Happy Halloween!

Caleb was soooooo excited that it was finally Halloween!

I made their costumes this year. They both wanted to be dogs.:)

My sweet puppy Elijah. He was so cute running up to the houses and saying trick or treat.:)

Liam's first Halloween.

Both Caleb and Elijah wore this Blue's Clues costume when they were younger.:)

And then there's Garth! :)

Our Pumpkins

Elijah is Reading!

Elijah loves school and he loves to learn. He soaks up information like a little sponge. So it should have come as no surprise when his kindergarten teacher asked the special education teacher if he could be in her classroom for more of the day. Her reasoning: Elijah CAN do what the other kids are doing.:) He attends an all day kindergarten and spends a part of the day in a general education setting and then a part of the day in a resource room. Then he has specials, recess and lunch with his kindergarten class. So of course, as his Mommy, I am so excited for him and proud.

She also mentioned that the kindergartners get so excited to see Elijah when he comes in. He is a popular little dude!

When Elijah plays, he doesn't play with cars and trucks. He plays with playdoh, a magnadoodle, crayons and markers, books and flashcards. He often carries around a little notebook and a pencil. He practices writing his letters, but mostly the letter E.:) These are the things that he loves best. He also loves Signing Time DVD's and Dora DVDs. He is also very creative. Oh and he doesn't sleep with stuffed animals. He sleeps with books or a container filled with his favorites. He loves containers. He can't wait for the coffee and cocoa containers to be empty because he knows that he gets to have them. Last week, we went to McDonalds and they were putting the Happy Meals into little Halloween pails. After Elijah ate his chicken and fries, he put his letter and word flash cards into the pail. He carries it around everywhere and then sits and takes the cards out to read them. He even takes them to school.:)

 

So with all of this said, I knew that Elijah was ready to read. I just didn't realize how quickly he would pick it up. Here is Elijah, READING!:):)

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Trying to keep up

Oh my goodness, I'm slacking with my blog.:(  There is just so much do every day after I come home from work. Laundry, going through backpacks, unpacking lunch boxes and packing them again, dinner, baths, and reading with my little guys is a lot to get accomplished in 4 hours. Caleb, Elijah and Liam all go to bed at 7:45-8:00 pm each night. Then it's time to make coffee for the next morning, get clothes out for the boys, feed the dogs and guinea pig, and hang out with my Jimmy. That's really the only thing I want to do once the little guys are in bed, but alas, chores have to be done first.

So I am exhausted every night, and therefore, blogging is not on my radar.

But here are a few pictures that I wanted to share. I have some exciting news about Elijah and also Jimmy's birthday is right around the corner.....so stay tuned!

Happy 10th Birthday Caleb!

Caleb is 10 years old today. I can't believe how time flies. He has been home for over 7 years and boy have we had fun! Caleb has such a love for life. He is go, go, go! He wakes up with a sleepy smile and goes to bed with one too. I am so blessed to call my sweet Caleb Anatoly my son.



Papa and Caleb

Liam really enjoyed the party:)



Caleb chose Max and Ruby and he also picked out his ice cream cake.:)

 

We celebrated on Saturday, the day before Caleb's birthday so everyone could attend. And then we celebrated again on Sunday, Caleb's 10th birthday. On a funny note, Caleb asked me if Monday was his birthday too:):)

Papa and Jimmy hamming it up!

Caleb showing his Max and Ruby plates.

 Jimmy bought Caleb this delicious chocolate cake so we had two birthday cakes! Doesn't get any better than this!:)

Happy 10th  Birthday Fudgie! We love you bunches and bunches!

What I would tell her.........

Just 3 more days until Caleb's birthday and he is super excited!

Every time one of my sweet little Russian born sons have a birthday, I can't help but think of his birthmother.So when October comes around, does Caleb's birthmom try and block it from her mind? Does she replay his birth over and over? Does she have a baby picture of him that she keeps close to her? Does she wonder about him? It will be 10 years on Sunday since she gave birth to my precious son. Does she know that he's been adopted? Is she curious as to what he looks like? As a mother, I can't imagine the heart wrenching decision she had to make 10 years ago.....and how it may still effect her today. My heart goes out to her and I hope and pray that somehow, she knows that he is loved. I couldn't love him more, if I had given birth to him myself. He and his brothers are my world.

If I ever got the chance.....I would like to tell her:

That he is BEAUTIFUL
He is smart
He is funny
He is so loving
He can also be a little stinker
He loves school
He absolutely loves to swim
He loves to play outside
He likes to go for walks
He loves music
He likes Max and Ruby
He likes to take pictures
He can use a computer very well
He loves to turn the lights off and play with a flashlight
He likes to blow bubbles

He has many friends
He is a good little brother and an awesome big brother
He is a good eater
He is a good sleeper
He is healthy
He likes going to the waterpark
He likes pizza, nachos, chips, pretzels, popcorn, ice cream, salad, and BREAD and much more
He doesn't like things that stick in his teeth and he doesn't like pop
He likes to go to McDonalds, Dairy Queen, the movies, the carwash, and more.....
He likes riding in elevators and on escalators
He likes jumping on the trampoline and off the diving board at the pool
He loves books
He can read
His favorite toys are cars and trucks, especially fire trucks

And most importantly...I would tell her that the difficult decision that she made 10 years ago, was not in vain. Caleb is a shining star! He has a wonderful life that is filled with Love, Jesus, family, school, friends, and happiness. He also has a future that holds endless possibilities.

 

 

And then I would thank her. Thank her for the most precious gift of all.....Caleb. This awesome little guy (who is not so little anymore) means the world to me!

 

 

I love you Fudgie.....to the moon and back! And I can't wait to celebrate your birthday on Sunday.

Love,

Mama

 

 

 

 

 

 

Randomness

Liam and Elijah are both in kindergarten this year. They had a paper to do over the weekend where they needed to practice writing their first name several times. I wish I had taken a picture of Elijah’s before we sent it back to school because he did such a great job. Liam is not at this level developmentally so he didn’t do his. But he did practice holding a crayon and coloring without throwing it. Caleb reads every night and we record it in his reading log for school. Sometimes he reads, and sometimes I read to him. All my boys love books.


The other morning, I got to put the boys on the bus. While I stood there waiting for them to get strapped in, I was waving at Liam. I also signed mama. Next thing I knew, he was signing mama and waving back. My heart just about burst.

Caleb and Elijah are the best of buddies most of the time. But they have a few things that they can’t agree on. They argue over who gets to turn the light on, who gets to choose a movie, who gets to let the dog out, who gets to let the dog in, who gets to open the door, who gets to get the juice out of the refrigerator…..I am going to have to get a little job chart together real soon! But I find it very comical at times, although I don’t let them know. I also am very happy to see them acting like other typical kids do with their siblings. Squabbling and all.:)

Jimmy has been his busy self, going out to eat or to a movie with friends, bowling on Wednesdays, and keeping me up to date with pretty much an hourly weather report. I love those weather reports! When Jimmy’s TV is on, he is usually watching a video or watching the national weather. He doesn’t usually watch regular TV shows.  Jimmy’s weather reports always include the temperature, chance of rain, cloudy or sunny skies….. and sometimes he adds what he wants for dinner in there too. For example, he may say, “Today is 70 degrees, cloudy skies, low wind, chance of rain 30%, and chili hotdogs for dinner.”