me to clear my head. My boys were busy, but Lena was mad at them. Awhile ago, I saw a little trick on Pinterest– throw a blanket in the dryer for a few minutes, then, when it’s toasty warm, wrap your kid in it and take them outside for pictures. It was a good day to try it.

Super easy, but not quite what I was going for.

A little bit later, I decided to try again. I grabbed the rushnyk that Andrei gave us.

Cute, but still not quite what I was going for. The headband seems a bit out of place.

We also had the big brother and the warm blanket with us.

Everyday Life, Project 365

School’s Out for Winter

December 21, 2013 Molly Leave a comment

Today was the last day of school before winter break. Which means parties!

Gus was super excited to go to school and see Lena. And, thanks to the kind kindergarten teachers who gave him an extra plate with a gingerbread man and decorations, he got to “decorate a cookie”, which to a 2 year old means devour all of the candy.

Lena was so happy to see us. We got hugs and a big smile.

G was so fascinated with all of this party business. Particularly the food part.

Of course I wanted to take some time to visit Reed’s party too, but Gus was NOT leaving that candy. Lena’s teacher told me that she’d keep an eye on Gus for me, so that I could go see Reed. Their classes are right next door, but I was grateful to visit Reed’s class for a couple of minutes without an angry toddler in tow. Lena’s teacher is fantastic. And not just because she kept an eye on Gus. Or may be reading this blog post. She clearly is passionate about teaching kindergarten, and that is an awesome thing to see!

Anyways, Reed’s classroom. First grade parties are serious business, you guys. You fold dreidels and fortune tellers and make bird feeders and drink vegan eggnog. Stopping for your mom to take your picture is NOT on your to-do list.

I got to talk to some of Reed’s friends and help them fold dreidels. One girl, a friend of Reed’s from kindergarten, was very impressed that I knew her name already.

Both of the kids had fun, but they are also happy it’s break. Before I even had the car in the garage, Reed presented his winter break to-do list:

Decorate Gingerbread cookies.
Really, decorate gingerbread cookies.
Decorating gingerbread cookies would be fun. With candy.
Play with Andrei.
Wait for Christmas.

My Winter Break to-do list:

Cut both boys’ hair. Or, better idea: instruct Aaron to do that.
Actually comb Lena’s hair.
Get a handle on Reed’s chapped lips (we have a doctor’s appointment next week!).
Learn how to say more than “I need to pee” and “French fries” in Russian. Just kidding. I know more than that. “Do you speak English?” is also burned in my memory.

I have convinced my children that they should learn Russian because Andrei speaks Russian and Andrei is cool. They watched Little Pim for awhile, and then I pulled out this talking alphabet book.

By the way, anyone know where I can get a new one of those? Gus spilled water on it a few years back and not all of the letters work now. 😦 The store I bought it from is now closed.

My kids normally pick out their own clothes, but L was running behind this morning, so I asked if I could pick it out for her. Yes! Christmas theme! The sweater is one of my favorites: mitten pockets that Reed wore back in 2010. My mom made the skirt last year. And the shoes, dug out for her Princess birthday, are currently her favorite.

Little brother photo-bombed! So much love.

Adoption, Everyday Life, Photography, Project 365

Rushnyk and the Chicken Thief

December 20, 2013 Molly Leave a comment

We had some beautiful weather today. It was around 50 degrees at 8am, so I packed up the dogs and Gus and headed out for a quick walk.

Gus rocked his Christmas PJs, sweater and boots. He’s cool like that.

He saw some birds, which are super exciting when you are 2.

More after school shots. It seem so ordinary, but I don’t think seeing her strong and happy will ever get old to me.

I got to talk with Andrei, our Ukrainian guest, a bit more today. The kids simply adore him, and he is great with them. He spent part of his evening playing legos with Reed. Lena announced that he is her “friend”. And he can get Gus to giggle with a single look. He spent a good deal of his day on the phone with his kids– both those who came here with him on the hosting program and those back in Ukraine. He seems to care a great deal about “his children”, as he calls them.

He also presented me with this gift today, which I think is a Rushnyk. I will have to take more pictures of the whole thing tomorrow. If you know me at all, you know that I don’t place much value on most gifts, but I already adore this one. Hand-embroidered by his mother. Uniquely Ukrainian with so much history behind it. Beautiful!

After the kids spent some time with Andrei tonight, we had some fun conversations. Reed had to ask him if he was Russian or Ukrainian. This is very confusing to them and Lena also announced that she is Russian. I think partly because they spoke the Russian language, but are Ukrainian. And then, littlest brother being Russian doesn’t help. Reed did not believe me that he used to speak Russian, so I showed the kids some old videos.

When Lena saw herself in the video, she instantly said, “Oh… my hair… was…” and then just shook her head.

Reed came into the kitchen as I was doing dishes tonight. “Mama, Lena… Lena told me to cover my eyes like this (hands over his eyes)… Then she… she stole the rest of the chicken off of my plate!” Sneaky little sister steals chicken right out from under her big brother. Too clever, that one.

Adoption, Everyday Life, Orphan Care, Project 365

I’m so, I’m so tired

December 18, 2013 Molly Leave a comment

I’m singing “I’m so, I’m so tired” to the tune of Yo Gabba Gabba’s “I’m so, I’m so sorry.” Because, I didn’t get home until 3am last night. Doing what you ask?

Well, you have probably heard about the programs where you can host an orphan for the holidays or during the summer. The children also need adults to travel with them and the adults need a place to stay, so we are hosting one of them. He is from Ukraine and will be with us for at least two and a half weeks.

Waiting…

All of these families have hosted these children before, so there were lots of teary reunions.

Our Ukrainian guest was exhausted today, so we did not see much of him. After all of that travel with many kids and all of that way, I can’t blame him!

Lena brought this adorable, neatly wrapped present home from school today. It was wrapped in a paper she painted, and on the ribbon around the package was this adorable little ornament that she had made. Because a 6 year old cannot wait a week to open a present, we opened it today. So cute!

If you enjoyed Monday’s post of Gus faces, here’s another photo for you:

Like many toddlers, Gus has a clear preference on which parent gets him seconds. You can see the disappointment in his face when Aaron gets up from the table.