sad

the woman who hit my mom was arrested last night. as of today she is already set loose. mom spends the holiday in the hospital. driver gets to celebrate with friends? does that seem right?

Woman accused in hit-and-run
A male passenger stopped and spoke with the victim, but the female driver left the scene without providing any information.
By: Mark Stodghill, Duluth News Tribune

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Duluth police made an arrest today in connection with a hit-and-run accident Tuesday in which a 66-year-old woman was struck by a black pickup truck.

A 32-year-old Duluth woman is being held in the St. Louis County Jail on preliminary charges of felony criminal vehicular operation, hit and run and driving after revocation.

The accident happened at the intersection of Second Street and Fifth Avenue East near Miller-Dwan Hospital just before 2 p.m. The victim was crossing Second Street when she was struck by the pickup. A male passenger in the pickup stopped at the scene and spoke with the victim, but the female driver of the pickup left the scene without providing any information.

The victim was transported in a wheelchair to St. Mary’s Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening and is in fair condition.

Duluth police located the suspect vehicle Tuesday night leading to the arrest.

excuse me for a moment

dear truck driver
it was so kind of you to not want to leave my mother lying on the cold ground after you RAN HER DOWN. But any idiot knows you dont move an injured victim. You dont have to be a doctor to know that you should have left her where she was until help came. you are DAMN lucky that she is not paralyzed. She has a fracture in her back. you ran down a woman crossing the street, broke her back, and then moved her. why didnt you just kick her? I hope that you wake every morning knowing what you did. and I hope you wake every morning and catch the bus because you definitely should not be driving.
signed,
one angry daughter

proofread much?

I am looking for a new double stroller and I want a side by side. While reading reviews I came across this one. It made me laugh. We always joke about how people massacre the English language.

We got this stroller for our then newborn and two and a half year old. They are now 18 months, and four years old respectably and the stroller is still going strong. It fits perfectly in the back of our minivan and pushing it is a breeze. It doesn't come with cup holders but for just a few dollars you can pick some up at babiesrus. It is brilliantly designed and is very durable. I would defiantly buy it all over again.

ben says

I like you. if he has a toy he likes he says to the toy I LIKE you! and if we are looking at pictures on computer he points and says I LIKE YOU! I LIKE YOU! very cute. I like you too ben. right now he wnts my cell phone and I said nooooo and he said but I LIKE you! meaning he likes the phone.

He cant seem to remember the puppy's name so he calls her that one or this one. Mocha is whining her head off. and if she is in trouble she runs to Ben and hides in his lap. too funny.

Yesterday was not a great day. Saw my ex husband and got my insults, sophie barfed in the car on the way home from that interaction, and then I found out about Mom.
Today should be better, I hope. Puppy slept MOST of the night except when Maia came upstairs to tell me she didnt want to sleep alone. I told her she could turn on all the lights down there if she would just go to sleep! she napped in the car yest so she didnt want to sleep last night.

The guy who is supposed to work on our basement is coming today. so much for mandated naptime. cant expect them to nap when someone is banging around in the baseemnt.

Well I guess Ethan was wet last night. he wont tell me the truth about it. I have to find it on my own. he says yep I am dry! and then I find a soaking wet bed. I do not scold him for wetting. never have. but lying to me is not ok. I will scold him for that. for the life of my I cant figure out how someone who is up all night anyways can have a wet bed in the morning. if you are awake awake awake why cant you get up and go to the bathroom? GRR. that does not make me happy. He is the only one with this problem. and since he was wet yesterday the plastic sheet wasnt washed yet so his bed is now soaked. he doesnt care if he sleeps in wet bed. he doesnt care if he stinks. why do I care? sometimes I am really mad at Russia for making him who he is. he WAS a happy go lucky little boy. but over time before we could get him home he changed. he was nearly catatonic when we arrived to take him home. rocking and moaning. we didnt see any of this behavior in the first visit. he still rocks. everyone else always seems to know whats best for him but everyone else doesnt live with him. every day all day. thankfully he seems to do well in school, although even they have to remind him to sit on his bottom and eat.

Well I guess this post has become a bunch of different things rather than just Ben says. But thats ok since I am home alone with the kidlets today I can only talk to the computer because I dont really have any one else to talk to. now if it were only summer we could at least get out some!

My mom

My mom was hit by a car today crossing the street in front of the hospital after work. She is in the hospital in a lot of pain and has a broken arm and pulled muscles and lots of bruises. Could you, if you read this, just think some happy thoughts for her? Think get well thoughts. Pray if you pray. She was walking across the street. something people do every day. She even had a green light.

if it was after work it would have been about 230 and I will tell you something that happened to me at about 230. I was at a gas station and as i started to walk in front of a car at a pump in order to go in and pay that car started moving! so at about the very same time that my mom was hit, I was nearly hit. this is not the first time this kind of thing happened to us. Another time she had an accident and I decided to take a different route to my destination than usual, thinking nothing of where she might be then, and happened upon her accident. Can you imagine pulling past an accident scene and see your own mother sitting there in the middle of it? It was not a nice feeling. Another time we were thinking well its Saturday, what time is it? what should we do? should we go somewhere or stay home? it was about 1:15 I think if i remember right. A while later we got the call that Gramma Peg died. She died about the same time we were looking to the clock saying what time is it, what should we do today?

introducing: MOCHA

Roll over! Roll over!! silly baby tricks!!

while this may not seem like much its kind of a big deal for her. She hasnt been able to get all the way over before.

ethan is packing up. running away apparently. because HE can not obey ME for any thing. for the life of him he absolutely CAN NOT. so he is running away because I am the bad guy. I am the bad guy for making him and the others toe the line. For standing firm and following through and an occasional tap on the bottom. for making dinners every single night only to be told that he doesnt like that or want that. HE keeps me up all night every dang night, he and Ben, and I am the bad guy. Oh to be so narcissistic that everything is always someone elses fault. If I lose my crap its your fault. if I drop something its your fault. if I cant obey or follow instructions THATS your fault too.

more pics of cute kids

bad days good days any days

Sophie and Ben are here with us for Christmas. Really its the only present I wanted. I will take their bad days. I will take their good days. I will take their in between days too. I am so thrilled to have them here with us. I love them so much. Christmas was a hit with them as well as the sibs. Even though Glamma couldnt come for dinner the kids enjoyed presents. Oddly enough the things I picked for the girls, just KNOWING they would love them, were passed over for the boys toys after about 15 minutes with them. The same was true for the boys. Ben played Barbie car all morning. Maia played farm and parking garage. Ethan played a little of everything. Sophie played car garage and marbles. what a funny twist. I always want them to know they can do or be anything, it doesnt have to be gender traditional. Girls can be astronaughts or doctors, boys can be fashion designers and nurses. Whatever they aspire to they can be. On to the photos of today and recent days.

do you ever think

that you have given too much? that you just cant give any more? and that no one appreciates your giving anyways? whether its emotional physical or financial help, do you ever think why do I even bother?

The children are wonderful and I do not regret giving them a life and home. Its the other giving that is draining. it's the giving that has absolutely nothing to do with the kids. It seems I cant ever do it right. I try. But I just cant do it right. and I just cant do it anymore.

Nevermind this post. Just me feeling sorry for myself. The sky is probably going to drop two feet of snow for Christmas and we will have no family over, not to mention I dont like snow that much. I dont know when my boys are going to start sleeping. No end in sight. Which means no sleep for Mama. so no sleep, no nice weather to get out, no sunlight, no appreciation of your giving only negative feedback, makes me grumpy.

I went out yesterday and finished shopping

ALONE!! While I love getting a chance to drive to St Cloud alone I listen to the radio and sing along and say to myself, you are so lucky. I hear these songs on the radio and they ALL have this angst about love. love lost, love left, love not found, love not returned, and so on. And every single day I have my love. I am so thankful for my good kind loving husband. I am so thankful I dont have to wonder when I will find love, or cry over lost love, or fight with someone who isnt loving in return. I love you Eric. You are still My Love.

Maia

At Shriners the kids each got to pick a bear. Maia got a santa bear. it has a santa hat and holds a present. But the present was stitched to bears hands kind of loosely. with the kids playing and it getting moved around and maybe the dog carried it around the present came loose. She brought it to me and asked if I could sew her bear's tomato back on. I asked her three times what it was, she said it was a tomato every time.

a couple interesting turns

Ben used to act as Sophie's caretaker when it comes to food. He would give her his food and if he didnt she would demand it and THEN he would give it to her. now they are seperated when they eat, each in a high chair of their own, at opposite ends of the table. Now when Ben finishes first he goes over to her and starts snacking from HER tray. boy does she NOT LIKE THAT!

Today my Benjamin Bunny took off both his pajama TOP and BOTTOM! and found himself a shirt and with help put it on, then found himself some pants and put them on and came to me for help with button and zipper. WOW! this kid was unable to feed himself very well and certainly not take off any of his clothes OR put them on just a mere two months ago!

Last night at the community Christmas dinner for food shelf a girl said hello to Cody. A GIRL! Now in my experience (yknow, cus I was a girl once) unless a boy is one you know well or hang with or talk to much you dont say hi unless you mean it. He barely knows her name, he doesnt even know if she is in his classes. and she said hi to him. HEAVEN HELP US!

Last night at the same dinner we got split between two tables. When the kids were busy running around their spots were cleared and given to a couple of officers who stopped in for dinner. Ethan returned to his spot to find two strangers in uniform. He wasnt afraid though he said HI! who are you!? Are you the Seargants? lol where did he learn THAT word?this kid has a vocab that will knock your socks off. I am consistantly amazed at the words he uses.

Ben on the other hand was very concerned about them being there. I took a moment and introduced him so he could see that they are the good guys and "our friends" I dont know what they hear of the police in Ukraine or what they are like but he was very worried about these two and I wanted to set the record straight. I always try to introduce my kids to police at events so they will know that if they ever need them they are good people and will help them.

Kindergarten show

the best part is at the end.

yesterday was long

but you can read more about that at arthroadventure.

today the kids were so excited about school. they just love to go there. I actually went to the library after dropping them off and got a book. I think this is their last day for Christmas break. The big kids get done on Tuesday next week. Ethan and Ben were up at 4am again. ugh.

thankfully no one complained much about wearing the new splints to bed. we called them boots like the boots they wear on their feet(afos) Ben was very calm and willing and when he had his on we showed sophie and she couldnt wait to get hers on to be like ben. no complaints about it all night. I thought this was going to be like the AFOs where she would scream for about 3 days until she realized we are serious about this. but no she just went to sleep and slept all night. She is awful cute.

Ben has a bad habit of feeding the dog. he also has a new word, OK. and he says it the way a polish taxi driver who speaks no english would say NO PROBLEM! Ben dont feed the dog. OK! and then he feeds the dog.

today Ben unzipped his own pajamas AND climbed into the van himself. wow! and his stairclimbing is getting really good. I still dont want him downstairs, no real reason for him to be down there but at least I know he can get back up. He helps now with getting dressed too. he doesnt need the bathroom door open to use the toilet or wash hands. he used to panic if the door was closed. he has really come a long way.

Maia made a picture for her teacher today. it is cute. very sweet of her.

Chrysta had a big ole fit last night. She is really something. She was so wrapped up in wanting to argue I finally went to bed. Nothing I could say that wouldnt be the beginning of a new argument. She really made me mad though when I told her Santa is watching. (yes of course she knows the truth she is 13) she said she didnt care if she got only coal because her DADDY would buy her presents. umm yeah. is this the same daddy that sees you a couple times a year and is just too busy to have you over? and is this the same daddy that is supposed to pay for half of medical and activities and hasnt sent a dime in so many years I stopped bothering to bill it? is this the same daddy that some months doesnt send the entire amount of child support? Same guy who you had to call and BEG to take you to family thanksgiving so you could see your cousins and grandma and he had to rush you home again because he had plans? uh huh, let your daddy buy you presents then. I will take back all of mine. like the cell phone I pay for, the flute I bought her, the piano lessons I pay for, the roof over your head every night, the clothes I buy her, the ten pairs of shoes she has, the rides to every where she wants to go, all the other little things I do and buy for her. She has no idea. I was hoping she wouldnt inherit her father's temper. Guess she did anyways.

annoyed

the bus at school always parks across the ramp from the sidewalk to the parking lot. always. I called and asked if it was possible for the last bus to park just a few feet short of where it usually does so we can still get out. It isnt easy bahaing over the curb in the big ass double stroller. Apparently we arent supposed to be going through there. we are supposed to sit and wait until the busses leave. ok so you wont bus my kids but I cant take them home either? everyone else gets to go home but we dont? He did say he would see if there was anything he could do but this really annoys me. They are in no rush to get them special services so they can ride a special bus and they can not physically handle the regular bus so I HAVE to take them home myself. this in itself is not a problem, but the fact that I can not get them to the car is. My husband would say well why dont you just wait then. We are very different that way. I am supposed to be there and pick them up and they have them all dressed and hats on and everything ready to go out the door so I am always there and then they tell me we cant go? that just aint right.

I didnt realize the 4 year old attitude started so soon

Ethan was a terror at 4. Maia was a monster and I questioned my sanity in having kids. I knew that Sophie would find her "four" I just didnt realize it would be so soon. She is generally happy in the mornings. today she is sour. and now she is already back to bed. Her nap yesterday was interupted/canceled by Ben barging into the room waking her up. Late to bed last night. School this afternoon which means she will get no nap then. and right now she is falling all over having screaming tantrums so I put her back to bed. I dont know if she will take a nap this early or just lay there and scream at me but she has been here long enough to know that screaming tantrums are not ok and they get you a trip to your bed. so maybe she will settle in a couple minutes and fall asleep. maybe not. At any rate this is not like her. or maybe it is like her and all the days before this were not like her. I am pretty in tune with her so my take is she is overtired.

Must be monday, Chrysta forgot her lunch and came running back up the driveway to get it. Ethan wasnt far behind, he forgot his backpack. The bus is here right now so I hope they have everything they need.

birthday girl

Birthday girl.

happy birthday sophie! my sweetie is 4! she got an ecard from her gramma lucy and auntie olya. She is working very hard on crawling. she is learning so much! she has been 3 for only two months of her time with us but my goal was to get her home BEFORE she turned 4. So I am happy to have shared those two months of three year old. She is now 4. My beautiful 4 year old. who is cute as a button and still very tiny. Happy birthday baby! we love you tons. We will celebrate tomorrow because Eric is on call.

you could win a really cool doll if you go here! http://homestudytohome.blogspot.com/
you can also help a child!

Sophie funny

sophie at preschool screening.

Kathy: Where are your knees?

Sophie: I left them at home.

a good day for all

sophie and ben applied for their social security numbers this afternoon. I have to tell you that these two kids are the very BEST waiters. We waited about 45 mins to an hour and they were absolutely angels. Ben wandered a little back and forth and gave books and magazines to some people which was funny. they started giving them back to him to put away and he did. I gave him a paper and said hold on to my important paper, dont lose that! and he didnt. the entire time we were there he held on to it. It was really just a job for him to keep him busy more than it was important paper. Sophie read some books and sat in my lap a little and talked to Ben and screwed around with Maia. they were absolutely good as gold. and their ss cards should arrive in a couple weeks!

While doing the paperwork for the ss# we found two loose passport photos. JUST what I needed to send off the Ukraine paperwork. excellent.

to the mall! where they again just were really well behaved. We once waited 3 or 4 hours for something when in Kiev with them and they were good as gold that day too. They are just good waiters. they were in the double stroller at the mall. Sophie got a new winter jacket. and we had some peanut butter cups and a drink for a snack.

Then off to the orthodontist for consultation on Chrysta. she needs some work done and its not going to be cheap. Father of the year is supposed to pay half but I dont hold much hope of ever seeing that. he hasnt paid for anything in years. the kids just played toys while we talked. they were nervous about getting poked or something but when they saw it was just for mom and dad to talk they did fine. They let them pick a toy and sophie and ben each picked an american flag! ironic? yes. adorable? yes. and they didnt put them down all the way home. in fact they took them to bed with them!

on to the ride home. They were happpy most of the way. But maia chose bubbles and she really wanted to touch the flag. Sophie would scream at her thinking she was going to take it away(I presume). Then Sophie gave herself away. She let us know that she understands way more than she lets on. I told Maia to leave her alone and let her hold her flag. Maia said she only wanted to touch it and not take it away. I said Maia she just doenst understand! Sophie chirped "Nay ponemayu! Maia, nay ponemayu." translation I dont understand. so essentially she was saying Yeah maia I dont understand when she did understand all along! oh that squirt!

When we got home Ethan had presents for us. While we were gone he was home with Cody and Chrysta because we left before school got out. so while he was home he took paper and tape and wrapped up various toys and put them under the tree for us to open when we got home. He was very excited about this. it was pretty cute.

After a rushed dinner of cheesy eggs they went to bed and it wasnt 15 minutes and all of them were sound asleep.

thinking

of "our girls" and "the boys" that we left behind in Ukraine. Wishing we could send them a box of love for Christmas. I dont see how that would be possible but I think of them so often and hope they are well and happy. I dont know if they are allowed to play out in the snow but I hope they are. and if they aren't I hope they are enjoying the beauty of it outside their windows(if they have any snow yet) Do they have a Christmas tree in their room? Do they have pretty lights on them to look at? DO they know Santa Clause? or Kris Kringle, or whatever the Ukrainian equivalent to Santa is. Will they get any presnts on Christmas? even a pair of socks? it is easy to close your eyes and pretend you dont know what their life is like over there. But we spent so much time with them, playing, laughing, hugging, learning, taking pictures, roughhousing, swinging that I can't forget. They have touched my heart and I can not ignore that. Others may be able to shut that part of their life our of their minds. I can not. These are children. Mere children. They are completely dependent. They can not "get a job" they can not choose to eat more or more often. Everything is controlled for them. And yet they have so little. it breaks my heart. and from here, there is next to nothing I can do about it.

oops! there she is.

Sophie had a minor relapse into the old defiant Sophie. But thankfully she has recovered and is happily watching little Bill with her sibs.

She got herself into a bit of trouble for returning to a place I told her not to go. I figured the lesson would be a little better remembered if she had to scoot herself out of that place rather than my carrying her. (because remember she was there one already and I did carry her and yet she returned) She refused to go. wanted me to pick her up. I have no doubt I could have picked her up and as soon as I put her down she would go there again. SO I counted to 3 and she refused to move so she did get a free ride out of there and straight to the time out chair. Time out for her is time out for me too because I have to stand in front of the chair with my back to her to keep her from flopping herself out of the chair. So I turned my back and started counting the seconds and blocked the chair's exit. By the time I got to three minutes she wasnt crying any more. I told her what she did to go in time out and wanted her to say sorry. She wouldnt look at me. But she did say sorry after a time. then she wanted me to rockabye her. so I did. REminded her I love her and she is still my baby. then she let me finish my breakfast. usually she is a sunny child. but occasionally, especially when she is tired(today!) that old defiant snotty "you cant tell me" Sophie sneaks out. maybe a nap would be more in order than school.

Cold 'nuff for ya?

brrr. plenty cold for me! I am really ready to be done with winter and it only just begun! I am a southern soul trapped in a northern body! how many years till Eric retires? I like to worship the sun. I like to play in the sun. heck who am I kidding I am happy just to SEE the sun!!! where is it? havent seen it for days. cold dark dreary winter days. blah on snow. blah on cold. blah on the weight gain because its too cold to get out!!

ok debbie downer is done for now. On to other important matters of the day. All pressent say Aye! AYE! great. I am here. so everyone got up early today and thus there are some cranky children afoot. Some of the cranky children went off to school, yes school is in session here, snowbedamned. That leaves me 3 cranky kids at home. They are supposed to go to preschool this afternoon but it is COLD! and blowing! and I just dont know if its worth it. Ben cant wear boots. well at least not unless I spend 20 minutes trying to cram his crazy foot in there. and sophie obviously needs to be carried. USUALLY the sidewalks at school are clear so if i park in the no parking lane(hey! everyone else does it!) I might be able to get them in with minimal trouble, getting them out again is different. The buses park there and I would have to park in the lot and haul them across the lot by myself. Maia takes the bus home. I cant wait until they get services so THEY can deal with transportation!!I am surprised they havent cancelled preschool altogether.

the poor dog is so cold he is hiding in my sweatshirt. WHILE MY SWEATSHIRT IS ON ME!! he loves to cuddle up and be warm. he has a new place to nap. Since we got a new high chair from Maggie for Sophie, Ben has taken over the old one. He eats much easier there. Now when Sophie sat in it, the dog never tried to get into it. But now that it belongs to his buddy Ben when Ben gets down, Dog gets in. He curls up in the seat and takes a nap. Fabio is a frou frou dog. My brother in law says any animal less than 150 pounds is a waste of carbon. I disagree. He is my best little buddy.(Fabio, not my brother in law) Until the kids came home he slept with me and was by my side all day every day. we spend more time togehter than I get with my husband! men do not understand the relationship between human and dog. Women see dogs as little humans who cant talk. Men see dogs as animals who have potential. case in point, Ben and I watched a video of a man with a golden retriever who danced with him. A woman would never do that. Men are from Uranus. Women are from earth.

I am feeling somewhat bah humbug this year. I used to make fudge for the nurses. I used to bring them treats. This year I dont think I will. With the kids I dont have the time or energy. and even if I did, I would just feel taken for granted. so why expend the energy?

What is with boys and purses? Ethan used to carry around the pink fuzzy purse(with a dead mouse in it. for real) and now Ben has the red sparkly purse with rhinestones on it, carrying it all around the house. I told him its his Man Bag. but they still call it his purse. Good thing I am not a mom who gets bent out of shape about that stuff. Ethan alwyas had his nails done when he was small. everyone loves to wear the princess crown. Ethan refused to ever be the prince or king. He was the PRINCESS!
Maia, however, is not the princess. that is much too lowly a position for someone of her stature. She wants to be the queen. She also believes this will prevent her from doing chores of any kind. WRONG!

Well I guess I have recorded enough of the day for posterity. I can go do other things now. Like fold laundry. Take kids to bathrooms. Feed kids. Take kids to school. Bring kids home from school. Wash dishes. etc. yknow, the fun stuff.

go here!

and help save an adorable little boy from a fate you wouldnt want to think about.

http://thebalsisfamily.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-giving-day-seven.html

your help could save his life, it could also win you an IPOD touch or a quilt!

ben at breakfast

bye bye cheero! I lub you! buh bye seeyou layler! I lub you cheero!

whew!

it is amazing what you can accomplish with two big kids to help and two little kids missing from the scene. Ethan and Maia went with Eric to round. Leaving me Ben and Sophie. Chrysta and Cody helped me gather all the toys and banish them back to the bedroom. pick up all the playdough chunks and scraps and trash so I could vacuum. So Ben and Sophie are dressed, Living room dining room are both picked up and vacuumed and generally tidied. for the moment. of course some stuff goes on the couch and then back to the floor when its clean again...but I wont think about that. just thinking happy thoughts that the dining room and living room are vacuumed.

Tomorrow the kids go back to school for another week. Sophie can hardley contain her excitement about going back. She thinks I stay there out of sight while she is there. I dont tell her different. Maia is feeling much better about school with Ben and Sophie there with her. She gets lonely for family when she goes there all by herself. Cody let it slip that he actually sort of likes school. he was SO against going back. and here he is doing physics. chrysta likes it but she hates homework and she often has a lot of it. HOURS of it. Way more than I ever did. But then she is still learning to work hard and fast and get as much as possible done in class. it is impossible to do 50 some math problems before the bell though so she always has math to bring home. Cody is apparently not doing so well in his computer typing class. he has missing assignments because he cant type fast enough to get them done in class and you cant take them home. Eric wrote a note to the teacher asking what we can do about it. at this point he is failing, of course its only ONE week into the term but if he is failing at one week chances are he will be failing at 6 weeks. not sure what to do there. We asked the kids the other day what they might like to be and chrysta wants to be a baker(no big surprise) and cody said architect or builder. I wonder if he would like mechanical drafting. DOnt know if they offer that here. but maybe there is hope he will go to college yet. Ethan still likes school but spends so much time entertaining at lunch he barely gets his sandwhich done and doesnt get to eat dessert.

Today Ben had a crying fit because I wouldnt take his pajama top off for him. He has done it repeatedly this week and I wouldnt just stop everything and do it for him. he was pretty mad. I put him in his room and said if you are going to scream you can scream in here. he came out a short time later with his shirt off. little stinker just wants mama to do it.

Sophie hates being on her tummy. I made her today. she screamed. I lifted her up under the belly so she was in crawling position(but all the weight was on ME) and at first she cried but soon figured out locomotion. and as long as I was holding some of her weight up she could do it and move forward. and coudlnt get enough of it. but if I let go she would just scream and cry. She doesnt even really know how to roll over from her belly. hurry up ortho appointments! fix this kid so she can do all the things she wants to do! so she can roll and crawl and MOVE like other kids do.

Ethan is excited for his school program this week. Its on friday. He goes around singing silver bells all the time so I guess thats what they are singing. cant wait to see it.

friday at last

Well its finally happened. last night we went to bed with a driveway. This morning we woke with a "snow way." yuk. Ben is so excited he just keeps squealing and then the dog starts barking because squealing Ben usually means someone is coming. chaos. all day long. actually it isnt that bad. the chaos I mean, the snow is most definitely bad. I am a southern soul trapped in a northern body! The kids drew with markers while in their high chairs for awhile this morning. Then they moved on to playdough. and pretty soon it was lunch time. and then Sophie to nap. and Papa comes home for lunch. and now Ben and Maia are watching a movie. Ben wants so badly to go outside in the snow. I have no boots that would fit over his huge clunker afos, they have built up heels on them, not flat. and he cant walk without them. and he lost his mitten the other night outside and we never did find it and now its under 2 inches of snow......

I was thinking of all the words that Sophie and Ben use now(English words) they say all the family members names
gamma puppy fabio stinky nigh nigh eat
scoot play piano dvd SNOW! milk
bye bye seeyoulater(sounds like see you laylow)
outside on off car bus school lunch story
book banana no "stop it!" "come back"
yucka toys home stay snack! killy(kitty)
OW! boots OPEN! LIGHTS! Amelica! One Two
Three Eleven Six baby booboo moo neigh cluck snort

I am sure there are others I cant think of. This has come a long way. We still resort to making our own sign language sometimes when they wont/cant speak english and wont/cant speak Russian. I am sure they will have some stories to tell us when they have the words...

from my friend Christine......

I’m holding a $1 challenge over at www.findingkirilsfamily.blogspot.com, on the countdown to Christmas. Kiril is a little boy with significant special needs who has been waiting on Reece’s Rainbow for a long time, and has been bedridden in an institution for over 6 months now. My goal is to get as many people as possible to come and donate just ONE dollar to Kiril’s RR grant, and then pass this message on to just ONE other person of their choice.

Apart from people I know well, I’m contacting 50 people whose circumstances I’m not as familiar with - so if you’re in the middle of an adoption etc, I obviously don’t expect you to donate. But *please* pass along this message, whether you can give yourself or not.

beautiful benjamin button

took off his pajama top with NO HELP! He went into his room with a shirt on and came out without one and said COME ON MAMA! Pajama ALL DONE! so I jumped to get him some clothes. he tried hard to get his pants off and if he didnt have AFOS on he could have. they were pretty loose, falling off his butt lol. Mr Ben Ben is on his way to dressing himself. = )

I know I am late

but the message bears repeating.


Today, on World AIDS Day, please join AHOPE's campaign FIFTEEN - 15 days to find 15 sponsors for 15 orphans with HIV in Ethiopia

On World AIDS Day, AHOPE for Children urges support of some of the world's most vulnerable AIDS victims – the children who lost their parents because of AIDS, and then were found infected with HIV themselves. There are more than one million of these children in Ethiopia alone, and AHOPE for Children exists to care for them.

AHOPE Ethiopia recently moved to a larger residence with room to care for 15 more orphans. The space is available for 15 more children, but the funds are needed to provide them with necessities such as the medical treatment, nutritious food, education and holistic care they deserve. A sponsorship to help provide these necessities is just $35/month ($420/year; co-op sponsorships available), and we have hope that there are 15 people out there that will feel inspired to help these children.

This is why AHOPE for Children has initiated FIFTEEN, a campaign to find 15 sponsors to support 15 orphans with HIV in Ethiopia, within 15 days (Dec. 1-15). Will you please join us on this journey to give hope a home? Visit http://www.ahopefor children. org/sponsor. html to learn more.

yes I am a blogging fool

I wanted THIS blog to be about the kids, about the family, about the things we do and our life together. I Made a seperate blog about medical stuff for Sophie and Ben. its called Arthroadventure. If you want to read about their medical appointments and therapies (soon to begin) you should go to that page.

http://arthroadventure.blogspot.com/

all over the place

whenever you ask ben "can you say ______" he says "da" but not _____. which is histerically funny to me. His dad just asked him if he could say "strong like the cow" and he said "da."

Ben and Sophie (along with the other kids) each have a blanket made special for them by Mama. Maia drags a blanket around but not the one I made her. Sophie and Ben dont really care about their blankets if it isnt bedtime but if it is bedtime any blanket will do. no special attachment to mama'a blanket. but today Sophie was crying and Maia gave her the pink blankie I made her and Ben was crying so I gave him the blue and red one I made him and they hugged them and cuddled them and Ben wrapped up in his and wore it like a warm cape for the rest of the morning. he was chilly. I had a revalation though, a duhh moment. Sophie cant drag her blanket around. Not because of her hands or legs or diagnosis, but because she cant climb into the crib to get it and it never occurred to me to get it out! sometimes Mama is a bit slow about these things! When I put her to nap she wanted that blanket. just that blanket. not the other one she usually sleeps with. so now I have three blanket babies.

I made them playdough and Ben keeps saying this is the snow. squishing it is good for his hands. He is having a great time rolling it out and putting patterns in it with other toys. I have been hesitant to make any because it becomes such a mess but they are having such a good time. Maybe I will save it for naptime play. entertains maia and ben and keeps them fairly quiet.

Ben is so clumsy he falls on Sophie sometimes or steps on her. Today the poor thing he cried more than she did when he stepped on her hand. he felt so bad.

school yesterday was a success. Except I forgot to tell cody which bus to take home. I happened to run into him picking up Sophie and Ben so I took him home with me and told him which bus. He could have asked his sister though. She knows the bus number of half the kids in town so certainly she could have told him which one to take. But they both came home happy. Ethan on the other hand didnt. he got into trouble at school. only a little trouble. and really quite typical kind of trouble for kindergarten. He got a warning because he was being too loud. there are several steps beyond a warning, each successively worse than the last. He got a warning. that is the very first level. so basically a reminder. He also likes to chat alot(imagine that, Ethan talking too much)Although in speaking with his teacher she said he is doing fine. that was the first time he had gotten a warning. and academically he was doing just fine. he just needs to work on listening, being quiet and doing what he is told when he is told. ie: do your work when its work time. In typical Ethan fashion, the bus driver saw me taking Cody and asked if I wanted to take Ethan too and I said whatever Ethan wanted was fine. he said he wanted to stay on the bus so I let him ride the bus and met him when he got home with a big hug. and he was mad at me for not taking him home with me. cant win.