Gymnastics Fun

Well, I have no new pictures to post (gasp!!), but thought I'd fill you in on our last couple of days around here. Bear Cub and I have tried out 2 Mommy & Me gymnastics classes here in town...now the big decision...which one to sign up for? I was so proud of how well he did with the other kids in both classes -- waving and saying hi without me prompting him to! He's also not afraid to wander off and check things out on his own...big steps for this little guy! He really enjoyed both classes...some songs, lots of bouncing, and some basic work on the swings and bars. Hey, if he's going to be short...why not be a gymnast? :) He LOVED the bouncy track...and pretty much would have stayed there the whole lesson if he could have! Anyway, that has kept us busy the past 2 mornings and ensured a great nap after lunch! This boy of ours needs to be busy! I'll post new pics soon...

Toddler Fun

Finger painting outside!
Stacking blocks...while sitting in a box. Now that's a talent!
Silly Mama put Zoe in his crib once he was up from a nap. He loved it...she, on the other hand...did not. :)
Reading a book with Daddy

A G-R-E-A-T kids show!

When we first brought Bear Cub home, I was of the thinking..."My child will NOT watch television until after he's two and then it will be very limited!" Well, I quickly realized that there are times in which he needs a little entertainment from that box to help me get some things done. Granted, his t.v. time is extremely limited and I am still of the belief that he will play with his toys and outside before he zones out in front of the tube. I'll have to admit that it was quite obvious to me as a teacher which kids watched t.v. a lot and played tons of video games. As second graders, these kids had almost ZERO imagination and they could never think of a writing topic on their own. Very interesting... and frightening, to think of the influence that these things have over kids. So, with that said, I truly believe in a limited (and very monitored) amount of television.

Ok...so on to this great show! Even if you don't have young children, you really should check out the show called "Word World." It's on PBS -- at 11:30 and 2:30 each day. It is FABULOUS!! The characters and everything in their environment are made of the letters and they are always "building words" as they go along. What a fun way to help little ones learn their letters and see how words are built! As a teacher (in my former life...ha, ha), I give it an A+! I would have LOVED to have known about this show while I was teaching -- it would really be helpful for struggling readers.

Bear Cub has recently really started enjoying it -- going up to the t.v. and asking for "wur-wur." He likes to dance to the music and sometimes even says the sounds of the letters he knows when they appear on the screen. And it also didn't hurt when he saw his good friend, B, last weekend totally tuned in. So check it out! It's worth a quick viewing...such an ingenious idea! :)

http://www.wordworld.com/ Here's the link to the show's site...

Have a great weekend ahead!

Another anniversary...

I'm not sure if I'll always remember these dates, or if it's just because our Bear Cub has only been with us for less than a year. I know that I will forever think of our days in Russia and our experiences, and of course we'll honor and celebrate his Adoption Day, but these other dates may fade into a blur of memories over the years. Or perhaps not.

Regardless, one year ago today was when we first met Bear Cub in person. We had arrived in Vladivostok the day before, so when we woke, we were refreshed from our long travels and SO anxious to meet our little boy. I think we were up around 4:30 a.m. -- due to the excitement and nerves of the day. We arrived at the baby hospital somewhere around 10:30 a.m. or so and before I could get my camera out of my backpack, BC was on his way out, in the arms of one of his caretakers. The feeling of taking him into my arms for the first time is completely indescribable. Powerful, magical, totally awesome and then some. Both his daddy and I can vividly remember the sights, sounds, and smells of that day. It is truly amazing what the human brain holds on to. We knew that he was ours and we were his from that very first moment...one year ago today, April 24, 2007. What a day to remember.

So, as these memories come rushing back, I think I have answered my question as to whether or not I'll always remember these anniversaries of ours. The answer is YES. The dates are permanently etched, not only in my mind, but also in my heart. He was ours and we were his. No doubt about that.

Here we are...loving every precious moment that we got to spend with Bear Cub on that first trip to Russia. These pictures were taken on April 24 -- only about an hour or so after we first met him. We were asked to go into a very small play room with him (another couple and their son were also in the room with us) and we were told that we would be locked in the room because a Russian news crew was coming to the hospital. Our coordinator and the staff thought the crew was doing a story on international adoption, and they did not want us to appear on television with the babies. Trust me...we didn't want to appear on Russian t.v. either! So they used an old-fashioned skeleton key and locked us in. We would have felt VERY nervous had the other couples' Russian translator not been with us in the room. At least we felt that they'd want to get her out eventually...or so we hoped! Everything was fine -- turns out the crew was there to interview the doctor as to which brand of diapers they preferred at the hospital.(ummmm...Brand of diaper?? The kids were swaddled in HUGE sheets wrapped in and around their legs to create a diaper. It was then tied in a very uncomfortable knot on their backside. Not exactly Pampers or Huggies, that's for sure!) And we felt like if we had to be locked into a small room, who better to be with than our sweet son? What a day, what a day!

Doggie news!!

Great news....Jeep was found last night and is now safely home with his family! I swear...this dog has MORE than nine lives! According to my sis, he is very tired and is just wanting to lounge around. Yeah, yeah, yeah....Jeep is ok!!

Random thoughts

Well, after our very fun and busy weekend, there is not too much to report from Bear Cub's home front. Here are a few random thoughts that I've been meaning to post...in no particular order and with no great literary merit. The writer inside must be sleeping today. :)

• Bear Cub is LOVING the pool! We've been taking him every few days and he's getting braver each time we go. He'll even let us take him underwater and yesterday he started kicking his legs. We are signed up for Mommy & Me swim lessons in June...he'll be very comfortable in the water by then.


• He continually is learning new words. He still only says part of the words, but we are amazed at the things that he is picking up. For example, yesterday we were at the park, and swinging pretty high together. He was rubbing at his mouth and looking at his fingers. I told him, "We're swinging so high that you are drooling!" Well, wouldn't you know....he instantly repeated back to me, "Druuu.....mou...." Yup, he had drool coming from his mouth. He is even starting to identify some of his beloved books by title...he likes (for some strange reason -- this is one of the weirdest books I've ever read) a book called My World. Yesterday he pointed to it and said, "Ma, wor" -- meaning My World. I was impressed!


• We gave him his first home haircut. He had some long wispy hairs around his ears that needed cutting badly. While he slept one afternoon, we quickly snipped those and a bit around his neck. Ok...so it's not the most even haircut, but hey, it served its purpose!


• The boy L-O-V-E-S bugs and lizards. Our evening routine of going on a bug hunt is a MUST. He tells us which ones will "bi" or bite, by putting his finger in and out of mouth in a biting motion. He knows not to touch the ants and spiders!


• Bear Cub can successfully jump now! He can get about an inch or two of air...look out NBA. Ha, ha


• On a totally different note: I am wanting to somehow include information about the books that I read on the blog. My sister has a great little sidebar on her blog for that info -- need to ask her about how to do that. Anyway, here are some of the books that I've recently read --- I love to read!


• The Kite Runner - excellent -- very interesting to read and learn about Afghanistan and the Russian invasion


• The Russian Concubine -- enjoyable -- lengthy at times, but worth the read


• My Sister's Keeper -- awesome! This is a major tear jerker, but so great. I read in People Magazine that they are making a movie out of it. Read the book first!


• And now I am reading a non-fiction book that reads like fiction...The Devil in the White City about the creation of the World's Fair in Chicago in the late 1800s. I need to get online and do some more research on this... very interesting!! Did you know that Walt Disney's father worked construction on this great exhibition and that Walt learned about how to light such a massive event? Hmmmm...I think he got it all figured out just fine! :)

Oh...and one last thought...please say a prayer for my sister's dog, Jeep, to return home safely...and soon. He slipped out of his harness on Friday and has yet to come home.

Everyone misses you, Jeepie!

Enjoy the rest of the week and here are a few photos in closing!

Fun with friends!

Making some music at the park
Totally engrossed in a TV show...wow
How's this for an angel face?
Swinging and loving every minute of it!
On a golf course adventure...sand traps are fun!

Hi everyone! Hope you had a nice weekend! Ours was was really fun because my very best friend (we're talking from WAY back...20 + years!) and her little cutie, B, came to our house for two nights. The boys have met before and have done well with each other. But this visit it seems like they REALLY had fun with each other. We went to the park, swimming at the pool, and most excitedly, on bug hunts each night after dinner. They were so cute together and I feel so lucky that our boys will get to grow up together and have each other as lifetime friends, just like their Mamas! And of course, I was thrilled to have my BFF here -- who doesn't love to rehash high school days and the crazy times of days past?? It was great -- can't wait to do it again. Enjoy the pictures of our lil men!

Bear Cub meets more family!

We had a wonderful visit with my Aunt Audrey and cousin Donna on Monday! They were in Florida from Massachusetts -- and lovin' every minute of our sunshine and warmth! It's always great to see family from out of state, but I was especially excited for them to come as this was the first time for them to meet our Bear Cub. He had a lot of fun with them (despite no nap that day!) and we're working on him saying Aunt Audrey. Right now...it sounds like "Aaa--Awww" -- hey, pretty close! Enjoy the photo...and a special thanks to our visitors...we had an awesome time with you both...and we love you!

A Day With Thomas the Train

Chasing after bubbles at the bubble tent
It is impossible to take a picture of these 2 before they both get away! Oh well..we tried!
Watching the world go by as we rode Thomas
Having fun...and being cute!

Here he is...ready to go! We had just heard the train's whistle! He was all ears!
There's Thomas!
Hanging out the window of the train and loving every minute of it!
He needed some shades for part of the trip...
Working his way out of a haystack maze. He really liked this!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Bear Cub and I went with our friends Sharon & B to a nearby town to meet Thomas the Train! We had a great day. Both boys did so well and were excited to ride on a real train and play all afternoon. What a day! Here are some pictures from last Friday. I think BC said "too-too!" all day while we were there...wow, he's REALLY into trains now!

Lucky me...

Here it is, Sunday night, and I am just uploading pictures from this weekend. It was a great one for us. We didn't do much of anything spectacular, it was our family time that was so special. I love this photo of my handsome husband...thanks to him, I have the life that I've always dreamed of. True love, friendship, and family. So this post goes out to my main sqeeze. Thank you, thank you.

Bear Cub and I think you are the best thing ever!

The power of eye contact

Eyes are the windows to the soul, or so someone said, once upon a time. I have always felt this to be true, but today I truly felt the power and pull of eye contact. It was after a great day with Thomas the Train (will post on that next time) and Bear Cub had fallen asleep in his car seat on the way home. He woke up as soon as I got him out, crying for his new "too-too" (train), but I took him into his room anyway with hopes of getting down for his nap. Well, that didn't work out, so I decided to rock with him in the rocking chair. He actually let me cradle him for what seemed like a long time, compared to usual. We stared into each other's eyes for the longest time. This is probably the longest amount of eye contact that he and I have shared and he kept giving me the sweetest of smiles -- almost as if we had a secret, and I think that we do. The secret is this...the connection between mother and child truly has nothing to do with where that child came from or from whom. He may not have ever been connected to me physically, but there is no doubt that we are connected by the strings of the heart, and most importantly, the soul. So today, when least expected, we shared that secret silently, only with our eyes, but we both heard the message loud and clear. It's moments like these that define parenthood and the true meaning of love. It's a moment like this that defines who I am. Wow.
Eyes...the windows to the soul...and heart.

If you ever need something to entertain a toddler...

...just fill a big bucket up with water! Yes, it was one of those afternoons for us. Not much to do -- toys and crankiness (on both of our parts) all around the house. This is when I spotted the infamous Easter Egg bucket in the garage....hmmmm...what else could be done with that thing? We filled it up with water and had great fun tossing different things in, splashing around, and having some good 'ol fashioned fun in the backyard. Hey...this was entertainment for almost an hour. A great way to end our somewhat "blah" kind of afternoon at home. Imagine what fun we'd have with a blow-up kiddie pool in the yard. Hmmmm...might just have to think about investing in one of those....

Here he is...doing his funny "cracking up" face when I asked him if the rock sunk or floated. Yes, the teacher in me lives...

He thought the word "sink" was hysterical for some reason!

The Referral Anniversary...

Had to post in honor of the date April 6, 2007 -- the day that we received our adoption referral for our precious son, Bear Cub. No words will ever be able to describe the feelings I had when I waited for the pictures of his sweet face to appear on the computer screen. It was the birth of our son for us. A face to put with our dreams. A year ago...wow. Time surely flies when you are in love! Enjoy the funny pictures from last week. This is definitely NOT the serious-eyed (and almost bald!) baby we saw in those photos last year...how things do change! :)

If anyone hears of the band, A Flock of Seagulls, reuniting and needing a new member, we have just the boy...or at least the hair...for the job!

It has just occurred to me...

That I completely narrate my days out loud, now that I am a parent of a toddler! I really need to rent that Will Ferrell move, "Stranger Than Fiction." It's the one where he hears a narrator telling his life story. Well, that's how it is around here with Bear Cub and me. He gets to hear everything about what I am doing and why. So, I am my own narrator. Go figure. I'm probably driving him bonkers with it all...his next set of words might just be, "Enough already, Mama! I get it, ok!?!?" Ahhh...only time will tell. :)

A new trike...

Here are some pictures of Bear Cub's new tricycle, which he is not too sure about yet. He wants to tuck his feet under the frame of it...not so sure about those pedals yet! Daddy Bear had to unscrew the seat and move it forward some....well, BC quickly learned where the screwdriver was supposed to be, as you'll see in the picture. One of these days he'll be zooming all over on that thing!

Just fixing my trike like I saw my Daddy do!

He had just put his school bus in the basket...so this is his face when he says "oo-oo."

"I'm supposed to do what with my feet??"

Taking a spin around the yard with Daddy!

"Look guys, I can fit under the bed!"